Patent ID: 6237621
Filing Date: 2001-05-29
Classification: A47C,F16K,Y10T

Abstract:
A self-sealing valve, comprising:a valve housing having a fluid inlet defined by an inner wall, the valve housing also having a valve seat facing an interior of the valve housing and the valve housing being configured to require fluid being transferred between the interior and an exterior of the valve housing to pass through the fluid inlet;a valve assembly that selectively covers the fluid inlet to provide a self-seal, including:a hanger arm attached at a first end of the hanger arm to the inner wall of the valve housing via a hinge assembly disposed between the first end of the hanger arm and the inner wall, the hanger arm having a second end that may be moved about a hinge point of the hinge assembly in a first direction from a closed position towards the interior of the valve housing to an open position and that may be moved about the hinge point in a second direction, opposite of the first direction, from the open position towards the exterior of the valve housing to the closed position; anda flexible diaphragm having an area larger than an area of the fluid inlet, having a first surface facing the interior of the valve housing and having a second surface facing the exterior of the valve housing, the flexible diaphragm being mounted to the hanger arm at a mount to allow movement of a part of a periphery of the flexible diaphragm about the mount in the first direction towards the interior of the valve housing away from the valve seat to the open position and to allow movement of the part of the periphery of the flexible diaphragm about the mount in the second direction towards the exterior of the valve housing so that the periphery of the flexible diaphragm engages against the valve seat in the closed position to provide the self-seal.