Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fluid valves anfl par-
ticularly to a valve of the type usable in a two-handle lavatory
or kitchen faucet.
A primary purpose of the invention is a simply con-
structed reliably operable fluid valve of the type described.
Another purpose is a fluid valve utilizing a station-
ary annular seal ring positioned on an axis at 90 degrees to
the axis of a movable stem to provide valve closure.
Another purpose is a valve of khe type described in
which the stem includes a steel piston movable into contact with - ~
a stationary and valve closing seal member. ~ ?
Another purpose is a valve structure including a sleeve,
a stem rotatable within the sleeve, a fixed annular seal member
carried by the sleeve with the stem outlet port being movable
toward and away from register with the seal, and a seal support
holding the seal in position on the sleeve. ~;
Another purpose is a valve of the type described which
provides modulated water flow.
Another purpose is a valve structure of the type de-
scribed utilizing an annular seal ring diagonally disposed rela-
tive to the axis of the stem and sleeve and positioned about
; the exterior of the stem to provide a valve closure.
Another purpose is a valve structure utilizing spaced
stationary annular seal rings positioned at diammetrically opposed
points on a sleeve and having the sleeve outlet midway between
such fixed seal members, said valve including a stem movable ;
~- between open and closed positions in said sleeve.
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48
Another purpose is a valve of the type described having
identical seal rings used at different places within the valve
with the seal rings having different wear areas whereby upon
excessive wear of one seal ring it may be interchanged with another.
; Another purpose is a fluid valve of the type described
; having a sleeve structure or sleeve means which includes a seal
support and a sleeve, with the seal support being positioned ;~
either inside of or outside of the sleeve.
;~ Other purposes will appear in the ensuing specification~
drawings and claims.
BRIEE' DESCRIPTION_ OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the
following drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is an axial section through a valve of the
~: type described,
Figure 2 is a side view of the valve,
.
Figure 3 is a section along plane 3-3 of Fiyure 1, ~
.
', Figure~4 is a section along plane 4-4 of Figure 1,
with the housing omitted,
Figure 5 ~is a top view of the valve,
Figure 6 is a side view along plane 6-6 of Figure 2,
: ~ .
Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical section, similar to
Figure 1~ but showing a modified form of valve construction,
Figure 8 is a partial side view o~ the valve stem of
Figure 7,
Figure 9; lS a bottom view of the seal support of the ;
valve of Figure 7,
:, .
Figure 10 is a partial vertical section similar to
Flgure 7 and showing a modified embodiment,
Figure 11 is a partial vertical section of a further
embodiment,
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Figure 12 is a section along plane 12-12 of Figure
11,
Figure 13 is an enlarged vertical section showing yet
a further form of valve construction,
Figure 14 is a top vie~ of the structure of Figure
13,
Figure 15 is a section along plane 15-15 of Eigure
13,
Figure 16 is a bo~tom view of the valve of Figure 13,
10Figure 17 is a partial vertical section showing a further
~orm of valve construction,
Figure 18 is a side view of the valve of Figure 17,
and
Figure 19 is a bottom view oE the seal support of
Figures 17 and 18.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT ;~
; The valve structure of the present invention is usable
in kitchen, lavatory and shower-tub faucet combinations in which
there are separate valves for controlling the flow of hot and
cold water. The valve should not be~limited to such applioa-
tions, but it has been found to be particularly suitable for
such uses. The valve is simple in construction and valve shutoff
is acco~plished by use of an O-ring type seal fixed in position
within a sleeve. In one embodiment a stem rotates about an axis ~ `
90 degrees to the axis of the seal ring with the stem outlet
`'~ port being moved toward and away from register with and thus
closare by the stem seal. In a second embodiment there are a
pair of closing seal rings and a pair of stem outlets with the
sleeve discharge being positioned :intermediate the closing seal
: . ~
rings. In another~ form a diagonally disposed seal ring is posi~
tioned about the stem to provide valve closure.
