Valve

Claim 1

IN A THREE-WAY SOLENOID OPERATED VALVE HAVING A HOUSING WITH A CHAMBER THEREIN AND AN INLET AND FIRST AND SECOND OUTLETS INTO SAID CHAMBER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN AMPLIFIER MEMBER POSITIONED IN SAID CHAMBER AND INCLUDING CONNECTED AND MOVABLE FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, SAID FIRST VALVE MEANS BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE INLET AND THE FIRST OUTLET, AND SAID SECOND VALVE MEANS BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID INLET AND SAID SECOND OUTLET, A DIAPHRAGM MOUNTED ON SAID AMPLIFIER MEMBER AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM FOR UNATTACHED BUT SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE HOUSING CHAMBER TO DIVIDE THE HOUSING CHAMBER INTO SEPARATE CHAMBER PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGES THROUGH THE AMPLIFIER MEMBER, SAID FIRST PASSAGE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE INLET AND ONE OF SAID SEPARATE CHAMBER PORTIONS, AND SAID SECOND PASSAGE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SAME ONE OF SAID CHAMBER PORTIONS AND ONE OF SAID OUTLETS, ONE OF SAID PASSAGES BEING SMALLER IN CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN THE OTHER, A CONTROL VALVE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LARGER AREA PASSAGE, SAID CONTROL VALVE HAVING A PLUNGER PORTION THAT EXTENDS INTO SAID ASSOCIATED PASSAGE, SAID PLUNGER PORTION HAVING A SMALLER AREA CROSS SECTION THAN THE AREA CROSS SECTION OF THE PASSAGE TO PROVIDE SPACE THEREAROUND IN THE PASSAGE, SAID SPACE HAVING A GREATER CROSS SECTION THAN THE CROSS SECTION OF THE SMALLER PASSAGE.