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US 5,176,359 AGranted
Fluid control valve arrangement
AssigneePhotovac International, Inc.
InventorsRichard C. Leveson, Mark D. Bassett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid control valve arrangement includes a plurality of clusters or pairs of holes extending from one face to the other of a central block. The valves comprise a plurality of deformable blisters formed in a resilient membrane, the blisters positioned so as to coincide with the hole clusters or pairs when the membrane is pressed against a face of the block. The values are closed when the blisters are deformed to an essentially flat shape, advantageously by introducing a high pressure fluid into a cavity above the blisters. The valves are linked together in a desired configuration by grooves formed in the other face of the block.
Claims17
A fluid control valve arrangement comprising:
- a block having a plurality of clusters of holes, said holes extending from a first face of said block to a second face of said block and certain of said holes being linked by one or more grooves formed in the second face of said block;
- a first membrane pressed against the first face of said block, said membrane having a plurality of blisters, each of said blisters being permanently formed in said membrane, with a convex side and a concave side, and being positioned with the concave side thereof facing one of said hole clusters;
- sealing means positioned adjacent the second face of said block, said sealing means providing a seal around each of said one or more grooves;
- wherein individual ones of said blisters are deformable by the creation of a pressure differential between the convex and concave sides thereof so as to prevent the flow of fluid through the hole clusters associated with said deformed blisters, the pressure on the convex side of the blister being greater than the pressure on the concave side of the blister when the blister is deformed.
1 more element
A fluid control valve arrangement comprising:
- a block having a plurality of clusters of holes, said holes extending from a first face of said block to a second face of said block and certain of said holes being linked by grooves, at least one of said grooves being formed in the first face of said block and at least one of said grooves being formed in the second face of said block
- a first membrane pressed against the first face of said block, said first membrane having a plurality of blisters, each of said blisters being permanently formed in said membrane, with a convex side and a concave side, and being positioned with the concave side thereof facing one of said hole clusters;
- a second membrane pressed against the second face of said block, said second membrane having a plurality of blisters, each of said blisters being permanently formed in said membrane, with a convex side and a concave side, and being positioned with the concave side thereof facing another one of said hole clusters;
- sealing means positioned adjacent the first and second faces said block, said sealing means providing a seal around each of said grooves;
- wherein individual ones of said blisters are deformable by the creation of a pressure differential between the convex and concave sides thereof so as to prevent the flow of fluid through the hole clusters associated with said deformed blisters, the pressure on the convex side of the blister being greater than the pressure on the concave side of the blister when the blister is deformed.
2 more elements
A fluid control valve arrangement comprising:
- a block having a plurality of clusters of holes, said holes extending from a first face of said block to a second face of said block and certain of said holes being linked by one or more grooves formed in the second face of said block;
- a first membrane pressed against the first face of said block, said membrane having a plurality of blisters formed in it, said blisters being positioned so as to coincide with the locations of said hole clusters;
- a first sealing plate for pressing said first membrane against the first face of said block, said first sealing plate including recesses which coincide with the respective locations of said blisters in said first membrane;
- sealing means positioned adjacent the second face of said block, said sealing means comprising a second sealing plate pressed against the second face of said block, said second sealing plate containing ridges which surround individual ones of said grooves so as to provide a seal around each of said grooves;
- and
- means for allowing a controlled fluid to flow into at least one of said holes and means for allowing said controlled fluid to flow out of at least another one of said holes;
- wherein individual ones of said blisters are deformable so as top prevent the flow of fluid through the hole clusters associated with said deformed blisters.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.