1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve for dispensing a product, intended to equip a dispenser comprising a container capable of containing a liquid stored under pressure under the action of a propellant gas. The invention also relates to a dispenser equipped with such a valve. This dispenser is more particularly intended for the packaging and dispensing of a fluid product, such as a cosmetic, dermatological, household, food or industrial product, such as, for example, a hair lacquer, a disinfectant spray, a paint or a cleaning product.
2. Description of the Related Art
The valve of the invention equipping this dispenser is of the type which comprises a manipulating stem disposed axially in a valve body. The manipulating stem has a passage for the product to be dispensed. The valve comprises sealing means capable of closing the passage, the manipulating stem being capable of being elastically displaced by the lateral pivoting of this stem in the valve body between a first position of obturating the passage where the stem is in the axial position, in which first position the passage is separated from the pressurized product by the sealing means, and a second open position where the stem is inclined relative to the axis of the valve body, in which second position the said passage communicates with the pressurized product, to allow the dispensing of the product. The valve comprises, moreover, nonmetallic biasing means urging the stem into first position. Moreover, the opening of the valve can also be produced axially by an axial depression, which is advantageous for the filling of the container on a packaging assembly line.
A valve is known, for example from French Patent No. 2 161 350, which comprises a manipulating stem disposed in a valve body formed of an elastomeric material. The actuation of this valve is effected by the axial depression of the manipulating stem against elastic biasing means. These means are constituted by a part of the valve body bearing against the stem. According to the French Patent No. 2 161 350, the valve is designed to be actuated by the axial depression of the stem.
A valve is, moreover, known which can be actuated by a lateral pivoting of the manipulating stem. Thus U.S. Pat. No 3,627,179 describes a pivoting valve comprising a stem provided with a sealing crown and acted on by elastic biasing means. The crown is in leakproof contact with an attached annular gasket made of an elastomer. A metal cup is provided to join the gasket to a valve body. The elastic biasing means are obtained by a bottom of the valve body of a small thickness so that, during the lateral pivoting of the stem, the crown elastically deforms the bottom.
This valve has the following drawbacks: during repeated actuations of the valve, there is the risk that the bottom will break, which will produce the uncontrolled dispersion of the whole contents into the atmosphere. Moreover, the actuating force necessary for the dispensing of the product is not constant. Rather, due to the variation of the internal pressure of the dispenser, this actuating force is also variable.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds