Valve and filter assembly

Claim 1

A valve assembly comprising elongated tubular means having opposed inlet and outlet ends and defining for a fluid a predetermined path of flow, a valve seat carried by said tubular means in the interior thereof between said ends and surrounding the predetermined path of flow defined by said tubular means, a valve member movable toward and away from said seat, moving means coacting with said valve member for displacing the latter to and from a closed position engaging said seat, for controlling the flow of fluid along said path, filter means extending across the path of fluid flow in said tubular means for filtering a fluid flowing therethrough, said filter means having an upstream surface toward which the fluid flows and a downstream surface away from which the fluid flows after having passed through said filter means, and housing means communicating with the interior of said tubular means and having an interior collecting chamber communicating with said upstream surface of said filter means and extending to an elevation lower than said upstream surface of said filter means for collecting matter filtered out of the fluid by said filter means when the matter falls by gravity from said upstream surface of said filter means downwardly in said collecting chamber, said housing means having a lower end formed with an opening through which said valve seat, valve member, moving means, and filter means may be introduced into and removed from said tubular means, and said housing means removably carrying a closure wall which normally closes said opening at said lower end of said housing means and through which said moving means extends to the exterior of said housing means.