The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 18, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 08, 1999
Dieter J. Rief, Santa Rosa, CA (US);
Hans Raines Schlitzer, Krugersdorp, ZA;
Poolvergnuegen, Santa Rosa, CA (US);
Abstract
An automatically-locking bypass valve (,) of the type including a valve body (,), an inner member (,) in sliding engagement with the valve body (,) and having a bypass opening (,), the valve body (,) and inner member (,) having first and second vacuum-reactive surfaces (,and,respectively), and a spring (,) between the valve body (,) and the inner member (,) against which the vacuum-reactive surfaces (,and,respectively) move axially relative to each other. The valve body (,) has a guide (,) and the inner member (,) has a guide-follower (,) which is (a) slidably engaged with the guide (,) in one rotational alignment with the valve body (,) in a normal operating range of relative axial positions of the valve body (,) and inner member (,) and (b) out of sliding engagement with the guide (,) beyond such normal operating range. The spring (,) is in rotational tension such that it rotates the valve body (,) into a locked bypass position with respect to the inner member (,) when the guide (,) and guide-follower (,) are out of sliding engagement.