US3042069A - Means for protecting valve handles - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. M. SCHUTTER ETAL MEANS FOR PROTECTING VALVE HANDLES /0 /8 20 Egg-1' July 3, 1962 Filed June 5. 1959 a mflmwm v /iw w /fa July 3, 1962 G. M. SCHUTTER ETAL 3,042,069

MEANS FOR PROTECTING VALVE HANDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 3, 1959 This invention relates to valves and is particularly concerned with the provision of means for protecting valve handles from damage or dislodgment during periods of non-use. This application is a continuation-in-part of the application of George M. Schutter and Robert G. Young, Jr., Serial No. 368,548, filed July 17, 1953, allowed December 8, 1958 and forfeited June 8, 1959, which application was a continuation-impart of the application of George M. Schutter and Robert G. Young, Jr., Serial No. 265,815, filed January 10, 1952, now abandoned. The valves disclosed in the aforesaid applications are used principally in the delivery of liquid fuels such as fuel oil or gasoline, but they may be used, if desired, in the delivery of other liquids. 'I'hese valves differ from conventional fuel delivery valves in that the handles which control the operation of the valve are on the top side of the valve body opposite the discharge opening as distinguished from conventional type valves in which there is a lever on the under side between the discharge port and the body protected by a hand guard.

It is not unusual for a fuel delivery man to drag the fuel hose and its associated valve across the ground prior connecting up with the tank fill pipe for delivery and thereafter as the hose is being reeled up on the truck. It is obvious that with valves of the type disclosed herein in which the operating handles are on the top of the valve body there is considerable likelihood of the handle being moved to open position should the valve be dragged along the ground. This problem is not present with conventional valves in which the valve handle is inherently protected by virtue of its location and by the hand guard.

Since the valve stem used in controlling the valves with which the present invention is used is of the type which is either drawn axially from the body or is rotated about its longitudinal axis or is moved both longitudinally and rotationally, it is apparent that the inclusion of a guard rail over the handle would render operation of the valve difficult. However, the valve handle must be protected in some way, and it is toward the solving of this problem that the present application is directed.

In general, it may be stated that the protection of the valve handle is achieved through the cooperation of a latching mechanism which functions to hold the valve handle in closed position and protective raised portions extending upwardly from the valve body adjacent the handle in its closed position. These raised portions of the valve body are of such height that all parts of the handle will be within lines running therebetween. Thus if the valve should become inverted as it is dragged along the ground, the raised portions would engage the ground, protecting the handle and thus substantially eliminating the possibility of accidental opening of the valve.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of one type of valve incorporating the invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section showing the invention used with a valve generally of the type shown in FIG. 1 but actuated by a different type of handle.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the invention used with still another type of valve in which there is a different type of handle latching means.

ttes Patent FIG. 4 is a vertical section of a so-oalled ball type valve showing the invention used therewith.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 correspond to FIGS. 1, 15 and 19 of application Serial No. 368,548, above referred to.

Referring generally to the figures, FIG. 1 shows the invention used with a piston valve which is controlled by a pilot valve. Raising and lowering of the pilot valve causes the piston valve to be correspondingly moved under the influences of the liquid pressure. A latch is in corporated in the valve housing construction for holding the piston valve in down closed position where it will be adequately protected by the raised portions of the Valve body.

FIG. 2 shows the invention in use with the same type of pilot valve as in FIG. 1 but in which the operative handle is held in closed position by forcing it under an overhanging lip which is part of one of the two raised portions of the body that protect the handle.

FIG. 3 shows the invention in use with still another type of piston valve in which the handle is maintained in closed position by the coaction of a spring pressed latch which prevents the handle from swinging sideways and a laterally extending arm attached to the pilot valve which cooperates with a cam track in the valve body to hold the handle in down closed position.

FIG. 4 shows the invention used With still another type of valve. In this case the valve is a ball valve having a controlling stem extending vertically upward through the housing to which is attached a handle for rotating the valve. The handle is locked in closed position by means of a spring pressed latch.

In all of the figures it will be seen that the handle that controls the valve has means associated therewith for maintaining it in closed position with respect to the valve body and on opposite sides of valve handle are raised portions integral with the valve body which extend upwardly above the valve handle to protect the handle against dislodgment as the valve may be dragged over the ground or otherwise mishandled.

A detailed description of the invention will now be given. In FIG. 1 the valve body 2 is connected in any convenient or conventional way with a supply hose 4. The valve 6 disclosed in FIG. 1 is a so-called piston valve. The actuation of this valve is controlled by a pilot valve 8 which may be moved up or down as the operator may grasp and pull or push on a finger gripping button 10. Piston valve 6 has a small bleed port 7 through its wall through which fluid under pressure from supply hose 4 may enter the chamber 9 to force piston valve 6 downwardly into the adpater 13, where it is in sealed position by virtue of the O-ring 15. Fluid is prevented from escaping from chamber 9 past the pilot valve 8 by the 0- ring 17. When the pilot valve 8 is raised by the operator upon release of the latch plate 11 from the groove 12 in the finger gripping button 10, the transverse port 19 connecting with a vertical central passage 21 in the pilot valve 8 permits discharge of fluid in chamber 9 to the spout 23, with an immediate drop in pressure. As a result, the pressure of fluid from the supply hose 4, acting upwardly on the annular surface 25, is greater than the downward pressure of the fluid remaining in chamber 9. This causes piston valve 6 to move upwardly until such time as the O-ring 17 passes above the port 19 to shut off further escape of fluid from chamber 9. When this occurs, fluid under pressure from supply hose 4 enters through the bleed port 7 to reestablish pressure in charm.

ber 9 to stop the upward movement of piston valve 6. Piston valve 6 thus can be made to assume any degree of open position, which will be determined by the vertical location of the port 19 in pilot valve 8.

