PROCESS FOR FILLING PRESSURISED CONTAINERS AND VALVE THEREFOR

Abstract: The present invention is related to a process for filling a container with propellant through a blocking stem valve when the valve is in the blocking orientation, and to valves which are more specifically designed for such a process.

Description: PROCESS FOR FILLING PRESSURISED CONTAINERS AND VALVE THEREFOR The present invention relates to a process for filling a valve for a pressurised container, such as aerosol cans. A pressurised container usually contains a product together with a propellant. The propellant usually creates the necessary pressure inside the container. The propellant may be a liquid or a gaseous propellant. When the propellant is a liquid propellant, the pressure inside the container is created by the vapour pressure of the liquid propellant. The gaseous propellant and the vapour phase of the liquid propellant are usually located in the head space of the container when the container stands in its upright position. The pressure inside the container is higher than the normal outside atmospheric pressure. The inside pressure of the container is maintained by closing the container with a valve. Consequently, the propellant tends to exit from the inside of the container once the valve of the container is opened. Thereby the propellant also drives the product out of the container. In order that all of the product can be expelled out of the container it has to be ensured that enough propellant is available in the container with respect to the amount of product. Consequently, it has to be ensured that the propellant is not allowed to exit unnecessarily, i.e. the product must be expelled at the same time as the propellant. If product is not expelled at the same time as the propellant, the propellant may be progressively emptied out of the pressurised container until the remaining amount of propellant may become too low with respect to the rest of product remaining in the container to ensure the complete dispensing of the rest of product from inside the pressurised container. The rest of the product which cannot be expelled from inside the pressurised container is then wasted. Other possible drawbacks of propellant exiting unnecessarily from the container are deterioration of the characteristics of the expelled product. For example, when the product is a foaming product, the density of the foam may increase in an undesirable manner. The discharge of propellant without product may happen whenever the product is not placed between the propellant and the discharging opening of the pressurised container. Indeed, it has to be ensured that the propellant is obliged to pass through the product pushing at least part of the product out of the pressurised container. This undesirable positioning of the propellant with respect to the product and the discharging opening of the pressurised container may be reached when the pressurised container is allowed to discharge in an undesired direction. For example, when the pressurised container comprises a dip tube connecting the discharging opening at the top of the container with the inside of the pressurised container, the undesired direction would be to invert the pressurised container, i.e. to turn it upside down. In this position the gaseous propellant in the head space is capable of escaping directly from the inside of the container through the dip tube without pushing the product through the dip tube. By contrast, when the pressurised container does not comprise any dip tube, the undesired direction would be when the container is not inverted, i.e. the container is held upright. This substantially upright position leads to the escape of gaseous propellant from the inside of the container, because the product is not positioned between the discharging opening and the propellant. In both cases this leads to the escape of propellant from the inside of the container without any corresponding expulsion of product, resulting in the corresponding drawbacks as discussed before. It is well known in the industry making pressurised containers that there is a need to provide the pressurised containers with a blocking mechanism which prevents the opening of the pressurised container when the pressurised container is in a predetermined undesired orientation. WO-97/03000, published on the 30 th of January 1997, and the applicants co-pending application EP- 96201604, filed on the 8 th of June 1996 describe blocking mechanisms whereby the blocking valve comprises a stem, and the stem is prevented from translating in the blocking position. The present invention relates to a valve comprising a blocking means and a stem. Such containers have to be filled with propellant. A standard means of filling propellant into aerosol containers is to fill the propellant through the valve. This is the current filling process for nearly all European aerosol containers. The overall filling process consists of: the product is filled into the container through the can opening using standard filling equipment; the valve is then crimped onto the can opening to create a hermetic seal; the propellant is then filled through the valve. For standard valves, the pressure of the filling process and/or mechanical actions within the filling head pushes the valve stem down into the valve. This creates a flow path for the propellant to enter into the can. However, for the blocking stem valves as described in WO-97/03000 or in the applicants co-pending application EP-96201604, this cannot normally be achieved when the valve is in the blocking orientation, because the stem cannot usually be pushed down into the valve in this case, so that filling occurs in a non blocking orientation, as shown for example on Figure 11. This is an important issue if the blocking orientation corresponds to the standard filling orientation, resulting in a need for modifying the standard filling process to fill the can in a non standard orientation. This modification in the standard filling direction is significant and has consequences on filling time and on production costs. The present invention also relates to a process, the process comprising the step of filling a container, the container comprising a valve, whereby the valve comprises a stem and a blocking means and the blocking means prevents at least partially a translation of the stem of the valve after the filling step when the valve is in a pre-determined orientation. