Patent ID: 7802940

Claim:
A ball and socket joint assembly for a vehicular suspension, said assembly comprising: a housing having an interior socket extending between upper and lower ends of said housing, and an exterior surface having an upper portion adjacent said upper end having an enlarged outer diameter and an at least partially knurled lower portion operative for being press fit into a mating first suspension part, said at least partially knurled portion of said exterior surface comprising a plurality of elongate knurls each having a cross-section having a root and a crest and having a substantially uninterrupted material hardness as forged within each of said knurls, said housing including a shoulder extending radially from said exterior surface between said upper portion and said knurls and extending contiguously and substantially perpendicularly immediately from said crest of each of said knurls; wherein said lower portion has a smaller diameter than said upper portion, and said interior socket has an enlarged bore diameter within said upper portion for receiving a cover plate and a smaller bore diameter within said lower portion for receiving a ball; a ball rotatably seated within said socket adjacent said lower end; and a shank fixedly joined to said ball and extending outwardly from said housing for attaching to a second suspension component.