Patent ID: 8707981
Filing Date: 2014-04-29
Classification: F16K,G01F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A valve assembly having an inlet and an outlet, the valve assembly adapted to increase the accuracy of an upstream water meter, the valve assembly comprising: a cylindrical valve housing, the valve housing have a forward valve inlet and a rearward valve outlet, a tapered valve seat positioned adjacent the valve inlet, first and second cylindrical recesses positioned adjacent the valve outlet; a valve disc positioned within the valve housing, the disc being tapered along its length, wherein the taper of the valve seat matches the taper of the valve disc, the valve disc having a seated orientation wherein it is in contact with the valve seat and an unseated orientation wherein the valve disc is spaced from the valve seat; a valve shaft having a forward end, a rearward end, and an intermediate extent therebetween, a threaded fastener securing the valve disc to the forward end of the valve shaft; a retainer secured within the first recess of the valve housing, the retainer including a series of circular apertures to permit the flow of fluid through the valve outlet, the retainer further including opposing shoulders of varying height, the opposing shoulders extending perpendicularly from a surface of the retainer and having an axial passage, the valve shaft slidably positioned within the axial passage; a locking ring secured within the second recess of the valve housing and operable to lock the retainer within the valve housing; a coil spring positioned about the intermediate extent of the valve shaft, the coil spring having a first end in contact with one of the two opposing shoulders of the retainer, a second end of the coil spring contacting the valve disc, whereby the spring tension is varied depending upon which of the two shoulders the coil spring contacts; whereby water flowing from the inlet to the outlet of the valve assembly contacts the valve disc and further wherein a pre-determined water pressure is sufficient to unseat the valve disc and thereby compress air into the upstream water source thereby increasing the density of the water.