US 12,259,045 B2
Regulator valve assembly and components thereof
Michael C. McDonald, Lake Tapps, WA (US)
Assigned to Flow International Corporation, Kent, WA (US)
Filed by Flow International Corporation, Kent, WA (US)
Filed on Oct. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/968,683.
Application 17/968,683 is a division of application No. 16/075,938, granted, now 11,506,289, previously published as PCT/US2017/017989, filed on Feb. 15, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/296,423, filed on Feb. 17, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2023/0041505 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. F16K 1/38 (2006.01); F16K 1/42 (2006.01); F16K 47/02 (2006.01)
CPC F16K 1/385 (2013.01) [F16K 1/42 (2013.01); F16K 47/02 (2013.01); F16K 47/023 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a valve assembly, the method comprising:
moving a valve pin of the valve assembly relative to a valve seat of the valve assembly, thereby transitioning the valve assembly from a seated configuration to an open configuration,
wherein while in the seated configuration a first engagement portion of the valve pin sealingly mates with a second engagement portion of the valve seat,
wherein at least one of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion includes an asymmetrical surface feature, and an entirety of the asymmetrical surface feature is bounded by a region of the at least one of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion, and
wherein while in the open configuration an annular space is formed between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion, the annular space including an area bounded by two concentric circles.