Dispenser valve

Claim 1

IN AN AEROSOL VALVE ASSEMBLY HAVING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL VALVE SHELL WITH A DIP TUBE PROJECTING FROM THE LOWER END THEREOF, AND A SEALING GASKET CLOSING THE UPPER END OF SAID SHELL AND HAVING AN APERTURE FORMED THEREIN, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER HAVING AN UPPER TUBULAR PORTION SLIDABLY PROJECTING THROUGH SAID APERTURE IN SEALED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GASKET AND AN ENLARGED PLUNGER PORTION SLIDABLY FITTED IN SAID SHELL AND HAVING A SHOULDER ENGAGEABLE WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID GASKET, A SPRING SEAT FORMED ON THE LOWER END OF SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER, A SPRING SEATED BETWEEN THE LOWER END OF SAID SHELL AND SAID VALVE MEMBER SEAT FOR NORMALLY URGING SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER UPWARDLY INTO A FIRST POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID SEALING GASKET WITH SAID SHOULDER DISPOSED IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GASKET, A PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING OPENINGS FORMED IN SAID TUBULAR PORTION IMMEDIATELY ABOVE SAID SHOULDER WHEREBY SAID OPENINGS ARE SEALINGLY CLOSED WHEN SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION, AT LEAST A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING GROOVES FORMED ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID ENLARGED PLUNGER PORTION OF SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER WHEREBY TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF MATERIAL FROM SAID DIP TUBE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SHELL, A REPLACEABLE SPRAY HEAD HAVING A SPRAY ORIFICE AND AN INTEGRAL DEPENDING SOLID STEM ADAPTED TO BE TELESCOPICALLY FITTED IN THE OUTER END OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION OF SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER IN SEALED ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH WHEREUPON THE APPLICATION OF FINGER PRESSURE TO SAID SPRAY HEAD IS EFFECTIVE TO MOVE SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER DOWNWARDLY INTO A SECOND POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID SEALING GASKET WHEREIN SAID SHOULDER IS SPACED AWAY FROM SAID GASKET TO PERMIT MATERIAL TO FLOW FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SHELL THROUGH SAID OPENINGS INTO THE TUBULAR PORTION OF SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER, AN EXTERNAL GROOVE OF PREDETERMINED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND SHAPE FOR THE PARTICULAR MATERIAL TO BE DISPENSED FORMED ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID STEM AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF WHEREBY TO DEFINE WITH THE INNER WALL SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION OF SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER A METERING PASSAGE SPECIFICALLY ADAPTED FOR THE FLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MATERIAL TO BE DISPENSED BETWEEN SAID STEM AND THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION OF SAID VALVE PLUNGER MEMBER, AND PASSAGE MEANS IN SAID SPRAY HEAD BETWEEN THE UPPER END OF SAID GROOVE AND SAID SPRAY ORIFICE.