Seat arrangement for control valves and the like

Claim 1

IN A VALVE ARRANGEMENT, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A VALVE BODY HAVING FLUID TRANSFER PASSAGEWAYS AND A VALVE CLOSURE SURFACE ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS; VALVE STEM MEANS OPERATIVE IN SAID VALVE BODY TO CONTROL FLOW THROUGH SAID ONE PASSAGEWAY, INCLUDING A ONE-PIECE VALVE MEMBER HAVING A SEAT SURFACE COOPERATIVELY CONFRONTABLE WITH SAID VALVE CLOSURE SURFACE AND HAVING AN ENDLESS GROOVE OPENING THROUGH SAID SEAT SURFACE, SAID GROOVE HAVING A CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION AND AN ARCUATE EXTENT OF MORE THAN 180* WHEREBY TO DEFINE A CONSTRICTED THROAT FOR RETAINING A SEALING ELEMENT IN SAID GROOVE; AND A RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE, SOLID, ELASTOMERIC, ANNULAR SEALING ELEMENT OF GREATER VOLUME THAN SAID GROOVE, SAID SEALING ELEMENT BEING COMPRESSED IN SAID GROOVE IN SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLING RELATIONSHIP TO BE GRIPPINGLY RETAINED THEREIN, SAID SEALING ELEMENT PROTRUDING PARTIALLY FROM SAID GROOVE FOR RESILIENTLY CONTACTING SAID VALVE CLOSURE SURFACE IN TERMINATING FLOW THROUGH SAID ONE PASSAGEWAY, SAID SEALING ELEMENT HAVING A SMALLER INSIDE DIMENSION THAN THE CORRESPONDING INSIDE DIMENSION OF SAID GROOVE WHEREBY TO BE AXIALLY STRETCHABLY RECEIVED THEREIN.