Such an assembly is required when for example a cable control has to be connected to a lever mechanism in such a way that there is a need for the multi-axial freedom of movement which can be afforded by a spherical attachment.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide such an assembly which is of simple and secure construction and is economical to manufacture.

According to the invention a ball socket assembly includes a ball socket member adapted for connection to the end of a rod member and having a hemi-spherical recess formed therein, said member having a groove surrounding the recess for the securement of an elastomeric ring member provided with inwardly projecting wings defining an aperture for the passage therethrough of a ball member of the assembly, the ball member engaging the recess following passage through said aperture.

The ball socket member may be formed of plastics material moulded onto the said end of the rod member, said end being figured to provide a key securing the members together.

Such an assembly can be of simple construction and it can be manufactured easily and economically.

The elastomeric ring member may be secured within the groove of the recessed member by press fit such as to provide a keying action resisting disassembly. For this purpose, the groove and the ring member may be provided with interengaging shoulders. It will be appreciated that an adhesive may be used in addition to such a keying action.

The inwardly directed wings of the elastomeric ring member are conveniently formed integrally therewith.

By way of example a ball socket assembly according to the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the assembly; Figures 2a and 2b are respectively a sectional view and a plan view of a detail of the assembly; Figure 3a is a sectional view of a further detail of the assembly; and Figure 3b is a plan view of the detail shown in Figure 3a.

Referring to the drawings, a rod 1, for example an end rod of a Bowden cable control mechanism, has an end portion which is provided with figuring 2 to afford a keying action to secure a member 3 which is moulded onto it via a coupling element 3a. A groove 4 of the member 3 serves to retain an elastomeric ring 5 which in turn is adapted to surround a ball member shown generally at 6.

In Figure 2 of the drawings it will be seen that the groove 4 and the elastomeric ring 5 are provided with co-operating shoulders 7 and 8 to

provide a keying action resisting disassembly. Such a keying action may be supplemented by an adhesive if desired.

The member 3 defines a hemispherical recess 11 for receiving a ball 12 of the ball member 6. However, the ball 12 can only be seated in the recess 11 after it has passed through the aperture 13 defined by inwardly projecting wings 15 formed integrally of the elastomeric ring 5. When the ball 12 is seated in the recess 11 the wings are so shaped as to be directed substantially towards the centre of the ball 12. The arrangement is such that the force required to move the ball 12 through the aperture 13 is much greater in the unseating direction than it is when the ball is moved towards its condition seated in the recess 11.

The coupling element 3a and the ball socket member 3 may be of the same or different materials such as nylon or any other suitable engineering resin, and the elastomeric ring may be of natural or synthetic rubber.