| US 7,546,846 B2 | ||
| Pressure regulator | ||
| Roger Massengale, Mission Viejo, Calif. (US); Stanley E. Fry, Riverside, Calif. (US); and Charles J. McPhee, Huntington Beach, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to I-FLOW Corporation, Lake Forest, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 04, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/849,571. | ||
| Application 11/849571 is a continuation of application No. 11/527848, filed on Sep. 27, 2006, granted, now 7,264,018. | ||
| Application 11/527848 is a continuation of application No. 11/217104, filed on Aug. 31, 2005, granted, now 7,114,520, filed on Jun. 14, 2007. | ||
| Application 11/217104 is a continuation of application No. 10/663363, filed on Sep. 16, 2003, granted, now 6,938,642, filed on Sep. 06, 2005. | ||
| Application 10/663363 is a continuation of application No. 09/931385, filed on Aug. 14, 2001, granted, now 6,619,308, filed on Sep. 16, 2003. | ||
| Application 09/931385 is a continuation in part of application No. 09/350955, filed on Jul. 09, 1999, granted, now 6,273,117, filed on Aug. 14, 2001. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0289644 A1, Dec. 20, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. F16K 37/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 137—12 [137/14; 137/553; 137/557; 137/505.41] | 14 Claims |

| 10. A method of regulating fluid pressure comprising the steps of:
preventing the flow of a fluid through a valve seat into a fluid pressure chamber within a valve body, utilizing a flexible
resilient diaphragm forming a wall of said chamber when said diaphragm is not mechanically deflected;
deflecting a self-restoring section of said diaphragm having an outer edge to introduce fluid into said fluid chamber;
flexing said self-restoring section in response to pressure changes within said chamber;
controlling the flow of fluid through said valve seat into said chamber with a valve element integrally formed with the self-restoring
section and composed of self-restoring material in a manner such that increasing the pressure in said chamber moves said valve
element towards said valve seat and decreasing the pressure in said chamber moves said valve element away from said valve
seat;
allowing fluid to flow from said chamber to an outlet in said valve body;
adjusting the pressure by rotating a cover having an adjuster fixed for rotation therewith relative to said valve body, said
adjuster deflecting said diaphragm by contacting it at a position spaced a distance from the outer edge of the diaphragm in
a manner to control the flexing of said diaphragm section to obtain a desired outlet pressure;
defining a plurality of angular positions relative to said valve body; and
positioning said cover in one of said plurality of angular positions.
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