Patent ID: 7086572

Claim:
A self-sealing, dispensing valve comprising: (A) a peripheral sleeve that surrounds an interior volume and that has (1) a central elongate portion that includes two spaced-apart elongate sidewalls each having an upper region and a lower region; and (2) two shorter end portions that each (a) define an end wall joining said sidewalls, and (b) have an upper region and a lower region; (B) a peripheral attachment portion extending from said lower regions of said sidewalls and end walls by which said valve may be attached to a dispensing structure through which can be discharged a product from a supply of said product; and (C) a flexible, elongate head extending from said upper regions of said sidewalls and end walls, said head being generally concave as viewed from the exterior of said valve relative to said interior volume, said head having (1) an interior surface that interfaces with said interior volume, and (2) a curving exterior surface interfacing with the ambient environment, said head including a long slit and two spaced-apart, short slits; each of said short slits being (1) generally perpendicular to said long slit, (2) located at an end of said long slit, and (3) in communication with said long slit so as to define two, opposed, elongate petals wherein (a) each said petal has a long edge and two short edges, and (b) said petals are normally closed, but open outwardly to permit the discharge of said product through the valve in response to a pressure differential across said head in one pressure gradient direction, and open inwardly to permit the in-venting of ambient atmosphere through the valve in response to a pressure differential across said head in the opposite pressure gradient direction.