PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15879027
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-01
Publication Date: 2018-06
Patent Classification: ["137", "494000"]

Abstract:
A modified vacuum actuated valve assembly and sealing mechanism is provided for improved sub-atmospheric flow stability characterized by the absence of delivery pressure spikes and flow excursions. The valve assembly includes a non-stationary thermoplastic seat and a stabber. The stabber is characterized by a top portion having a circular periphery designed to mechanically engage and disengage with an inner sealing surface of the thermoplastic seat. The sealing surface is coined to eliminate surface irregularities contained therein, thereby producing a relatively smooth coined mating inner sealing surface for the circular top portion of the stabber. The valve assembly also includes a modified bellows capable of fine tuning the delivery pressure of the valve assembly.

Claim (Index 1):
A vacuum-actuated valve assembly ( 10 ), comprising:\n a modified bellows ( 13 ) defined at least in part by an enclosed chamber ( 18 ) sealed to isolate said chamber ( 18 ) from an outside region ( 14 ) surrounding the bellows ( 13 ), said bellows ( 13 ) comprising side regions ( 31 ) configured to longitudinally expand in response to a predetermined vacuum condition surrounding the outside region ( 14 ) of the bellows ( 13 ), said bellows ( 13 ) having a top portion threadably engaged to a port body ( 21 ) along an outer diameter of the bellows ( 13 ), and said bottom portion of the bellows ( 13 ) substantially defined by a contact plate ( 19 ); a pin ( 17 ) having a top end extending towards the bottom portion of the bellows ( 13 ) and a bottom end extending through an opening ( 28 ) of a stationary thermoplastic seat ( 11 ) and an opening ( 29 ) in a top portion ( 16 ) of a stabber ( 12 ) to contact a surface of the stabber ( 12 ); the stationary seat ( 11 ) consisting essentially of a thermoplastic material and characterized by the absence of elastomeric material, said stationary seat ( 11 ) comprising the opening ( 28 ) extending from an outer surface ( 27 ) of the seat ( 11 ) to an inner sealing surface ( 26 ) of the seat ( 11 ), said seat ( 11 ) further comprising a grooved region ( 15 )extending along said inner sealing surface ( 26 ) of said stationary seat ( 11 ); the stabber ( 12 ) comprising a body portion ( 30 )and the top portion ( 16 ) each of which is situated within the interior of the stationary seat ( 11 ), said interior of the stationary seat ( 11 ) defined, at least in part, by an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the top portion ( 16 ) and an outer diameter of the body portion ( 30 ) thereby creating a passageway ( 20 ) between the stabber ( 12 ) and the seat ( 11 ); wherein said top portion ( 16 ) of the stabber ( 12 ) is abutted against said grooved region ( 15 ) of the stationary seat ( 11 ) so as to be maintained in mechanical engagement therealong when the bellows ( 13 ) is in a non-expanded state, said engagement creating a seal that blocks the passageway ( 20 ) and prevents the flow of fluid therethrough, thereby creating a closed configuration of the valve assembly ( 10 ); wherein expansion of the bellows ( 13 ) along the side regions ( 31 ) in a longitudinal direction in response to the predetermined vacuum condition surrounding the outside region ( 14 ) of the bellows ( 13 ) increases the length of the side regions ( 31 ) of the bellows ( 13 ) by an incremental amount sufficient to urge the contact plate ( 19 ) downward against the top end of the pin ( 17 ), thereby causing said bottom end of the pin ( 17 ) to push down against the surface of the stabber ( 12 ) and push the top portion ( 16 ) of the stabber ( 12 ) away from the grooved region ( 15 ) along the inner sealing surface ( 26 ) of the stationary seat ( 11 ), thereby mechanically disengaging the seal to unblock the passageway ( 20 ) and create a gap between the top portion ( 16 ) of the stabber ( 12 ) and the inner sealing surface ( 26 ) of the stationary seat ( 11 ) to create an open configuration of the valve assembly ( 10 ) for the fluid to pass therethrough.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 59.0
- Percentile: 86.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.88889
- Patent Class: 137.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: half
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14638397', '12143401', '11635875', '10184987', '14939789']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8715890498288595
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.594549972072322
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8438851420532059
- Mean Citation Score: 296.27359400000006
- Max Citation Score: 551.5742
- Similarity Product: 489.5059536200523

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test