Environmental fill valve

United States Patent

Nimberger

[19]

US005836352A [ii] Patent Number: 5,836,352 [45] Date of Patent: Nov. 17, 1998

[54] ENVIRONMENTAL FILL VALVE

[75] Inventor: Spencer M. Nimberger, Houston, Tex.

[73] Assignee: PGI International, Ltd., Houston, Tex.

[21] Appl. No.: 659,263

[22] Filed: Jun. 6, 1996

[51] Int. CI.6 F16K 55/18; F16K 31/44

[52] U.S. CI 137/614.19; 251/85; 251/109;

251/152; 251/263; 251/359

[58] Field of Search 137/614.19, 614,

137/15; 251/263, 109, 152, 85, 262, 359

[56] References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

2,972,466 2/1961 Allen et al 137/614.19

5.127,436 7/1992 Campion et al 137/614.19

5,215,120 6/1993 Nimberger et al 137/614.19

5,228,474 7/1993 Nimberger 137/614.04

5,320,133 6/1994 Nimberger 137/614.04

Primary Examiner—A. Michael Chambers Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Browning Bushman

[57] ABSTRACT

Fill valve 10 controls the flow of propane from a fill line FL to a control valve CV mounted on a propane use tank T. The fill valve includes a valve body 12 having a propane inlet 20, an elongate sleeve 24 and a discharge housing 22 surrounding the elongate sleeve and having an external left-hand thread 30 for interconnection with a mating thread in the control valve. A nose tip 26 is secured to the elongate sleeve and has an external surface 68, an annular seal 70 for sealing engagement with the control valve, and a fill valve seat 100 defining a portion of a flow passage 66 therethrough. Valve stem 18 extends through the valve body and the elongate sleeve and is axially moveable between opened and closed positions. A lower end of the valve stem is positioned within the nose tip. A handle is pivotably connected to the valve stem. A fill valve seal 76 is carried on the valve stem for sealing engagement and disengagement with the fill valve seat 100. The fill valve seat and fill valve seal are provided closely adjacent the discharge end of the fill valve for minimizing loss of propane to the environment when the fill valve is disconnected from the control valve. According to the method of the invention, a barrel-shaped passageway within the nose valve tip is formed by a swaging operation to define the fill valve seat. After the swaging operation, the nose tip is machined in a finishing operation.

20 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets