US3685124A - Insertion and removal of plugs and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The specific disclosure provides a device for inserting a plug into an externally threaded barrel, wherein the plug is adapted to frictionally engage the interior of the barrel and has an interiorly threaded head for threadedly engaging the barrel. The device includes a split-ring having a threaded bore for threadedly engaging the barrel, a U-shaped member having a ring pivotly mounted between the opened ends of the member for seating the first ring, and a thumbscrew threadedly engaging the crossbar portion of the U-shaped member for applying a force to the top of the plug head. The specific disclosure also provides a method of removing the plug from the barrel by rotating the plug had to threadedly disengage the barrel, fitting the split-ring about the threaded portion of the barrel, and rotating the splitring to apply an upward force to the underside of the plug head.

Description

United States Patent I Wuertz 51 Aug. 22, 1972 [73 Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation [22] Filed: Sept. 30, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 76,941

[52] US. Cl. ..29/240, 29/157.l, 29/213, 29/281, 269/ l 29 [51] Int. Cl. ..B23p 19/04, B25h l/08, B25h H20 [58] Field of Search. ..29/l57.1, 213,240-2405, 29/249, 281-282; 269/ 129 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS, v 1,030,732 6/1912 Jenkins ..29/240 2,808,641 10/1957 Sandell ..29/21313 2,551,652 5/1951 qvreeland ..2-9/240 X 2,993,394 7/1961 Scott ..29/240 X 571,077 11/1896 Sheridan ..29/213 2,108,077 2/1938 7 Robinson ..269/129X 2,684,524 7/1954 Beck ..29/240 X INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF PLUGS AND THE LIKE Inventor: John H. Wuertz, Pitrnan, NJ.

Primary Examiner-Wayne A. Morse, Jr. Attorney-Oswald G. Hayes, Andrew L. Gaboriault and James F. Powers, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT The specific disclosure provides a device for inserting a plug into an externally threaded barrel, wherein the plug is adapted to frictionally engage the interior of the barrel and has an interiorly threaded head for threadedly engaging the barrel. The device includes a split-ring having a threaded bore for threadedly engagingthe barrel, a U-shaped member having aring pivotly mounted between the opened ends of the member for seating the first ring, and a thumbscrew threadedly engaging the cross-bar portion of the U- shaped member for applying a force to the top of the plug head. The specific disclosure also provides a method of removing the plug from the barrel by rotating the plug had to threadedly disengage the barrel, fitting the split-ring about the threaded portion of the barrel, and rotating the split-ring to apply an upward force to the underside of the plug head.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF PLUGS AND THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention is directed to a device for inserting a plug-in a barrel and to a method of removing a plug from a barrel. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for inserting a plug in a stopcock and to a method of removing a plug from a stopcock.

2. Description of the Prior Art Stopcocks are often used in glass or similarly brittle tubular lines which form part of fluid flow systems such as chemical apparatus for performing chemical analysis or synthesis. Such stopcocks, particularly O-ring stopcocks, are relatively expensive, precision made components. O-ring stopcocks often have a plug which frictionally engages the interior of a barrel without utilizing grease to aid in the insertion or removal of the plug. For example, greaseless O-ring stopcocks are often used in rigid high vacuum apparatus which require replacement of O-rings. However, the removal or insertion of a plug of a greaseless stopcock, for example to replace the O-rings, is a tedious operation in view of the ever present danger of breaking the stopcock or other glass portions of the apparatus. Such breakage results in costly replacement, wasted down-time for the apparatus, and possible injury to the operator of the apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a device for inserting a plug into an externally threaded barrel, wherein the plug is adapted to frictionally engage the interior of the barrel and has an interiorly threaded head for threadedly engaging the barrel. The device comprises means for threadedly engaging the barrel and means for applying a first force to the top of the plug head. Means is connected to the first force applying means for applying a second force to the barrel engaging means in a direction opposite to that of the first force when the first force is applied to the plug head.

In accordance with a specific aspect of the invention, the device comprises a first ring having a threaded bore for threadedly engaging the barrel, and a yoke having first and second arm portions and a third portion interconnecting the first and second arm portions. A second ring is mounted between the first and second arm portions of the yoke for seating the first ring, and means extend from the third portion of the yoke for applying a force to the top of the plug head.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for removing the plug from the externally threaded barrel which comprises the steps of rotating the plug head to threadedly disengage the barrel, fitting a split-ring having a threaded bore about the barrel, and rotating the split-ring to apply an upward force to the underside of the plug head and thereby remove the plug upwardly to disengage the interior of the barrel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view, with a portion cut away, of a greaseless stopcock having installed thereon an embodiment of the device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a split-ring used in the specific embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the split-ring taken along line 33 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a greaseless stopcock or valve 10 interconnecting a pair of lines or side arms ll, 13. The stopcock 10 includes a restricted portion or valve seat 12 and an externally threaded cylindrical barrel 19 extending upwardly from the valve seat 12 and terminating at an open ended top portion 50. The stopcock 10 also includes a plug head 20 having a threaded bore 21 formed therein for threadedly engaging the threaded barrel 19. A cylindrical plug 16 extends through the threaded bore 21 of the plug head 20 into the barrel 19, and has a pair of O-rings 17, 18 fitted thereon for frictionally engaging the interior of the barrel 19. The plug 16 has a reduced diameter cylindrical member 51 extending from the lower end thereof. The extending member 51 has a bevelled portion 14 at its lower end, and an O-ring 15 secured to the bevelled portion 14. The bevelled portion 14 and the O-ring 15 form a valve head movable with respect to the valve seat 12 to control the flow of fluid between the pair of side arms ll, 13.

