Closure for a device with a base and a support

1. A closure for a device comprising:

a base including a valve seat and configured to sealingly engage an open end of a device and form a fluid tight seal therebetween and thereby close the device; and

a support configured to sealingly engage the base and form a fluid tight seal therebetween, movable between a first position where the support does not sealingly engage the base and a second position where the support sealingly engages the base, and including a flexible or elastic valve member configured to engage the valve seat when the support is engaged with the base in the second position and form a one-way valve defining a normally closed valve opening between the valve seat and the flexible or elastic valve member, wherein the flexible or elastic valve member is movable between a normally closed position and an open position with at least a portion of the flexible or elastic valve member spaced away from the closed position to allow the passage of fluid through the valve opening, and wherein the base and the support are configured such that when the support sealingly engages the base in the second position, the one-way valve is configured (a) to define an interference fit between the flexible or elastic valve member and the valve seat or (b) so that a portion of the valve member is not spaced away from the closed position substantially throughout any period of dispensing to maintain a hermetic seal between an inlet to the valve opening and the ambient atmosphere.

2. A closure as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a hinge operably connecting the base and the support and configured to allow the base and the support to move relative to the other between the first position and the second position.

3. A closure as defined in claim 2 , wherein the hinge comprises a flexible hinge or living hinge.

4. A closure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the valve seat and the flexible or elastic valve member define an interference fit therebetween.

5. A closure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the one-way valve substantially prevents the ingress of bacteria and other contaminants through the valve opening in both the normally closed position and the open position.

6. A closure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the flexible or elastic valve member is movable from the normally closed position to the open position in response to substance at the inlet to the one-way valve exceeding a valve opening pressure.

7. A closure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the valve opening defines an axially-extending valve opening.

8. A closure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the valve seat is a relatively rigid valve seat that engages the flexible or elastic valve member in the normally closed position.

9. A closure as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a pump configured to pump substance through the one-way valve.

10. A closure as defined in claim 9 , configured so that when the closure sealingly engages a device, it seals an interior of the device with respect to the ambient atmosphere, and the one way valve is configured to, during pumping of substance in aseptic condition in said interior of the device through the one-way valve, maintain any remaining substance in said interior in an aseptic condition and sealed with respect to ambient atmosphere.

11. A closure as defined in claim 9 , wherein the pump includes a compression chamber, a compressive surface receivable within the compression chamber, and a manually-engageable actuator coupled to at least one of the compression chamber and compressive surface, wherein at least one of the compressive surface and compression chamber is movable relative to the other by the manually-engageable actuator between a rest position and at least one actuated position for pressurizing substance within the compression chamber and, in turn, dispensing fluid through the one-way valve.

12. A closure as defined in claim 11 , wherein the base includes an inlet in fluid communication with the compression chamber for receiving substance into the compression chamber and the support includes a seal configured such that, in the second position (1) during said relative movement of the compressive surface and the compression chamber, the seal is in register with the inlet so as to seal the compression chamber during pressurization of substance therewithin, and (2) the seal is sufficiently displaceable from the inlet so substance is receivable into the compression chamber.

13. A closure as defined in claim 11 , wherein a flexible member defines on one side thereof the manually-engageable actuator, and defines on another side thereof the compressive surface.

14. A closure as defined in claim 13 , wherein the flexible member is substantially dome shaped, and the compression chamber is defined by a recess opposing the substantially dome-shaped flexible member.

15. A closure as defined in claim 1 , further comprising at least one of (i) a penetrable and resealable portion and (ii) a one-way filling valve configured to allow introduction of substance through the closure.

16. A closure as defined in claim 15 , wherein the one-way filling valve defines (1) a normally closed, fluid-tight position preventing passage of fluid therethrough, and (2) an open position allowing the passage of fluid therethrough.

17. A closure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the support includes a penetrable and resealable portion configured to allow introduction of substance through the support, and the base includes an aperture, wherein the penetrable and resealable portion and the aperture are configured such that in the second position the penetrable and resealable portion overlies and engages the aperture.

18. A closure as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a one-way vent-out valve configured to allow venting of gas through the closure from a bottom side of the closure defined by the base through to a top side of the closure defined by the support.

19. A closure as defined in claim 4 , wherein the flexible or elastic valve member and the valve seat are configured to define a decreasing degree of interference therebetween when moving in a direction from the interior toward the exterior of the valve seat.

20. A closure as defined in claim 6 , wherein the flexible or elastic valve member and the valve seat are configured so as to require progressively less energy to move the flexible or elastic valve member from the normally closed position to the open position when moving in a direction from an interior toward an exterior of the one-way valve.

21. A closure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the a portion of the valve member is not spaced away from the closed position substantially throughout any period of dispensing to maintain a hermetic seal between the inlet to the valve opening and the ambient atmosphere.