Pneumatic circuit for rapidly transferring fluid under pressure from a work cylinderto a storage tank for subsequent use

Claim 1

A PNEUMATIC CIRCUIT COMPRISING A WORK CYLINDER AND PISTON ASSEMBLY HAVING A PAIR OF PRESSURE PORTS, A PRIMARY SOURCE OF PNEUMATIC FLUID UNDER PRESSURE, A DIRECTIONAL CONTROL VALVING MEANS INTERPOSED IN THE CIRCUIT BETWEEN SAID SOURCE AND THE PORTS OF SAID CYLINDER, A PNEUMATIC FLUID STORAGE TANK ESTABLISHING A SECONDARY SOURCE OF PNEUMATIC FLUID UNER A PRESSURE LESS THAN THE PRESSURE OF THE PRIMARY SOURCE, FLOW CONTROL MEANS IN SAID CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING THE SPEED OF SAID PISTON, AND FAST ACTING LUID RESPONSIVE VALVE MEANS LOCATED IN SAID CIRCUIT BETWEEN THE PORTS OF SAID CYLINDER AND SAID STORAGE TANK, SAID VALVE MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO FLUID EXITING FROM THE CYLINDER AND ALTERNATELY CONNECTING THE PORTS OF SAID CYLINDER TO SAID STORAGE TANK TO THEREBY TRANSFER EXITING PNEUMATIC FLUID FROM THE WORK CYLINDER TO SAID STORAGE TANK IN AN EXPLOSIVE MANNER, THE TRANSFER OF SUCH PNEUMATIC FLUID OCCURRING ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY IN A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME MEASURED IN MILLI-SECONDS UPON ACTUATION OF SAID VALVE MEANS, THE REMAINING EXITING PNEUMATIC FLUID UNDER PRESSURE USED IN CONTROLLING SAID VALVE MEANS BEING EXHAUSTED TO ATMOSPHERE THROUGH SAID FLOW CONTROL MEANS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EXPLOSIVE ACTION HAS OCCURRED TO SPEED CONTROL SAID PISTON.