Patent ID: 7547142

Claim:
A bearing assembly comprising: an upper bearing seat, a lower bearing seat, and a sliding load bearing member therebetween, said sliding load bearing member having an upper surface in sliding contact with a bearing surface of the upper bearing seat and a lower surface in sliding contact with a bearing surface of the lower bearing seat such that said sliding load bearing member is slideable relative to said upper and lower bearing seats, friction between said upper surface of said sliding load bearing member and said bearing surface of said upper bearing seat and between said lower surface of said sliding load bearing member and said bearing surface of said lower bearing seat, in use, damping relative horizontal movement between said upper bearing seat and said lower bearing seat, said assembly having an elastic self-centering device cooperable with the upper bearing seat, lower bearing seat, and the sliding load bearing member to urge said sliding load bearing member to return to or remain in a centered position, the elastic self-centering device includes two diaphragms, said sliding load bearing member being located at or near or joined to a center of said diaphragms, a periphery of each diaphragm being joined to or adjacent to a periphery of a respective one of said upper and lower bearing seats, the diaphragms being cooperable with said sliding load bearing member and said upper and lower bearing seats to urge said sliding load bearing member to return to or remain in a centered position.