Valve assembly

• US 20060113276A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MAM Baby AG
• Original Assignee: Bamed AG
• Inventors: Rohrig, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,753,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 215/388
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2272 from drinking glasses or cups comprising lids or covers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/2081 in which the deformation raises or lowers the valve port
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/147 the closure elements having specially formed slits or being of an elongated easily collapsible form

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve assembly (3) for an, in essence, elastic mouthpiece (1) for drinking from a liquid container. The valve assembly comprises a flexible membrane (4), which has at least one valve opening (5), and comprises an, in essence, rigid membrane supporting element (7), which has at least one valve opening (15). When the valve assembly (3) is closed, the membrane (4) rests upon the membrane supporting element (7), and the valve opening (5) of the membrane (4) is covered in a sealed manner by the membrane supporting element (7), and the valve opening (15) of the membrane supporting element (7) is covered in a sealed manner by the membrane (4). When the valve assembly is closed, the membrane (4) arches inward. When pressure is applied from the outside onto the mouthpiece (1) for drinking or by applying an underpressure onto the side of the membrane (4) facing away from the membrane supporting element (7), the membrane (4) is located in an unsnapped outwardly arched open position, in which the valve openings (5, 15) of the membrane and of the membrane supporting element (7) are opened. The invention also relates to a mouthpiece (1) for drinking from a liquid container that is provided with an inventive valve assembly (3), which is placed on a cap (2) with an opening (2) for the passage of liquid.

Claims

1. A valve assembly for a substantially elastic drinking mouthpiece of a liquid container, which includes a flexible membrane having at least one valve opening and a substantially rigid membrane supporting element having at least one valve opening, wherein, with the valve assembly being in a closed position, the membrane rests on the membrane supporting element and the valve opening of the membrane is sealingly covered by the membrane supporting element and the valve opening of the membrane supporting element is sealingly covered by the membrane, the membrane being inwardly curved in said closed position, wherein during the external application of pressure to the drinking mouthpiece and/or the application of an underpressure at the membrane side facing away from the membrane supporting element, the membrane is in a resnapped, outwardly curved open position in which the valve openings of the membrane and membrane supporting element, respectively, are released.

2. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the membrane is substantially conical in its closed and open positions.

3. A valve assembly according to claim 1 wherein the membrane supporting element comprises a valve seat surface substantially corresponding with the inwardly curved shape of the membrane in its closed position.

4. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the drinking mouthpiece comprises a latch groove intended to receive the membrane supporting element configured as a latch body.

5. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the membrane supporting element is connected with a fastening ring via a web.

6. A valve assembly according to claim 5, wherein the drinking mouthpiece is designed to be substantially oval in top view.

7. A valve assembly according to claim 6, wherein the web used to fasten the membrane supporting element is designed in a plate-shaped manner with the plane defined by the plate-shaped web extending in the direction of the longer axis of the drinking mouthpiece in top view.

8. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the membrane comprises several valve openings arranged along a circular line.

9. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the membrane supporting element comprises a substantially central valve opening.

10. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece, formed as a drinking spout, extends beyond the membrane, whereby an elevated drinking spout edge is formed as a membrane protection and spacer element.

11. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the drinking mouthpiece is made of an elastomer material.

12. A valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the membrane supporting element is made of polypropylene (PP).

13. A drinking mouthpiece for a liquid container, including a valve assembly according to claim 1 and arranged on a lid including an opening for the passage of liquid.

14. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 13, wherein the soft drinking mouthpiece is produced by a multi-component injection molding process in one piece with the hard lid.

15. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 13, wherein the lid includes an air valve having an annular membrane and at least one air passage opening, wherein a reception element including a peripheral groove to the inner side of the lid and comprises at least one air entry opening communicating with the air passage opening of the lid and leading into the groove, wherein a ring is insertable or inserted in the groove and the air entry opening is sealed at equal pressures on either side of the air entry opening and at an overpressure at the inner side of the lid, due to the bias of at least one groove wall designed as an annular membrane, and the air entry opening is released at an underpressure at the inner side of the lid.

16. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 15, wherein the end region of the ring facing the air entry opening of the reception element in the inserted position of the ring is designed to be substantially conical in cross section.

17. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 15, wherein the end region of the ring facing the air entry opening of the reception element in the inserted position of the ring comprises at least one recess.

18. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 15, wherein the ring is fixable or fixed in the reception element by the aid of a snap connection.

19. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 18, wherein the ring comprises on its outer side a circumferential bead for snapping into the groove of the reception element.

20. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 15, wherein the inner groove wall is designed as an annular membrane.

21. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 15, wherein the annular membrane comprises at least one thin spot to fix the bias of the annular membrane.

22. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 15, wherein the fastening ring extending in the direction of the lid opening is connected with the ring via an inwardly extending connection flange.

23. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 22, wherein at least one ventilation opening is provided in the connection flange.

24. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 23, wherein the ventilation opening of the connection flange, in the inserted position of the ring, is located adjacent to the inner groove wall designed as an annular membrane.

25. A valve assembly according to claim 11, wherein the drinking mouthpiece is made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

26. A drinking mouthpiece according to claim 14, wherein the soft drinking mouthpiece is made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and the hard lid is made of polypropylene (PP).