Fuel injector for internal combustion engines

Claim 1

IN A FUEL INJECTOR OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY DEFINING A BORE HAVING INLET AND OUTLET ENDS, A NEEDLE LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE FOR A LIMITED DISTANCE WITHIN SAID BORE, AND RESILIENT MEANS BIASING SAID NEEDLE IN ONE DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID BORE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THREE AXIALLY SPACED BEARING SURFACES CARRIED ON SAID NEEDLE WHICH ENGAGE THREE MATING BEARING SURFACES ON SAID BODY, ONE OF THE BEARING SURFACES ON SAID NEEDLE BEING FRUSTO-CONICAL AND THE OTHER TWO CYLINDRICAL, EACH OF THE CYLINDRICAL BEARING SURFACES ON SAID BODY BEING POSITIONED TO BE IN CONTACT WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE MATING BEARING SURFACE ON SAID NEEDLE AND THEREBY GUIDE SAID NEEDLE THROUGHOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT WITHIN SAID BORE, THE FRUSTO-CONICAL BEARING SURFACE ON SAID NEEDLE BEING BIASED TOWARD ITS MATING SURFACE AND POSITIONED BETWEEN THE TWO CYLINDRICAL BEARING SURFACES ON SAID NEEDLE, THE DIAMETER OF SAID NEEDLE BETWEEN SAID BEARING SURFACES BEING SUFFICIENTLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE ENCIRCLING PORTIONS OF SAID BORE TO PREVENT CONTACT THEREBETWEEN, SAID RESILIENT MEANS BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE FRUCTO-CONICAL BEARING SURFACE AND THE CYLINDRICAL BEARING SURFACE NEAREST THE INLET END OF