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In Figure l, a valve housing is indicated generally
at 10 and has a lower threaded section 12 for use in attaching
the housing to a supporting plumbing structure~ An inlet passage
14 leads into the housing interior to provide water for the valve
structure positioned therein. rhe upper end of housing 10 ;s
threaded, as at 16, to mount a collar 18 which is used to hold
the valve within the housing.
The valve structure includes a valve stem 20 having
a lower downwardly opening chamber 22. Stem 20 is positioned
within a sleeve 24 which in turn is mounted within housing 10.
The sleeve m~y have an outwardly-extending annular shoulder 26
which seats upon the upper end of housing 10 with collar 18 over-
lying shoulder 2~ to hold the sleeve in position within the housing.
Collar 26 may have a downwardly-extending projection 28 which
fits within a mating notch in housing 10 to properly align the
:
sleeve and housing to insure passage of water through the valve
- and then outwardly through housing discharge port 30.
Sleeve 24 is open at the bottom. Stem 20 similarly
is open at the bottom or interior end 34 to provide access to
internal chamber 22. Stem 20 has a radially directed dischrage
port 36 which is movable into register with sleeve discharge
port means 38 consisting of a circumferentially extendiny slot
40 and a generally circular discharge port 42~ The combination
of slot 40 and port 42 provides a modulated waker discharge.
An annular seal ring 44 is positioned within an aper-
ture 46 in the sleeve and is fixed in position relative to both
~ the stem and the sleeve. A cylindrica1 seal support 48 extends
; about the sleeve and is attached to the sleeve by the thrust
key to be described hereinaEter. Seal support 48 has enlarged
oppositely positioned openings 50 and 52 clearly shown in Figures
2 and 3 and separated by elemenk 54. Openings 50 and 52 provide
a path for water from the sleeve and stem ko flow to housing
, :
discharge port 20~ The bottorn of seal support 48 has openings
4~ to provide co~munication between the sleeve and stem and pas-
sage 14. Openings 49 also function as a screen to prevent large
objects from passing into the valve structure~
Stem 20 is in sealing relationship with sleeve 24 through
an upper O-ring seal 5~ positioned within an annular groove 58
on the stem and a lo~er O-ring seal 60 positioned between a shoulder
62 on seal support 48 and the bottom of sleeve 24. The exterior
; of sleeve 24 is sealed to housing 10 through an upper seal 64 10 positioned within a sleeve groove 66 and a lower seal 68 posi-
ioned within a groove 70 on seal support 48. Note particularly
in Figure 1 that the bottom of the seal support, wh;ch may be
considered a part of the sleeve structure, forms the inlet for
the valve and is closely adjacent a shoulder 7Z formed near the
lower end of housing 10. ;~,
The valve structure consisting of the stemt sleeve
and seal support is held together by means of a thrust key 7~
Seal support 48 has a slot 76 to receive the thrust key. Thrust
key 74 has inwardly-extending spaced portions 80 and 82 which
2Q pass through a slot 84 in the sleeve and into a mating groove '~'
86 in the stem, thus holding the stem and the sleeve together
Portions 80 and 82 are positioned on opposite sides of stem central
portion 81. Note particularly Figure 4. The facing edges 80a
and 82a of thr,ust key portions 80 and 82 are slightly divergent
to facilitate movement of the thrust key through the described
slots and openings into the locking position of Figure 4. Small ~'
~ recesses 77 and 79 are positioned in the seal support and sleeve
-, directly a3jacent ~he thrust key to permit access to a small
hole 83 in the top of the thrust key to provide for its removal.
Removal o the thrust key permits disassembly of the valve to
renew the seal members.
' ' '
.
The upper end of stem 20 has three flat sides, each
of which is indicated at 87. Sleeve 24 has an upwardly-extending
projection 88 which functions as a stop to limit rotation of
the stem. A handle positioned on the flattened sides 87 of the
stem can only be oriented in one position on the stem. Once
so positioned a handle can only be moved a limited amount and
in certain directions from the open and closed positions to thus
insure that the valve can only be opened in one way and closed
only by movement in the opposite direction.
