Quick acting thermostatic steam trap

Claim 1

A STEAM TRAP COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING DEFINING A CONDENSATE COLLECTING CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET PASSAGE, AN OUTLET PASSAGE SPACED FROM SAID INLET PASSAGE, AND PARTITION MEANS BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND SAID OUTLET PASSAGE AND DEFINING A VALVE SEAT FACING AWAY FROM SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING A CROSS SECTION SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID OUTLET PASSAGE; AND VALVE MEANS COMPRISING A SEALING ELEMENT IN SAID OUTLET PASSAGE MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID VALVE SEAT BETWEEN A CLOSED AND AN OPEN POSITION, SAID SEALING ELEMENT HAVING A SURFACE PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE VALVE SEAT AND DEFINING WITH THE LATTER DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID SEALING ELEMENT AWAY FROM SAID VALVE SEAT A FIRST RESTRICTED PASSAGE INCREASING IN CROSS SECTION DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID SEALING ELEMENT AWAY FROM SAID VALVE SEAT AND DECREASING IN CROSS SECTION DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID SEALING ELEMENT TOWARDS SAID VALVE SEAT, SAID SEALING ELEMENT HAVING IN SAID OUTLET PASSAGE AN AREA OF MAXIMUM CROSS SECTION ONLY SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THE CROSS SECTION OF THE OUTLET PASSAGE AND DEFINING ABOUT SAID SEALING ELEMENT IN SAID OUTLET PASSAGE A SECOND RESTRICTED PASSAGE, AND METALLIC MEANS LOCATED IN SAID CHAMBER IN THE PATH OF FLUID FLOWING TO SAID VALVE SEAT AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SEALING ELEMENT FOR MOVING A LATTER TO SAID CLOSED POSITION IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE OF SAID FLUID AND AGAINST THE PRESSURE THE FLUID EXERTS AGAINST SAID SEALING ELEMENT IN A SENSE TO MAINTAIN THE LATTER IN SAID OPEN POSITION, WHILE PERMITTING SAID SEALING ELEMENT TO MOVE TO SAID OPEN POSITION UNDER THE PRESSURE OF THE FLUID WHEN THE TEMPER-