Disc valve

Claim 1

A DISC VALVE COMPRISING A VALVE BODY HAVING A FLOW PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH, AN ANNULAR SEAT POSITION WITHIN THE BODY ABOUT SUCH PASSAGE HAVING ALIGNED STEM RECEIVING OPENINGS ON AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO SAID PASSAGEWAY AND BEING RESILIENT AROUND SAID OPENINGS, A REMOVABLE STEM MOUNTED IN THE BODY AND SEAT FOR ROTATION ABOUT SAID AXIS AND PASSING THROUGH SAID OPENINGS IN THE SEAT AT TWO POINTS, ONE END OF THE STEM PROJECTING FROM THE BODY WHEN OPERABLY POSITIONED THEREIN, SAID STEM HAVING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION EXTENDING FROM ADJACENT ITS PROJECTING END TO INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, A NON-CIRCULAR PORTION ADJACENT THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION HAVING NO GREATER MAXIMUM RADIAL DIMENSION THAN THE LEAST RADIAL DIMENSION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION, AND THE PORTION OF THE STEM REMOTE FROM ITS PROJECTING END HAVING A NO GREATER RADIAL DIMENSION THAN THE LEAST RADIAL DIMENSION OF THE CYLINDRICAL AND NON-CIRCULAR PORTIONS OF SAID STEM, A DISC OPERABLY POSITIONED IN THE FLOW PASSAGEWAY AND ADAPTED TO CO-ACT WITH THE SEAT FOR ROTATION TO CONTROL FLOW THROUGH THE BODY, SAID DISC HAVING AN OPENING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE STEM, THE OPENING HAVING A PORTION COMPLEMENTARY IN RADIAL DIMENSION TO THE NON-CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF THE STEM TO PROVIDE A NON-ROTATING CONNECTION THEREBETWEEN, A SLEEVE CARRIED ON THE DISC IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE STEM AND EXTENDING FROM THE DISC ABOUT A PART OF SAID PORTION OF SAID STEM REMOTE FROM ITS PROJECTING END AND INTO THE SEAT AND TERMINATING SHORT OF ALIGNING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BODY, SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND THE SLEEVE HAVING EQUAL OUTER DIAMETERS AND THE STEM RECEIVING OPENINGS IN THE SEAT BEING OF A SMALLER DIAMETER THAN SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND THE SLEEVE, WHEREBY SAID STEM CAN BE WITHDRAWN BY ITS PROJECTING END FROM THE ASSEMBLED VALVE TO PERMIT REMOVAL OF SAID DISC AND SEAT FROM THE VALVE BODY.