CA1128479A

CA1128479A - Aerosol valve houseing

Info

Publication number: CA1128479A
Application number: CA341,798A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Robert H. Abplanalp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-12-13
Filing date: 1979-12-13
Publication date: 1982-07-27
Also published as: AU5376779A; DK529079A; GB2040002A; FI793867A; NL7908929A; ZA796774B; PT70578A; SE7910254L; AR219848A1; IT7928024A0; JPS55111863A; BE880582A; ES486822A0; FR2444215A1; LU81988A1; GB2040002B; NO793962L; GR68698B; ES8100649A1; DE2949470A1

Abstract

A B S T R A C T
An aerosol valve has a valve housing (22) provided with a peripheral flange (50) that will yield under pressure and permit the housing and the valve gasket (28) to move away from their sealing relation with the pedestal (14) of the mounting cup closure and to return to said sealing relation upon terminating the filling operation. A series of openings in the flange permit passage of the propellant between the upper surface of the gasket, through the flange and directly into the container (20), without need for the propellant to pass through the more constricting orifices controlling egress from the valve unit internal of the valve housing.
A further feature is a filling head which is constructed such that when the filling head (72) is in position for filling with the propellant, the valve body (24) is moved away from the top of the pedestal through engagement of the valve stem with a filling stem actuator (84), or, in the case where a valve actuator is disposed on the valve stem, the valve actuator and a stem actuating member in the filling head.

Description

1~28~79 AN AEROSOI VALVE ~IOUSIN

~ he speed of filling an aerosol container with propellant is a significant cost consideration in the total packaging cost.
~illing with propellant is generallyaccomplished in one of two basic methoas, namely, the so-called "under-the-cup" method, wherein the mounting cup is loosely lodged in the oontainer opening, the propellant introdiiced to the container between the mounting cup and the closure bead of the container, and then the mounting cup and container opening bead are crimped. This proced~re has been widely utilized, particularly in -the United States, in association with the filling of chlorofluorohydrocarbons. The other basic filling method, so-called "around the valve stem,"
involves passing the propellant exterior to the valve stem and interior of the valve housing; the propellant passage not being solely through the constricting orificeæ in the val~e stem.
typical valve structure of this second type is disclosed in ~nited States Paten-t No. 3,319,669. While the structure of the aforemen-tioned patent provides an improvement to the original me-thod of filling through the valve s-tem, the propella~t filling rates æ e not as rapid as desirable; the filling rates being limited by the internal diameter of the dip tube connecting the , ', ' ~' ' '''- ~ ~ ,` -, . . .
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~Z8~179 housing to the interior of the contailler and by the orifice size of the vapor tap in the housing, if any.
Attemp-ts have been made to ciroumvent all restricting orifices`of the valve unit by having the propellant ~low between the valve gasket and the contigl~ous surface of the mounting cup and then around the housing into the con-tainer, so called "arounnd the nousing" method. Illustrative of this type are the filling me-thods and associatecl valve structures disolosed in United States Patents Nos. 3,158,297, 3,838,799 and 4,015,752. Most of the "around -the housing" structures have not seen commercial light; while some have recèived limited commercial acceptance.
~he principal difficulty with these structures is that to permit sufficient compression of the gasket to enable rapid passage of propellant over the gasket necessitates a loose crimping of the pedestal and housing. Loose crimping is disadvantageous.
~ he present inventionp~o-.~ ,a valve unit wherein the aerosol container may be filled, through the mounting . .
cup and~assembled valve unit have been afflxed in operating posi~ion in the con-tainer opening through the standara crimping pressure employed in the industry.
In the invention, a filling head and valve unit combination is provided such that during the filling operation, the filling head provides a mechanical force through a stem-actuating member to displace the valve body away from the mounting cup and further, to seal, bhough not hermetically, the valve stem opening against the entry of propellant.

