Valve assembly

A fluid dispensing assembly including a container and a dispensing valve for dispensing fluid from the container and preventing any backflow of contaminants into the container during and following the dispensing of the fluid, said container having an outlet and being capable of discharging fluid from the container when a compressing force is applied to the fluid within the container, said dispensing valve including an elongated valve body having an inlet end and an outlet end spaced apart in the elongated direction and an outside surface extending in the elongated direction between the inlet end and the outlet end, said inlet end connected to the container outlet for receiving fluid flow therefrom, an inlet channel located within said valve body and having a first end at said inlet end of said valve body and a second end spaced from the first end toward the outlet end of said valve body with said inlet channel arranged for receiving fluid from the container, at least one first port in said valve body extending from the second end of said inlet channel through said valve body to the outside surface so that said first port opens through said outside surface, an outlet channel located within said valve body and having a first end located adjacent the outlet end of said valve body and a second end spaced from the first end in the direction toward the inlet end of said valve body, at least one second [portion] port in said valve body extending from said second end of said outlet channel to the outside surface of said valve body so that said second port opens through said outside surface and is spaced from said first port where said first port opens through said outside surface, an elastomeric sheath laterally enclosing said outside surface of said valve body and extending over said first and second ports and forming closures for said first and second ports, said elastomeric sheath prior to placement around said valve body has an inside diameter smaller than the diameter of the outside surface of said valve body so that the sheath is stretched and fits tightly around said valve body, said elastic sheath being elastically deformable between a first position forming the closure of the said first and second ports at the outside surface of said valve body and a second position spaced outwardly from said first and second ports so that flow through said inlet channel into said first port enters between said outside surface of said valve body and said sheath and flows therebetween to said second port and then through said second port to said outlet channel for discharge from the first end of said outlet channel, and said elastomeric sheath being in sealed engagement with said valve body in the direction of flow through said valve body [upstream] downstream from said second port and [downstream] upstream from said first port in relation to the direction of flow through said valve body so that flow entering between the outside surface of said valve body and said sheath passes only through said first and second ports.