Integrated Valve System

The present invention relates to an integrated valve system for commencing and stopping and or additionally directing the flow of a fluid through pipes.

Various types of valve systems are known. In one type of valve system, the main valve body and the bleeder valve body are separate valves with the bleeder valve separated from the main valve by some distance. The disadvantage of this type of valve system is that it requires a much larger valve casing in order to accommodate both valves. This results in a greater amount of materials used for the valve casing, thereby leading to wastage and higher costs. Another disadvantage of this type of valve system is that it takes up a great deal of space.

In many types of valves the valve seat rim has no rounding to the edge. The disadvantage of these types of valve is that the valve seat rims allow impurities the opportunity of accumulating so that the valve seat eventually no longer seal perfectly to the resilient casing of the valve body when the valve is actuated in the closed position, causing the valve to leak, thereby making them unsuitable for use where the fluid passing through the valve contains suspended solids, slurries or fluids containing suspended particles. These types of valves therefore cannot be used in the control of high-risk fluids such as acids, gases or fuels.

Also, there are many valves of an electric type that require continuous power being fed to the actuating mechanism during operation. The disadvantage is that power is wasted as additional heat is created requiring additional control capacities and wiring. The continuous feed of power to the valve does not allow a computerized electronic controller the opportunity of communicating with the valve during operation. This leads to higher costs of

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (mjLE 26)

operation and lost time due to heat related failures that cannot be detected until either the valve fails or the system is shut down for testing.

It is desirable to have a valve system that is integrated so that it is compact, taking up little space, having a size so that a valve casing can be compact using a minimal amount of materials. Valve seats, having rims with rounded edges, are also desirable so that as the valve body closes on the valve seat, when actuated in the closed position, pressure squeezes the contaminants out of the way allowing the use of the valve system with high πsk fluids such as acids, gases and fuels. For valve systems that are actuated electrically and controlled electronically, it is desirable that the power is only being fed to each valve system when it is actuated, either in the open or closed position, thereby saving power and putting less strain on the electric motor creating less heat, allowing for the use of wiring that requires less control capacities It is desirable that the same wires that supply the power may be used to electronically monitor the valve for failure except when the valve is actuated to open or close. The present invention relates to a valve system that places a bleeder valve body next to a mam valve body by fitting a rigid cylinder mounted on the back of the bleeder valve body into a transverse groove on the front of the main valve body so that they are integrated within a single valve seal in horizontal orientation which encompasses both mam valve body and bleeder valve body The present invention also relates to an integrated valve system that has valve seat runs with rounded edges of about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees so that contaminants are squeezed out of the way when the valve body closes on the valve seat The present invention further relates to an integrated valve system that operates manually, mechanically, electrically or wirelessly When operated electrically, the same wires that feed the power to the valve system may be used to monitor the valve system for failure through electronic communication between subsidiary computerized electronic controllers at the valve site and a master computerized electronic controller so that when the subsidiary computerized

electronic controller senses a valve system is failing, this information can be communicated electronically to the master computerized electronic controller so that the valve system may be changed during the next regular maintenance thus lessening the tune the system is down for repairs

The present invention consists of an integrated valve system for commencing, stopping and or directing the flow of a fluid through pipes. In one aspect of the invention a main valve body has a lower main valve body of a rigid material The rigid material may be a hard metal The lower portion of the main valve body may be rectangular in shape The lower portion of the main valve body is almost wholly encased in a resilient material The resilient material may be thicker on the back portion of the lower portion of the main valve body than on the front and sides of the lower portion of the main valve body The resilient material may be rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials Above the resilient casmg on the front of die lower portion of the mam valve body there is a transverse groove Near the bottom of the lower portion of the main valve body, a centrally located track forms an opening traversing through all layers of the lower portion of the main valve body The track forming the opening may have an edge extending a little beyond the front surface of the lower portion of the main valve body forming a valve seat. The valve seat may have a run with a rounded edge. The valve seat may have a rim with a rounded edge of about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees A plurality of longitudinal arms extend upward from die lower mam valve body forming the main valve body The arms may be parallel. The arms are made of a rigid material. The rigid material may be a hard metal. The present invention also consists of a bleeder valve body of a rigid material The πgid material may be a hard metal The bleeder valve body may be of a rectangular shape The lower portion of the bleeder valve body is almost wholly encased in a resilient material.

The resilient material may be thicker on the back portion of the lower portion of the bleeder valve body than on the front and sides of the lower portion of the bleeder valve body The resilient material may be rubber, neoprene, urethane. polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials. The bleeder valve body may be of a thinner rigid material than the

80 main valve body. A cylinder made of a rigid material is mounted horizontally near the top of the back of the lower portion of the bleeder valve body in a position so that the cylinder fits smoothly into the transverse groove of the main valve body. The cylinder may be of a hard metal. The cylinder may be hollow. The two valve bodies are placed so that the main valve body and the bleeder valve body are integrated. This is accomplished by fitting the cylinder of the bleeder valve body into the transverse groove on the main valve body. The integrated valve is then encased as a single unit in a valve seal of a resilient material that is oriented horizontally. The resilient materia] may be rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials. The present invention further consists of a valve seat of rigid material that is mounted to the inner wall of a valve casing. The valve seat may

90 be made of a hard metal. The valve seat may have a rim with a rounded edge. The valve seat may have a rim with a rounded edge of about 180 degrees.

hi another aspect of the invention a main valve body has a lower main valve body of a rigid material. The rigid material may be a hard plastic, polymer or the like. The lower portion of the main valve body may be rectangular in shape. The lower portion of the main valve body is almost wholly encased in a resilient material. The resilient material may be thicker on the back portion of the lower portion of the main valve body than on the front and sides of the lower portion of the main valve body. The resilient material may be rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials. Above 100 the resilient casing on the front of the lower portion of the main valve body there is a

transverse groove. Near the bottom of the lower portion of the main valve body, a central track forms an opening traversing through all layers of the lower portion of the main valve body. The track forming the opening may have an edge extending a little beyond the front surface of the lower portion of the main valve body forming a valve seat. The valve seat may have a rim with a rounded edge. The valve seat may have a rim with a rounded edge of about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees. A plurality of longitudinal arms extend upward from the lower main valve body forming the main valve body. The arms may be parallel The arms are made of a rigid material. The πgid material may be a plastic, polymer or the like. The present invention also consists of a Wecder valve body of a rigid material. The rigid material

110 may be a plastic, polymer or the like. The upper portion of the bleeder valve body may be bent so that the upper portion of the bleeder valve body is parallel with the longitudinal arms of the upper portion of the main valve body. The lower portion of the bleeder valve body may be a rectangular shape. The lower portion of the bleeder valve body is almost wholly encased in a resilient material. The resilient material may be thicker on the back portion of the lower portion of the bleeder valve body than on the front and sides of the lower portion of the bleeder valve body. The resilient material may be rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials. The bleeder valve body may be of a thinner rigid material than the main valve body. A cylinder made of a rigid material is mounted horizontally near the top of the back of the lower portion of the bleeder valve body in a

120 position so that the cylinder fits smoothly into the transverse groove of the main valve body The cylinder may be of a plastic, polymer or the like. The cylinder may be solid. The two valve bodies are placed so that the main valve body and the bleeder valve body are integrated. This is accomplished by fitting the cylinder of the bleeder valve body into the transverse groove on the main valve body This integrated valve is then encased as a single unit in a valve seal of a resilient rfqt*"^ ¹ that is oriented horizontally. The resilient material may be

rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials The present invention further consists of a valve seat of rigid material that is mounted to the inner wall of a valve casing The valve seat may be made of a plastic, polymer or the like The valve seat may have a run with a rounded edge The valve seat may have a run with a 130 rounded edge of about 180 degrees

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The invention, as exemplified by a preferred embodiment, is described with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a frontal view of the parts of the integrated valve system 100, and

Figure 2 is a side view of the parts of the integrated valve system 100 shown in Figure 1, and 160

Figure 3 is a side view of the integrated valve system 100 depicting the integrated valve system in its closed position, and

Figure 4 is a side view of the integrated valve system 100 depicting the bleeder valve in its open position, and

170

Figure 5 is a side view of the integrated valve system 100 depicting the bleeder valve and the main valve in their open position, and

Figure 6 is a side view of the integrated valve system 200 depicting the bleeder valve and the main valve in their open position; and 180

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the rounded rims of the valve seats

Now referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show one embodiment of the invention consisting of a frontal view and side view of the parts of the integrated valve system 100 In mis embodiment the main valve body 10, consists of a rigid metal The lower portion 11 of the mam valve body 10 in this embodiment is of a rectangular shape. Near the top of front of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 is a transverse groove 16 A 190 plurality of longitudinal arms 12, 14 extend upwards from the lower portion 1 1 forming the

main valve body 10. The longitudinal arms 12, 14 may be parallel. The bottom portion 11 of the main valve body 10 is encased in a resilient material such as rubber, πeoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials 19. The back lower portion 11 of the main valve body lϋ is encased in a resilient material 19 that is thicker than the resilient material 19 covering the front and sides of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10. A short distance from the bottom of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 is a track forming an opening 18 oriented centrally and traversing through the resilient covering of the back of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10, the rigid material of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 and the resilient covering on the front of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 and extends a little beyond the front surface of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 forming a valve seat 17. The valve seat 17 has a rim with a rounded edge. The bleeder valve 20 is made of a rigid metal. The lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve body 20 is encased in a resilient material such as rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer, or the like but not, however, excluding other materials 28. The back lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve body 20 is encased in a resilient material 28 that is thicker than the resilient material on the front and sides of the lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve body 20. Above the midway of the back of the lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve 20 is a rigid metal , hollow cylinder 26. The upper portion 22 of the bleeder valve 20 is positioned so that it extends upwards in a straight pathway from the lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve body 20. A valve seal 30 consists of a circular resilient material such as rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however, excluding other materials. A valve seat 40 having a rim with a rounded edge and mounted to a valve casing not shown is also depicted. Figure 3 shows the integrated valve system 100 in the closed position and consists of the main valve body 10, sealed tightly against the valve seat 40 of the valve casing not shown, the bleeder valve body 20 sealed tightly against the valve seat 17 of the lower portion

