Precision Valve Corporation

Unilever Home and Personal Care Usa, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Gunter Kolanus

Louis Pericard

Robert Henry Abplanalp

Adalberto Geier

Ian Stuart Midgley

Andrew Claughton

Richard Paul McNabb

Nigel Laurence Jackson

Norman Clark

Karen Michelle Dickinson

An aerosol valve actuator with a valve stem engaging portion, product dispensing opening, and flexible and expandable product conduit between the engaging portion and dispensing opening. The product conduit is molded at least in part of a first expandable flexible plastic material softer than a second plastic material of the remainder of the actuator. The remainder of the actuator is first molded, followed by molding the first plastic material to form at least a part of the product conduit. After the actuator has been actuated to dispense a foaming product and actuation ceases, the post-foaming product expands within the product conduit since the conduit expands to absorb the product expansion. Actuator cap and base product dispensing side openings align only during valve actuation. Base inwardly flexible members and cap internal ramps bias the cap upwardly when actuation ceases. Base upper portion telescopes in base lower portion during actuation.

Method of forming an aerosol valve actuator

Aerosol valve actuator

An aerosol valve actuator with a discrete shell-like enclosure and a discrete, bottom mounted, actuating member with finger actuating pad. An opening with a perimeter, in the upper portion of the enclosure, is closed in non-actuated position by the finger pad which has a greater perimeter than the opening perimeter. The finger pad has an upper surface with a portion adjacent its perimeter which underlies and contacts the enclosure upper portion directly adjacent its opening leaving no discernable gap. The finger pad cannot be pushed upwardly through the opening to create a 'smiling' effect. The actuating member is connected to the enclosure interior side wall, and has a nozzle outer end snap fit and extending into and filling an enclosure side wall product dispensing opening to prevent spray noise entering the enclosure and being intensified.

Gapless aerosol valve actuator

An aerosol tilt valve has an integrated molded hollow stem shaft and molded conical stem cup. An upper outer circumferential edge of the stem cup normally fully seals, except when the valve is tilted, against a gasket surrounding the stem shaft. The outer lower wall of the stem shaft and the inner wall of the stem cup define an annular space. At least one molded metering orifice below the upper edge of the stem cup extends from the annular space through the stem shaft. The stem shaft is molded with a molded annular recess about the lower shaft end and with the at least one molded metering orifice. The molded stem shaft is inserted in a mold cavity. A lower portion of an annular shield blocks the metering orifice, and together with the mold cavity and lower part of the stem shaft, defines the stem cup shape. The stem cup is molded having an annular projection extending into the annular recess to form a strong and fully integrated stem cup and stem shaft functioning essentially as one piece. The lower portion of the shield also defines the annular space.

Aerosol tilt valve

In the present invention, an actuating mechanism for a hand held canister is provided in which a slider is moveable by finger pressure from a valve-disengaged position into a valve-engagable position and a concealed spring returns the slider to a valve-disengaged position when finger pressure is removed. The spring is preferably molded with the slider, projects through a slit in the over-cap of the canister and acts in a vertical plane against a stop depending from the over-cap. It is energised when the slider is moved into the valve engagable position. The slider is preferably releasably locked in the valve disengaged position.

Actuator mechanism

Aerosol tilt valve and method of forming same

Growing community of inventors

Niedernhausen, Germany

Gunter Kolanus