Stopcock

Claim 1

A STOPCOCK COMPRISING A HOUSING, A VALVE MEMBER ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID HOUSING ABOUT AN AXIS, SAID HOUSING BEING FORMED WITH A FLUID-INLET OPENING AND A FLUID-OUTLET OPENING ANGULARLY OFFSET FROM SAID INLET OPENING, SAID VALVE MEMBER HAVING A PASSAGE EXTENDING GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY TO SAID AXIS COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID INLET OPENING AND SAID OUTLET OPENING IN A FIRST ANGULAR POSITION OF SAID MEMBER AND BLOCKING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID OPENINGS IN A SECOND ANGULAR POSITION THEREOF RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING, AND A PAIR OF AXIALLY SPACED ANNULAR SEALING MEMBERS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PASSAGE IN ALL-AROUND ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID VALVE MEMBER AND SAID HOUSING, SAID VALVE MEMBER BEING OF GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION ROTATABLE ABOUT ITS AXIS AND BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVES AXIALLY SPACED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PASSAGE, SAID ANNULAR SEALING MEMBERS CONSTITUTING RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE O-RINGS RESPECTIVELY INSERTED IN SAID GROOVES AND BEARING UPON SAID HOUSING, SAID VALVE MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A RECESS OF TRUNCATED CONICAL CONFIGURATION ALIGNABLE WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID SECOND ANGULAR POSITION OF SAID VALVE MEMBER, FURTHER COMPRISING PACKING MEANS IN SAID RECESS BEARING ANNULARLY UPON SAID HOUSING ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF SAID OPENING, SAID PACKING MEANS INCLUDING A DISK OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A WALL PORTION IN ANNULAR ENGAGEMENT WITH AN OUTWARDLY CONVERGING WALL PORTION OF SAID RECESS AND FORMING WITH SAID VALVE MEMBER A CHAMBER WHOSE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA IS GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID ONE OPENING, SAID DISK BEING PROVIDED WITH AN APERTURE COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID ONE OPENING AND SAID CHAMBER, WHEREBY THE PRESSURE OF A FLUID ADMITTED TO SAID CHAMBER VIA SAID APERTURE BIASES SAID DISK AGAINST SAID HOUSING.