Patent ID: 7069997

Claim:
An insert for use in the shell of a ball and seat valve finding application in a reciprocating downhole pump, comprising: a cylindrical tubular body forming a through-bore and having vertically spaced apart top and bottom rings joined by circumferentially spaced apart ribs, the rings and ribs combining to form side openings; the ribs supporting inwardly protruding flanges having upper inner ends arching together toward the longitudinal axis of the body, the flanges each thinning upwardly and inwardly and having curved bottom surfaces; and an upwardly directed, elongate reinforcing member connected with the flanges at their upper inner ends, the reinforcing member and flanges protruding above the top ring; the curved bottom surfaces of the flanges and the reinforcing member combining to form a semi-spherical ball stop located beneath an upper edge of the top ring.