Patent ID: 6923215

Claim:
A piston accumulator, comprising: a housing having a fluid side, a gas side and a cylindrical tube with a longitudinal axis and an inner wall surface; a separating piston axially displaceable within said housing and separating said gas side from said fluid side; first and second sealing areas axially offset from one another on a lateral peripheral side of said piston and engaging said inner wall surface; a vent opening extending through said housing between said sealing areas of said piston for discharging leakage media penetrating said sealing areas; a collecting chamber in fluid communication with said vent opening and receiving the leakage media from said vent opening, said collecting chamber including an annular element seated outside of said piston and receiving said cylindrical tube, said annular element including an annular member extending equidistant from an outside surface of said cylindrical tube, and end strips projecting radially inward from said annular member to said cylindrical tube to space said annular member from said cylindrical tube and define a clear width of said collecting chamber; an outlet opening extending through said annular member between said end strips; and an elastic band circumferentially surrounding said annular member and releasably covering said outlet opening to control flow of leakage media from said collecting chamber and through said outlet opening; whereby said elastic band opens said outlet opening by prevailing pressure of leakage media in said collecting chamber.