Patent attributes
A valve assembly for insertion in a pipe containing fluid under pressure includes a valve body adapted to be assembled over the pipe and a valve-stopping mechanism that mounts on the valve body. The hollow valve body interior and an access opening in the valve body are sufficiently large to receive a hole saw element no smaller than the outside diameter of the pipe as installers advance the hole saw element radially through the access opening to form a gap in the pipe. The valve-stopping mechanism includes a gate with a cross sectional area greater than the pipe that mates with the valve body interior so that the gate can be advanced radially through the gap in the pipe into direct fluid-tight contact of the valve body in order to thereby stop the flow of fluid through the pipe.