Patent ID: 8627847

Claim:
A valve, comprising: a valve body; a retaining screen at a distal end of said valve body, said retaining screen comprising at least two radial spokes each connected between a periphery of said screen and a central hollow ring, said radial spokes being curved longitudinally so as to distally offset the central ring from said distal end of said valve body, and said spokes arranged to redirect a portion of a fluid during forward flow towards said central ring; a ball seat at a proximal end of said valve body; and a ball; wherein the ball is caged between the retaining screen and the ball seat, wherein the radial spokes are each tapered transversely so as to form a canal to guide the fluid, and wherein in forward flow the ball is held in an open position by the retaining screen such that forward fluid flow is facilitated, said ball being suspended on a layer of fluid flowing between a surface of the ball and an inner surface of said retaining screen, and in backwards flow the ball seals in the ball seat in a closed position, thus preventing backflow.