Patent ID: 8297590

Claim:
An expanding non-ported gate valve, comprising: a valve body having a valve cavity forming a flow passageway with a flow passageway axis; a non-ported gate assembly coupled to the valve body traverse to the flow passageway, the gate assembly adapted to expand in thickness in a closed position to seal the valve relative to a thickness of the gate assembly in an at least partially open position, the gate assembly comprising: a non-ported gate; a segment slidably coupled to the gate; and a rocker arm pivotally coupled to the gate and the segment; a pair of slotted guides fixedly positioned on the valve body, the guides each having a first side coupled to a second side and separated from the second side by a guide slot and an opened guide slot and mounted in axial alignment from the first side to the second side along a direction of the flow passageway axis and disposed laterally to the gate assembly, the slotted guides being slidably coupled with the gate assembly and adapted to guide the gate assembly as the gate assembly traverses across the flow passageway as the valve closes and opens, each guide comprising: the guide slot having a first width; the opened guide slot having a second width greater than the first width, the opened guide slot being formed in the guide at a position that corresponds with a position of the gate assembly in a closed position across the flow passageway; and wherein movement of the rocker arm in a direction along the flow passageway axis in the guide slot and the opened guide slot controls the thickness of the gate assembly.