Gas presure regulator with a valve and piston assembly

Abstract

A pressure regulator which includes a body. The body has inner walls defining an inlet port. Slidably moving within the inlet port is a hollow stem of a valve and piston assembly. The hollow stem is in slidable gas sealing contact with the inlet port. The valve and piston assembly includes a piston having a piston head with a valved opening therethrough. In the opening in the piston head is the arm of a plug. A body of the plug lies within the sliding piston held in place by a keeper spring, the keeper spring for maintaining a removed end of the plug arm against inner walls of the body. With such a structure, movement of the piston and valve assembly will be capable of unseating the plug from the valved opening in the piston allowing gas to flow from the hollow stem at the inlet port through an inner volume of the piston, through the valved opening of the piston head and into a regulated gas chamber defined in part by the inner walls of the body and an outer surface of the piston head.

1 . A system for the regulated transfer of gas, the system comprising:
 at least one upstream high pressure gas source;   at least one downstream gas receiving device for receiving gas at a pressure lower than that of the high pressure gas source; and   at least one regulator engaging the upstream source and downstream device including a valve and piston assembly adapted to compensate for drop in the high pressure gas source while providing receiving device at a set pre-selected pressure.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the gas pressure regulator includes:
 a body and a valve in piston assembly, the body having a longitudinal axis and inner walls, the inner walls defining at least engagement walls, piston chamber walls, piston stem guide walls, and a piston stem port;   a spring; and   a valve and piston assembly, including a piston having a body and piston head, the piston body having a piston stem, the piston stem having a compensating tube therein, the piston head having a valved opening, the piston body also having an inner volume in fluid communication with the compensating tube and the valved opening, the piston and valve assembly further including a plug, the plug having a plug body dimensioned for receipt substantially within the inner volume of the piston body and a plug arm, the plug arm extending through the valved opening past the piston head for engagement with the engagement walls of the body, the valve and piston assembly further including a keeper spring for acting between the piston body and the plug to urge the plug against the engagement walls of the body;   wherein the piston is biased towards engagement walls by the spring;   wherein the piston stem is in sliding engagement with the piston stem guide walls, such that a change in pressure at the piston stem port may move the piston with respect to the body, thus moving the valved opening in relation to the plug and allowing a gas to move between the inlet port through the stem, through the inner volume of the piston through the valved opening into the regulated chamber.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further including at least two regulators and a manifold, the manifold for engaging the upstream high pressure gas source and two or more regulators and at least two downstream gas receiving devices. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the upstream gas source is a high pressured tank containing at least one of the following: CO 2 , N 2 , argon, and nitrous oxide. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the downstream gas receiving device includes one of the following: wine bottle, pneumatic tool, and helmet. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the gas pressure regulator includes:
 a body and a valve in piston assembly, the body having a longitudinal axis and inner walls, the inner walls defining at least engagement walls, piston chamber walls, piston stem guide walls, and a piston stem port;   a spring; and   a valve and piston assembly, including a piston having a body and piston head, the piston body having a piston stem, the piston stem having a compensating tube therein, the piston head having a valved opening, the piston body also having an inner volume in fluid communication with the compensating tube and the valved opening, the piston and valve assembly further including a plug, the plug having a plug body dimensioned for receipt substantially within the inner volume of the piston body and a plug arm, the plug arm extending through the valved opening past the piston head for engagement with the engagement walls of the body, the valve and piston assembly further including a keeper spring for acting between the piston body and the plug to urge the plug against the engagement walls of the body;   wherein the piston is biased towards engagement walls by the spring;   wherein the piston stem is in sliding engagement with the piston stem guide walls, such that a change in pressure at the piston stem port may move the piston with respect to the body, thus moving the valved opening in relation to the plug and allowing a gas to move between the inlet port through the stem, through the inner volume of the piston through the valved opening into the regulated chamber.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the gas pressure regulator includes:
 a body and a valve in piston assembly, the body having a longitudinal axis and inner walls, the inner walls defining at least engagement walls, piston chamber walls, piston stem guide walls, and a piston stem port;   a spring; and   a valve and piston assembly, including a piston having a body and piston head, the piston body having a piston stem, the piston stem having a compensating tube therein, the piston head having a valved opening, the piston body also having an inner volume in fluid communication with the compensating tube and the valved opening, the piston and valve assembly further including a plug, the plug having a plug body dimensioned for receipt substantially within the inner volume of the piston body and a plug arm, the plug arm extending through the valved opening past the piston head for engagement with the engagement walls of the body, the valve and piston assembly further including a keeper spring for acting between the piston body and the plug to urge the plug against the engagement walls of the body;   wherein the piston is biased towards engagement walls by the spring;   wherein the piston stem is in sliding engagement with the piston stem guide walls, such that a change in pressure at the piston stem port may move the piston with respect to the body, thus moving the valved opening in relation to the plug and allowing a gas to move between the inlet port through the stem, through the inner volume of the piston through the valved opening into the regulated chamber.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the gas pressure regulator includes:
 a body and a valve in piston assembly, the body having a longitudinal axis and inner walls, the inner walls defining at least engagement walls, piston chamber walls, piston stem guide walls, and a piston stem port;   a spring; and   a valve and piston assembly, including a piston having a body and piston head, the piston body having a piston stem, the piston stem having a compensating tube therein, the piston head having a valved opening, the piston body also having an inner volume in fluid communication with the compensating tube and the valved opening, the piston and valve assembly further including a plug, the plug having a plug body dimensioned for receipt substantially within the inner volume of the piston body and a plug arm, the plug arm extending through the valved opening past the piston head for engagement with the engagement walls of the body, the valve and piston assembly further including a keeper spring for acting between the piston body and the plug to urge the plug against the engagement walls of the body;   wherein the piston is biased towards engagement walls by the spring;   wherein the piston stem is in sliding engagement with the piston stem guide walls, such that a change in pressure at the piston stem port may move the piston with respect to the body, thus moving the valved opening in relation to the plug and allowing a gas to move between the inlet port through the stem, through the inner volume of the piston through the valved opening into the regulated chamber;   further including at least two regulators and a manifold, the manifold for engaging the upstream high pressure gas source and two or more regulators and at least two downstream gas receiving devices;   wherein the upstream gas source is a high pressured tank containing at least one of the following: CO 2 , N 2 , argon, and nitrous oxide.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the downstream gas receiving device includes one of the following: wine bottle, pneumatic tool, and helmet.