Patent ID: 7597479

Claim:
A storage bag comprising: first and second flexible sidewalls, the sidewalls joined along a first side edge, a parallel second side edge, a closed bottom edge, the top edges of the sidewalls un-joined to form an opening for accessing an interior volume; first and second interlocking closure strips attached to the respective first and second sidewalls proximate the opening; a one-way valve element communicating with the interior volume; a separator sealingly connecting the one-way valve element to the first sidewall and being operative to separate fluids and juices entrained in evacuating air during evacuation of the internal volume such that the air that passes through the valve element is relatively devoid of entrained fluids and juices in liquid or droplet form; the valve element is positioned medial of the separator; wherein the separator is adjustable between a collapsed position and an expanded position, wherein: the separator spaces the valve element apart from the first sidewall when the separator is in the expanded position; and the separator and the valve element coincide with an outer surface of the first sidewall when the separator is in the collapsed position.