Valve for Aerosol Container

Abstract

A valve for an aerosol container suitable for use in dispersing a quantity of the contents thereof is disclosed. The valve components comprise a fluorinated polymer and/or a fluorinated coating which have been found to reduce drug deposition in the valve.

1 - 20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . A method for manufacturing a valve adapted for dispensing an aerosol formulation from an aerosol container, said method comprising the steps of: 
 providing as component parts of the valve a valve body, a sleeve having an upper opening and a lower opening, a valve stem provided with transfer and dispensing passages, and upper and lower stem seals, and    assembling the components parts to form the valve such that: 
 the valve stem is mounted for sliding movement and extends through the sleeve via its open ends to define an annular metering chamber between the valve stem and the sleeve which is configured to contain a metered amount of the aerosol formulation for dispensing by the valve,  
 the upper and lower stem seals are respectively disposed at the upper and lower open ends of the sleeve with the valve stem in sealing slidably engagement with the seals, and  
 the valve stem is slidably between: 
 a rest position, in which the transfer passage of the valve stem is disposed in fluid communication with the metering chamber, to enable a metered amount of the aerosol formulation to pass from the container into the metering chamber, and the dispensing passage of the valve stem is not in fluid communication with the metering chamber, and  
 a dispensing position, in which the transfer passage is not in fluid communication with the metering chamber and the dispensing passage is in fluid communication with the metering chamber to enable the metered amount of the aerosol formulation in the metering chamber to be dispensed from the metering chamber;  
 
 wherein the sleeve is moulded from a plastics material which is a mixture of a fluorinated polymer and a non-fluorinated polymer; and wherein the surface of the sleeve which, in use, is in contact with the aerosol formulation in the metering chamber is not coated with a fluorinated material.  
   
   
   
       22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the fluorinated polymer is selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylfluoride (PVF) and polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE).  
   
   
       23 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the non-fluorinated polymer is selected from the group consisting of acetal and polyester.  
   
   
       24 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the plastics material comprises at least 5% by weight fluorinated polymer.  
   
   
       25 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the mixture is polytetrafluoroethylene and acetal.  
   
   
       26 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the mixture comprises at least 5% by weight of polytetrafluoroethylene.