Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This is a division of Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
345,565 filed February 13, 1980.
The present invention is related to dispensing devices
for aerosols and in particular to a mete~ing valve for delivering
metered quantities of an aerosol composition.
Aerosol compositions generally are of two kinds, namely
those in which the composition contains a propellant liquid, which
vaporizes very rapidly when the composition is at atmospheric
pressure, and those in which the propulsion of the aerosol com-
position is effected by maintaining the liquid composition in a
container under the pressure of a permanent gas, such as nitrogen.
The term "aerosol composition" as employed herein
includes compositions other than simple liquids such as pastes,
which may be discharged in the form of a coherent ribbon or stream,
and viscous liquids which may be discharged in the form of a jet
or a series of large drops and is not limited to compositions
which are discharged in the form of the very minute droplets
normally referred to as aerosols in the art to which the present
invention relates.
Usually, the discharge tu~e will be provided with an
actuator in the form of a nozzle member so constructed as to
discharge the aerosol composition in the form of a ~et, spray,
or ribbon and to pFovide a conveniently shaped end part to which
manual pressure can be applied to operate the valve.
~arious prior constructions have been proposed for
dispensing of metered quantities of aerosol compositions.
Typical of such structures are those contained in U.S. Patents
No. 3,Q58,629; 2,856,103; and 2,788,925 which illustrate various
valves of the prior art.
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In accordance with the invention of the parent applica-
tion there is provided a dispensing device for a pxessurized
liquid container capable of delivering metered quantities of an
aerosol composition having a discharge tube through which the
container can be filled with fluids under pressure including a
generally cylindrical chamber including an upper chamber and a
generally cylindrical lower chamber, a discharge tube mounted in
the sealed upper end of the chamber and extending into the chamber,
the discharge tube being axially movable in the chamber and having
1~ a cup-shaped piston member connected thereto, the cup-shaped
piston having a laterally resilient rim slidable within the lower
chamber when the discharge tube is depressed a predetermined
amount to isolate a metered quantity of fluid within the upper
chamber, the rim of the cup-shaped piston member heing sufficiently
resilient to allow fluids introduced under pressure through said
discharge tube during filling of the container to flow between the
rim and the side walls of the lower chamber, the lower chamber
having a plurality of ribs connected to the side wall of the lower
chamber for mechanically deflecting the rim inwardly. On the other
hand the present invention provides a dispensing device for a
pressurized liquid container capable of delivering metered quanti-
ties of an aerosol composition having a discharge tube through
which the container can be filled with fluids under pressure
comprising: a. a generally cylindrical chamber including an
upper chamber and a lower chamber, the generally cylindrical
chamber being adapted to be sealed into a neck of the container,
the upper chamber being closed at the upper end with respect to the
container by seal means; b. discharge tube means mounted in the
seal means and extending therethrough into the generally
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cylindrical chamber, the discharge tube being resiliently biased
toward the upper end of the upper chamber and being movable
axially in the generally cylindrical chamber; and c. a cup-shaped
piston member connected to the discharge tube with its open end
towards the lower end of the lower chamber, the cup-shaped piston
member having a laterally resilient rim with the entire periphery
thereof sliding directly against the side wall of the lower
chamber when the discharge tube is depressed a predetermined
amount to isolate a metered quantity of fluid within the upper
chamber, the rim of the cup-shaped piston member being
sufficiently resilient to allow fluids introduced under pressure
through the discharge tube during filling of the container to
flow between the rim and the side wall of the lower chamber,
the discharge tube having a skirt at the lower end thereof which
strikes the seal means to limit the upward movement of the
discharge tube, the skirt have a pin rigidly connected thereto
which extends downwardly from the discharge tube means and is
: slidably received in a hollow upper section of the cup-shapted
piston.
FIGURE 1 is a partly cut-away, cross-sectional, elevational view
of the dispensing device of the present invention in
the non-dispensing mode;
FIGURE 2 is a partly cut-away, cross-sectional, elevational view
of the dispensing device of the present invention
while the device is being filled; and
FIGURE 3 is a partly cut-away, cross-sectional, elevational view
of the dispensing device of the present inventio~
while the device is being filled.
