Air release valve
AssigneeNelson Irrigation Corporation
InventorLee A. Perkins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air release valve includes a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a valve plate within the housing between the inlet and outlet, the valve plate having a pair of discrete apertures isolated from each other; a valve seal assembly including a seal engageable with the valve plate overlying the apertures; a float located in the housing upstream of the valve plate and connected to the seal, the float displaceable between first and second positions in the housing wherein displacement of the float in one direction progressively detaches successive portions of the seal from the apertures, the float having a tapered end remote from the seal.
Claims14
An air release valve comprising a housing having an inlet including a tapered fluid inlet portion and a fluid outlet, a valve plate within said housing between the inlet and outlet, the valve plate having a pair of discrete apertures isolated from each other;
- a valve seal assembly including a seal engageable with said valve plate overlying said apertures;
- a float located in the housing upstream of the valve plate and connected to the seal, said float displaceable between first upper and second lowermost positions in a substantially cylindrical portion of said housing wherein displacement of the float in one direction toward said second position progressively peels successive portions of part of the seal from one of said apertures and causes another part of said seal to pivot away from the other of said apertures;
- said float having a tapered end remote from the seal, said tapered end having a truncated, substantially flat bottom surface which remains axially spaced from said tapered fluid inlet portion in a direction toward said outlet when the float moves to said second lowermost position.
An air release valve comprising a housing having an inlet including a fluid inlet including a tapered fluid inlet portion and a fluid outlet, a valve plate within said housing between the inlet and outlet, the valve plate having a pair of discrete rectangularly shaped apertures isolated from each other, one of said apertures larger than the other of said apertures;
- a valve seal assembly including a seal engageable with said valve plate overlying said apertures;
- a float located in the housing upstream of the valve plate and connected to the seal, said float having a substantially square cross-sectional shape and a tapered end remote from said seal, said tapered end having a truncated substantially flat bottom surface;
- said float being displaceable between first upper and second lowermost positions in a substantially cylindrical portion of said housing wherein displacement of the float in one direction toward said second lowermost position causes one part of the seal to peel away from the smaller of said pair of apertures and another part of the seal to pivot away from the larger of said pair of apertures, said flat bottom surface remaining axially spaced from said tapered fluid inlet portion when the float is in said second lowermost position;
- wherein said valve seal assembly comprises a rubber body with a rigid reinforcement plate embedded in an area of said rubber body which overlies the larger of said pair of apertures;
- and wherein the smaller of said pair of apertures comprises a relatively small, elongated slit;
- and further wherein said float is connected to said seal assembly by a strap extending away from said seal, said strap having a transversely arranged pin at a free end thereof;
- said float having a slot formed across a top surface thereof, with said transversely arranged pin secured within said slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.