Ball valve assembly including snap ring retention means

Claim 1

IN A BALL VALVE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A VALVE HOUSING HAVING AN INLET PORTION AND AN OUTLET PORTION AND A BAFFLE WALL DISPOSED THEREBETWEEN, SAID BAFFLE WALL HAVING AN OPENING MEANS THEREWITHIN FOR ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET PORTIONS, A SPHERICAL BALL ADAPTED TO SEAT AGAINST THE PERIPHERY OF SAID OPENING MEANS TO BLOCK COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET PORTIONS, SUPPORT MEANS WITHIN WHICH SAID SPHERE IS MOUNTED, AND MOVABLE OPERATING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND THE SPHERICAL BALL THEREWITHIN, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SAID SUPPORT MEANS COMPRISING: A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL CAGE MEANS HAVING AN INNER END SPACED CLOSEST TO SAID OPENING MEANS AND AN OUTER END SPACED FURTHEST AWAY THEREFORM; SAID CAGE MEANS INCLUDING AN INTERNAL CAVITY THEREWITHIN EXTENDING FROM SAID INNER END BUT TERMINATING SHORT OF SAID OUTER END IN A BALL SEAT PORTION; SAID CAGE MEANS INCLUDING A CONTINUOUS SIDE WALL OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS EXTENDING FROM SAID INNER END TOWARD SAID OUTER END, SAID SIDE WALL HAVING AN INNER SURFACE WHICH CIRCUMSCRIBES AND SURROUNDS A CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF SAID INTERNAL CAVITY; SAID INNER SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL MERGING WITH SAID BALL SEAT PORTION; SAID BALL SEAT PORTION BEING FORMED WITH A SPHERICAL SURFACE LESS THAN A HEMISPHERE, WITH THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF SAID SURFACE OF SAID BALL SEAT PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF SAID SPHERICAL BALL; SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF SAID INTERNAL CAVITY HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID SPHERICAL BALL, THEREBY ASSURING THAT SAID SPHERICAL BALL CAN ROTATE FREELY WITHIN SAID INTERNAL CAVITY; SAID SIDE WALL INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED FLUID PASSAGES THEREWITHIN, SAID FLUID PASSAGES AT LEAST PARTIALLY INTERSECTING SAID SURFACE OF SAID BALL SEAT PORTION; SAID SIDE WALL INCLUDING AN ANNULAR GROOVE FORMED ALONG THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF ADJACENT SAID INNER END; SNAP RING MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ANNULAR GROOVE AND ENGAGED WITH THE SURFACE OF SAID SPHERICAL BALL TO MAINTAIN THE SAME WITHIN SAID INTERNAL CAVITY; SAID SNAP RING MEANS HAVING AN EFFECTIVE DIAMETER LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID SPHERICAL BALL TO MAINTAIN THE MAJOR PORTION OF SAID SPHERICAL BALL WITHIN SAID INTERNAL CAVITY WHILE PERMITTING A MINOR PORTION THEREOF TO PROJECT BEYOND SAID INNER END; SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING MOVABLE UPON OPERATION OF SAID OPERATING MEANS TO A CLOSED POSITION WHEREAT SAID SPHERICAL BALL IS TIGHTLY SEATED AGAINST BOTH THE PERIPHERY OF SAID OPENING MEANS AND SAID BALL SEAT PORTION, THEREBY BLOCKING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET PORTIONS; SAID SUPPORT MEANS ALSO BEING MOVABLE UPON OPERATION OF SAID OPERATING MEANS TO AN OPEN POSITION WHEREAT SAID SPHERICAL BALL IS OUT OF CONTACT WITH BOTH SAID PERIPHERY OF SAID OPENING MEANS AND SAID BALL SEAT PORTION, THEREBY PERMITTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET PORTIONS; SAID SPHERICAL BALL BEING FREELY ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID INTERNAL CAVITY WHEN SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY IS IN SAID OPEN POSITION, SAID FLUID PASSAGES SERVING TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID FLUID AND SAID INTERNAL CAVITY WHEREBY SAID FLUID CAN AID IN EFFECTING FREE ROTATION OF SAID SPHERICAL BALL.