Speed regulating valve for fluid filled door closers

In a door closer which has a housing with a cylindrical bore, a rack-bearing piston and a spring in the bore, a pinion engaged with the rack such that the pinion turns when the piston slides, and a closer arm connected to the piston to swing when the pinion turns, the improvement in combination with said door closer, comprising:

• an elongated hollow tubular body having a closed first end with means thereon for rotatably driving said body, an open second end, and an orifice in its sidewall adjacent its closed first end;
• an endplug for a cylinder bore of said door closer, the endplug having an axial port in which the closed first end of the tubular body is rotatably supported and which includes means for forming a fluid tight seal about the outer surface of the tubular body;
• an annular valve seat adjacent the endplug, said seat being fixed against rotation, and having an open portion and a closed portion which provide varying degrees of occlusion of the orifice when the tubular body is rotated;
• and
• a seal plate check valve captured against a piston head and sealing an opening therein during closing, said plate also providing a seal about the outer surface of said tubular body near said open second end thereof.

A valve for regulating closing speed and latching speed of a door closer, comprising:

• an elongated hollow tubular body having a closed first end with means thereon for rotatably driving said body, an open second end, and an orifice in its sidewall adjacent its closed first end;
• an endplug for a cylinder bore of said door closer, the endplug having an axial port in which the closed first end of the tubular body is rotatably supported and which includes means for forming a fluid tight seal about the outer surface of the tubular body;
• an annular valve seat adjacent the endplug, said seat being fixed against rotation, and having a non-constant axial extent which provides varying degrees of occlusion of the orifice when the tubular body is rotated;
• a seal plate check valve captured against a piston head and sealing an opening therein during closing, said plate also providing a seal about the outer surface of said tubular body near said open second end thereof;
• and
• means for increasing speed of said door closer to provide latching force.