HK1066854B - Fluid dispensing valve and method of use - Google Patents

Description

Fluid dispensing valve and method of use

Background

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to fluid dispensing valves and, more particularly, to a fluid dispensing valve adapted to prevent fluid from flowing through the valve until the fluid is forced through the valve with a continuous pressure, such as when a user squeezes the container or when the user attempts to aspirate the fluid from the container.

Description of the related Art

Various manufacturers have attempted to develop valves that are adapted to prevent fluid from flowing out through the valve until the fluid is forced through the valve with a continuous pressure, such as when the user squeezes the container or when the user attempts to suck the fluid from the container. The purpose of such a valve is to prevent fluid flow when the container is knocked over or inverted, but to allow a large amount of fluid to flow when the user is to drink from the container.

The state of the art is described in US6,250,503 to Dark ("Dark reference"), which is also incorporated herein by reference. The Dark reference describes a dispensing closure for controlling the flow of fluid from a container. The dispensing closure includes a conduit having an inner conduit surface partially blocked by an upper retainer and a lower retainer. The dispensing closure further comprises a fluid dispensing valve comprising a resilient dome region and a sealing region. The sealing region extends outwardly from the perimeter of the dome and preferably downwardly to define a sealing perimeter shaped to conform to the shape of the inner conduit surface to form a seal when the fluid dispensing valve is operatively positioned within the conduit between the upper and lower retainers. At least one rib fixedly connects the sealing region to the dome region such that deformation of the dome region extends through the at least one rib to the sealing region to break the seal and create at least one path for the dispensed fluid. Air pressure on the outer sealing surface of the sealing land causes the sealing land to deform between the at least one rib, thereby forming at least one vent flow path.

Prior to the Dark reference, various dispensing closures have been designed to fit on containers for dispensing beverages, liquids, soaps, and other fluid materials. These closures are also often used on infant drinking cups or cyclists' water bottles which must be dispensed by sucking on the closure or by squeezing the container.

Prior art closures have primarily utilized silicone dome dispensing systems that utilize a pair of slits through the dome. When sufficient force is applied to the slit on the dome surface of the prior art by the pressure inside the container and the pressure differential outside the container, it will open like a petal. Examples of these configurations are described in Drobish et al, US4,768,006, and Rohr, US 5,005,737 and 5,271,531.

The above-described prior art construction suffers from a number of important drawbacks. First, the slots used in the prior art are not effective in preventing accidental leakage if the container is bumped or dropped. Secondly, a narrow slit must be added after the rubber dome is molded, thus requiring a second operation, which increases the cost of manufacturing the product.

Another prior art dispensing closure is shown in US 5,169,035 to imbery. The valve of Imbery, Jr is excellent in venting air back into the container without leaking through the vent flow path; however, the closure cap of Imbery, Jr does not illustrate a mechanism for controlling the outward flow of fluid through the main conduit.

Various other mechanisms are described in Corsette US4,506,809, Kano et al US4,785,978, Lampe et al US 5,954,237, Bilani et al US 5,390,805, Haberman US6,116,457, Fuchs US6,062,436, Montgomery US 5,785,196, Banich, Sr US4,442,947, and Julemont et al US 5,842,618. All of the above patent references are incorporated herein by reference.

In order to be efficient, the fluid dispensing valve must satisfy three conditions. First, the valve should not dispense fluid if the container is bumped or accidentally squeezed gently. Secondly, the valve should be vented and allow air to return to the container through it to replenish the dispensed volume. Third, the valve must be low in manufacturing cost.

While the valve proposed by Dark is currently the preferred mechanism to meet these objectives, the mechanism disclosed by the Dark reference is sometimes unable to dispense large enough quantities of fluid without using a mechanism that is too large for the container. The remaining prior art does not describe an effective fluid distribution valve that meets all three requirements. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as set forth in the summary below.

The prior art describes closure mechanisms that provide some of the advantages described above; however, the prior art does not describe a closure cap mechanism having a valve that meets the above requirements and still allows a large volume of fluid to be discharged when desired. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as set forth in the summary below.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides some specific advantages in structure and the use of the structure of the invention may lead to the following objects.

