Valve having at least one hourglass studs for coupling to diaphragm and compressor/spindle components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9366346-B2
Application number	US-201414192981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2014
Priority date	Feb 28, 2014
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

Apparatus, including or forming part of a diaphragm valve, features a diaphragm; a compressor or spindle component; and at least one hourglass-stud having a head configured to couple to the compressor or spindle component, having a lower shaft configured to couple to the diaphragm, and having an upper shaft configured to couple together the head and the lower shaft, the head having opposing curved surfaces configured and dimensioned with a width so as to be substantially the same as the diameter of the lower shaft, the upper shaft having a diameter configured and dimensioned so as to be smaller, including slightly smaller, than the width of the opposing curved surfaces of the head.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus, including a valve or a diaphragm valve, comprising:
a diaphragm having a diaphragm portion;
a compressor or spindle component configured with a compressor or spindle ledge; and
at least one hourglass-stud having a head configured with a ledge to engage the compressor or spindle ledge of the compressor or spindle component with a simple floating connection, having a lower shaft configured to couple to the diaphragm portion of the diaphragm, and having an upper shaft configured to couple together the head and the lower shaft, the head and the upper shaft having a diameter differential configured and dimensioned so as to form the ledge of the head to engage the compressor or spindle ledge of the compressor or spindle component with the simple floating connection, either by sliding the at least one hourglass-stud into at least one corresponding slot of the compressor or spindle component, or by passing the head of the at least one hourglass-stud through an associated slot of the compressor or spindle component and rotating the diaphragm a ¼ turn, the simple floating connection coupling together the diaphragm and compressor or spindle component and eliminating customer variations in attachment “turns” associated with a threaded design.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the head and the lower shaft are configured so that, when the at least one hourglass-stud is molded during high pressure processing, powder is compressed and a stud seal is maintained, including where the powder is PTFE powder.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the upper shaft is configured so that, when the at least one hourglass-stud is molded during high pressure processing, a slightly smaller diameter of the upper shaft allows for precise height positioning of the at least one hourglass-stud.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the head has opposing curved surfaces configured and dimensioned with a width so as to be substantially the same as the diameter of the lower shaft; and
the upper shaft has a diameter configured and dimensioned so as to be smaller, than the width of the opposing curved surfaces of the head to form the ledge for the simple floating connection with the compressor or spindle ledge of the compressor or spindle component.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the head of the at least one hourglass-stud is configured to be axially symmetric for slide-on applications to the compressor or spindle component.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one hourglass-stud is configured as a single integral unit formed or manufactured as a single integral molded unit using a molding process.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the head comprises a curved circumferential surface, and the width of the opposing curved surfaces corresponds to the diameter of the curved circumferential surface.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one hourglass-stud comprises two hourglass-studs, each hourglass-stud is configured to couple to the diaphragm and the compressor or spindle component.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the compressor or spindle component includes two slots formed therein and configured to accept the two hourglass studs with a linear motion, perpendicular to an opening/closing motion of the diaphragm.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
each hourglass-stud is configured with a respective ledge; and
each slot is configured with a corresponding ledge to engage the respective ledge of the respective hourglass stud for providing a respective simple floating connection between each of the two hourglass-studs and the compressor or spindle component.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one hourglass-stud comprises a base configured to be embedded in the diaphragm portion of the diaphragm.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the opposing flat surfaces cut or formed therein are configured for ¼ turn applications.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the opposing flat surfaces are configured and dimensioned with a corresponding width that is substantially the same as the diameter of the upper shaft.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the compressor or spindle component comprises a single slot formed therein and configured to allow passage of the head of a single hourglass-stud, so that a quarter turn of the diaphragm in either rotational direction, the head of the single hourglass-stud can no longer pass through the single slot, and the simple floating connection is made between the single hourglass-stud and the compressor or spindle component.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein
the single slot is configured with the compressor or spindle ledge to engage the ledge of the single hourglass-stud when the diaphragm is rotated with the quarter turn.

16. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one hourglass-stud comprises a base with scallops formed therein and configured to be embedded in the diaphragm portion of the diaphragm.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the scallops are configured to prevent the at least one hourglass-stud from turning within the diaphragm portion of the diaphragm.

18. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes, or forms part of, the valve or diaphragm valve.

19. A valve or a diaphragm valve, comprising:
a diaphragm having two diaphragm portions;
a compressor or spindle component having two slots, each slot configured with a respective compressor or spindle ledge; and
two hourglass-studs, each hourglass-stud configured as a single piece with a molded construction, each hourglass-stud having a respective head, a respective lower shaft and a respective upper shaft in between, each lower shaft configured to couple to a respective one of the two diaphragm portions of the diaphragm, each upper shaft configured to couple together the respective head and the respective lower shaft of the respective head, each head and each upper shaft having a respective diameter differential configured and dimensioned so as to form a respective ledge of the respective head, each head configured to slide into a respective slot of the compressor or spindle component so each respective ledge engages a corresponding respective compressor or spindle ledge of the compressor or spindle component with a respective simple floating connection, the simple floating connection coupling together the diaphragm and compressor or spindle component and eliminating customer variations in attachment “turns” associated with a threaded design.

20. An apparatus, including a valve or a diaphragm valve, comprising:
a diaphragm having a diaphragm portion;
a compressor or spindle component configured with a slot having a compressor or spindle ledge formed therein; and
an hourglass-stud being configured as a single piece with a molded construction having a head, a lower shaft and an upper shaft in between, the lower shaft configured to couple to the diaphragm portion of the diaphragm, the upper shaft configured to couple together the head and the lower shaft, the head and the upper shaft having a diameter differential configured and dimensioned so as to form the ledge of the head, the head of the hourglass-stud configured to pass axially through the slot of the compressor or spindle component so the ledge of the head engages the compressor or spindle ledge of the compressor or spindle compo

Assignees

• Itt Mfg Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Matalon Louis E
• Butler Ronald G

Classifications

• F16K7/126 Primary

  the seat being formed on a rib perpendicular to the fluid line · CPC title

• F16K7/16 Primary

  the diaphragm being mechanically actuated, e.g. by screw-spindle or cam · CPC title