Patent ID: 8240507

Claim:
A valve comprising: a valve cartridge comprising: a cartridge body comprising: first and second end walls; and an elongate side wall extending between the first and second end walls; a bore extending longitudinally through the cartridge body from the first end wall to the second end wall; a plurality of intermittent inlet passages extending through the side wall to the bore near the first end wall, wherein the plurality of inlet passages form a crenelated edge at the first end wall; and an outlet passage extending through the side wall to the bore between the first end wall and the second end wall; a valve stem comprising: an elongate body disposed within the cartridge body to close the bore near the first end wall and the second end wall; a neck disposed at an intermediate portion of the elongate body and disposed adjacent the outlet passage; and a seal channel circumscribing an exterior surface of the elongate body; and a valve seal disposed within the seal channel to seal between the bore and the elongate body; wherein the valve stem is configured to slide within the bore to fluidly connect the neck with the intermittent inlet passages, the intermittent inlet passages being configured to fluidly open the seal channel to the side wall while the seal is disposed within the bore.