Snap action ball valve assembly and liquid dispenser using same
AssigneeLarami Limited
InventorsChor Ming Ma, George L. Skinner, Jeffrey Zimmerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spring-controlled snap action valve assembly and an apparatus for dispensing pressurized liquid using the valve assembly, the apparatus including a connection to a source of pressurized liquid, the spring-controlled snap action ball valve assembly including a snap action ball valve and an inlet and an outlet, a conduit in fluid communication from the connection to the valve assembly inlet, a nozzle in fluid communication with the valve assembly outlet, and an actuator connected to the valve assembly to actuate the snap action ball valve from a closed position to an open position and from an open position to a closed position.
Claims32
An apparatus for dispensing pressurized liquid, the apparatus comprising:
- a connection to a source of pressurized liquid,
- a spring-controlled snap action ball valve assembly including a snap action ball valve comprising a valve member having a channel therethough and being rotatable within a valve housing between an open position for the valve wherein the channel is aligned with a valve assembly inlet and a valve assembly outlet to permit the liquid to flow through the inlet, the channel and the outlet, and a closed position for the valve, wherein the channel is not aligned with the outlet to prevent the liquid from flowing through the channel and the outlet,
- a conduit in fluid communication from the connection to the valve assembly inlet,
- a nozzle in fluid communication with the valve assembly outlet, and
- a spring-controlled actuator connected to the valve member, the spring controlling actuation of the snap action ball valve so that the valve member has a snap action both from the closed position to the open position and from the open position to the closed position.
An apparatus for dispensing pressurized liquid, the apparatus comprising:
- a connection to a source of pressurized liquid,
- a spring-controlled snap action ball valve assembly including a snap action ball valve and an inlet and an outlet,
- a conduit in fluid communication from the connection to the valve assembly inlet,
- a nozzle in fluid communication with the valve assembly outlet, and
- an actuator connected to the valve assembly to actuate the snap action ball valve from a closed position to an open position and from an open position to a closed position,
- wherein the snap action ball valve assembly comprises a valve housing with a flow path through the valve housing, the valve housing having an inlet and an outlet, a ball valve member having a channel therethrough and being rotatable within the valve housing, the channel having an inlet end and an outlet end and being aligned with the valve housing inlet and valve housing outlet in an open valve position and not being aligned with the valve housing inlet and valve housing outlet in a closed valve position, a liquid-tight seal adjacent each of the valve housing inlet and valve housing outlet and each bearing against the ball valve member, a shaft connected to the ball valve member and extending out of the valve housing to rotate the ball valve member in the valve housing, a ball lever having two ends and connected at one end to the shaft, a snap lever movable with respect to the ball lever, the snap lever being connected at least indirectly to the actuator, and a spring connecting the snap lever and the ball lever at a location spaced from the one end of the ball lever where the ball lever is connected to the shaft, the spring having a spring action, the spring action and the relative movement of the snap lever and the ball lever being interrelated such that movement of the actuator in a first direction causes the snap valve to move from a first snap lever position to a second snap lever position and thereby causing a first effectuation of the spring action, the first effectuation of the spring action in turn causing the ball lever to snap from a first ball lever position where the ball valve member is in the closed valve position to a second ball lever position where the ball valve member is in the open valve position, and the movement of the actuator in a second direction causes the snap valve to move from the second snap lever position to the first snap lever position, thereby causing a second effectuation of the spring action, the second effectuation of the spring action in turn causing the ball lever to snap from the second ball lever position where the ball valve is in the open valve position to the first ball lever position where the ball valve is in the closed valve position.
A spring-controlled snap action ball valve assembly comprising a valve housing with a flow path through the valve housing, the valve housing having an inlet and an outlet, a ball valve member having a channel therethrough and being rotatable within the valve housing, the channel having an inlet end and an outlet end and being aligned with the valve housing inlet and valve housing outlet in an open valve position and not being aligned with the valve housing inlet and valve housing outlet in a closed valve position, a liquid-tight seal adjacent each of the valve housing inlet and valve housing outlet and each bearing against the ball valve member, a shaft connected to the ball valve member and extending out of the valve housing to rotate the ball valve member in the valve housing, a ball lever having two ends and connected at one end to the shaft, a snap lever movable with respect to the ball lever, the snap lever being connected at least indirectly to an actuator, and a spring connecting the snap lever and the ball lever at a location spaced from the one end of the ball lever where the ball lever is connected to the shaft, the spring having a spring action, the spring action and the relative movement of the snap lever and the ball lever being interrelated such that movement of the actuator in a first direction causes the snap valve to move from a first snap lever position to a second snap lever position and thereby causing a first effectuation of the spring action, the first effectuation of the spring action in turn causing the ball lever to snap from a first ball lever position where the ball valve member is in the closed valve position to a second ball lever position where the ball valve member is in the open valve position, and the movement of the actuator in a second direction causes the snap valve to move from the second snap lever position to the first snap lever position, thereby causing a second effectuation of the spring action, the second effectuation of the spring action in turn causing the ball lever to snap from the second ball lever position where the ball valve is in the open valve position to the first ball lever position where the ball valve is in the closed valve position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.