Patent ID: 8286896

Claim:
A fuel injector for supplying fuel to a fuel consuming device, said fuel injector comprising: a fuel inlet for receiving fuel; a fuel outlet for dispensing fuel from said fuel injector; a fuel passage for communicating fuel from said fuel inlet to said fuel outlet; and a valve assembly for selectively preventing and permitting fuel to pass from said fuel inlet to said fuel outlet, said valve assembly comprising: a valve seat assembly disposed in said fuel passage, said valve seat assembly being defined by a tubular body having an upstream end, a downstream end, an outside wall surface connecting said upstream end to said downstream end, and an inside wall surface connecting said upstream end to said downstream end, said valve seat assembly being further defined by a valve seat of unitary construction with said tubular body and traversing said inside wall surface, said valve seat having an upstream surface inset axially of and facing said upstream end, a downstream surface inset axially of and facing said downstream end, and an aperture providing fluid communication through said valve seat; and a valve located in said fuel passage for selectively preventing and permitting fuel flow through said aperture by selectively engaging and disengaging said valve seat; wherein said tubular body includes a passage extending radially therethrough to provide fluid communication from said inside wall surface to said outside wall surface, said passage beginning downstream of said downstream surface and upstream of said downstream end and extending axially to said downstream end.