Patent ID: 6959915

Claim:
A throttle body assembly, comprising: a throttle plate supported by a generally cylindrical throttle body conduit for rotation about a pivot axis, said throttle plate being rotatable into a plurality of partially opened positions to allow airflow through said throttle body assembly and into a generally closed position to inhibit air flow through said throttle body assembly, said throttle plate having a first generally semicircular half at a first side of said pivot axis and a second generally semicircular half at a second side of said pivot axis, said first generally semicircular half being rotatable toward an upstream side of said throttle body assembly to place said throttle plate in one of said plurality of partially opened positions, said second generally semicircular half being rotatable toward a downstream side of said throttle body assembly; and a block of material attached to said second generally semicircular half of said throttle plate, said block of material having a first major surface and a second major surface, said first major surface being disposed in contact with a surface of said second generally semicircular half of said throttle plate, said second major surface extending away from said surface of said second generally semicircular half of said throttle plate, said block of material having a first edge formed in the shape of an arc of a circle and a second edge which circumscribes said first major surface in combination with said first edge, said first edge being disposed in contact with said second generally semicircular half of said throttle plate proximate a generally semicircular perimeter of said throttle plate, said block of material being generally symmetrical about a plane which is generally perpendicular to said pivot axis, said plane dividing said block of material into a first side and a second side, said block of material having a central region of said second major surface disposed between first and second distal regions of said second major surface, the thickness of said first and second distal regions, as measured between said first and second major surfaces, decreasing as a function of the distance from said central region, and a first hole extending through said block of material in a direction which is generally perpendicular to said pivot axis.