Ball-and-socket assembly

• US 6,802,275 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tibor Schmidt
• Original Assignee: Tibor Schmidt
• Inventors: Schmidt, Tibor
• Primary Examiner(s): BASINGER, SHERMAN D
• Application Number:
  US10/237,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20040045493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 114/361, 403/122, 403/130, 403/141, 403/143, 403/90, 403/132, 403/133
• US Class Current: 114/361
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 17/02 Awnings , including rigid weather protection structures, e.g. sunroofs; Tarpaulins; Accessories for awnings or tarpaulins
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0604 Construction of the male part
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/069 with at least one separate part to retain the ball member in the socket; Quick-release systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32631 Universal ball and socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32786 Divided socket-type coupling

Abstract

The invention provides a ball-and-socket assembly having a ball element including a ball portion and a socket housing including a socket formed by a flexible socket wall for receiving and releasably retaining the ball portion in the socket. The ball-and-socket assembly also includes a sleeve mounted on the socket housing and movable relative to the socket between an engaged position, in which the sleeve reinforces the flexible socket wall such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket, and a disengaged position, in which the socket wall is not reinforced by the sleeve and the ball portion is receivable in the socket and releasable from the socket.

Claims

1. A ball-and-socket assembly having:

a ball element including a base and a ball portion spaced apart from the base by a support portion extending from the base;

a socket housing including a socket formed by a flexible socket wall for receiving and releasably retaining the ball portion in the socket;

a sleeve slidably mounted on the socket housing and movable relative to the socket between an engaged position, in which the sleeve reinforces the flexible socket wall such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket, and a disengaged position, in which the socket wall is not reinforced by the sleeve and the ball portion is receivable in the socket and releasable from the socket;

the socket housing being coaxial with a housing longitudinal axis and the ball element being coaxial with a ball element longitudinal axis; and

the socket wall and the sleeve including at least one slot each, said slots being alignable with each other when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position to permit the socket housing to move relative to the ball portion such that the housing longitudinal axis is positionable between approximately 180°

relative to the ball element longitudinal axis and approximately 90°

relative to the ball element longitudinal axis.

2. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 1 in which the sleeve includes a ring portion for stiffening the socket wall when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket.

3. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 1 in which the sleeve includes a ring portion for stiffening the socket wall when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position to enable the socket wall to retain the ball portion in the socket, the ring portion including the slot in the sleeve to permit the socket housing to move relative to the ball portion such that the housing longitudinal axis is positionable up to at least 90°

relative to the ball element longitudinal axis.

4. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 1 which the ball portion includes a bore coaxial with the ball element longitudinal axis for receiving a fastener to fasten the ball element to a body and a flattened top area for receiving a head portion of the fastener.

5. A ball-and-socket assembly for coupling a boat top frame to a boat body, the ball-and-socket assembly having:

a ball element adapted for attachment to the boat body, the ball element including a base and a ball portion spaced apart from the base by a support portion extending from the base;

a socket housing adapted for attachment to the boat top frame, the socket housing including a socket formed therein by a flexible socket wall for receiving and releasably retaining the ball portion in the socket; and

a sleeve mounted on the socket housing and movable relative to the socket between an engaged position, in which the sleeve reinforces the flexible socket wall such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket, and a disengaged position, in which the socket wall is not reinforced by the sleeve and the ball portion is receivable in the socket and releasable from the socket,

whereby the ball portion is retained in the socket and the socket housing is movable relative to the ball portion when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position.

6. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 5 in which the sleeve is slidably mounted on the socket housing.

7. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 5 in which the socket housing is coaxial with a housing longitudinal axis and the ball element is coaxial with a ball element longitudinal axis and in which the socket wall and the sleeve include at least one slot each, said slots being alignable with each other when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position to permit the socket housing to move relative to the ball portion such that the housing longitudinal axis is positionable up to at least 90°

relative to the ball element longitudinal axis.

8. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 5 in which the sleeve includes a ring portion for stiffening the socket wall when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket.

9. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 7 in which the sleeve includes a ring portion for stiffening the socket wall when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position to enable the socket wall to retain the ball portion in the socket, the ring portion including the slot in the sleeve to permit the socket housing to move relative to the ball portion such that the housing longitudinal axis is positionable up to at least 90°

relative to the ball element longitudinal axis.

10. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 5 in which the socket wall includes a plurality of slits to divide the socket wall into a plurality of panels, the panels being flexible relative to each other such that the socket wall is sufficiently flexible to receive and to release the ball portion of the ball element.

11. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 10 in which the ball element comprises a polypropylene copolymer with ultraviolet light stabilizer and the socket housing comprises a polypropylene copolymer with ultraviolet light stabilizer.

12. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 8 additionally including a ball element housing having a floor and a wall portion extending from the floor to a top rim of the wall portion, the floor and the wall portion forming a cavity open at the top rim, the ball element housing being adapted for installation in a boat body, and in which the ball element is positioned in the cavity and secured to the floor, such that the socket housing can be positioned on the ball element and the ball portion is receivable in the socket.

13. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 12 in which the ball element is positioned in the cavity such that the ball portion is located between the floor and the top rim of the wall portion.

14. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 13 in which the ball element housing is positioned in the boat body such that the top rim of the wall portion is substantially flush with a boat body surface adjacent to the ball element housing.

15. A ball-and-socket assembly according to claim 13 in which the ball element housing includes a removable lid, for covering the cavity defined by the floor and the wall portion and the bail element positioned therein.

16. A boat top including:

a collapsible boat top frame movable between a down position and an up position;

a boat top cover adapted for attachment to the boat top frame, the cover being stretched over the boat top frame and supported by the boat top frame when the boat top frame is in the up position;

at least one ball element adapted for attachment to a boat body;

the boat top frame including at least one socket housing for coupling the boat top frame to the boat body, the socket housing including a socket formed therein by a flexible socket wall for receiving and releasably retaining the ball portion in the socket; and

a sleeve slidably mounted on said at least one socket housing and movable relative to the socket between an engaged position, in which the sleeve reinforces the flexible socket wall such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket, and a disengaged position, in which the socket wall is not reinforced by the sleeve and the ball portion is receivable in the socket and releasable from the socket,

whereby the ball portion is retained in the socket and said at least one socket housing is movable relative to the ball portion when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position.

17. A boat top according to claim 16 in which the sleeve includes a ring portion for stiffening the socket wall when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket.

18. In a ball-and-socket assembly for coupling a boat top frame to a boat body, the ball-and-socket assembly including a ball element adapted for attachment to the boat body and a socket housing adapted for attachment to the boat top frame, the ball element including a base and a ball portion spaced apart from the base by a support portion, the socket housing including a socket formed therein by a flexible socket wall for receiving and releasably retaining the ball portion, the improvement comprising a sleeve slidably mounted on the socket housing and movable relative to the socket between an engaged position, in which the sleeve reinforces the socket wall such that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket, and a disengaged position, in which the socket wall is not reinforced by the sleeve and the ball portion is receivable in the socket and releasable from the socket, whereby the ball portion is retained in the socket and the socket housing is movable relative to the ball portion when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position.