Patent ID: 8733600

Claim:
A dispensing closure system for a flexible package holding a flowable product, the package having a wall portion including an openable port to the interior of the package, said dispensing closure system comprising an integral body member, a resilient dispensing valve, and retainer assembly, said body member comprising a hollow sidewall and a flange projecting outward from said sidewall, said sidewall having a top edge, said flange being arranged to be fixedly secured to the wall of the package, whereupon said sidewall encircles the openable port, said resilient dispensing valve including at least one openable slit to enable a dispensing probe to be extended therethrough, said resilient dispensing valve and said retainer assembly being located completely within said sidewall, said resilient dispensing valve being held in place by said retainer assembly, said retainer assembly comprising a retaining member and a cap integrally connected to each other by a frangible connection, said cap being removable from said retaining member and comprising a first portion disposed over said resilient dispensing valve, a first projection extending downward from said first portion of said cap into engagement with a portion of said resilient dispensing valve adjacent said at least one openable slit, and a grasping member projecting upward from said first portion of said cap but recessed from said top edge of said sidewall, said retaining member being arranged to engage an interior portion of said sidewall to hold said resilient dispensing valve in place over the openable port with said cap being disposed over and covering said resilient dispensing valve, said grasping member being arranged to be grasped to break said frangible connection and thereby remove said cap from said retaining member to expose said resilient dispensing valve, said resilient dispensing valve being openable to enable a dispensing probe to be extended therethrough and through the openable port into the interior of the package to enable the product in said package to be dispensed therefrom.