The interior surface of seal support 48 has a portion
51 of slightly enlarged interior diameter so that the seal support
may be assembled over the sleeve and seal member 44. The seal ~`
support is at least partially positioned over the sleeve prior
to the time that the seal support beings to compress the seal.
The seal is thus captured before any pressure is exerted upon
it. There are mating shoulders 20a and 24a on the stem and sleeve,
respectively, particularly shown in Fiyure 1. The mating shoulders
are slightly above the area o the thrust key. This particular
construction is advantageous when the stem is assembled within
the sleeve. First, it enables O-ring 56 to easily move with
the stem when the stem is inserted rom the bottom into the sleeve.
Second, the cooperating shoulders will prevent the stem from
being blown out of the sleeve in the event that the thrust key
had not been properly inserted. In addition, the shoulders pro-
vide a locating means for positioning the stem relative to the
sleeve for subsequent easy insertion of the key.
~ The valve closed position is illustrated in Figure
- 1. Stem discharge por~ 36 is in register with seal ring 44 which
f~rms the valve closing seal. As the stem is rotated counterclock-
wise away from the valve closed position, stem discharge port
36 will first be in communication with slot 40 of sleeve discharge
port means 38, permitting a small amount of water to be discharged
'
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~hrough the valve. Continuecl rotation in the same direction
will ultimately place sleeve discharge port 42 in register with
stem discharge port 36, thus providing full discharge of water
; through the valve~ Water passing outwardly through port 42 will
pass through openings 50 and 52 in the seal support and thRn
outwardly throu~h housing discharge port 30
Of particular advantage in the construction described
is the fact that seal 44 does not move with the stem, but rather
is fixed in position. Thus, the seal is not rubbed or chafed
or worn during valve operation. The seal is not in the line
oE water flow and thus is not subject to being moved by water
pressure nor does it come in contact with foreign matter in the
water supply. The seal provides a positive closure for the
valve, but does so ln such a manner as to insure that the seal
is not worn and has a long life.
The thrust key not only holds the seal support and
sleeve together, but holds the stem within the sleeve, prevent-
ing the stem from reciprocating and also~pre~entlng pressure
from blowing the stem out. Similarly, the thrust key prevents
someone from pushing ~he stem inwardly in such a manner that
it wculd be impossible to thereafter operate the valve.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 show a modified form of valve struc~
ture. The bottom of the stem is shown in Figure 8 and includes
an annular groove 106 slightly spaced ~rom the lower end 108
of the stem. A seal ring 110 is positioned within groove 106
and provides a seal between the lower end of the stem and a metal-
lic, for example stainless steel, piston 112. Piston 112 has
a lower open end 114 in reqister with seal support openings 104
to pass water into the interior of the piston. The piston i~self f
is attached to the lower end of the stem through notches 116
formed in the stem directly above seal riny 110 and crimped por-
tions 118 of the piston which are deformed into the notches.
An O-ring 120 is positioned between the bottom 122 of the sleeve
. !
and a shoulder 124 on seal support 100.
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The operation of the Figure 7, 8 and ~ structure is
the same as that described above. The stainless steel piston
or cap provides a hard surface movable against the sealing O-
ring carried by the sleeve and seal support. In the Figure 1-
6 structure the stem was made entirely of plastic. At times
small particles can become embedded in plastic and as the plastic
stem moves against the seal, such particles can grind or cut
the seal eventually to the point where the valve will leak~
A metallic or stainless steel cap or piston eliminates such
potential wear and does not in any way abrade the seal as the
stem moves back and forth between open and closed positions.
~ The construction of Figure 10 is identical to that
of Figures 7-9, except for the shape o the inlet end of the
stainless steel piston. Piston 130 may have a portion of reduced
diameter, indicated at 132, which defines the stem inlet~ A
seal ring 134 is positioned in the recess formed by the portion
of reduced diameter and functions in the same manner as seal
ring 120 of the Figure 7-9 construction. The reduced diameter
piston or stem portion is advantageous in that it provides a
seal ring of less diarneter than the Figure 7-9 construction;
thus, to some degree, reducing the amount of riction restricting
stem movement. Although the inlet is in fact smaller than in
the other forms of the invention, this is not in any way a re-
striction on satisfactory operation of the valve.
~ he construction of Figures 11 and 12 is similar to
that of Figures 7-9, except for the use of two closing seal rings
at diammetrically opposed pos;tions about the stem. The stem
/~ 111, which will have a stainless steel cap or piston, has a pair
of diammetrically opposed discharge ports 113 and 115, particularly
; 30 illustrated in Figure 12. There are two closing seal rings indicated
; at 117 and 119 which are held in position by a seal support 121.
The seal support and sleeve 123 have aligned diammetrically opposed
_ g _
discharge ports 125 and 127 which are positioned between or inter
mediate the closing seal rings 117 and 119. Thus, the stem need
only be rotated through an arc of less than about 45 degrees before
one of the stem discharge ports will be at least partially in
register wi~h one of the sleeve and seal support discharge ports.
In this connection, in some applications there may be only one
sleeve and seal suppork discharge ports r although two have been
shown herein.
The advantage of the Figure 11-12 construction is that
10 there is no cross pressure on the stem as would be the case in ~ -~
the constructions of Figures 1-10. Such cross pressure can,
after the valve has been in use for a long period, cause excessive
wear and leakage. It should be understood that the double closing
seal ring construction of Figures 11 and 12 may be applicable
to the valve of Figures 1-6, as well as to a valve having a stem
with a stainless steel or steel piston.
Of advantage in the Figure 7-9 and Figure 11-12 con-
structions is that seal ring 120 is identical in size and shape
to the closing seal ring positioned on the side of the stem.
Seal ring 120 will normally receive wear about its interior surface
as the stem moves relative to it. The closing seal ring, however,
will will only receive wear on the surface facing the stem or
upon a surface which is 9Q degrees to the surface of ring 120
which will receive wear during normal operation. By having seal
rings of the same size and shape, and thus interchangeable, it
is possible to interchange the seal rings after wear and effectively
provide new seal rings as far as valve operation is concerned.
To this extent the valve may be considered as carrying its own
replacement parts.
Yet a further embodiment of the invention ls shown
in Figures 13-16. The thrust key and stem are identical with
those previously described. There are certain modifications
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to the sleeve and the seal re~ainer. A diagonally disposed seal
ring 140 replaces seal ring 44 of the previously-described con-
struction. Seal ring 140 is positioned by a diagonal surface
142 formed at the lower end of sleeve 144 and a similarly dis-
posed sur~ace 146 formed at or along the upper end o~ a spacer
member 1~8. 6urfaces 146 and 142 form a diagonal slot or a slot
formed diagonally wi~h respect to the axis of movement of the
stem within the sleeve.
Figure 13 shows the closed position of the valve and
it will be noted that discharge port 150 of stem 152 is so dis-
posed relative to closing seal ring 140 and seal retainer discharge
154 as to preclude any passage of water outwardly of the valve.
As the stem is ro~ated, initially portlons of port 150 will pass
to the outlet side of seal ring 140, thereby permitting water
to pass from port 150 to seal retainer discharge port 154. Water
; modulation is provided in this form of the invention in that
. . .
as the stem is rotated, initially only portions of the stem
discharge port 150 will be on the discharge side of the seal.
Continued rotation of the stem will enlarge the portion Q~ the
~- 20 discharge port which is on the discharge side, or on the side
having access to seal retainer discharge port 154.
The construction of Figures 13-16, as well as the con-
structions in Figures 7-12, all have the mating shoulders on
the stem and sleeve preventing stem blowout and providing the -~
described locating functions. In addition, the chamfered portion
or portion of enlarged diameter 51 on the seal retainer is utiliæed
in Figures 1-16.
