Valve for delivering metered amounts of aerosol material from containers therefor

Claim 1

A valve for delivering metered amounts of material from aerosol containers, comprising an elongated hollow inner body having an interior chamber and being attachable to a bottom which, in turn, can be applied to an aerosol container, an outer body mounted on the inner body and a stem, a portion of which is accomodated within said chamber in the inner body and another portion of which emerges from said chamber, this chamber being situated at an end of the inner body and having an inlet, an outer seal closing said inlet and said stem passing through said outer seal, and said chamber being defined by a side wall and a bottom wall, in each of which at least one small hole is formed, said bottom wall also having an aperture of a larger size than said small holes, and an elongated tubular wall having an open end formed by said aperture of larger size and extending outwardly of said chamber and having an outer surface formed with an annular groove, while said tubular wall has at an inner surface thereof a projecTing step and is formed with at least one longitudinal groove having a limited length, one end of the last mentioned groove opening into said chamber at said aperture of larger size and the other end thereof terminating intermediate the ends of said tubular wall, the latter having a smooth surface zone inwardly beyond said longitudinal groove, and said outer body being substantially cup-shaped and having a free edge resiliently deformable and overlying with pressure the side wall defining said chamber, closing the small hole formed therein, the outer body in the form of a cup having a bottom formed with an aperture wherein said tubular wall of the inner body is inserted, and said bottom of said outer body being positioned and firmly and sealingly mounted in said annular groove of said elongated tubular wall, said stem being formed with an axial hole in the portion of said stem emerging from said chamber and communicating with the outside through its free end and said stem being formed with a small lateral hole extending laterally from the axial hole and formed in the wall of said stem distant from said free end of said stem, a small inner seal mounted on said stem at a portion thereof situated in the interior of said elongated tube inwardly beyond said chamber and a collar on said stem at the side of said small inner seal opposite from said chamber, a spring abutting at one end against said collar and at the other end abutting on said step of said tubular wall, said small lateral hole of the stem being positioned under rest conditions of the valve outside said chamber, beyond said outer seal closing the inlet, and said small inner seal on the stem being nearer to said chamber than said other end of said longitudinal groove, said stem being movable in opposition to said spring to an operative position, where said small lateral hole opens inside said chamber and said small inner seal is positioned contacting said smooth surface zone of said tubular wall, in sealing engagement therewith inwardly beyond said longitudinal groove.