Patent ID: 7946556

Claim:
A valve, said valve comprising: (a) a valve body having first and second ports; (b) a valve member intermediate said first and second ports and mounted within said valve body for movement with respect to said valve body between a first position, in which said first port is in communication with said second port, and a second position, in which said valve member blocks said first port from being in communication with said second port; said valve member having intermediate positions between said first and second positions; (c) a resilient seal interposed between said valve body and said valve member, said seal having opposed first and second seal portions and having an intermediate seal portion between said first and second seal portions; said seal having a closed void thereinside extending from said first seal portion to said intermediate seal portion, said closed void extending from said intermediate seal portion to said second seal portion, said closed void having a fixed volume of liquid therein; said valve member having a leading edge that contacts said intermediate seal portion with increasing force as said valve member moves through said intermediate positions into said second position, thereby causing some of said liquid to move within said closed void from said intermediate seal portion into said first and second seal portions.