Fluid-actuated toroidal-ring valve

Claim 1

A FLUID-ACTUATED MOTOR VALVE SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTING A FIRST FLUID COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A LOWER BODY HAVING TWO OPPOSITE FACES, FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH SPACED CONDUITS IN SAID LOWER BODY COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID FACES, AN ANNULAR CHANNEL OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION IN THE FIRST OF SAID FACES AND ADJACENT TO THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID CONDUITS, A RESILIENT TORODIAL RING MEMBER OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION SEATED SECURELY IN SAID CHANNEL AND ENCLOSING A PASSAGE THEREUNDER, A MIDDLE BODY ADJACENT TO SAID LOWER BODY AND PROVIDED WITH FOUR VERTICAL SPACED CHAMBERS THERETHROUGH, THE CENTERS OF SAID CHAMBERS BEING ADJACENT TO THE FOUR POINTS IN SAID ANNULAR CHANNEL WHICH ARE MIDWAY BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF SAID UPPER ENDS OF SAID CONDUITS, THE LOWER FACE OF SAID MIDDLE BODY PROVIDED WITH FOUR CHANNELS LOCATED ON THE RADII DIVERGING FROM THE CENTER THEREOF AND BISECTING SAID CHAMBERS, A PISTON DISPOSED WITHIN EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS AND PROVIDED WITH A DIAMETRICALLY ALIGNED LUG ON THE LOWER END THEREOF WHICH IS ADJACENT SAID RING, EACH OF SAID PISTONS FURTHER PROVIDED WITH A SINGLE PASSAGE THROUGH THE BODY THEREOF NEAR THE LUG END AND RIGHT-ANGULARLY DISPOSED TO SAID LUG FOR RECEIVING THERETHROUGH A WIRE WHICH RETAINS SAID PISTON IN A POSITION SO THAT SAID LUG CONTACTS SAID RING IN A LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION, SAID WIRES BEING DISPOSED IN SAID FOUR CHANNELS IN SAID FIRST FACE OF SAID MIDDLE BODY, A FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE UPPER FACE OF SAID MIDDLE BODY, FIRST MEANS CONNECTED TO SUPPLY SAID FIRST FLUID TO BE DISTRIBUTED UNDER A FIRST PRESSURE TO SAID SECOND CONDUIT, A SECOND MEANS CONNECTED TO RECEIVE SAID FIRST FLUID FROM SAID FIRST CONDUIT, A SAMPLE CONDUIT COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID THIRD AND FOURTH CONDUITS AND TO RECEIVE SAID FIRST FLUID; A THIRD MEANS CONNECTED TO SUPPLY DURING A FIRST INTERVAL OF TIME A SECOND FLUID UNDER A SECOND PRESSURE LESSER THAN SAID FIRST PRESSURE TO FIRST AND THIRD AREAS ABOVE SAID FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM ADJACENT TO THE UPPER ENDS OF THE FIRST AND THIRD OF SAID PISTONS, SAID SECOND PRESSURE BEING THEREBY TRANSMITTED TO PORTIONS OF SAID RING ADJACENT TO SAID LUGS ON SAID FIRST AND THIRD PISTONS THEREBY SEALING THE PASSAGES IN SAID ANNULAR CHANNEL BETWEEN FIRST AND THIRD ADJACENT PAIRS OF SAID CONDUITS, A FOURTH MEANS CONNECTED TO SUPPLY DURING A SECOND INTERVAL OF TIME SAID SECOND FLUID UNDER SAID SECOND PRESSURE TO SECOND AND FOURTH AREAS ABOVE SAID FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM ADJACENT TO THE UPPER ENDS OF THE SECOND AND FOURTH OF SAID PISTONS, SAID SECOND PRESSURE BEING THEREBY TRANSMITTED TO OTHER PORTIONS OF SAID RING ADJACENT TO SAID LUGS ON SAID SECOND AND FOURTH PISTONS THEREBY SEALING THE PASSAGES IN SAID ANNULAR CHANNEL BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND FOURTH ADJACENT PAIRS OF SAID CONDUITS, AND SAID RESILIENT RING ADAPTED TO RETURN TO ITS NORMAL UNDISTENDED POSITION WITHIN SAID ANNULAR CHANNEL WHEN SAID PISTON LUGS ARE RELEASED FROM CONTACT THEREWITH.