Metering valve for aerosol container

A metering valve assembly comprising:

• a ferrule having an aperture formed therein;
• a valve housing having an inlet provided in a wall thereof, the valve housing defining an internal cavity which accommodates an annular flange of a valve stem and a compression spring therein, and a valve gasket closing the internal cavity;
• the valve housing being attached to the ferrule such that a stem portion of the valve stem protrudes through an aperture provided in the valve gasket and through the aperture provided in the ferrule;
• the ferrule having a ferrule gasket for sealingly engaging with an opening of a container to form a fluid tight seal therewith, the ferrule gasket having a through hole therethrough with at least one passage being formed between the ferrule gasket and the valve housing to facilitate passage of a desired propellent and product to be dispensed during a conventional filling process;
• and
• the stem portion having a passageway formed therein communicating with a dispensing outlet of the metering valve assembly, and an opposite end of the passageway communicating with at least one radial passageway:
• and the at least one radial passageway being normally closed by the valve gasket due to the spring normally biasing the valve stem into a closed position;
• wherein one of an undersurface of the annular flange of the valve stem and a mating surface of the valve housing is provided with a compressible sealing member and the other of the undersurface of the valve stem and the mating surface of the valve housing has an annular edge, which axially extends therefrom and the compressible sealing member and the annular edge, when the valve stem is sufficiently depressed, form a seal therebetween to partition the interior cavity into a metering chamber and a separate filling chamber so that product may be dispensed only from the metering chamber when a product flow path is established between the metering chamber and the dispensing outlet of the valve stem;
• and
• the undersurface of the annular flange of the valve stem supports the compressible sealing member, and the compressible sealing member is integrally molded with the annular flange, during a second step of the molding process.

A method of metering dispensing of product through a metering valve assembly, the method comprising the steps of:

• forming an aperture in a ferrule;
• providing an inlet in a wall of a valve housing and defining, via the valve housing, an internal cavity which accommodates an annular flange of a valve stem and a compression spring therein, and closing the internal cavity with a valve gasket;
• attaching the valve housing to the ferrule such that a stem portion of the valve stem protrudes through an aperture provided in the valve gasket and through the aperture provided in the ferrule;
• providing the ferrule with a ferrule gasket for sealingly engaging with an opening of a container to form a fluid tight seal therewith, the ferrule gasket having a through hole therethrough with at least one passage being formed between the ferrule gasket and the valve housing to facilitate passage of a desired propellent and product to be dispensed during a filling process;
• forming a central passageway in the stem portion which communicates with a dispensing outlet of the metering valve assembly, while an opposite end of the central passageway communicates with at least one radial passageway;
• and normally closing the at least one radial passageway with the valve gasket due to the spring normally biasing the valve stem into a closed position;
• providing one of an undersurface of the annular flange of the valve stem and a mating surface of the valve housing with a compressible sealing member and providing the other of the undersurface of the valve stem and the mating surface of the valve housing with an annular wall supporting and spacing an annular edge axially therefrom;
• and
• forming a seal between the compressible sealing member and the annular edge by engaging the compressible sealing member with the annular edge when the valve stem is sufficiently depressed, to partition the interior cavity into a metering chamber and a separate filling chamber, so that product may be dispensed only from the metering chamber when a product flow path is established between the metering chamber and the dispensing outlet of the valve stem.