Summit Packaging Systems, Inc.

Jeremy P Smith

Walter Richard Gallien

Steven M LaSalle

Joseph A Guild

Gordon C Gilroy, Sr

An actuator comprising an actuator skirt defining a recess sized to receive a portion of a pedestal of a mounting cap. The actuator having a passageway providing communicating between a valve stem and an insert received within an insert cavity of the actuator. The insert has a discharge orifice and a locking member while the insert cavity has a mating locking member. The mating locking members engage with one another to retain the insert within the insert cavity and allow adjustment of a spray discharge pattern of the insert. The insert cavity has a cavity hub which engages with a leading end of the insert, in an over lapped manner, to form a fluid tight seal therewith and minimize leakage therebetween. An angle rib is attached to a lower surface of the actuator body and abuts against the pedestal, prior to full depression of the actuator, to tilt the actuator slightly upward so that the discharge product does not impinge against the aerosol container.

Actuator with stabilizing ribs and improved fan spray insert

A metering valve assembly comprising a ferrule and a valve housing defining an internal cavity. The valve housing accommodates an annular flange and a compression spring therein with a valve gasket closing the internal cavity. The valve housing is attached to the ferrule such that a stem portion of the valve stem protrudes through apertures provided in both the valve gasket and the ferrule. A stem portion has a discharge passageway which is normally closed by the valve gasket. Either an undersurface of the annular flange or a mating surface of the valve housing is provided with a compressible sealing member while the other is provided with an annular edge. The compressible sealing member and the annular edge form a seal therebetween, when the valve stem is sufficiently depressed, to partition the interior cavity into a metering chamber and a separate filling chamber whereby product may only be dispensed solely from the metering chamber when a product flow path is established.

Metering valve for aerosol container

A metering valve assembly comprising a ferrule and a valve housing defining an internal cavity. The valve housing accommodates an annular flange and a compression spring therein with a valve gasket closing the internal cavity. The valve housing is attached to the ferrule such that a stem portion of the valve stem protrudes through apertures provided in both the valve gasket and the ferrule. A stem portion has a discharge passageway which is normally closed by the valve gasket. Either an undersurface of the annular flange or a mating surface of the valve housing is provided with an compressible sealing member while the other is provided with an annular edge. The compressible sealing member and the annular edge form a seal therebetween, when the valve stem is sufficiently depressed, to partition the interior cavity into a metering chamber and a separate filling chamber whereby product may only be dispensed solely from the metering chamber when a product flow path is established.

An improved collapsible bag for containing a product to be dispensed from an aerosol container. The improved collapsible bag has an opening at one end and is closed at an opposite end and comprises an upper section, a mid-section and a lower section. The upper section includes a neck portion, a curl portion and an outwardly tapering section. The mid-section, in an inflated state of the collapsible bag, is generally cylindrical in shape and is contiguous with the outwardly tapering section. The lower section tapers inwardly and defines the closed end of the improved collapsible bag and the lower section is contiguous with the mid-section. At least the curl portion of the upper section has a sufficient wall thickness to facilitate a fluid tight seal between a bead of a container and a perimeter curl of a mounting cup, during assembly of an aerosol valve, while a remainder of the upper section, the mid-section and the lower section all have a sufficiently thin wall thickness to facilitate collapse and substantially complete dispensing of the product to be dispensed from the improved collapsible bag.

Collapsible bag, aerosol container incorporating same and method of assembling aerosol container

A valve assembly having both a primary low/fine product dispensing flow rate and a secondary high/coarse product dispensing flow rate. The primary low/fine product dispensing flow rate is achieved upon initial vertical depression of the valve stem while the high/coarse product dispensing rate is achieved upon maximum vertical depression of the valve stem. An internal compressible member is located within the valve assembly to provide a detectable indication, to an operator of the valve assembly, that further depression of the valve stem will increase the product flow dispensing rate from the primary low/fine dispensing rate to the secondary high/coarse dispensing rate. The internal compressible member is either a compressible spherical ball, located captively within the biasing spring between a lower surface of the valve stem and a floor of the valve housing, or a compressible cylindrical sleeve which captively surrounds the biasing spring and is located between a lower surface of the valve stem and a floor of the valve housing.

Actuator with compressible internal component

An actuator for facilitating filling of an aerosol contain by a button-on-filling process, the actuator comprising an exterior housing having an outer wall with a product discharge outlet formed therein. The exterior housing further having central post supporting an internal bore which establishes fluid communication between a product inlet and the product discharge outlet to facilitate dispensing an aerosol product via the actuator. At least two spaced apart reinforcement ribs are provided for interconnecting the exterior housing with the central post and thereby define at least two compartments where any remaining filling component may collect. A base of the exterior housing has an annular skirt portion which facilitates sealing engagement with a pedestal portion of a mounting cup during a filling operation. A longitudinal passageway communicates with each formed compartment, of the actuator, to facilitate complete purging of any remaining filling component, during a purging step of the button-on-filling process, from each formed compartment to essentially prevent the discharge of any remaining filling component into a surrounding production facility environment.

Actuator with a longitudinal filling passageway communicating with each formed internal compartment

Actuator with a longitudinal filling passageway communicating with each

An actuator comprising an exterior housing having an outer wall with a product discharge outlet formed therein. The exterior housing also has a central post supporting a bore which communicates with both a product inlet and the product discharge outlet to facilitate the dispensing of product via the actuator. A base of the exterior housing has an annular skirt portion provided for engagement with a mounting cup during a button-on-filling process. At least a base of the skirt portion, provided for engaging with a mounting cup during a button-on-filling process, is formed from a softer material than a remainder of the actuator to facilitate sufficient deformation of the base of the skirt portion, during the button-on-filling process, to provide an adequate seal with a top surface of the mounting cup. The remainder of the actuator is preferably manufactured from one of nylon, polypropylene and acetal while the annular skirt portion is manufactured from one of a low density polyethylene, a high density polyethylene and a thermoplastic rubber.

