Patent ID: 7753340

Claim:
A valve ( 1 , 121 , 700 , 800 , 400 , 900 , 990 ) comprising a body having first and second open ends ( 2 , 3 ) and a passageway ( 4 ) for fluid between the ends, the first end ( 2 ) including a first coupling means ( 54 , 544 , 540 ) for sealingly connecting the body about an opening ( 205 ) of a first external device ( 201 ) and a seal blocking an open area of the first end ( 2 ) which in use is placeable in register with the opening ( 205 ) of the external device ( 201 ), the valve ( 1 , 121 , 700 , 800 , 400 , 900 , 990 ) further including a seal displacement means movable within the body so as to interrupt the seal permitting fluid to pass along the passageway ( 4 ) between the ends ( 2 , 3 ), the coupling means ( 54 ) and the seal presenting a sterilisable mating surface for sealingly mating with a mating surface ( 216 ) about the opening ( 205 ) in the first external device, wherein the seal is formed between a first plastics portion movable by the seal displacement means and a second plastics portion disposed about the open area of the first end of the valve, wherein one of the plastic portions has a protruding sharp rim ( 15 ) and the other plastics portion of the seal has a curved surface area ( 22 ); wherein in the closed position of the valve ( 1 , 121 , 700 , 800 , 400 , 900 , 990 ), the sharp rim ( 15 ) is engaged with the curved surface area ( 22 ) and a portion of the curved surface area ( 22 ) is displaced by the sharp rim ( 15 ); wherein the materials of the sharp rim ( 15 ) and the curved surface area ( 22 ) are elastically deforming to seal the opening of the valve ( 1 , 121 , 700 , 800 , 400 , 900 , 990 ) wherein the second plastic portion comprises a wall defining a bore portion ( 13 ) having a cross-section converging towards the first end ( 2 ) of the valve ( 1 , 121 , 700 , 800 , 400 , 900 , 990 ) which in turn leads to a wall defining a bore portion ( 14 ) having a substantially uniform cross-section which is located adjacent the first end ( 2 ) of the valve, the boundary between the wall defining the converging bore portion ( 13 ) and the wall defining the substantially uniform cross-section bore portion ( 14 ) defining the sharp rim ( 15 ), the first plastic portion having a body portion ( 19 ) with a cross-section converging towards the first end ( 2 ) of the valve and leading to an end portion ( 20 ) with a uniform cross-section, the end portion ( 20 ) being adjacent the first end ( 20 ) of the valve in use and a transitional surface between the external surface of the body portion and the external surface of the end portion ( 20 ) of the first plastic portion defining the curved surface area ( 22 ); and wherein each of the wall defining the converging bore portion ( 13 ) and the wall defining the substantially uniform cross-section bore portion ( 14 ) is non-tangential with respect to any point of the portion of the curved surface area ( 22 ) which is displaced by the sharp rim ( 15 ).