Abstract: A valve assembly for an oil pumping system including a shell, a seat affixed in a lower end of the shell, a ball positioned within the shell and having a diameter greater than a diameter of the seat, and a cage positioned within the interior passageway of the shell. The cage has a first ported area and a second ported area on opposite sides of a ball retaining system. An elastomeric ring or a resilient member is positioned against a top of the cage.

Abstract: A valve cage whose tubular side wall has a progressively diminishing thickness between the seat and the stop means, whereby the bore is tapered and upwardly enlarging in that interval. Therefore the flow area between the ball provided in the bore and the side wall increases as the ball ascends. The side wall has ball guide ribs which project inwardly and increase in height at the same rate as the wall thickness diminishes, so that the ribs form a race of constant diameter, for guiding the ball as it moves vertically and preventing it from moving laterally. The ball stop is positioned at the top of the cage and the external thread for connection with the pump barrel is positioned intermediate the ends of the cage. This arrangement enables the seats of the travelling and standing valves to come close together at the bottom of the down stroke of the plunger.