US3894717A - Drain port valve and improved shipping container - Google Patents

Abstract

A drain port valve for pliable bags employing an elongated hollow casing having a pair of flanges on its exterior one movable relative to the other for grasping the periphery of the opening of a bag therebetween, the casing having a valve seat therein with a perforated cap member mounted at one end of the casing and providing a cylindrical surface inwardly of the casing along its longitudinal axis. A valve stem is slidably mounted around the cylindrical surface and provided with a valve disc which in combination with the valve stem is biased into valve seating arrangement. The valve is opened by a handle having a camming surface which is mounted on the valve casing to bias the valve stem away from the valve seat upon rotation thereof.

Description

Elmore et a1.

1451 July 15, 1975 1 DRAIN PORT VALVE AND IMPROVED 3,323,674 6/1967 Nist. Jr. 1 217/65 x SHIPPING CONTAINER 3.331.580 7/1967 Fattori 251/322 X 3,381,934 5/1968 Marx et a1. 251/260 [76] In en ors: Austin Elmore, 8519 5 Pasadena 3.433.456 3/1969 Mueller 251/339 Ave.; Ernest A. Uhlmann, 4533 N. 3.692213 9/1972 Alta et a1. 222/105 Scottsdale Rd., both of, Scottsdale. Ariz- 85251 Primary E.raminerWilliam R. Cline [22] Filed: Jan. 2, 1974 Attorney, Agent, or FirmWarren F. B. Lindsley [21] Appl. No.: 430,093 [57] ABSTRACT .Relaed U.S. ispphcatlon Data 7 A drain port valve for pliable bags employing an elon- [62] 52 5 2? July gated hollow casing having a pair of flanges on its exterior one movable relative to the other for grasping the periphery of the opening of a bag therebetween, [52] U.S. Cl. 251/144, 251/240, 2255110235314 the casing having a valve seat therein with a perfo rated cap member mounted at one end of the casing {23 i2 and providing a cylindrical surface inwardly of the "'i6" casing along its longitudinal axis. A valve stem is slid- 323, 217/l2'R 5 5 ably mounted around the cylindrical surface and provided with a valve disc which in combination with the valve stem is biased into valve seating arrangement. [56] References cued The valve is opened by a handle having a camming UNITED STATES PATENTS surface which is mounted on the valve casing to bias 2.516.996 8/1950 Jensen 251/259 the valve stem away from the valve seat upon rotation 2,577,255 12/1951 Logan et 211.... 251/240 X h f 2,764,324 9/1956 Landreth 251/322 X 2.764385 9/1956 Sicling 251/144 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures a a 45 34 10 I J; 3 I! X 2 54 15; 7a j, J 76 E T V K; 33 72 ['4 I 7 4? J9 1 Z a; Z {I a 71 K 10 64 a j] 0 I 1 1 I v 42 x 1 J '11- 1 40 xw 9 4c .2

