Fluid dispensing valve and method of use

• US 20030094467A1
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Dark Family Trust
• Original Assignee: The Dark Family Trust
• Inventors: Dark, Richard C.G.
• Granted Patent: US 6,840,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/484
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/2081 in which the deformation raises or lowers the valve port

Abstract

A fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of a fluid through a through-conduit has a retainer and a dispensing valve body. The retainer has an upwardly extending plug and is adapted to be inserted into an inner surface of the through-conduit. A dispensing valve body is bounded by an exterior surface, an interior surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter. The dispensing valve body is shaped to fit within the through-conduit such that the valve perimeter forms a sealing relationship with the inner surface, and the dispensing orifice perimeter fits securely around and seals against the upwardly extending plug.

Claims

1. A fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of a fluid through a through-conduit and a retainer, the through-conduit having an inner surface and the retainer having an upwardly extending plug, the fluid dispensing valve comprising:

a dispensing valve body bounded by an exterior surface, an interior surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing valve body being shaped to fit within the through-conduit and the valve perimeter is shaped to form a sealing relationship with the inner surface; and

an annular ridge extending upwardly from the exterior surface adjacent the dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing orifice perimeter being shaped to fit securely around and seal against the upwardly extending plug without interference from the annular ridge.

2. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 1 wherein an interior portion of the dispensing valve body, adjacent the dispensing orifice perimeter, is formed of a resilient material that can change conformation from a sealed conformation, wherein the dispensing orifice perimeter is positioned securely around and sealed against the upwardly extending plug, to a dispensing conformation, wherein the dispensing orifice perimeter is lifted out of sealing contact with the upwardly extending plug when the pressure against the interior surface exceeds the pressure against the exterior surface.

3. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 1 wherein the dispensing valve body further includes an exterior portion, adjacent the valve perimeter, that is formed of a resilient material that can change conformation from an initial conformation, wherein the valve perimeter is positioned securely around and sealed against the inner surface, to a venting conformation, wherein the valve perimeter is pushed out of sealing contact with the inner surface when the pressure against the exterior surface exceeds the pressure against the interior surface.

4. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 3 wherein the exterior portion includes a venting flange that extends outwardly and downwardly from a connection ridge formed by the integral joining of the venting flange and the interior portion.

5. A fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of a fluid through a through-conduit, the through-conduit having an inner surface, the fluid dispensing valve comprising:

a retainer having an upwardly extending plug;

a dispensing valve body bounded by an exterior surface, an interior surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing valve body being shaped to fit within the through-conduit such that the dispensing orifice perimeter can fit securely around and seal against the upwardly extending plug and such that the valve perimeter can form a sealing relationship with the inner surface; and

an exterior portion of the dispensing valve body, adjacent the valve perimeter, that is formed of a resilient material such that the dispensing valve body can change conformation from an initial conformation, wherein the valve perimeter is positioned securely around and sealed against the inner surface, to a venting conformation, wherein the valve perimeter is pushed out of sealing contact with the inner surface when the pressure against the exterior surface exceeds the pressure against the interior surface.

6. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 5 further comprising a means for confining the dispensing valve body within the through-conduit adjacent the retainer.

7. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 5 wherein an interior portion of the dispensing valve body, adjacent the dispensing orifice perimeter, is formed of a resilient material that can change conformation from a sealed conformation, wherein the dispensing orifice perimeter is positioned securely around and sealed against the upwardly extending plug, to a dispensing conformation, wherein the dispensing orifice perimeter is lifted out of sealing contact with the upwardly extending plug when the pressure against the interior surface exceeds the pressure against the exterior surface.

8. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 5 wherein the upwardly extending plug of the retainer includes a locking taper portion.

9. A fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of a fluid through a through-conduit, the through-conduit having an inner surface, the fluid dispensing valve comprising:

a retainer having an upwardly extending plug that includes a locking taper portion that forms a locking taper;

a dispensing valve body bounded by an exterior surface, an interior surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter, the valve perimeter being shaped to form a sealing relationship with the inner surface,

the dispensing orifice perimeter being shaped to fit securely around and form a locking seal against the locking taper portion of the upwardly extending plug; and

means for confining the dispensing valve body within the through-conduit adjacent the retainer.

10. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 9 wherein the locking taper is between 0.5% and 10%.

11. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 9 wherein the locking taper is between 3% and 8%.

12. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 9 wherein the upwardly extending portion includes a lead-in taper portion above the locking taper portion, the lead-in taper portion having a lead-in taper.

13. A fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of a fluid through a through-conduit, the through-conduit having an inner surface, the fluid dispensing valve comprising:

a retainer having an upwardly extending plug;

a dispensing valve body bounded by an exterior surface, an interior surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing valve body being shaped to fit within the through-conduit such that the dispensing orifice perimeter can fit securely around and seal against the upwardly extending plug and such that the valve perimeter can form a sealing relationship with the inner surface;

a means for biasing the dispensing orifice perimeter downwardly against the upwardly extending plug; and

a means for confining the dispensing valve body within the through-conduit adjacent the retainer.

14. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 13 wherein the means for biasing includes an interior portion and an exterior portion of the dispensing valve body, the exterior portion including a venting flange that extends outwardly and downwardly from a connection ridge formed by the integral joining of the venting flange and the interior portion, the interior and exterior portions being shaped and joined so that the dispensing valve body is pressed downwardly against the plug shoulder.

15. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 13 wherein the means for biasing includes an inner flange extending inwardly from the inner surface of the through-conduit, and a plug shoulder extending upwardly from the retainer, the plug shoulder extending far enough, relative to the inner flange, so that the plug shoulder pushes the dispensing valve body against the inner flange hard enough to distort the dispensing valve body.

16. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 13 wherein the upwardly extending plug includes a locking taper portion.

17. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 13 wherein the dispensing valve body includes an annular ridge extending upwardly from the exterior surface adjacent the dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing orifice perimeter being shaped to fit securely around and seal against the upwardly extending plug without interference from the annular ridge.

18. A fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of a fluid through a through-conduit, the through-conduit having an inner surface, the fluid dispensing valve comprising:

a retainer having an upwardly extending plug;

a dispensing valve body bounded by an exterior surface, an interior surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing orifice perimeter being shaped to fit within the through-conduit such that the dispensing orifice perimeter can fit securely around and seal against the upwardly extending plug and such that the valve perimeter can form a sealing relationship with the inner surface;

an overcap adapted to be attached to cover the through-conduit, the overcap being associated with the through-conduit through a tamper evident attachment feature that only enables the overcap to be removed from the through-conduit by breaking the tamper evident feature; and

a means for confining the dispensing valve body within the through-conduit adjacent the retainer.

19. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 18 wherein the overcap includes a locking member that extends downwardly from the overcap, the locking member being shaped to compress the dispensing valve body against the retainer when the overcap is engaged with the through conduit.

20. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 18 wherein the overcap includes an internal thread adapted to engage an external thread of the through-conduit so that the overcap can be threadedly engaged upon the through-conduit;

and wherein the overcap further includes a tamper evident ring that is attached to the overcap with a tamper evident webbing, the tamper evident ring being adapted to snap over an annular locking ridge extending from an outer surface of the through-conduit.

21. The fluid dispensing valve of claim 18 wherein the overcap includes a tamper evident connection webbing that breakably connects the overcap with the through-conduit.

22. A cap for covering a container opening of a container, the cap comprising:

a cap defining a through-conduit having an inner surface;

a means for attaching the cap to the container so that the cap can cover and seal the container opening;

a retainer having an upwardly extending plug;

a dispensing valve body bounded by an exterior surface, an interior surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing orifice perimeter being shaped to fit within the through-conduit such that the dispensing orifice perimeter can fit securely around and seal against the upwardly extending plug and such that the valve perimeter can form a sealing relationship with the inner surface;

an overcap adapted to be attached to cover the through-conduit, the overcap being associated with the through-conduit through a tamper evident attachment feature that only enables the overcap to be removed from the through-conduit by breaking the tamper evident feature; and

a means for confining the dispensing valve body within the through-conduit adjacent the retainer.