Patent ID: 7178782

Claim:
A fluid valve device having on opposite sides thereof a valve inlet opening and a valve outlet opening, said fluid valve device comprising: a spherical object having therethrough a diametric passage, said spherical object being rotatable ninety degrees for adjustment between a fully closed valve position and a fully open valve position, said diametric passage being aligned with said valve inlet opening and said valve outlet opening when said fluid valve device is in said fully open valve position, said diametric passage being perpendicular to said valve inlet opening and said valve outlet opening when said fluid valve device is in said fully closed valve position; and two flow impedance units, said flow impedance units being an inlet flow impedance unit and an outlet flow impedance unit, each said flow impedance unit being characterized by flow path tortuosity for impeding fluid flow, said inlet flow impedance unit being situated at said valve inlet opening, said outlet flow impedance unit being situated at said valve outlet opening, said flow impedance units decreasingly and concertedly impeding fluid flow during the adjustment of said fluid valve device from a first partially open valve position to a second partially open valve position, said flow impedance units ceasing to impede fluid flow upon the reaching of said second partially open valve position.