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to prevent significant modifications of the standard filling process for filling aerosol containers through blocking stem valves. Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a valve and a filling process in a manner to satisfy the aforementioned need. The valve of the invention is characterised in that the blocking means is activated from an inactive state (2') to an active state (2), the active blocking means (2) preventing at least partially a translation of the stem (1 ) of the valve when the valve is in a predetermined orientation, and the valve further comprises a retaining means (3), whereby the retaining means (3) prevents the blocking means from being in the active state prior to activation. In an other aspect of the present invention, a process for filling a valve is provided, the process being characterised in that the valve is in the predetermined orientation during the filling step. Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 a is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of a non blocking stem (1 ') valve adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown together with paths (4,5) for filling the container. Figure 2a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of an embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 2b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 2a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 3a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of an other embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 3b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 3a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 4a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of yet another embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 4b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 4a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 5a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of an additional embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 5b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 5a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 6a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of a further embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 6b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 6a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 7a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and. is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 7b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 7a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 8a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 8b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 8a as it would be when the blocking means is being activated (2"). Figure 8c is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 8a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 8d shows a possible embodiment of the base of the stem (1 ) of the valve shown in Figure 8a. Figure 9a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve according to the present invention adapted to be applied to the top of a container, and is shown as it would be prior to activation of the blocking means (2'). Figure 9b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 9a as it would be when the blocking means (2) is active. Figure 10a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve adapted to be applied to the top of a container prior to the filling step according to the present invention. Figure 10b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 10a as it would be during the filling step. Figure 11 is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve adapted to be applied to the top of a container during a filling step, not according to the present invention. Figure 12 is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve adapted to be applied to the top of a container during the filling step according to the present invention. Figure 13a is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve adapted to be applied to the top of a container prior to the filling step according to the present invention. Figure 13b is the same schematic cross sectional partial view of the valve of Figure 13a as it would be during the filling step. Figure 14 is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve adapted to be applied to the top of a container during the filling step according to the present invention. Figure 15 is a schematic cross sectional partial view of another preferred embodiment of a valve adapted to be applied to the top of a container during the filling step according to the present invention. Figures 16a, 16b and 16c represent possible schematic cross section of a geometry for a filling head (6). Detailed Description of the Invention The process of the invention is applied to a container comprising a valve. The valve is mounted onto the container. The container is preferably a pressurised container. A pressurised container is usually obtained by filling the container with a product and a propellant. The container is a hollow body which may be made from any material, preferably metal, plastics including polyethylene terephthalate (= PET), oriented polypropylene (= OPP), polyethylene (= PE) or polyamide and including mixtures, laminates or other combinations of these. • The metal can may be made from tin plated steel or other metals such as aluminium. Preferably, the interior surface of the metal container