Vacuum crimping and filling head for aerosol containers

Claim 2

A filling and crimping head assembly for attaching an aerosol valve assembly to an aerosol container while simultaneously pressure filling said container with fluid from a pressurized fluid source, said container having a mouth encircled by a rim, said valve assembly including a valve, a valve island, a valve stem protruding from said valve island, and a tubular portion having deformable walls adapted to be crimped over the rim of the mouth of said container for effecting a seal thereto, said filling and crimping head assembly comprising: vertical cylindrical vacuum sleeve means having an upper and a lower end; vacuum seal means attached to the lower end of said vacuum sleeve for forming a vacuum seal against the wall of an aerosol container; cylindrical body sleeve means reciprocably mounted in said vacuum sleeve means; cylindrical collet means reciprocably mounted within said body sleeve means, the lower end of said collet means being provided with crimping means adapted to crimp the tubular portion of said aerosol valve assembly to the rim of a container, said crimping means being actuated by Relative longitudinal movement of said collet and said body sleeve means; seal pilot means reciprocably mounted within said collet means, said seal pilot being adapted to receive the valve stem of an aerosol container and being responsive to a downward force to open the valve of said container; annular seal means adapted to form a fluidtight seal between said seal pilot and valve of said aerosol container; fluid passage means within said head assembly communicating between said seal pilot means and said pressurized fluid source; check valve means in said fluid passage means, said check valve means being normally closed and being adapted to be actuated to an open position by relative longitudinal movement of said seal pilot means; biasing means normally urging said seal pilot means and said check valve means apart; retainer means for holding said seal pilot means against the urging of said biasing means; and hermetic seal means for sealing the interior of said assembly against the ingress of air, permitting a vacuum to be drawn in the interior of said assembly when said vacuum seal means is in sealing relationship against the wall of a container.

Claim 3

The assembly of claim 1 in which said vacuum seal means is a resilient gasket encircling the lower end of said vacuum sleeve means.

Claim 4

The assembly of claim 1 wherein said body sleeve means is provided at its lower end with a tapered circumferential wedge portion having a surface which tapers inwardly and upwardly, and said collet means is provided with a plurality of resilient elongated fingers terminating in a lug means adapted to be urged radially inwardly when engaged by the wedge portion of said body means.

Claim 5

The assembly of claim 1 in which said seal pilot means has a top stem portion which enters and opens said check valve means on relative longitudinal movement thereof.

Claim 6

A filling and crimping head assembly for attaching an aerosol valve assembly to an aerosol container while simultaneously pressure filling said container with fluid from a pressurized fluid source, said container having a mouth encircled by a rim, said valve assembly including a valve, a valve island, a valve stem protruding from said valve island, and a tubular portion having deformable walls adapted to be crimped over the rim of the mouth of said container for effecting a seal thereto, said filling and crimping head assembly comprising: vertical cylindrical vacuum sleeve means having an upper end and a lower end; deformable gasket means encircling the lower end of said vacuum sleeve means, said gasket means being adapted to form an air-tight seal against the wall of a container around its said rimmed mouth portion; cylindrical body sleeve means reciprocably mounted in said vacuum sleeve means, said body sleeve means having a lower end provided with a tapered circumferential wedge portion; cylindrical collet means reciprocably mounted within said body sleeve means, the lower end of which is radially deformable and is provided with multiple lug means adapted to be urged radially inwardly when actuated by the wedge portion of said body sleeve means, for crimping the tubular portion of a valve assembly to the rim of a container; seal pilot means reciprocably mounted within said collet means, said seal pilot means having a top stem portion, a lower mouth portion, a longitudinal conduit communicating between said top stem portion and said mouth portion, said mouth portion being adapted to receive said valve stem and open said container valve; annular seal means surrounding the mouth portion of said seal pilot means adapted to engage said valve island and form a fluid-tight seal between said seal pilot means and said valve island; fluid passage means within said head assembly communicating between said seal pilot means and said pressurized fluid source; check valve means in said fluid pAssage means, said check valve means being normally closed and being adapted to be actuated to an open position by the top stem portion of said seal pilot means; biasing means normally urging said seal pilot means and said check valve means apart; retainer means for holding said seal pilot means against the urging of said biasing means; and hermetic seal means for sealing the interior of said assembly against the ingress of air, permitting a vacuum to be drawn in the interior of said assembly when said gasket means is in sealing relationship against the wall of a container.

Claim 7

A filling and crimping head assembly for attaching an aerosol valve assembly to an aerosol container while simultaneously pressure filling said container with fluid from a pressurized fluid source, said container having a mouth encircled by a rim, said valve assembly including a valve, a valve island, a valve stem protruding from said valve island, and a tubular portion having deformable walls adapted to be crimped over the rim of the mouth of said container for effecting a seal thereto, said filling and crimping head assembly comprising: vertical cylindrical vacuum sleeve means having an upper end and a lower end; deformable gasket means encircling the lower end of said vacuum sleeve means, said gasket means being adapted to form an air-tight seal against the wall of a container around its said rimmed mouth portion; cylindrical body sleeve means reciprocably mounted in said vacuum sleeve means, said body sleeve means having a lower end provided with a tapered circumferential wedge portion; cylindrical collet means reciprocably mounted within said body sleeve means, the lower end of which is radially deformable and is provided with multiple lug means adapted to be urged radially inwardly when actuated by the wedge portion of said body sleeve means, for crimping the tubular portion of a valve assembly to the rim of a container; seal pilot means reciprocably mounted within said collet means, said seal pilot means having a top stem portion, a lower mouth portion, a longitudinal conduit communicating between said top stem portion and said mouth portion, said mouth portion being adapted to receive said valve stem and open said container valve; annular seal means surrounding the mouth portion of said seal pilot means adapted to engage said valve island and form a fluid-tight seal between said seal pilot means and said valve island; fluid passage means within said head assembly communicating between said seal pilot means and said pressurized fluid source; check valve means in said fluid pAssage means, said check valve means being normally closed and being adapted to be actuated to an open position by the top stem portion of said seal pilot means; biasing means normally urging said seal pilot means and said check valve means apart; retainer means for holding said seal pilot means against the urging of said biasing means; and hermetic seal means for sealing the interior of said assembly against the ingress of air, permitting a vacuum to be drawn in the interior of said assembly when said gasket means is in sealing relationship against the wall of a container.