Control valve mechanism for pneumatically operable devices, especially for driving nails and staples

Claim 1

A CONTROL VALVE MECHANISM, WHICH COMPRISES: A HOUSING HAVING A CYLINDER FORMED THEREIN, SAID CYLINDER HAVING COMPRESSED AIR INLET MEANS AND EXHAUST AIR OUTLET MEANS AND A PORT TO BE CONNECTED ALTERNATELY TO SAID INLET AND OUTLET MEANS, PLUNGER MEANS RECIPROCABLE IN SAID CYLINDER FOR CONTROLLING THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID PORT AND SAID INLET AND OUTLET MEANS, SAID PLUNGER MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH TWO OPPOSITELY EFFECTIVE AND RIGIDLY INTERCONNECTED DIFFERENT SIZE AREAS, THE SMALLER OF SAID AREAS BEING IN CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION WITH SAID INLET MEANS AND THE LARGER OF SAID AREAS BEING ADAPTED TO ALTERNATELY COMMUNICATE WITH THE ATMOSPHERE AND TO SAID INLET MEANS SO AS TO MOVE SAID PLUNGER MEANS FROM A FIRST POSITION INTO A SECOND POSITION AND VICE VERSA TO RESPECTIVELY ESTABLISH AND INTERRUPT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET MEANS AND SAID PORT WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY RESPECTIVELY INTERRUPTING AND ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID PORT AND SAID OUTLET MEANS, AND A SINGLE MANUALLY OPERABLE VALVE MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PLUNGER MEANS AND NORMALLY IN A FIRST POSITION TO EFFECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID LARGER AREA AND SAID INLET MEANS WHILE INTERRUPTING COMMUNICATION OF SAID LARGER AREA WITH THE ATMOSPHERE AND ALSO MOVABLE INTO A SECOND POSITION FOR INTERRUPTING COMMUNICATION OF SAID LARGER AREA WITH SAID INLET MEANS WHILE CONNECTING SAID LARGER AREA TO THE ATMOSPHERE.