BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to liquid storage equipment and, more particularly, to container systems with pull/push valve assemblies.

Flexible, collapsible plastic containers, such as bags, are often used to store fluid products such as beverages or flowable foods, among other things. The bags may be made of plastic and housed in a box, housing, or other container to aid in the transporting, handling, and/or dispensing of the product. The plastic bags in these systems typically have sidewalls sealed along a peripheral seam to define a fluid containing interior chamber. A spout or fitment is typically connected to the bag proximate an opening in the bag and provides access to the fluid chamber for filling the bag with fluid product and dispensing fluid product from the bag. After the flexible container is filled with a desired product, the spout is closed with a cap to seal the flexible container and protect the fluid contents from contamination. The filled bag may be inserted in a box or other kind of container to make a bag-in-box product. The filled bag is then transported to the end user.

In this area of liquid storage, there is a need to cost effectively dispense liquid from the container, such as a bag in box type container, while minimizing the size of the container system before its initial use.

SUMMARY

Certain embodiments of the present technology include a valve assembly for use with a spout. The assembly includes a slide including a side wall and an anti-tamper strap, and the side wall includes a dispensing hole. The assembly includes a sleeve and a cap including and a cap flange, wherein the cap flange including a strap cavity. The cap is slidably received in the spout, the sleeve is slidably received in the cap, and the slide is slidably received in the sleeve. The spout, cap, sleeve, and slide are in fluid communication with each other, and the valve assembly is in a closed position when the sleeve is retained in a first position in the cap and the slide is retained in a first position in the sleeve such that the dispensing hole is blocked by the sleeve. The anti-tamper strap is inserted into the strap cavity when the valve is in the closed position. The valve assembly can be moved to a dispensing position when the slide is slidably moved out of the sleeve to a second position and the sleeve is slidably moved out of the cap to a second position such that the dispensing hole is unblocked by the sleeve.

The anti-tamper strap may extend from a slide flange. The anti-tamper strap and the slide flange may be molded as one component. The anti-tamper strap may further include a strap ledge, the cap flange may further includes a locking ledge, and the strap ledge may be configured to abut against the locking ledge in a locked position when the slide is fully inserted within the sleeve and the sleeve is fully inserted within the cap. The anti-tamper strap further includes a break groove.

The cap flange may further include a securing bump.

The spout may be attached to a bag in box container.

The valve assembly may be moved to the closed position by a user pushing a flange on the slide inward toward the cap such that the sleeve slides into the cap and the slide slides into the sleeve. The valve assembly may be moved to the dispensing position by pulling a flange on the sleeve to slide the sleeve out of the cap and pulling on a flange on the slide to slide the slide out of the sleeve.

The slide may include a slide retention ledge. The sleeve may include a slide stop ledge. The abutting of the slide retention ledge and the slide stop ledge may establish the fully extended slide position.

The sleeve may include a sleeve retention ledge. The cap may include a cap outlet back edge. The abutting of the sleeve retention ledge and the cap outlet back edge may establish the fully extended sleeve position.

Certain embodiments of the present technology include a method of dispensing fluid from a container through a valve assembly. The method includes the step of separating an anti-tamper strip at a break groove, wherein the anti-tamper strip includes a first end fixedly attached to a slide, a second end retained by a cap, and a break groove located between the first end and the second end. The method includes the steps of extending a sleeve from the cap and extending the slide from the sleeve such that a dispensing hole on the slide becomes unblocked by the sleeve creating a flowpath from the container, through the cap, through the sleeve, through the slide, and out the dispensing hole. The method further includes pushing the slide back into the sleeve to close the flowpath after a desired amount of fluid has been dispensed from the dispensing hole.

