Patent ID: 7328548

Claim:
A device for controlling the amount of air within a container, wherein said device comprises: a housing having at least two openings to facilitate the movement of air into or out of the housing, wherein at least one of the openings is for receiving a means for actively injecting air into or evacuating air from a container; a plug positioned and confined within said housing such that one end of the plug occludes said at least one opening in the housing that receives the means for injecting or evacuating air, wherein at least a portion of the plug end that occludes said at least one opening comprises a material being sufficiently elastic so as to be displaced from said at least one opening, while the plug remains confined within the housing, when said means for injecting or evacuating air is introduced into said at least one opening; and a connecting means affixed to the exterior of said housing for connecting said housing to a container so that an essentially air tight seal is formed around the at least one opening that receives the means for injecting or evacuating air; such that in use said housing is connected to a wall of the container so that said means for injecting or evacuating air can be inserted past the wall of the container and into the at least one opening in the housing so as to displace the plug end that occludes the at least one opening to allow the movement of air into or out of the container, while the plug remains confined within the housing.