Title of Invention

"BALL VALVE."

Abstract

A ball valve includes a ball valve body defining a first passage through which fluid passes, a ball defining a second passage through which fluid passes and rotatably disposed in the first passage such that the first passage is scleclivcly opened and closed in response to a rotation thereof; a handle rotatably installed to the ball valve body and configured to rotate the ball; and a drain valve disposed in a fluid drain hole forrhed in the ball valve body such that the drain valve drains fluid remaining in a space around the ball. The drain valve body comprises a drain valve body installed in the fluid drain hole and defining a first fluid drain passage communicating with the fluid drain hole, and a knob disposed in the first fluid drain passage such that the knob selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage

Full Text

BALLVALVE FIELP OF THE INVENTION Generally, the present invention relates to a ball valve. More particularly, the present invention relates to a ball valve that can prevent fluid from being frozen in the ball valve by effectively draining the fluid remained therein. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Typically, a ball valve is installed in a passageway of a pipe or in a vessel and controls a flow amount and pressure of a fluid. ; A ball valve is a device for selectively opening and closing a passage of a fluid, such as boiled water,. Refrreing to FlG. 1, a conventional ball valve includes a ball valve body 5, a ball 7, and a handle 3. Passages are formed in the ball 7 and the ball valve body 5, so that fluid may flow through the passages in a direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 1. The handle 3 is rotatably installed to the ball valve body 5, and one end of the handle 3 is flxedly connected to the ball 7. Therefore, by rotating the handle 3, the ball 7 can be rotated, so that flow of the fluid is controlled, i.e., the passage is fully opened or closed, or partially opened, in response to the rotation of the ball 7. When the passage in the ball valve body 5 is fully closed by the ball 7, the fluid may remain in a space 1 between the ball 7 and the ball valve body 5. If the temperature around the ball valve body 5 goes down, the fluid remained in the space 1 may be frozen, and such freezing of the fluid may cause a durability problem of the ball valve. In order to prevent fluid from being frozen within the ball valve body, various methods have been introduced. For example, a fluid drain hole for draining the remaining fluid is formed at a portion of the ball valve body corresponding to the space between the ball and the ball valve body, and a drain bolt is engaged in the fluid drain hole. In another example, an electric heating wire is wound around the ball valve body 5. However, according to the first example, the drain bolt engaged to the fluid drain hole must be completely loosened in order to drain the fluid from the ball valve body. Therefore, because the drain bolt must be rotated several times in order to completely loosen the drain bolt, a tool for loosening the bolt is needed and thus this method is very inefficient. In addition, in the case of preventing freezing by utilizing the electric heating wire, there are problems in that electric power must be consumed and a weight of the ball valve is increased. The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The motivation for the present invention.is to provide a ball valve having non-limiting advantages of preventing freezing of fluid remained in the ball valve. An exemplary ball valve according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a ball valve body defining a first passage through which fluid passes, a ball defining a second passage through which fluid passes and which is rotatably disposed in the first passage such that the first passage is selectively opened and closed in response to a rotation thereof, a handle rotatably installed to the ball valve body and configured to rotate the ball, and a drain valve disposed in a fluid drain hole fomied in the ball valve body such that the drain valve drains fluid remaining in a space around the ball. In a further embodiment, the drain valve includes a drain valve body installed In the fluid drain hole and defining a first fluid drain passage communicating with the fluid drain hole, and a knob disposed in the first fluid drain passage such that the knob selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage. In another further embodiment, the drain valve includes a drain valve body installed in the fluid drain hole and defining a first fluid drain passage communicating with the fluid drain hole, a knob disposed in the first fluid drain passage such that the knob selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage, and a stopper device connecting the drain valve body with the knob such that the knob is able to be movable or to maintain its position with respect to the drain valve body. The first fluid drain passage includes two portions having different diameters, wherein a second fluid drain passage communicating with the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter is formed in the knob, and wherein the stopper device comprises a hole formed on an inner surface of the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter, a plurality of concave portions formed on the knob corresponding to the hole in response to a movement of the knob, an elastic member disposed in the hole, and a stopper elasticaliy supported by the elastic member such that at least a portion thereof is located in the hole and the other portion thereof is inserted into one of the concave portions in response to the movement of the knob. The plurality of concave portions are disposed along a longitudinal direction of the knob. The stopper has a spherical