Flexible container including self-sealing dispensing valve to provide automatic shut-off and leak resistant inverted storage

A flexible package for storing and dispensing a fluid material through a discharge orifice in response to manually applied forces and for automatically ceasing the dispensing operation and venting the package to the atmosphere when said manually applied forces are removed, said package also being resistant to leakage when stored with its discharge orifice downwardly oriented intermediate dispensing cycles, said package comprising:

• (a) a resiliently deformable plastic bottle for housing said fluid material, said bottle exhibiting a degree of flexibility sufficient to permit deformation thereof in response to manual forces applied thereto and a degree of resilience sufficient to return automatically to its undeformed condition when said manually applied forces are removed therefrom, said bottle including said orifice, said orifice comprising a neck on said bottle;
• and
• (b) a self-sealing dispensing valve which opens at a predetermined threshold pressure which is greater than the maximum hydraulic head pressure of the fluid material in said bottle when said discharge orifice is downwardly oriented, said self-sealing dispensing valve being sealingly secured about its periphery across said discharge orifice of said bottle, said dispensing valve having a centrally located portion comprised of resilient elastomeric material, said centrally located portion exhibiting a predetermined concave shape while in a substantially unstressed condition when said valve is sealingly secured across valve being oriented relative to said discharge orifice so that said centrally located elastomeric portion is inwardly concave when said bottle is in an undeformed condition, said concave shaped elastomeric portion of said valve including at least one substantially linear slit extending through its thickness from its innermost surface to its outermost surface, said valve exhibiting an ability to undergo inversion from a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak-resistant position to an open, outwardly convex, unsealed position when said manually applied forces increase the pressure inside said container beyond the threshold opening pressure of said valve, whereby fluid material is discharged from said bottle through said slit in said valve as long as said manually applied forces on said bottle maintain an internal pressure exceeding said threshold opening pressure of said valve, said valve further exhibiting an ability to automatically cut-off said fluid material discharge by returning to a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak resistant position whenever said manually applied forces are removed from said bottle.

A flexible package for storing and dispensing a fluid material through a discharge orifice in response to manually applied forces and for automatically ceasing the dispensing operation when said manually applied forces are removed, said package also being resistant to leakage when stored with its discharge orifice downwardly oriented intermediate dispensing cycles, said package comprising:

• (a) a resiliently deformable container for housing said fluid material, said container exhibiting a degree of flexibility sufficient to permit deformation thereof in response to manual forces applied thereto and a degree of resilience sufficient to return automatically to its undeformed condition when said manually applied forces are removed therefrom, said container including said discharge orifice;
• and
• (b) a self-sealing dispensing valve which opens at a predetermined threshold pressure which is greater than the maximum hydraulic head pressure of the fluid material in said container when said discharge orifice is downwardly oriented, said self-sealing dispensing valve being releasably and sealingly secured about its periphery across said discharge orifice in said container, said dispensing valve having a centrally located portion comprised of resilient material, said centrally located portion exhibiting a predetermined concave shape while in a substantially unstressed condition when said valve is sealingly secured across said discharge orifice of said container, said valve being oriented relative to said discharge orifice so that said centrally located resilient portion is inwardly concave when said container is in an undeformed condition, said concave shaped resilient portion of said valve including at least one substantially linear slit extending through its thickness from its innermost surface to its outermost surface, said valve exhibiting an ability to undergo snap-through buckling and inversion from a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak-resistant position to an open, outwardly convex, unsealed position when said manually applied forces increase the pressure inside said container beyond the threshold opening pressure of said valve, whereby fluid material is discharged from said container through said slit in said valve as long as said manually applied forces on said container maintain an internal pressure exceeding said threshold opening pressure of said valve, said valve further exhibiting an ability to automatically cut-off said fluid material discharge by undergoing snap-back buckling back to a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak resistant position whenever said manually applied forces are removed from said container.

A flexible package for storing and dispensing a fluid material through a discharge orifice in respone to manually applied forces and for automatically ceasing the dispensing operation when said manually applied forces are removed, said package also being resistant to leakage when stored with its discharge orifice downwardly oriented intermediate dispensing cycles, said package comprising:

• (a) a resiliently deformable container for housing said fluid material, said container exhibiting a degree of flexibility sufficient to permit deformation thereof in response to manual forces applied thereto and a degree of resilience sufficient to return automatically to its undeformed condition when said manually applied forces are removed therefrom, said container including said discharge orifice;
• and
• (b) a self-sealing dispensing valve which opens at a predetermined threshold pressure which is greater than the maximum hydraulic head pressure of the fluid material in said container when said discharge orifice is downwardly oriented, said self-sealing dispensing valve being sealingly secured about its periphery across said discharge orifice of said container, said dispensing valve having a centrally located portion comprised of resilient material, said centrally located portion exhibiting a predetermined concave shape while in a substantially unstressed condition when said valve is sealingly secured across said discharge orifice of said container, said valve being oriented relative to said discharge orifice so that said centrally located resilient portion is inwardly concave when said container is in an undeformed condition, said concave shaped resilient portion of said valve including a multiplicity of non-intersecting substantially linear slits extending through its thickness from its innermost surface to its outermost surface, said valve exhibiting an ability to undergo inversion from a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak-resistant position to an open, outwardly convex, unsealed position when said manually
• applied forces increase the pressure inside said container beyond the threshold opening pressure of said valve, whereby fluid material is discharged from said container through said slits in said valve as long as said manually applied forces on said container maintain an internal pressure exceeding said threshold opening pressure of said valve, said valve further exhibiting an ability to automatically cut-off said fluid material discharge by returning to a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak-resistant position whenever said manually applied forces are removed from said container.

A flexible package for storing and dispensing a fluid material through a discharge orifice in response to manually applied forces and for automatically ceasing the dispensing operation and venting the package to the atmosphere when said manually applied forces are removed, said package also being resistant to leakage when stored with its discharge orifice downwardly oriented intermediate dispensing cycles, said package comprising:

• (a) a resiliently deformable plastic bottle for housing said fluid material, said bottle exhibiting a degree of flexibility sufficient to permit deformation thereof in response to manual forces applied thereto and a degree of resilience sufficient to return automatically to its undeformed condition when said manually applied forces are removed therefrom, said bottle including said orifice;
• said orifice comprising a neck on said bottle;
• and
• (b) a self-sealing dispensing valve which opens at a predetermined threshold pressure which is greater than the maximum hydraulic head pressure of the fluid material in said bottle when said discharge orifice is downwardly oriented, said self-sealing dispensing valve being sealingly secured about is periphery across said discharge orifice of said bottle, said dispensing valve having a centrally located portion comprised of resilient elastomeric material, said centrally located portion exhibiting a predetermined concave shape while in a substantially unstressed condition when said valve is sealingly secured across said discharge orifice of said container, said valve being oriented relative to said discharge orifice so that said centrally located elastomeric portion is inwardly concave when said container is in an undeformed condition, said concave shaped elastomeric portion of said valve including a multiplicity of non-intersecting substantially linear slits radially oriented about its center and extending through its thickness from its innermost surface to its outermost surface, said valve exhibiting an ability to undergo inversion from a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak-resistant position to an open, outwardly convex, unsealed position when said manually applied forces increase the pressure inside said container beyond the threshold opening pressure of said valve, whereby fluid material is discharged from said container through said slits in said valve as long as said manually applied forces on said bottle maintain an internal pressure exceeding said threshold opening pressure of said valve, said valve further exhibiting an ability to automatically cut-off said fluid material discharge by returning to a closed, inwardly concave, sealed and leak-resistant position whenever said manually applied forces are removed from said bottle.