One-way valve for use with vacuum pump

A valve assembly comprising:

• a base having top and bottom surfaces and a hole extending through said base from said top surface to said bottom surface;
• and
• a valve comprising:
• a resilient dome-shaped cap that is open at the top, said cap comprising a distal rim portion that bears against said top surface of said base;
• a gate seated against said bottom surface of said base and closing said hole in said base in a first valve state;
• and
• a stem connecting said gate to said cap, said stem comprising a wall that forms a cavity that is in fluid communication with said opening in said cap, said wall comprising at least one opening that passes therethrough, said cavity being in fluid communication, via said opening in said wall, with a first volume bounded by said gate, said base, said cap and said stem,
• wherein said cap is deformable when pressed with sufficient force in an axial direction to adopt a second valve state, deformation of said cap causing said gate to separate from said bottom surface in said second valve state, thereby allowing fluid communication between said first volume and a second volume under said base.

A reclosable bag comprising:

• a receptacle having an interior and a mouth for providing access to said interior;
• a zipper comprising first and second zipper parts joined to said mouth in mutually opposing positions, said first and second zipper parts being mutually interlockable for closing said mouth;
• and
• a valve assembly disposed in an opening in a wall of said receptacle, said valve assembly comprising:
• a base joined to a portion of said wall along a periphery of said opening in said wall, said base comprising a first surface facing the exterior of said receptacle, a second surface facing the interior of said receptacle and a hole extending through said base from said first surface to said second surface, said hole in said base overlapping said opening in said wall;
• and
• a valve mounted to said base and comprising a deformable support structure disposed outside said receptacle and comprising a port, a gate disposed in said interior of said receptacle, and a stem depending from said deformable support structure, said gate being joined to or integrally formed with a distal end of said stem, wherein said stem comprises a wall that forms a cavity in fluid communication with said port, said wall comprising an opening in fluid communication with said cavity and a volume bounded by said base, said gate, said stem and said deformable support structure, said gate being seated against said second surface of said base to close said hole in said base in a first valve state and being displaced to separate from said second surface when said support structure is pressed with sufficient force in an axial direction in a second valve state, said interior of said receptacle being in fluid communication with said port via said hole in said base, said volume, said opening in said wall of said stem and said cavity in said second valve state.