is laminated with a plastic material or coated with a lacquer or with a varnish. The lacquer or varnish are such to protect the interior surface of the container from corrosion. The corrosion may lead to a weakening of the container and may also lead to a discoloration of the container's content. Preferred plastic materials for lamination and lacquers or varnishes for coating are epoxy phenolic, polyamide imide, organosol, PET, PP, PE or a combination thereof. Any flowable material, including gaseous, liquid or foaming product, can be contained in the container and discharged through the valve according to the present invention. Preferred are foaming products when discharged with gaseous propellant. The propellant expands to form many bubbles within the composition thereby creating the foam. Specific hard surface cleaners are examples of foaming products. Such a foaming product is disclosed, for example, in EP-A-546 828. A preferred foaming product according to the present invention is a foaming laundry cleaning detergent. A foaming laundry cleaning composition is disclosed in EP-A-677 577 and in EP-A-753 556. The pressure inside the container can be created by a propellant. The pressure inside the pressurised container is such that the flowable material and the propellant is expelled to the outside of the pressurised container once the valve is in an open position. The pressure inside the container is therefore higher than the external atmospheric pressure outside the container. The pressure inside the container is preferably at least 5 bar at 20°C, more preferably the inside pressure is in the range between 8 bar and 10 bar at 20°C. The quantity of propellant contained in the container is such that substantially all the flowable material can be expelled out of the container throughout the life of the pressurised container at the correct pressure. The quantity also depends from the type of propellant used. Suitable propellants known in the art are liquid and gaseous propellants. Preferred propellants are gaseous propellants for environmental friendliness. As herein referred to, the words "gaseous" and "non-liquifiable" are used interchangeably in regard to the propellant. Indeed, gaseous propellants or non-liquifiable propellants are propellants which are in a gaseous state of matter at room temperature (about 20°C) and at pressures up to 12 bar. Furthermore, it is preferred to use 'ozone-friendly' propellants such as compressed air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxides thereof or mixtures thereof. Carbon dioxide is the more preferred gaseous propellant. Minor amounts of low molecular weight hydrocarbons, such as propane, butane, pentane, hexane, may optionally be included provided that flammability requirements are not exceeded. Various ways to pressurise the propellant gas are known in the art. For example the gas may be pressurised at the time of packing. The product may be physically separated from a compressed gas by a membrane such as rubber under tension. Alternatively a means for pressurising the gas subsequently by mechanical action may be provided (so-called "pump and spray" systems). Normally, the valve is mounted by crimping onto the only opening of the container. Usually, crimping of the valve occurs after direct filling of the container through this opening with the flowable material. Consequently, the process of the invention is applied to a container after crimping of the valve. This is the normal process for filling aerosol cans: the product is filled in before crimping, and the propellant is filled after crimping. This means that the process of the invention is preferably applied to filling an aerosol with propellant. In the present process, the valve comprises a stem. Normally, filling with propellant is made when the stem is depressed (1 '). The propellant can flow through different paths. For example, Figure 1 illustrates various possible paths for filling a container comprising a stem valve with propellant when the stem is depressed (1 '). A first path, the normal path (4), corresponds to the path which will be used by the product to come out of the container in normal use. However, the path is used in one direction for filling, and in the other direction for dispensing. The direction of the flow in this path is fixed by the pressure gradient: if the pressure is higher in the can than out of the can, which is the case during use, the product flows out, and if the pressure is higher out of the can, which is the case during the filling process, the flow goes in. However, other paths (5) are available, which are due to the depression of a gasket (7). The gasket is normally compressed by the stem (1 ), for example by a shoulder (8) on the stem. When the stem is depressed (1 '), even partially, the gasket (7) is not compressed, so that a propellant flow can be created over the top of the gasket (7) or underneath the gasket (7) through auxiliary paths (5). It should be noted that the pressure gradient required for inducing flow around the gasket (7) is higher than the pressure gradient required for producing the flow in the path of normal use (4). The reason for this is that the auxiliary paths (5) should not be functional during normal use. However, the auxiliary paths (5) only require a very partial depression of the stem (1 '), whereas opening of the normal path (4) for normal use normally requires further depression. In summary, the auxiliary paths (5) normally require higher pressure gradient and lower depression of the stem (V) than the normal path (4) to be opened. The process of the invention applies to a valve comprising a blocking means preventing at least partial translation of the stem in a predetermined orientation. Normally, a filling step is not applied to a traditional blocking stem valve when it is in the predetermined orientation, because the filling paths, normal or auxiliary, are not used if the stem is not depressed. This is a disadvantage if the pre-determined orientation corresponds to a standard filling orientation, such as the upright orientation corresponding to the orientation of the valve of Figure 1. The present invention aims at suppressing this disadvantage by filling the valve when it is in the pre-determined orientation. Indeed, it is an object of the present invention to render production of containers with blocking stem valves more economical. Further objects of the invention comprise easing production of ecological aerosol containers by filling containers with blocking stem valves in a minimum time, in so far as the invention allows production of containers with blocking stem valves with minimal modifications to the filling process. In a first embodiment of the invention presented in Figure 15, the stem can be partially depressed (1') so that the auxiliary paths (5) are opened. This is possible because the stem is allowed to be depressed a certain distance during the filling process. This reduces the compression on the gasket (7) and allows the gasket (7) to be decompressed during the filling process. It was found that the stem should be depressed of at least 0.2 mm to provide a sufficiently large enough path to allow filling. Preferably, this distance is of more than 1 mm. In this case, the important factor is that the distance should be such that the stem can be depressed enough to open the auxiliary paths (5) without opening the normal path (4), so that the blocking means (2) should prevent translation of the stem only partially. In Figure 15, this is achieved by the play between the blocking means (2), a ball in this example, and the base of the stem (10). Consequently, such a blocking valve can be filled in the pre-determined orientation in which it is blocked. A further improvement regarding the geometry of the filling head (6) was found which is explained in Figures 16a-c. Indeed, the filling head (6) should not push onto the stem (1 ) during filling as it may deform the lower region of the valve, in particular the snap fit of the lower housing, resulting in leakage, particularly around the lower gasket seal, as is illustrated in Figure 16b. This can be prevented if the rubber seal (60) which prevents gas losses between the filling head and the valve is thick enough so that the filling head does not press onto the stem in an undesirable manner. This configuration is illustrated in Figure 16-a. An other way of avoiding deformation of the valve is to insert an extra rubber seal (61 ). It should be noted that the stem is depressed in a sufficient manner by the action of the pressure of the gas which is filled into the container by the auxiliary paths (5), without possibility of being depressed further to allow undesirable opening of the normal path (4). Such modifications have the advantage of being cost effective without introducing a radical change to the metal design of the filling head (6). In another embodiment of the invention presented in Figure 14, filling of the container when the blocking stem valve is in the pre-determined blocked orientation is made by under the cup (8) filling. A similar technique is used for liquid propellant filling in the U.S., which means that again a standard process can be applied for filling the container when the blocking stem valve is in the pre-determined blocked orientation. Other embodiments make filling of the valve possible through the normal path (4) by various means of lowering the stem prior or/ and during filling. In the embodiment of the invention described in figures 13a,b, the can is being shaken before filling. Shaking induces movement of the blocking means (2), in this case a ball, so that the stem can be depressed (1 ') as shown in Figure 13b when the ball goes up in the stem. Filling can then occur normally, allowing again filling of a stem blocking valve in the blocking pre-determined orientation. A similar method is presented in Figure 12, whereby the ball is attracted up within the stem by effect of a magnetic attraction (9), which can be induced for example by an electromagnet or by a magnet. In this particular case, the blocking means (2) should be made, at least partially, of a ferromagnetic magnetic material, comprising alloys of iron, cobalt or nickel. Yet another embodiment of the invention is presented in Figure 10a-b, whereby the can is turned in a non-blocking orientation and the stem is pressed (1 ') before entering the filling machine and kept pressed during filling in the blocking orientation. In another aspect of the invention a valve is provided. The valve of the invention comprises a blocking means . By a blocking means it is meant that its function is to block the valve when the valve is in a predetermined orientation. When the valve is blocked, it is not possible to actuate it, so that no product can go through the valve. The blocking means has an inactive (2') and an active state (2). In the inactive state (2'), the blocking means cannot fulfil its function. Consequently, when the blocking means is inactive (2'), the valve will not be blocked when it is in the predetermined orientation. If the blocking means is inactive (2'), the valve is functioning as if the blocking means was absent. Once activated, the blocking means is in the active state (2). This means that the blocking means can fulfil its function. Consequently, when the blocking means is active (2), the valve is blocked when it is in the predetermined orientation. The predetermined orientation may correspond to a precise angle or to a range of orientations. Indeed, when the valve of the invention has an active blocking means (2), it may have the characteristics of any blocking stem valves, in particular the characteristics of the valves described in WO-97/03000 or in the applicants co-pending European Patent Application No. 96201604. The valve of the invention also comprises a stem, whereby the blocking means is preventing at least partially a translation of the stem. The valve of the invention is a blocking stem valve as the blocking means acts on translation of the stem, in such a manner that the stem cannot be depressed sufficiently by the user to open the valve when the valve is in the predetermined orientation and when the blocking means is active. Indeed, the stem has to be translated within the body of the valve to allow opening of the valve. Depending on the design of the valve, it may be sufficient to prevent only partially the translation of the stem to prevent opening of the valve. The valve also comprises a retaining means (3). The role of the retaining means (3) is to prevent blocking of the valve prior to activation of the blocking means. The activation is the moment at which the blocking means goes from an inactive state to the active state. As a result of this feature, the valve does not function like a blocking valve prior to activation, and functions like a blocking valve once activated. An advantage of such a feature is that the valve can be filled in the predetermined blocking orientation prior to activation. Indeed, stem blocking valves of the traditional type do not have this feature. Consequently, the choice of the filling orientation is not restricted, which is particularly useful if the predetermined blocking orientation corresponds to a standard filling orientation, in particular when the valve is upright. The retaining means (3) can be of various sorts and activation may be triggered in various ways, some of which will be presented in detail below. Normally, the valve of the present invention also comprises a housing (100). The stem is movable within the housing to allow the opening and the closing of the valve. The stem comprises a discharging opening (101 ) connected to a discharging channel (102), whereby the discharging channel is located on one end of the stem. The housing comprises an orifice (103). The active blocking means (2) prevents the opening of the valve when the valve is in an undesired orientation corresponding to the pre-determined orientation of the valve. The blocking means is preferably separated from the discharging opening (101 ). The blocking means may be located at the other end of the stem opposed to the discharging channel (102). In the embodiment of Figure 2a, the retaining means (3) is in the form of a "bump" which is a moulded detail, the bump preventing the blocking means , in this case a ball, from going active. Indeed, the stem can be translated, independently from the orientation of the valve. In this particular example, activation is triggered by sufficient shaking action. This is a very convenient way for triggering the activation because shaking of the valve usually takes place during filling. This means that in this case, the blocking means is firstly in the inactive state (2'), the valve upright, so that the stem can be depressed and filling can take place, for example through any or all of the filling paths described in Figure 1. At the same time, the blocking means becomes active by means of the shaking which occurs because of the filling, so that the stem will be blocked in translation when in the pre-determined orientation as soon as it is released after the filling process. This example clearly illustrate the possibility now offered for filling a blocking stem valve when the valve is in the predetermined orientation, possibility which is very advantageous when the pre-determined orientation is a standard filling orientation such as the upright orientation. Another embodiment of the valve of the invention is presented in Figures 3a,b, whereby the retaining means (3) is in the form of a rubber slip ring. Initially, the rubber ring holds the blocking means, in this case a ball, so that the blocking means is inactive (2'). In this embodiment, the blocking means is activated when the stem is translated down, so that it pushes the rubber slip at the bottom of the cavity in which the blocking means is now free to move and active (2). It should be noted that use of such a retaining means (3) implies irreversible activation of the blocking means. In this case, activation is triggered by pushing down the stem, which is particularly appropriate because the stem is normally pushed down during filling with gaseous propellant, so that the propellant could flow in the normal path (4). Consequently, such a valve is very adequate for use in the process of the invention. An other embodiment of the valve of the invention is presented in Figures 4a,b, whereby the retaining means is composed of a plastic slip ring (3) and of moulded details (3') allowing to hold the plastic ring which holds itself the blocking means in the inactive state (2'). Again, activation is triggered by pressing onto the stem of the valve, and extra moulded details (3') are provided to hold the plastic slip ring away once the blocking means has been activated (2). Yet another embodiment of the valve of the invention is presented in Figures 5a,b, whereby the retaining means (3) is formed of a collapsible needle made of plastic. The needle prevents the blocking means from being active before it is collapsed. The needle is collapsed by lowering the stem, which presses the blocking means onto the needle. Once the blocking means is activated (2), the retaining means (3) is irreversibly non-functional, as the needle cannot be straighten back and consequently, the retaining means (3) cannot prevent the blocking means from being active after the activation. In this case, activation is triggered by lowering the stem. Again, this lowering action usually takes place during filling of the valve with propellant by the normal path (4), so that this valve is particularly appropriate to using the process described in the invention. Indeed, it is an object of the present invention to introduce a blocking stem valve which can be filled in the blocking direction and to introduce an ecological blocking stem valve which can be filled economically. In Figures 6a, b a further embodiment of a valve