Patent ID: 8328120

Claim:
Actuator for a dispenser device for spraying contents of a receptacle that is pressurized or of a receptacle that has a pump, the actuator comprising: a channel extending from one side of the actuator, at which side the channel is connectable to a receptacle outlet for receiving the pressurized contents of the receptacle, to another side of the actuator, at which side the channel has an orifice for spraying the contents of the receptacle, and which channel includes an expandable volume chamber, which volume chamber is provided with an inlet for delivering the pressurised contents of the receptacle to the volume chamber and which volume chamber is in communication with the orifice for spraying the contents of the receptacle; a movable piston which has a piston body, part of which forms a movable volume chamber wall that is moveable between a first end position, in which the chamber is in an unexpanded condition, and a second end position, in which the chamber is in an expanded position, and wherein the volume chamber expands by moving the movable volume chamber wall out of the first end position towards the second position, and which piston body further has a pin extending from the piston body that forms a valve that closes the orifice when the piston is in the first end position and which opens the orifice when the piston is moved out of the first end position towards the second end position; biasing means which bias the piston body into the first end position; and a flexible element being mounted on a part of the piston body that is located in the volume chamber when the piston body is in the first end position, and which part is located adjacent the inlet when the piston is in the second end position, such that when the piston body is in the second end position the flexible element is located in or adjacent the inlet and reduces the size of the inlet compared to the size of the inlet when the piston body is in an intermediate position in-between the first and second end position, and thus allows a reduced flow of pressurized contents into the volume chamber compared to the flow when the piston body is positioned in an intermediate position in between the first and second end position.