Vacuum reducer valve assembly

Claim 2

A vacuum reducer valve assembly comprising a housing, a cover, a diaphragm secured between said housing and said cover to define a source vacuum chamber between said cover and one side of said diaphragm and to define a reduced vacuum chamber between the opposite side of said diaphragm and one side of said housing, said source vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a source of vacuum, said reduced vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a vacuum motor, said housing having an aperture leading to said reduced vacuum chamber from a source of air, the opposite side of said housing defining a valve seat surrounding said aperture, a plunger extending through said aperture and having one end secured to said diaphragm, and a cylindrical axially-flexible seal disposed about said plunger and having one end secured to the opposite end of said plunger, said plunger having a valve seat formed thereabout intermediate its ends and further having a port intermediate said plunger valve seat and the opposite end of said plunger and a passage extending from said port to said source vacuum chamber, the other end of said seal having inner and outer valve surfaces biased toward engagement with said plunger valve seat and said housing valve seat respectively, said diaphragm being biased toward said housing to thereby maintain the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber at a predetermined differential greater than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber, whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber exceeds the pressure in said source vacuum chamber by an amount greater than said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger and said seal to engage said outer valve surface with said housing valve seat and disengage said inner valve surface from said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture, said port and said passage to said source vacuum chamber and thus reduce the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber, and whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber is less than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber plus said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger and said seal to disengage said outer valve surface from said housing valve seat and engage said inner valve surface with said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture to said source of air and thus increase the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber.

Claim 3

A vacuum reducer valve assembly comprising a housing, a cover, a diaphragm secured between said housing and said cover to define a source vacuum chamber between said cover and one side of said diaphragm and to define a reduced vacuum chamber between the opposite side of said diaphragm and one side of said housing, said source vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a source of vacuum, said reduced vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a vacuum motor, a closure member, a pressure responsive member secured between said closure member and said housing to define an atmospheric pressure chamber between the opposite side of said housing and one side of said pressure responsive member and an evacuated chamber between the opposite side of said pressure responsive member and said closure member, said housing having an aperture leading to said reduced vacuum chamber from said atmospheric pressure chamber, the opposite side of said housing defining a valve seat surrounding said aperture, a plunger extending through said aperture and having one end secured to said diaphragm and the opposite end engaging said pressure responsive member, a cylindrical axially-flexible seal disposed about said plunger and having one end secured to the opposite end of said plunger, said plunger having a valve seat formed thereabout intermediate its ends and further having a port intermediate said plunger valve seat and the opposite end of said plunger and a passage extending from said port to said source vacuum chamber, the other end of said seal having inner and outer valve surfaces biased toward engagement with said plunger valve seat and said housing valve seat respectively, said diaphragm being biased toward said housing to thereby maintain the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber at a predetermined differential greater than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber, whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber exceeds the pressure in said source vacuum chamber by an amount greater than said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger to engage said outer valve surface with said housing valve seat and disengage said inner valve surface from said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture, said port and said passage to said source vacuum chamber and thus reduce the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber, whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber is less than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber plus said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger to disengage said outer valve surface from said housing valve seat and engage said inner valve surface with said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture to said atmospheric pressure chamber and thus increase the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber, and whereby said pressure responsive member controls the bias of said diaphragm toward said housing in accordance with the pressure in said atmospheric pressure chamber and thus varies said differential in accordance with atmospheric pressure.

