Method of making plastic ball sleeve assembly

• US 5,345,679 A
• Filed: 08/12/1993
• Issued: 09/13/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Lennon, Brady J., Herlache, Russell L., Beauch, Howard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eley, Timothy V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAN
• Application Number:
  US08/105,245
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 29/509, 29/898.043, 29/898.044, 29/898.045, 29/898.05, 29/898.055, 29/898.063, 29/898.066, 29/898.15, 29/441.1, 29/436 , 29/898.056, 29/898.057, 29/898.065, 72/368, 74/492
• US Class Current: 29/898.055
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2793/0045 Perforating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/0057 Moulding single grooves or ribs, e.g. tear lines folding lines B29C53/06
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/06 Forming folding lines by pressing or scoring
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/40 for articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/56 using mechanical means or mechanical connections, e.g. form-fits
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/12423 Dovetailed interlocking undercuts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/12443 having the tongue substantially in the middle
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/4322 by joining a single sheet to itself B29C66/4332 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/474 said single elements being substantially non-flat
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81415 being bevelled
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81427 comprising a single ridge, e.g. for making a weakening line; comprising a single tooth
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81431 comprising a single cavity, e.g. a groove
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8322 Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2077/00 Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/04 Bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/045 Bushes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/192 Yieldable or collapsible columns
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/24 Steering systems, e.g. steering rods or columns
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 29/04 Ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/3856 : made from plastic, e.g. injection moulded window cages
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/40 : for multiple rows of balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 43/08 : by deforming the cages or the races
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4965 : Deforming socket to secure ball
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4967 : Nonmetallic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49671 : Strip or blank material shaping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49687 : with cage making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49853 : of sphere, i.e., ball, in socket

Abstract

A method of making a plastic ball sleeve assembly includes the steps of forming a flat plastic sleeve blank, cold forming a plurality of ball sockets in the sleeve blank, cold forming a plurality of integral living hinges in the sleeve blank, inserting respective ones of a plurality of hard metal spheres in corresponding ones of the ball sockets, cold forming the sleeve blank to define retaining means at each ball socket operative to retain the spheres in the sockets while exposing surface segments of the spheres on opposite sides of the sleeve blank, and flexing the sleeve blank at the living hinges until opposite end edges of the sleeve blank abut whereby a tubular ball sleeve assembly is achieved. In a preferred embodiment, interlocking tangs and notches are formed in edges of the sleeve blank which interlock to capture the tubular shape of the ball sleeve assembly.

Claims

1. A method of making a ball sleeve assembly including a tubular plastic sleeve and a plurality of hard metal spheres comprising the steps of:

forming from a plastic characterized by being permanently deformable by application of compressive force thereto a sleeve blank defining a flat plane and having a thickness dimension less than the diameter of said spheres,

cold forming a plurality of ball sockets in said sleeve blank by applying compressive force to said sleeve blank perpendicular to said flat plane,

cold forming a plurality of integral parallel living hinges on said sleeve blank by applying compressive force to said sleeve blank perpendicular to said flat plane,

inserting each of said spheres in a respective one of said ball sockets,

cold forming said sleeve blank by applying compressive force thereto perpendicular to said flat plane to define an integral retaining means operative to prevent dislodgement of said spheres from said ball sockets while exposing a pair of surface segments of each of said spheres on opposite sides of said sleeve blank, and

forming a tubular sleeve by flexing said sleeve blank at said living hinges.

2. A method of making a ball sleeve assembly including a tubular plastic sleeve and a plurality of hard metal spheres comprising the steps of:

forming into a roll a continuous sheet of a plastic characterized by being permanently deformable by application of compressive force thereto and having a thickness dimension less than the diameter of said spheres and a predetermined width dimension between a pair of parallel side edges of said sheet,

unrolling said roll and severing from said continuous sheet an end thereof to form a sleeve blank defining a flat plane and having a pair of end edges perpendicular to said side edges of said sheet,

forming on a first of said end edges a tang and on a second of said end edges a notch having a shape corresponding to the shape of said tang,

cold forming a plurality of ball sockets in said sleeve blank by applying compressive force to said sleeve blank perpendicular to said flat plane,

cold forming a plurality of integral living hinges on said sleeve blank parallel to said end edges by applying compressive force to said sleeve blank perpendicular to said flat plane,

inserting each of said spheres in a respective one of said ball sockets,

cold forming said sleeve blank by applying compressive force thereto perpendicular to said flat plane to define an integral retaining means operative to prevent dislodgement of said spheres from said ball sockets while exposing a pair of surface segments of each of said spheres on opposite sides of said sleeve blank, and

forming a tubular sleeve by flexing said sleeve blank at said living hinges until one of said end edges of said sleeve blank abuts the other of said end edges of said sleeve blank with said tang in interlocking relationship in said notch.

3. The method of making a ball sleeve assembly recited in claim 2 wherein

the plastic is nylon.

4. The method of making a ball sleeve assembly recited in claim 3 wherein

the step of cold forming a plurality of ball sockets in said sleeve blank by applying compressive force to said sleeve blank perpendicular to said flat plane includes,

forming each of said ball sockets to define a cylindrical bore through said sleeve blank perpendicular to said flat plane, and

the step of cold forming said sleeve blank by applying compressive force thereto perpendicular to said flat plane to define an integral retaining means includes

cold forming concurrently with each of said cylindrical bores an integral annular lip around a first end of each of said cylindrical bores operative to prevent dislodgement of the corresponding one of said spheres through said first end of said bore, and

coining said sleeve blank after said spheres are inserted in said cylindrical bores to define an integral annular lip around a second end of each of said cylindrical bores operative to prevent dislodgement of the corresponding one of said spheres through said second end of said bore.