Patent ID: 8414405

Claim:
A constant velocity joint comprising: an outer member having an attachment end for attachment to a drive shaft and defining an interior and a plurality of outer member ball tracks within said interior extending along a longitudinal axis with said plurality of outer member ball tracks including a first group of outer member ball tracks and a second group of outer member ball tracks; an inner member disposed within said interior and defining a plurality of inner member ball tracks extending along said longitudinal axis with said plurality of inner member ball tracks including a first group of inner member ball tracks and a second group of inner member ball tracks; said first group of inner member ball tracks opposing said first group of outer member ball tracks to define a first group of funnels and said second group of inner member ball tracks opposing said second group of outer member ball tracks to define a second group of funnels; a plurality of drive balls with one of said plurality of drive balls disposed within each of said first group of funnels and within each of said second group of funnels; and a cage disposed between said outer member and said inner member and defining a plurality of windows, each of said windows having a size, a shape and a spacing from adjacent windows, with one of said plurality of drive balls disposed within each of said plurality of windows, each of the plurality of windows having substantially the same size and shape and spacing from the adjacent windows; said first group of inner member ball tracks and said first group of outer member ball tracks of said first group of funnels spaced from each other in non-parallel relationship to define a first diverging width that diverges toward said attachment end in a first direction along said longitudinal axis to urge said plurality of drive balls disposed within said first group of funnels in said first direction; said second group of inner member ball tracks and said second group of outer member ball tracks of said second group of funnels spaced from each other in non-parallel relationship to define a second diverging width that diverges away from said attachment end in a second direction along said longitudinal axis to urge said plurality of drive balls disposed within said second group of funnels in said second direction; said first diverging width increasing in value along said longitudinal axis in said first direction at a first rate of divergence providing a first force against said cage in said first direction, and said second diverging width increasing in value along said longitudinal axis in said second direction at a second rate of divergence different from said first rate of divergence providing a second force against said cage in said second direction opposite said first direction, a difference between said first force and said second force biasing said cage in one of said first direction and said second direction.