Aerosol valve assembly

Claim 1

IN AN AEROSOL DISPENSER VALVE OF THE TYPE WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY A SEALING GASKET OF RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING A CENTRAL APERTURE, A VALVE MEMBER BENEATH THE GASKET HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED UPWARDLY OPENING SOCKET OF CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION ALIGNED WITH SAID APERTURE AND THE UPPER END SURFACE OF SAID VALVE MEMBER SURROUNDING SAID SOCKET DEFINING AN ANNULAR RIM, A SPRING NORMALLY URGING SAID VALVE MEMBER UPWARDLY TO SEAL SAID ANNULAR RIM AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE OF THE GASKET SURROUNDING SAID APERTURE, A REMOVABLE SPRAY HEAD HAVING A DEPENDENT HOLLOW STEM OF CYLINDRICAL EXTERIOR CONFIGURATION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM ABOVE THE GASKET THROUGH THE APERTURE IN SLIDABLE BUT PERIPHERALLY SEALED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APERTURE, SAID STEM HAVING ITS LOWER PORTION SEATED IN THE SOCKET IN A SEALED ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH BUT REMOVABLE THEREFROM, THE LOWER PORTION OF THE STEM HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING SLOT OPENING TO THE BOTTOM END OF THE STEM OF A VERTICAL LENGTH MANY TIMES GREATER THAN ITS WIDTH, AND OPEN ALONG ITS ENTIRE LENGTH TO THE EXTERIOR OF THE STEM WITH THE UPPER PORTION EXTENDING PARTWAY INTO THE GASKET ABOVE THE SAID ANNULAR RIM, SAID SPRAY HEAD BEING ARRANGED FOR ONLY VERTICAL RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT TOGETHER WITH SAID VALVE MEMBER AGAINST SAID SPRING TO UNSEAT SAID RIM AND PERMIT AEROSOL PRODUCT TO PASS INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE SLOT ABOVE SAID RIM AND THENCE BY WAY OF SAID SLOT INTO SAID HOLLOW STEM; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING IN SAID SLOT A WEB EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SLOT AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID SLOT AND RECESSED AWAY FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE STEM TO PERMIT ACCESS FROM THAT OPEN PORTION OF THE SLOT ABOVE SAID RIM, PAST THE WEB TO THE REMAINDER OF THE SLOT, AND THE SLOT BEING OPEN CLEAN THROUGH TO THE HOLLOW OF THE STEM BELOW SAID BACK WALL.