Side-opening sleeve valve

Abstract

A side-opening sleeve valve having an inner cylindrical barrel with a shaped opening through the wall, an outer cylindrical barrel having shaped opening through the wall, where the barrels are co-annular and rotatable, and a means for rotating the inner barrel relative to the outer barrel between a first open position where the shaped openings overlap to form a side opening into the sleeve valve, and a second closed position where the shaped openings do not overlap. A side-opening valve is used in pigging fluid flush system for a water-less toilet, where a toilet bowl empties into the side opening of the side-opening valve when opened. When the side-opening valve is closed, a pig cleaning system pushes the waste in the side-opening valve to a sewage system.

1 . A side opening sleeve valve, including:
 a) an inner cylindrical barrel having a cylindrical wall and a single shaped opening through the wall,   b) an outer cylindrical barrel having a cylindrical wall and a single shaped opening through the wall, where the inner barrel is disposed co-annularly and rotatably within the outer barrel, and   c) a means for rotating the inner barrel relative, to the outer barrel between a first open position where the single shaped opening in the inner barrel overlaps with the single shaped opening in the outer barrel to form a side opening into the side-opening sleeve valve, and a second closed position where the single shaped opening of the inner barrel and the single shaped opening of the outer barrel do not overlap.   
     
     
         2 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1  where the axial dimension of the single shaped opening of the inner barrel and the single shaped opening of the outer barrel are parallel with a center axis of the side-opening sleeve valve. 
     
     
         3 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1  where the arc length of the single shaped opening of the inner barrel is less than 180 degrees of the circumference of the inner barrel. 
     
     
         4 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1  where an inlet end and an outlet end of the outer barrel are configured for connection in fluid communication with an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe, respectively. 
     
     
         5 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 4 , further including an annular seal ring at both the inlet end and the outlet end, disposed between an outside surface of the inner barrel and an inner surface of the outer barrel. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A side-opening sleeve valve, including:
 a) an inner cylindrical barrel having a cylindrical wall and a single shaped opening through the wall,   b) an outer cylindrical barrel having a cylindrical wall and a single shaped opening through the wall, where the inner barrel is disposed co-annularly and rotatably within the outer barrel,   c) a means for rotating the inner barrel relative to the outer barrel between a first open position where the single shaped opening in the inner barrel overlaps with the single shaped opening in the outer barrel to form a side opening into the side-opening sleeve valve, and a second closed position where the single shaped opening of the inner barrel and the single shaped opening of the outer barrel do not overlap, and   d) a sleeve seal layer disposed between the wall of the inner barrel and the wall of the outer barrel, the sleeve seal layer comprising a cylindrical sheet having an opening that registers with at least one of the opening of the inner barrel and the opening of the outer barrel, to seal between the inner and outer barrels at the periphery of the shaped opening in the outer barrel,   wherein the outer barrel has a groove formed into the inside surface, and the sleeve seal layer is disposed within said groove.   
     
     
         8 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 7  wherein an inlet end and an outlet end of the inner barrel are configured for connection in fluid communication with an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe, respectively. 
     
     
         9 .- 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1  where the inlet end of the inner barrel is in fluid communication with the outlet end along the length of the inner barrel. 
     
     
         31 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1 , further including a sleeve seal layer disposed between the wall of the inner barrel and the wall of the outer barrel, the sleeve seal layer comprising a cylindrical sheet having an opening that registers with at least one of the opening of the inner barrel and the opening of the outer barrel, to seal between the inner and outer barrels at the periphery of the shaped opening in the outer barrel. 
     
     
         32 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1 , wherein the single shaped opening through the wall of the inner barrel is up to 90 degrees of a circumference of the inner barrel. 
     
     
         33 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1 , wherein the single shaped opening through the wall of the inner barrel and the single shaped opening through the wall of the outer barrel each have an arc length of from about 90 degrees to about 150 degrees. 
     
     
         34 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 1 , further including a toilet having a bowl, wherein the side-opening sleeve is configured for isolating the toilet from waste discharge piping to which the side-opening sleeve valve is connected, wherein an open lower end of the bowl is sealingly mounted to the outer barrel of the side-opening sleeve valve and configured for passing a waste material from the bowl through the side opening of, and into, the sleeve valve. 
     
     
         35 . The side-opening sleeve valve according to  claim 7  wherein an inlet end and an outlet end of the outer barrel are configured for connection in fluid communication with an upstream pipe and a downstream pipe, respectively, and the inner barrel has an axial pathway of uniform circular shape passing through the sleeve valve between the inlet end and the outlet end.