1 1 of the main valve body 10, with the upper portion 12 of the main valve body 10 and the upper portion 22 of the bleeder valve 20 protruding from the valve seal 30. Figure 3 also depicts the cylinder 26 of the bleeder valve 20 fitted into the groove 16 of the main valve body 10. Figure 4 shows a side view of the integrated valve system 100 with the bleeder valve 20 in its actuated open position. The bleeder valve 20 has swung forward into the open position by an actuator not shown. When actuated, the bleeder valve body 20 swings forward resulting in the seal between the valve seat 17 of the main valve body 10 and the bleeder valve 20 to cease, thereby bleeding off the pressure. Figure S shows a side view of the integrated valve system 100 with the bleeder valve 20 and the main valve body 10 in their actuated open position. The bleeder valve 20 and the main valve body 10 have swung forward into the open position by an actuator not shown. When actuated to open, the bleeder valve body 20 swings forward resulting in the seal between the valve seat 17 of the main valve body 10 and the bleeder valve body 20 to cease, thereby bleeding off the pressure. This allows the main valve body 10 to be actuated to open by the actuator. When actuated to open, the main valve body 10 swings forward resulting in the seal between the valve seat 40 mounted to the valve casing not shown and the main valve body 10 to cease, thereby allowing the passage of a fluid past valve seat 40 through a pipe not shown connected to the valve casing not shown. Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the invention consisting of a side view of the integrated valve system 200 in its actuated open position. In this embodiment the main valve body 10, consists of a rigid plastic, polymer or the like. The lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 in this embodiment is of a rectangular shape. Near the top of front of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 is a transverse groove 16. A plurality of longitudinal arms 12 extend upward from the lower portion 11 forming the main valve body. The longitudinal arms 12 are parallel. The bottom portion 11 of the main valve body 10 is encased in a resilient material such as rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not,

however, excluding other materials 19. The back lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 is encased in a resilient material 19 that is thicker than the resilient material 19 covering the front and sides of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10. A short distance from the bottom of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 is a track forming an opening 18 oriented centrally and traversing through the resilient covering of the back of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10, the rigid material of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 and the resilient covering on the front of the lower portion 1 1 of the main valve body 10 and extends a little beyond the front surface of the lower portion 11 of the main valve body 10 forming a valve seat 17. The valve seat 17 has a rim with a rounded

250 edge. The bleeder valve 20, is made of a rigid plastic or polymer. The lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve body 20 is encased in a resilient material such as rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer, or the like but not, however, excluding other materials 28. The back lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve body 20 is encased in a resilient material 28 that is thicker than the resilient material on the front and sides of the lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve body 20. Above the midway of the back of the lower portion 24 of the bleeder valve 20 is a rigid plastic, polymer or the like, solid cylinder 26. The upper portion 22 of the bleeder valve 20 cannot be seen from the side because it is bent so that it is parallel with the longitudinal arms 12 of the main valve body 10. A valve seal 30 consists of a circular resilient material such as rubber, neoprene, urethane, polymer or the like but not, however,

260 excluding other materials. The upper portion 12 of the main valve body 10 and the upper portion 22 of the bleeder valve 20 protrude from the valve seal 30. Figure 6 also depicts the cylinder 26 of the bleeder valve 20 fitted into the groove 16 of the main valve body 10. The main valve body 10 and the bleeder valve 20 are in their actuated open position. The bleeder valve 20 and the main valve body 10 have swung forward into the open position by an actuator not shown. When actuated to open, the bleeder valve body 20 swings forward

resulting in the seal between the valve seat 17 of the main valve body IO and the bleeder valve body 20 to cease, thereby bleeding off the pressure This allows the main valve body 10 to be actuated to open by the actuator When actuated to open, the mam valve body 10 swings forward resulting in the seal between the valve seat 40 of the valve casing not shown and the main valve body 10 to cease, thereby allowing the passage of a fluid past valve seat 40 through the pipe not shown connected to a valve casing not shown Figure 7 shows a cutaway view of the rounded edges of the rim of valve seats 17 and 28 in a flat position rather man in the position in which they appear in Figures 1 , 2, 3, 4 and 5 and 6 The rounded edges of rim of the valve seats 17, 40 do not allow the build up of contaminants since contaminants are squeezed away when the main valve body 10 and the bleeder valve body 20 are actuated in the closed position

Although only two embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, the present invention is not limited to the features of these embodiments, but includes all variations and modifications within the scope of the claims