Patent ID: 7284644

Claim:
An air spring assembly for use on an associated vehicle suspension system that includes an associated rigid mounting structure and an associated damping member, said air spring assembly comprising: spaced apart first and second end members; a flexible wall secured on said first and second end members and defining a spring chamber therebetween; a mounting member disposed adjacent said first end member and rigidly affixed on the associated rigid mounting structure; a bearing element for providing reduced-friction rotational motion operatively secured between said first end member and said mounting member such that said first end member is substantially-freely rotatable with respect to said mounting member; an isolator supported on and sealingly engaging said first end member, said isolator including an isolator passage suitable for sealingly receiving the associated damping member; and, a jounce bumper supported within said spring chamber for receiving a bumper load, said jounce bumper operative to engage said first end member and thereby transfer substantially all of said bumper load to said first end member with substantially none of said bumper load transferred to said isolator; said isolator at least partially forming a first load transmission path together with said first end member, said bearing element and said mounting member such that a load attributed to the associated damping member is distributed to the associated rigid mounting structure through said isolator along said first load transmission path; said first end member, said bearing element and said mounting member at least partially forming a second load transmission path such that an air spring load and said bumper load are distributed to the associated rigid mounting structure along said second load transmission path without any substantial portion of said air spring load or said bumper load being transferred to said isolator.