Valve assembly for pressurized fluid vessel
First Claim
1. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
- a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve opening and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to move this to a position on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached in which the main valve member is exposed to a pressure differential to force the main valve member to contact the valve seat;
wherein the means defining the secondary fluid passageway include chamber-defining means defining an internal chamber within the interior of the housing within which the upstream side of the main valve member is disposed; and
wherein the valve member is generally in the form of an upturned cup having an upper face disposed within the chamber-defining member and exposed to pressurized fluid on opening of the secondary valve, and a depending skirt at least a lower region of which protrudes from the chamber-defining member into the main fluid passageway in the closed position.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel such as a propane tank has a housing defining a main fluid passageway therebetween with a valve seat (734) defined in the main passageway, a main valve member (742) movable against the valve seat (734) to block the passageway, an insert (738) defining an internal chamber within the interior of the housing within which the main valve member (742) is disposed, a secondary fluid flow passageway through the insert (738), through a conduit (748) connected to the main valve body, and through openings (751) in an end of the conduit (748) facing second ports opening into the vessel, and a secondary valve member (760) movable to block the openings (751) under the action of a float (721) on a predetermined fluid level being reached, thereby exposing the main valve member (742) to a pressure differential to close the valve.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve opening and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to move this to a position on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached in which the main valve member is exposed to a pressure differential to force the main valve member to contact the valve seat;
wherein the means defining the secondary fluid passageway include chamber-defining means defining an internal chamber within the interior of the housing within which the upstream side of the main valve member is disposed; and
wherein the valve member is generally in the form of an upturned cup having an upper face disposed within the chamber-defining member and exposed to pressurized fluid on opening of the secondary valve, and a depending skirt at least a lower region of which protrudes from the chamber-defining member into the main fluid passageway in the closed position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve opening and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to move this to a position on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached in which the main valve member is exposed to a pressure differential to force the main valve member to contact the valve seat;
wherein the means defining the secondary fluid passageway include chamber-defining means defining an internal chamber within the interior of the housing within which the upstream side of the main valve member is disposed;
wherein the secondary fluid passageway is further defined extending from said internal chamber to a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, said secondary valve means being disposed in said secondary fluid passage between the internal chamber and the fluid outlet so as to block said secondary fluid passageway on the control means responding to said predetermined vessel fluid level; and
wherein the secondary fluid passageway is defined in a conduit arranged fixed within the housing, the main valve member having an opening therein through which the conduit extends, whereby the main valve member is slidable over the conduit.
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11. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve opening and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to move this to a position on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached in which the main valve member is exposed to a pressure differential to force the main valve member to contact the valve seat;
wherein the means defining the secondary fluid passageway include chamber-defining means defining an internal chamber within the interior of the housing within which the upstream side of the main valve member is disposed;
wherein the secondary fluid passageway is further defined extending from said internal chamber to a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, said secondary valve means being disposed in said secondary fluid passage between the internal chamber and the fluid outlet so as to block said secondary fluid passageway on the control means responding to said predetermined vessel fluid level; and
wherein the chamber-defining means comprises an inverted cup-like hollow body defining an opening in the upper surface facing into said main fluid passageway. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve opening and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to move this to a position on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached in which the main valve member is exposed to a pressure differential to force the main valve member to contact the valve seat;
wherein the means defining the secondary fluid passageway include chamber-defining means defining an internal chamber within the interior of the housing within which the upstream side of the main valve member is disposed;
wherein the secondary fluid passageway is further defined extending from said internal chamber to a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, said secondary valve means being disposed in said secondary fluid passage between the internal chamber and the fluid outlet so as to block said secondary fluid passageway on the control means responding to said predetermined vessel fluid level;
wherein the secondary fluid passageway is in part defined in a conduit connected to or formed integrally with said main valve member; and
wherein the said secondary valve openings are defined in said conduit and wherein the movable secondary valve member comprises a sleeve which overlies said conduit and is acted on or connected to said control means to obscure said secondary valve openings.
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15. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve opening and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to move this to a position on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached in which the main valve member is exposed to a pressure differential to force the main valve member to contact the valve seat;
wherein the control means comprises a secondary valve support member which carries secondary valve member, the support member being slidingly mounted near a lower end of the housing and to which is connected float means which urges the valve support member upwardly as the vessel fluid level rises, the secondary valve support member being downwardly biased by further spring means. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve opening and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to move this to a position on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached in which the main valve member is exposed to a pressure differential to force the main valve member to contact the valve seat;
wherein the means defining the secondary fluid passageway include chamber-defining means defining an internal chamber within the interior of the housing within which the upstream side of the main valve member is disposed; and
wherein said chamber-defining means defines an enclosure having an upper portion of reduced lateral dimension defining an opening into the main fluid passageway and below this a portion of enlarged lateral dimension within which the main valve member is disposed. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve seat and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to block the secondary fluid passageway on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached to thereby expose the main valve member to a pressure differential forcing it against the valve seat;
wherein the said means defining the secondary fluid passageway includes a body defining an opening therein communicating with said main passageway and further defining with said main valve member or with means connected to said main valve member an internal chamber; and
wherein the said body defining the opening therein has the form of an inverted cup, with said main valve member having a cup-like form with an upper edge slidingly received within said body. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A valve assembly for a pressurized fluid vessel comprising:
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a housing having a fluid inlet for connection, on filling, to a source of pressured fluid and a fluid outlet opening into the vessel, and defining a main fluid passageway therebetween;
a main valve seat defined in said main fluid passageway;
a main valve member disposed upstream of the valve seat movable against said valve seat to block the main fluid passageway;
a return spring provided to urge the main valve member out of the main valve seat;
means defining a secondary fluid passageway from said main fluid passageway arranged so that an upstream side of the main valve member is exposed to fluid in the secondary fluid passageway;
secondary valve means comprising a secondary valve seat and a secondary valve member arranged in said secondary fluid passageway movable to block the secondary fluid passageway; and
control means responsive to a fluid level arranged to act on the secondary valve member to block the secondary fluid passageway on a predetermined vessel fluid level being reached to thereby expose the main valve member to a pressure differential forcing it in the direction of flow in the secondary fluid passageway against the valve seat. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification