Multi-port stopcock valve and flow designating system

An at least six-way stopcock for selectively routing fluids from at least one source to at least one destination, the stopcock comprising in combination:

• a valve body;
• at least four fluid pathways joined to said valve body;
• said fluid pathways oriented in a common plane;
• said fluid pathways substantially equally spaced from each other;
• each said fluid pathway adapted to route fluid into and out of said valve body;
• a central manifold located within said valve body;
• said central manifold including a knob grippable by fingers of a user, said central manifold adapted to be rotated relative to said valve body and about a rotational axis non-parallel with said plane in which said at least four fluid pathways are oriented;
• said central manifold having at least one multi-ended flow path therein;
• said central manifold having at least four flow path ends, each said flow path end connected with at least one other flow path end within said central manifold;
• said central manifold having said ends thereof selectively alignable with various ones of said at least four fluid pathways;
• at least two of said ends of said central manifold spaced substantially 180° from each other about a rotational axis of said central manifold;
• at least two of said ends spaced 90° away from each other about said rotational axis of said central manifold;
• a first indicator portion fixed relative to said valve body and having markings thereon;
• a second indicator portion separate from said knob and coupled to said central manifold and overlying said first indicator portion;
• said second indicator portion adapted to rotate when said central manifold rotates;
• said first indicator portion and said second indicator portion interacting to display said markings indicative of a functional state of said stopcock;
• wherein said first indicator portion includes at least one of said markings adjacent each fluid pathway;
• said second indicator portion including an object configured to block all of said markings of said first indicator except those markings which are adjacent fluid pathways of said valve body which are open through said central manifold;
• wherein said second indicator portion includes a surface with windows therein, said windows located adjacent to the ends of said at least one multi-ended flow path of said central manifold, such that when said ends of said flow paths of said central manifold are aligned with said fluid pathways of said valve body, said markings of said first indicator portion are aligned with said windows of said second indicator portion and can be visualized through said surface of said second indicator portion;
• and
• wherein said first indicator portion includes a plate with said markings thereon, said plate located adjacent said surface of said second indicator portion.

A valve, comprising,

• a valve body having an inner recess;
• first, second, and third ports coupled to the valve body, each of the first, second, and third ports in fluid communication with the inner recess of the valve body, the first port and the third port disposed along a common line extending through the valve body, and the second port coupled to the valve body at a position centered between the first port and the third port;
• a central hub having embedded flow paths, the central hub defined to fit within the inner recess of the valve body;
• a first indicator portion fixedly disposed to the valve body;
• a knob coupled to the central hub to enable rotation of the central hub within the valve body, such that rotation moves the embedded flow paths into flow communication with selected ones of the first, second, and third ports;
• a second indicator portion separate from the knob and fixed relative to the knob, such that rotation of the knob rotates the second indicator portion, the second indicator portion disposed proximate to the first indicator portion;
• and
• wherein the first and second indicator portions are configured to together display markings that identify a current open orientation of the embedded flow paths relative to the first, second and third ports.