From this explanation, it can be seen that the further upward pilot valve 8 is moved the more the piston valve 6 will rise, with a corresponding increase in the discharge of fluid. It might be mentioned that the eifective under side of piston valve 6 is at the dotted line 27. The part numbered 29 is one of four radially extending vertical fins which act as means for guiding the lower end of the piston valve with respect to the adaptor 13.

When the pilot valve is in maximum down position, with the finger gripping button latched by the plate 11, the spring 31 will be compressed by the washer 33 fixed to the pilot valve to exert a downward force on piston valve 6, thereby to hold it firmly in closed position. On the forward side of valve body 2 is a raised curved portion 14, the upper surface of which at 16 is above the upper surface of the finger gripping button 10 when latched in closed position. At the rear of the finger gripping button is a second raised curved portion 18, the upper surface of which as at is likewise above the upper surface of the finger gripping button 10 when the latter is in closed position. Thus it is believed apparent that if the valve body of FIG. 1 should be dragged along the ground in upside down condition the raised portions 14 and 18 would act to prevent damage to or dislod'gment of the finger gripping button 10.

In FIG. 2 the valve body 2 encloses a piston valve 6 of of the same type as that disclosed in FIG. 1. This piston valve is controlled by a pilot valve 8, of which the actuating handle 22 when in closed position extends rearwardly and has its terminal end 24 looked under the end of an overhanging lip 26. By pressing down on the end of handle 22 it will deflect suficiently to clear lip 26 so that they may then be swung laterally to be raised or lowered to cause desired actuation of the piston valve.

In this construction there is, at the front end of the body, an integral raised portion 28 and at the rear of the body there is an integral raised portion 30. These two portions are of such height that when the handle is in closed latched position it will be within the horizontal and lateral confines of the raised portions. Thus the handle is protected in the same manner as the finger gripping button 10 is protected in FIG. 1 should the valve body be dragged along the ground.

In FIG. 3 the valve body 2 has therein a piston valve 6 operable according to the principle of operation of the piston valves shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is controlled by a pilot valve 8 which has on its upper end a handle 32. A spring pressed latch 34 has its lower end positioned in a notch 36 in the upper surface of the valve body when the valve is in closed position. The lower end of pilot valve 8 has a laterally extending arm 38 which is movable in a cam track 40 as the pilot valve may be rotated by handle 32. Thus rotation of handle 32 after disengagement of latch 34 from notch 36 causes the pilot valve 8 to move up as indicated in the dotted line position. When the handle 32 has been swung to the solid line position shown in FIG. 3, the arm 38 will be at the lowermost part of cam track 40. This will maintain the pilot valve and the piston valve in closed position. At the front end of the valve body is a raised portion 42 and at the rear is a raised portion 44, the upper surfaces of which are high enough to have the handle 32 and latch 34 confined therewithin. By this construction the operating handle of the valve shown in FIG. 3 is protected against damage or dislodgment should the valve body be draggedv along the ground or otherwise mishandled.

In FIG. 4 the invention is shown in use with still another type of valve. Here the valve body 2 has therein a ball valve 46 which may be rotated from open to closed position by means of a cooperating valve stem 48 which extends through the upper surface of the valve body. Valve stem 48 has secured thereto a handle 50 which on being swung in either direction will open the valve.

a eaaeee When the valve is closed, the handle may be maintained in this condition by the interaction of a spring pressed latch 52 with a notch 54 in a plate 56 secured to the upper surface of the valve body. At the front end of the of the valve body is a raised portion 58 and at the rear is a raised portion 60, both of which raised portions are high enough so that the valve handle and latch will be protected should the valve body be dragged along the ground in inverted position.

From the foregoing illustrative uses of the invention it will be seen that it is applicable to any type of valve which has a valve stem extending through the upper part of the valve body with a handle or finger gripping means thereon which is moved outwardly away from a closed and latched position close to the body. When in closed position the handle or finger gripping means is in every case protected by upwardiy extending portions which are associated with the valve body, the raised portions being of adequate height to give the protection deemed necessary.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A nozzle for dispensing fluid under pressure comprising a body and a movable valve therewithin, means for controlling the movement of said valve, said means comprising a rod extending through the said body and being rotatable with respect to said body between open and closed position for said valve, an elongated handle connected perpendicular to said rod extending along the outer surface of said body in said closed position and extending transverse to said body in said open position, releasable means for holding said handle in fixed relation to said body, and a pair of opposed raised POFtiOIls on said body adjacent opposite ends of said handle in said closed position and extending beyond the profile of said handle in said closed position to protect said handle while permitting free access thereto.

2. A nozzle for dispensing fluid as set forth in claim 1, in which said handle in closed position is within the horizontal at lateral confines of the lines between the tops of said raised portions.

3. A nozzle for dispensing fiuid as set forth in claim 1, said rod and handle being rotatable from closed position either clockwise or counterclockwise to open said valve.

4. A nozzle according to claim 3 in which said handle is elongated and in said closed position aligned with the body of said valve, said handle in said open position extending radially beyond the body of said valve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 685,612 Jakobson Oct. 29, 1901 744,777 Martin Nov. 24, 1903 862,879 Brown Aug. 13, 1907 1,539,073 Carter May 26, 1925 1,650,589 Anderson Nov. 29, 1927 1,928,186 Prisk Sept. 26, 1933 1,940,797 Halvorsen Dec. 26, 1933 1,981,230 Glab Nov. 20, 1934 1,988,957 Newell Jan. 22, 1935 2,662,546 Nelson Dec. 15, 1953 2,672,879 Downin Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 79,233 Switzerland of 1919 597,946 France Sept. 14, 1925

Images