shape, and an inner surface of the concave portion is formed as a curved surface. An inner surface of the uppermost concave portion among the plurality of concave portions is formed such that a curvature of an upper portion thereof is greater than a curvature of a lower portion thereof. The drain valve further includes a ring installed to the knob to prevent a leakage of the fluid in the case that the knob closes the first fluid drain passage. The first fluid drain passage includes two portions having different diameters, wherein a second fluid drain passage communicating with the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter is formed in the knob, and Wherein the knob is threadly coupled to an inner surface of the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter such that the knob can move with respect to the drain valve body and selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage in response to a relative movement with respect to the drain valve body. The drain valve further includes an elastic member connecting the knob with the drain valve body to prevent the knob from being separated from the drain valve body. The drain valve further includes a ring installed to the knob to prevent a leakage of the fluid in the case that the knob closes the first fluid drain passage. A lower portion of the drain valve body is hooked to form a protrusion to block the knob from being separated from the drain valve body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present Invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention, wherein: FIG. 1 shows a ball valve according to a priorart; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a ball valve according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 shows a closed state of a drain valve of the ball valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows an opened state of the drain valve of the ball valve according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 shows a knob of the drain valve of the ballvalve according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 shows a closed state of a drain valve of a ball valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 shows an opened state of the drain valve of the ball valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 shows a closed state of a drain valve of a ball valve according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 9 is an opened state of the drain valve of the ball valve according to the third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODlMENTS Embodiments of th6 present invention Will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a ball valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the ball valve according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a ball valve body 105, a ball 107, a handle 103, and a drain valve 100. The ball valve may further include a ball valve connecting portion 113 for connecting the ball valve body 105 to another component. The ball valve body 105 defines a first passage 117 through which fluid passes. The ball 107 is rotatably disposed in the first passage 117 of the ball valve body 105, and defines a second passage 109 through which the fluid passes. For example, the second passage 109 may be formed as a straight line passage. The ball valve connecting portion 113 defines a third passage 111 through which the fluid passes. Therefore, the first passage 117 can be selectively opened and closed in response to a rotation of the ball 107, and the handle 103 is rotatably installed to the ball valve body 105 and'ls configured to rotate the ball 107. For example, one end of the handle 103 is fixedly connected to the ball 107, so that the ball 107 can be rotated in response to the rotation of the handle 103. If the handle 103 is rotated, the ball 107 Is rotated together with the handle 103, and consequently, the ball 107 selectively opens and closes the first passage 117. When the ball valve is opened, i.e., when the second passage 109 communicates with the first passage 117, the fluid may pass sequentially through the first, second, and third passages 117, 109, and 111 in a direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 2. When the ball valve is closed, i.e., when the ball 107 closes the first passage 117, the fluid may remain in a space 115 around the ball 107, i.e., a space between the ball 107 and the ball valve body 105, or in a space between the ball 107 and the ball valve connecting portion 113. In order to drain the remained fluid, a fluid drain hole 120 for draining the remained fluid is formed at the ball valve body 105, and the drain valve 100 for selectively opening or closing the fluid drain hole 120 is disposed in the fluid drain hole 120. FlGs. 3 and 4 show a closed state and an opened state of a drain valve 100 of the ball valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGs. 3 and 4, the drain valve 100 includes a drain valve body 201, a knob 203, and a stopper device 300. The drain valve 100 is inserted into the fluid drain hole 120, and the drain valve body 201 may be threadly coupled to an inner surface of the fluid drain hole 120. Thei drain valve body 201 is installed in the fluid drain hole 120 and delines a first fluid drain passage 205 communicating with the fluid drain hole 120. The knob 203 is disposed in the first fluid drain passage 205 such that the knob 203 selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage 205. Although in this embodiment the knob 203 opens and closes the first fluid drain passage 205 by moving up and down, it is not restricted thereto. The stopper device 300 connects the drain valve body 201 with the knob 203 such that the knob 203 is able to be movable or to maintain its position with respect to the drain valve body 201. The first fluid drain passage 205 includes two