Back to results
US 5,634,491 AGranted
Flow control valve assembly
OwnerCharles Benedictinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow control valve assembly having an outer housing and a valve member mounted within the housing. The valve member defines a flow channel and is composed of a compressible material which remains substantially in a non-compressed condition at fluid supply pressures below a predetermined range. At higher pressures, the valve member is compressed to reduce the flow channel so as to automatically control the flow rate through the valve assembly.
Claims16
A valve assembly for maintaining generally uniform flow rates comprising:
- a housing having an inner surface defining a flow passageway, said flow passageway including at least one inwardly extending valve seat portion,
- a valve member mounted in said fluid passageway, said valve member including a head portion having an upstream face and a stem portion having a flow channel therethrough having an inlet end and an outlet end, said valve member normally being seated in a first position within said housing when fluid flow therethrough is below a predetermined pressure with said flow passageway of said housing and said flow channel being open and said outlet end of said stem portion having a first cross-sectional dimension, said stem portion of said valve member being axially shiftable relative to said valve seat portion when fluid flow through the valve member creates a pressure acting on said upstream face which is greater than said predetermined pressure to thereby compress said valve stem portion by engagement with said at least one inwardly extending valve seat portion whereby said first cross-sectional dimension of said flow channel is reduced at a point spaced from said inlet end thereof to thereby regulate fluid flow through said valve member, and means spaced outwardly relative to said valve stem for resiliently urging said valve member from said at least one inwardly extending valve seat portion.
A valve assembly for maintaining substantially uniform fluid flow rates regardless of the pressure of the fluid flowing therethrough comprising:
- a housing having an inner surface defining a flow passageway, said flow passageway including an inwardly constricting valve seat portion;
- and
- a valve member composed of a compressible material being mounted in said flow passageway, said valve member including an upstream face, and a tubular stem portion seated in said inwardly constricting valve seat portion of said fluid passageway, said tubular portion defining a flow channel in communication with said flow passageway, said flow channel having an inlet end and an outlet end, said inlet end of said flow channel defining a first cross-sectioned area, said valve member normally being seated in a first position within said housing when fluid flow therethrough is below a predetermined pressure with said flow passageway of said housing and said flow passageway of said housing and said flow channel being open, said stem portion of said valve member being substantially non-compressed when fluid pressure acting on said upstream face is less than a predetermined pressure and said valve member being in said first position, and said stem portion being compressed when said fluid pressure is greater than said predetermined pressure, such that said tubular stem portion moves axially in said inwardly constricting valve seat portion and the flow channel is radially reduced to less than said first cross-sectional area of said inlet end of said flow channel.
A valve assembly for maintaining a substantially uniform fluid flow rate regardless of the pressure of the fluid flowing therethrough comprising:
- a housing having an inner surface defining a flow passageway, said flow passageway including an inwardly converging valve seat portion;
- and
- a valve member being mounted in said fluid passageway, said valve member including an upstream face, a side face contacting said inner surface of said housing and a hollow stem portion seated in said inwardly converging portion of said fluid passageway, said stem portion defining a flow channel in communication with said flow passageway through which all fluid must flow through said housing, said flow channel having an inlet end and an outlet end, said stem portion being formed of a compressible material, said valve member normally being seated in a first position within said housing when fluid flow therethrough is below a predetermined pressure with said flow passageway of said housing and said flow passageway of said housing and said flow channel being open, and said stem portion of said valve member being compressed when fluid pressure on said face portion is greater than said predetermined pressure such that said stem portion moves axially in said inwardly converging valve seat portion, and means for resiliently urging said stem portion from said valve seat portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.