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'` ' ', ~ZB~79 In its broadest aspect, the present invention provides a valve unlt for controlling flow from a pressurised entrance and which comprises a container closure member having a pedestal member enclosing a valve housing and an associated valve gasket, and wherein the valve housing is urged against the gas-ket to provide a seal between the closure member and the gasket by crimping the pedestal member, and wherein the valve housing has a flexible slotted flange integral with its outer wall, the flexible flange being disposed on the outer side wall of the valve housing below an upper gasket contacting surface of the housing, and having an outer surface in contact with the closure member, the outer surface being inclined downwardly and inwardly to lie in one inclined plane and mating with the inner surface of the crimped part of the pedestal member.
The peripheral flange is disposed on the valve housing such that in assembling the valve unit to its mounting cup, the indentations on the pedestal of the mounting cup resulting from crimping the pedestal to the valve unit pro-vide a means for affixing the valve housing and valve gasket of the valve unit in sealing relation to the top under surface of the pedestal, and yet allowing the flange to flex inwardly toward the outer wall of the valve housing during filling. The inward flexing of the flange permits the valve housing to be displaced away from the top surface of the pedestal, and concomitantly, for the gasket to be displaced in the same direction, both resulting in a relatively large opening between the top surface of the valve gasket and the under surface of the pedestal during the filling operation. Upon removal of the filling head and the associated propellant pressure and/or mechanical force against the valve unit, the valve unit will return to a position wherein the container contents are sealed to the atmosphere, to be opened and released only upon actuation of the valve during usage of the pressurised package.

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In the preferred embodiment, the peripheral flange of the valve housing extends outwardly and downwardly from the outer surface of the valve housing and has a series of slots ex--3a-. . - :'' -' : .-:: . .
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tending through -the top of the flange and within the d.ownw3r(~y extending wall of the flange.
In a second embodiment, the flange compr:ises a .ser.ies of outwardly and downwardly extenaing lugs disposed about the valve housing, the spacing between the lugs providing a flow path fox -the propellan-t auring filling.
. In other embodiments, the flange extends outwardly and upwar~ly from the valve housing and has a series o:E slots as in the preferred embodiment, or a series of lugs as described above for the second embodiment.
~ he present invention, while useful wi-th all types of propell~nts, chlorofluorohydrocarbons, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide, has a specific u-tility and advantage when used with hydrocarbons. Presently, ill some countries, chlorofluorohydrocarbons aerosol propellant may be discontinued in the near future in all but a limited number of end products al1e to alleged detrimental environmental impact. ~his has resulted in the aerosol industry turning to liqueEied hydroca~bons as the principal propellant for use in aerosol containers. ~he. ~ ~.
"under the cup" method of filling is not a commercially attractive procedure when filling with hydrocarbonsO With the ''under the cup" method, there is always a loss of pro~
pellant to the atmosphere accompanying -the filling of each container. With hydrocarbons, loss to the atmosphere is not `~ . tolerable for safety reasons. Atmospherio presence of hydro- ~
carbons could lead to a hydrocarbon concentration within the ~ :
combustible hydroca~bon-oxygen concentration range. ~hus, :~ :

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1~2~3479 utilization of the "under the cup" filling method will necessitate a hydrocarbon recovery system that will add considerable expense to the overall cost of the filling operation.
With the present invention, hydrocarbon loss to the atmosphere is substantially non-existent, or so miniscule as not to present the need for a recovery system.
The valve unit of the present invention has particular significance in the filling of a valve of the type described in German Offenlegungschrift

2,807,927 wherein there is disposed within the valve housing an impact chamber comprising, in general, a plurality of propellant carrying conduits leading to an impact zone into which also leads a substantially perpendicular product conduit.
Embodiments of the present invention as applied to valve units of the type described in German Offenlegungschrift 2,807,927 published September 7th, 1978 will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:-Figure 1 is an elevational view in section of a valve according to a preferred embodiment of this invention, showing the valve in normal closed position.
Figure 2 is an elevational view in section of the valve and filling head according to the preferred embodiment of this invention, showing the pro-pellant being filled through the filling head and valve.
Figure 3 is a top view of the valve housing along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

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~289~79 ~ !'i~re ~ an elevational view of a va]ve housing of a fulther e~bodiment of the inven-tion.
Fig~re 5 is a top view of the valve hovæing of ~igure 4.
Figure 6 is an elevational view o a valve housing of a further embodiment of the invention.
FiglIe 7 is a top view of the valve housing of Figure 6.
~ Figure 1 shows a mounting cup with assembled valve joined to -the bèad of a oontainer opening.
The valve unit, general:Ly designated aæ 10, includes a mounting cup 12 having an upstanding pedestal portion 14 and a beaded portion 16 which affixes to the bead 18 of the container, generally designated as 20. Assembled within the _pedes~al 14 is a valve housing 22. Valve body 24 is disposed within the housing 22, which houslng has an outer wall 23.
Spring 26 in the ~_~al closed position of the valve biases the valve body 24 upwardly agains-t the valve gasket 28. Hollow valve stem 30 is an extension of the valve body 24 and when in its normal closed position its openings 32 are sealed by the gasI~t 28. A-t the bottom of the valve housing 22 is plug member 34 ~rhich at one end serves to position the lowe~el~ of the spring 26 and at its other end defines together with the lower end of the valve housing 22 an impact chamber, generally designatea as 36. ~he oomponent members of the impact chamber comprise a housing orifices 38, gaseous propellant conauits 40, a proauct conduit 42, and an impact zone 44. Extendm g from the bottom of the valve housing 22 is a housing nipple having a recess which receives a dip tube 48.

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~12E~479 lr.he valve llousing ~2 has c~l annula~r f:Le~ible flange 50, h3,vlng ail out~/~dl~ extendi~1g por-Lion rj2 and a do~mwardly extending port.ion 54, said c3.o~lwardly extenaing portio-n. having an upper sloped portioll 56 and ter.mina-ting in a lower slopetl portion 58. r~he outwardly extencling portion 52 of the flange 50 is set slightl~ below tlle upper edge 60 of the valve housing 22 and fo~s with t:he outer wall of the housing 22 a stepped shoulder 62.
~he propellant passages, through the fl.ange 50 are best shown in ~igure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the housing wall 23 has integrally molded -to it the outwa~dly extending portion 52 and the upper. downwaraly extending slope 56. A series of openings or slots 64 are disposed in the outw~rdly extending portion 52.
. ~s shown in the cLrawings the ou1,side diameter 29 of the valve gasket 28 does not, as is the usual case in -the type of valve depiotea in the arawing, extend to the side ~Qll 15 of the pedestc,l 14. I-Iaving -the diameter of -the gaske-t truncated together with the stepped shoulder 62, allows the outer portion of the gasket to flex down~/ardly into the free space between the side wall 15 of the pedestal 14 and the housing wall 23.
Filling heads of the t~pe generally described in United States Patent ~o. 3,122,180 may be used with the valve unit of this inven-tion. :
Whell filllng an aerosol container with the valve actuator not in pIace on the valve stem u-tilizing the valve unit~filling head combination of this invention~ the general type of filling head descri.bed in United States Paten-t ~o. 3,122,180 is moaified ' . ~

~28~7~

as described. hereafter. Only -the rnodi~`icatlon.s and assot:i.ated structurt ~ e ~iscussetl, since thc :cem1inder of the ~illi.ng head structure is well ~r:ithin the skil:l of tlle a.rt.
In ~ re 2~ tho filling head is shown posit;:iollt3d in place for filling on -the pedestal 14.
~ he filling head, to the extent shown, comprises c~n atdaptor generally desi~nated as 72~ having arl outer wall 73~
said wall having a lower shovlder 74~ tO" r.ing 76 is disposed on the shol~der 74~ Withill the ~lall is a sli.dable U-shaped member 78 wllich has its leading edge 80 slopetl to compress the "O" ring 76 against the padestal 14. Within a recess 82 of.
the slidable U-shaped member 78 is t~isposed a slitlable stem actuator 8~ ~ld spring 85 which biases the stem actua-tor 84 towara the sloped edge 80 of the U-shaped member 78~ Tn the face of the stem actuat.or 84 nearest the sloping edge 80~ there is an annular groove 86 disposed -to reot7ive -the top of the valve stem 300 ~he stam actuator 84 may be covoluted ln shape to allo~r passage of propellan-t pas-t the actuatt()r. Propellant enters the ::
filling adaptor through the opening 88.
~ he components of the valve u.nit in ~igure 2 are slmilarl~
numbered and conform to the component description of Figures 1 and 3~ .
~ en the filling adaptor is positioned on the mo~mting cup, as sho~rn in ~igure 2? the spring es urges the stem actuator 84 agàinst the valve stem 30, ~m-ti.l the spri.ng 26 compresses and bottoms the valve body 24. throu~h -the spring 26, agains-t the ..
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~12~479 shol~Ld~r 7 :i.n ~ e `botl:om of the valve housi.ng 22. ~hereaf-ter, addi-ti~-na:LI~ging of -the spring ~35 ~rill disp1ace thc-~ ~alve unit, inc:Luding the valve hous:ing, a~iay ~rom the top of the ped.estal 14.
Ut:ilizing a sp-ing 85 having al~ expc~lsi~,e force sufficien'-l;o urge -the valve housing a dista~nce of ~01~" ~ oO25ll has been found satis~c-tor~J to aocomplish the rapi.d filling of the container with propellallt.
Essentially sealing o.~f the valve stem tiLrough cvntacting with the stem actuator, orecloses a pressure surge through the stem orifi.ces that may tend to dislodge the gasket from its normal ori.entation vis-a-vis the valve stem-~body openings.
ile -the mechanioal force provided -through the filling head described herein is preferred, the valve housing of this invention may be filled with a conventional filling head wherein the head seals orito the pedestal o the mounting cu.p.
In such a system, the valve housing is displaced away from the top surface o the pedestal through the propellant pressure in the head.
During filling, the propellant flows through the adap-tor por-t 88 and into the interior of the adaptor 72, from there the flow is through the central opening in the pedestal of the mounting cup, between the gasket and pedestal, and through the openings or slots in the flange to the container~ Termination of propellant 10w and withdrawal of the filling head allows the valve housing and gasket to return to the normal sealed position shown in ~igure 1~

