Patent ID: 8177041

Claim:
A shock absorber for coupling a wheel to a suspension system of a vehicle, the shock absorber comprising: a damper body comprising an upper end and a lower end, wherein the damper body is hollow; a piston assembly comprising a piston rod and a piston plunger, wherein: the piston plunger and at least a portion of the piston rod is slidably enclosed within the damper body; the piston rod extends out of the upper end of the damper body; the piston plunger is positioned within the damper body such that a fluid chamber is defined within the damper body between the lower end of the damper body and the piston plunger; and the piston plunger comprises one or more slots operable to pass fluid from the fluid chamber to a region within the damper body that is between the upper end of the damper body and the piston plunger during a down stroke of the piston assembly within the damper body; and a pulser operable to generate hydraulic waves that form a donut shaped eddie within the fluid that propagates toward the piston assembly, wherein the hydraulic waves alter the damping force of the shock absorber.