In assembly of a valve of the type described; it is
necessary that the various members be properly aligned prior
to insertion of the thrust key. For this purpose sleeve 144
has an alignment projection 155 which extends into a mating align-
ment groove 156 on the upper end of the seal retainer. Thus,
5-~
when the seal retainer is assembled over the stem and sleeve,
the mating projection and groove as described will insure proper
alignment for inser~ion of the thrust key. Thus, there can be
no misalignment of the closing seal ring 140 relative to the
stem and seal retainer discharge ports.
The construction of Figures 17, lE~ and 19 includes
a sleeve structure or sleeve means formed by a generally cylin~
drical sleeve 160, an internally positioned seal support 162
and a stem 164. The stem is substantially the same as shown
10 in Figures 7 and 10 in that it includes a steel piston 166 having
a reduced end portion 168 which positions a seal ring 170 providing
a seal between the piston and the seal support. The principal
difference between the stem of Figures 7 and 10 and stem 164 `~
is the provision of an intermediately posit;oned outwardly extend-
i ing annular boss 172 which is used to prevent relative reciprocal
- or axial movement between the stem and the sleeve structure.
Sleeve 160 has the same collar and projection loca~ing `
~; arrangement, indicated at 174 and 176, respectively, as were `~
present in the other forms of the invention. Sleeve outlet port -;
means is indicated at 178 and includes a circumferentially extending
slot 180 and a generally circular discharge port 182, similar
to that shown in ~he o~her constructions. The lower end of sleeve
160 includes a pair of diammetriclly disposed downwardly extending ~;latching areas 184 separated from adjoining portions of ~he sleeve ~ ~
.
by small notches 186. Latchiny openings 188 are positioned slightly ~;
away from the terminal end of the latching areas 184 and will
interlock with projections 190 extending outwardly from seal
support 162, as particularly shown in Figure 17. ~-
Seal support 162, generally cylindrical in configuration,
has discharge port means which include a circum~erentially extending
slot 192 and a generally circular discharge port 194r both of
which are in aliqnment ~ith slot 180 and port 182 of sleeve 160,
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thus providing re~istering discharge ports in the two elements
forming the sleeve structure or sleeve means. Seal support 162
has a circular opening 196 which positions a seal ring lg8, which
functions in the same manner as seal ring 44 in the Figure 1
construction and as similar seal rings in the other forms of
the invention described herein. Seal ring 198 is supported hy
surface 200 of piston 166 and surface 202 of sleeve 160. The
interior surface of the sleeve, the exterior surfaca of the piston
and the radially extending annular surface 196 of the seal support
combine to hold the seal ring 198 in position.
The lower end of seal support 162 has cross ribs 204
and 206 which together create and define water openings 208 which
provide the inlet for water to pass into the valve structure.
A plurality of small projections 210 may extend outwardly from
rib~ 204 and 206 for use in preventing a flat object from closing
the valve inlet.
Directly ~djacent the end of seal support 162 i~ a
notch 212 mounting a seal ring 214. Adjacent notch 212 and forming
one side of it is a discontinuous collar 216 having spaced openings
218 which receive the latching areas 184 of sleeve 1~0.
Sleeve 160 has an internal shoulder 220 which cooperates
with end surface 222 of seal support 162 to form the opposing
and limiting surfaces for boss 172 of stem 164, thereby positioning
the stem within the sleeve structure and preventing reciprocal
movement of the stem relative to the sleeve.
The construction of Figures 17-19 is reliable, but
yet relatively simple in assembly. The stem is positioned within
the seal support and then the combination of these two elements ~ `~
is positioned within the sleeve with the exterior end of the
stem passing into the lower open end of sleeve 160. The valve
operates in the same manner as the other constructions described
~- herein.
-13-
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L8
The valve of E'igures 17-19 differs from the previously-
described valves, primarily in a reversal of the relative positions
of the sleeve and seal support~ The thrust key has been replaced
by cooperating latching means on the seal support and sleeve.
