Vacuum control valve

Claim 1

A control valve comprising: a. a valve body having a smooth surface, a plurality of ports, a plurality of passages bored through the valve body and opening in the smooth surface, each said passage leading to a respective one of said ports, and a bore formed centrally though the body; b. a distributing member having a hub portion engageable though said bore for mounting the distributing member for rotation, a distributing surface with a plurality of ribs extending along coaxial part-circular respective lines and a plurality of radially extending rib portions intersecting the same, said ribs and rib portions projecting on said distributing surface to define therewith and with said smooth surface a plurality of coaxial channels of part-annular shapes and an outer face; c. an annulus of spring material having at least three angularly spaced corrugations athwart the annulus; d. a hood member, and means fastening the hood member onto said valve body to clamp said spring annulus between an inner face of the hood member and said outer face of said distributing member with resilient deflection of said corrugations, whereby to retain said ribs and rib portions in engagement with said smooth surface of said valve body; e. means for rotating said hub to place said distributing member selectively into any of a plurality of angular positions wherein selected ones of said passages are interconnected by said channels; and f. means fastening said spring annulus to one of said outer and inner faces against rotation relative thereto, and a plurality of recesses in the other face for receiving said spring corrugations to hold said distributing member in any one of said angular positions.