Compressor valve

Claim 1

IN A UNDIRECTIONAL FLOW CONTROL VALVE FOR HIGH SPEED GAS COMPRESSORS, THE COMBINATION OF A BASE MEMBER HAVING OPPOSED PARALLEL SURFACES OF SUBSTANTIAL AREA DEFINING AN UPPER FACE AND A LOWER FACE, A PLURALITY OF SPACED, PARALLEL GAS INLET PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING FROM SAID LOWER FACE INTO SAID BASE MEMBER WITH THEIR AXES NORMAL TO SAID FACES, EACH INLET PASSAGEWAY TERMINATING AT ITS UPPER END IN A SEAT WHICH IS SPACED BELOW SAID UPPER SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF CONCAVE RECESSES IN THE UPPER FACE OF SAID BASE MEMBER, ONE FOR EACH PASSAGEWAY, EACH SAID RECESS BEING COAXIAL WITH ITS ASSOCIATED INLET PASSAGEWAY AND FORMING AN UPWARD CONTINUATION OF SAID INLET PASSAGEWAY FROM SAID SEAT, A BALL MEMBER IN EACH RECESS OF A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE SEAT, THE CONCAVITY OF THE RECESS BEING SUCH THAT ITS SURFACE FORMS WITH THE SURFACE OF THE BALL AN ANNULAR AXIALLY CURVED SPACE PROCEEDING UPWARDLY FROM THE SEAT TOWARD SAID UPPER FACE AND INCREASING IN CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AS IT APPROACHES SAID UPPER FACE, A TOP PLATE MEMBER SUPERIMPOSED ON SAID BASE MEMBER AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL CYLINDRICAL PASSAGEWAYS ALIGNED WITH AND FORMING UPWARD CONTINUATIONS FROM THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID RECESSES, THE DIAMETER OF EACH SAID PASSAGEWAY BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE UPPER END OF ITS ASSOCIATED RECESS, BALL GUIDE FINGERS ARRANGED AROUND THE WALL OF EACH CYLINDRICAL PASSAGEWAY AND EXTENDING INWARDLY THEREFROM AND LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF, THE COMBINED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID GUIDE FINGERS IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW BEING APPRECIABLY LESS THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OPEN TO FLOW THEREBETWEEN, THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID FINGERS MERGING TOWARD ONE ANOTHER ABOVE THE BALL TO FORM A STOP PORTION CENTRALLY SPACED ABOVE THE BALL WHEN THE LATTER IS IN ITS SEAT, THE MERGING PORTIONS OF SAID GUIDE FINGERS DEFINING THEREBETWEEN WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PASSAGEWAYS SECTOR LIKE OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH GAS CAN EXIT FROM THE CYLINDRICAL PASSAGEWAYS.