The plug 16 is secured (not shown) to the plug head 20 such that the plug head 20 is rotatable with respect to the plug 16 about the longitudinal axis of the plug 16. Thus, the plug head 20 is rotated when in threaded engagement with the barrel 19 to move the plug 16 up wardly or downwardly in the barrel 19 without applying a torsional force to the plug 16. High vacuum valves manufactured by Kontes Glass Co., Vineland, N.J., under Part Nos. K-826500 and K-8265 10 are examples of greaseless O-ring stopcocks such as that shown in FIG. 1. The valve having the former part number has parallelly arranged side arms as shown in FIG. 1, and the latter valve has perpendicularly arranged side arms.

A specific embodiment of the device according to the present invention is a U-shaped member or a yoke which comprises a pair of arm portions 25, 61 and a cross-bar portion 62 interconnecting the pair of arm portions 25, 61. A ring 24 is pivotally mounted between the pair of arm portions 25, 61 of the yoke 60 by means of a pair of pins 26, 27. The pins 26, 27 are fixedly secured to respective arm portions 25, 61 of the yoke 60, and are either frictionally or loosely inserted into bores (not shown) formed in opposite sides of the ring 24. The ring 24 has an upwardly and outwardly bevelled aperture 54.

A split-ring 23, shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, is formed of two opposing portions 40, 41 and has a threaded bore 22 for threadedly engaging the threads of the barrel 19. The opposing portions 40, 41 may be held together by a pair of pins 42, 43. Each one of the pins 42, 43 is fixedly secured in one of the two portions 40, 41 at one end thereof, and is adapted to frictionally fit in a bore in the other of the portions 40, 41.

The split-ring 23 has an outer cylindrical portion 52, and a downwardly and inwardly extending truncated conical portion 53 to provide a bevelled surface adapted to seat in the bevelled aperture 54 of the ring 24.

A thumbscrew 64 has a threaded shank 28 threadedly engaging a threaded bore 30 centrally formed in the cross-bar portion 62 of the yoke 60. The thumbscrew 64 also includes a knurled head 29 which has a rounded depression 31 adapted to receive the rounded top portion of the plug head 20.

To insert the plug 16 into the barrel 19, the pivotally mounted ring 24 is placed over the barrel 19, and the split-ring 23 is fitted about the barrel 19 for threaded engagement therewith. The plug 16 is placed in the barrel 19 and the pivotally mounted ring 24 is pulled upwardly to seat the bevelled surface 53 of the split-ring 23 in the bevelled aperture 54. The yoke 60 is then pivoted about an axis defined by the pair of pins 26, 27 until the thumbscrew 64 is positioned above the top of the plug head 20. Then, the thumbscrew 64 is rotated until it abuts the top of the plughead 20, and rotation is continued to exeita downward force on the top of the plug head 20 to drive the plug 16 into the barrel 19. The thumbscrew64 is used to drive the plug 16 into the barrel 19 until the internally threaded bore 21 threadedly engages the exteriorly threaded barrel 19. To this point, the operator need not grasp ortouch the stopcock 10, and thus the device greatly minimizes the possibility of injury to the operator in the event of breakage. Further, the device greatly reduces, and possibly avoids, the application of shear and torsional forces to the stopcock 10, and therefore minimizes the possibility of breakage.

At this time, the thumbscrew 64 is rotated in an opposite direction such that it moves upwardly with respect to the cross-bar 62 and the device, including the yoke 60, ring 24, and split-ring 23, is removed from the stopcock 10. Thereafter, the plug head 20 is turned by hand to position the valve 14 with respect to the valve seat 12 and thereby control fluid flow between the pair of arms 11, 13.

The yoke 60, the ring 24, and the thumbscrew 64 may be composed of a metallic substance such as brass, and the split-ring 52 may be suitably composed of bakelite.