The present invention provides a fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of fluid from a container. The fluid dispensing valve includes a cap, a retainer, and a dispensing valve body. The cap is adapted to engage a container and includes a spout defining a through conduit having an upper opening, a lower opening, and an inner spout surface shaped to receive the dispensing valve body. The retainer includes at least one flow aperture and an upwardly projecting plug (plug) having a plug shoulder. The dispensing valve body is bounded by an outer surface, an inner surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter. Said dispensing orifice perimeter securely fits around and seals said upwardly projecting plug when said dispensing valve body is positioned on the retainer; and the valve periphery is in sealing relationship with the inner spout surface. The retainer engages the spout to seal the dispensing valve body within the spout.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a fluid dispensing valve having advantages not taught by the prior art.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a fluid dispensing valve which is capable of closing a container and which does not leak if the container is knocked over or inverted or in response to small or momentary jolts, bumps, and toppings.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fluid dispensing valve that is capable of easily and freely dispensing large quantities of fluid in response to a sustained force, such as squeezing a container or a sipping spout.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fluid dispensing valve capable of dispensing viscous fluids such as shampoo, liquid soap, and ketchup.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fluid dispensing valve that allows air to vent back into the container as fluid is dispensed.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

The drawings illustrate the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention showing a fluid dispensing valve including a cap and a dispensing valve body;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a dispensing valve body for use therein;

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the holder used therein;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1, showing the dispensing valve body in a sealed configuration;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1, showing the dispensing valve body moved from the sealing configuration to the dispensing configuration;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1, showing the dispensing valve body in a dispensing configuration;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1 showing the dispensing valve body in a vented configuration;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a dispensing valve body;

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a retainer;

FIG. 11 is a partially exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a fluid dispensing valve;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 11 showing the second embodiment of the dispensing valve body in a sealed configuration;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 11 showing the second embodiment of the dispensing valve body in the dispensing configuration; and

fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of fig. 11 showing the second embodiment of the dispensing valve body in a vent configuration.

Detailed description of the invention

The above figures illustrate the present invention, a fluid dispensing valve 10 for controlling the flow of fluid from a container 12. The fluid dispensing valve 10 includes a cap 20, a retainer 40, and a dispensing valve body 60. The fluid dispensing valve 10 is adapted to be mounted on a container 12 to contain fluid despite inversion of the container 12 and despite momentary impact that would otherwise cause fluid to flow from the fluid dispensing valve 10 and out of the container 12. However, in response to a sustained pressure, such as when a user squeezes the container 12 or when a user attempts to draw fluid from the container 12, the fluid dispensing valve 10 may change configurations to allow a large amount of fluid to pass through the fluid dispensing valve 10 and out of the container 12 with a minimum of force.

As shown in FIG. 1, cap 20 includes spout 22 and is adapted to engage container 12 to close container opening 16 of container 12. In one embodiment, cap 20 includes an internally threaded portion 24 shaped to threadably engage externally threaded portion 14 of container 12. The externally threaded portion 14 is positioned around the container opening 16 such that the threaded engagement of the cap 20 with the externally threaded portion 14 acts to close the container opening 16. The cap 20 is preferably constructed of injection molded plastic, although any relatively strong and rigid material may be used.

As shown in fig. 5, the spout 22 of the cap 20 defines a through conduit 26 having an upper opening 28, a lower opening 30, and an inner spout surface 32 therebetween, the inner spout surface 32 being shaped to receive a dispensing valve body 60, as described below. The through conduit 26 of the cap 20 includes an inner spout flange 34 adjacent the upper opening 28. The inner spout flange 34 has the function of retaining the dispensing valve body 60 within the through conduit 26 of the spout 22 and preventing it from falling out of the upper opening 28. In one embodiment, inner spout flange 34 includes a retaining edge (retaining rim)38 that functions to retain dispensing valve body 60 in its proper position. The inner spout flange 34 and retaining rim 38 preferably include at least one vent hole 36 that enables air to pass into the container 12 without being blocked by the dispensing valve body 60, although alternative mechanisms may be suggested by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same purpose. It should be noted that the same or an opposite structure (e.g., an upwardly extending portion, not shown) in the dispensing valve body 60 may serve the same function. It should be apparent that many similar structures may be used in place of the inner spout flange 34 shown in the present embodiment, and the term inner spout flange 34 is intended to include any structure that can at least partially close the upper opening 28 to prevent the dispensing valve body 60 from falling out of the cap 20.