Claim 4

A vacuum reducer valve assembly comprising a housing, a cover, a diaphragm secured between said housing and said cover to define a source vacuum chamber between said cover and one side of said diaphragm and to define a reduced vacuum chamber between the opposite side of said diaphragm and one side of said housing, said source vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a source of vacuum, said reduced vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a vacuum motor, a closure member, a pressure responsive member secured between said closure member and said housing to define an atmospheric pressure chamber between the opposite side of said housing and one side of said pressure responsive member and an evacuated chamber between the opposite side of said pressure responsive member and said closure member, said housing having an aperture leading to said reduced vacuum chamber from said atmospheric pressure chamber, the opposite side of said housing defining a valve seat surrounding said aperture, a plunger extending through said aperture and having one end secured to said diaphragm and the opposite end engaging said pressure responsive member, a cylindrical axially-flexible seal disposed about said plunger and having one end secured to the opposite end of said plunger, said plunger having a valve seat formed thereabout intermediate its ends and further having a port intermediate said plunger valve seat and the opposite end of said plunger and a passage extending from said port to said source vacuum chamber, the other end of said seal having inner and outer valve surfaces biased toward engagement with said plunger valve seat and said housing valve seat respectively, said diaphragm being biased toward said housing to thereby maintain the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber at a predetermined differential greater than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber, whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber exceeds the pressure in said source vacuum chamber by an amount greater than said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger to engage said outer valve surface with said housing valve seat and disengage said inner valve surface from said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture, said port and said passage to said source vacuum chamber and thus reduce the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber, whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber is less than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber plus said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger to disengage said outer valve surface from said housing valve seat and engage said inner valve surface with said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture to said atmospheric pressure chamber and thus increase the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber, and whereby said pressure responsive member controls the bias of said diaphragm toward said housing in accordance with the pressure in said atmospheric pressure chamber and thus varies said differential in accordance with atmospheric pressure.

Claim 5

A vacuum reducer valve assembly comprising a housing, a cover, a diaphragm secured between said housing and said cover to define a source vacuum chamber between said cover and one side of said diaphragm and to define a reduced vacuum chamber between the opposite side of said diaphragm and one side of said housing, said source vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a source of vacuum, said reduced vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a vacuum motor, said housing having an aperture leading to said reduced vacuum chamber from a source of air, the opposite side of said housing defining a valve seat surrounding said aperture, a plunger extending through said aperture and having one end secured to said diaphragm, said plunger having a valve seat formed thereabout and further having a passage extending past said plunger valve seat through a port from said reduced vacuum chamber to said source vacuum chamber, and a seal having inner and outer valve surfaces biased toward engagement with said plunger valve seat and said housing valve seat respectively, said diaphragm being biased toward said housing to thereby maintain the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber at a predetermined differential greater than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber, whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber exceeds the pressure in said source vacuum chamber by an amount greater than said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger to engage said outer valve surface with said housing valve seat and disengage said inner valve surface from said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said port and said passage to said source vacuum chamber and thus reduce the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber, and whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber is less than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber plus said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger and said seal to disengage said outer valve surface from said housing valve seat and engage said inner valve surface with said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture to said source of air and thus increase the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber.

Claim 6

A vacuum reducer valve assembly comprising a housing, a cover, a diaphragm secured between said housing and said cover to define a source vacuum chamber between said cover and one side of said diaphragm and to define a reduced vacuum chamber between the opposite side of said diaphragm and one side of said housing, said source vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a source of vacuum, said reduced vacuum chamber having an opening adapted for connection to a vacuum motor, said housing having an aperture leading to said reduced vacuum chamber from a source of air, the opposite side of said housing defining a valve seat surrounding said aperture, a plunger extending through said aperture and having one end secured to said diaphragm, said plunger having a valve seat formed thereabout and further having a passage extending past said plunger valve seat through a port from said reduced vacuum chamber to said source vacuum chamber, and a seal having inner and outer valve surfaces biased toward engagement with said plunger valve seat and said housing valve seat respectively, said diaphragm being biased toward said housing to thereby maintain the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber at a predetermined differential greater than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber, whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber exceeds the pressure in said source vacuum chamber by an amount greater than said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger to engage said outer valve surface with said housing valve seat and disengage said inner valve surface from said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said port and said passage to said source vacuum chamber and thus reduce the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber, and whereby when the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber is less than the pressure in said source vacuum chamber plus said differential said operating diaphragm moves said plunger and said seal to disengage said outer valve surface from said housing valve seat and engage said inner valve surface with said plunger valve seat to thereby connect said reduced vacuum chamber through said aperture to said source of air and thus increase the pressure in said reduced vacuum chamber.