portions 205a and 205b having different diameters and the two portions 205a and 205b are connected to each other by a slanted portion 205c. The portion 205a has a smaller diameter than the portion 205b and is located to be connectable to the fluid drain hole 120, and the portion 205b has a larger diameter than the portion 205a and is located under the portion 205a. A second fluid drain passage 207 is formed in the knob 203 that is communicating with the portion 205b that has the larger diameter than the portion 205a of the two portions 205a and 205b of the first fluid drain passage 205. The diameter of an upper portion of the knob 203 may be identical to the diameter of the portion 205a of the first fluid drain passage 205. In addition, the diameter of a middle portion of the knob 203 is identical to the diameter of the portion 205b of the first fluid drain passage 205. An inlet of the second fluid drain passage 207 is formed between the upper portion and the middle portion of the knob 203. A lower portion of the knob 203 is protruded outward from the drain valve body 201 and an outlet of the second fluid drain passage 207 is formed in the lower portion. Referring to the FIG. 3, the knob 203 is connected to the portion 205b of the first fluid drain passage 205. The first fluid drain passage 205 is closed by an insertion of the upper portion of the knob 203 to the portion 205a of the first fluid drain passage 205. In this case, the fluid remaining in the space 115 of the ball valve body 105 Is not drained but remains in the space 115 (in a direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 3). Referring to FIG. 4, the first fluid drain passage 205 is communicated with the second fluid drain passage 207, which is connected to the outside, by moving the knob 203 in the downward direction of FIG. 4. At that time, the fluid remaining in the space 115 in the ball valve body 105 is drained. Thus, if the drain valve 100 is opened, the fluid remained in the space 115 in the ball valve body 105 is drained sequentially through the first fluid drain passage 205 communicating with the fluid drain hole 120 and the second fluid drain passage 207 (in a direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 4). The stopper device 300 includes a hole 251 formed on an inner surface of the portion 205b, a plurality of concave portions 250 and 257 formed on the knob 203 corresponding to the hole 251 in response to a movement of the knob 203, an elastic member 253 disposed in the hole 251, and a stopper 255 elastically supported by the elastic member 253 such that at least a portion thereof is iocated in the hole 251 and the remaining portion thereof is Inserted into one of the concave portions of the plurality of concave portions 250 or 257 in response to the movement of the knob 203. Referring to FIGs. 3 and 4, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, one hole 251 is formed in the first fluid drain passage 205, and the two concave portions 250 and 257 are formed on an outer surface of the middle portion of the knob 203 corresponding to the one hole 251. The plurality of concave portions 250 and 257 may be disposed along a longitudinal direction of the knob 203. If the stopper 255 is inserted into the lower concave portion 257 when the hole 251 corresponds to the lower portion 257 of the concave portions 250 and 257, the first fluid drain passage 205 is dosed. In addition, if the stopper 255 is separated from the lower concave portion 257 and inserted into the uppermost concave portion 250, the first fluid drain passage 205 is opened. The stopper 255 is elastically supported by the elastic member 253 such that one part of the stopper 255 is located in the hole 251 and the other part thereof is selectively inserted into one of the concave portions 255 and 257 in response to a movement of the knob 203. The stopper 255 may have a spherical shape and an inner surface of the concave portions 250 and 257 is formed as a curved surface, but it is obvious that another shape of the stopper can be realized. In addition, the diameter of an inlet of the hole 251 is smaller than that of the stopper 255 such that the stopper 255 supported by the elastic member 253 is not separated from the hole 251. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is predetermined that in the stopper device 300 there is one hole 251 and two concave portions 250 and 257. However, the number of holes and concave portions can be determined differently for a strong connection between the knob 203 and the drain valve body 201 and for regulating amounts of the fluid in many steps. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the stopper deyice 300 is operated at once by touch. FIG. 5 shows the detail of the knob 203 of the drain valve 100 of the ball valve according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the concave portions 250 and 257 are formed as curved surfaces. When the first fluid drain hole 120 is opened, the stopper 255 disposed in the hole 251 is inserted into the uppermost concave portion 250. The curved surfaces 270 and 280 of the uppermost concave portion 250 are formed such that a curvature of an upper portion 270 thereof is greater than a curvature of a lower portion 280 thereof. More particularly, the curvature of the upper portion 270 of the uppermost concave portion 250 is formed larger than the curvature of the lower portion 280 of the uppermost concave portion 250 such that the stopper 255 cannot separate to an upper direction of the uppermost concave portion 250 in F|G. 5. In addition, a curvature of the curved surface of the lower concave portion 257 is applied as a curvature that corresponds to the curvature of the spherical shape of the stopper 255. in the case that the knob 203 closes the first fluid drain passage 205, the drain valve 100 further includes a ring 