Patent ID: 7021325

Claim:
A valve assembly, comprising: a valve body having first and second ends and a hollow valve body interior extending along a first axis between the first and second ends; an opening-defining portion of the valve body that defines an access opening providing access to the hollow valve body interior along a second axis that intersects the first axis; and a gate-like valve-stopping mechanism within the hollow valve body interior, the gate-like valve-stopping mechanism including a valve-stopping-element support structure and a valve-stopping element on the valve-stopping-element support structure, said valve-stopping-element support structure defining a fluid-communications-providing opening; the valve-stopping-element support structure being shaped and dimensioned to enable a user to move the valve-stopping-element support structure linearly through the access opening along the second axis to a position within the hollow valve body interior intermediate the first and second ends; and the valve-stopping element being mounted pivotally on the valve-stopping-element support structure for pivotal movement about the second axis between a first position of the valve-stopping element in which the valve-stopping element stops fluid communications between the first and second ends through the fluid-communications-providing opening and a second position of the valve-stopping element in which the valve-stopping element does not stop such fluid communications.