Valve assembly for a hydrant

Claim 1

IN A VALVE ASSEMBLY, A VALVE BODY HAVING INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS, A CHAMBER FORMED IN SAID VALVE BODY, SAID CHAMBER HAVING A PAIR OF COMPARTMENTS FORMED THEREIN, ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS HAVING OPENINGS IN OPPOSITE ENDS IN ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID OUTLET OPENING, SAID OPENING REMOTE FROM SAID OUTLET OPENING BEING COMMON TO AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT; A FIRST PASSAGEWAY SEPARATE FROM SAID CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT AND SAID OUTLET OPENING AND A SECOND PASSAGEWAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT AND SAID INLET OPENING, AND SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT HAVING A DRAIN MEANS COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE OUTSIDE OF SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY; AND A PLUNGER MEMBER ADAPTED TO MOVE AXIALLY WITHIN SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT FROM AN OPEN POSITION TO A CLOSED POSITION, IN SAID OPEN POSITION SAID PLUNGER EXTENDING THE AXIAL LENGTH OF SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND CLOSING OFF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGEWAYS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT, AND IN SAID CLOSED POSITION SAID OPENING SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT ADJACENT SAID OUTLET OPENING BEING OPEN FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID DRAIN MEANS, AND SAID OTHER OPENING IN SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT BEING CLOSED BY SAID PLUNGER, SAID PLUNGER IN ITS CLOSED POSITION ALSO CLOSING OF THE OPENINGS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGEWAYS INTO SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT THEREBY CLOSING SAID VALVE AND PERMITTING FLUID IN SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT TO BE DISCHARGED FROM SAID VALVE BY SAID DRAIN MEANS, THE FLOW FROM SAID SECOND PASSAGEWAY INTO SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT IS IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THE LINE OF AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER AND AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE OPENINGS OF SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT WHEREBY THE FLUID EMITTED FROM SAID SECOND PASSAGEWAY HAS NO EFFECT ON THE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER TOWARDS CLOSED AN OPEN POSITIONS.