PLUG VALVE

• US 3,788,599 A
• Filed: 06/28/1972
• Issued: 01/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harold S. Cloyd
• Original Assignee: Harold S. Cloyd
• Inventors: Cloyd, Harold S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weakley, Harold W.
• Application Number:
  US05/267,089
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 251/181,182,309 137/625.47
• US Class Current: 251/181
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/025 Particular coverings or materials
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0292 Easy mounting or dismounting means
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/165 Means pressing on the small diameter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 251/904 Snap fit plug valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86871 Plug

Abstract

A plastic plug valve for use in equipment for administering intravenous solutions and the like in which the plug is cammed into sealing engagement with the bore in the body by spring fingers preferably integral with the plug. The valve is intended to be used once and thrown away because the cost of washing and sterilization is greater than the cost of the valve.

Claims

1. A valve having plug and body members each comprising a single piece of molded plastic, said body member having a tapered bore and inlet and outlet ways leading to said bore, said plug member being rotatable in and complementary to said bore and having a way brought into and out of register with said inlet and outlet ways by relative rotation of said members, means having interengaging cam surfaces on said members of annular configuration of different as molded diameters coaxial with said bore for exerting an axial force moving the plug member axially relative to the body toward the small end of said bore, one of said cam surfaces having an angular extent less than 180* and being on an axially extending spring finger, said finger being supported only at one end by having said one end integral with and cantilevered to one of the members, said one of said cam surfaces being on the unsupported end of the finger, said one end of the finger being axially spaced from said one of said cam surfaces, and the other cam surface being on the other member and deflecting said finger by reason of the difference in the as molded diameters of said interengaging cam surfaces.

2. The valve of claim 1 in which said one member is the plug member.

3. The valve of claim 2 in which said spring finger extends toward the small end of the bore.

4. The valve of claim 3 in which there are a plurality of said fingers, each with one of said cam surfaces on its unsupported end, said fingers and their cam surfaces being angularly spaced from each other, each said finger being spaced radially outward from the axis of the bore and extending from the plug member toward the small end of the bore and in which an axially extending slot in the plug member separates each said finger and its cam surface from the adjacent said finger and its cam surface.