Brake-force control valve and system incorporating same

Claim 1

A BRAKING-FORCE REGULATOR ADAPTED FOR USE IN AN AUTOMOTIVE-VEHICLE HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYSTEM HAVING A MASTER CYLINDER FOR GENERATING BRAKING PRESSURE AND AT LEAST ONE HYDRAULICALLY ACTUATABLE WHEEL-BRAKE CYLINDER, SAID REGULATOR COMPRISING: A HOUSING HAVING AN AXIAL BORE; A DIFFERENTIALLY OPERABLE STEPPED PISTON RECEIVED IN SAID BORE AND AXIALLY SHIFTABLE THEREIN WHILE SUBDIVIDING SAID BORE INTO AN INLET PRESSURE CHAMBER CONNECTABLE WITH SAID MASTER CYLINDER AND AN OUTLET PRESSURE CHAMBER CONNECTABLE WITH SAID WHEEL-BRAKE CYLINDER, SAID PISTON HAVING A RELATIVELY LARGE EFFECTIVE SURFACE AREA EXPOSED TO FLUID PRESSURE IN SAID INLET CHAMBER AND A RELATIVELY SMALL EFFECTIVE SURFACE AREA EXPOSED TO FLUID PRESSURE IN SAID OUTLET CHAMBER; VALVE MEANS IN SAID PISTON FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF HYDRAULIC FLUID BETWEEN SAID CHAMBERS AND INCLUDING A VALVE MEMBER SHIFTABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON ELASTICALLY DIFORMABLE CUSHION MEANS IN SAID HOUSING ENGAGEABLE BY SAID PISTON AND FORMING A YIELDABLE ABUTMENT THEREFOR UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON AGAINST THE NET HYDRAULIC FORCE APPLICABLE TO SAME FOR HOLDING SAID SURFACE MEMBER IN AN OPEN POSITION WHILE SAID PISTON ABUTS SAID CUSHION MEANS; AND RESTORING MEANS ACTING UPON SAID PISTON AGAINST THE NET HYDRAULIC FORCE APPLICABLE THERETO FOR URGING SAID PISTON AGAINST SAID CUSHION MEANS.