Combination fill valve and expansion tank

Claim 1

A LIQUID CONTROL MECHANISM AND EXPANSION TANK COMBINATION ADAPTED TO BE EMPLOYED IN A PRESSURIZED HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEM, TO MAINTAIN PRESSURE IN THE SYSTEM AT ALL TIMES, TO ALLOW WATER TO ENTER THE SYSTEM AS REQUIRED BY THE SYSTEM AND TO ALLOW FOR THE EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF THE WATER IN THE SYTEM AS THE WATER IS HEATED AND AS THE WATER COOLS OFF, SAID COMBINATION INCLUDING A VALVE AND AN EXPANSION TANK, SAID VALVE COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY MEMBER HAVING A PARTITION FORMING A CHAMBER AND A CAVITY, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A PASSAGEWAY ADAPTED TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND A PRESSURIZED HOT WATER SYSTEM, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A FLUID SUPPLY INLET PASSAGEWAY COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CAVITY AND ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SUPPLY OF MAKEUP WATER, SAID PARTITION HAVING A VALVE PASSAGEWAY PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CAVITY AND SAID CHAMBER, VALVE MEANS IN SAID VALVE PASSAGEWAY CONTROLLING COMMUNICATION THERETHROUGH, SAID EXPANSION TANK HAVING A FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM WITH A FREE AREA SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID EXPANSION TANK AT THE PERIPHERY OF THE DIAPHRAGM DIVIDING THE TANK INTO TWO NON-COMMUNICATING SECTIONS, ONE OF SAID SECTIONS BEING A PRESSURIZED SECTION AND THE OTHER BEING A FLUID EXPANSION SECTION, A VLAVE ACTUATOR ENGAGEABLE BY AND DISENGAGEABLE FROM SAID DIAPHRAGM WHEN THE LATTER IS FLEXED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, SAID ACTUATOR BEING OPERATIVELY COUPLED WITH SAID VALVE MEANS TO EFFECT OPERATION THEREOF, MEANS LIMITING MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE ACTUATOR TO A SELECTED RANGE, SAID FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM BEING MOVABLE THROUGH A RANGE OF MOVEMENT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID VALVE ACTUATOR RANGE, SAID DIAPHRAGM BEING MOVABLE IN RESPONSE TO VARIATIONS IN PRESSURE AND VOLUME OF THE PRESSURIZED SYSTEM AS OPPOSED BY THE PRESSURE IN THE PRESSURE CHAMBERS; AND DIAPHRAGM BEING MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID VALVE ACTUATOR TO EFFECT OPERATION OF SAID VALVE MEANS ONLY WHEN SAID DIAPHRAGM MOVED WITHIN THE RANGE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE ACTUATOR.