Valve control system

Claim 1

A valve control system for underground valves, said system including a valve engaging adapter, means for vertically positioning said adapter for rotational valve adjusting movement, a guide passage extending vertically upward from said adapter, a control rod selectively introducible downward through said passage and into locked engagement with said adapter, said adapter including means for for guiding said rod into locked engagement therewith, said means for vertically positioning said adapter includes a housing, said housing including an enlarged lower chamber receivable over the underground valve, a reduced upwardly opening upper chamber communicating with said lower chamber and oriented for vertical alignment with said lower chamber received valve, said adapter being rotatably received within the lower portion of the upper chamber, said guide passage comprising a hollow pipe and a reducer fixed within the upper end of the upper chamber and releasably mounting the lower end of the guide passage pipe, thereby engaging the pipe with the upper chamber, said pipe projecting vertically upward from the reducer so as to extend to ground level, said adapter including an upwardly directed polygonal socket, the lower end of the control rod being polygonal and conforming to said socket for slidable reception therein, thereby effecting a locked engagement with said adapter for a rotation thereof, said adapter also including an upwardly directed concave mouth surrounding the upper end of said polygonal socket and Defining said means for guiding the rod into locked engagement with the adapter, said adapter further including means on the lower end thereof in opposed relation to said socket for releasable engagement with the control member of said valve, the internal diameter of the guide passage pipe being less than the internal diameter of the reducer, the internal diameter of the reducer being less than the maximum diameter of the rod guiding socket mouth for a direct guiding of the control rod into the socket mouth, said adapter including an elongated bore of a reduced diameter relative to said socket, said bore extending vertically through said adapter and opening through the lower end thereof in straight opposed relation to said socket, whereby a vertical through passage is defined in said adapter in direct communication with said valve and said guide passage for the introduction of lubricants and the like to said valve.