Patent ID: 7670078

Claim:
A dust boot, comprising: an annular body defining an interior cavity having a housing opening at one longitudinal end of said dust boot for attaching to a housing, and a shank opening at an opposite longitudinal end of said dust boot for sealingly engaging a shank portion of a ball stud; an annular end face surrounding said shank opening; and an annular rim extending longitudinally outwardly from and along a periphery of said annular end face spaced radially outwardly from said shank opening by said annular end face, an outer surface of said dust boot extending from said rim to said housing opening; said rim having a flexible flap to permit the evacuation of excess grease from within said interior cavity of said dust boot, said rim flexing radially outwardly to relieve excess grease; an end face passage longitudinally recessed into said annular end face and radially extending between said shank opening and said rim along said annular end face; and at least one grease relief passage extending longitudinally along said outer surface from adjacent said flexible flap toward said housing opening for receiving the flow of excess grease, said grease relief passage including an undercut portion extending radially into said outer surface of said dust boot adjacent said flexible flap; wherein excess grease flows from within said interior cavity of said dust boot through said end face passage and said flexible flap and into said grease relief passage.