Referring now to the drawings, in Figure 1 is shown the
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dispensing device of the invention generally indicated by the
numeral 10. The device includes a cylindrical member 11 which
has a cylindrical upper chamber 12 therein and a generally
cylindrical lower chamber 13 of smaller diameter than chamber 12,
chamber 13 having side wall 14. Both upper chamber 12 and
lower chamber 13 are generally cylindrical in shape and axially
aligned.
Projecting from the side wall 1~ of lower chamber 13
are a series of nibs 15 which extend axially down side
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wall 14. Immediately below lower chamber 13 is a tubular
opening 16 ~hich is axially aligned with dip tube 17. Dip
~ube 17 extends do~wardly into the bottom of the contain-
er indicated generally by the numeral 13.
Located inside circuLar mem~er ll is discharge
tube l9 which has hollow channel 20 inside and opening 21
in the side wall thereof. Shown "ghosted" to the top of
discharge tube l9 is button 29 which is a conventional
aervsol spray button. Discharge tube l9 extends through
hole 44a in washer 44 and hole 18a in the top of container
18 has a skirt portion 22 at the lower end thereof, down-
wardly from which extends a pin 23. Skirt 22 strikes
elastic washer 44 to limit the upper moyement o discharge
tube 19. Elastic washer 4~ seals the upper end of upper
chamber 12,
Slidably connected to pin 23 is cup-shaped piston
24 having a laterally resilient rim 25. Pin 23 is slid-
ably received in the hollow upper portion 26 c)f cup-shaped
piston ~4. Extending do~nwardly from cup-shaped piston 24
is pin 27 around which is loosely-fitted spring 28.
Cylindrical chamber ll is shown force-fitted in
the upper neck portion 3~ of container 18 and held in
place by tab 30. Elastic washer 44 is itted at the upper~
end of cylindrical member ll in the neek 32 at the top end
of upper chamber 12.
To fill the dispensing device of the invention~ a
filling tube 33 shown in Figure 2 containing liquids or
fluids under pressure, is forced onto discharge tube 19
aft~r button 29 has been removed therefrom. A flat portion
34 inside of tube 33 contacts discharge tub~ 19 forcing it
downward to the position shown in Figure 2. Tube l9 can
also be forcea do~n by hydraulic pressure of the fluias
being forcecl in~o container 18. ~ seal or ~asket 35 is
provided around the lower end of illing tube 33 to m~lie a
sealing cont:act with the container l~.
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The flow of fluids uncler pressure is indicated by
the arrows in Figure 2. The fluids flow doi~nwardly through
discharge tube 19 and outwardly through opening 21 into
upper chamber 12. By properly dimensioning the fit between
washer 44 and the discharge tueb 19, fluids could also flow
between tube and washer during pressure filling. Due to
the pressure of the fluids entering container 18, rim 25 is
deformed as shown in Figure 2 and fluids flow therearound
into opening 16 and downward through dip tube 17 to fill
the container. As shown in Figure 3, if a sufficiently
loose fit is provided between pin 23 and the upper portion
26 of piston 24 and the pressure of the liquids flowing
from filling tube 33 is sufficiently great, the cup-shaped
piston 24 slides downwardly from pin 23 causing the rim 25
of cup-shaped piston 24 to strike nibs 15 and cause mechan-
ical deformation of the rim to allow fluids to flow there-
around.
To operate the device of the present invention,
- the button 29 is depressed thereby lowering opening 21
beneath elastic washer 44 and causing rim 25 to contact :
the side wall 14 of lower chamber 13. When the rim 25 con-
tacts the side wll 14, the fluids in chamber 12 are iso-
lated from the fluids beneath cup-shaped piston 24 thus
isolating a metered charge o fluids in chamber 12. When
vent 21 then is lowered below washer 44 the fluids within
upper chamber 12 exit through opening 21 into chamber 20
and upwardly to buttom 29. It will be noted that, as would
be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art, rim 25
establishes a sealing contact with side ~all 14 of reduced
diameter section 13 prior to opening 21 passing beneath
washer 44.
Upon release of the button 29, opening 21 first
rises to reseal in elastic washer 44 and causes rim 25 to
lose contact with side wall 14 allowing fluids to refill
- 35 Fhamber 12 :in preparation for the next cycle.
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