209 installed to the knob 203 to prevent a leakage of the fluid. The ring 209 is mounted between the upper portion and the middle portion of the knob 203. Therefore, if the upper portion of the knob 203 is inserted into the portion 205a of the first fluid drain passage 205, the ring 209 is pressed against the start of the slanted portion 205c of the first fluid drain passage 205. Thus, when the drain valve 100 is closed, the leakage of the fluid is prevented. FIG. 6 shows a closed state of a drain valve of a ball valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 7 shows an opened state of the drain valve of the ball valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FlGs. 6 and 7, a first fluid drain passage 305 includes two portions 305a and 305b having different diameters, a second fluid drain passage 307 communicating with the portion 305b that has a larger diameter than the portion 305a of the first fluid drain passage 305, the knob 303 is threadly coupled to an inner surface of the portion 305b of the first fluid drain passage 305 such that the knob 303 can move with respect to the drain valve body 301 and selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage 305 in response to a relative movement with respect to the drain valve body 301. The drain valve 100 is inserted Into the fluid drain hole 120 and it may be that the drain valve body 301 is threadly coupled 215 to the fluid drain hole 120. The drain valve body 301 defines the first fluid drain passage 305 communicating with the fluid drain hole 120 and the knob 303 is disposed in the first fluid drain passage 305 for opening and closing the first fluid drain passage 305. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the knob 303 opens and closes the first fluid drain passage 305 by moving up and down but it is not restricted thereto. The first fluid drain passage 305 includes two portions 305a and 305b having different diameters and the two portions 305a and 305b are connected by a slanted portion 305c. The portion 305a of the two portions 305a and 305b that has the smaller diameter is located to be connectable to the fluid drain hole 120 and the portion 305b thereof that has the larger diameter is located under the portion 305a. The diameter of an upper portion of the knob 303 may be identical to the diameter of the portion 305a of the first fluid drain passage 305 and the diameter of a middle portion of the knob 303 is identical to the diameter of the portion 305b of the first fluid drain passage 305. An inlet of the second fluid drain passage 307 is formed between the upper portion and the middle portion of the knob 303 and a lower portion of the knob 303 is protruded out of the drain valve body 301 and an outlet of the second fluid drain passage 307 is formed to the lower portion. Referring to FIG. 6, the knob 303 is connected to the portion 305b of the first fluid drain passage 305 and the first fluid drain passage 305 is closed by an insertion of the upper portion of the knob 303 to the portion 305a of the first fluid drain passage 305. In this case, the fluid remained in the space 115 of the ball valve body 105 is not drained but remains in the space 115 (in a direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 6). Referring to FIG. 7, the first fluid drain passage 305 Is communicated with the second fluid drain passage 307, which is connected to the outside, by movement of the knob 303 to the lower direction of FIG. 7, and at this time the fluid remaining in the space 115 in the ball valve body 105 is drained. Thus, if the drain valve 100 is opened, the fluid remaining in the space 115 in the ball valve body 105 is drained sequentially through the first fluid drain passage 305 communicated with the fluid drain hole 120 and the second fluid drain passage 307 (in a direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 7). Threads 320 are formed in the middle of the outer surface of the knob 303 and other threads 310 are formed to an inner surface of the portion 305b of the two portions 305a and 305b of the first fluid drain passage 305. The knob 303 is rotatably coupled with the drain valve body 301 by the two threads 320 and 310. That is, the knob 303 moves up and down with respect to the drain valve body 301 by rotating clockwise or counterclockwise. An upper portion of the knob 303 opens and closes the first fluid drain passage 305 by upward or downward movement of the knob 303. It may be that the first fluid drain passage 305 is opened by two or three rotations of the knob 303 but it is not restricted thereto. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the ball valve further includes an elastic member 313 connecting the knob 303 with the drain valve body 301 to prevent the knob 303 from being separated from the drain valve body 301, in the case that the drain valve 100 is opened. A projection portion 330 for fixing the elastic member 313 is formed to one end of the portion 305a of the first fluid drain passage 305. Therefore, one end of the elastic member 313 is fixed to the projection portion 330 and the other end thereof is fixed to the upper portion of the knob 303. