US992502A - Stop-cock. - Google Patents

Description

M. S. HOLLIS.

STOP COCK.

-' APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 23, 1910.

992,502. Patented May 16, 1911;

M M l s. 23% M 33 M: Momma/e THE mmms PETERS C0,, WASHINGTON, 0.5:.

MILES S. HOLLIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STOP-COCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILES S. HOLLIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stop-Cocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates more particularly to a safety stop cock to be used in connection with gas fixtures.v

It very often happens through ignorance or by accident that the gas is turned on which results in loss of life and sometimes considerable damage to property. It is understood that attempts have been made to prevent the accidental movement of the plugs of ordinary gas cocks, but the means proposed, so far as I am aware, have been either complicated or expensive to make, or have been ineflicient for the purpose for which they were intended.

The primary object of the invention is to overcome the objections incident to devices of this kind as ordinarily constructed, and to provide a device which cannot be operated except by a separate movement on the part of one element of the device to cause the same to engage the plug before the latter can be rotated, thus reducing to a minimum all liability to the accidental rotation of the plug either to turn on or 011 the gas.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means whereby the element adapted for rotating the gas plug may be so held as to permit its free rotation without operating the plug.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the plug and element to rotate the same may be held in permanent engagement so that the plug may be rotated in the usual manner, or the said rotating element may be held permanently out of engagement with the plug, so that it will require a separate operation before the plug can be rotated to turn on or shut off the gas.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section, partly in elevation, showing one form of gas cock embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view, taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 23, 1910.

Patented May 16, 1911.

Serial No. 598,958.

While I show the invention as applied to a stop cock adapted for use in connection with gas fixtures, it will be understood that the invention may be applied to cocks or valves used for other purposes without departing from the character of the invention.

The body 10 may be connected to the gas pipe or other source of supply 11, and in said body "is an opening 12 for the passage of the fluid. A plug or valve 13 is rotatably held in the body and this plug may have an opening 14 adapted to be placed into communication with the opening or passage 12 or to be moved at right angles thereto, as shown, so that the gas may be permitted to flow through the body or to be shut off by the plug according to the position of the opening 14 as is usual wit-h devices of this kind. The plug may be tapered to fit a tapered opening in the body and may be held within the body by a screw 15 and a washer 16, and said plug may have the usual or any preferred form of stop to limit its rotary movement. That is, it may have any suitable stop to indicate that the gas is turned on or off according to the position of the plug, it being usual to provide a pin or similar means for this purpose.

The lower end of the plug has an extended portion 17 and this portion may be of any desired form. As shown, it is tapering and substantially square and has a tapering conical part 18, and arranged around the plug is a casing member 19 which may be held to the body by a threaded portion 20 or by a clip or in any other way. The casing member 19 forms a recess or chamber 21 under the plug 18 and has a reduced tubular portion 22 in which is rotatably held the stem 23 of a rotary member or element 24:. This member 24 serves as a key and has an enlarged partor head 25 located within the chamber 21, and in said head is a tapered portion 26 to receive the conical part 18 and a tapering substantially square opening or recess 27 which is adapted to fit about the square part 17 of the plug 13. A. handle portion 28 is held to the stem 23 and may be detachable therefrom, and said handle portion has a shoulder 29 between which and the end of the sleeve 22 is a spring 30.

It will be seen that the head 25 will hold the rotary member 241 against removal and the spring 30 tends normally to force the head 25 away from the projection 17 of the plug 18. By forcing the rotary member or key against the action of the spring 30, the

part 27 will fit about the part 17 at which time, by rotating the key, the plug may be also rotated to turn on or shut ofi' the gas or other fluid, and as soon as the key is released, the spring will restore the same to the position shown in Fig. 1, thus permitting the key to rotate independently of the plug, so that in this position it will not in any way affect the position of the plug 17 and thus the liability of the gas being accidentally turned on or shut off through the key is very remote as itrequires a movement of the key toward the plug as well as a rotary movement thereof before the plug can be rotated.

It may be desirable in order to prevent children from turning on or shutting oi? the gas, or to permit the device to be used in the ordinary way, and for such purposes, I may provide one or more annular grooves in the stem portion 23 of the key 24. As shown there are two grooves 31 and 32 and adapted to enter either of said grooves is the screw 33. The screw 33 is held to the tubular part- 2-2 of the sleeve 19 and it caused to enter the groove 31, it will prevent the upward movement of the key so that it will be impossible without releasing the screw to rotate the plug by means of the key 2%. If on the other hand the key is forced upwardly until the groove 32 is in alinement with the end of the screw 38, the said key will be locked to the plug so that a rotary movement of the key will operate the plug in substantially the same manner as in the ordinary gas cook.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a simple and efiicient device is provided in which the liability to accidents either to property or loss of life by accidentally turning on the gas is reduced to a minimum; that said device is simple in construction and may be readily made and assembled; that before the plug element of the cock can be rotated, it is necessary to give movement lengthwise of the plug to an ele ment by which the plug may be rotated; that such actuating element may rotate freely in one position independently of the plug; and that said cock may be used in the ordinary way or the actuating element may be held in such a way that it cannot be operated unless said element is released.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a valve body, and a valve plug, which members are provided with openings brought to register when the plug is turned, of a tubular casing having one end attached to the body in alinementwith the plug axis, the casing having a reduced portion beyond the plug forming a shoulder, a stem rotatable in the reduced portion and having a handle on its outer end, the stem having a head within the casing arranged to engage said shoulder, a coil spring on the stem arranged to press it outwardly with the head engaging said shoulder, the plug having an extension projecting into the casing and provided with abutment portions, said head having a socket having abutments normally free from the projection of the plug whereby the stem can be rotated without engagement with the extension, but which socket walls will engage the abutment walls when the stem is advanced toward the plug, whereby the plug will turn with the stem.

2. The combination of a valve body, and a valve plug, which members are provided with openings brought to register when the plug is turned, of a tubular casing having one end attached to the body in alinement with the plug axis, the casing having a reduced portion beyond the plug forming a shoulder, a stem rotatable in the reduced portion and having a handle on its outer end, the stem having a head within the easing arranged to engage said shoulder, a coil spring on the stem arranged to press it outwardly with the head engaging said shoulder, the plug having an extension projecting into the casing and provided with abutment portions, said head having a socket having abutments normally free from the projection of the plug whereby the stem. can be ro tated without engagement with the extension, but which socket walls will engage the abutment walls when the stem is advanced toward the plug, whereby the plug will turn with the stem, the tubular extension of the w casing having a screw threaded in one side to be moved inwardly, said stem being provided with a pair of recesses to alternately receive said screw when advanced, the recesses being so positioned that one will be engaged by the screw when the head is in engagement with the shoulder portlon and the other recess will be positioned to be engaged by the screw when the stem is advanced to cause engagement between the head and the plug projection, whereby the stem can be held for rotation in either of said positions, or is free for longitudlnal movement when the screw is disengaged from the recesses.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22nd day of December A. D. 1910.

MILES S. HOLLIS. lVitnesses: V

C. BARTELS, Lns'rnn O. TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C.

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