;53 v a V 88 a7 4, {7 7 5 44 J *w it 5: g

DRAIN PORT VALVE AND IMPROVED SHIPPING CONTAINER This application is a division of application Ser. No. 274,805 filed July 24, 1972, entitled DRAIN PORT VALVE AND IMPROVED SHIPPING CONTAINER, by the same applicants now US. Pat. No. 3,815,772, granted June 11, 1974.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to drain port valves, and more particularly to a manually operated, quick acting valve which may be readily installed in leakproof relation in the drain aperture of a plastic bag or vessel, which together with other supporting apparatus may be utilized for containing, storing or transporting liquids of any kind to their destination in a safe and efficient manner, and means for quickly emptying or draining the liquid contents from the plastic vessel when so desired.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is particularly directed to the utiliza' tion of inexpensive disposable or reusable plastic bags or vessels for containing, storing or transporting oils, chemicals. water or other liquids. The filling and draining problems encountered with the use of such flexible plastic bags or vessels is eliminated by the combined use of the novel valve means and other supporting apparatus of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Heretofore most of the vessels or containers which were utilized for storage or shipment of bulky liquid products such as oil or other chemicals were usually in the form of glass bottles, metal containers or drums which sometimes required special crating and other expensive handling procedures before and after arriving at their destination. The use of such glass ormetal containers also presented costly handling problems relative to the re-use or disposal of the containers; for example, the tremendous cost and waste resulting from the economic necessity of allowing thousands of empty glass, metal containers and drums to accumulate and deteriorate in such places as the arctic zones and other remote areas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a new and improved means including suitable supporting apparatus has been devised which makes it possible to utilize inexpensive flexible plastic bags or vessels to efficiently and safely contain, store, transport and remove therefrom. the liquid contents of such vessels, to reuse the plastic containers at their destination, or to dispose of the used plastic containers and return the valves and collapsible supporting apparatus to their original place of shipment, thereby reducing the overall handling cost of any liquid product that may be so shipped.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an improved drain port valve which may be used in association with flexible plastic bags or vessels and other supporting apparatus to facilitate the filling and emptying of such vessels with liquids of any kind.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is an isometric view showing the installed position of the drain port valve of the invention, and 1nd1- cating the plastic bag or vessels filling cap or closure relative to their respective positions when placed in a suitable collapsible container, filled with the desired liquid and otherwise made ready for storage or shipment;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the collapsible container shown in FIG. I, with a portion of its top cover broken away to show the liner material which covers its interior surfaces and the respective positions of the drain port valve and filling closure cap;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the collapsible container taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. I, showing the drain port valve with its removable closure cap and its operating wrench in elevation;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevational view of the collapsible container showing the outer end of the drain port valve, a portion of its closure cap and its removable operating wrench as it would be seen looking into the keyhole-shaped access opening in the side of the container;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing the valves closure cap removed and one means of attaching the operating wrench to the valves stem;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view looking from the inside of the plastic bag and the collapsible container, showing the inner end of the drain port valve and the inside face of the shield member in dotted line, which covers the access opening in the container;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 3 which illustrates one method of attaching the drain port valve in sealed relation to the flexible plastic bag or vessel and the respective relation of the valves components when in closed position; and

FIG. 7a is a horizontal sectional view taken on the identical plane as shown in FIG. 7, but showing the respective relation of the valves components when in open position with its closure cap removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the various views of the drawings for a more detailed description of the construction and other features of the invention by characters of reference, FIG. 1 represents the assembled drain port valve III of this invention which is installed in a round hole or aperture located near the bottom in one side of a prefabricated, cubical shaped plastic bag or vessel 11, as shown in FIGS. 3, 7 and 7a, and allowed to project into a keyhole-shaped opening in the side of a collapsible container.

The inherent characteristics of flexible plastic bags, including their strength, lightness and economical usage for containing, storage and transportation of many kinds of bulk materials, are well known and recognized in the art, as indicated by their multiple usage for such purposes; but with all its advantages, this type of plastic bag has not been used extensively for the storage and transportation of liquid materials of high specific weight such as oils, syrups, fruit juices and the like, because of the following reasons.

Plastic bags may be easily ruptured or punctured by coming into contact with sharp objects such as nails, staples, wood slivers, etc., and simple, inexpensive wood crating means which would preclude this danger of loss of contents have not been available at reasonable cost. Also, plastic bags have presented great difficulty in the filling and draining of liquids therefrom. This type of plastic bag or vessel has not received widespread acceptance for the purpose of handling liquids.

To eliminate the former reason for non-use of plastic bags for storage and transportation of liquid materials, it is proposed to utilize a collapsible container such as shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,323,674, issued June 6, I967 to F. J. Nist, Jr. for containing the liquidfilled plastic bags, and no claim to the features of this container is made per se, except for the use of this general type of container in combination with the drain port valve of this invention.

To eliminate the latter reason for non-use of plastic bags for storage and transportation, such as the problems encountered when filling and/or especially draining the liquid contents of such flexible plastic bags, there has been provided the drain port valve of this invention, which will be more fully described in the following paragraphs.

FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings show the drain port valve 10 installed in a cubical-shaped plastic bag or vessel 11 contained in a suitable collapsible box or container l2. Container 12 is preferably constructed of a plurality of identical shaped and dized plywood panels, which include a bottom panel 13, four side panels 14 and a top panel 15. These panels are assembled and secured together to form the strong box-like collapsible container 12, by means of a plurality of spring clip fasteners 16 which are provided with right angled legs and right angled end portions which, when installed, are adapted to extend away from the formed right angle corners of the container with their respective angular ends adapted to project into suitably spaced cutouts of kerfs l7. Kerfs 17 extend only part way into the sides of the panels, thereby providing the required components for constructing the strong, rigid, collapsible container 12, which may be quickly assembled to perform its function of containing and preventing bulging of a liquid-filled flexible plastic bag, and which may be easily and quickly disassembled or collapsed into its component parts for return shipment and reuse.

