Twist-cam refrigerant dispensing valve

#1. Field of the Invention

#The invention relates generally to valving apparatus and particularly to valving apparatus for manually controlling flow of gas under pressure.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the present valve apparatus in a preferred use environment;

#FIG. 2 is an elevational view in partial section of the present valve apparatus illustrating a barbed end connection feature and wherein the valve apparatus is in an open position which allows flow through said valve apparatus; and,

#FIG. 2 is an elevational view in partial section of a second embodiment of the invention illustrating a threaded connection feature and wherein the valve apparatus is in a closed position whereby gas is prevented from flowing through the valve apparatus.

#Referring now to FIG. 1, a valve according to the invention is seen at 10 in a use environment wherein the valve 10 is detachably connected at a first end to a threaded port 12 which is associated with refrigeration apparatus 14 such as is comprised by an air conditioning unit or the like. The port 12 is used to charge the refrigeration apparatus 14 with a suitable refrigerant gas separately provided on site by a portable source 16 of pressurized refrigerant gas. The valve 10 is connected at its opposite end to the source 16 through a hose 18, one end of which is received on connector nipple 20 and the other end of the hose being connected to the source 16 of refrigerant gas. Connection of the hose to the connector nipple 20 is facilitated by the provision of transverse corrugations or annular barbs 22 which serve to hold the hose 18 to the nipple 20. Although the barbs 22 connect the nipple 20 to the hose 18 more positively, the hose 18 can be readily removed from the nipple 20 as desired by the manual application of force outwardly of the nipple 20.

#The valve 10 connects to the port 12 by means of a threaded sleeve 24 which is mounted to the valve 10 for free rotation in a manner which will be described hereinafter and which is internally threaded to mate with the external threads provided on the port 12. The valve 10 can thus be readily and rapidly attached to and detached from the port 12 for charging of the refrigeration apparatus 14. The valve 10 is particularly useful with sources of pressurized refrigerant gas wherein the gas is contained in a can or the like which, when an outlet port thereof is severed, provides no effective control of the flow of gas from said can. The valve 10 is provided with a twist or thumb turn 26 which enables a user to open and close the valve 10 by simple manipulation of the thumb turn 26. The thumb turn 26 is mounted for rotation on the body of the valve 10 with the location as noted in FIG. 1 of the thumb turn 26 not allowing flow of gas through said valve 10 and as is indicated by arrow 28 on the thumb turn 26. Flow of gas through the valve 10 can be discontinued by rotation of the thumb turn 26 through 180.degree. to the position noted "OFF" on the body of the valve 10, this position being at an angular arc of 180.degree. from the "ON" position as noted on the body of the valve 10. The structure and function of the thumb turn 26, including operation of internal valving structure actuated on manipulation of the thumb turn 26 will be described in detail hereinafter.

#As will be noted relative to the later discussion of FIG. 3, the valve 10 can be connected to the source 16 by other than a simple hose 18 received over a barbed nipple 20, the body of the valve 10 being capable of termination at the end opposite the threaded sleeve 24 in structure such as is shown in FIG. 3 and other structure comprising an internally threaded extension which receives an externally threaded connector (not shown) which can be fixedly attached to the end of a hose or which can extend from a source of pressurized gas for direct attachment to the valve 10.