Control valves for fluid-pressure-operated mechanisms

Claim 1

A CONTROL VALVE WHICH IS DESIGNED TO CONTROL FLUIDPRESSURE-OPERATED MECHANISMS, WHICH CONTROL VALVE COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: (A) A VALVE BODY, (B) A PLURALITY OF MANEUVERING ELEMENTS, EACH HOUSED WITHIN THE VALVE BODY, AND EACH CAPABLE OF DISPLACEMENT THEREIN FOR THE DIRECTION OF PRESSURE FLUID, SUPPLIED TO THE VALVE, INTO ONE OR OTHER OF TWO RESPECTIVE PASSAGEWAYS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A RESPECTIVE FLUID-PRESSURE-OPERATED SERVICE, (C) AN OPEN-CENTER PASSAGE WHICH WHEN THE MANEUVERING ELEMENTS ARE ALL IN THEIR NEUTRAL POSITIONS PLACES A SINGLE PRESSURE FLUID INLET CONNECTION TO THE BODY IN COMMUNICATION WITH A SINGLE RESERVOIR CONNECTION FROM THE BODY, MOVEMENT OF ANY ONE MANEUVERING ELEMENT AWAY FROM ITS NEUTRAL POSITION CLOSING THE OPEN-CENTER PASSAGE, AND, (D) A PLURALITY OF FLOW-RATE-SENSITIVE VALVE ELEMENTS, ONE SUCH VALVE ELEMENT BEING ASSOCIATED WITH EACH MANEUVERING ELEMENT, BEING POSITIONED WITH A SINGLE ENTRY THERETO IN THE FLOW PATH BETWEEN THE SOURCE OF PRESSURE FLUID AND THE RESPECTIVE MANEUVERING ELEMENT, AND BEING EFFECTIVE UPON THE FLOW OF FLUID PASSING TO EITHER THE ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE SAID RESPECTIVE PASSAGEWAYS IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE POSITIONING OF THE RESPECTIVE MANEUVERING ELEMENT, AUTOMATICALLY TO CONTROL THE RATE OF FLUID FLOW TO THE RESPECTIVE SERVICE WITHIN PREDETERMINED LIMITS, BUT AT NO TIME HAVING ANY INFLUENCE UPON THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH THE OPEN-CENTER PASSAGE, OR VICE VERSA, (E) EACH OF SAID FLOW-RATE-SENSITIVE VALVE ELEMENTS COMPRISING A HOLLOW MEMBER HOUSED SO AS TO BE DISPLACABLE AGAINST RESILIENT MEANS AND POSITIONED SO THAT THE FLOW OF FLUID CAN PASS THROUGH IT, THE MEMBER HAVING AN ORIFICE FORMED IN IT AND ALSO BEING COOPERABLE WITH SPILL PORTS FORMED IN THE MEMBER IN WHICH IT IS HOUSED.