Double metal seal

• US 6,557,579 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KC Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: KC Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Kozik, Meir
• Primary Examiner(s): Walton, George L.
• Application Number:
  US09/952,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20020043284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 137/444, 137/446, 137/451, 137/238, 137/242, 137/244, 141/59, 141/198, 141/89
• US Class Current: 137/238
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/303 with a valve member, e.g. stem or shaft, passing through the seat
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/304 Shut-off valves with additional means
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/307 Additional means used in combination with the main valve
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/26 with the valve guided for rectilinear movement and the float attached to a pivoted arm
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/04 Arrangement or mounting of valves valves per se F16K ; snap-coupling of nipples F16L37/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0329 manually actuated
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0332 Safety valves or pressure relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0385 in blocks or units
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0391 inside the pressure vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/035 Propane butane, e.g. LPG, GPL
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0153 Liquefied gas, e.g. LPG, GPL
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/033 Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0413 with floats
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0745 Gas bottles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4245 Cleaning or steam sterilizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/74 Lost motion mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7465 Assembly mounted on and having reciprocating valve element coaxial with inlet pipe
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7472 Vertical inlet riser
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7478 With interposed cam, gear or threaded connection

Abstract

A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container, including a valve body with a longitudinal bore and a side opening formed therein, a sealing assembly slidingly disposed in the valve body, the sealing assembly being formed with a bore therethrough, a valve lever pivotally attached to a portion of the valve body, the sealing, assembly including a jutting portion which protrudes in a direction generally away from a bottom portion of the valve body, a float arm attached to the valve lever, and a float mounted on the float arm, wherein when the float is positioned at a generally obtuse angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the valve body, the jutting portion of the sealing assembly is raised and supported by the valve lever, such that the sealing assembly is raised and does not block the side opening thereby permitting fluid flow through the side opening, and wherein when the float is sufficiently buoyed by a fluid, the float arm swings upwards and the jutting portion of the sealing assembly is no longer supported by the valve lever and the sealing assembly moves downwards and blocks the side opening, thereby preventing fluid flow through the side opening.

Claims

1. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container, comprising:

a hollow valve body defining an upper valve body portion defining an inlet, a lower valve body portion defining an outlet and a longitudinal travel axis and internal valve body side walls; and

a sealing assembly located within said valve body and being arranged for displacement along said longitudinal travel axis from an open position to a closed position,

said sealing assembly comprising a generally hollow cylindrical portion including an upper portion and a lower portion and having generally cylindrical walls arranged in non-sealing engagement with said internal valve body side walls and a flexible metal disc mounted at said upper portion of said cylindrical portion for sealing engagement with a surface of said internal valve body side walls when said sealing assembly is in said closed position, the non-sealing engagement between said cylindrical walls of said sealing assembly and said internal valve body side walls allowing particulate matter to flow therebetween, thereby reducing jamming of said sealing assembly in said hollow valve body,

said flexible metal disc being spaced from said inlet and engaging an intermediate wall portion of said internal valve body side walls of said hollow valve body when said lower portion of said cylindrical portion engages said lower valve body portion at said outlet,

said lower portion of said sealing assembly being spaced from said lower valve body portion at said outlet when said sealing assembly is in said open position,

said flexible metal disc being moved away from said intermediate wall portion of said internal valve body side walls of said hollow valve body when said sealing assembly is in said open position, thereby to allow particulate matter to flow between said sealing assembly and said internal valve body side walls, while permitting full fluid flow through said hollow cylindrical portion of said sealing assembly to said outlet, when said sealing assembly is in said open position, and

said sealing engagement of said flexible metal disc preventing particulate matter from flowing between said sealing assembly and said internal valve body side walls.

2. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 1 and wherein:

said hollow valve body also comprises an end wall; and

said sealing assembly is configured for sealing engagement with said end wall when said sealing assembly is in said closed position.

3. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 2 and wherein said flexible metal disc is arranged generally in a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal travel axis.

4. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 2 and wherein said internal valve body side walls comprise:

a first internal valve body side wall portion having a first radius;

a second internal valve body side wall portion having a second radius greater than said first radius and being located closer to said end wall than said first internal valve body side wall portion; and

a shoulder defined between said first and second internal valve body side wall portions, and

wherein said flexible metal disc sealingly engages said shoulder when said sealing assembly is in said closed position, but does not sealingly engage said first internal valve body side wall portion.

5. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 2 and wherein said generally cylindrical portion of said sealing assembly is formed with a generally circular protrusion which sealingly engages said end wall when said sealing assembly is in said closed position.

6. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 5 and wherein said flexible metal disc is arranged generally in a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal travel axis.

7. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 5 and wherein said internal valve body side walls comprise:

a first internal valve body side wall portion having a first radius;

a second internal valve body side wall portion having a second radius greater than said first radius; and

a shoulder defined between said first and second internal valve body side wall portions, and

wherein said flexible metal disc sealingly engages said shoulder when said sealing assembly is in said closed position, while simultaneously said generally circular protrusion sealingly engages said end wall when said sealing assembly is in said closed position.

8. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 1 and wherein said flexible metal disc is arranged generally in a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal travel axis.

9. A filling valve for a pressurized fluid container according to claim 1 and wherein said internal valve body side walls comprise:

a first internal valve body side wall portion having a first radius;

a second internal valve body side wall portion having a second radius greater than said first radius; and

a shoulder defined between said first and second internal valve body side wall portions, and

wherein said flexible metal disc sealingly engages said shoulder when said sealing assembly is in said closed position, but does not sealingly engage said first internal valve body side wall portion.