In addition, the seal support and sleeve have surFaces which
cooperate to prevent axial movement o~ the stem.
~ hereas the preferred form of the invention has been
shown and described herein, it should be reali~ed that there
;~ ~ay be many modifications, substitutions and alterations thereto.
~,
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9 U PPI.EME ~ITARY 1:~ I S C LOS U RE
In addition to the subject matter speci~ically
described in the principal disclosure, this invention
extends to include a fluid valve according to another
embodiment as set out hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present embodlment relates to fluid valves and
particularly to a valve of the type usable in a two handle
lavatory or kitchen faucet.
A primary purpose of the embodiment of the invention
is a simply constructed reliably operable fluid valve of the
type described.
Another purpose is a fluid valve utilizing a
~ stationary seal member having an annulus positioned on an
; axis at 90 degrees to the axis of a movable stem to provide
valve closure.
Another ~urpose is a valve of the type described
which provides modulated water flow.
Another purpose is a valve structure using a stationary
seal member fixed on the sleeve to provide valve closurer which
seal member is positioned away from the path of fluid flow
through the valve~
Another purpose is a valve structure using a fixed
seal member positioned on the sleeve for valve closure, which
~` fixed seal member includes a body portion attached to the sleeve
,
exterior and an annular portion extending through the sleeve
and into sealing contact with the interior stem.
To this end, in one of its aspec-ts, the invention
provides a fluid valve means including sleeve means, inlet
and outlet port means in said sleeve means, a stem movable ;
~: -- 15 -
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1 ~ithin said sleeve means between open ancl closed positions
and having inlet and outlet port means, said stem inlet
port means being in communication with said sleeve means
inlet port means, said stem outlet port means being movable
- into register with said sleeve me~ns out].et port means to
thereby define a path of Elow through sai.d valve means from
said communicating stem and sleeve means inlet port means
through said stem outlet port means and said sleeve means outlet
. ~ .
port means, and a fixed seal rne~ber carried by said sleeve
~O means, said seal member including a body portion and an
annular portion integral therewith, with the annular portion
being in sealing contact with the stem and being arranged
` about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said stem, said
; seal me~ber being spaced from said sleeve means out].et port
means and thereby out of said path of flow through said valve
~ means, said stem outlet port means being in register with
^' ~ and closed by said seal member annular portion when said stem
is in a closed position.
Other purposes will appear in the ensuing specifica-
~ 20 tion, drawings and claims.
`. ~ BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DR~?INGS
This embodiment of the invention is illustrateddiagrammatically in the following drawings wherein:
Fig. 20 is a partial vertical section through a
,, .
valve of the type described, and
Fig, 21 is a section alon~ plane 2-2 of Figure 20.
; DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
The valve structure of the present invention is
usable in kitchen, lavatory and shower-tub faucet combinations
in which there are separate valves for controlling the flow of
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5~3
1 hot and cold water~ l'he valve shoulcl not be limited to such
applica-tions, b~lt it has been found to be particulArly suit-
able for such uses. The valve is simple in construction and
valve shutoff is accomplished by use oE an O-ring type seal
portion fixed in position on a sleeve, with the seal ring
being an integral annular part of a seal me~er attached to
the sleeve exterior.
Of particular advantage in the construction described
herein is the fact that the seal does not move with the stem,
but rather is fixed in position. Thusr the seal is not rubbed
or chafed or worn during valve opera-tion. The seal is not in
the line or path of water flow and thus is not subject to being
- moved by water pressure nor does it com~ in contact with
foreign matter in the water supply. The seal provides a
positive closure for the valve, but does so in such a manner
~ as to insure that the seal is not worn and has a long life.
- A generally cylindrical housing 230 has an outwardly~
extending cylindrical portion 232 which defines the valve
structure outlet. A portion of the housing, indicated at 234,
may be exteriorly threaded to receive a cap which is used to
hold the to-be described valve structure within the houslng.
