US3351247A

US3351247A - Anti-clogging device

Info

Publication number: US3351247A
Application number: US557800A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frangos John
Original assignee: Revlon Inc
Current assignee: Revlon Inc
Priority date: 1966-06-15
Filing date: 1966-06-15
Publication date: 1967-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 1984-11-07

Description

United States Patent 3,351,247 ANTI-CLOGGING DEVICE John Frangos, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Revlon, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 15, 1966, Ser. No. 557,800 6 Claims. (Cl. ZZZ-402.12)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A valve, including an actuator and a sleeve enclosing the actuator, for dispensing pressurized fluid from a container. When the valve is not dispensing, the terminal orifice of the actuator is stored in the sleeve between sealing rings which surround the actuator on either side of the orifice. When dispensing, the actuator terminal orifice moves into registry with a corresponding orifice in the sleeve.

This invention relates to an anti-clogging valve for the dispensing of fluid materials from pressure container under the influence of a propellant in the container.

A widely used container is known as the aerosol type which comprises, generally speaking, a container body for the vaporizable liquid propellant and the material to be dispensed and a valve mechanism which controls the emission of such material and propellant from the chamber of the body portion.

A wide variety of materials are sprayed from containers of the aerosol type and a wide variety of vaporizable liquid propellants are also used. The choice of the propellant is to some extent dictated by its compatibility with the material to be sprayed, the toxicity and the corrosive effect on metals with which it comes in contact, etc.

In a typical commercial aerosol container the chamber of the body portion which contains the material to be sprayed and its propellant is provided with an axially channeled valve stem which is open at its outlet end and is provided with an orifice adjacent its opposite or inner end to establish communication between said open end and the chamber of the container. The open end of the valve stem carries an actuator which has a bore communicating with said channel and a relatively fine terminal orifice through which the material is sprayed.

A disadvantage that has been encountered in the industry in the use of this type of actuator arises out of the clogging of the actuator terminal orifice. This clogging occurs as a result of the evaporation of the residual solution in and adjacent to the terminal orifice of the actuator which leaves a deposit of salts or other dried residual solids.

This disadvantage is overcome in the present invention by providing a sleeve or housing for the actuator. When the valve is not dispensing fluid, the terminal orifice of the actuator is sealed within the sleeve by sealing ring means to prevent exposure of the orifice to the atmosphere, thus discouraging evaporation of residual dispensed 'fiuid which might form clogging solids.

I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of the valve assembly with the terminal orifice in the actuator shown in its closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a similar sectional view with said orifices shown in its open position; and

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the plane of line 33 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings may be used with various forms of valve mechanism, one of which is shown in the drawings.

16. The stem carries an inlet orifice 24 3,351,247 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 The anti-clogging actuator of my invention comprises a rigid sleeve 10 which may be attached to the valve ferrule of an aerosol container by a flange or collar 12.

An actuator 14 is mounted, slidably, within the sleeve to move the valve stem 16 into its open position, as shown n FIGURE 2, when manual depressing force is applied to the actuator against the force exerted by the spring 18. The actuator permits the closing of the valve assembly under the action of the referred to spring 18, which moves the parts of the valve assembly from the open position shown in FIGURE 2, into the closed position shown in FIGURE 1.

This actuator which is mounted on the upper open end of the stem 16 is provided with a terminal orifice 20 which communicates with the channel 22 in the stem of the usual type. The orifice 20 has an enlarged ejection cavity 26.

To permit the ejection of the contents of the container, the sleeve 10 is provided with an outlet opening 28, with which the orifice 20 is adapted to be brought into register.

The body portion of the actuator is provided with sealin-g rings 30 which are sufliciently flexible to move in sealing contact with the inside wall of the sleeve 10. These sealing rings are arranged on opposite sides of the orifice 20 and are spaced apart sufiiciently to lie on opposite sides of the outlet opening 28 when the valve is closed. It will be realized that the upper ring 30 may be formed on the inner Wall of the sleeve 10 in such position that it will engage the actuator 14 and thus seal the span between the sleeve and actuator in the various positions of the latter.

These sealing rings may be made integral with the body portion of the actuator or separate from it. The rings may be made of a resilient plastic as may also be the actuator body portion.

The actuator may be prevented from having rotative movement in the sleeve 10 by a small flange 32 carried by the actuator body and operating within a slot 34 in the inner wall of the sleeve 10 and the upward movement of the actuator may be limited by an abutment at the upper end of the slot with which which the flange 32 contacts.

When the valve head is depressed, by manual action, into the position shown in FIGURE 2, the opening 28 will be completely free or open to permit the spraying of the contents of the container into the atmosphere under full pressure and in full quantity.

When the parts are in the positions illustrated in FIG- URE 1, the terminal orifice 20 in the actuator will be in the position illustrated in this figure. At this time the terminal orifice and the opening 26 will be closed by the wall of the sleeve and sealed by the rings 30.

When the valve stem is depressed to permit the flow of fluid from the container through the central channel of the valve stem, communication will be established between the valve stem channel and the atmosphere through the terminal orifice 20 by way of the opening 28 in the sleeve 10.

However, when the actuator button is released the parts will return to the position shown in FIGURE 1, thus providing an air tight chamber in which the terminal orifice 20 is located. By this means the evaporation of the material in the actuator and valve stem will be minimized with the result that the depositing of solids in the terminal orifice will substantially be prevented.

This invention is particularly useful as a dispenser for fiuid products from which solid residues result when the fluids evaporate. In the usual valve mechanism the residue will deposit in the terminal orifice and thus clog the terminal orifice and render the actuation inoperable. This disadvantage is overcome by my invention.

I claim:

1. In a valve mechanism for controlling the dispensing of pressurized fiuid from a container for such fluid which includes an outlet valve stem having a longitudinal channel therein open at one end and an orifice adjacent its opposite end to selectively establish or destroy communication between said container and said channel, the improvement which comprises a sleeve adapted to be supported on said container and having an outlet opening, an actuator slidably mounted in said sleeve and having a terminal orifice in constant communication with said channel, sealing ring means within said sleeve and surrounding said actuator on opposite sides of the terminal orifice thereof for sealing said orifice closed from the atmosphere when said channel in said valve stem is out of communication with said container, said terminal orifice in said actuator being adapted to align with said opening in said sleeve to establish communication between said channel in said valve stem and the atmosphere when said channel is in communication with said container.

2. The combination of elements recited in claim 1 including resilient means normally urging said valve stem out of communication with said container, whereby said 4 1 terminal orifice is located within an air tight space within said sleeve to minimize evaporation within said space.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said sealing ring means comprises sealing rings on said actuator on opposite sides of said terminal orifice and in slidable contact with the inner wall of said sleeve.

4. The combination recited in claim 2 wherein said sealing ring means comprises sealing rings on said actuator on opposite sides of said terminal orifice and in slidable contact with the inner wall of said sleeve.

5. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein said sealing rings are formed of flexible plastic material.

6. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said sealing ring means are formed of flexible plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1964 Tuttle 25l353 X 6/ 1966 Wake-mam 222402.12

Claims

1. IN A VALVE MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE DISPENSING OF PRESSURIZED FLUID FROM A CONTAINER FOR SUCH FLUID WHICH INCLUDES AN OUTLET VALVE STEM HAVING A LONGITUDINAL CHANNEL THEREIN OPEN AT ONE END AND AN ORIFICE ADJACENT ITS OPPOSITE END TO SELECTIVELY ESTABLISH OR DESTROY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CONTAINER AND SAID CHANNEL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A SLEEVE ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED ON SAID CONTAINER AND HAVING AN OUTLET OPENING, AN ACTUATOR SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID SLEEVE AND HAVING A TERMINAL ORIFICE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHANNEL, SEALING RING MEANS WITHIN SAID SLEEVE AND SURROUNDING SAID ACTUATOR ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE TERMINAL ORIFICE THEREOF FOR SEALING SAID ORIFICE CLOSED FROM THE ATMOSPHERE WHEN SAID CHANNEL IN SAID VALVE STEM IS OUT OF COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONTAINER, SAID TERMINAL ORIFICE IN SAID ACTUATOR BEING ADAPTED TO ALIGN WITH SAID OPENING IN SAID SLEEVE TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CHANNEL IN SAID VALVE STEM AND THE ATMOSPHERE WHEN SAID CHANNEL IS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONTAINER.