US3737142A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Rotary valve operator
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-07-08
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Granted: 1973-06-05
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Expires: 1991-07-08
Abstract
Abstract An operator for opening and closing a butterfly or other rotary valve. The operator is powered by a fluid cylinder with a reciprocating piston that is connected to a lever secured to the valve''s stem, which lever converts the piston''s rectilinear movement into rotary motion to rotate the valve''s flow control element between its open and closed positions. The lever has an arcuate slot in the configuration of an involute curve in order that the piston''s force always is applied at a right angle to the slot''s surfaces, thereby precluding side loads and other undesired lateral forces on the piston, lever, and valve stem from arising. The operator includes a housing in which the remaining components are enclosed, and which serves as a means for mounting the operator on the body of a valve, a bearing for the lever''s shaft, a guide for a pin and clevis interconnecting the piston and the lever, a mount for the power cylinder, and a pressure vessel forming one end of the cylinder. The operator is structured so that cylinders of various sizes can be quickly and interchangeably connected to it, thereby facilitating use of one size of operator with a wide range of line pressure and valve sizes.
Inventors
- 👤 H Boswell
- 👤 C Partridge
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 01:57
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16K; F16K31/00; F16K31/12; F16K31/16; F16K31/163; F16K31/1635; F15; F15B; F15B21/00; F15B21/02; F15C; F15C3/00; F16K31/44; F16K31/52; F16K31/528; F16K31/5282; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/18; Y10T74/18888; Y10T74/1892; Y10T74/1896
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A valve operator comprising: a housing, means forming with the housing a double-acting piston chamber, said means removably associated with the housing to facilitate interchanging said means with others of different size, a piston positioned for reciprocation in the chamber, a lever rotatably mounted in the housing for non-rotatable coupling to a rotary valve stem, said lever including an arcuate slot shaped in the configuration of an involute curve whose circle of generation is concentric with the lever''s axis of rotation, and means for interconnecting the piston to the lever, said means including a bearing element for transmitting the piston''s linear force against a side of the lever''s slot in a direction that is normal to that side at every position of the bearing element relative thereto, said slot thereby providing a constant mechanical advantage with the piston while preventing the occurrence of a side force component on the interconnecting means, whereby when the piston is reciprocated in the chamber the linear force it exerts is converted substantially undiminished by the lever into torque about the lever''s axis of rotation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
180 words
A valve operator comprising: a housing, means forming with the housing a double-acting piston chamber, said means removably associated with the housing to facilitate interchanging said means with others of different size, a piston positioned for reciprocation in the chamber, a lever rotatably mounted in the housing for non-rotatable coupling to a rotary valve stem, said lever including an arcuate slot shaped in the configuration of an involute curve whose circle of generation is concentric with the lever''s axis of rotation, and means for interconnecting the piston to the lever, said means including a bearing element for transmitting the piston''s linear force against a side of the lever''s slot in a direction that is normal to that side at every position of the bearing element relative thereto, said slot thereby providing a constant mechanical advantage with the piston while preventing the occurrence of a side force component on the interconnecting means, whereby when the piston is reciprocated in the chamber the linear force it exerts is converted substantially undiminished by the lever into torque about the lever''s axis of rotation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A valve operator according to claim 1 wherein the housing includes at least one longitudinal groove in which the bearing element rolls as the piston is reciprocated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
A valve operator according to claim 2 whErein the housing includes a pair of opposed parallel grooves disposed in the path of the bearing element to preclude longitudinal displacement of said bearing element from its functional position with the interconnecting means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A valve operator according to claim 1 wherein the bearing element comprises a cylindrical pin adapted to roll along the sides of the lever''s slot.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
A valve operator according to claim 1 wherein the bearing element comprises a cylindrical roller, and wherein said roller is rotatably retained between the arms of a clevis by a cylindrical pin.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
180 words
An operator for rotating the stem of a rotary valve, comprising: a lever adapted for connection to the stem for unitary rotation therewith about a common axis, means associated with the lever comprising an involutely curved surface whose circle of generation is concentric with the axis of rotation of the stem, linear actuating means including a force transmitting element, means for reciprocating the force transmitting element in a direction tangential to the circle, and means interconnecting the force transmitting element to the lever, said interconnecting means associated with said lever such that operation of the linear actuating means causes the force transmitting element to pressure the interconnecting means against the involutely curved surface and rotate the lever, the line of force of the linear actuating means being at all times normal to the involutely curved surface so that virtually all of the force of the linear actuating means is converted into torque for imposition by the lever on the valve''s stem and a constant mechanical advantage is maintained between the lever and the means for reciprocating the force transmitting element.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
180 words
An operator for rotating the stem of a rotary valve, comprising: a lever adapted for connection to the stem for unitary rotation therewith about a common axis, means associated with the lever comprising an involutely curved surface whose circle of generation is concentric with the axis of rotation of the stem, linear actuating means including a force transmitting element, means for reciprocating the force transmitting element in a direction tangential to the circle, and means interconnecting the force transmitting element to the lever, said interconnecting means associated with said lever such that operation of the linear actuating means causes the force transmitting element to pressure the interconnecting means against the involutely curved surface and rotate the lever, the line of force of the linear actuating means being at all times normal to the involutely curved surface so that virtually all of the force of the linear actuating means is converted into torque for imposition by the lever on the valve''s stem and a constant mechanical advantage is maintained between the lever and the means for reciprocating the force transmitting element.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The valve operator of claim 6 wherein the linear actuating means comprises a double-acting pneumatic cylinder.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The valve operator of claim 6 wherein the linear actuating means comprises a double-acting hydraulic cylinder.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The valve operator of claim 6 wherein the rotatable valve is a butterfly valve.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The valve operator of claim 6 wherein the rotatable valve is a ball valve.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The valve operator of claim 6 wherein the rotatable valve is a plug valve.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
The valve operator of claim 6 wherein the involutely curved surface forms part of a slot that passes completely through the lever, and the interconnecting means includes bearing means passing through the slot.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The valve operator of claim 12 wherein the bearing means includes a clevis having a roller rotatably mounted on its extending legs to pass through the slot.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-06-04 | 1976-12-04 | 1977-06-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-06-04 | 1980-12-04 | 1981-06-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-06-04 | 1984-12-04 | 1985-06-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |