Patent ID: 7828127

Claim:
A rotary damper comprising: a first piece including a cylindrical portion including oppositely disposed ends and an inner wall; lateral portions at each of the oppositely disposed ends of the cylindrical portion, the lateral portions coupled with the cylindrical portion to define a chamber; a second piece rotatably coupled to the first piece and including oppositely disposed portions corresponding to the oppositely disposed ends of the cylindrical portion; a rotary member extending in the chamber and operatively coupled to the second piece, the rotary member extending at least proximate to the inner wall and at least proximate to the lateral portions, the rotary member configured for at least partially dividing the chamber into a first area and a second area; a finger extending from the inner wall into the chamber, the finger extending at least substantially the length of the cylindrical portion; a first stub and a second stub disposed on opposite sides of the finger, the first stub and the second stub extending at least substantially the length of the cylindrical portion, and the first stub and the second stub positioned from the finger to define a first slot and a second slot in the inner wall for receiving and retaining a flexible member, wherein the flexible member biases against either side of the finger during damping of the rotary damper; and, the flexible member mounted in the first slot or the second slot of the inner wall of the cylindrical portion to determine a direction of damping, the flexible member extending from the inner wall to at least proximate the rotary member, the flexible member configured for moving to an open position, to provide an opening between the first area and the second area.