Patent ID: 7360600

Claim:
A subsurface safety valve usable with a wellbore, comprising: a tubular body adapted for placement within the wellbore and defining a fluid passageway; a valve closure member carried by the tubular body and movable through a closure path between positions opening and closing the fluid passageway; a first actuator for urging the valve closure member to its closing position; a flow tube axially-movable within the tubular body between a first position preventing the first actuator from urging the valve closure member to its closing position and a second position permitting the first actuator to urge the valve closure member to its closing position, the flow tube comprising an end; and a latch assembly adapted to: when the flow tube is in the first position, be placed in a first state in which the latch assembly secures the closure member to prevent movement of the valve closure member into the valve closure path; and in response to the end of the flow tube clearing the valve closure path such that the entire flow tube is clear of the valve closure path, transition from the first state to a second state in which the latch assembly releases the valve closure member to allow the valve closure member to move through the valve closure path to a closed position.