Patent ID: 7172181

Claim:
An elastomeric spring having an elongate body with first and second longitudinally spaced free ends along with first and second continuous concave surfaces extending between said first and second ends, with said first and second surfaces being radially spaced and in generally parallel relation relative to each other on opposite sides of a curved longitudinal centerline, and with said elongate body being created from a preform formed from an elastomer which is free of spring-like characteristics, and wherein the elastomeric preform from which said elongate body is created has a molecular structure along with a ratio of plastic strain to elastic strain greater than 1.5 to 1, and wherein said preform is worked such that the molecular structure, extending along a lengthwise section of at least a mid-portion of said is oriented in at least one direction and such that said elastomeric preform is transmuted into said elastomeric spring with a predetermined spring rate, and wherein said spring is designed and configured such that forces are applied to said spring in a direction generally perpendicular to the curved longitudinal centerline.