Hydraulic valve system for hydraulic actuators

Claim 1

IN A HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, A PLURALITY OF HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS HAVING OPPOSITE SIDES TO BE CONNECTED TO DIFFERENT ONES OF PRESSURE AND RETURN CONDUITS, A RESPECTIVE CONTROL VALVE MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID ACTUATORS, EACH OF SAID VALVE MEANS BEING SEPARATE AND COMPRISING A VALVE BODY AND VALVE SPOOL WITH EACH OF SAID VALVE BODIES AND VALVE SPOOLS BEING IDENTICAL IN CONSTRUCTION TO THE OTHER VALVE BODIES AND VALVE SPOOLS RESPECTIVELY AND EACH VALVE BODY HAVING A BORE IN WHICH THE CORRESPONDING VALVE SPOOL RECIPROCATES AXIALLY, THE BORE IN EACH BODY HAVING CHAMBERS ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF AND THE SPOOL THEREIN HAVING LANDS FOR CONTROLLING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ADJACENT CHAMBERS, THE CHAMBERS INCLUDING SPACED CYLINDER CHAMBERS CONNECTED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CORRESPONDING ACTUATOR AND PRESSURE AND RETURN CHAMBERS TO BE CONNECTED WITH RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID CYLINDER CHAMBERS BY THE VALVE SPOOL, THE BODY HAVING PORTS OPENING INTO EACH OF THE CHAMBERS AND INTO ONE SIDE OF THE VALVE BODY, EACH OF SAID VALVE MEANS INCLUDING A PASSAGE PLATE FOR CONTROLLING FLOW THROUGH SAID PORTS, SAID PLATES EACH HAVING PASSAGEWAYS COMMUNICATING WITH THE PORTS OF THE CORRESPONDING VALVE BODY, THE PASSAGEWAYS AND PORTS OF DIFFERENT PASSAGE PLATES BEING DIFFERENT TO PROVIDE DIFFERENT FLUID PATHS FOR HYDRAULIC FLUID CONTROLLED BY THE RESPECTIVE VALVE MEANS TO PROVIDE DIFFERENT HYDRAULIC CIRCUITS FOR CORRESPONDING POSITIONS OF SAID VALVE SPOOLS.