Patent ID: 7578320

Claim:
A method of evacuating a flexible food storage bag, comprising the steps of (i) providing a flexible storage bag having a first sidewall and an overlapping second sidewall joined to the first sidewall about a peripheral edge to provide an interior volume, the storage bag further including a resealable opening disposed through the peripheral edge; (ii) providing a wholly flexible one-way valve element attached to the first sidewall and in communication with the interior volume via an aperture in the first sidewall, the valve element located adjacent the intersection of the opening and the peripheral edge the valve element including a flexible base layer, a flexible top layer and an adhesive layer securing the top layer to the base layer, the adhesive layer extending along either side of the aperture to form a channel; (iii) sealing the opening; (iv) laying the storage bag on a flat surface with the second sidewall facing downward against the surface; (v) placing a nozzle of an evacuation device against the flexible storage bag proximate the sidewall about the valve element so that the valve element is pressed flat against the flat surface; and (vi) operating the evacuation device thereby displacing portions of the top layer in the region of the channel from sealing contact with the aperture to allow evacuation of air from the interior volume.