Fluid dispensing assembly
View Patent ↗A fluid dispensing valve assembly comprises a housing, a lever, a resilient member, and a seal. The housing defines a fluid dispensing port and a vent opening. The fluid dispensing valve can be operated with a single hand to dispense liquid from a container. Further, upon release of the lever, the fluid dispensing valve automatically returns to a sealed configuration, thereby preventing fluid from leaking out of the container.
1. A fluid dispensing valve assembly comprising:
a housing, the housing defining a fluid dispensing port, a vent opening, and two channels that are arranged in a facing, opposed relationship, one on either side of the fluid dispensing port;
a lever extending from the housing over at least a portion of the fluid dispensing port;
an elastically deformable resilient member; and
a seal comprising a guide, a base portion, a stem extending from the base portion, and a sealing arm extending from the base portion, at least a portion of the seal extending through the fluid dispensing port;
at least a portion of the elastically deformable resilient member and at least a portion of the stem contacting the lever;
wherein the guide is slidably disposed within one of the channels.
2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lever is hingedly attached to the housing.
3. The assembly of claim 1 having an open configuration and a sealed configuration, the resilient member further comprising a sealing tab, at least a portion of the sealing tab configured to cover the vent opening when the assembly is in the sealed configuration.
4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the resilient member comprises a dome-shaped portion and a retaining catch.
5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a hole through which at least a portion of the resilient member extends.
6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seal comprises two guides, each guide slidably disposed within one of the two channels.
7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the portion of the stem that contacts the lever is configured to move in an arc and the guides are configured to move linearly.
8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a pair of flared grip members.
9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lever is connected to the seal.
10. A fluid dispensing valve assembly having a sealed configuration and a fluid flow configuration, the valve assembly comprising:
a housing, the housing defining a fluid dispensing port and a vent opening;
a lever extending from the housing over at least a portion of the fluid dispensing port;
an elastically deformable resilient member comprising a sealing tab and a dome portion, the sealing tab sealing the vent opening when the valve assembly is in the sealed configuration; and
a seal disposed within the fluid dispensing port and at least a portion of the seal contacting the sealing tab when the valve assembly is in the sealed configuration, wherein at least a portion of the dome portion contacts the lever.
11. The valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the seal comprises a base portion, a stem extending from the base portion, and a sealing arm extending from the base portion.
12. The valve assembly of claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the sealing arm contacts the sealing tab when the valve assembly is in the sealed configuration.
13. The valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the lever is connected to the seal.
14. The valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the housing comprises at least one channel and the seal comprises at least one guide, the guide slidably disposed within the channel.
15. The valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the resilient member comprises a retaining catch.
16. The valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the housing comprises a cork seal and a retaining ring opposed to the cork seal.
17. The valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the lever comprises an actuator, the actuator engaging the dome portion of the resilient member.