Valve

Claim 2

A valve comprising: a tube of resilient material: a pair of compressing members on opposite sides of the tube; and means for moving the compressing members together and directly against said tube to squeeze the tube closed; each compressing member having a length in a direction transVerse to the axis of the tube, at least as great as the width of the fully squeezed-close tube, and each compressing member being concave near either end thereof, so that as the tube becomes fully squeezed the tube portions at the ends of the squeeze line are supported against outward movement, whereby to more completely close the tube.

Claim 3

The valve described in claim 1 wherein: each compressing member is concavely rounded at an average radius of curvature on the order of ten times the diameter of the tube.

Claim 4

A valve comprising: a valve body; a tube of resilient material held in said body: a pair of compressing members disposed on said valve body on opposite sides of the tube, said compressing members having nip portions extending transverse to the axis of the tube and having a length at least as great as the width of the fully squeezed-closed tube; and means for moving the compressing members together and against said tube, to squeeze the tube closed; the compressing members being formed so they are closer together at the opposite nip end portions which compress said tube than at the middle of the nips, whereby to more completely close the tube with moderate forces on the compressing members.

Claim 5

A valve comprising: a valve body; a tube of resilient material held in said body: a pair of compressing members disposed on said valve body on opposite sides of the tube, said compressing members having nip portions extending transverse to the axis of the tube and having a length at least as great as the width of the fully squeezed-closed tube; and means for moving the compressing members together and against said tube, to squeeze the tube closed; the compressing members being formed so they are closer together at the opposite nip end portions which compress said tube than at the middle of the nips, whereby to more completely close the tube with moderate forces on the compressing members.

Claim 6

A valve comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a flexible tube in communication therebetween; a pair of closing members on opposite sides of said tube, said members slidably mounted on the housing towards and away from the centerline of the tube to close and open it to the passage of fluid therethrough; and means for moving both of said closing members towards one another to close the tube; said moving means including a cam member rotatably mounted about the axis of the tube and having a pair of camming surfaces extending along substantially spirals so that they vary in distance from the axis of the tube at different angular positions about the axis, said camming surfaces engaged with the closing members to move them, and said closing members being restrained from rotating with the cam member about the tube axis; at least one of said camming surfaces having a plurality of steps along the spiral, to retain the cam in a position wherein the valve is partially open.

Claim 7

A valve comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a flexible tube in communication therebetween; a pair of closing members on opposite sides of said tube, said members slidably mounted on the housing towards and away from the centerline of the tube to close and open it to the passage of fluid therethrough; and means for moving both of said closing members towards one another to close the tube; said moving means including a cam member rotatably mounted about the axis of the tube and having a pair of camming surfaces extending along substantially spirals so that they vary in distance from the axis of the tube at different angular positions about the axis, said camming surfaces engaged with the closing members to move them, and said closing members being restrained from rotating with the cam member about the tube axis; at least one of said camming surfaces having a plurality of steps along the spiral, to retain the cam in a position wherein the valve is partially open.

Claim 8

A valve comprising: a tube of resilient material, said tube having a tubular portion and outwardly extending flanges at opposite ends of the tubular portion; valve housing means extending around the tube and having first flange-facing portions adjacent to the flange surfaces that face one another, said housing means also including second end surfaces pressing against surfaces of the flanges opposite the first flange-facing portions; and tube compressing means moveable against the tubular portion at a location between said flanges to squeeze the tube closed; said first flange-facing portions being cut-away at the radially inner regions to leave a large gap around the tube where the tubular portion intersects the flanges, at least at the same sides of the tube which are compressed by the tube compressing means, whereby to permit inner flange portions to draw together when the tube is compressed.

Claim 9

A valve comprising: a tube of resilient material, said tube having a tubular portion and outwardly extending flanges at opposite ends of the tubular portion; valve housing means extending around the tube and having first flange-facing portions adjacent to the flange surfaces that face one another, said housing means also including second end surfaces pressing against surfaces of the flanges opposite the first flange-facing portions; and tube compressing means moveable against the tubular portion at a location between said flanges to squeeze the tube closed; said first flange-facing portions being cut-away at the radially inner regions to leave a large gap around the tube where the tubular portion intersects the flanges, at least at the same sides of the tube which are compressed by the tube compressing means, whereby to permit inner flange portions to draw together when the tube is compressed.

Claim 10

A valve comprising: a tube of resilient material, having a pair of flanges at its opposite ends; a first housing portion disposed about said tube, said first housing portion having a pair of radially extending guide slots on opposite sides of the tube and having a pair of ends for abutting the faces of said tube flanges that face one another, said ends of said first housing portion being of larger diameter than said tube flanges; a pair of compressing members slidably mounted in said slots, each member having a nip portion for pressing against the tube so that the tube can be squeezed closed between the nip portions of the two members, and each member having a cam follower portion; a cam rotatably mounted about the axis of the tube and having a pair of camming portions that vary in distance from The axis of the tube and which engage the compressing members to move them towards the tube when the cam is turned; and a pair of second housing parts, each engaged with a different end of the first housing portion and having a flange-abutting surface that squeezes the flanges against an end of the first housing portion; said cam having a manually turnable outer surface located between said second housing parts.

Claim 11

A valve comprising: a tube of resilient material, having a pair of flanges at its opposite ends; a first housing portion disposed about said tube, said first housing portion having a pair of radially extending guide slots on opposite sides of the tube and having a pair of ends for abutting the faces of said tube flanges that face one another, said ends of said first housing portion being of larger diameter than said tube flanges; a pair of compressing members slidably mounted in said slots, each member having a nip portion for pressing against the tube so that the tube can be squeezed closed between the nip portions of the two members, and each member having a cam follower portion; a cam rotatably mounted about the axis of the tube and having a pair of camming portions that vary in distance from The axis of the tube and which engage the compressing members to move them towards the tube when the cam is turned; and a pair of second housing parts, each engaged with a different end of the first housing portion and having a flange-abutting surface that squeezes the flanges against an end of the first housing portion; said cam having a manually turnable outer surface located between said second housing parts.

Claim 12

The valve described in claim 6 wherein: said camming surfaces including a plurality of discontinuities for retaining the compressing members at a plurality of positions.

Claim 13

A valve comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a tube of flexible material coupling said inlet and outlet; a pair of closing members of material stiffer than the material of said tube, said closing members slidably mounted on the housing on opposite sides of the tube to move towards and away from the centerline of the tube to close and open the tube to the passage of fluid therethrough; and means for moving both of said closing members towards one another to close the tube; each of said closing members having an elongated concavely curved rigid nip portion extending transverse to the axis of the tube, each nip portion having a length greater than the width of the tube when the tube is squeezed substantially closed, and each nip portion positioned to directly contact said tube when said closing members are moved towards the tube.

Claim 14

A valve comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a tube of flexible material coupling said inlet and outlet; a pair of closing members of material stiffer than the material of said tube, said closing members slidably mounted on the housing on opposite sides of the tube to move towards and away from the centerline of the tube to close and open the tube to the passage of fluid therethrough; and means for moving both of said closing members towards one another to close the tube; each of said closing members having an elongated concavely curved rigid nip portion extending transverse to the axis of the tube, each nip portion having a length greater than the width of the tube when the tube is squeezed substantially closed, and each nip portion positioned to directly contact said tube when said closing members are moved towards the tube.

Claim 15

A valve comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a tube in communication therebetween; a pair of closing members on opposite sides of said tube, said members slidably mounted on the housing towards and away from the centerline of the tubular portion to close and open it to the passage of fluid therethrough; and means for moving both of said closing members towards one another to close the tubular portion; said moving means including a cam member rotatably mounted about the axis of the tube and having a pair of camming surfaces extending along substantially spirals so that they vary in distance from the axis of the tube at different angular positions about the axis, said camming surfaces engaged with the closing members to move them, and said closing members being restrained from rotating with the cam member about the tube axis; the camming angles of said camming surfaces decreasing at locations of decreasing radial distance from the axis of said tube.

Claim 16

A valve comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a tube in communication therebetween; a pair of closing members on opposite sides of said tube, said members slidably mounted on the housing towards and away from the centerline of the tubular portion to close and open it to the passage of fluid therethrough; and means for moving both of said closing members towards one another to close the tubular portion; said moving means including a cam member rotatably mounted about the axis of the tube and having a pair of camming surfaces extending along substantially spirals so that they vary in distance from the axis of the tube at different angular positions about the axis, said camming surfaces engaged with the closing members to move them, and said closing members being restrained from rotating with the cam member about the tube axis; the camming angles of said camming surfaces decreasing at locations of decreasing radial distance from the axis of said tube.