Valve assembly

Claim 2

A valve assembly for a container holding a liquid under gas pressure and having an opening surrounded by a neck, comprising: valve means including a discharge tube for said liquid projecting from said neck with freedom of rotation about its axis and inward axial displacement from a closed valve position to an open valve position; a pushbutton rigid with the projecting end of said tube having an outlet for liquid discharged from said tube; and a cooperating element fixedly seated on said neck and extending radially therebeyond while forming a central passage for said tube, said pushbutton having a peripheral skirt enveloping said element in peripheral contact therewith for relative sliding and rotary motion, said pushbutton and said element being provided with axially confronting formations aligned in a first rotary position of the retracted pushbutton but disaligned in a second rotary position thereof whereby inward displacement of said tube by depression of said pushbutton is possible only in said second rotary position.

Claim 3

A valve assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said formations are two pairs of diametrically opposite cheeks centered on the axis of said tube, each of said cheeks extending over an arc of substantially 90*.

Claim 4

A valve assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the cheeks of at least one pair are provided with lateral bevels for guiding the cheeks of the other pair into the intervening gaps in said second rotary position.

Claim 5

A valve assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein certain of said cheeks are provided with axially projecting bosses limiting relative rotation of said pushbutton and said element to substantially half a turn.

Claim 6

A valve assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said neck is closed by a cap giving passage to said tube, said element comprising a ring seated on said cap inwardly of said neck and a set of resiliently deformable arms extending generally radially outwardly into peripheral contact with said skirt, said formations being constituted by the free ends of said arms and by internal shoulders on said skirt.

Claim 7

A valve assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said skirt has internal recesses with transverse edges forming said shoulders, said recesses having camming surfaces for dislodging said free ends from said recesses upon rotation of said pushbutton from said first to said second rotary position.

Claim 8

In a container holding a liquid under gas pressure and having an opening surrounded by a neck and valve means including a discharge tube for said liquid projecting from said neck with freedom of rotation about its axis and inward axial displacement from a closed valve position to an open valve position, the combination therewith of: a cap spanning said neck while giving passage to said tube; an annular member fixedly mounted on said cap and surrounding said tube with clearance inwardly of said neck; and a pushbutton member rigid with the projecting end of said tube having an outlet for liquid discharged from said tube, said pushbutton member enveloping said neck with an inner peripheral surface spacedly surrounding the outer peripheral surface of said ring, one of said members being provided with a set of resiliently deformable arms extending generally radially from said peripheral surface thereof to the confronting peripheral surface of the other of said members and frictionally contacting the latter surface by their free ends, said latter surface being formed with peripherally spaced shoulders overlying said free ends in a first rotary position of said pushbutton member for preventing inward displacement of said tube, said shoulders being disaligned with said arms in a second rotary position of said pushbutton member to enable depression thereof with displacement of said tube into said open valve position.

Claim 9

In a container holding a liquid under gas pressure and having an opening surrounded by a neck and valve means including a discharge tube for said liquid projecting from said neck with freedom of rotation about its axis and inward axial displacement from a closed valve position to an open valve position, the combination therewith of: a cap spanning said neck while giving passage to said tube; an annular member fixedly mounted on said cap and surrounding said tube with clearance inwardly of said neck; and a pushbutton member rigid with the projecting end of said tube having an outlet for liquid discharged from said tube, said pushbutton member enveloping said neck with an inner peripheral surface spacedly surrounding the outer peripheral surface of said ring, one of said members being provided with a set of resiliently deformable arms extending generally radially from said peripheral surface thereof to the confronting peripheral surface of the other of said members and frictionally contacting the latter surface by their free ends, said latter surface being formed with peripherally spaced shoulders overlying said free ends in a first rotary position of said pushbutton member for preventing inward displacement of said tube, said shoulders being disaligned with said arms in a second rotary position of said pushbutton member to enable depression thereof with displacement of said tube into said open valve position.

Claim 10

The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said latter surface has internal peripheral recesses with transverse edges forming said shoulders, said recesses having camming surfaces for dislodging said free ends from said recesses upon rotation of said pushbutton member from said first to said second rotary position.

Claim 11

The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said arms are curved in their plane of rotation with convex sides bearing upon said camming surfaces in said first rotary position.

Claim 12

The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said arms are integral with said ring member.