Reciprocable device

Claim 2

A reciprocable device comprising: a housing having a chamber therein; a reciprocable member in the chamber and having first and second faces exposable to a driving fluid under pressure to reciprocate the reciprocable member in the chamber; valve means in said housing including first and second valve elements movable in the same general direction along laterally spaced paths for controlling the supply and exhaust of the driving fluid under pressure to and from the first and second faces whereby the reciprocable member can be reciprocated in said chamber; a connector extending between and joining the valve elements whereby the connector and valve elements are movable together; bistable spring means in said housing having first and second states and a neutral position for driving the connector whereby the valve elements are moved to control the supply and exhaust of the driving fluid under pressure to and from the first and second faces, said bistable spring means including first and second levers, a hinge member between said levers and spring means for urging the first and second levers toward the hinge member; said spring means including a spring bracket having first and second legs drivingly coupled to the first and second levers, respectively, and a web joining said legs, said connector being between the hinge member and at least a portion of said web; and means for drivingly coupling the reciprocable member and the bistable spring means so that said reciprocable member can operate the bistable spring means.

Claim 3

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve means includes first and second valve seats against which the first and second valve elements can seat, respectively, and said connector is coupled to at least one of the valve elements with some looseness to facilitate proper seating of the first and second valve elements against their respective valve seats.

Claim 4

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein said connector extends generally transverse to said paths.

Claim 5

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said first and second valve elements has spaced shoulders joined by a neck of reduced cross section and said connector comprises first and second adjacent plate-like members each having first and second openings sized and arranged to receive the necks of said first and second valve elements and interlock with said shoulders whereby the connector can be coupled to the valve elements.

Claim 6

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 4 including generally opposed walls adjacent one end of said chamber for preventing separation of the first and second plate-like members in at least one direction.

Claim 7

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein said hinge member drives the connector in at least one direction.

Claim 8

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve means includes an integrally molded, tubular, resilient member having a passage extending therethrough and defining first and second generally annular valve seats within said passage, said passage having at least one constricted portion of lesser cross-sectional dimensions than either of said heads, said tubular member being sufficiently resilient to allow at least one of said heads to be forced through said constricted portion.

Claim 9

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein the valve means includes a valve seat for the first valve element and the first valve element has a valve surface for engaging the valve seat, said valve seat and valve surface are part spherical, have essentially the same radius and are essentially concentric when the valve surface engages the valve seat.

Claim 10

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein the connector comprises a plurality of stacked plates.

Claim 11

A reciprocable device comprising: wall means defining a chamber; a reciprocable member in the chamber and having first and second faces exposable to a driving fluid under pressure to reciprocate the reciprocable member in the chamber; valve means including first and second movable valve elements for controlling the supply and exhaust of the driving fluid under pressure to and from the first and second faces whereby the reciprocable member can be reciprocated in said chamber; a connector for drivingly coupling the first and second valve elements whereby the connector and the valve elements are movable together; bistable spring means having first and second states and a neutral position between said states thereof for at least assisting in driving the connector, said bistable spring means including first and second levers, a movable hinge member between said levers and spring means for urging the first and second levers toward the hinge member, said hinge member being interposed between the connector and the reciprocable member and engaging the connector to drive the connector in at least one direction; means for drivingly coupling the reciprocable member and the bistable spring means so that said reciprocable member can move the bistable spring means from one of its states through the neutral position with the resilience of the bistable spring means at least assisting in moving the bistable spring means from the neutral position toward the other state thereof; and first means for drivingly coupling the bistable spring means and the connector whereby movement of the bistable spring means to said other state drives the first and second valve elements.

Claim 12

A reciprocable device comprising: wall means defining a chamber; a reciprocable member in the chamber and having first and second faces exposable to a driving fluid under pressure to reciprocate the reciprocable member in the chamber; valve means including first and second movable valve elements for controlling the supply and exhaust of the driving fluid under pressure to and from the first and second faces whereby the reciprocable member can be reciprocated in said chamber; a connector for drivingly coupling the first and second valve elements whereby the connector and the valve elements are movable together; bistable spring means having first and second states and a neutral position between said states thereof for at least assisting in driving the connector, said bistable spring means including first and second levers, a movable hinge member between said levers and spring means for urging the first and second levers toward the hinge member, said hinge member being interposed between the connector and the reciprocable member and engaging the connector to drive the connector in at least one direction; means for drivingly coupling the reciprocable member and the bistable spring means so that said reciprocable member can move the bistable spring means from one of its states through the neutral position with the resilience of the bistable spring means at least assisting in moving the bistable spring means from the neutral position toward the other state thereof; and first means for drivingly coupling the bistable spring means and the connector whereby movement of the bistable spring means to said other state drives the first and second valve elements.

Claim 13

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 10 wherein said first means includes an aperture in said connector and a coupling member drivingly coupled to the hinge member and extending through the aperture, said coupling member has an enlargement on the side thereof remote from the hinge member for engagement with the connector to move the connector in at least one direction.

Claim 14

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 10 wherein said valve means includes first and second valve seats against which the first and second valve elements can seat, respectively, and said connector is coupled to at least one of the valve elements with some looseness to facilitate proper seating of the first and second valve elements against their respective valve seats.

Claim 15

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 10 wherein each of said first and second valve elements has spaced shoulders joined by a neck of reduced cross section and said connector comprises first and second plate-like members each having first and second openings, each of said openings has a large cross section portion sized to allow the shoulders of one of the valve elements to pass therethrough and a small cross-section portion sized to receive the neck of one of the valve elements, said plate-like members being oppositely arranged whereby the small cross-section portions cooperate to receive the necks of said first and second valve elements and interlock with said shoulders and means for preventing separation of the plate-like members whereby the connector can be coupled to the valve elements without using separate fasteners.

Claim 16

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 10 wherein said means for drivingly coupling the reciprocable member and the bistable spring means includes a passage in said hinge member and a coupling member having a portion received in said passage of said hinge member and being drivable in at least one direction by said reciprocable member.

Claim 17

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 11 wherein said valve means includes first and second valve seats against which the first and second valve elements can seat, respectively, and said connector is coupled to at least one of the valve elements with some looseness to facilitate proper seating of the first and second valve elements against their respective valve seats, each of said first and second valve elements has spaced shoulders joined by a neck of reduced cross section and said connector comprises first and second plate-like members each having first and second openings sized and arranged to receive the necks of said first and second valve elements and interlock with said shoulders whereby the connector can be coupled to the valve elements.

Claim 18

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 10 wherein said spring means includes a spring bracket having first and second legs drivingly coupled to the first and second levers, respectively, and a web joining said legs, said connector being between the hinge member and at least a portion of said web.

Claim 19

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein said hinge member is movable relative to the connector.

Claim 20

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 17 wherein the connector is between said levers and said portion of said web.

Claim 21

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve elements extend through said web.

Claim 22

A reciprocable device as defined in claim 10 wherein the valve elements and the bistable spring means are both adjacent the same end of the chamber.