Disposable plastic reciprocating valve

Claim 1

A reciprocating valve comprising, a generally cylindrical hollow casing enclosing a valve chamber defined between axially-spaced inner walls of said casing, one of which walls constitutes a valve seat, said casing having a bore extending axially therein from one end thereof and through said seat into said chamber, a reciprocating valve comprising a disc disposed in said chamber, said disc having port means therethrough, stem means on one side thereof reciprocable in said bore, and spring leg means on the other side thereof for engaging the other inner wall of said chamber so as normally to force said disc in seating engagement against said seat, service port means for said chamber, said stem means having an open hollow free end portion constituting a service port for receiving a fluid coupling member, a closed end portion integral with said disc, and port means extending from the hollow free end portion to the periphery of the stem, said port means through the stem and disc being normally masked by the wall of said bore and said seat, respectively, when said spring legs force the valve in one direction to engage the disc against said seat, and being open when said fitting engages into said stem socket and forces the valve member in the other direction against the forces of said spring legs so as to space the disc from the seat and thereby unmask the port means therethrough while moving the port means in the stem beyond the wall of the bore and thereby unmask the same whereby to establish a fluid path from the socket, the port means in the stem, the space between the disc and the seat, the port means in the disc, the valve chamber, and the service port means for the chamber.