Valves
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A valve for use in dispensing a fluid product from a fluid product container, comprising:
- means for defining a product discharge passage having an inlet end coupled to the interior of said fluid product container and an outlet end;
an actuating member for operating the valve; and
an elastic member having a normally closed slit, said elastic member being disposed and configured to be selectively stretched by displacement of said actuating member, such as to distort and stretch open said slit and to align said slit with said outlet end of said product discharge passage, said open slit allowing fluid product to be dispensed therefrom, release of said actuating member allowing said elastic member, and hence said distorted slit, to return to its original closed configuration and causing portions of said elastic member adjacent said slit to slide over said outlet end of said product discharge passage with a self-wiping action and further causing said slit to move out of alignment with said outlet end, thereby reclosing said outlet end of said product discharge passage.
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Abstract
A fluid product valve in which an elastic member containing a normally closed slit is adapted to be selectively stretched by displacement of an actuating member, such as to stretch open the slit over the outlet end of a product discharge passage and allow fluid product to be dispensed therefrom, release of the actuating member allowing the elastic member, and hence the distorted slit, to return to its original configuration, thereby reclosing the outlet end of the passage.
36 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A valve for use in dispensing a fluid product from a fluid product container, comprising:
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means for defining a product discharge passage having an inlet end coupled to the interior of said fluid product container and an outlet end; an actuating member for operating the valve; and an elastic member having a normally closed slit, said elastic member being disposed and configured to be selectively stretched by displacement of said actuating member, such as to distort and stretch open said slit and to align said slit with said outlet end of said product discharge passage, said open slit allowing fluid product to be dispensed therefrom, release of said actuating member allowing said elastic member, and hence said distorted slit, to return to its original closed configuration and causing portions of said elastic member adjacent said slit to slide over said outlet end of said product discharge passage with a self-wiping action and further causing said slit to move out of alignment with said outlet end, thereby reclosing said outlet end of said product discharge passage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification