Patent ID: 7267323

Claim:
In a ball valve, the combination comprising: (a) a valve body having a chamber, aligned inlet and outlet passages providing flow therethrough, and an access passage communicating with said chamber; and (b) a replaceable cartridge assembly seated in said chamber and including: (i) a generally spherical ball having a flow passage therethrough alignable with said inlet and outlet passages; (ii) an inlet valve seat seating a peripheral portion of said ball and extending about said inlet passage; (iii) an outlet valve seat seating a peripheral portion of said ball and extending about said outlet passage; (iv) first resiliently deflectable biasing means extending about the inlet end of said cartridge body; and (v) second resiliently deflectable biasing means biasing said inlet valve seat against said ball and said outlet seat; (vi) a cartridge body member extending about and coupling said second biasing means, ball and said valve seats; and (vii) deflecting means movable between a first position in which said first biasing means is substantially free from deflection and a second position deflecting said first biasing means, said first biasing means biasing said cartridge body and said outlet valve seat against the wall of said valve body chamber to effect a seat-to-body seal.