PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15934979
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-03
Publication Date: 2018-07
Patent Classification: ["251", "315140"]

Abstract:
The inventive concept discloses a completely integral ball valve manufactured by an injection molding process. The device comprises a valve core, a valve housing, a valve control handle, and inlet/outlet flow pipes, all forming an integral structure. The valve core is the primary component of the ball valve, and is comprised of a spherical enclosure, a valve ball, left and right leakage seal rings, a spherical enclosure cap, a valve stem affixed to the valve ball, and a valve handle. The valve core, valve housing, and left and right intake/outflow pipes are integrally assembled by injection molding. The injection molding process gives the ball valve higher flexion strength and greater durability as compared to the typical sweat soldering process. Precisely dimensioned mold sections ensure the accuracy of dimensions, fittings, and tolerances of the ball valve components during the injection molding. Primary materials used are polypropylene and high-density polyethylene

Claim (Index 10):
A method for the manufacture, by injection molding, of an integral ball valve, the ball valve materials primarily consisting of polyformaldehyde, polypropylene, and polyethylene, the method comprising the following sequential steps:\n (a) providing a spherical enclosure comprising a polypropylene cylindrical structure having a barrel opening manifesting a circular outer face, and a collar with a circular through-aperture, (b) providing an annular-shaped spherical enclosure cap comprising polypropylene, further having a circular flange of an outer circumference corresponding to the outer surface of the barrel opening, whereby the spherical enclosure cap fits onto the outer face of the barrel opening; (c) providing a valve ball comprising a polypropylene sphere with outer diameter corresponding to the barrel opening of the spherical enclosure, a through-hole forming co-axial left ball outlet and a right ball outlet; and a polygonal socket oriented orthogonally to the axis of the through-hole; (d) providing identical left and right leakage seal rings, each seal ring having an annular first side and a second side with a circumferential lip, whereby each circumferential lip corresponds to the outer surface of the valve ball; (e) providing a rod-shaped valve stem having a notch on the first end of the valve stem and a polygonal cross-section equivalent to that of the ball socket comprising the second end; (f) providing a valve handle having an internal cavity corresponding to the notch of the valve stem; (g) forming a valve core by means of placing the valve stem downward through the collar of the spherical enclosure so as to fit into the valve ball socket, placing a circular gasket in abutment with the cap first face, placing the assembled valve ball and leakage seal rings into the barrel opening of the spherical enclosure, whereupon placement of the spherical enclosure cap is made onto the outer face of the spherical enclosure, and co-axially placing a left mold rod and a right mold rod into the left ball outlet and the right ball outlet, respectively; (h) providing an injection mold for sealed accommodation of the valve core and left and right mold rods and initiating, the flow of molten polyethylene into the combined mold cavities; (i) upon cooling of the mold, removing of the end product comprises an integral valve body housing containing the valve core; and (j) fastening the valve handle onto the valve stem of the valve core.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 1.0
- Percentile: 90.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.12658
- Patent Class: 251.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14120005', '14540833', '11047183', '13986765', '10141361']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.686639093236026
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4543093038309846
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.6634061142955219
- Mean Citation Score: 171.790356
- Max Citation Score: 175.32027
- Similarity Product: 138.25236570263206

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

Dataset: test