Gate valve seat skirt

Claim 1

A GATE VALVE COMPRISING A VALVE BODY HAVING A VALVE CHAMBER FORMED THEREIN, FLOW PASSAGES FORMED IN SAID VALVE BODY AND INTERSECTING SAID VALVE CHAMBER, A VALVE GATE MEMBER HAVING PLANAR SEALING SURFACES AND MOVABLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID VALVE CHAMBER, SAID GATE MEMBER HAVING A THROUGH PASSAGE FORMED THEREIN AND BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION WHERE SAID THROUGH PASSAGE IS ALIGNED WITH SAID FLOW PASSAGES AND A CLOSED POSITION WHERE SAID GATE BLOCKS SAID FLOW PASSAGES, SEAT MEANS CARRIED BY THE VALVE BODY AND ADAPTED TO SEALINGLY ENGAGE THE PLANAR SEALING SURFACES OF THE GATE IN ANGULAR AREAS SURROUNDING THE THROUGH PASSAGE, EACH OF SAID SEAT MEANS HAVING AN ANNULAR FLANGE FORMED THEREON, VALVE GUIDE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SEATING MEANS, SAID GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING A GENERALLY PLANAR BODY PORTION HAVING A GENERALLY ANNULAR OPENING THEREIN, SAID ANNULAR OPENING RECEIVING SAID FLANGE OF SAID SEAT MEANS, SAID GUIDE MEANS HAVING VERTICALLY DISPOSED VALVE GUIDE FLANGES FOR PREVENTING EXCESSIVE LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID GATE, SAID GUIDE FLANGES ENGAGING SAID SEAT MEANS FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF SAID GUIDE MEMBER IN ONE AXIAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT MEANS, TAB MEANS ON SAID PLANAR BODY PORTION ENGAGING SAID ANNULAR FLANGE FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID GUIDE MEMBER IN THE OTHER AXIAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT MEMBER.