Control valve for water softeners

Claim 1

A PISTON TYPE CONTROL VALVE WHEREIN THE VALVE BODY HAS A MAIN INLET PORT AND A MAIN OUTLET PORT AXIALLY SPACED ALONG THE BORE OF THE VALVE FROM SAID INLET PORT, AND OTHER PORTS POSITIONED ALONG SAID BORE BETWEEN SAID MAIN PORTS FOR CONTROL OF FLUID TO AND FROM OTHER APPARATUS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PISTON SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN AN ELONGATED BORE IN SAID VALVE BODY, SAID MAIN OUTLET PORT BEING BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID BORE, SAID PISTON HAVING A PASSAGE FORMED THROUGH THE OPPOSITE END FACES THEREOF AND FROM ONE END PORTION OF THE PISTON TO THE OTHER TO THEREBY ALLOW FLOW THERETHROUGH IN ONE POSITION OF SAID PISTON FROM SAID MAIN INLET PORT TO SAID MAIN OUTLET PORT, SAID PISTON HAVING AN ACTUATING PISTON ROD EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PASSAGE, PINS ON SAID ROD AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID PISTON FOR HOLDING SAID PISTON ON SAID ROD, AXIALLY SPACED SEALING MEANS CO-OPERABLE BETWEEN SAID BORE AND SAID PISTON FOR CREATING AXIALLY SPACED FLOW SPACES ALONG SAID BORE, SAID PISTON BEING MOVABLE TO ANOTHER POSITION SPACED FROM SAID FIRST NAMED POSITION AND CO-OPERABLE WITH SAID SEALING MEANS IN SAID SECOND NAMED POSITION FOR CLOSING OFF FLOW THROUGH SAID PASSAGE TO SAID MAIN OUTLET PORT, FLUID FROM SAID INLET PORT BEING PASSED THROUGH SAID PASSAGE AND TO THE OUTLET END OF SAID BORE IN BOTH POSITIONS OF SAID PISTON, SAID OTHER PORTS BEING POSITIONED SO THAT SAID MAIN INLET PORT COMMUNICATES WITH ONE OF SAID OTHER PORTS IN SAID FIRST NAMED POSITION AND COMMUNICATES WITH STILL ANOTHER PORT IN SAID SECOND NAMED POSITION, SAID ONE PORT BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID MAIN OUTLET PORT IN SAID OTHER POSITION.