Patent ID: 7513395

Claim:
A valve comprising: a body; a liquid flow passage defined in said body and including a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet; a vent passage defined in said body and including an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein said air outlet of said vent passage is defined in a check-valve base by at least one air outlet aperture; a valve seat defined in said liquid flow passage; a liquid seal located adjacent said valve seat; a stem connected to said liquid seal and extending in said liquid flow passage away from said liquid seal through an aperture defined in said body, said stem comprising a distal end located external to said body, wherein said stem is movable to and from a first position where said liquid seal is mated with said valve seat and a second position where said liquid seal is unseated from said valve seat; an actuator connected to said distal end of said stem, said actuator selectively movable to move said stem from said first position to said second position; a check-valve adapted to block flow of liquid from said air outlet to said air inlet in said vent passage, and to allow flow of air from said air inlet to said air outlet in said vent passage, wherein said check-valve comprises a check-valve seal that normally blocks said at least one air outlet aperture and that is movable to a position where said at least one air outlet aperture is open in response to air flow in said vent passage from said air inlet toward said at least one air outlet aperture; a check-valve seal keeper operatively connected to and movable with said stem, wherein said check-valve seal keeper is engaged with said check-valve seal when said stem is located in said first position and disengaged from said check-valve seal when said stem is moved to said second position.