Patent ID: 7517283

Claim:
A universal joint for coupling a drive shaft and a driven shaft, the universal joint comprising: a first joint yoke having axially opposite yoke arms; a second joint yoke having axially opposite yoke arms and arranged radially at an angle of 90° in relation to the first joint yoke to form an internal space; first and second connection elements, each connection element having a base web, transverse arms for connecting the connection element to yoke arms of a respective joint yoke, and connection areas extending from the base web at positions radially spaced from a middle axis of the universal joint toward the internal space such that each connection area is positioned between the middle axis of the universal joint and a respective transverse arm; and an elastic coupling element configured to fit within the internal space and abut the connection areas of each of the first and second connection elements such that the elastic coupling element is spaced from each of the first and second connection elements over a portion of the respective base webs to create an axial interspace between the connection areas.