Control valves of the series type

Claim 1

IN A CONTROL VALVE OF THE SERIES TYPE ADAPTED FOR USE IN AN ASSEMBLY OF PARALLEL TYPE VALVES, A HOUSING HAVING A BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND OPEN AT EACH END TO RECEIVE AN ELONGATED SPOOL VALVE ELEMENT, A FLUID INLET IN SAID HOUSING EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO SAID BORE AND INTERSECTING THE BORE INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, A PAIR OF FLUID OUTLETS IN SAID HOUSING EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID BORE AND INTERSECTING THE BORE ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE FLUID INLET AT A POINT ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM THE INTERSECTION OF THE INLET PASSAGE, A VALVE ELEMENT SLIDABLE IN SAID BORE, A PAIR OF HIGH PRESSURE OUTLETS INTERSECTING THE BORE ONE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FLUID INLET AND OUTLET A PAIR OF EXHAUST OUTLETS IN THE HOUSING INTERSECTING THE BORE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FLUID INLET AND OUTLET, AND PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE FLUID INLET AND THE BORE ADJACENT EACH OF THE HIGH PRESSURE OUTLETS, SAID VALVE ELEMENT HAVING FOUR SPACED GROOVES SEPARATED BY LANDS SO THAT WHEN CENTERED IN THE HOUSING THE VALVE ELEMENT PROVIDES A NEUTRAL POSITION IN WHICH FLUID PASSES DIRECTLY THROUGH THE FLUID INLET AND THE TWO INTERMEDIATE GROOVES AND THE BORE INTO THE FLUID OUTLETS AND FILLS THE PASSAGE MEANS, AND A POWER POSITION FOR EACH HIGH PRESSURE OUTLET WHICH DIRECTS FLUID FROM THE FLUID INLET THROUGH ONE OF TWO INTERMEDIATE GROOVES AND THROUGH THE SAID PASSAGE MEANS AND THROUGH A GROOVE IN THE VALVE ELEMENT ADJACENT ONE END TO ONE HIGH PRESSURE OUTLET WHILE DIRECTING FLUID FROM THE OTHER HIGH PRESSURE OUTLET THROUGH THE GROOVE IN THE VALVE ELEMENT ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END TO A FLUID OUTLET.