Earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve

Abstract

An earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve having a valve bottom portion with a generally horizontal floor having a ball seat and a valve seat surrounding a gas outlet passageway. A ball having an elastomeric outer surface is held in the ball seat and in the event of an earthquake, the ball is shaken out of the ball seat and rolls into the valve seat to stop the flow of gas. The ball can either be a solid elastomeric ball or a metal ball with an elastomeric outer coating.

I claim:  
     
       1. An earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve comprising: 
       a valve cover portion having means for connection to a gas inlet line and a gas inlet passageway;  
       a valve body portion affixed to said valve cover, said valve body portion having an inner shaped wall;  
       a valve bottom portion affixed to said valve body portion, said valve bottom portion having a generally horizontal floor having a ball seat and a valve seat surrounding a gas outlet passageway and said gas outlet passageway having means for connection to a gas outlet line;  
       a ball having an elastomeric outer surface, said ball being larger than said valve seat so that when the ball is moved over said valve seat, the ball will shut off the flow of gas through said valve; and  
       means external of said valve for moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat and does not interfere with the flow gas through the valve wherein said means external of said valve for moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat comprises:  
       an actuating arm supported by said valve body portion near the valve cover and above a side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat;  
       at least one downwardly depending arm held by said actuating arm and extending downwardly to a position adjacent said generally horizontal floor adjacent the side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat and said at least one downwardly depending arm being biased toward said side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat;  
       a ball contact arm held near said lower end of said at least one downwardly depending arm, said ball contact arm including means for moving a ball contact point on said ball contact arm upwardly as it moves the ball out of contact with the valve seat comprising a pair of downwardly depending arms and vertical slots at the lower end of each downwardly depending arm and said ball contact arm being held in said slots so that it can move upwardly as the ball contact arm rolls the ball out of contact with said valve seat; and  
       means external of said valve body portion for turning said actuating arm whereby when said ball is over said valve seat, and said actuating arm is turned, said ball contact arm will touch and roll said ball out of contact with the valve seat and into said ball seat.  
     
     
       2. The earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve of  claim 1  wherein said ball having an elastomeric outer surface is a solid elastomeric ball. 
     
     
       3. The earthquake actuated automatic gas shut off valve of  claim 2  wherein said ball is fabricated from fluorosilicone. 
     
     
       4. The earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve of  claim 1  wherein said ball is an elastomeric ball with a metal core. 
     
     
       5. The earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve of  claim 1  wherein said ball seat is a shallow conical opening having a central recess formed in a vertical center thereof. 
     
     
       6. An earthquake and manually actuated automatic gas shutoff valve comprising: 
       a valve cover portion having means for connection to a gas inlet line and a gas inlet passageway;  
       a valve body portion affixed to said valve cover portion, said valve body portion having an inner shaped wall;  
       a valve bottom portion affixed to said valve body portion, said valve bottom portion having a ball seat and a valve seat surrounding a gas outlet passageway and said gas outlet passageway having means for connection to a gas outlet line;  
       a ball larger than said valve seat so that when the ball is moved over said valve seat, the ball will shut off the flow of gas through said valve;  
       means external of said valve for manually moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat and does not interfere with the flow of gas through the valve; and  
       means external of said valve for manually moving said ball from a position where is  it rests in said ball seat to a position where it rests over said valve seat.  
     
     
       7. The earthquake and manually actuate gas shutoff valve of  claim 6  further including a sight glass in said valve body portion adjacent a position of said ball when it rests in at least one of said ball seat and said valve seat whereby the position of the ball may be determined externally of said valve body portion. 
     
     
       8. An earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve comprising: 
       a valve cover portion having means for connection to a gas inlet line and a gas inlet passageway;  
       a valve body portion affixed to said valve cover, said valve body portion having an inner shaped wall;  
       a valve bottom portion affixed to said valve body portion, said valve bottom portion having a generally horizontal floor having a ball seat and a valve seat surrounding a gas outlet passageway and said gas outlet passageway having means for connection to a gas outlet line;  
       a ball having an elastomeric outer surface, said ball being larger than said valve seat so that when the ball is moved over said valve seat, the ball will shut off the flow of gas through said valve; and  
       means external of said valve for moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat and does not interfere with the flow of gas through the valve comprising an actuating arm supported by said valve body portion near the valve cover and above a side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat; at least one downwardly depending arm held by said actuating arm and extending downwardly to a position adjacent said generally horizontal floor adjacent side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat and said at least one downwardly depending arm being biased toward said side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat; a ball contact arm held near said lower end of said at least one downwardly depending arm, said ball arm contact arm including means for moving a ball contact point on said ball contact arm upwardly as it moves the ball out of contact with the valve seat; and means external of said body portion for turning said actuating arm whereby when said ball is over said valve seat and said actuating arm is turned, said ball contact arm will touch and roll said ball out of contact with the valve seat and into said ball seat and further including means external of said valve from manually moving said ball from a position where it rests in said ball seat to a position where it rests on said valve seat to permit the manual turning off of the gas shutoff valve.  
     
