Self adjusting shim device

A self adjusting shim device has an elastic outer bladder formed of resilient material filled ith bouncing putty. The bouncing putty filler will deform slowly under the slightest force like a highly viscous liquid but will resist rapidly applied loads as if it were a solid. The shim device is placed between the bottom of an article, such as one or more legs of a piece of furniture, and the weight of the article supported on the shim device will, in a short time, cause the shim device(s) to deform and the article supported will assume a state of equilibrium, even if the legs are of unequal length. A sudden downward force applied to the supported article will create a compressive force on the resilient bladder causing the bouncing putty filler to become rigid and resist the downward force. When the downward force is lessened or removed, the bladder tends to return to its original shape. In another embodiment, the elastic bladder is contained within a pair of opposed rigid cup-shape members telescopically joined together and adapted to be installed on the bottom of articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to shim devices, and more particularly to 
a shim device having a resilient envelope enclosing a viscous putty 
material. 
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
Very often, objects such a tables and chairs are supported on an uneven 
surface, or they have legs of different lengths which causes them to 
suddenly tilt. Furniture is often chocked with various objects, such as 
leveling screws, folded paper, bottle caps, and other miscellaneous 
material at hand. Although these objects may work for a limited time, they 
are unsightly and undesirable. Others have devised complicate mechanisms 
in an attempt to solve this problem. There are several patents which 
disclose various furniture leveling devices and other mechanical devices 
utilizing bouncing putty. 
Hinman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,663 discloses a self adjusting furniture 
support comprising a foot member spring biased in a downward direction 
along a rectilinear guideway extending at an angle from the horizontal 
plane. 
Ball, U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,359 discloses a self adjusting furniture glide 
having an upper body rotatably mounted to a lower foot piece having an 
arcuate ramp surface on which a complimentary ramp surface of the upper 
body rests, and a coil spring mounted between the foot and upper body to 
downwardly bias the foot piece and to apply a torque which opposes mutual 
rotation of the pieces. 
Blake, U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,382 discloses an apparatus for resisting a 
sudden pull in one direction on a flexible member comprising a housing, a 
drum on which the flexible member is wound, first and second rotatable 
elements mounted in the housing and arranged to engage bouncing putty 
located between them. The bouncing putty is put in shear when the elements 
rotate relative to one another. When a predetermined rate of relative 
movement is reached, the resistance to shear of the bouncing putty is 
increased and the elements tend to rotate together. 
Brooks, U.S. Pat. No. 3,382,511 discloses a safety cushion having a rigid 
bottom wall, rigid side walls extending upwardly from the bottom, and a 
mass of bouncing putty occupying the entire space between the bottom and 
side walls. The bouncing putty filled cushion provides a custom fit for 
the user and but becomes rigid and unyielding under a rapidly applied 
load. 
Brooks, U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,463 discloses a vehicular seating system 
comprising a rigid backing member and a cellular cushion of elastomeric 
material having a plurality of voids which are filled with bouncing putty 
resiliently contained therein by the elastomeric material. The original 
configuration of the seating system is maintained by the elasticity of the 
cushion and is rendered substantially rigid during sudden acceleration. 
Wigal, U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,496 discloses a rate controlling device which is 
attached to a moving element for controlling the rate of motion of the 
moving element. Bouncing putty is enclosed in a flexible envelope and 
force is applied thereto substantially equal to the driving force applied 
to the moving element. When the moving element is speeded up, the 
resistance applied by the flexible envelope increases greater than 
proportionally to the force exerted thereon due to the properties of the 
bouncing putty. 
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and 
these patents in particular by a self adjusting shim device having a 
elastic outer bladder formed of resilient material filled with bouncing 
putty. The bouncing putty filler will deform slowly under the slightest 
force like a highly viscous liquid but will resist rapidly applied loads 
as if it were a solid. The shim device is placed between the bottom of and 
article, such as one or more legs of a piece of furniture, and the weight 
of the article supported on the shim device will, in a short time, cause 
the shim device(s) to deform and the article supported will assume a state 
of equilibrium, even if the legs are of unequal length. A sudden downward 
force applied to the supported article will create a compressive force on 
the resilient bladder causing the bouncing putty filler to become rigid 
and resist the downward force. When the downward force is lessened or 
removed, the bladder tends to return to its original shape. In another 
embodiment, the elastic bladder is contained within a pair of opposed 
rigid cup-shaped members telescopically joined together and adapted to be 
installed on the bottom of articles. The self adjusting shim device 
substantially reduces or eliminates the tilting or wobbling action of the 
articles under which it is placed and will compensate for the unevenness 
of floors or legs of unequal length. They may also be applied to heavy 
machinery and washing machines, etc., to reduce vibration and their 
tendency to "walk" when in operation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a self 
adjusting shim device which has a combination of the properties of both a 
liquid and a solid allowing it to deform slowly to fill the gap between an 
article and the surface upon which it is supported and which will resist 
rapidly applied loads as if it were a solid. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a self adjusting shim 
device having a resilient outer bladder having a memory which is filled 
with a viscous solid elastic material. 
Another object of this invention to provide a self adjusting shim device 
having a resilient outer bladder having a memory which is filled with a 
viscous solid elastic material and contained within a rigid telescoping 
container. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a self adjusting shim device 
which is easily and quickly installed between the legs of furniture and 
the like to prevent tilting of the supported article due to uneven floors 
or legs of unequal length. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a self adjusting shim device 
which can be installed beneath heavy machinery, washing machines, and 
other appliances to reduce their vibration and tendency to "walk" when in 
operation. 
A further object of this invention is to provide a self adjusting shim 
device which may be used as packing elements or for shoring various 
article or containers of substances which will allow slow or gentle 
movement of objects, but would not allow rapid motions. 
A still further object of this invention is to provide a self adjusting 
shim device which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, 
and rugged and reliable in use. 
Other objects of the invention will become apparent from time to time 
throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related. 
The above noted objects and other objects of the invention are accomplished 
by a self adjusting shim device having an elastic outer bladder formed of 
resilient material filled with bouncing putty. The bouncing putty filler 
will deform slowly under the slightest force like a highly viscous liquid 
but will resist rapidly applied loads as if it were a solid. The shim 
device is placed between the bottom of and article, such as one or more 
legs of a piece of furniture, and the weight of the article supported on 
the shim device will, in a short time, cause the shim device(s) to deform 
and the article supported will assume a state of equilibrium, even if the 
legs are of unequal length. A sudden downward force applied to the 
supported article will create a compressive force on the resilient bladder 
causing the bouncing putty filler to become rigid and resist the downward 
force. When the downward force is lessened or removed, the bladder tends 
to return to its original shape. In another embodiment the elastic bladder 
is contained within a pair of opposed rigid cup-shaped members 
telescopically joined together and adapted to be installed on the bottom 
of articles. The self adjusting shim device substantially reduces or 
eliminates the tilting or wobbling action of the articles under which it 
is placed and will compensate for the unevenness of floors or legs of 
unequal length. They may also be applied to heavy machinery and washing 
machines, etc., to reduce vibration and their tendency to "walk" when in 
operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in FIGS. 
1-4, a preferred self adjusting shim device 10. The shim device 10 
comprises an outer bladder 11 formed of suitable non-permeable elastic or 
resilient material having a memory, such as rubber. The outer bladder 11 
is illustrated as a sphere or ball, but it should be understood that other 
shapes may be used. 
The interior of the outer bladder 11 is filled with a substance known as 
"bouncing putty" 12. Bouncing putty is a solid elastic product of a 
reaction between a silicon oil and a compound of boron such as, for 
example, boric acid with the addition of a filler, such as lithopone. The 
bouncing putty has a combination of the properties of both a liquid and a 
solid. It will deform slowly under the slightest force like a highly 
viscous liquid limited by its container (outer resilient bladder 11). On 
the other hand, the bouncing putty 12 will resist rapidly applied loads as 
if it were a solid. 
As seen in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, if one or more of the self adjusting shim 
devices 10 are placed between the bottom of a leg L of a piece of 
furniture such as a table or chair, the weight of the article A supported 
on the shim device 10 will, in a short time, cause the shim device(s) 10 
to deform and the article supported will assume a state of equilibrium, 
even if the legs are of unequal length. If a sudden downward force is 
applied to the supported article, the leg of the article will cause a 
compressive force on the resilient bladder 11 which is resisted by the 
action of the bouncing putty 12 inside the bladder, since the bouncing 
putty becomes rigid when subjected to a sudden force. 
