Kettle Valve
OwnerWilliam Mooreinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A valve assembly uses an O ring contained within a void such that the outer edges of the valve assembly reach the outer mid section of the O ring. A kettle for brewing beer or heating other fluid is drilled so as to accommodate the disclosed valve. The O ring is pressed and held against the outside surface of the kettle wall. A retaining nut placed within the kettle further secures the valve to the kettle. As the surface of the kettle heats during use, the contained O ring retains sufficient contact with the valve and kettle so as to prevent leakage.
Claims3
A valve assembly for use with a kettle and for integration within a kettle, without welding upon the kettle or melting the kettle, the valve assembly comprising:
- a) valve body having a stem wall, output barrel, interior threads within the output barrel, valve packing located between the output barrel and a valve ball void, a stem wall defining the upper sides of the valve ball void, and with the stem wall defining the sides of a stem void, valve packing found after the valve ball void and adjacent to a fluid passage way defined by the valve body and the valve body further defining a retaining groove;
- b) the retaining groove being further defined by a retaining groove floor, a medial retaining groove sidewall, a distal groove sidewall, with the distal groove sidewall being adjacent to a retaining groove shoulder surface;
- c) an insertion barrel attached to the medial retaining groove sidewall, with the insertion barrel having interior threads and exterior threads;
- d) an O ring having sufficient size and diameter so as to fit within the retaining groove and to have an outer middle section that meets the plane of the retaining groove shoulder surface;
- e) a retaining nut, having interior threads compatible with the external threads of the insertion barrel, the retaining nut also having exterior flattened surfaces and a circular compression surface suitable for compression against the interior wall of a kettle;
- f) a valve ball comprising an exterior spherical surface and a passage void defined by interior concave walls;
- g) a stem attached to the exterior spherical surface of the valve ball, with the stem placed within the stem void;
- and
- h) a control cap attached to the stem and a control lever attached to the control cap.
A method of integrating a valve assembly into a kettle, without the use of welding or melting of the kettle, the method comprising:
- a) creating a void within a vertical wall of a kettle, with the void having a diameter no greater than an O ring placed within a retaining groove of a valve assembly;
- b) placing the O ring within the retaining groove;
- c) inserting an insertion barrel of the valve assembly through the void created within the kettle;
- d) attaching a retaining nut to exterior threads of the insertion barrel;
- and
- e) rotating the retaining nut until the retaining nut presses against an interior wall of the kettle and the O ring compresses such that a retaining groove shoulder surface of the valve assembly rests flush or within 1 mm to 5 mm of being flush with the exterior surface of the kettle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.