Valve lock apparatus and lockable valve

A valve, comprising:

• a valve body;
• a rotatable actuator stem protruding from said valve body for selectively rotating a flow control member within said valve body between first and second positions
• a slider plate slidably received on said actuator stem and having an elongated opening therethrough;
• and
• a spacer member retained on said actuator stem and received in said elongated opening through said slider plate to slidably support said slider plate on said actuator stem such that said slider plate is selectively movable from a position wherein said slider plate contacts a portion of said valve body when said flow control member is in either of the first and second positions to retain said flow control member therein to another position wherein said slider plate does not contact a portion of said valve body to enable said actuator stem to be rotated.

A valve, comprising:

• a valve body;
• a flow control member operably supported within said valve body and being selectively rotatable between a plurality of desired positions, said flow control member having an actuator stem portion protruding out of said valve body;
• an actuator handle attached to said actuator stem portion and defining a handle axis;
• and
• a slider plate movably supported on said valve body and being selectively movable along a locking axis that is substantially transverse to said handle axis between a position wherein said slider plate contacts at least a portion of said valve body when said flow control member is in anyone of said desired positions to retain said flow control member therein and another position wherein said slider plate does not engage said at least a portion of said valve body.

A valve, comprising:

• a valve body;
• a rotatable flow control member operably supported in said valve body and being selectively rotatable about an actuator axis to first and second positions upon applications of rotary forces to an actuator stem portion of said rotatable control member that protrudes from said valve body;
• and
• a slider plate slidably journaled on said actuator stem portion such that said slider plate is selectively movable from a position wherein said slider plate contacts a portion of said valve body when said flow control member is in either of first and second positions to another position wherein said slider plate does not contact said portion of said valve body to enable said actuator stem to be rotated about said actuator axis.

A valve lock apparatus, comprising:

• a slider plate having an elongated opening therethrough and a primary tab protruding from one end thereof and a secondary tab protruding from another end thereof;
• a spacer member sized for receipt in said elongated opening in said slider plate and having a valve stem-receiving opening therethrough;
• and
• a biaser supported on said slider plate between said primary and secondary tabs.