Thermostatically actuated valve

Claim 1

A THERMOSTATICALLY ACTUATED VALVE FOR SEALING THE OUTLET MEANS OF A FLUID-CONTAINING DEVICE IN RESPONSE TO RISING TEMPERATURE OF THE FLUID, COMPRISING A VALVE MEMBER HAVING A SEALING PORTION AND MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE FLUID-CONTAINING DEVICE SO AS TO ADVANCE ITS SEALING PORTION INTO AND AWAY FROM SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLUID-CONTAINING DEVICE AND TO THEREBY RESPECTIVELY SEAL AND EXPOSE THE OUTLET MEANS; AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE VALVE MEMBER UNDER THE ACTION OF A SEALING FORCE INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLUID-CONTAINING DEVICE AND FOR VARYING THE SEALING FORCE IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE OF THE FLUID AS WELL AS FOR CHANGING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SAID SEALING FORCE IN DIFFERENT RANGES OF TEMPERATURE OF THE FLUID, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE GROUP OF SUPERPOSED HEAT-EXPANDIBLE BIMETALLIC ELEMENTS LOCATED AT LEAST PARTIALLY WITHIN AND HEATABLE BY THE FLUID CONTAINED IN THE FLUID-CONTAINING DEVICE FOR MOVING SAID SEALING PORTION INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLUID-CONTAINING DEVICE WITH A SEALING FORCE WHICH INCREASES IN RESPONSE TO INCREASING TEMPERATURE OF THE FLUID AND REACHES IN ONE RANGE OF ELEVATED TEMPERATURES A PREDETERMINED HIGHER SEALING FORCE, AND MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING SAID SEALING FORCE GENERATED BY THE EXPANDING GROUP OF SUPERPOSED BIMETALLIC ELEMENTS TO SAID VALVE MEMBER, SAID FORCE TRANSMITTING MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE MOTION TRANSMITTING ASSEMBLY WHICH IS ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE TO A PREDETERMINED LIMIT BY A FORCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED HIGHER SEALING FORCE SO THAT SAID MOTION PREDETERMINED HIGHER SEALING FORMED BY SAID GROUP OF SUPERPOSED BIMETALLIC ELEMENTS AT LEAST IN SAID RANGE OF ELEVATED TEMPERATURES OF THE FLUID, SAID MOTION TRANSMITTING ASSEMBLY BEING CONSTRUCTED SO AS TO BE PREVENTED FROM FURTHER DEFORMATION WHEN SAID LIMIT IS REACHED AND WHICH, WHEN DEFORMED, COOPERATES WITH THE GROUP OF SUPERPOSED BIMETALLIC ELEMENTS TO RESIST THE PRESSURE OF THE FLUID AND TO MAINTAIN SAID SEALING PORTION IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLUID-CONTAINING DEVICE.