ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 15 -- United States Patent no. 12,601,431, issued on April 14, was assigned to ITP EXTERNALS, S.L.U. (Derio, Spain).
"Ball joint" was invented by Jose Francisco Beltran Paris (Derio, Spain).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A ball joint connecting first and second tubular portions of a gas turbine engine duct assembly, accommodating angular variations between their longitudinal axes while resisting axial forces. The ball joint includes a housing with inner and outer shrouds that partially overlap to form an interface, and an internal bellows with limited flexure capability. The inner shroud extends from the first tubular portion and features a first thickening and spherical...