Patent ID: 9387977
Filing Date: 2016-07-12
CPC Classification: B05B,B65D

Claim Text:
1. A dual function aerosol valve system, comprising: (a) a valve cup having means for attachment to a container holding a pressurized gas propellant and a product to be dispensed; (b) a valve assembly and an actuator and nozzle means assembly mounted to said valve cup, said valve assembly being below said valve cup and said actuator and nozzle means assembly being above said valve cup; (c) said valve assembly including a valve housing having an upper end and a lower end and assembled at its upper end to said valve cup and depending therefrom so that said valve housing extends into a container when said valve cup is assembled to a container, said valve housing having a tubular side wall with an upper end and a lower end and an inner surface defining a hollow interior, a lower end of said hollow interior defining a first product flow path, wherein said valve housing is constructed so that a bag-on-valve system or a piston system can be applied to said valve housing; (d) first seal means engaged between said valve housing upper end and said valve cup; (e) a first stem valve having upper and lower ends and a tubular side wall with a hollow interior and an inner surface, said first stem valve being reciprocal in the valve housing and defining between it and the valve housing upper end a first propellant flow path, said first stem valve being open ended and its side wall being slidable within and sealed relative to said first seal means; (f) a second stem valve coaxially received within the hollow interior of said first stem valve and being free of attachment to said first stem valve, said second stem valve having upper and lower ends and a tubular side wall with a hollow interior defining a second product flow path, the upper end of said second stem valve being open and the lower end being closed, and the upper ends of said first and second stem valves defining between them a second propellant flow path; (g) second seal means engaged between the lower end of said second stem valve and an interior surface of said valve housing side wall; (h) a first propellant side port extending through the side wall of said valve housing into the first propellant flow path; (i) a second propellant side port extending through the side wall of said first stem valve into the second propellant flow path; (j) a product side port extending through the side wall of said second stem valve into the second product flow path; (k) spring means engaged with said stem valves to urge them into a first, at-rest position where the first seal means blocks communication through said second propellant port from said first propellant flow path to said second propellant flow path, and said second seal means blocks communication through said product side port from said first product flow path to said second product flow path; and (l) said actuator and nozzle means assembly is connected with each of said stem valves to reciprocate them in said valve housing into a second, depressed dispensing position wherein the second propellant side port moves into an unblocked position relative to said first seal means so that propellant can flow from said first propellant flow path to said second propellant flow path, and said product side port moves into an unblocked position relative to said second seal means so that product can flow from said first product flow path to said second product flow path, said propellant and product side ports being spaced relative to said first and second seal means so that when said actuator is depressed said first stem valve first moves to an open position wherein said second propellant side port is unblocked and then said second stem valve moves to an open position wherein said product side port is unblocked, said first and second stem valves thereby being sequentially opened when said actuator is depressed and sequentially closed in reverse order when said actuator is released, whereby propellant gas flows through said actuator and nozzle means before product and flows through said actuator and nozzle means after flow of product is interrupted.