Rod operated rotary well valve

A well valve for connection into the tubing string of a well to seal against a pressure differential in either direction along said tubing string across said valve and said valve being adapted to be opened and closed by insertion and removal of an operating collet having collet heads thereon, said valve comprising:

• a tubular valve body having connection means at opposite ends for securing said valve body in a well tubing string, a longitudinal bore defining a flow passage therethrough, and a bore portion of reduced diameter defining an internal annular locking surface along said bore and a tapered cam surface leading to said locking surface;
• a first annular valve seat member secured in said body around said flow passage through said body supported in sealed relationship with said body for limited longitudinal movement in said body;
• a second annular valve seat supported in said body around said flow passage spaced from said first valve seat and held against movement in said body in a direction away from said first valve seat;
• a ball valve having a bore therethrough defining a flow passage through said valve rotatably secured between said first and second valve seats for movement between open and closed positions by rotation about a substantially fixed transverse axis between said valve seats and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said valve body;
• a ball valve operator member including a central annular ring, a pair of substantially parallel ball valve operator legs extending longitudinally from said central ring at opposite sides of said ring spanning opposite sides of said ball valve for longitudinal movement relative to said ball valve along lines parallel with the longitudinal axis of said valve body along paths of sufficient length to rotate said ball valve between open and closed positions responsive to longitudinal movement of said operator member, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced collet fingers extending longitudinally from said central ring of said operator member in a direction opposite from said ball valve operator legs, each of said collet fingers having an external boss and an internal boss, said external boss being engageable with said cam surface leading to said locking surface in said reduced bore portion of said valve body for holding said collet fingers inwardly when said valve operator is moved longitudinally to cam said collet fingers inwardly and position said bosses along said internal locking surface of said valve body bore, and said internal bosses of said collet fingers being engageable with the operating head on the operating collet insertable into said collet fingers for moving said ball valve operator to open and close said ball valve;
• and pivot members between said operator member legs and said ball valve for coupling said legs with said ball valve along opposite sides of said valve to rotate said ball valve responsive to longitudinal movement of said operator legs, said pivot members moving transversely relative to said operator legs as said ball valve is rotated between open and closed positions.