Patent ID: 6908076

Claim:
An upper mount for a suspension system of a vehicle, which suspension system includes a shock absorber having a piston rod, said upper mount comprising: a rigid housing including a cylindrical wall portion, an upper wall portion having an upper central opening, and a mounting flange portion which extends radially outwardly from said cylindrical wall portion for fixing said rigid housing to a body of a vehicle; and a main body comprising (a) a generally cylindrical elastic body, (b) an inner rigid member located in a radially central portion of said elastic body and fixed to an upper end portion of said piston rod, and (c) an outer metal sleeve bonded to an outer circumferential surface of said elastic body, said main body being located in said rigid housing such that said outer metal sleeve is located at an outer circumferential surface thereof in an inner circumferential surface of said cylindrical wall portion of said rigid housing; said elastic body having a circumferential groove along an inner circumferential surface of said outer metal sleeve, and an upper surface which cooperates with said upper wall portion of said rigid housing to define a spacing, said upper central opening being held in communication with said circumferential groove through said spacing; and said elastic body further comprising an annular sealing lip comprising a rubber material integral with said elastic body, located along an annular open end of said outer metal sleeve and located radially outwardly of said upper central opening of said upper wall portion such that said annular sealing lip includes a portion located between and in contact with an inner surface of said upper wall portion of said rigid housing and a surface of said annular open end of said outer metal sleeve, for preventing a flow of an aqueous material from said upper central opening to said outer metal sleeve, said surface of said annular open end of said outer metal sleeve being spaced apart from said inner surface of said upper wall portion of said rigid housing.