     
       9. An earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve comprising: 
       a valve cover portion having means for connection to a gas inlet line and a gas inlet passageway;  
       a valve body portion affixed to said valve cover, said valve body portion having an inner shaped wall;  
       a valve bottom portion affixed to said valve body portion, said valve bottom portion having a generally horizontal floor having a ball seat and a valve seat surrounding a  a gas outlet passageway and said gas outlet passageway having means for connection to a gas outlet line;  
       a ball having an elastomeric outer surface, said ball being larger than said valve seat so that when the ball is moved over said valve seat, the ball will shut off the flow of gas through said valve; and  
       means external of said valve for moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat comprises  comprising:  
       the earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve of  claim 1  wherein said means external of said valve for moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat comprises:   
       is  an actuating arm supported by said valve body portion near the valve cover and above a side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat;  
       at least one downwardly depending arm held by said actuating arm and extending downwardly to a position adjacent said generally horizontal floor adjacent the side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat and said at least one downwardly depending arm being biased toward said side of the valve body portion closest to said valve seat;  
       a ball contact arm head near said lower end of said at least one downwardly depending arm, said ball contact arm including means for moving a ball contact point on said ball contact arm upwardly as it moves the ball out of contact with the valve seat comprising a pair of downwardly depending arms and vertical slots at the lower end of each downwardly depending arm and said ball contact arm being held in said slots so that it can move upwardly as the ball contact arm rolls the ball out of contact with said valve seat; and  
       means external of said valve body portion for turning said actuating arm whereby when said ball is over said valve seat, and when said actuating arm is turned, said ball contact arm will touch and roll said ball out of contact with the valve seat and into said ball seat and further including a deflection plate positioned in a gas flow pack between said gas inlet passageway and said gas outlet passageway and adjacent said gas inlet passageway to deflect the flow of gas away from said ball.  
     
     
       10. The earthquake actuated automatic gas shutoff valve of  claim 8  further including a sight glass positioned in said valve body portion above at least one of said ball seat and said valve seat so that the position of the ball in the valve body may be determined by looking through the sight glass. 
     
     
       11. An earthquake and manually actuated automatic gas shutoff valve comprising: 
       
         a valve body having an upper area, an inlet area having means for connection to a gas inlet line and a gas inlet passageway forming an entry into an interior of said valve body, an inner shaped wall and a bottom area having a generally horizontal floor having a ball seat and a valve seat surrounding a gas outlet passageway and said gas outlet passageway having means for connection to a gas outlet line;  
       
       
         a ball larger than said valve seat so that when the ball is moved over said valve seat, the ball will shut off the flow of gas through said valve;  
       
       
         means external of said valve for manually moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat and does not interfere with the flow of gas through the valve; and  
       
       
         means external of said valve for manually moving said ball from a position where is rests in said ball seat to a position where it rests over said valve seat. 
       
     
     
       12. The earthquake and manually actuated automatic gas shutoff valve of  claim 11  wherein said means external of said valve for manually moving said ball from a position where it shuts off the flow of gas to a position where it rests in said ball seat comprises: 
       
         a valve opening actuating arm supported by said valve body near the upper area of said valve body;  
       
       
         at least one downwardly depending arm held by said valve opening actuating arm and extending downwardly to a lower end adjacent said generally horizontal floor adjacent the valve seat and said at least one downwardly depending arm being biased toward a portion of the inner shaped wall closest to said valve seat;  
       
       
         a ball contact arm held near said lower end of said at least one downwardly depending arm, said ball contact arm including means for moving a ball contact point on said ball contact arm over a portion of said valve seat as it moves the ball out of contact with the valve seat; and  
       
       
         means for turning said valve opening actuating arm whereby when said ball is over said valve seat, and said valve opening actuating arm is turned, said ball contact arm will touch and roll said ball out of contact with the valve seat and into said ball seat; and  
       
       
         wherein said means external of said valve for manually moving said ball from a position where is rests in said ball seat to a position where it rests over said valve seat comprises:  
       
       
         a valve closing actuating arm supported by said valve body near the upper area of said valve body;  
       
       
         at least one downwardly extending arm held by said valve closing actuating arm and extending downwardly to a lower end adjacent said generally horizontal floor adjacent the ball seat and said at least one downwardly extending arm being biased toward a portion of the inner shaped wall closest to said ball seat;  
       
       
         a ball contact arm held near said lower end of said at least one downwardly extending arm, said ball contact arm including means for moving a ball contact point on said ball contact arm over a portion of said ball seat as it moves the ball out of contact with the ball seat and into position to cover said valve seat; and  
       
       
         means external of said valve body portion for turning said valve closing actuating arm whereby when said ball is over said ball seat, and said actuating arm is turned, said ball contact arm will touch and roll said ball out of contact with the ball seat and into said valve seat to shut off the flow of gas.