Patent ID: 8246019

Claim:
An air spring for supporting a vehicle closure on a vehicle, the air spring comprising: a rod including a hollow housing centered about a longitudinal axis, having an inner rod diameter, and having a first end and an opposed second end, the housing including at least one tube slot extending axially from the second end toward the first end and defining at least one flexible arm, at least one rod cam extension extends from the second end and includes a radially inwardly extending rod peak defining a rod peak diameter that is less than the inner rod diameter; and a tube having an outer tube diameter centered about the longitudinal axis, a first end and an opposed second end slidably received in the housing, and a tube cam extension extending from the second end of the tube, the tube cam extension having an extension tube cam surface extending at a first angle relative to the longitudinal axis, a retraction tube cam surface adjacent to and located farther from the first end of the tube than the extension tube cam surface and extending at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis, the second angle being larger than the first angle, and a tube peak located between the extension tube cam surface and the retraction tube cam surface, the tube peak having a tube peak diameter that is less than the inner rod diameter and greater than the rod peak diameter.