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the elastic member 313 is realized as a spring but it is not restricted thereto. In the case that the knob 303 closes the first fluid drain passage 305, the drain valve 100 further includes a ring 309 installed to the knob 303 to prevent a leakage of the fluid in the case that the knob closes the first fluid drain passage 305. The ring 309 is installed between the upper portion and the middle portion of the knob 303. Therefore, if the upper portion of the knob 303 is inserted into the portion 305a of the first fluid drain passage 305, the ring 309 is pressed against the start of the slanted portion 305c of the first fluid drain passage 305. Thus, when the drain valve 100 is closed, the leakage of the fluid is prevented. FIG. 8 shows a closed state of a drain valve of a ball valve according to a third embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 9 Is an opened state of the drain valve of the ball valve according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGs. 8 and 9, the scheme of the ball valve according to the third embodiment of the present invention is basically similar to the second embodiment of the present invention, except that the elastic member 313 for preventing separation of the knob 303 Is replaced with a different scheme according to the third embodiment. That is, a lower portion of the drain valve body 301 is hooked to form a protrusion 402 to block the knob 303 from being separated from the drain valve body 301. Thus, when the drain valve 100 is opened, the knob 303 is not separated from the drain valve body 301 at a position in which the protrusion 402 located. According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the ball valve is closed, freezing of fluid remained in the ball valve is prevented because the remained fluid is more easily drained than in the prior art. In addition, because the drain valve disposed in the ball valve according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened at once by touch, draining of the fluid is easier and a tool for opening the drain valve is not necessary. Furthermore, because the ball valve does not include an electric heating device, a process for mounting the heating device is not necessary, costs are reduced, and a weight of the ball valve is also reduced. if vibration is applied from outside of the ball valve, separation of the components of the drain valve is prevented. While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various mbdifidations and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. We claim: 1. A ball valve consisting; a ball valve body defining a first passage through which fluid passes; a ball defining a second passage through which fluid passes and rotatably disposed in the first passage such that the first passage is selectively opened and closed in response to a rotation thereof; a handle rotatably installed to the ball valve body and configured to rotate the ball; and a drain valve disposed in a fluid drain hole formed in the ball valve body such that the drain valve drains fluid remaining in a space around the ball and comprises a drain valve body installed in the fluid drain hole and defining a first fluid drain passage communicating with the fluid drain hole: - a knob disposed in the first fluid drain passage such that the knob selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage; and a stopper device connecting the drain valve body with the knob such that the knob is able to be movable or to maintain its position with respect to the drain valve body wherein the first fluid drain passage comprised two portions having different diameters wherein a second fluid drain passage communicating with the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter is formed in the knob, and wherein the stopper device comprises: a hole formed on the inner surface of,the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter; a plurality of concave portions formed on the knob correspondmg to the hole in response to a movement of the knob; an elastic member disposed in the hole; and a stopper elastically supported by the elastic member such that at least a portion thereof is located in the hole and the other portion thereof is inserted into one of the concave portions in response to the movement of the knob. 2. The ball valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of concave portions are disposed along a longitudinal direction of the knob. 3. The ball valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein thc stopper has a spherical shape and an inner surface of the concave portion is formed as a curved surface. 4. The ball valve as claimed in claim 2 wherein an irmer surface of the uppermost concave portion among the plurality of concave portions is formed such that a curvature of an upper portion thereof is greater than a curvature of a lower portion thereof. 5. The ball valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drain valve comprises a ring installed to the knob to prevent a leakage of the fluid in the case that the knob closes the first fluid drain passage. 6. The ball valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first fluid drain passage comprises two portions having different diameters, wherein a secorrd fluid drain passage communicating with the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter is formed in the knob, and wherein the knob is threadly coupled to an inner surface of the portion of the two portions of the first fluid drain passage that has the larger diameter such that the knob can move with respect to the drain valve body-and selectively opens and closes the first fluid drain passage in response to a relative movement with respect of the drain valve body. 7. The ball valve as claimed in claim 6 wherein the drain valve comprises an elastic member cormecting the knob with the drain valve body to prevent the knob from being separated from the drain valve body. 8. The ball valve as claimed in claim 67 wherein the lower portion of the drain valve body is hooked to form a protrusion to block the knob from being separated from the drain valve body.

Documents:

1321-del-2005-abstract.pdf

1321-del-2005-claims.pdf

1321-del-2005-correspondence-others.pdf

1321-del-2005-correspondence-po.pdf

1321-del-2005-description (complete).pdf

1321-del-2005-drawings.pdf

1321-del-2005-form-1.pdf

1321-del-2005-form-18.pdf

1321-del-2005-form-2.pdf

1321-del-2005-form-3.pdf

1321-del-2005-form-5.pdf

1321-del-2005-gpa.pdf

1321-del-2005-petition-138.pdf