The lower end of the housing may have a downwardly-extending
passage 236 which will serve as the inlet means for the valve.
~; Positioned within housing 230 is a valve structu~e -
which includes a stem lndicated generally at 238 and a sleeve
structure lndicated generally at 240. The stem includes an
outer section 242 which will he used to attach a suitable oper-
ating means. There is a shoulder 244 positioned on one side
of and holding in place an O-ring 246. A somewhat larger
shoulder 248 is positioned on the opposite side of O-ring 246.
- 17 -
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1 The stem interior is hollow and there is a stem discharge or
outlet port 250 particularly shown in Figure 20. The bottom
end o~ stem 238 may have a suitable inlet indica-ted yenerally
at 252. Thusr -the path of water flow through the stem will
be from inlet 252 into the generally hollow interior of the
stem, out of outlet port 250 and then to the housing discharge
232, assuming the stem has been rotated from the closed
position of Figure 1 to an open position.
The sleeve structure includes a generally cylindrical
sleeve member 254 which is positioned within the housing and a
cap-like structure 256 which is positioned with an outwardly-
extending shoulder 258 overlying the outer end o~ housing;230.
The sleeve member and the cap may be suitably held together to
provide a unitary structure, for example by projections 260
on the sleeve member which fit within mating notches 262 on
the cap. In any event, what is important is to provide a
unitary sleeve structure which can be simply pos~tioned and
attached to the housing and which will permit rotation of the
. .
interior stem, but not reciprocation.
There is a groove 264 formed on the interior o~ cap ~
256, which groove will position shoulder 2~8 on the stem to ~ ; -
thus prevent reciprocation of the stem relative to the sleeve.
The sleeve structure has a pair of spaced exteriorly-facing
grooves which will contain or mount seal rings 266 and 268 to
effectively seal opposite ends of ~he sleeve structure to the
interior of the housing. The sleeve structure may include an
outlet port 267 positioned in alignment with housing discharge
232.
:
The fixed seal member provides the above~described
valve closure or valve shutoff. The seal includes a body portion
:
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1 270 and a port seal por-tion 272 which extends throu~h an open-
ing 274 in -the sleeve structure. The body portion, in plan
view, wil.l be somewhat rectangular in shape, but it will
have a cylindrical curve to conform to t:he exterior of the
sleeve. In fact, the body portion will fit within a cylindrical
-:' recess 27~ formed on the exterior oE the sleeve and there may
be an in-turned peripheral seal flange 278 which will fit
within a mating no-tch 280 to thus hold the seal member onto
the exterior of the sleeve. There are a plurality oE beads
282 which extend about the periphery of the body member and
are in contact with the interior or housing 230. The beads
define the outer houndary of a pressure chamber for,med by a
recess or depression 284 in the seal body portion. Water
;' will pass into the seal structure from stem outlet port 250
to fill depression or recess 284 and create an inwardly-
directed water pressure-created force upon the port seal
' 'portion 272 of the sleeve, thus urging the port seal portion
into sealing contact with the stem.
Of principal advantage is the fact that the seal is
~, 20 out of the path of flow defined from the sleeve inlet to the .:
;.:
stem inlet and then from the hollow stem interior through the
stem outlet to the sleeve outlet. At no time is t~ere'any ~:
' fluid or water flow through the center of the seaI structure.
:~ Water will be a contact with the seal, but there ~ill never
be any pressure upon the seal of the type that could cause
~ :
:~ it to be removed from its fixed position. Nor is there any
pressure upon the seal which will cause it to extrude out-
wardly from its retained position on the sleeve to the point
that the moving stem would cut or abrade the seal. It is
3~ particularly advantageous to utilize the water pressure itself '
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:~ - 19 -
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1 to create a firm seal closure upon the stem.
Whereas the preferred form o~ the invention has
: been shown and described herein, it should be realized that
there may be m~ny modifications r substitutions and alterations
thereto.
,:
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