Piston and spool valve assembly

Claim 1

A SPOOL VALVE DEVICE, COMPRISING: (A) A VALVE BODY HAVING A BORE THEREIN AND PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORE, (B) LINER MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BORE FROM ONE END TO A POINT TERMINATING SUBSTANTIALLY SHORT OF THE OTHER END TO PROVIDE AN UNLINED BORE PORTION, SAID LINER MEANS BEING APPROPRIATELY APERTURED TO CONDUCT FLUID TO AND FROM SAID PASSAGE MEANS, (C) A SPOOL VALVE MEMBER HAVING ALTERNATE GROOVES AND LANDS OF UNIFORM DIAMETER RECIPROCABLY DISPOSED IN SAID LINER FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A PATH EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF THE BORE TO THE OTHER END, AND ADAPTED TO SLIDE LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID LINER MEANS FOR INTERCONNECTING SAID PASSAGE MEANS IN A VARIETY OF COMBINATIONS DEPENDING UPON THE AXIAL POSITION OF THE MEMBER IN THE BORE ALONG SAID PATH, ONE OF SAID LANDS COMPRISING ONE EXTREMITY OF SAID SPOOL VALVE MEMBER, (D) SAID LINER MEANS BEING SEGMENTED LONGITUDINALLY AND INCLUDING BETWEEN THE SEGMENTS SEALING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LANDS ON SAID SPOOL VALVE MEMBER AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID BORE TO CONFINE THE FLUID FLOW TO THE PASSAGE MEANS WHEN SAID PASSAGE MEANS ARE INTERCONNECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POSITION OF THE SPOOL VALVE MEMBER ALONG SAID PATH, (E) CYLINDER MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID UNLINED BORE PORTION IN AXIAL JUXTAPOSITION WITH SAID LINER MEANS, THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDER MEANS BEIKNG SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID LANDS OF SAID SPOOL VALVE MEMBER, (F) CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE MEANS SLIDABLY INSTALLED ON SAID ONE LAND OF SAID SPOOL VALVE MEMBER IN TIGHTLY SEALED RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH AND IN SLIDABLE SEALING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INSIDE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID CYLINDER MEANS, AND HAVING AN INWARDLY EXTENDING SHOULDER THEREON AXIALLY ENGAGING THE OUTER END OF SAID ONE LAND, (G) PASSAGE MEANS IN SAID BODY BY WHICH TO SUPPLY FLUID UNDER PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CYLINDER MEANS TO THE SAID OUTER END OF SAID LAND AND THE OUTER END OF SAID SLEEVE MEANS TO MOVE SAID SPOOL VALVE MEMBER IN A FIRST DIRECTION ALONG SAID PATH TO SAID ONE END OF SAID BORE, AND (H) SPRING MEANS AXIALLY BIASING SAID SPOOL VALVE MEMBER TO SAID OTHER END OF SAID BORE IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION ALONG SAID PATH.