Vehicle steering system

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMATIVE STEERING SYSTEM HAVING A VEHICLE FRAME, A STEERING WHEEL, A STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY WITH A GEAR BOX CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO SAID FRAME AND HOLDING A GEAR TRAIN CONNECTED TO SAID STEERING WHEEL, A PITMAN CONNECTED TO SAID STEERING WHEEL THROUGH SAID GEAR TRAIN, AN INTERMEDIATE ARM CONNECTED TO SAID PITMAN BY FIRST JOINT MEANS AND TO SAID FRAME BY SECOND JOINT MEANS AND IDLER ARM MEANS, A PAIR OF SPINDLE MEAN PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME AND EACH PROVIDED WITH KING PIN MEANS, AND A PAIR OF ROAD-ENGAGING WHEELS, EACH SUPPORTED ROTATABLY BY SPINDLE MEANS, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF: A PAIR OF STEERING LINKAGE ASSEMBLIES, EACH COMPRISING A CONNECTING ROD EXTENDING GENERALLY LATERALLY OF THE VEHICLE FROM AN INNER END NEAR THE LONGITUDINAL CENTERLINE OF SAID VEHICLE TO AN OUTER END ADJACENT ONE SAID SPINDLE MEANS, AN INNER JOINT CONNECTING THE INNER END OF SAID CONNECTING ROD TO SAID INTERMEDIATE ARM AND COMPRISING AN INNER MEMBER EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID CENTERLINE OF SAID VEHICLE, AN OUTER MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING SAID INNER MEMBER, AND FIRST ELASTOMER BETWEEN AND BONDED TO BOTH SAID INNER AND OUTER MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING SECURED TO SAID CONNECTING ROD AND THE OTHER SAID MEMBER BEING SECURED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE ARM, SAID INNER JOINT CONSTITUTING MEANS FOR RELATIVE TIPPING OF SAID INNER AND OUTER MEMBERS IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE WHEN SAID STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING MEANS FOR SHOCK ASBORPTION BY LIMITED RELATIVE TRANSLATION OF SAID INNER AND OUTER MEMBERS AGAINST SAID ELASTOMER, AND ALSO MEANS FOR ENABLING SAID CONNECTING ROD TO FOLLOW VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF ITS ASSOCIATED SAID ROAD-ENGAGING WHEEL BY LIMITED RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE INNER AND OUTER MEMBERS, AN OUTER JOINT CONNECTING THE OUTER END OF SAID CONNECTING ROD TO SAID SPINDLE MEANS AND COMPRISING AN OUTSIDE MEMBER, AN INSIDE MEMBER EXTENDING GENERALLY VERTICALLY AND EXTENDING CENTRALLY THROUGH SAID OUTSIDE MEMBER AND SPACED THEREFROM, AND SECOND ELASTOMER BETWEEN AND BONDED TO BOTH SAID INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MEMBERS BEING SECURED TO SAID CONNECTING ROD AND THE OTHER BEING SECURED TO SAID SPINDLE MEANS, SAID OUTER JOINT CONSTITUTING MEANS TO IMPART THE MOVEMENT OF SAID STEERING WHEEL THROUGH SAID SYSTEM WITH RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MEMBERS OVER A LIMITED ANGLE AND FOR TIPPING RELATIVELY AS THE ROAD-ENGAGING WHEEL MOVES VERTICALLY AND FOR ABSORBING SHOCK THROUGH TRANSLATION OF SAID INSIDE MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID OUTSIDE MEMBER, SAID PAIR OF STEERING LINKAGE ASSEMBLIES BEING MIRRORIMAGES OF EACH OTHER, WHEREBY IN STEERING THE TURNING OF THE STEERING WHEEL ACTS THROUGH SAID STEERING GEAR TRAIN AND PITMAN TO MOVE SAID INTERMEDIATE ARM IN AN ARC IN THE PLANE OF SAID PITMAN AND IDLER ARM MEANS WHILE MAINTAINING SAID INTERMEDIATE ARM PARALLEL TO ITS MIDDLE POSITION, THEREBY MOVING ONE MEMBER OF EACH SAID INNER JOINT PARALLEL TO ITS NORMAL AXIS TO PUSH ON ONE SAID CONNECTING ROD AND TO PULL ON THE OTHER SAID CONNECTING ROD, THROUGH SAID FIRST ELASTOMER, SO THAT THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID CONNECTING RODS MOVE IN ARCS ABOUT THEIR ASSOCIATED SAID KING PIN MEANS, TURNING SAID ROAD-ENGAGING WHEELS AND ROTATING SAID INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MEMBERS OF SAID OUTER JOINTS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER WHILE TIPPING THE MEMBERS OF SAID INNER JOINT RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, THE ELASTOMER IN BOTH SAID JOINTS BEING LOADED AND UNLOADED ACCORDING TO THE STEERING POSITION, THE MIRROR-IMAGE STRUCTURE OF THE PAIR OF LINKAGE ASSEMBLIES ACTING TO BUILD UP POTENTIAL ENERGY WHICH UPON RELEASE OF THE STEERING WHEEL RELEASES KINETIC ENERGY FOR RESTORING SAID ROADENGAGING WHEELS TO THEIR STRAIGHT-AHEAD POSITION.