US 12,247,674 B2
Eclipse valve assembly
Chad Heffernan, Village of Palmetto Bay, FL (US)
Filed by Chad Heffernan, Village of Palmetto Bay, FL (US)
Filed on Mar. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/118,607.
Application 18/118,607 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/522,140, filed on Nov. 9, 2021, granted, now 11,598,429.
Application 17/522,140 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/151,471, filed on Jan. 18, 2021, granted, now 11,168,795, issued on Nov. 9, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0250881 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
Int. Cl. F16K 31/54 (2006.01); F16K 3/02 (2006.01); F16K 31/53 (2006.01)
CPC F16K 3/029 (2013.01) [F16K 3/0254 (2013.01); F16K 31/53 (2013.01); F16K 31/54 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An eclipse valve, comprising:
a housing having a cavity;
the cavity bounded by a front wall of the housing, a back wall opposite the front wall, and being open at a top of the housing;
a cover disposed at the top of the housing over the cavity, the cover having a plurality of through holes which pass though the cover from a top of the cover to a bottom of the cover, wherein each one of the plurality of through holes corresponds with a respective one of a plurality of threaded bores in the housing at the top of the housing and outside of the cavity;
a gasket disposed between the cover and a top of the front wall and a top of the back wall;
a front fitting formed at an outside of the front wall and including a front opening through the front wall;
a back fitting formed at an outside of the back wall and including a back opening through the back wall, wherein the front and back openings are aligned from front to back, wherein a flow axis is defined through the eclipse valve from the front fitting to the back fitting;
a first obturator plate disposed in the cavity against the front wall;
a second obturator plate disposed in the cavity against the back wall;
wherein the first and second obturator plates are configured to move within the cavity in opposite directions while remaining in contact with the front wall, the back wall, and each other;
the first obturator plate having an opening through the first obturator plate in a direction from the front wall to the back wall, the first obturator plate further having a drive extension which extends from a main portion of the first obturator plate;
the second obturator plate having an opening through the second obturator plate in a direction from the front wall to the back wall, the second obturator plate further having a drive extension which extends from a main portion of the second obturator plate opposite of and facing the drive extension of the first obturator plate in a direction from front to rear of the housing;
a driver element positioned horizontally between, and in contact with both the drive extension of the first obturator plate and the drive extension of the second obturator plate;
a drive shaft coupled to the driver element through the cover; and
wherein the first and second obturator plates are moveable, by rotation of the driver element, in the cavity between an open position where the opening through the first obturator plate and the opening through the second obturator plate are both aligned with each other and with the front opening and the back opening, and a closed position where the first and second obturator plates are moved in opposite directions relative to each other, and wherein in the closed position opening through the first obturator plate is completely unaligned from the front opening, the opening through the second obturator plate is completely unaligned from the back opening.