Vehicle Suspension Assembly With Reservoir Positioned Pressure-Relief Valve

1 . A vehicle suspension assembly, comprising:

a damper body having a longitudinal axis and containing damping fluid;

a piston coupled to a piston rod; the piston and a portion of the piston rod movable along the longitudinal axis of, and within, the damper body;

a reservoir including a reservoir tube having a longitudinal axis non-coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the damper body; an inner surface of the reservoir tube and a sealed moveable barrier partially defining a variable volume reservoir chamber in fluid communication with the damper body;

an inertia valve, positioned within the reservoir tube and including a moveable inertia mass, for at least partially controlling the fluid flow resistance from the damper body to the reservoir chamber; and

a pressure-relief valve positioned within the reservoir tube and for allowing a compression fluid flow from the damper body to the reservoir chamber when the damping fluid pressure inside the vehicle suspension assembly exceeds a predetermined threshold and regardless of the position of the inertia mass.

2 . The vehicle suspension assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inertia valve at least partially controls the fluid flow resistance from the damper body to the reservoir chamber in response to upward accelerations on the inertia mass exceeding a predetermined threshold.

3 . The vehicle suspension assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inside of the reservoir tube is in fluid communication with the damper body via a flow passage connecting an opening in the damper body with an opening in the reservoir tube.

4 . The vehicle suspension assembly of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir tube comprises a cylindrical tube having an upper cylindrical portion and a lower cylindrical portion and the inertia valve and the pressure-relief valve are positioned inside the cylindrical tube, between the upper and lower cylindrical portions.

5 . The vehicle suspension assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inertia valve at least partially controls the fluid flow resistance from the damper body to the reservoir chamber by the degree to which the moveable inertia mass at least partially blocks fluid flow through a flow passage.

6 . The vehicle suspension assembly of claim 1 , wherein the opening and closing of the inertia valve is substantially independent of the pressure of the damping fluid within the reservoir chamber.

7 . The vehicle suspension assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the inertia mass is immersed within the damping fluid contained within the reservoir chamber.

8 . A reservoir assembly for association with a separate damper body comprising:

a cylindrical reservoir tube at least partially defining a reservoir chamber and having at least one fluid inlet passage;

an inertia valve positioned within the reservoir chamber and in fluid communication with the fluid inlet; and

a pressure-relief valve positioned within the reservoir chamber and in fluid communication with the fluid inlet;

whereby the inertia valve and the pressure-relief valve both contribute towards controlling the flow of fluid into the reservoir chamber.

9 . The reservoir of claim 8 , wherein the pressure-relief valve is positioned above the inertia valve.

10 . The reservoir of claim 8 , wherein the pressure-relief valve is positioned between the inertia valve and a floating piston.

11 . The reservoir of claim 8 , including: a hollow shaft contained within the reservoir tube and in fluid communication with the fluid passage such that all damping fluid entering the reservoir assembly must at least partially flow through the hollow shaft.

12 . The reservoir of claim 8 , wherein: the reservoir tube has a longitudinal axis that is offset from the longitudinal axis of the damper body.

13 . A method of building a fluid reservoir for use with a damper body in a vehicle suspension assembly, comprising:

a) providing a cylindrical reservoir tube having a fluid inlet; and

b) inserting an inertia valve and a pressure-relief valve inside the cylindrical reservoir tube and in fluid communication with the fluid inlet.

14 . A bicycle suspension assembly, comprising:

a damper body having a longitudinal axis and containing damping fluid;

a piston coupled to a piston rod; the piston and a portion of the piston rod movable along the longitudinal axis of, and within, the damper body;

a reservoir including a reservoir tube having a longitudinal axis non-coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the damper body; an inner surface of the reservoir tube and a sealed moveable barrier partially defining a variable volume reservoir chamber in fluid communication with the damper body;

an inertia valve, positioned within the reservoir tube and including a moveable inertia mass, for at least partially controlling the fluid flow resistance from the damper body to the reservoir chamber; and

a pressure-relief valve positioned within the reservoir tube and for allowing a compression fluid flow from the damper body to the reservoir chamber when the damping fluid pressure inside the bicycle suspension assembly exceeds a predetermined threshold and regardless of the position of the inertia mass; and

the pressure-relief valve positioned above the inertia valve.

15 . The bicycle suspension assembly of claim 14 , the reservoir tube being coupled to the damper body.

16 . The bicycle suspension assembly of claim 14 , the reservoir tube being coupled to the damper body by a hose connecting a flow opening of the damper body and a flow opening of the reservoir tube.

17 . The bicycle suspension assembly of claim 14 , the longitudinal axes of the reservoir tube and damper body being non-coaxial and non-parallel.