Valve

Claim 1

A THREE-WAY SOLENOID VALVE, COMPRISING TWO END PLATES WITH FLUID PASSAGES THERETHROUGH PARALLEL TO AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER, A COIL BETWEEN SAID END PLATES A SHROUD BETWEEN SAID END PLATES SURROUNDING SAID COIL, A HOLLOW CYLINDER OF NON-MAGNET MATERIAL WITHIN SAID COIL AND FORMING A VALVE CHAMBER, A SHAFT MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER FROM ONE END PLATE TO THE OTHER, EACH END OF SAID SHAFT HAVING A PASSAGE CONNECTING THE PASSAGE IN THE RESPECTIVE END PLATE WITH SAID CHAMBER, AN ANNULAR VALVE SEAT OF RESILIENT MATERIAL AROUND EACH END OF SAID SHAFT ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE END PLATE, AN ANNULAR VALVE ELEMENT MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND OPERABLE IN ONE DIRECTION BY ENERGIZATION OF SAID COIL FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT TO AND FROM SAID VALVE SEATS, AN ANNULAR LIP ON EACH END OF SAID ELEMENT FOR SEATING ON SAID VALVE SEATS, PASSAGES MEANS THROUGH SAID ELEMENT CONNECTING THE CHAMBER AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID WHEREBY THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID ELEMENT ARE SUBJECTED TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME FLUID PRESSURES, A COIL SPRING AROUND SAID SHAFT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE ELEMENT FOR MOVING SAID ELEMENT IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE ACTION OF SAID COIL ON SAID ELEMENT, AN ANNULAR RECESS IN ONE OF SAID END PLATES, A RETAINER PLATE BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND SAID RECESS HAVING A PLURALITY OF PORTS THERETHROUGH, AND A PASSAGE CONNECTED TO SAID RECESS AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE END PLATE.