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:
Jun. 11, 2002
Filed:
Sep. 21, 2000
Don Vaughan, Brookfield, WI (US);
Clack Corporation, Windsor, WI (US);
Abstract
A seal stack, configured for supporting, guiding, and sealing a piston of a water softener control valve or the like, can be preassembled prior to its insertion into the associated valve bore and compressed after it is inserted into the bore. This post-assembly seal stack compression assures reliable assembly of the seal stack, facilitates valve assembly and disassembly, and negates the need to hold tight tolerances in bore diameter design and seal diameter design. The seal stack includes a plurality of static seals, a plurality of dynamic seals which are either combined with or separated from the static seals, and a plurality of spacers that support the seals. Each of the static seals is disposed between two adjacent spacers and seals against a peripheral surface of the bore, and each of the dynamic seals is disposed between two adjacent spacers and seals against the piston. Each of the spacers is connected to an adjacent spacer by a lost motion connector that permits limited axial movement therebetween and axial compression of the seal stack when the seal stack is assembled into the bore. Each of the static seals compresses axially and expands radially upon axial compression of the seal stack to enhance the sealing contact between the static seals and the peripheral surface of the bore.