Patent ID: 8069964

Claim:
A shock absorber comprising: a pressure tube defining a working chamber; a piston disposed within said working chamber, said piston dividing said working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber; a first compression passage extending through said piston between said upper and said lower working chambers; a first compression valve assembly engaging a first pair of annular lands defined by said piston, said first compression valve assembly closing said first compression passage; a first rebound passage extending through said piston between said upper and said lower working chambers; a first rebound valve assembly engaging a second pair of annular lands defined by said piston, said first rebound valve assembly closing said first rebound passage; and an interconnecting passage disposed radially inward from said first compression passage, radially inward from said first rebound passage and extending through said piston, said interconnecting passage defining a continuously open flow path extending from said upper working chamber through said entire first rebound passage through said interconnecting passage, through said entire first compression passage and into said lower working chamber; a second compression passage disposed radially outward from said first compression passage and extending through said piston between said upper and said lower working chambers; a second compression valve assembly engaging said piston, said compression valve assembly closing said second compression passage; a second rebound passage disposed radially outward from said first rebound passage and extending through said piston between said upper and said lower working chambers; and a second rebound valve assembly engaging said piston, said second rebound valve assembly closing said second rebound passage.