As shown in fig. 5, the through-conduit 26 preferably further includes a recessed ring 39 adjacent the lower opening 30, the recessed ring 39 serving to receive and secure the retainer 40, as will be explained below. Alternative mechanisms may be used to lock the retainer 40 to the cap 20 and should be considered to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims; however, the use of said female ring 39 is preferred because it locks the retainer 40 in the through-conduit 26 with great strength, so that once the retainer 40 is mounted, it is extremely difficult to remove the retainer 40. Such a strong connection is useful in the present invention because, if not, the retainer 40 may pose a choking hazard to a user drinking from the container 12. It should be noted that the term abutting as used herein merely means that the elements are substantially adjacent to each other or closer together relative to the other elements, and does not mean immediately adjacent or in contact.

Retainer 40 includes a retainer perimeter 42, an upwardly projecting plug 44, and at least one flow aperture 50 through retainer 40. As shown in fig. 4 and 10, the retainer perimeter 42 is adapted to abut the spout 22 engaged with the lower opening 30. In one embodiment, retainer periphery 42 is configured to be tapered to frictionally engage the female ring 39. This configuration is useful because it is very secure and prevents the retainer 40 from accidentally disengaging from the cap 20, an important feature if an infant is to be able to drink from the container 12 without the risk of choking due to an element of the fluid dispensing valve 10. It should be apparent that a variety of mechanisms may be used to attach retainer 40 to cap 20, including threaded engagement, adhesives, or other equivalent mechanisms. In addition, retainer 40 may be molded as one piece with cap 20, and inner spout flange 34 may be provided as a separate element that is pressed or engaged with spout 22. Such a reversal is also considered to be within the scope of the claims, despite the fact that this lowers the retainer perimeter 42 to only an abstract configuration in a unitary molded part.

Upwardly projecting plugs 44 are shown in fig. 1, 4,5, 10, 11 and 12. As shown in fig. 4,5, 10 and 12, the upwardly projecting plug 44 includes a plug shoulder 46 at the bottom thereof and an upwardly projecting portion 48 mounted through the dispensing valve body 60 as described above to selectively seal the dispensing valve body 60. The dispensing valve body 60 abuts the plug shoulder 46 which serves to further seal the dispensing valve body 60 and support the dispensing valve body 60 in its proper position, as will also be described in greater detail below. As shown in FIG. 4, the upwardly projecting portion 48 may be generally cylindrical; or the upwardly projecting portion 48 may have an alternative shape including, but not limited to, the conical shape shown in fig. 10. While these shapes are presently preferred, the invention is not limited to these shapes, and alternate shapes may be utilized by those skilled in the art and are considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. The combination of the dispensing valve body 60 and the upwardly projecting plug 44 enables the fluid dispensing valve 10 to dispense large quantities of fluid from the container 12 and also enables the fluid dispensing valve 10 to dispense viscous fluids such as shampoo, liquid soap, and ketchup.

As shown in fig. 4,5, 10 and 12, at least one flow aperture 50 of the retainer 40 is provided to allow fluid to flow out of the container 12 and be dispensed through the fluid dispensing valve 10, and then allow air to vent back into the container 12. Any number of configurations may be devised by those skilled in the art, and two acceptable configurations are described below. In the first embodiment shown in fig. 4, almost any arrangement of one or more holes may be used. In the second embodiment shown in fig. 10, at least one of the at least one outflow hole 50 must be positioned on either side of a support ridge (support ridge)52, described below, to enable fluid to flow out through one of them and air to vent through the other.

As shown in fig. 4 and 10, the retainer 40 is preferably a generally disc-shaped member and is constructed of a strong, rigid material such as plastic, although one skilled in the art may select any number of other shapes and/or materials including metal or any other material of suitable quality. Additional features such as the support ridges 52 shown in fig. 10 may be added to provide the proper function of the dispensing valve 10, as described below. It should be noted that any feature attached to cap 20 or retainer 40 could be provided on dispensing valve body 60 in reverse, and such a reversal should also be considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For example, instead of providing the support ridges 52 as shown, the dispensing valve body 60 itself may be constructed with equivalent structures (not shown) that provide the same function as the support ridges 52. Such an inverted structure is also considered to be the present invention as defined in the claims

Within the scope of the invention.

As described below, and as shown in fig. 2, 3, 5-9, and 12-14, the dispensing valve body 60 is shaped to be mounted on the upwardly projecting plug 44 and inserted through the lower opening 30 and into the through-conduit 26 of the spout 22 to selectively seal the through-conduit 26. The dispensing valve body 60 is bounded by an outer surface 62, an inner surface 64, a valve periphery 66, and a dispensing orifice periphery 68 that defines a flow orifice 67. The dispensing orifice perimeter 68 is shaped to fit securely around the upwardly projecting plug 44 and seal the upwardly projecting plug 44. Valve periphery 66 is shaped to fit within spout 22 and form a sealing relationship with inner spout surface 32 or an equivalent surface. Inner spout surface 32 may comprise a portion of retainer 40 or inner spout flange 34, as dispensing valve body 60 may potentially form a sealing relationship with any of these elements; however, as shown in the two illustrated embodiments, the seal preferably abuts against the inner spout surface 32 of the spout 22 itself. The dispensing valve body 60 is constructed of a resilient material, preferably a molded rubber or plastic component.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the dispensing valve body 60 includes an inner portion 70 of the dispensing valve body 60 adjacent the dispensing orifice periphery 68, the portion 70 being formed of a resilient material that is changeable from a sealing configuration to a dispensing configuration. In the sealed configuration shown in fig. 5, the dispensing orifice perimeter 68 is securely positioned about the upwardly projecting plug 44 and seals against the upwardly projecting plug 44. As shown in fig. 6, the inner portion 70 changes from the sealed configuration to the dispensing configuration when the pressure acting on the inner surface 64 exceeds the pressure acting on the outer surface 62. In the dispensing configuration, the dispensing orifice perimeter 68 is raised out of sealing contact with the upwardly projecting plug 44, as shown in fig. 7. Once the dispensing orifice periphery 68 is raised out of contact with the upwardly projecting plug 44, fluid is free to flow through the orifice 67. Since the orifice 67 can be made large, this allows unrestricted flow of large volumes of fluid, or viscous fluids. As shown in fig. 9 and 12-14, the second embodiment shows the same features.

As shown in fig. 2, 3, 5-9 and 12-14, the dispensing valve body 60 further includes an outer portion 72 formed of a resilient material that is changeable from an initial configuration to a vent configuration adjacent the valve periphery 66. In the initial configuration shown in fig. 5 and 12, valve periphery 66 is securely positioned about inner spout surface 32 and seals inner spout surface 32 to prevent leakage of fluid around dispensing valve body 60. As shown in fig. 8 and 14, when the pressure acting on the outer surface 62 exceeds the pressure acting on the inner surface 64, the outer portion 72 is urged to a vent configuration in which the valve periphery 66 is out of sealing contact with the inner spout surface 32.

In the first embodiment of the fluid dispensing valve 10 shown in fig. 1-8, the outer portion 72 is formed by a vent flange 74 that extends outwardly and downwardly from a connecting ridge 76, the connecting ridge 76 being formed by an integral seam (integral joining) of the vent flange 74 and the inner portion 70. Coupling ridge 76 is shaped to contact inner spout flange 34 between retaining edge 38 and inner spout surface 32, thereby retaining dispensing valve body 60 in its proper position. At least one vent hole 36 allows air to pass through the attachment ridge 76. The angle of the vent bead 74 relative to the inner spout surface 32 facilitates insertion of the dispensing valve body 60 into the spout 22 and further facilitates venting as the vent bead 74 may articulate along the attachment ridge 76.

A second embodiment of the fluid dispensing valve 10 is shown in fig. 9-14. In this embodiment, the fluid dispensing valve 10 includes a generally flat, disk-shaped dispensing valve body 60. In this embodiment, the flat shape of the outer portion 72 enables the retaining edge 38 to form part of the seal. This embodiment works best with a retainer 40 that includes support ridge 52, as support ridge 52 functions to support dispensing valve body 60 so that outer portion 72 can properly contact inner spout surface 32, which preferably includes retaining edge 38. In this embodiment, the plug shoulder 46 preferably extends upwardly past the retention edge 38 so that upward pressure of the plug shoulder 46 can bias the outer portion 72 toward the retention edge 38, thereby increasing the strength of the seal formed.

During manufacture of the fluid dispensing valve 10, the cap 20, retainer 40, and dispensing valve body 60 are preferably injection molded as described above. The dispensing valve body 60 is mounted to the retainer 40 such that the upwardly projecting portion 48 can be inserted into the flow bore 67 formed by the dispensing bore perimeter 68 and such that the dispensing valve body 60 can rest on the plug shoulder 46. Retainer 40 is then positioned adjacent to lower opening 30 such that dispensing valve body 60 is positioned within cap 20. Retainer 40 is then locked onto cap 20, preferably by pushing retainer 40 into lower opening 30 until retainer periphery 42 snaps into recessed ring 39. Once the retainer 40 is locked in place, it is difficult to remove, thereby preventing removal of the fluid dispensing valve 10 after assembly. The fluid dispensing valve 10 is then attached to the container 12, preferably by threading the cap 20 into the container 12.

Once assembled, the container 12 may be inverted and the fluid dispensing valve 10 will prevent any fluid in the container 12 from leaking. The fluid dispensing valve 10 prevents leakage even if the container 12 is shaken, for example, if the container falls to the ground. The resilience of dispensing valve body 60 absorbs the pressure for a short period of time while dispensing valve body 60 remains resting on upwardly projecting portion 48 of upwardly projecting plug 44.

If it is assumed that a continuous pressure is exerted on the fluid, for example, by squeezing the container 12 or sucking on the spout 22, the pressure causes the dispensing valve body 60 to slide out of the upwardly projecting portion 48 and transition from the sealed configuration to the dispensing configuration. Although the claims are described in terms of squeezing the container 12, it is expressly contemplated to include equivalent processes, such as sucking on the spout 22, or increasing the pressure within the container 12, or decreasing the pressure outside the fluid dispensing valve 10. Once in the dispensing configuration, fluid may flow out of the flow orifice 67. The flow aperture 67 can be made relatively large without impairing the ability of the fluid dispensing valve 10 to seal the container 12 by simply engaging the flow aperture 67 with a suitably large upwardly extending portion 48. If the orifice 67 is large, a large volume of fluid can be dispensed even if the fluid is viscous, such as shampoo, liquid soap, and ketchup.

Once the dispensing pressure is released, the natural spring force of the container 12 acts to create a vacuum within the container 12 that pulls the dispensing valve body 60 downward, thereby returning the dispensing valve body 69 from the dispensing configuration to the sealed configuration. The pressure then acts to pull the outer portion 72 of the dispensing valve body 60 downward, causing the dispensing valve body 60 to transition from the initial configuration to the vent configuration. In the vent configuration, the valve periphery 66 and/or the outer portion 72 lose contact with the inner spout surface 32 and/or the retaining edge 38 of the inner spout flange 34. Air may flow through the at least one vent hole 36 and through the dispensing valve body 60 into the container 12 until the pressure returns to normal. Once there is no vacuum within the container 12 and the container 12 returns to its original shape, the natural spring force of the dispensing valve body 60 returns the outer portion 72 to the sealed configuration and again prevents fluid from leaking through the dispensing valve 10.

While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be construed only in conjunction with the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. A fluid dispensing valve for controlling the flow of fluid through a cap and a retainer, the cap having a spout defining a through conduit having an upper opening and a lower opening, the through conduit having an inner spout surface terminating in an inner spout flange, the retainer having a retainer periphery, at least one flow aperture through the retainer and an upwardly projecting plug, the retainer periphery adapted to engage the spout adjacent the lower opening, the fluid dispensing valve comprising:

a dispensing valve body bounded by an outer surface, an inner surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter,

the dispensing orifice periphery is shaped to securely surround and seal the upwardly projecting plug,

the valve periphery is shaped to fit within the spout and into sealing relationship with the inner spout surface, an

An inner portion of the dispensing valve body adjacent the dispensing orifice periphery formed of a resilient material that is changeable from a sealed configuration in which the dispensing orifice periphery is positioned to securely surround and seal the upwardly projecting plug to a dispensing configuration in which the dispensing orifice periphery is raised out of sealing contact with the upwardly projecting plug when pressure acting on the inner surface exceeds pressure acting on the outer surface;

wherein the dispensing valve body further comprises an outer portion adjacent the valve periphery formed of a resilient material that is capable of changing from an initial configuration in which the valve periphery is positioned to securely surround and seal the inner spout surface to a vented configuration in which the valve periphery is urged out of sealing contact with the inner spout surface when pressure acting on the outer surface exceeds pressure acting on the inner surface.

2. The fluid dispensing valve in accordance with claim 1 in which said outer portion includes a vent flange that extends outwardly and downwardly from a connecting ridge formed by the integral seam of said vent flange and said inner portion.

