US3405851A - Aerosol valve - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1968 BARKER ETAL 3,405,851

AEROSOL VALVE Filed May 31, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 15, 1968 F BARKER ET AL 3,405,851

AEROSOL VALVE s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 31, 1966 I /////i// l a J uv. llllllllllllll INVENTOR6 5/? Xrromvii Oct. 15, 1968 F, BARKER ET AL 3,405,851

AEROSOL VALVE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 31, 1966 INVENTORS 4/?7//(//P fkffifA /Qk MIKE/Q v/7779/9/v/4 CO/VVf/PS WYFi'H,

ATTORN United States Patent 3,405,851 AEROSOL VALVE Arthur Frederick Barker, Newark, Dell., and Nathaniel Convers Wyeth, Rosedale, Pa., assignors to E. l. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 553,774 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-505) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A self-sealing aerosol valve comprising a plastic strip running across the diameter of the top of the aerosol container and a resilient lining attached to the underside of the plastic strip. Both the strip and the liner are shaped to form a spout-like projection. The plastic strip is channeled with several channels across its width so that the internal pressure of the container forces it to assume a convex configuration. Upon the application of external pressure which forces the strip to a concave configuration, the spout-like projection opens.

A self-sealing aerosol valve comprising a tubular valve housing fitted into the orifice of the aerosol container, and having a portion thereof projecting beyond the tubular section itself. A tubular elastomeric liner is fitted in side said tubular housing and is constructed to abut in its portions which extend along the projecting portion of said tubular section. A toggle lever, activated by a plunger or activating lever, is attached to the portion of said liner which extends along the projecting portion of said tubular section.

The present invention is directed to novel aerosol valve assemblies for pressurized aerosol containers. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an improved aerosol valve assembly adapted to be self-sealing, that is, having provision for automatically closing off from the atmosphere the discharge opening in the valve assembly except during those periods when the package is in use.

In relatively recent years, a great many commodities have come to be sold in pressurized aerosol containers in which a product is discharged from the container under pressure generated by an aerosol propellant within the container. Control of the discharge of the product is had by means of a valve assembly ordinarily mounted at the mouth of the container. The valve assembly usually includes an actuating device for opening the valve closure and a discharge orifice through which the product is dispensed.

Despite the continually increasing number of commodities being marketed in aerosol containers, there has been heretofore a large number of comestible products which could not be efiectively marketed in this manner. There are several reasons why present-day aerosol valves fail as dispensing assemblies for food products. First of all, the particle size of many food products is of such a nature that the discharge metering orifice in the standard valve is easily clogged by such particles. Secondly, the food particles, when trapped in the standard valve closure, can prevent an effective seal from forming, thereby allowing the product to continuously seep through the closure. Finally, the standard valves are designed in such a manner that the residue is left exposed to the air in the valve passageways after discharge. It is well known ice that food products are of such nature that prolonged exposure to air adversely affects their quality or other physical characteristics.

Any one of these problems is easily solved by itself, but the solution of one problem usually magnifies the other problems. It has been difficult to design a valve assembly especially adapted to food products and the like which solves all these problems in one design.

The main ditficulty arises "from the fact that in the usual arrangement of the valve assembly there is a substantial distance between the point where the valve closes and the discharge opening through which the aerosol contents are discharged to the atmosphere. As a result, the passageways connecting these points through which the product must pass before discharge are essentially dead spaces which are constantly exposed to the atmosphere. Inasmuch as there is always some residue of product left within this dead space between the valve closure and valve discharge, any residue product which includes a non-volatile substance, such as comestibles, will eventually dry out in these passageways. At the same time, any product which will be adversely affected by exposure to the action of aerobic bacteria will have the residue in these passages so affected. Thus, upon subsequent usage of the aerosol, the dried out and/ or contaminated residue will be dispensed with fresh product, rendering the discharged product totally unacceptable.

Another difiiculty in dispensing a comestible product and the like from the standard aerosol valve assembly is the inability to produce an air-tight seal at the closure after the aerosol package has been initially used. It is a common occurrence when dispensing volatile food products for food particles or fibers to be caught in the valve closure, thereby preventing the formation of an air-tight seal. The non-volatile ingredients in the comestible products build up with each discharge from the container until the closure is so clogged with the non-voltaile ingredients that the valve is unable to close properly, thereby rendering the contents of the aerosol package useless.

Accordingly, this invention is directed to an improved aerosol valve assembly to be used in combination with the pressurized container for discharging comestibles or the like which will have no dead space between the valve closure and the discharge opening, thereby eliminating the problem inherent in said dead spaces such as the action of air or the attack of aerobic bacteria. A further advantage of the present valve assembly is that the closing action of the valve closure progresses from the lower or internal portion of the spout toward the upper or external section of the spout, thereby causing the product in the discharge opening to be squeezed out of the closure mechanism during the closing operation. Another advantage of the present valve assembly is that the valve closure is lined with a broad expanse of resilient material whereby any particles or fibers which are not squeezed out of the closure will become temporarily embedded in the resilient lining allowing a complete air-tight seal to form nonetheless at the valve closure. A further advantage of the present valve assembly is that the unique valve closure described above is operated by a toggle mechanism whereby closing forces can be generated which are considerably higher than can be generated by the more conventional spring operated valves.

The present preferred form of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings and will be described in detail hereinafter for the purpose of illustrating one way in which the invention may be made and used. From what has been said above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the principles and advantages of the invention could be obtained in other forms of the invention not specifically shown herein. The accompanying drawings and description to follow are, accordingly, by way of example only and are not intended to define or restrict the scope of the invention.

A better understanding of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this invention and illustrate a preferred part of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the valve assembly of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view in section of the valve assembly of FIGURE 1, taken on plane 11', when the assembly is in the closed position.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view in section of the valve assembly of FIGURE 1, taken on plane 1-1 when the assembly is in the open or discharging position.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of an aerosol valve assembly falling within the definition of the present invention, said view being taken on plane 4-4 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view in section of the valve assembly of FIGURE 4, taken on plane 5-5, when the assembly is in a closed position.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of still another embodiment of an aerosol valve assembly falling within the scope of the defined invention.

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view in section of the valve assembly shown in FIGURE 6, said view taken on plane 7-7', when the assembly is in the closed position.

Referring first to the valve assembly embodiment shown in FIGURES l to 3, it will be seen that the valve assembly is inserted into the mouth of the aerosol container 1. The valve assembly comprises a composite container lid consisting of a metallic (tinplate or the like) exterior section 2 covering the entire opening in the container, a plastic interlay strip 3 running across the diameter of the lid made of such materials as polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, or acetal resin, and a resilient lining 4 underneath the plastic interlay strip 3 made from an elastomeric substance such as rubber. The composite container lid consisting of the metallic section 2 and lining 4 is attached to the aerosol container around its periphery by crimping at 9 or by other techniques well known to those skilled in the art. The plastic strip 3 is crimped at its ends to the container at 9 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

The plastic interlay strip 3 and resilient liner 4 are drawn up through an opening 6 in the metallic section 2 into a spout-like configuration 7 with slotted opening 5 as more clearly shown in FIGURE 1. The resilient liner 4 is doubled over the plastic interlay 3 at the opening so that any movement of the plastic interlay section forming spout 7 will cause similar movement of the attached resilient liner. In this manner, the spout opening 5 is completely lined with the resilient elastomeric substance. Although the spout opening 7 may be centered in the container lid, it is preferable to position the spout at some point between the exterior edge and center of the container lid. The closer the spout 7 is to the crimped edge of the container lid, the greater will be the opening force generated by the toggle actuator. It is most preferred, due to fabrication considerations, that the spout 7 be substantially equidistant from the center point and crimped edge of the container top. The opening 6 is large enough to provide room not only for the spout 7 to protrude through the metallic lid 2, but also to enable the user of the aerosol container to apply pressure to the center of the plastic interlay strip 3.

Three sections of the plastic interlay strip are partially channeled to form hinge points 80, 8b, and 86, as clearly shown in FIGURES 1, 2, and 3. These sections form hinge points which enable the plastic interlay strip to flex to the position shown in FIGURE 3. The internal pressure within the aerosol normally forces the plastic interlay strip 3 and resilient liner 4 to assume the concave curvature of the metallic lid 2, thereby holding the flattened tube spout in the closed position with the greatest amount of force as shown in FIGURE 2.

Turning now to FIGURE 3, which shows the valve assembly in the open position, it will be seen that as pressure is applied by an external force (e.g., normal finger pressure), approximately at hinge point 8b through open section 6 of the metallic lid 2, the plastic interlay strip flexes, much like a diaphragm, at hinge points 81:, 8b, and 8c. This depressing movement at the center of the plastic interlay strip 3 causes a considerable horizontally directed force to be exerted at the ends of the plastic interlay, which is characteristic of the typical toggle action. This force at the ends of the plastic interlay strip 3 causes section 7 of the discharge spout to separate from the fixed section 7a. The separation of section 7 from 7a opens the spout opening 5, thereby enabling the product to be dispensed from the container 1. When the finger pressure is released from the plastic interlay section 3, the internal propellent pressure within the aerosol forces liner 4 and plastic interlay 3 to their original position, thereby reversing the toggle action and closing the spout opening 5 by moving section 7 against 7a. It is to be noted that as spout 7 closes it does so from its lower or internal portion toward its upper or external portion. This action tends to squeeze materials out of spout opening 5 upon closing. Furthermore, it should be noted that any particles or fibers which are not squeezed out in the closing action of the valve do not destroy the formation of an air-tight seal, since such particles tend to become embedded in the broad expanse of resilient material lining the valve closure. These latter two actions are important features of the present invention.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. In FIGURES 4 and 5, there is shown an upper portion of an aerosol container 10 to which is crimped at 11 a top portion or lid 12 made from tinplate or the like and having an opening 13 substantially centered in the top plate into which the valving unit is introduced to the aerosol container 10.

The valving unit consists of a rigid tubular valve housing 17, made from a plastic material having a high modulus of elasticity, e.g., nylon or the like, which is inserted into the opening 13 of the aerosol container 10. Ring-like grooves 23 are machined on the lower external portion of the tubular valve housing 17, where the valve housing 17 engages the opening 13 of the aerosol container 10. These ring-like grooves 23 effect a more positive seal with the mouth of the container and provide a locking action to prevent the accidental blowout of the valve assembly from the container 10. An air-tight seal is effected by pressure fitting an elastomeric lining 18 between the mouth of the container 10 and the tubular valve housing 17. This elastomeric lining 18 is drawn up through the valve housing 17 to form a discharge spout with a slotted opening 14. One side of the discharge spout is fixed, being supported by the rigid section 15 which is an extension of the valve housing 17. The other side 16 of the discharge spout 14 is laterally movable and is actuated by a toggle lever 19. The toggle lever is made more rigid by integral stiffening ribs 20. To one end of the toggle lever 19 is attached a plunger 21, which slides axially within slide receiver 22. Slide receiver 22 is part of and integral with the rigid plastic tubular valve housing 17.

The valve assembly of this embodiment is operated as follows. To open spout 14, plunger 21 is moved downward in slide receiver 22. This downward movement causes the rigidized toggle lever 19 to pivot at ridge 24, drawing the elastomeric movable portion 16 of spout 14 away from fixed portion 15, thereby opening the spout 14 progressively from the upper or external lip to the lower or internal portion. The propellant within the aerosol container thereupon forces the product up through tubular valve housing 17 and out discharge opening 14. The end of the toggle lever 19 in'the plunger 21 tends to coil during this opening action and thereby serves as a source of energy for the closing action upon release of plunger 21. Release of plunger 21 causes toggle lever 19 to pivot back on ridge 24, thereby closing the discharge spout progressively from the inside outward. This closing action serves to squeeze out any particles or fibers in the discharge spout opening during the closing operation. The broad expanse of resilient material which forms the discharge spout 14 also serves to embed any trapped particles which are not squeezed out by the closing action, thereby enabling an air-tight seal to form at the closure spout 14.

FIGURES 6 and 7 show still another embodimnet of this invention wherein a toggle action actuator is combined with a discharge closure made of resilient materials which closes progressively from the inside outward. In FIGURE 7, there is shown an upper portion of an aerosol container 25 to which is crimped 26 a top lid 27 fabricated from tinplate or the like having an opening 28 substantially centered in the top lid. The valving unit is introduced to the aerosol container 25 through this opening 28.

The valving unit consists of a rigid tubular valve housing 29, made from a plastic material having a high modulus of elasticity, e.g., nylon or the like, which is inserted into the opening 28 of the aerosol container 25. Threadlike grooves 30 are machined on the lower exterior portion of the tubular valve housing 29, where the tubular housing is inserted into the aerosol container. These thread-like grooves 30 effect a more positive seal with the mouth of the container and provide a locking action with the mouth of the container to prevent the blowout of the assembly from the container. An air-tight seal is effected by pressure fiting an elastomeric lining 31 between the mouth or opening of the container 25 and the thread-like grooves 30 on the tubular valve housing 29. The elastomeric lining 31 is drawn up through tubular valve housing 29 to form a discharge spout with a slotted opening 32. One side of the discharge spout is fixed, being held in place by rigid section 33 which is an extension of tubular valve housing 29. The other side 34 of the discharge spout is laterally movable and consists of a rubber tip actuated by toggle levers 35 which are wrapped around pins 38 of actuator lever 39 in a spring-like manner at 36 and respectively anchored in support members 37. Support members 37 are integral with tubular valve housing 29. The movement of the toggle lever 35 is initiated and controlled by actuator lever 39 acting through integral pins 38. Actuator lever 39 is engaged with both support members 37 through tab 40. The support members 37 are slotted at 41 to allow tab 40 to slide laterally forward as lever assembly 39 is depressed.

The valve assembly of this embodiment is operated as follows. To open spout 32, actuator lever 39 is depressed, whereupon tab 40 moves laterally forward in slots 41. The depression of pins 38 of actuator lever 39 gives a combined depressing and rocking action to toggle levers 35, whereupon they pivot on shounder 42 of the valve housing 29. The rocking action separates movable section 34 of the discharge spout from fixed section 33 in a manner whereby the opening 32 is progressively accomplished from the external to the internal portion of the spout orifice. The propellant within the aerosol container thereupon forces the product up through tubular valve housing 29 and out opening 32. Release of actuator 39 reverses the action of toggle levers 35 closing the spout progressively from the inside outward. This closing action serves to squeeze out any particles or fibers in the discharge opening during the closing operation. The broad expanse of resilient material which forms the discharge spout 32 also serves to embed trapped particles which are not squeezed out by the closing action, thereby enabling an air-tight seal to form at the closure spout 32.

In view of the characteristic of toggle mechanisms of being rigid when their movable elements are aligned in a straight line, it will be seen that a pair of opposed toggles may be used to operate an aerosol food valve. If one toggle is deflected to effect the opening of the valve, then the other will function as a fixed member. Or, if desired, both may be opened simultaneously to provide a larger opening.

It will be seen that the novel aerosol valve assembly of this invention does not have the undesirable dead space between the valve closure and the valve discharge opening. It will also be seen that the discharge opening closes progressively from the inside outward, thereby squeezing any food particles out of the sealing area on closing. It will also be seen that the closures in the above-described embodiments are all lined with a broad expanse of resilient material. Thus, any particles or fibers trapped in the resilient lining by the closing of the valve mechanism do not destroy the air-tight seal, since such patricles or fibers become temporarily embedded in the resilient lining.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to he specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A valve assembly for a pressurized aerosol container comprising (A) a lid adapted to cover the orifice of said container and attached to the lip of said orifice, said lid having an opening;

(B) a resilient member attached to the lip of the orifice of said container and adapted to flex between a concave and a convex position, said member having a spout extending therefrom through the opening of said lid, said spout being constructed of two adjacent projections of said member positioned to abut when said member is in its concave position and arranged to move to an open position by sequential motion of adjacent portions of at least one of said projections as said member is moved to its convex position.

2. The valve assembly of claim 1 wherein element (B) comprises (1) a plastic interlay strip located beneath said lid and positioned such that it extends across said orifice directly beneath the opening of said lid and is attached to opposing lips of said orifice, said strip having a hollow projection extending through the opening of said lid which is constructed to form a spout, said strip being constructed and arranged with grooves across the width of its underside to provide flexibility between a concave and a convex position; and

(2) a resilient lining shaped to conform with said strip and attached to the underside of said strip, said lining having a hollow projection which conforms with the spout of said strip, said lining constructed and arranged such that its portions which form said spout abut when said strip is in its concave position.

3. A valve assembly for a pressurized aerosol container comprising (A) a lid adapted to cover the orifice of said container and attached to the lip of said orifice, said lid having an opening;

(B) a tubular valve housing constructed to fit said opening and having a projection extending beyond 7 the tubular portion in the direction away from said container;

(C) a tubular elastomeric lining fitted to and attached to the inside porion of said tubular housing, said lining constructed to abut along its portions which extend along the projection of said housing; and

(D) container opening means on said valve housing comprising a toggle lever operatively connecting with the portion of said lining extending beyond said tubular housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

N. L. STACK, JR., Assistant Examiner.

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