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 5):
A method for the manufacture, by injection molding, of an integral ball valve, the ball valve primarily consisting of polyformaldehyde, polypropylene, and polyethylene materials, the method comprising the following sequential steps;\n (a) providing a spherical enclosure comprising a polypropylene cylindrical structure and further having a collar with a circular through-aperture, a circular inner face, a peripheral surface, and a barrel opening having a ring-shaped outer face, said outer face being oriented parallel to the axis of the circular aperture; (b) providing identical left and right leakage seal rings, each seal ring having a first side with dimensions corresponding to the inner face of said spherical enclosure and a circumferential lip on the second side of each ring; (c) placing the first side of said left leakage seal ring into the spherical enclosure so as to abut the inner face; (d) providing a rod-shaped valve stem having a notch on the first end of the valve stem and a polygonal cross-section comprising the second end of the valve stem; (e) providing a valve handle having an internal cavity corresponding to the notch of the valve stem; (f) providing a valve ball comprising a polypropylene sphere with outer diameter corresponding to the barrel opening of the spherical enclosure, a through-hole of diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of said leakage seal rings, said through-hole forming a left ball outlet and a right ball outlet; and a polygonal socket oriented orthogonal to the through-hole; (g) placing said valve ball into the spherical enclosure such that the through-hole is co-axial with the outer face of the barrel opening and such that the polygonal socket of said valve ball is oriented co-axially with the central aperture; (h) placing the valve stem downward through the central aperture such that the valve stem shaft is fitted into the valve ball socket; (i) providing an annular-shaped spherical enclosure cap comprising polypropylene, with inner diameter equivalent to the ball outlets of said valve ball, a circumferential flange about the circumference of the first side of the spherical enclosure cap, an annular-shaped cap first face on the first side of the spherical enclosure and oriented about the outer perimeter of the circumferential flange, an annular-shaped cap second face oriented about the inner perimeter of the circumferential flange and having an inner diameter corresponding to the right ball outlet; said cap first face corresponding to the outer face of said barrel opening; (j) placing the first side of said right leakage seal ring in abutment to the second face of said spherical enclosure cap and placing the sealing gasket around the outer diameter of the flange of the spherical enclosure cap; (k) placing the cap first face flush against the outer face of the spherical enclosure such that the flange of the spherical enclosure cap fits within the barrel opening of the spherical enclosure; (l) co-axially placing a left mold rod and a right mold rod into the left ball outlet and the right ball outlet, respectively; (m) providing an injection mold having a first mold cavity and a second mold cavity, each cavity comprising a concave profile corresponding to the general longitudinal shape of the valve core and the previously-inserted left mold rod and right mold rod, thereby forming a valve body housing encompassing said valve core, and further a left flow pipe and a right flow pipe; (n) placing the valve core and mold rods into the first injection mold cavity, placing and securing the second mold cavity onto the first mold cavity, placing the combined mold cavities in connection with a mold injection machine and initiating the flow of molten substance into the combined mold cavities; (o) alter cooling of the mold, removing an assembly comprising the integral valve body housing and the left and right outlet/inlet pipes; and (p) 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): 0.6878805646662274
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4488123348109373
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.6639737416806984
- Mean Citation Score: 171.790356
- Max Citation Score: 175.32027
- Similarity Product: 144.62214551947295

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