Patent ID: 9695945
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: F16K,Y10T

Claim:
1. A fine control gas valve, comprising: a tee having first and second tee runs co-axially aligned on a longitudinal axis, and a tee branch oriented non-parallel to the longitudinal axis; a hand operator member configured to be engaged with one or more fingers and rotated; a sleeve fixedly secured to the first tee run, the sleeve having a threaded bore coaxially aligned with an axial center of the first tee run, and configured to telescopically engage with the hand operator member as the hand operator member is rotated; a valve assembly partially received in the first tee run and having a valve disc connected to a threaded drive screw, the threaded drive screw being threadably engaged in the threaded bore of the sleeve and operably coupled to the hand operator member such that rotational movement of the hand operator member causes a corresponding rotational movement of the threaded drive screw through the sleeve, and concurrent longitudinal movement of the valve disc within the first tee run; the second tee run configured to accept a section of an external piping such that the external piping is disposed generally coaxial with an axial center of the first tee run; the valve disc being moveable from a first position in which the valve disc prevents flow of a fluid from the second tee run into the tee branch, and a second position in which the valve disc permits flow through the second tee run into the tee branch; the valve disc including a disc flange projecting radially outwardly to help form a sealing surface, and first and second disc slots formed adjacent the disc flange for modifying flow through the gas valve when the valve disc is initially opened, the disc slots each having a pie-shaped configuration, the second disc slot being a mirror image of the first disc slot and positioned 180 degrees about the valve disc with respect to the first disc slot; and the sleeve of the gas valve including markings that become visible or obscured depending on a telescopic positioning of the hand operator member relative to the sleeve, the markings being useable to help a user understand how flow of the fluid through the gas valve will be affected by axial positioning of the valve disc within the first tee run.