Patent ID: 7708031

Claim:
A check valve comprising: a substrate; a channel in the substrate, the channel having an anchor seat, a channel corridor and a valve seat, the anchor seat being wider than the channel corridor and located at one end of the channel corridor, the valve seat being wider than the channel corridor and located at an apposite end of the channel corridor; and an elastomeric valve mechanism in the channel, the valve mechanism having an anchor portion which is wider than the channel corridor and located in the anchor seat, an elastomeric web portion which is narrower than the channel corridor, located in the channel corridor and extended substantially the entire length of the channel corridor, and a valve plug which is wider than the channel corridor and located in the valve seat, the elastomeric web portion interconnecting the anchor portion and the valve plug through the channel corridor, the elastomeric web portion being in a stretched state such that the valve plug is forced by the elastomeric web portion in a direction toward the anchor portion against the valve seat to seal the valve seat, and wherein the force of the elastomeric web portion forcing the valve plug against the valve seat is high enough to substantially seal the channel at the valve seat absent over-riding, operative fluid pressure within the channel but low enough to be overcome by operative fluid pressure within the channel parallel to the elastomeric web portion to force the valve plug in a direction away from the anchor portion to separate the valve plug from the valve seat and thereby open the channel at the valve seat to allow the fluid to exit the channel via the valve seat.