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Other embodiments hereinafter described differ only in respect to the construction of the flange on the valve housing.
Thus, in ~igures 4~7 only the flange modification i8 shown.
In other respec-ts the housings of the embodiments of ~igures 4-7 are similar to bhe housing of Figures 1-3.
In Figure 4 the valve housing 22' has a wall 23' from which extends a flange, generally designated as 90, comprising a series of flexible lugs 92, said lugs having an outwardly extending portion 94 and an upwardly extending portion 96.
Figure 5 best shows the slots 98 between the lugs 92 which provide a flow passage for the propellant.
In Figure 6 the valve housing 22~ has a wall 23 " from which there is a flange generally designated as 100, comprising a series of M exible lugs 102, said lugs having ~n outwardly extending portion 104 and a downwardly extending portion 106.
Figure 7 best shows the slots 108 between the lugs 102.
~ he filling adaptor can also be used for filling an aerosol container with the valve actuator already placed on the valve stem. In such use a filling head, such as is aescxibed in United States Patent ~o. 3,122,180, may be used~
lhe travel distance of the adaptor before the ultimate positioning is adjusted such that the inner sleeve first contacts the shoulder on the periphery of the actuator and thereafter there is an additional travel distance of .015" - .025" whioh permits seating of the flange of the actuator against the pedestal while simultaneously moving the valve housing by flexing of the -- - : . . : ' . : , , - ':
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, ~2~3~79 flange on the valve housing. ~he adjustmen-t of the travel distance may be accomplished through lengthening the valve stem or shortening the height of the actuator.

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A valve unit for controlling flow from a pressurised entrance and which comprises a container closure member having a pedestal member enclosing a valve housing and an associated valve gasket, and wherein the valve housing is urged against the gasket to provide a seal between the closure member and the gasket by crimping the pedestal member, and wherein the valve housing has a flexible slotted flange integral with its outer wall, the flexible flange being disposed on the outer side wall of the valve housing below an upper gasket contacting surface of the housing, and having an outer surface in contact with the closure member, the outer surface being inclined downwardly and inwardly to lie in one inclined plane and mating with the inner surface of the crimped part of the pedestal member.

2. A valve unit according to claim 1, wherein the flange has a portion which extends outwardly from the housing outer wall and a portion which extends substantially perpendicular from the outwardly extending portion.

3. A valve unit according to claim 2, wherein the outwardly extending portion of the flange is positioned nearer the gasket contacting surface of the housing than the end of the perpendicularly extending portion.

4. A valve unit according to claim 2, wherein the outwardly extending portion of the flange is positioned further away from the gasket contacting sur-face of the housing than the end of the perpendicularly extending portion.

5. A valve unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the slotted flange is annular.

6. A valve unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the slotted flange comprises a series of lugs.

7. A valve unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the valve housing has an internal shoulder which engages a movable valve body within the housing when the valve body has been moved a predetermined distance into the valve housing, whereby further such movement of the valve body causes flexure of the slotted flange to allow the valve housing to move away from sealing relation-ship with the gasket.