Ball valve assembly

Claim 1

A ball valve assembly including a one-piece single body defining the entire housing structure of said valve assembly and having a passage extending therethrough; said passage including a first portion of a first constant size extending from one end of said single body and a second portion of a second constant size larger than the first constant size of said first portion of said passage extending from the other end of said single body, a first spherical seat disposed in said passage adjacent the end of said first portion of said passage, a single-piece insert disposed in said second portion of said passage, said insert being free of circumferential fastening threads and having a passage extending therethrough of the same constant size as the constant size of said first portion of said passage and coaxial therewith, means to retain said insert within said single body, a second spherical seat disposed solely in said second portion of said passage adjacent said passage in said insert, and each of said first and second spherical seats being formed of a resilient material; a ball valve disposed in said passage in said single body between said first spherical seat and said second spherical seat, said ball valve having a first spherical segment at one end for engaging said first spherical seat, a second spherical segment at its other end for engaging said second spherical seat, each of said first spherical segment and said second spherical segment being less than a hemisphere and having its inner periphery of the same length, and means connecting said first spherical segment and said second spherical segment to each other; said connecting means having its periphery no greater than the inner periphery of each of said first spherical segment and said second spherical segment; each of said first spherical segment, said second spherical segment, and said connecting means of said ball valve having its periphery smaller than the periphery of said second portion of said passage in said single body to enable insertion of said ball valve through said second portion of said passage in said single body prior to said insert being disposed in said second portion of said passage in said single body, said insert exerting a force on said second spherical seat when retained by said retaining means to exert a force on said ball valve so that said ball valve is held against said first spherical seat, said insert holding said second spherical seat in sealing engagement against said single body and against said ball valve, said second spherical seat serving the dual purpose of providing a seal between said ball valve and said single body and providing the only seal between said insert and said single body; and connecting means having a passage extending therethrough of the same constant size as said first portion of said passage in said single body and said passage in said insert; turning means supported by said single body to turn said ball valve to an open position in which said passage in said connecting means of said ball valve communicates said first portion of said passage in said single body with said passage in said insert and a closed position in which said connecting means blocks communication between said first portion of said passage in said single body and said passage in said insert; said connecting means having cooperating means to cooperate with said turning means to enable said turning means to turn said ball valve, said cooperating means not extending beyond the periphery of said connecting means and not communicating with said passage in said connecting means, said connecting means having its outer surface uninterrupted except for the ends of said passage and said cooperating means, each of said first spherical segment and said second spherical segment having its outer surface uninterrupted; said first spherical segment engaging only said first spherical seat and said second spherical segment engaging only said second spherical seat when said ball valve has been turned to its closed position in which flow cannot occur through said passage in said connecting means of said ball valve; and said single body having an end flange at each end defined as an integral part thereof, each of said end flanges having holes specifically located to enable attachment of each of said end flanges by attaching means to a similar end flange on another element having a passage extending therethrough of the same size as said first portion of said passage in said single body, said passage in said connecting means of said ball valve, and said passage in said insert.