Patent ID: 7527238

Claim:
A protection structure for a rod seal member, comprising: a valve having a main valve part, including: a first port parallel along a longitudinal axis of the valve; a second port substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the valve; and a flow path for fluid flow between the first port and the second port when a valve element opens the first port; a rod for driving the valve element to one of closed and open positions by slidably moving within a through hole disposed longitudinally at a center part of a bonnet via the rod seal member; the valve element disposed between the rod seal member and the flow path, includes: a main member comprised of a substantially circular disc, having: a first side that includes: a center coupled with an end of the rod; the first side having a stepwise increase in height, a radial distant away from the center; a flange at a proximate radial distal end on the first side; a recess delimited with the flange at a radial distal end of the recess and a final increased stepwise height at a radial proximal end of the recess; a substantially flat second side that abuts a valve seat, and includes a ring seal member housed within a first groove located at a radial distal end of the second side; a sub-member housed within the recess for providing added protection for the rod seal member from the flow path, the sub-member is comprised of: a substantially circular disc with a circular central hole at a sub-member center for inserting and coupling the end of the rod with the center; a first abutting seal surface that includes a second groove, proximal around the sub-member center for housing an elastic seal member; the first abutting seal surface, including the elastic seal member abut against a second abutting seal surface of the bonnet for sealing off fluid flows from the path flow reaching the rod seal member.