Multi-way indexing valve

Claim 1

FOR USE IN A FLUID DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM THE COMBINATION OF A VALVE CASING HAVING AN INLET AND A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED OUTLETS AND A VALVE ELEMENT ROTATABLE IN SAID CASING AND HAVING A PORT OF GREATER CIRCUMFERENTIAL LENGTH THAN SAID OUTLETS, MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INDEXING SAID VALVE ELEMENT TO SEQUENTIALLY CONNECT SAID PORT TO EACH OUTLET COMPRISING FIRST MEANS FOR MOVING SAID VALVE ELEMENT THROUGH A RELATIVELY SMALL ANGLE WHEREBY SAID PORT REMAINS IN REGISTRY WITH A FIRST ONE OF SAID OUTLETS DURING SUCH MOVEMENT AND A SECOND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID VALVE ELEMENT THEREAFTER THROUGH A GREATER ANGLE THAN SAID FIRST MOVEMENT WHEREBY SAID PORT IS MOVED OUT OF REGISTRY WITH SAID FIRST OUTLET AND INTO REGISTRY WITH THE NEXT SUCCEEDING OUTLET, SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS BEING CONSTRUCTED SO THAT EACH OUTLET REMAINS CONNECTED TO SAID PORT FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME.