US3434695A

US3434695A - Valve structure for aerosol container

Info

Publication number: US3434695A
Application number: US635772A
Authority: US
Inventors: Derek B Green
Original assignee: Scovill Inc
Current assignee: Scovill Inc
Priority date: 1967-05-03
Filing date: 1967-05-03
Publication date: 1969-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 1986-03-25

Description

March 25, 1969 D. B. GREEN VALVE STRUCTURE FOR AEROSOL CONTAINER Filed May 3, 1967 United States Patent 3,434,695 VALVE STRUCTURE FOR AEROSOL CONTAINER Derek B. Green, Manchester, N.H., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 3, 1967, Ser. No. 635,772 Int. Cl. F16k 13/00; B6511 83/16 US. Cl. 251-349 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to valves for aerosol containers and particularly to a structure which can be molded as one piece and serve all of the purposes of a valve, valve stem, valve housing, container cap and means for attachment to an aerosol can.

There have been other attempts to make a cheap aerosol valve by reducing the number of parts through utilization of molded pieces, the best examples being illustrated in the following patents: Spiess et al., 2,761,593; Edwards, 2,854,176; Focht, 2,985,342; Quercia, 3,081,917.

Such prior attempts have not been satisfactory, either because they still required a number of parts and assembly operations, or because they were useful at best in only a limited field or not applicable to standard aerosol cans.

My invention provides a complete valve structure that can be molded as one piece and then be easily manipulated into .shape to serve as a valve capable of a wide variety of uses. This molded piece has a hollow stem adapted to fit with any of the common forms of actuator buttons to produce the desired spray pattern. There is included, in the same piece, a rim adapted to be fitted over the rolled bead of a standard aerosol can in such a way as to withstand all normal pressures in the container. At the same time the structure may be made so as to pop off the can if the pressure approaches a dangerous level. The valve also lends itself to pressure filling through the stem. The invention thus provides an aerosol valve having many advantages while attaining what would appear to be the utmost in economy of manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown for purposes of illustration one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a central vertical section showing the valve structure ready for use on an aerosol can and fitted with an actuator button;

FIG. 2 shows the stem tilted to open the valve;

FIG. 3 is a central section showing the piece as it is initially molded;

FIG. 4 shows the piece after the cylindrical skirt has been rolled down and the first step in assemblying to a can; and

FIG. 5 indicates the final step in the assembly.

Only a portion of an aerosol can is indicated in the drawings with a top wall and the usual rolled bead 11. The valve structure as seen in FIG. 3 is molded from a suitable pliable plastic material such as polyethylene, which is flexible in the thinner sections and comparatively rigid in the thicker sections. A cylindrical valve plug 12 has a closed bottom 13, a vertical passage 14 and a radial passage 15 leading from the vertical passage to a circumferential groove 16. The passage 14 continues through a hollow stem 17 and over the open end of this stem is fitted an actuator button 18. As the piece is molded, the skirt 19 is a flexible cylindrical wall extending upwardly from the plug 12 around the stem 17. Projecting outwardly from what is the upper end of the skirt as it is molded, is an annular wall 20 which is made of conical shape initially flaring downwardly. Around the outer edge of the annular wall 20 is a circular rim 21 which may be described as hook-shaped in cross-section initially opening downwardly so that it can be pushed vertically over the bead 11 on the can as seen in FIG. 4.

The skirt wall 19 is thin and flexible enough so that it can be rolled down over the plug 12 from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. 4 and this wall is dimensioned so that it will be slightly stretched to embrace the cylindrical surface of the plug 12 in tight sealing relationship and close off the groove 11 leading to the

passages

15 and 14. An annular shoulder or lip 22 engages under the slug 12 after the skirt 19 is folded down. While the shoulder 22 may serve as a fulcrum during tilt action of the valve, it can be made to yield outwardly on vertical action to allow the groove 16 to communicate with the interior of the aerosol can.

Although the annular wall 20 is thicker than the skirt 19 it is still sufliciently flexible that it can be snapped down from the position of FIG. 4 to the position of FIG. 5, thus inverting the conical section and swinging the hook-shaped rim 21 around the bead 11. This will bring the inner portion 23 of the hook-shaped section in position to engage under the rolled head 11 to resist separation by pressure of the contents of the can. If desired a suitable sealing compound or adhesive may be employed between the rim 21 and the bead 11.

The valve may be opened by tilt action of the stem in any direction. As seen in FIG. 2 this is possible due to the resilient properties of the skirt 19 and the Wall 20, which act as a spring to return the parts to sealing'position when pressure is released from the actuator button 18. When thus tilted the valve may be said to move off its seat (which is the skirt 19), and allow pressure fluid to flow into the groove 16,

passages

15 and 14 and the hollow stem 17 to the nozzle passage 24 in the button 18.

In cases where a dip tube is desired it may be attached to the shoulder 22 in any suitable manner, for example, by adhesive.

In pressure filling, with the button 18 removed, the pressure of the infiowing fluid will push the flexible skirt 19 away from the groove 16 and allow flow around the plug 12 into the can.

The thickness of the annular wall section can be made so that it will not move appreciably under normal pressures inside the can but yet bulge outwardly under abnormal pressure enough to pop the entire valve structure off the can to prevent an explosion as when the can is subjected to excessive temperatures.

What I claim is:

1. A one piece valve structure for aerosol containers consisting of pliable plastic material and comprising (a) a central cylindrical valve plug having a closed bottom and communicating passageway means opening through the top and radially outwardly through the outer cylindrical surface of said plug;

(b) a flexible skirt integrally joined to the top portion of said plug and snugly embracing said cylindrical surface to serve as a valve seat normally closing off said radially opening passageway means;

(c) an annular wall projecting outwardly from the bottom portion of said skirt; and

(d) means around the outer portion of said annular wall for securing the structure to an aerosol container.

2. A one piece valve structure as defined in claim 1 wherein there is further provided an integral hollow stem communicating with said passageway means and extending upwardly from said valve plug.

3. A one piece valve structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said annular wall is initially of conical shape flaring downwardly from said skirt and wherein said securing means is in the form of circular rim of hook- :shaped cross-section initially opening downwardly for easy assembly by vertical movement over a rolled head of an aerosol can; said annular wall being sufficiently flexible so that after such initial assembly, the central part of the structure may be pushed downwardly to snap such annular wall to an inverted conical position and swing said hook-shaped rim around said head whereby the inner portion of said hook-shaped section will engage under the bead to resist separation by normal internal can pressure.

4. A one piece valve structure as defined in claim 1 further characterized by an annular shoulder at the bottom of said skirt projecting inwardly to engage under said cylindrical plug.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,004,018 6/1935 Strauss 251349 XR 2,704,622 3/1955 Soffcr 251349 XR 2,729,368 1/1956 Lapin et al 251349 XR 2,739,841 3/1956 Soffer 251 349 XR 2,901,153 8/1959 Collins 251349 XR 2,936,935 5/1960 Rabb 251349 XR 3,081,917 3/1963 Quercia 222-394 3,333,744 8/1967 Nilsen et al 251353 XR 3,357,604 12/1967 Barker 251349 XR SAMUEL SCOTT, Primary Examiner.