Because the bouncing putty 12 is sealed within the non-permeable elastic or 
resilient bladder 11 which has a memory, the resiliency of the bladder 
allows it to deform and the bouncing putty 12 contained inside the bladder 
will also deform as would a fluid when compressed. If the weight or force 
is removed or lessened from the shim device 10, the bladder 11 and the 
bouncing putty 12 would attempt to return to its original shape. In either 
the compression (deformed) or decompression (non-deformed) state, the 
bouncing putty 12 will become rigid if a force is suddenly applied, and 
the action would be described as "anti-shock absorbing". 
The bladder 11 is of sufficient resiliency to apply a steady continuous 
pressure on the bouncing putty 12 to deform the bouncing putty when the 
weight or force is slowly removed from the bladder as the bladder slowly 
resumes its original configuration, but will apply rapid compressive 
pressure on the bouncing putty when the weight or force thereon is 
suddenly decreased to cause the bouncing putty to become rigid and 
unyielding. Because the bladder tends to return to its original 
configuration, the shim device will automatically adjust to fill the gap 
between an article and the surface upon which it is supported. 
As seen in FIG. 6, the bladders 11 containing the bouncing putty may be 
contained within a collapsible or bellows type rigid outer housing. In the 
illustrated example, the outer housing 13 comprises an upper 14 and lower 
15 cup-shaped member slidably and telescopically joined together in 
opposed relation. The upper cup-shaped member 14 and lower cup-shaped 
member 15 each have a side wall 14A, 15A and an end wall 14B, 15B, 
respectively. The upper cup-shaped member 14 has a threaded shank or rod 
16 extending upwardly from its end wall 14B. The overlapping side walls 
14A and 15A of the cup-shaped members are provided with radial flanges 14C 
and 15C, respectively, to prevent them from becoming disengaged but 
allowing telescoping movement. The self adjusting shim device 10 (the 
bladder 11 containing bouncing putty 12) is contained within the opposed 
cup-shaped members 14 and 15. The outer housing 13 may be installed on the 
bottom of an object, such as a table or chair leg by means of the threaded 
rod 16. 
Although the shim device is shown installed on the bottom of an object by 
means of a threaded rod, it should be understood that any other suitable 
means may be employed, such as nails, glue, or any other suitable 
fastener. 
As seen in FIG. 7, with the embodiment of FIG. 6, the weight of the article 
supported on the shim device will, in a short time, cause the cup-shaped 
members 14 and 15 to move telescopically together which will deform the 
bladder 11 and bouncing putty 12 therein and the article supported will 
assume a state of equilibrium, even if the legs are of unequal length. If 
a sudden downward force is applied to the supported article, the leg of 
the article will cause a compressive force on the cup-shaped members which 
would be resisted by the action of the bouncing putty inside the bladder. 
Although the preferred shim device has the bouncing putty enclosed inside a 
bladder, it should be understood that other configurations may be 
possible. For example, the bouncing putty may be contained within an open 
top rigid container, such as a cup-shaped, or box-like container. The 
container may be placed beneath one or more legs of a table or chair with 
the bottom of the leg in direct contact with the bouncing putty. 
Thus, it can be understood that the self adjusting shim devices of the 
present invention when applied to articles of furniture and the like will 
substantially reduce or eliminate the annoying tilting or wobbling action 
of the articles and will prevent spilling of liquids from containers 
supported on the article. The present devices will also lessen the 
startling feeling of falling from a tilting chair. 
The shim devices will compensate for the unevenness of floors and allow 
articles of furniture be moved to different locations, as they would be 
self adjusting. 
The self adjusting shim devices can also be applied to heavy machinery and 
washing machines, etc., to reduce their vibration and tendency to "walk" 
when in operation. 
The present self adjusting shim device may also be used as packing elements 
or for shoring various article or containers of substances since they 
allow slow or gentle movement of objects, but would not allow rapid 
motions. 
While this invention has been described fully and completely with special 
emphasis upon a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that within 
the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise 
than as specifically described herein.