Patent ID: 7712753
Filing Date: 2010-05-11
Classification: B60G,B62D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A translational ball joint for connecting a first vehicle component to a second vehicle component comprising: a socket having a side wall and an end wall defining a cavity, the socket being mountable in the first vehicle component; a ball stud including a ball, mounted in the cavity and having a central bore, and a shank, including a first end located outside of the cavity and an opposed second end located in the cavity, the shank including a cylindrical portion adjacent to the second end that is slidably received in the central bore and a retention flange extending radially outward from the second end that has a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the central bore to thereby prevent the retention flange from sliding through the central bore, the central bore being splined and the cylindrical portion of the shank being splined in a mating engagement with the splines in the central bore to prevent rotation of the ball relative to the shank; and a retainer operatively engaging the socket to retain the ball in the cavity of the socket.