Random access valve

A multiplex valve comprising:

• housing means having a cavity therein,
• a slideable valve member having a flat surface,
• means for mounting said valve member in said cavity for translation along a plurality of intersecting axes, and comprising a first plate member having a flat surface contiguous to and across which said valve member surface slides,
• a plurality of first ports in one of said surfaces,
• second ports in the other of said surfaces and comprising a plurality of groups of ports, each group comprising ports arranged in a predetermined pattern common to all of said groups, the ports of a given group being selectively registrable with an associated one of said first ports upon predetermined translation of said valve member along said axes,
• translating means for selectively translating said valve member in said cavity for effecting registration between each of said first ports and a selected one in each of said group of ports.

A random access control valve comprised of:

• a housing having an aperture,
• a rectangular cavity in said housing having a planar surface with a port therein,
• a slideable valve block confined in said cavity and having a planar surface contiguous with and slideable against the planar surface of said cavity, with four ports located at the corners of a rectangle,
• said valve block being movable in said cavity along axes parallel to said planar surfaces,
• sliding of said block toward each corner of said cavity bringing a respective one of said four ports into registry with said cavity surface port,
• actuating means for sliding said block toward said cavity corners,
• conduits passing through said aperture and connected to respective four ports.

A valve comprising:

• housing means having a cavity therein,
• a slideable valve member having a flat surface,
• means for mounting said valve member in said cavity for translation along two orthogonal intersecting axes, fixed with respect to said valve member and lying in the plane of said surface, and comprising a first plate member having a flat surface contiguous to and across which said valve member surface slides,
• first conduit means communicating with the exterior of said housing means and including a first port in said surface of said valve member,
• second conduit means communicating with the exterior of said housing means and including four ports in said surface of said first plate member, located at the corners of a rectangle and selectively registrable with said first port upon predetermined translation of said valve member along said axes,
• translating means for selectively translating said valve member in said cavity back and forth on said two orthogonal axes, or a vector combination of said axes, for effecting registration between said first port and a selected one of said four ports.

A valve comprising:

• housing means having a cavity therein,
• a slideable valve member having a flat surface,
• means for mounting said valve member in said cavity for translation along a plurality of intersecting axes, fixed with respect to said valve member and lying in the plane of said surface, and comprising a first plate member having a flat surface contiguous to and across which said valve member surface slides,
• first conduit means communicating with the exterior of said housing means and including a first port in one of said surfaces,
• second conduit means communicating with the exterior of said housing means and including a plurality of ports in the other of said surfaces selectively registrable with said first port upon predetermined translation of said valve member along said axes,
• a plurality of actuating means proportional to the number of said axes for selectively translating said valve member in said cavity along said axes for effecting registration between said first port and a selected one of said plurality of ports.

A valve comprising:

• housing means having a cavity therein,
• a slideable valve member having a flat surface,
• means for mounting said valve member in said cavity for translation along a plurality of intersecting axes, fixed with respect to said valve member and lying in the plane of said surface, and comprising a first plate member having a flat surface contiguous to and across which said valve member surface slides,
• said valve member having a periphery formed by a plurality of straight sides substantially perpendicular to said first plate member surface,
• said cavity having therearound a plurality of stop surfaces corresponding to said sides and spaced around the periphery of said first plate member,
• first conduit means communicating with the exterior of said housing means and including a first port in one of said surfaces,
• second conduit means communicating with the exterior of said housing means and including a plurality of ports in the other of said surfaces selectively registrable with said first port upon predetermined translation of said valve member along said axes,
• translating means for selectively slidingly translating said valve member in said cavity along said axes against a selected pair of adjacent stop surfaces, for effecting registration between said first port and a selected one of said plurality of ports.