Patent ID: 6364629
Filing Date: 2002-04-02
Classification: F04B

Abstract:
A valve structure comprising:a wall member having a surface and a valve hole opening in said surface, said valve hole having a center; a flexible valve element having a first portion lying on said surface of said wall member and a second portion bendable toward and away from said wall member to open and close said valve hole; a retainer element having a retaining surface to restrict deformation of said valve element when said valve element is bent toward said retainer element; and said retaining surface of said retainer element having a profile; where said profile is expressed in a two-dimensional coordinate system (x, y) having an X axis extending parallel to said surface of said wall member in the direction from said first portion toward said second portion of said valve element, a Y axis extending perpendicular to said X axis in the direction away from said wall member, and said origin near said first portion of said valve element, said origin corresponding to a start point of said profile; said freely bent shape is represented by coordinates (x, f(x)) obtained by pushing said valve element in the Y-axis direction at an abscissa position corresponding to said center of said valve element so as to urge the valve element away from the wall member; L is a distance from the origin to the center of the valve hole; H is a distance between the valve element and the wall member at an abscissa position of x=L in the freely bent shape; xâ€² is an abscissa value satisfying the relationship of f(xâ€²)=H/2 between origin and the center of the valve hole; and K (0wherein said profile of said retaining surface contains a coordinate (xâ€², f(xâ€²)âˆ’K) within an abscissa range between an origin and said center of said valve hole so that said profile is displaced toward said wall member with respect to a freely bent shape of said valve element.