Valve construction having resilient sealing means

Claim 1

A VALVE CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING: A VALVE BODY INCLUDING A PAIR OF FLOW PASSAGES AND A BODY SPACE THEREBETWEEN, A VALVE ELEMENT DISPOSED IN SAID BODY SPACE AND MOVEABLE BETWEEN AN OPEN AND A CLOSED POSITION, A RESILIENT SEAL RING GENERALLY EMBRACING EACH OF SAID FLOW PASSAGES FOR NORMAL SEALING CONTACT WITH SAID VALVE ELEMENT, A MOUNTING MEANS FOR EACH SAID SEAL RING EMBRACING EACH OF THE SAID FLOW PASSAGES AND BEING FORMED TO INCLUDE A RECESS OF RELATIVELY FIXED DIMENSIONS FOR ACCOMMODATING SAID SEAL RING, SAID RECESS BEING DEFINED BY INNER AND OUTER SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM WALL OPPOSITE SAID VALVE ELEMENT, SAID SEAL RING WHEN IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID VALVE ELEMENT BEING COMPRESSED BETWEEN SAID VALVE ELEMENT AND SAID BOTTOM WALL BUT WHEN UNDEFORMED BEING LOOSELY ACCOMMODATED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS, AND A PRESSURE-EQUALIZING PASSAGEWAY CONNECTING THE OUTER BOTTOM CORNER OF SAID RECESS WITH SAID BODY SPACE, THE INNER BOTTOM CORNER BEING IN SEALED ISOLATION FROM SAID FLOW PASSAGES.