Patent ID: 8684706

Claim:
In a linear compressor having a piston with a crown and a sidewall, reciprocating in a cylinder with a piston rod connecting said piston to a spring, the improvement comprising: an axially and laterally rigid cantilever rigidly fixed to an inner surface of said piston crown with a distal end extending toward said piston rod, an axially and laterally rigid extension from said piston rod with a distal end extending into said piston, and an elastic connection between said cantilever and said piston rod extension that is axially and laterally rigid to transmit axial and lateral loads, but allows relative rotation about axes transverse to a direction of reciprocation of the piston, the elastic connection comprising a lateral cross-sectional area smaller than a lateral cross-sectional area of the extension and a lateral cross-sectional area of the cantilever, and a length of the elastic connection being substantially shorter than a length of the piston so that the elastic connection is located wholly within the piston.