Patent ID: 8007468

Claim:
A valve for controlling a flow of liquid through a conduit extending between an internal structure within a living body and an exterior of the living body, comprising: a flexible member, including a slit formed on a central portion thereof, that is designed to act accordingly to a predetermined fluid pressure; a first housing defining a first lumen extending therethrough, the first housing including a first contacting surface adapted to contact a first side of the flexible member, the first housing defining a relief area extending about a perimeter of the first contacting surface; and a second housing adapted to mate with the first housing, the second housing defining a second lumen and separated from the first housing by the flexible member, the second housing including a second contacting surface which, when the first and second housings are mated to one another in an operative configuration with the flexible member located there between, contacts a second side of the flexible member, a radially outer portion of the second contacting surface including a substantially wedge-shaped protrusion that aligns with and extends into the relief area when the first and second housings are mated in the operative configuration, the protrusion contacting the flexible member such that a peripheral portion of the flexible member extends into the relief area, and wherein the protrusion extends substantially and continuously around a perimeter of the second contacting surface.