DE29514904U1 - Valve anti-tamper device - Google Patents

Description

G 17 267 dliah 14 Sept. 1995

EFFEBI S.p.&Agr;., Polaveno (Brescia) Italy Anti-tamper device for valves

The invention relates generally to valves for fluids, in particular gases, which contain a closure member with a pin connected to a handle which can be moved from a closed position to an open position by turning it through 90°, as is the case with ball or cone valves, for example. In particular, the invention relates to anti-tamper means which can be attached to the handle of a valve, both when the handle is in normal use and when it is fixed in a closed position or an open position.

Valves for fluids have already been proposed and are available in which the handle and/or the closure member can be fixed to the valve body in order to prevent uncontrolled opening when the valve is closed and uncontrolled closing when the valve is open for safety reasons and to prevent unauthorized intervention. In the known embodiments, the handle and/or the closure member is fixed to the valve body by means of a

or on the rotation axis of the closure element secured to the valve body.

In any case, these known systems involve the presence and use of a key and involve costs that are not insignificant compared to the valve alone.

In contrast, the object of the present invention is to provide an anti-tamper device for valves of the above-mentioned type, which is above all simple and inexpensive and can be easily attached to the handle without affecting any functional part or structure of the valve, which does not require a key and which also serves as a lock.

This object is achieved by the measures contained in claim 1.

For the above-mentioned purpose, the actuating handle for the valve closure member has, in addition to the stops limiting the rotational movement of the handle between the open position and the closed position of the closure member, two recesses preventing rotation, which alternatively cooperate with a projection integral with the valve body to fix the handle in the extreme open or closed position, as well as an end cap which can only be removed by at least partially destroying it, whereby the end cap

above the pin connecting the handle to the valve member. The device proposed here has the following advantages in addition to its simplicity, cheap manufacture and ease of use:

It prevents unauthorized intervention and/or dismantling of the valve. Any intervention is clearly visible, as it always leads to destruction or at least damage to the end cap.

- Preventing unwanted access and interference from the outside, thereby reducing the need for maintenance of the valve over time,

Protection of the end of the control pin and the associated lock nut against external media, contamination and rust,

- Formation of a good-looking end and end link for the handle, as the unsightly pin/nut arrangement is concealed ,

- Creation of a support for the attachment of information, markings, etc., which may also be interchangeable, with the associated possibility of better recognition of the handle and thus of the valve itself.

Conveniently, the end cap may be made of plastic material of the same colour as the handle and may end at and be flush with the top of the handle so that there is no discontinuity between the handle and the end cap.

The end cap is easy and convenient to use and is applied by applying a pressure force, making use of the elasticity of the engagement means integral with the end cap.

When the cap is in its position of use, there is very little clearance between its circumference and the seat that receives it, so that any tool used to loosen and remove the cap will necessarily deform the cap, making the intervention that has taken place obvious.

An embodiment of the invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawing. It shows:

Figure 1 An exploded view of the valve, handle and end cap,

Figure 2 the valve and the handle, completed with the end cap, in partial cross section and

Figure 3 shows an enlarged cross-section of the end cap alone.

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In the drawing, 10 designates a valve body and 11 an actuating handle (handle), the actuating handle having a cup-, cup-, sleeve- or cylindrically shaped member 11', which is fastened by means of a nut 12 to the pin 13 which actuates the valve closure member (not shown) which is arranged rotatably inside the body 10. This body 10 has at least one lateral stop projection 14 (stop lug), and the cup-, cup-, sleeve- or cylinder-like area of the handle 11 has, in a manner known per se, two stops 15 which are angularly offset from one another and alternatively interact with the stop projection 14 to define the open position and the closed position of the valve after the handle has been rotated by 90°.

The cup-, cup-, sleeve- or cylinder-like part 11' of the handle 11 also has two additional recesses 16, which are arranged at a distance from the stops 15. When the handle has been removed and reattached and rotated to suit, one or the other recess will interact with the stop projection 14 on the valve body to fix the handle in the open position or in the closed position of the valve, thereby preventing any possibility of rotation. The stop projection 14 engages in one or the other recess 16, 17.

Above the pin 13 and the lock nut 12, the area 11' of the handle 11 defines a seat 18 with an inner

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The cap 20 has a locking nut 19 which forms an undercut 19 and an anti-tamper cap 20 which engages the undercut is inserted into said seat. For this purpose, the cap 20 has projections 21 on its periphery which snap into the undercut when the cap is pressed into said seat with any tool, as shown in Figure 2. The cap 20 thus prevents access to the locking nut, uncontrolled removal of the handle and interference with the valve closure member both when the handle is free to rotate for normal opening and closing of the valve and when it is fixed and permanently secured in the closed position or in the open position without being able to rotate.

Finally, it should be noted that a peripheral edge 22 delimited by an annular groove 23 can be present at the top of the anti-tamper cap 20. This edge 22 then forms a weak point which immediately deforms in the event of any attempt to remove the cap by any means. In this way, any unauthorized attempt at tampering and/or any tampering that has taken place when the cap is put back in place will be clearly visible.

Claims (4)

G 17 267 dlmh 14 Sept. 1995 EFFEBI S.p.&Agr;., Polaveno (Brescia) Italy Anti-tampering device for valves Claims 1. Anti-tamper device for a valve for fluids, which has a rotatable closure member with a pin connected to an actuating handle which can be rotated from a closed position to an open position by rotating it through 90° and which can be permanently secured in the closed position or the open position, the handle having a cup-, mug-, sleeve- or cylinder-like region which is attached to the pin by means of a locking nut and is provided with means for limiting the rotational movement and for determining the permanent open position and closed position, characterized in that it contains an end cap (20) which can be brought into engagement with the cup-, mug-, sleeve- or cylinder-like region (H') of the handle (11) above the pin (13) and the locking nut (12) in order to prevent access to these and any unauthorized manipulation of the valve. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cup-, cup-, sleeve- or cylinder-like area (H') of the handle (11) above the pin (13) and the locking nut (12) contains a seat (18) with an inner groove forming an undercut (19) and that the end cap (20) has engagement projections (21) on its circumference for engaging in the undercut (19) under pressure, so that when the cap (20) is removed, it is at least partially damaged. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the end cap (20) has an edge around its base, which is defined by a groove and contains a weakened zone which makes any attempt at intervention recognizable. 4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cap also forms an end member for the handle, a safety closure and a support for various markings and/or information.