Appeal No. 1999-1757 Page 4
Application No. 08/895,637
said liquid spring having a housing including a chamber
in which a first volume of compressible liquid is disposed and
restriction means slidably disposed within said housing, said
restriction means having a surface in contact with said first
volume of compressible liquid, said compressible liquid having
a spring rate, wherein said spring rate is an inverse function
of volume further wherein said liquid spring provides damping
by causing said compressible liquid to flow about said
restriction means;
(b) a second volume of compressible liquid in a second
chamber, said second volume removably connected to the first
volume by a fluid passage;
(c) valve means coupled to said fluid passage, said valve
means selectively operable to place said second volume in
communication with said first volume; and
(d) control means for varying at least one of spring and
damping forces in response to a sensed vibration by operating
said valve means to place into communication said first volume
with said second volume, said communication combining first
and second volume [sic] into one active volume producing a
change in spring rate.
Kouda (Fig. 1) discloses a shock absorber 20 variable
between harder and softer damping modes and a pneumatic spring
30 variable between stiffer and softer modes (see, for
example, column 2, lines 16-30). In the normal state shock
absorber 20 operates in the soft mode. In response to a
control signal from control unit 100, shock absorber 20
operates in the hard mode e.g., a greater damping force is
produced than in the soft mode (column 8, lines 21-44).
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