Self-sealing slide gate valve

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING HAVING TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE-WALLS AND CLOSED SAVE FOR THERE BEING ALIGNED OPENINGS IN SAID TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS AT THE ONE SIDE OF SAID HOUSING, THE UPPER OF SAID OPENING BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLANAR VALVE SEAT ON THE LOWER SIDE THEREOF, A FLAT VALVE ADATPED TO CLOSE THE OPENING OF SAID SEAT, A VALVE ACTUATOR FOR CAUSING OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT AND HAVING A PAIR OF ABUTMENTS SPACED APART IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID SEAT AND TWO VERTICALLY SPACED CONCAVO-CONVEX LEAF SPRINGS HAVING THEIR ENDS CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID ABUTMENTS AND THE MID-PORTION OF THE UPPER OF SAID LEAF SPRINGS CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE, SAID SPRINGS BEING CONVEXLY BENT AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, WAYS IN SAID HOUSING SUPPORTING SAID ACTUATOR FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF REGISTERING POSITION OF SAID VALVE RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT, A HOLLOW ROD EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID WAYS AND HAVING AN INNER END CONNECTED TO THE NEARER OF SAID ABUTMENTS AND HAVING AN OUTER EXTENDING OUTSIDE OF SAID HOUSING, SAID ROD SLIDABLY MOUNTEDIN SAID HOUSING, A PIN SLIDABLE IN THE HOLLOW OF SAID ROD AND HAVING AN INNER END CONNECTED TO THE FARTHER OF SAID ABUTMENTS AND HAVING AN OUTER END EXTENDING BEYOND THE OUTER END OF SAID ROD, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED BETWEEN THE OUTER END OF SAID PIN AND THE OTHER END OF SAID ROD AND EFFECTIVE TO HOLD SAID PIN IN TWO POSITIONS LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO SAID ROD, IN ONE OF WHICH POSITIONS SAID ABUTMENTS APPROACH EACH OTHER CAUSING SAID SPRINGS TO HOLD SAID VALVE AGAINST SAID SEAT AND IN THE OTHER OF WHICH POSITIONS SAID VALVE IS CAUSED TO MOVE AWAY FROM SAID SEAT, IN WHICH LATTER POSITION SAID ROD MAY BE MOVED LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING TO MOVE SAID VALVE INTO AND OUT OF REGISTERING POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT.