Composite seat ball valve

Claim 1

A BALL VALVE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A PAIR OF SPACED FLANGE MEMBERS HAVING CIRCULAR OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN; A VALVE BODY POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID FLANGE MEMBERS AND HAVING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH OF LARGER DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETERS OF THE CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN SAID PAIR OF FLANGE MEMBERS AND CONCENTRICALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID CIRCULAR OPENINGS; A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL, ONE-PIECE, RESILIENT SEALING MEMBER POSITIONED IN THE CYLINDRICAL PASSAGEWAY THROUGH SAID VALVE BODY AND HAVING A PAIR OF END FACES, SAID SEALING MEMBER HAVING ITS CYLINDRICAL OUTER PERIPHERY IN CONTACT WITH SAID VALVE BODY; A GENERALLY SPHERICAL MEMBER IN SAID SEALING MEMBER, AND SAID SEALING MEMBER FURTHER HAVING CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN EACH OF THE END FACES THEREOF COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SPHERICAL CHAMBER, THE CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN SAID SEALING MEMBER BEING OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN SAID PAIR OF FLANGES AND CONCENTRICALLY ALIGNED THEREWITH; A VALVE BALL POSITIONED WITHIN SAID GENERALLY SPHERICAL CHAMBER IN SEALING CONTACT WITH SAID SEALING MEMBER AND HAVING A PASSAGE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH IN A DIRECTION TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN SAID FLANGES AND IN THE END FACES OF SAID SEALING MEMBER WHEN SAID VALVE BALL IS ROTATED; A VALVE STEM EXTENDING THROUGH SAID VALVE BODY AND SAID SEALING MEMBER AND COACTING WITH SAID VALVE BALL TO FACILITATE ROTATION OF SAID VALVE BALL IN SAID SEALING MEMBER; A PAIR OF RIGID, ANNULAR REINFORCING MEMBERS ABUTTING THE END FACES OF SAID SEALING MEMBER AND POSITIONED CONCENTRICALLY AROUND THE RESPECTIVE CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN EACH OF THE END FACES THEREOF, SAID RIGID, ANNULAR REINFORCING MEMBERS EACH HAVING A RADIAL WIDTH SUCH THAT ITS INSIDE DIAMETER IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESSER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN SAID FLANGE MEMBERS AND ITS OUTSIDE DIAMETER IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN SAID FLANGE MEMBERS WHEREBY SAID SEALING MEMBER IS SHIELDED BY SAID REINFORCING MEMBERS FROM FLUID ENTERING THE PASSAGE IN SAID BALL MEMBER FROM THE CIRCULAR OPENING IN ONE OF SAID FLANGE MEMBERS, AND WHEREBY SAID REINFORCING MEMBERS DISTRIBUTE COMPRESSIVE FORCES EXERTED THEREON BY SAID FLANGE MEMBERS OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID SEALING MEMBER; ANNULAR BEADS OF RESILIENT MATERIAL FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH, AND FORMING A PART OF, SAID ONE-PIECE SEALING MEMBER AND DISPOSED ON EACH END FACE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SEALING MEMBER TOWARD THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF FOR PROJECTION THEREFROM, EACH OF SAID ANNULAR BEADS BEING POSITIONED CONCENTRICALLY AROUND SAID ANNULAR REINFORCING MEMBERS AND RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM; AND MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN AND INTERCONNECTING SAID FLANGE MEMBERS TO DRAW SAID FLANGE MEMBERS TOWARD EACH OTHER AND INTO COMPRESSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ANNULAR BEADS AND SAID RIGID REINFORCING MEMBERS.