Patent ID: 7931538

Claim:
A torque dampening compensator for a vehicle comprising: an input member operable to receive an input torque, the input member including a first lug portion operable to transmit the input torque; an output member operable to transmit an output torque that is less than or equal to the input torque, the output member including a second lug portion operable to receive the output torque; and an isolator member disposed between the input member and the output member, the isolator member operable to receive the input torque from the input member, to selectively absorb a portion of the input torque, and to transmit the output torque to the output member, wherein the isolator member includes a first portion positioned in a space between the first lug portion and the second lug portion, the first portion of the isolator member having a size corresponding to the space and having a shape that is dissimilar to the space, the first portion of the isolator member being resiliently deformable into the space, wherein the isolator member includes a plurality of spaced-apart portions positioned in a plurality of separate spaces between corresponding pairs of lug portions of the input and output members, the space between the first lug portion of the input member and the second lug portion of the output member having a predetermined size when the compensator is in a neutral state with each of the plurality of spaced-apart portions of the isolator member being positioned in a respective one of the plurality of separate spaces between corresponding pairs of lug portions of the input and output members, wherein the first portion of the isolator member includes a first side that is generally concave and a second side opposite the first side having a protrusion.