US 12,222,040 B2
Sliding spool valves, and methods therefor
William Michael Duff, Lynmouth (NZ); and Ian Craig Paterson, Milford (NZ)
Assigned to Globalforce IP Limited, Ponsonby (NZ)
Appl. No. 17/773,311
Filed by Globalforce IP Limited, Ponsonby (NZ)
PCT Filed Oct. 30, 2019, PCT No. PCT/NZ2019/050145
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 29, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/086201, PCT Pub. Date May 6, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0390024 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. F16K 11/07 (2006.01); F16K 3/24 (2006.01); F16K 27/04 (2006.01)
CPC F16K 11/0712 (2013.01) [F16K 3/243 (2013.01); F16K 27/041 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A spool valve to valve a fluid between at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port, having a bore with a spool operably associated therein, comprising:
the bore, having one or more of the at least one inlet port and the at least one outlet port;
at least one in-bore seal located in the bore, the at least one in-bore seal fluidly sealing on a seal outer diameter to an inside diameter of the bore, and selectively fluidly sealing on a seal inside diameter to a spool outside diameter;
at least one spacer located in the bore to float along a major longitudinal axis of the bore, adjacent the at least one in-bore seal having a fluid communication from a spacer internal diameter to a spacer external diameter and with the at least one inlet port, or the at least one outlet port;
a removable retention component retaining the at least one spacer and the at least one in-bore seal within the bore; and
the spool, slidingly mounted within the bore to translate along the major longitudinal axis of the bore, having,
a first position where the spool prevents fluid flow from the at least one inlet port to the at least one outlet port by fluidly sealing to the at least one in-bore seal; and
at least a second position, where the spool allows fluid flow from the at least one inlet port to the at least one outlet port by unsealing from the at least one in-bore seal, such that the spool valve is formed to allow or deny fluid flow across the valve,
wherein, when the at least one in-bore seal and the at least one spacer are assembled in the bore and retained within the bore by the removable retention component, the at least one in-bore seal and the at least one spacer are configured to slide along the major longitudinal axis of the bore, but not such that the at least one in-bore seal can interact with the at least one inlet port or the at least one outlet port.