Flow control devices

Claim 1

A VALVE INCLUDING: A VALVE BODY HAVING A CHAMBER THEREIN AND AXIALLY ALIGNED INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGES DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO SAID CHAMBER, SAID BODY HAVING CONVERGENT PLANAR SURFACES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID PASSAGES AND DEFINING OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CHAMBER WITH RESPECT TO SAID PASSAGES; A PAIR OF INSERTS DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBER, EACH OF SAID INSERTS HAVING A PLANAR SURFACE CONFORMING TO AND DISPOSED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF THE PLANAR SURFACES OF SAID VALVE BODY IN SAID CHAMBER OF SAID VALVE BODY AND HAVING AN ANNULAR SPHERICAL SURFACE DISPOSED ON THE SIDE OF SAID INSERT OPPOSITE SAID PLANAR SURFACE, SAID INSERTS HAVING A FLOW PASSAGE THERETHROUGH COMMUNICATING AT ONE END WITH THE ADJACENT INLET OR OUTLET PASSAGES AND AT ITS OTHER END OPENING OUTWARDLY WITHIN THE ANNULAR CONCAVE SPHERICAL SURFACE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID INSERT, SAID ANNULAR CONCAVE SPHERICAL SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID INSERTS FACING INWARDLY TOWARD AND BEING SPACED FROM THE CONCAVE SPHERICAL SURFACE OF THE OPPOSITE INSERT; A SPHERICAL BALL VALVE MEMBER DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID INSERTS AND HAVING A SPHERICAL SURFACE ENGAGEABLE WITH THE ANNULAR SPHERICAL SURFACES OF SAID INSERTS IN SELING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, SAID BALL VALVE HAVING A PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED SHAFT PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM PROVIDING MEANS FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID BALL VALVEA IN SAID BODY, ONE OF SAID SHAFT PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID VALVE BODY AND PROVIDING MEANS FOR MOUNTING AN OPERATING HANDLE THEREON; SAID BALL VALVE HAVING AN IMPERFORATE PORTION AND A TRANSVERSE PASSAGE THERETHROUGH EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT PORTIONS AND ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY REGISTERED WITH SAID PASSAGES OF SAID INSERTS UPON ROTATION OF SAID BALL VALVE ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT PORTIONS, SAID VALVE BODY HAVING AN APERTURE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER AXIALLY OF THE DIVERGENT END PORTIONS OF SAID PLANAR SURFACES OF SAID BODY, SAID SHAFT PORTION OF SAID BALL VALVE OPPOSITE THE HANDLE SHAFT PORTION COMPRISING A SUPPORTING SHAFT PORTION, SAID APERTURE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID SUPPORTING SHAFT PORTION OPPOSITE THE HANDLE SHAFT PORTION; CLOSURE MEANS RELEASABLY SECURED IN SAID APERTURE OF SAID BODY; MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CLOSURE MEANS AND HAVING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SUPPORT SHAFT PORTION OF SAID BALL VALVE FOR ADJUSTABLY MOVING SAID BALL VALVE TRANSVERSELY OF THE FLOW PASSAGES IN SAID CHAMBER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CONVERGENCE OF SAID PLANAR SURFACES IN SAID CHAMBER OF SAID BODY, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID BALL VALVE MOVES SAID INSERTS THERWITH, THE CAMMING ACTION BETWEEN THE CONVERGENT PLANAR SURFACES OF THE CHAMBER OF THE VALVE BODY AND SAID INSERTS MOVING SAID INSERTS INTO CLOSE SEALING ENGAGMENT WITH SAID BALL VALVE AND INTO CLOSER SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONVERGENT PLANAR SURFACES OF THE VALVE BODY, SAID SUPPORT MEANS ON SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND SAID SUPPORT SHAFT PORTION OF SAID BALL VALVE PREVENTING DISPLACEMENT OF SAID BALL VALVE AND SAID VALVE INSERTS FROM OPERATIVE POSITION WITHIN SAID VALVE BODY BY THE PRESSURE OF FLUIDS WITHIN SAID VALVE BODY.