Only the split-ring 23 is needed to remove the plug 16 from the barrel 19. The plug head 20 is rotated until the internally threaded bore 21 disengages the externally threaded barrel 19. Then, the splitting 23 is fitted about the barrel 19 to threadedly engage the barrel 19. The split-ring is rotated by hand to exert an upward force to the underside of the plug head 20 and thus move the plug upwardly. The split-ring 23 is rotated until the O-rings l7, 18 are clear of the barrel 19. Thus, this method for removing the plug 16 greatly reduces, and possibly avoids, the application of shear and torsional forces to the stopcock 10, and therefore minimizes the possibility of breakage.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments are susceptible to modification and variation without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the split-ring 23 may have any suitable outer shape, and may have its lower end dimensioned such that the bottom surface of the split-ring merely abuts the top surface of the pivotally mounted ring 24 when seated on the ring 24. Further, inwardly extending members may be substituted for the pivotally mounted ring 24 to engage or abut the split-ring and thereby apply an upward force to the split-ring when the thumbscrew 64 applies a force t th lu head 20.

What is cl i fnefi is:

l. A device for assembling and disassembling valve means comprising in combination an elongated plug means employed in a valve barrel externally threaded in an upper portion thereof, said barrel provided with a valve seat intermediate inlet and outlet conduits to said barrel, said plug means separated from said barrel by sea] 'means, said plug attached to cap means comprising a skirt which threadly engages with the external surface of said barrel so as to move when rotated the opposite end of said elongated plug into and out of contact with said valve seat, said assembly-disassembly device comprising in combination a yoke means which attaches to said externally threaded barrel beneath said cap means through a tapered split ringmeans which is internally threaded and held in place on said threaded barrel by a ring means attached between the legs of said yoke having a diameter intermediate the diameters of said tapered split ring, said yoke provided in its base opposite to said ring with an adjustable threaded screw means suitable for providing pressure between said yoke and the top surface of said cap at least during insertion of said elongated plug into said barrel and at the time the cap is threadly disengaged from the barrel.

2. A device for use in combination with a valve assembly comprising a cylindrical barrel threaded on one end of its external surface and fitted with a valve seat intermediate fluid inlet and outlet means on an opposite end of to said barrel, the flow of fluid through the valve seat being controlled by a moveable elongated cylindrical member sealed from and extending into said cylindrical barrel and conformed on one end to seal with said valve seat, the movement of said cylindrical member in and out of contact with said valve seat being provided by a cap means having a skirt which threadly engages with the external surface of said threaded barrel, the device for inserting or removing the cylindrical member from the barrel when the cap is threadly disengaged from the barrel comprising in combination a U-shaped yoke means fitted with a rotatable ring positioned between the open end of the yoke legs, said ring being of larger diameter than said barrel but of smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of a split ring means and positioned to hold said split ring means in threaded contact with the barrel external surface and said yoke provided with an adjustable threaded member positioned in the base of the yoke which contacts said cap means and permits applying pressure thereto.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the threaded member is an adjusting screw which may be relied upon to push the elongated cylindrical member into the barrel.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 in which turning of the split ring so as to contact the cap skirt bottom surface is relied upon to remove the elongated cylindrical member substantially out of the barrel.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the elongated cylindrical member is sealed from said barrel internal surface by a plurality of O-rings.

Claims (5)

1. A device for assembling and disassembling valve means comprising in combination an elongated plug means employed in a valve barrel externally threaded in an upper portion thereof, said barrel provided with a valve seat intermediate inlet and outlet conduits to said barrel, said plug means separated from said barrel by seal means, said plug attached to cap means comprising a skirt which threadly engages with tHe external surface of said barrel so as to move when rotated the opposite end of said elongated plug into and out of contact with said valve seat, said assembly-disassembly device comprising in combination a yoke means which attaches to said externally threaded barrel beneath said cap means through a tapered split ring means which is internally threaded and held in place on said threaded barrel by a ring means attached between the legs of said yoke having a diameter intermediate the diameters of said tapered split ring, said yoke provided in its base opposite to said ring with an adjustable threaded screw means suitable for providing pressure between said yoke and the top surface of said cap at least during insertion of said elongated plug into said barrel and at the time the cap is threadly disengaged from the barrel.

2. A device for use in combination with a valve assembly comprising a cylindrical barrel threaded on one end of its external surface and fitted with a valve seat intermediate fluid inlet and outlet means on an opposite end of to said barrel, the flow of fluid through the valve seat being controlled by a moveable elongated cylindrical member sealed from and extending into said cylindrical barrel and conformed on one end to seal with said valve seat, the movement of said cylindrical member in and out of contact with said valve seat being provided by a cap means having a skirt which threadly engages with the external surface of said threaded barrel, the device for inserting or removing the cylindrical member from the barrel when the cap is threadly disengaged from the barrel comprising in combination a U-shaped yoke means fitted with a rotatable ring positioned between the open end of the yoke legs, said ring being of larger diameter than said barrel but of smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of a split ring means and positioned to hold said split ring means in threaded contact with the barrel external surface and said yoke provided with an adjustable threaded member positioned in the base of the yoke which contacts said cap means and permits applying pressure thereto.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the threaded member is an adjusting screw which may be relied upon to push the elongated cylindrical member into the barrel.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 in which turning of the split ring so as to contact the cap skirt bottom surface is relied upon to remove the elongated cylindrical member substantially out of the barrel.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the elongated cylindrical member is sealed from said barrel internal surface by a plurality of O-rings.

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