Patent ID: 8162894

Claim:
A valve opener for insertion through a valve system having a plurality of axially arranged valve members, each valve member including a generally circular hole extending therethrough, the valve opener comprising: a tubular body including proximal and distal ends and a central bore formed through the proximal and distal ends defining a longitudinal axis, the tubular body including a handle portion extending from the proximal end to a larger diameter portion and a distal portion extending from the larger diameter portion to the distal end, the distal portion having a flared section extending from the larger diameter portion and a tapered section extending from the flared section, wherein the larger diameter portion has a first outer diameter larger than a second outer diameter of the distal portion, the second outer diameter of the distal portion being the greatest outer diameter of the distal portion, wherein the flared section has a third outer diameter increasing distally along the longitudinal axis and the tapered section has a fourth outer diameter decreasing distally along the longitudinal axis to the distal end, the fourth outer diameter of the tapered section continuously decreasing from the second outer diameter to the distal end.