Patent ID: 6880684

Claim:
A shock absorber, comprising: a primary housing having a primary internal cavity containing a fluid, a first end, and an opposite second end; a piston assembly disposed within said primary internal cavity, said piston assembly traveling within said primary internal cavity, said piston assembly partitioning said primary internal cavity into a first chamber disposed adjacent to said first end of said primary housing, and a second chamber disposed adjacent to said second end of said primary housing; a shock rod connected to said piston assembly, said shock rod passing through said second end of said primary housing; a secondary housing having a secondary internal cavity, a first end, and an opposite second end; a piston disposed within said secondary internal cavity, said piston traveling within said secondary internal cavity, said piston partitioning said secondary internal cavity into a first chamber disposed adjacent to said first end of said secondary housing, and a second chamber disposed adjacent to said second end of said secondary housing; said second chamber containing a compressible fluid; a flow regulator connected between said first chamber of said primary housing and said first chamber of said secondary housing, said flow regulator controlling a flow of said fluid between said first chamber of said primary housing and said first chamber of said secondary housing; said flow regulator including a body which receives a flow control member; said flow control member having a plurality of orifices of different sizes; wherein said flow control member may be selectively positioned to cause said fluid to flow through one of said orifices from said first chamber of said primary housing to said first chamber of said secondary housing; said body having an entry port and an exit port; said flow control member including a cylinder having an outside cylindrical surface and a plurality of bores, said plurality of orifices disposed upon said outside cylindrical surface, each said bore connected to said outside cylindrical surface by one of said orifices; and, wherein said cylinder may be selectively rotated so that one of said orifices aligns with said exit port, so that said fluid flows from said first chamber of said primary housing, through said entry port, through said bore connected to said aligned orifice, through said aligned orifice, through said exit port, and into said first chamber of said secondary housing.