Gas fuse

Claim 1

A gas safety valve, comprising: (a) a housing including an inlet end and an outlet end and said housing having a longitudinally extending generally cylindrical chamber therein; (b) said inlet and adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and having an inlet opening communicating with said chamber for permitting gas flow thereto; (c) said outlet end adapted for connection to a gas distributor and having an outlet opening communicating with said chamber for permitting gas flow therefrom; (d) valve means disposed in said chamber and adapted for longitudinal displacement between said inlet opening and said outlet opening in response to the gas pressure differential between said openings; (e) said valve means including first and second annular parallel disks each having top and bottom surfaces; (f) a centrally disposed axial shaft positioned between and separating said parallel disks and having a diameter substantially less than the diameter of either of said disks; (g) said axial shaft and said disks forming therebetween an annular recess; (h) said disks having an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of said chamber for providing sliding sealing engagement with the wall of said chamber; (i) said first disk including means for sealing said inlet opening and thereby preventing gas flow to said chamber when the pressure differential between said openings is less than a first preselected level so that said valve means is displaced to and seals said inlet opening; (j) said second disk including means for sealing said outlet opening and thereby preventing gas flow from said chamber when the pressure differential between said openings exceed a second preselected level and thereby causes said valve means to be displaced to and seal said outlet opening; (k) resilient means engaged with said valve means and with said outlet end for biasing said valve means for longitudinal displacement toward said inlet and so that the pressure differential between said opening must exceed the first preselected level to cause said valve means to be displaced out of sealing engagement with said inlet opening and to thereby permit gas flow to said chamber; (l) at least a first passageway in said first disk axially extending from said top surface to said bottom surface and opening into said annular recess for permitting gas flow from said inlet opening to said annular recess when said valve means is displaced away from said inlet end; (m) at least a first passageway in said second disk axially extending from said top surface to said bottom surface and opening into said chamber permitting gas flow from said annular recess into said chamber when said valve means is displaced away from said outlet end; and, (n) said first disk passageway and said second disk passageway being displaced axially from each other at least 90° to permit a shift of fluid laterally in said annular recess as it passes from the first disk passageway to the second disk passageway.