Fluid handling – Systems – With flow control means for branched passages
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-25
2001-03-13
Fox, John (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Systems
With flow control means for branched passages
C137S270000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199590
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system of modular valves with differentiated flow rates to be combined into compact batteries.
Batteries of pneumatic valves to distribute flows under pressure to different users are known in the art. Batteries are formed of valve units generally of parallelepiped shape. Each valve unit has feeding and exhaust ducts passing through the unit and appearing on opposite side faces of the same. Units can be combined and packed with each other in a variable number by juxtaposing the faces on which the ducts appear, so that corresponding ducts of valves disposed in side by side relationship are in mutual connection. Thus a compact assembly is obtained. Each valve or valve unit is sized for a given airflow. Manufacturers therefore offer several battery models, each having valves of different size.
Valves of different battery models cannot be combined with each other, since the valve sizes vary in all directions on varying of the airflow and consequently also the position of the ducts appearing on the juxtaposition faces varies. When use of valve batteries is concerned, selection of the appropriate battery model conveniently sized for the user requiring the highest flow rate is therefore necessary. Consequently, users of smaller flow rates will be connected with oversized valves. This involves waste of room and increase in costs, above all if there are many users but only a small number of users (even only one user) require the highest flow rate.
In spite of these heavy disadvantages, no solution to the above problem has been hitherto proposed. It is a general aim of the present invention to obviate the above mentioned drawbacks by providing a system of valves to be combined into batteries in which valve units of different flow rate can be variously and freely combined together depending on requirements, while keeping the obtained assembly compact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above aim, in accordance with the invention, a modular system to form valve batteries has been conceived which comprises a plurality of valve units to be variously packed in side by side relationship to form the battery, each valve unit having a face on which outlets for users appear and, on opposite lateral mating sides of which through ducts appear which are intended for juxtaposing and connecting with corresponding ducts of units disposed in side by side relationship, each unit having valve means for controlled connection between the through ducts and the respective outlets, the valve units being made with a generally parallelepiped shape, the sizes of the mating sides being substantially constant for all units and the thickness of each unit intended as the distance between sides varying on varying of the maximum flow rate of the specific valve unit, thereby enabling a direct coupling between valve units having different maximum flow rates.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4815496 (1989-03-01), Nishitani et al.
patent: 5341846 (1994-08-01), Framberg
patent: 5915409 (1999-06-01), Kaneko et al.
patent: 5944056 (1999-08-01), Miyazoe et al.
Fox John
Metal Works S.p.A.
Shlesinger Fitzsimmons & Shlesinger
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