Importance

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Abstract

An automatic vent has a cup including a bottom wall, a side wall, an open top, and an inlet for introducing fluid into a compartment defined by the bottom and side walls. A valve assembly of the automatic vent includes a cap disposed over the open top of the cup. The cap has a body with an upwardly facing surface, a downwardly facing surface, a bore formed within the body for enabling fluid communication between the compartment and atmosphere, and an annular rim provided around the bore on the downwardly facing surface. A lever arm is hingedly connected at one end thereof to the body of the cap adjacent the annular rim. The automatic vent further includes a multi-hinged connection for hingedly moving the lever arm between a closed position in which the lever arm blocks the bore of the cap in response to the fluid level in the compartment rising above a predetermined fluid level, a partially open position in which the lever arm hingedly moves away from the cap but still engages the annular rim to allow gas to escape through the bore in response to the fluid level in the compartment lowering below the predetermined fluid level as a result of gas build up within the compartment, and an open position in which the lever arm hingedly moves away from the cap and annular rim in response to the fluid level in the compartment lowering substantially below the predetermined level.

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First Claim