Selector valve

Claim 1

A SELECTOR VALVE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION A HOUSING HAVING A NUMBER OF INLET PORTS DISPOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT THE HOUSING AND HAVING AN OUTLET PORT, A ROTOR MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING AND HAVING A PASSAGE THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH THE OUTLET PORT AT THE END AND ARRANGED FOR SELECTIVELY COMMUNICATING WITH ANY OF THE INLETS PORTS AT ITS OTHER END, SAID ROTOR BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTARY MOVEMENT AND FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN SAID PASSAGE IS ALIGNED WITH THE INLET PORTS AND A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID PASSAGE IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH THE INLET PORTS BIASING MEANS FOR BIASING THE ROTOR, TO SAID FIRST POSITION, AN ABUTMENT SURFACE ON THE ROTOR, A FLUID-PRESSURE REACTION SURFACE ON THE ROTOR ADJACENT SAID ONE END OF SAID PASSAGE, A NORMALLY-OPEN NON-RETURN VALVE IN SAID PASSAGE HAVING A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH IT PREVENTS REVERSE FLUID FLOW FROM THE OUTLET PORT THROUGH SAID PASSAGE, THE NON-RETURN VALVE IN ITS CLOSED POSITION ABUTTING SAID ABUTMENT SURFACE AND BEING MOVABLE TO ITS CLOSED POSITION BY PRESSURE OF FLUID ADMITTED TO THE OUTLET PORT, AND DRIVING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROTOR FOR ROTATING THE ROTOR THROUGH A PREDETERMINED ANGLE IN RESPONSE TO A TEMPORARY AXIAL DISPLACEMENT THEREOF TO SAID SECOND POSITION RESULTING FROM THE PRESSURE OF SAID FLUID TEMPORARILY ADMITTED TO THE OUTLET PORT SO THAT SAID PRESSURE CAN BE CAUSED TO COMMUNICATE WITH A DESIRED INLET PORT.