Thermostatic valve

Claim 1

A FLUID LINE THERMOSTATIC VALVE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AN END WALL, AN OPENING IN SAID END WALL, A TUBULAR SIDE WALL, A PROJECTION EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE TUBULAR SIDE WALL AT THE END THEREOF OPPOSITE THE END WALL TO DEFINE A VALVE SEAT, A FIRST HUB PORTION, AND SPOKE MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE TUBULAR SIDE WALL AND HUB PORTION DOWNSTREAM OF THE VALVE SEAT; SAID TUBULAR SIDE WALL HAVING FLOW APERTURES ARRANGED THEREAROUND TO CONDUCT FLUID FROM THE SPACE OUTSIDE THE HOUSING INTO THE INTERIOR THEREOF; A FLOW CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING A TUBULAR FLOWTHROTTLING ELEMENT MOVABLY ARRANGED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE END WALL AND VALVE SEAT TO TRAVERSE THE FLOW APERTURES, A SECOND HUB PORTION, AND SECOND SPOKE MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE FLOW-THROTTLING ELEMENT AND SECOND HUB PORTION; AND TEMPERATURE-RESPONSIVE POWER MEANS FOR MOVING THE FLOW-CONTROL DEVICE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE VALVE SEAT; SAID POWER MEANS COMPRISING A THERMOSTATIC POWER ELEMENT FOR OPERATING THE FLOW-CONTROL DEVICE IN ONE DIRECTION AND SPRING MEANS FOR OPERATING THE FLOW-CONTROL DEVICE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION; SAID POWER ELEMENT INCLUDING A CONTAINER PORTION POSITIONED OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSING ADJACENT THE END WALL THEREOF, A CHARGE OF THERMALLY EXPANSIBLE MATERIAL WITHIN SAID CONTAINER PORTION, A SLEEVE PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE CONTAINER PORTION SLIDABLY THROUGH SAID END WALL OPENING AND INTO THE HOUSING AND CONNECTED WITH THE SECOND HUB PORTION, AND A PISTON SLIDABLY EXTENDING WITHIN THE SLEEVE PORTION AND CONNECTED WITH THE FIRST HUB PORTION; SAID SPRING MEANS COMPRISING A COMPRESSION SPRING TRAINED BETWEEN THE HOUSING END WALL AND SECOND SPOKE MEANS.