A lifting pallet is attached to the bottom panel 13 of the container 12 by means of flat-head countersunk screws (not shown). These screws are screwed from the inside surface of the panel into the top edges of several joist members 18 which together with the base member 19 from the weight supporting and lifting pallet 20. The joist members 18 are parallelly arranged and spaced apart a sufficient distance to provide access space for the tines of a lift truck or other handling equipment.

Because no metal fasteners are allowed to project into the interior of the assembled container, the inside surfaces of the component panels 13, 14 and must present a fairly smooth surface. Since a wood sliver might rupture or puncture the plastic bag due to the friction caused by movement of the liquid-filled plastic bag against the inside surfaces of the panels, a smooth surfaced interior liner 21 has been provided which may be made of thick paper or cardboard and attached to the inside surfaces of the panels in any suitable manner for protecting the outside surfaces of the liquid-filled plastic bag 11 from damage and loss of its contents.

A key-shaped opening or cutout 22 is provided near the bottom and preferably centrally located in one of the container side panels 14. Into this cutout the drain port valve 10 is arranged to extend to allow access to it from the outside of the container.

Most of the parts of the drain port valve assembly 10, shown in FIGS. 3, 7 and 7a of the drawings, are fabricated of high impact strength plastic material, which is impervious to oils, acids or other chemicals stored or transported in the plastic bags 11. All metal or rubber parts of the valve assembly should likewise be made of corrosion resistant materials to assure smooth functioning of the valve at all times.

The drain port valve assembly 10 includes a cylindrical body portion 23 which has a central circular bore 24 extending longitudinally throughout its length which is open at both ends. The outer diameter of body portion 23 is sized to fit centrally in the circular shaped bottom portion 25 of the keyhole-shaped opening 22 formed in one side panel 14 of the collapsible container 12. This body portion 23 is retained in this central position by means of outwardly projecting integral lugs 26, which are adapted to lightly contact the inner edge surface of the circular cutout portion 25, and are rabbeted on their outer ends so as to contact the inside face of panel 14 to limit the forward movement of body portion 23 into the opening, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The outer end of bore 24 is provided with the female portion of a screw thread 27 which is adapted to receive the male exterior threaded inner end 27 of a closure cap 28. Closure cap 28 is provided with a flat circular integral flange 29, the inside face 30 of which is adapted to apply pressure to an O-ring 31 positioned in the annular groove 32 formed in the outer end face of the valve body portion 23 to seal the outer end of the bore 24 when the closure cap 28 is screwed home. It is preferable that the closure cap be screwed into or out of the threaded bore 27 manually by finger action only, as the torque required to obtain a good seal is minimal. The outer recessed end of the closure cap is provided with a heavy transverse web 33 which may be grasped by the fingers and turned with sufficient manual force to insert or remove the closure cap when desired.

The inner end of the valve body bore 24 is enlarged in diameter and the outer diameter of the valve body 23 is reduced, resulting in a thinner, more flexible wall section 34 extending inwardly from the inner end face 35 of the valve body, about one third the length of the bore 24. At this section 34 it is integrally joined to the thicker wall section of the valve body 36 by an annular chamber which forms the valve seat 37.

The thinner circumferential wall section 34 is bifurcated or slotted to form several equal, radially spaced arcuate arms or segments 38 which project from their inner end face 35 into the enlarged end of bore 24 a sufficient distance to form arcuate drain openings 39 between the segments 38. These openings are large enough to allow for quick draining of the liquid contents of the plastic bag to which valve 10 is attached.

The enlarged inner end of central bore 24 is provided with a valve spring pressure plate 40 which has a peripheral rim or flange portion 41. The outer diameter of flange portion 41 is adapted to fit into the inside diameter of the several arcuate segments 38. Integral outward radially projecting arcuate tabs 42 of plate 40 are adapted to slidingly fit into the arcuate openings 39 be tween the segments 38 to prevent any possible rotational movement of pressure plate 40 in the bore of the valve body 23. The pressure plate flange portion 41 is secured from longitudinal movement in bore 24 by means of a suitable anchor ring 43 which surrounds the outer arcuate faces of segments 38 and which have an integral inner peripheral flange or rim portion 44 adapted to be snapped into arcuate grooves 45 formed in the arcuate outer surfaces of segments 38 when the anchor ring is forced over the flexible segments.

Pressure plate 40 is provided at its center with an integral tubular boss portion 46 which extends perpendicular both ways from its outer and inner flat surfaces, 47 and 48 respectively. Boss portion 46 is preferably of larger diameter at its outer end to reinforce the struc ture of the plate and of a smaller diameter at its inner end. The inner end is provided with a smooth outer surface extending a sufficient distance from the flat inner surface 48 of plate 40 to provide a suitable sliding bearing surface with a central bore 49 of a tubular boss or extension 50 ofa circular plate portion 51 of a reciprocal valve member 52.

The inner flat surface 48 of pressure plate 40 is provided with an annular depression 53 which surrounds the inner extension of the tubular boss 46. This depression is adapted to receive one end of a compression spring 54 which is large enough in diameter to surround the tubular boss extension 50 with sufficient clearance to allow free sliding movement of valve member 52. The other end of spring 54 is adapted to bear against the inner face of the circular plate portion of valve member 52, thereby normally urging the valve member away from the pressure plate 40 into closed relation in body portion 23 of the drain port valve 10.

Because a metal to metal or plastic to plastic contact of mating ports in a valve assembly of this nature does not provide for good liquid sealing action, the conical valve seat 37 in valve body 23 is provided with a semicircular annular groove 55 in which a suitable Oring 56 is retained, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 7a. The peripheral edge of the circular plate portion 51 of the valve member 52 is formed with a similar angular contour to provide a mating valve disc or conical surface 57 which is adapted to contact the O-ring 56 to provide for a leak-proof liquid seal at this point.

The cylindrical body portion 23 is provided with an integral annular radial flange 58 which has a flat smooth surfaced face 59 on its inner side, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. The thick wall section 36 of the body portion 23 is provided with a male por tion ofa screw thread 60 which extends a sufficient distance toward the radial flange 58 to allow for the tightening of a clamping ring 61. Clamping ring 61 is provided with mating internal threads 60' in its base, to apply pressure and clamp the several other elements, including a slip washer 62, a pressure sealing ring 63, inner and outer O-rings 64 and 64', a portion of the plastic bag 11, another sealing ring 65, and a valve pressure shield 66 therebetween in liquid sealed relation when the drain port valve is being installed, as will further be described.

Located near the outer end of the valve body 23 and offset slightly from the vertical center line 67 of the valve body and projecting outwardly radially from the top and bottom thereof is a pair of integral bosses 68. These bosses are provided with central aligned bores 69, the upper boss being externally threaded as at 70 to receive a cam stem cap 71 which locks a cam operating stem 72 in a sealed, rotative relation, as seen in FIG. 5.

Cam operating stem 72 is preferably made of high strength, corrosion resistant material such as plastic, stainless steel or the like of round rod form. The upper portion is of a greater diameter than the lower portion, thereby forming a shoulder 73 which together with a suitable push-up spring grip type fastener 74 mounted on the lower portion of the stem serves to align and properly position the valve operating cam member 75 with its cam surface 76 (see FIGS. 7 and 7a). The flat portion 77 at the end of the cam surface is in an actuatable contacting relationship with the closed anvil head 78 of the tubular boss 50 of valve member 52. An integral transverse mounting boss 79 at the outer end of the operating cam member 75 is fixed or rigidly secured to the cam operating stem 72 by means of flats 80.

The outer top projecting end of the cam operating stem 72 is provided with a flatted portion 81 which is adapted to be received in a similarly shaped depression in a socket-like end 82 of a suitable wrench 83.

Directly below the flatted end portion 81 of the cam operating stem 72 is provided an integral annular flange 84 having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the internal thread relief portion of cam stem cap 71 in which it is adapted to freely rotate, but at the same time preventing any possible liquid leakage at this point. To provide this desirable condition each flat side of flange 84 is either teflon coated or provided with a teflon or polyethylene film coated slip washer with the upper flat side contacting the plastic material of the cam stem cap 71 and the under flat side contacting the surface of an O-ring 85. O-ring 85 is mounted on a recess at the top end of the externally threaded boss 68 when the cam stem cap 71 is tightly screwed in place.

Located in the bottom portion of the valve body bore 24 and projecting inwardly therefrom is an integral, flat outer faced lug 86 which is adapted to be contacted by the flat faced side 87 of a lug 88. Lug 88 is integral with and projects radially from the mounting boss 79 of the operating cam member 75 to prevent further rotational movement of the cam member when the valve is in closed position as shown in FIG. 7. The flat surfaced portion 77 at the end of cam surface 76 is utilized to hold valve member 52 in full open position against the pressure of spring 54, as shown in FIG. 7a, when the liquid contents of the plastic bag 11 is being drained.

Having described in the preceding paragraphs the general features and construction of the drain port valve of this invention. the flexible plastic bag or vessel with which it is associated and the collapsible box or container in which the liquid-filled plastic bag is contained during storage and shipment, the method of installing the drain port valve 10 in leakproof relation in the cubical shaped plastic bag 11, the installing of the plastic bag in the collapsible container 12 and the filling thereof will now be described.

The drain port valve is installed in the flexible plastic bag 11 through a circular hole or aperture 89. The diameter of this hole is only slightly larger than the outside diameter of the cylindrical body portion 23 of the valve which it surrounds and is much smaller than the outside diameter of the several components of the valve which must pass through this aperture to assume their functional position on the inside of the bag. This is easily accomplished because the plastic bag 11 has enough flexibility to allow aperture 89 to be stretched sufficiently to force the partially assembled components, such as the clamping ring 61, the teflon coated slip washer 62 and the pressure seal ring 63 therethrough, allowing the side of the plastic bag to assume a flat, unwrinkled position between the inner seal ring 63 and the outer seal ring 65, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 7a.

After the above described procedure has taken place, it is only necessary for the installer to distort the plastic bag sufficiently from its outside to allow his fingers to grasp the clamping ring 61 from outside the bag and rotate it in a clockwise direction, while at the same time holding the outer end of the valve body 23 so that the cam operating stem 72 is in upright position to enter the keyhole-shaped opening 22. He then continues to tighten the clamping ring 61 sufficiently to cause bag 11 to be clamped in liquid sealing relationship between the lower and upper O- rings 64 and 64 and between the opposed flat sides of the pressure inner seal ring 63 and the outer seal ring 65, with the circular portion of the valve pressure shield 66 interposed between the outer flat side of the seal ring 65 and the smooth face 59 of the annular radial flange 58, to provide a good liquid seal.

It should be understood that when the above described clamping and sealing operation has been performed, the upper extended portion 66' of the dishshaped pressure shield 66 and the cam operating stem 72 must be maintained in vertical parallel relation to each other, and to the vertical center line 67 of the valve body 23 as shown in FIG. 4. This is necessary so that when the plastic bag 11 with the installed drain valve assembly is placed in position in the collapsible container 12 with its cam operating stem 72 projecting upwardly into the keyhole-shaped opening 22 in the side 14 of the container, the valve operating stem in the keyhole-shaped opening is easily accessible for operation of the valve.

Having thus installed the drain port valve assembly in one side of the cubical-shaped plastic bag 11, it is only necessary to place and properly position the empty bag with the attached valve within the square enclosure formed by the four inner lined vertical side panels 14 of the collapsible container 12 before filling the plastic bag with the desired liquid.

The top wall section of the bag 11 is provided with a suitable sealed in, cylindrical, open filler neck 90, which has either external threads on its upper projecting end or a bayonet pin type connector, which is adapted to receive in sealed relation a suitable vented filler cap 91 to close the open end of the filler neck when so desired.

The top cover panel 15 of the collapsible container 12 with its attached underside liner material 21 remains removed during the filling operation. With the drain port valve 10 placed in closed position and the vented filler cap 91 removed, the plastic bag or vessel 12 may be easily filled with the desired liquid, by means of a hose or otherwise to a level slightly below the top surface of the bag, thereby allowing for expansion and the possibility of gases forming which may be expelled through the vented filler cap 91 when the liquid-filled plastic bag is being stored or transported as the case may be. 1

After the filling of the plastic bag has been accomplished and the vented filler cap 91 has been replaced on the open filler neck 90, it remains only necessary to put the top panel 15 of the collapsible container 12 in position. It may be fastened to panels 14 by means of spring clip fasteners 16.

It should be noted that pressure of the contained liq uid exerted on the inside walls of the bag and the inside walls of container 12 is prevented from being forced into the keyhole-shaped opening 22 in container panel 14 by means of the rigid valve pressure shield 66 which completely covers this opening on the inside of the container.

The liquid-filled plastic bags in container 12 can be quickly and easily drained of their contents by simply removing the closure cap 28 from body portion 23 of the drain port valve 10 and opening the valve member 52 by a partial revolution of the cam operating valve stem 72. This is accomplished by application of the socket-ended wrench 83 to the squared-top portion of the stem, thereby causing the cam surface 76 of the operating cam member to apply pressure to the closed anvil head 78 of the sliding tubular boss or extension 50. This action compresses spring 54 and opens the valve to its full extent and allows the valve to be held in this fully open position during the draining operation by means of the contact of the flat portion 77 at the end of the cam surface 76 with anvil head 78. The valve remains in this position until it is closed by wrench 83 rotating the valve operating stem 72 in the opposite direction. This operational procedure for opening or closing the valve is accomplished from outside the collapsible container to allow the liquid contents to drain by gravity or pump and hose means, if so desired.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A valve assembly for an opening in a pliable bag comprising:

an elongated hollow casing having a first outward laterally extending flange arranged at a point between its ends,

a second flange threadedly mounted on the exterior of said casing for moving relative to said first flange for grasping the periphery of the opening in the bag between said first and second flanges when moved toward each other,

a valve seat arranged within said casing,

a perforated cap member mounted at one end of said casing and providing a cylindrical surface extending inwardly of the casing along its longitudinal axis a given distance,

a valve stem slidably mounted around said cylindrical surface in said casing and movable relative to said cap member and said valve seat,

a valve disc secured to said stem and providing a surface adapted to fit said valve seat,

a spring surrounding said stem with one end of said spring engaging said cap member and the other end abutting said disc,

said casing being provided with a pair of transverse apertures for supporting a means for actuating said valve stem,

said means comprising an operating handle having a camming surface operatively engaging said valve stem,

said spring continuously urging said valve stem against said camming surface of said means to urge said surface of valve disc against said valve seat,

said camming surface having a relatively flat portion engaging said valve stem when said means is moved to a given position to move said valve stem to a the other end of said casing is provided with internal threads for receiving alternately a cap and pipe extension.

5. The valve assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said flanges are provided with cooperatively resilient engaging surfaces for holding the periphery of the opening in the bag therebetween. 6. The valve assembly set forth in claim 5 wherein: one of the cooperatively engaging resilient surfaces is provided with an O-ring embedded in its surface for sealing the periphery of the opening in the bag therebetween.

Claims (6)

1. A valve assembly for an opening in a pliable bag comprising: an elongated hollow casing having a first outward laterally extending flange arranged at a point between its ends, a second flange threadedly mounted on the exterior of said casing for moving relative to said first flange for grasping the periphery of the opening in the bag between said first and second flanges when moved toward each other, a valve seat arranged within said casing, a perforated cap member mounted at one end of Said casing and providing a cylindrical surface extending inwardly of the casing along its longitudinal axis a given distance, a valve stem slidably mounted around said cylindrical surface in said casing and movable relative to said cap member and said valve seat, a valve disc secured to said stem and providing a surface adapted to fit said valve seat, a spring surrounding said stem with one end of said spring engaging said cap member and the other end abutting said disc, said casing being provided with a pair of transverse apertures for supporting a means for actuating said valve stem, said means comprising an operating handle having a camming surface operatively engaging said valve stem, said spring continuously urging said valve stem against said camming surface of said means to urge said surface of valve disc against said valve seat, said camming surface having a relatively flat portion engaging said valve stem when said means is moved to a given position to move said valve stem to a valve open position and locking said valve assembly in said valve open position.

2. The valve assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein: said camming surface of said handle comprises a portion rotatably mounted in said apertures in said casing, and said handle is detachably mounted on said portion.

3. The valve assembly set forth in claim 2 wherein: said portion comprises a shaft rotatably mounted in said apertures, and said handle is detachably mounted to one end of said shaft.

4. The valve assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein: the other end of said casing is provided with internal threads for receiving alternately a cap and pipe extension.

5. The valve assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein: said flanges are provided with cooperatively resilient engaging surfaces for holding the periphery of the opening in the bag therebetween.

6. The valve assembly set forth in claim 5 wherein: one of the cooperatively engaging resilient surfaces is provided with an O-ring embedded in its surface for sealing the periphery of the opening in the bag therebetween.

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