Patent ID: 7428913

Claim:
A valve assembly comprising: a valve body including an orifice; a valve member received in the valve body and movable along an axis with respect to the orifice, the valve member including a cup in an end of the valve member having an end wall facing the orifice of the valve body; a fulcrum extending from the end wall of the cup towards the orifice; a plug received in the cup of the valve member against the fulcrum and opposite the orifice of the valve body such that, when the valve member is moved along the axis towards the orifice, the plug contacts the valve body to seal the orifice; a flat spring having an outer portion secured to the end of the valve member and flexible arms retaining the plug in the cup so that the plug can be articulated about the fulcrum to properly align the plug with the valve body and fully seal the orifice when the valve member is moved along the axis towards the orifice, wherein the fiat spring is secured to the end of the valve member with a clamping ring; and a valve seat secured to the valve body and defining the orifice, wherein the valve seat is sized and adapted so that a planar seating surface of the valve seat will extend through central openings of the flat spring and the clamping ring to contact a planar seating surface of the plug to seal the orifice when the valve member is moved along the axis towards the valve seat.