Adjustable tied-diaphragm gas pressure regulator

Claim 1

A pressure regulator for regulating the flow of fluid from a high pressure source to a low pressure application comprising: a. a body, b. a high pressure valve chamber in said body, c. an inlet opening in said body for communicating said high pressure valve chamber with a source of high pressure fluid, d. a low pressure chamber in said body having an open end, e. a flexible diaphragm closing off said open end, said diaphragm having a side away from said low pressure chamber being exposed to the ambient surrounds, f. a cap on said body defining an ambient air chamber therein, said diaphragm being positioned between said cap and said body so that said air chamber is adjacent to said away from said low pressure chamber, g. spring means in said cap for adjusting the position of said diaphragm. h. valve means in said body intermediate said high and low pressure chambers for controlling flow of fluid from said high to said low pressure chambers, i. attachment means for operatively attaching said valve means to said diaphragm, wherein said attachment means is affixed to the side opposite to said one side of said diaphragm and wherein said diaphragm is free of any openings and of unitary, one-piece construction, and j. said diaphragm being a generally flat, disc-shaped member having an annular skirt depending therefrom, said body adjacent said opening defining a cylindrical shape having a diameter substantially less than that of the internal diameter defined within said skirt whereby said diaphragm may move across said open end without interfering with said cylindrical shape whereby misalignment of said valve means with respect to said diaphragm may be automatically adjusted for.