Control valve

• US 10,533,485 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2017
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coldfire, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coldfire, Inc.
• Inventors: Carter, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jellett, Matthew W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ballman, Christopher D
• Application Number:
  US15/729,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20180030881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/04 Arrangements of liquid pipes or hoses
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/20 concerning atmospheric freezing conditions, e.g. automatically draining or heating during frosty weather
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2037/02 starting
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/18 Heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/20 Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine F01P3/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 19/02 Aiding engine start by thermal means, e.g. using lighted wicks
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 19/10 by heating of engine coolants
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/0873 the plug being only rotatable around one spindle
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/0876 one connecting conduit having the same axis as the spindle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87249 Multiple inlet with multiple outlet

Abstract

A valve that has an inlet and an outlet in fluid connection in a first position. When the valve is in a second position fluid enters the first inlet and exits the second outlet and enters in a second inlet and out the first outlet. The valve can be used for example to add a fluid circuit to a preexisting circuit.

Claims

1. A ball valve, said ball valve comprising:

a housing, said housing having a spherical flow control comprising an actuator configured for moving said spherical flow control from a first position to a second position, wherein said spherical flow control comprises a circumference, wherein said housing comprises a first inlet passageway and a first outlet passageway configured for fluid connection when said spherical flow control is in said first position, wherein said spherical flow control is positioned between said first inlet passageway and said first outlet passageway so as to control the flow of fluid between said first inlet passageway and said first outlet passageway, wherein said spherical flow control comprises a first hollow passageway, wherein said first inlet passage way and said first output passageway are configured for fluid connection via said first hollow passageway when said spherical flow control is in said first position, but not in said second position;

wherein said housing comprising a second outlet passageway and a second inlet passageway, wherein said second inlet passageway and said first outlet passageway are configured for fluid connection when said spherical flow control is in said second position, but not when said spherical flow control is in said first position;

wherein said first inlet passageway and said second outlet passageway are configured for fluid connection when said spherical flow control is in said second position, but not when said spherical flow control is in said first position;

wherein said second inlet passageway and first outlet passage way are configured to be in fluid connection in said second position, but not when said spherical flow control is in said first position.

2. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said ball valve comprises a gasket positioned on said circumference of said spherical flow control.

3. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said fluid connection between said second inlet passageway and said first outlet passageway in said second position comprises a channel in the circumference of said spherical flow control.

4. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said fluid connection between said second inlet passageway and said first outlet passageway comprises a second hollow passageway in said spherical flow control proximate to said circumference of said spherical flow control.

5. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said first hollow passageway in said spherical flow control comprises a hollow passageway through a center of said spherical flow control.

6. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said fluid connection between said first inlet passageway and said second outlet passageway comprises a hollow passageway in said spherical flow control generally at a ninety degree angle to said first hollow passageway in said spherical flow control and configured for fluid connection with said first hollow passageway.

7. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said fluid connection between said first inlet passageway and said second outlet passageway comprises a generally T-shaped passageway through said spherical flow control comprising three openings in said circumference of said spherical flow control, wherein said openings comprise a first and a second opening connected by a linear section of said T-shaped passageway, wherein when said spherical flow control is in said first position said first inlet passageway and said second outlet passageway are in fluid connection via said first and second opening, wherein when said spherical flow control is in said second position said first inlet passageway and said second outlet passageway are configured to be in fluid connection via said first opening and a third opening in said generally T-shaped passageway.

8. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said first hollow passageway comprises a first hollow passageway through a diameter of said spherical flow control.

9. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said actuator is selected from the group consisting of a handle, a solenoid, and an actuated ball valve.

10. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein said first inflow passageway, said first outflow passageway, said second outflow passageway, and said second inflow passageway are configured to connect to a plurality of external hoses and/or pipes configured for the passage of fluid and/or gas.