Pressure responsive valve

Claim 1

PRESSURE RESPONSIVE VALVE APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING FLUID FLOW THROUGH A GENERALLY CIRCULAR PASSAGE, THE WALLS OF WHICH ARE CHARACTERIZED BY A PAIR OF GENERALLY OPPOSED OPENINGS, SAID VALVE APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A GENERALLY ELLIPTICAL VALVE ELEMENT HAVING A MAJOR AND A MINOR AXIS, BALL BEARING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID VALVE ELEMENT FOR MOVEMENT IN SAID PASSAGE ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY COINCIDENT WITH ONE OF SAID MAJOR AND MINOR AXES SO THAT SAID VALVE ELEMENT IS BALANCED IN SAID PASSAGE AND SAID BEARING MEANS BEING OF THE LOW CLEARANCE TYPE AND HAVING A PRESSED FIT IN SAID OPENINGS AND WITH SAID VALVE ELEMENT TO PREVENT RADIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE ELEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS SO THAT SAID BALANCED CONDITION IS MAINTAINED, A PRESSURE RESPONSIVE ACTUATOR EXPOSED TO AND MOVABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRESSURE IN SAID PASSAGE, AND BALL AND SOCKET MEANS CONNECTING SAID VALVE ELEMENT TO AND FOR MOVEMENT BY SAID ACTUATOR ABOUT SAID AXIS IN RESPONSE TO THE PRESSURE IN SAID PASSAGE, SAID BALL AND SOCKET MEANS BEING OFF-SET FROM SAID ONE AXIS ALONG THE OTHER OF SAID MAJOR AND MINOR AXES AND BEING REVERSIBLE SO THAT SAID VALVE ELEMENT IS REVERSIBLE IN SAID PASSAGE FOR OPERATION IN RESPONSE TO EITHER AN INCREASE OR DECREASE IN PRESSURE ON SAID ACTUATOR.