Actuator with resilient annular skirt for improved seal during

A lockable actuator assembly comprising a base assembly defining an axial through bore. An actuator is accommodated within the through bore and is pivotably supported by the base assembly in a cantilevered fashion. The actuator has an inlet communicating with a discharged outlet via a central bore and a radial bore. A base portion of the base assembly has a plurality of ribs to facilitate engagement with an exterior surface of a mounting cap. An opposed top portion of the base assembly has a plurality of outwardly facing protrusions which facilitate engagement with an annular elongate member, rib or recess of an over cap to rotatably secure the over cap to the base assembly. The over cap is provided with a cutout to facilitate rotation of the over cap relative to the base assembly. The over cap is also provided with a cam member which is located to engage with a cam surface, provided on the actuator once the over cap is sufficiently rotated relative to the base assembly, to facilitate biasing of the actuator in a dispensing position and provide continuous dispensing of the product contents of the container to which the actuator assembly is affixed. When the over cap is rotated back to its initial inactive position, the actuator and stem are allowed to return back to their initial inactive positions.

Lockable spray system actuator

An actuator assembly for an aerosol container provided with a stem. The actuator assembly controls the dispensing of an aerosol product from the container. The actuator assembly includes a base which supports an actuator within a throughbore of the base in a cantilevered fashion. The actuator is provided with a primary discharge orifice for discharging the product from the aerosol container in a first spray configuration. The actuator assembly includes a secondary actuator mechanism which, when in an inactive position, allows the primary discharge orifice to control solely the discharge of the product to be dispensed from the aerosol container. The secondary actuator mechanism, when in a second active position, communicates with the primary discharge orifice and controls the spray configuration of the product to be dispensed as it is dispensed from the aerosol container. The secondary actuator mechanism can either be pivotally attached to the actuator assembly or completely removable therefrom.

Actuator assembly with variable spray pattern

A spray actuator which has an inlet which communicates with a discharge orifice outlet via a passageway and a discharge cavity. The discharge cavity accommodates a central post therein which supports a plurality of axial fins that may be each provided with stop shoulder. An insert member, carrying a discharge orifice, is received within the discharge cavity and engages with the support fins and the stop shoulders. The insert member is provided with an annular lip which has an interference fit with the inner side wall, defining the discharge cavity, to retain permanently the insert member within the discharge cavity. An end face of the side wall of the insert member abuts against the stop shoulders to prevent overinsertion of the insert member into the discharge cavity and thereby prevent inadvertent deformation or crushing of the mechanical break-up. An end face of the central post has a mechanical break-up molded therein which impart a tangential spin to pressurized product as the product flow therethrough.

Mechanical break-up for spray actuator

A valve having a valve body, defining a longitudinal axis, with a circular side wall extending down beyond a floor of the body to define a socket. Into this socket is frictionally engaged an appendage having a circular upper end and a nipple at its lower end. The appendage is partitioned into a primary product passage, communicating with a product outlet extending through the floor of the valve body, and a ball chamber, the lower of which is provided with a valve seat with a bypass opening communicating with the primary product passage. A ball chamber passage is formed in the ball chamber above the valve seat and a ball is normally seated, via gravity, on the valve seat when the container is in a normal upright position. When the container is inverted, the ball drops away from the seat and permits passage of product through the ball chamber passage, through the bypass opening into the primary product passage and up into the valve body for discharge. At least one of a ball chamber longitudinal axis and a ball chamber plane is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis defined by the remainder of the valve to alter the degree of permissible tilt of a container containing the valve before the ball becomes unseated.

Invertible spray valve and container containing same

An actuator assembly for an aerosol container containing a product to be dispensed. The actuator assembly comprises a base having a through bore extending therethrough and a mechanism for securing the base member to a mounting cup of the aerosol container. An actuator is supported in the through bore of the base and is slidable along a longitudinal axis thereof via a pair of mating bearing and guide surfaces. The through bore contains a pair of opposed stop members which permanently retain the actuator within the through bore. The actuator is allowed to slide within the through bore, during installation of the actuator assembly onto an aerosol container, to prevent the actuator from sufficiently engaging with or depressing the valve stem so that inadvertent discharge of the product contents is prevented until actual use of the aerosol container by the end user.

Actuator assembly to prevent inadvertent product discharge upon

Light weight spray through overcap

An improved overcap for an aerosol container comprising a top portion interconnected with an annular skirt via a sidewall to form a closed cap which is opened at one end thereof. The skirt contains a release mechanism which has a tab and a leg which, when the tab is biased in a first direction, functions as a fulcrum prying a portion of the overcap adjacent the release mechanism away from a mounting cup of an aerosol container thereby releasing the overcap from the mounting cup. An inwardly facing surface of the skirt contains a rib for engaging an outwardly facing surface of a mounting cup curl while the release mechanism contains a rib for engaging an inwardly facing surface of the mounting cup curl for maintaining the overcap in engagement with the mounting cup. The release mechanism is provided with a pair of frangible members which interconnect with the release mechanism with the overcap to indicate, when broken or fractured, tampering of an aerosol container incorporating the improved overcap.

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Loudon, NH, United States of America

Jeremy P Smith