according to the invention is presented. In this case, the retaining means (3) is formed of an adhesive material which holds the blocking means up in the stem, the blocking means being a ball. Consequently, the blocking means is not active (2'). Activation is triggered by shaking the valve, so that the ball drops and is not retained anymore by the retaining means (3). Consequently, the blocking means becomes active (2). Another embodiment of a valve according to the present invention is proposed in Figures 7a,b, whereby the blocking means is prevented from being active (2') by the lower part of the stem (11 ). Indeed, the stem is retaining the ball from falling down into blocking position. Consequently, the stem can be lowered when the valve is in the blocking position, so that the normal path (4) can be opened. This normal path (4) can be used for filling. Once filled, the pressure within the container is normally higher, which causes the stem to press onto the upper gasket (7). This means that the stem (1 ) is raised slightly more than prior filling. This slight translation of the stem allows the blocking means to fall down and become active (2). In this case, the activation is triggered by an increase in pressure in the valve, which makes this valve very appropriate for using in the process of the invention because pressure increases during filling. A good control of the compression of the gasket (7) during crimping of the valve onto the container is recommended for obtaining a successful activation. An other preferred embodiment of the valve of the present invention is presented in Figures 8 a,b,c,d. In this case, the retaining means (3) is composed of a moulded detail within the stem, and of a special conformation of the bottom part (105) of the valve whereby the bottom part (105) of the valve spreads the inside of the stem when the stem is lowered (1'). Spreading can be made easier by making the base of the stem (106) from different segments instead of a complete cylinder. Consequently, the blocking means can be released (2") and become active (2) when the stem is lowered. Again, activation is triggered by lowering the stem. Yet another embodiment of a valve according to the present invention is presented in Figure 9,a,b, whereby the retaining means (3) is formed of a moulded undercut in the stem and in the housing. Adhesives or other fixatives may also be used. The retaining means (3) is holding the stem in lowered position (1'), so that the normal path (4) is opened in any orientation of the valve, so that the blocking means is not active (2'). In this case, the activation is triggered by pulling the stem up. This pulling action can be provided by the filling head, whereby the filling head grabs the stem and pulls it past the undercut once filling is accomplished, in such a manner that the blocking means becomes active (2) as the ball is falling into the housing. The embodiments of the valves presented have a blocking orientation in the upward direction but this is not limiting the invention because such configurations could be adapted to other blocking orientations. However, such valves are most useful when the blocking orientation is in the upward direction because this direction normally corresponds to a standard filling orientation. For example, the valve may be blocked when it is completely upright only, or it may be blocked in any position except in the downright orientation.

Claims: Claims : 1. A process, the process comprising the step of filling a container, the container comprising a valve, whereby the valve comprises a stem and a blocking means and the blocking means prevents at least partially a translation of the stem of the valve after the filling step when the valve is in a pre-determined orientation, the process being characterised in that the valve is in the pre-determined orientation during the filling step. 2. The process of claim 1 , whereby the valve is filled with propellant during the filling step. 3. The process of claim 2, whereby the propellant is a gaseous propellant. 4. The process of claim 1 , whereby the valve comprises a normal path and an auxiliary path between the outside of the container and the inside of the container. 5. The process of claim 4, whereby the container is filled through an auxiliary path of the valve. 6. The process of claim 4, whereby the stem can be translated sufficiently to open the auxiliary path without opening the normal path (4). 7. The process of claim 1 , whereby the blocking means is at least partially made of a ferromagnetic material, the blocking means being prevented from being active during filling because of a magnetic interaction. 8. The process of claim 1 , whereby the stem is translated up to opening of the valve prior to and during the filling step by preventing the blocking means to be active by means of moving. 9. A valve comprising a blocking means and a stem, characterised in that the blocking means is activated (2") from an inactive state (2') to an active state (2), the active blocking means (2) preventing at least partially a translation of the stem of the valve when the valve is in a predetermined orientation, and the valve further comprises a retaining means (3), whereby the retaining means (3) prevents the blocking means from being in the active state (2) prior to activation (2"). 10. A valve as in claim 9, whereby the retaining means (3) comprises a moulded detail (3').

Inventors: DEFLANDER JOSEPH FERNAND, ODER RUEBEN EARL III, ROGERS NEIL JOHN, VAN WONTERGHEM LUCRESSE, DEFLANDER, JOSEPH, FERNAND, ODER, RUEBEN, EARL, III, ROGERS, NEIL, JOHN, VAN WONTERGHEM, LUCRESSE
Applicants: DEFLANDER JOSEPH FERNAND, ODER RUEBEN EARL III, PROCTER & GAMBLE, ROGERS NEIL JOHN, WONTERGHEM LUCRESSE VAN, DEFLANDER, JOSEPH, FERNAND, ODER, RUEBEN, EARL, III, ROGERS, NEIL, JOHN, THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY, VAN WONTERGHEM, LUCRESSE
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B65D83
IPC codes: B65D83