US 11,555,547 B2Granted

Revolver bypass valve

AssigneeMueller International, LLC

InventorsTomas Peleckas, Timothy Wayne Stern, Rock Allen Powell, Jr.

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A bypass valve includes a base defining a base sealing surface, the base defining an upstream utility bore, a downstream utility bore, a meter inlet bore, and a meter outlet bore each extending into the base sealing surface; and a selector defining a selector sealing surface and a front surface, a primary passage and a secondary passage defined within the selector between the selector sealing surface and the front surface, the primary passage being isolated from the secondary passage, the selector defining at least one primary passage bore extending into the selector sealing surface and connected in fluid communication with the primary passage, the selector defining at least one secondary passage bore extending into the selector sealing surface and connected in fluid communication with the secondary passage.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A bypass valve comprising:

a base defining a base sealing surface, the base defining an upstream utility bore, a downstream utility bore, a meter inlet bore, and a meter outlet bore each extending into the base sealing surface;
and
a selector defining a selector sealing surface and a front surface, a primary passage and a secondary passage defined within the selector between the selector sealing surface and the front surface, the primary passage being isolated from the secondary passage, the selector defining at least one primary passage bore extending into the selector sealing surface and connected in fluid communication with the primary passage, the selector defining at least one secondary passage bore extending into the selector sealing surface and connected in fluid communication with the secondary passage, the selector being rotatable relative to the base about and between a meter position and a bypass position, the upstream utility bore connected in fluid communication through the selector to the meter inlet bore in the meter position, the upstream utility bore connected in fluid communication through the selector to the downstream utility bore in the bypass position.

A method for routing a fluid flow through a utility metering system comprising:

positioning a selector of a bypass valve in a meter position, an upstream utility line of the utility metering system connected in fluid communication with an upstream utility bore defined by a base of the bypass valve, a downstream utility line of the utility metering system connected in fluid communication with a downstream utility bore defined by the base, a meter inlet of a meter of the utility metering system connected in fluid communication with a meter inlet bore defined by the base, a meter outlet of the meter of the utility metering system connected in fluid communication with a meter outlet bore defined by the base, the selector defining a primary passage and a secondary passage, the primary passage connecting the upstream utility bore in fluid communication with the meter inlet bore in the meter position, the secondary passage connecting the downstream utility bore in fluid communication with the meter outlet bore in the meter position;
and
rotating the selector relative to the base to position the selector in a bypass position, the secondary passage connecting the upstream utility bore in fluid communication with the downstream utility bore in the bypass position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/149,369Filed 14 Jan 2021
Published: US 2022/0221068 A114 Jul 2022
Granted: 17 Jan 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

F16K 11/074
With pivoted closure members: with flat sealing faces
F16K 11/0743
With flat sealing faces: with both the supply and the discharge passages being on one side of the closure plates
G01F 1/00
Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid
G01F 15/185
Supports or connecting means for meters: connecting means, e.g. bypass conduits