3. A fluid dispensing valve comprising:

a cap having a spout defining a through conduit having an upper opening and a lower opening, the through conduit having an inner spout surface terminating within an inner spout flange;

a retainer having a retainer perimeter adapted to engage a spout adjacent said lower opening, at least one flow aperture through said retainer, and an upwardly projecting plug; and

a dispensing valve body bounded by an outer surface, an inner surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter,

the dispensing orifice periphery is shaped to securely surround and seal the upwardly projecting plug,

the valve periphery is shaped to fit within the spout and into sealing relationship with the inner spout surface,

wherein the interior portion of the dispensing valve body adjacent the dispensing orifice periphery is formed of a resilient material which is capable of changing from a sealing configuration in which the dispensing orifice periphery is positioned to securely surround and seal the upwardly projecting plug to a dispensing configuration in which the dispensing orifice periphery is raised out of sealing contact with the upwardly projecting plug when the pressure acting on the inner surface exceeds the pressure acting on the outer surface, and to a dispensing configuration in which the dispensing orifice periphery is raised out of sealing contact with the upwardly projecting plug

The dispensing valve body further includes an outer portion adjacent the valve periphery formed of a resilient material that is capable of changing from an initial configuration in which the valve periphery is positioned to securely surround and seal the inner spout surface to a vented configuration in which the valve periphery is urged out of sealing contact with the inner spout surface when pressure acting on the outer surface exceeds pressure acting on the inner surface.

4. The fluid dispensing valve in accordance with claim 3 in which said outer portion includes a vent flange that extends outwardly and downwardly from a connecting ridge formed by the integral seam of said vent flange and said inner portion.

5. The fluid dispensing valve in accordance with claim 3 in which said inner spout flange comprises at least one vent hole.

6. The fluid dispensing valve in accordance with claim 3 in which said upwardly projecting plug includes a plug shoulder and an upwardly projecting portion, said dispensing orifice perimeter being shaped to fit around and seal said upwardly projecting portion, but said dispensing orifice perimeter not being large enough to surround said plug shoulder.

7. The fluid dispensing valve in accordance with claim 3 in which said retainer includes a support ridge formed upwardly on one side of said retainer.

8. A method for assembling a fluid dispensing valve, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a fluid dispensing valve having a cap, a retainer, a dispensing valve body, the cap having a spout defining a conduit therethrough, the retainer having an upwardly projecting plug and at least one flow aperture therethrough, the dispensing valve body being bounded by an outer surface, an inner surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing aperture perimeter shaped to securely surround and seal the upwardly projecting plug, the valve perimeter shaped to fit within the spout, wherein the dispensing valve body further comprises an outer portion adjacent the valve perimeter, the outer portion being formed of a resilient material that is changeable from an initial configuration to a vented configuration;

b) mounting the dispensing valve body on the retainer such that the upwardly projecting plug is placed through the flow orifice and into sealing relationship with the dispensing orifice periphery, wherein the outer portion is placed in an initial configuration in which the valve periphery is placed to securely surround and seal against the inner spout surface, but, when the pressure acting on the outer surface exceeds the pressure acting on the inner surface, the outer portion can change to a venting configuration in which the valve periphery is urged out of contact with the inner spout surface; and

c) mounting the retainer to the cap such that the dispensing valve body seals the through conduit.

9. A method for dispensing a fluid from a container, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a fluid container having a container opening;

b) providing a fluid dispensing valve having a cap, a retainer and a dispensing valve body, the cap having a spout defining a conduit therethrough, the retainer having an upwardly projecting plug and at least one orifice therethrough, the dispensing valve body being bounded by an outer surface, an inner surface, a valve perimeter, and a dispensing orifice perimeter, the dispensing orifice perimeter defining an orifice shaped to securely surround and seal the upwardly projecting plug, the valve perimeter shaped to fit within the spout;

c) mounting the dispensing valve body on the retainer such that the upwardly projecting plug is disposed through the flowbore and into sealing relationship with the periphery of the dispensing bore;

d) mounting the retainer on the cap such that the dispensing valve body seals the through conduit;

e) mounting the cap on the container such that the cap covers the opening of the container;

f) squeezing the container such that pressure from within the container pushes the dispensing orifice perimeter of the dispensing valve body, thereby disengaging the dispensing orifice perimeter from the upwardly projecting plug and allowing fluid to flow out through the flow orifice; and

g) releasing the container such that pressure from outside the container pushes the dispensing orifice perimeter back onto the upwardly projecting plug, thereby resealing the flow orifice, and the dispensing valve body deforms such that the valve perimeter loses contact with the through conduit and allows air to flow back into the container through the at least one flow orifice.