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A metering valve assembly comprising a ferrule and a valve housing defining an internal cavity. The valve housing accommodates an annular flange and a compression spring therein with a valve gasket closing the internal cavity. The valve housing is attached to the ferrule such that a stem portion of

A metering valve assembly comprising a ferrule and a valve housing defining an internal cavity. The valve housing accommodates an annular flange and a compression spring therein with a valve gasket closing the internal cavity. The valve housing is attached to the ferrule such that a stem portion of the valve stem protrudes through apertures provided in both the valve gasket and the ferrule. A stem portion has a discharge passageway which is normally closed by the valve gasket. Either an undersurface of the annular flange or a mating surface of the valve housing is provided with a compressible sealing member while the other is provided with an annular edge. The compressible sealing member and the annular edge form a seal therebetween, when the valve stem is sufficiently depressed, to partition the interior cavity into a metering chamber and a separate filling chamber whereby product may only be dispensed solely from the metering chamber when a product flow path is established.

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1. 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 clo

1. 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 central passageway formed therein communicating with a dispensing outlet of the metering valve assembly, and an opposite end of the central 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 protruding axially therefrom and the compressible sealing member and the annular edge, when the valve stem is sufficiently depressed, engage with one another to 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. 2. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein a first end of a dip tube is coupled to the inlet of the valve housing to facilitate conveying product from an aerosol container into the interior cavity of the valve housing and the annular edge protrudes axially from one of the undersurface of the valve stem and the mating surface of the valve housing by at least about 1/16 of an inch.3. The metering chamber according to claim 1, wherein an actuator is attached to a remote end of the valve stem to facilitate dispensing of the product from the dispensing outlet of the metering valve assembly.4. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the compressible sealing member has a diameter of between about 0.20 of an inch and about 0.30 of an inch and has a thickness of between 0.045 of an inch and 0.070 of an inch and, when the valve stem is depressed toward a base of the valve housing, the annular edge engages with and axially compresses the compressible sealing member and reduces a axial thickness of the compressible sealing member.5. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the annular edge has a diameter of between about 0.18 of an inch and about 0.25 of an inch and has a height of between about 1/32 of an inch and about 1/16 of an inch and a lower portion of the metering chamber is concentric and surrounds an upper portion of the filling chamber, and the diameter of the annular edge is smaller than a diameter of the compressible sealing member.6. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the metering chamber defines volume between 30 microliters and 300 microliters and, when the valve stem is sufficiently depressed, an inwardly facing surface of the annular edge faces and communicates with the filling chamber and an outwardly facing surface of the annular edge faces and communicates with the metering chamber.7. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radial passageway is sealed by the valve gasket until the valve stem of the metering valve assembly is in its open position whereby the valve gasket only allows product to flow into the at least one radial passageway once the compressible sealing member and the annular edge partition the interior cavity into the metering chamber and the filling chamber.8. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the compressible sealing member is sealingly compressed prior to any product being dispensed from the metering chamber through the at least one radial passageway and out the discharge outlet of the metering valve assembly to prevent inadvertent throttling of the metering valve assembly.9. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, in combination with a container having an opening therein, and the ferrule gasket sealingly engages with the opening of the container to form a fluid tight seal, between the ferrule and the opening of the container, and form an aerosol container.10. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein a base wall of the valve housing has the inlet formed therein, and a first end of a dip tube is received by the inlet, and the dip tube facilitates conveying the product to be dispensed into the interior cavity of the valve housing.11. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the annular flange has an annular rib and the spring normally biases the annular rib of the annular flange into sealing engagement with the valve gasket to provide a fluid tight seal therebetween and maintain the metering valve assembly in a normally closed position.12. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the metering valve assembly further includes an actuator button having a product inlet which receives and fits over an exterior surface of the stem portion of the valve stem, and the product inlet communicates with the dispensing outlet via the at least one radial passageway, andan annular wall supports and spaces the annular edge axially from one of the undersurface of the valve stem and the mating surface of the valve housing. 13. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radial passageway has a cross-sectional dimension of between about 0.011 and 0.040 inches, and the annular edge and the compressible sealing member are both located between the annular flange of the valve stem and a base of the valve housing, and upon initial actuation of the metering valve assembly, the annular flange is moved toward the base of the valve housing so that the annular edge initially engages with and initially axially compresses an annular area of the compressible sealing member, and, upon further actuation of the metering valve assembly so as to establish product flow between the metering chamber and the dispensing outlet, the annular edge further axially compresses the same annular area of the compressible sealing member.14. 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. 15. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the compressible sealing member is manufactured from one of rubber, an elastomeric material, a gasket material and a seal material and the annular edge protrudes axially from one of the undersurface of the valve stem and the mating surface of the valve housing by a distance of between about 1/32 and about 1/16 of an inch.16. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the through hole has three generally flat surfaces and three sections, the three generally flat surfaces of the ferrule gasket compressively engage with an exterior surface of the valve housing to fasten the ferrule gasket thereto while the three sections of the through hole remain spaced from the valve housing to form three spaced apart product flow passageways between the ferrule gasket and the valve housing to facilitate passage of a desired propellent and product to be dispensed during the conventional filling process.17. The metering valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein one of the annular flange and a side wall of the valve housing includes a component which ensures that the compressible sealing member, during compression thereof by the valve stem, is prevented from completely sealing with the valve housing during depression of the valve stem.18. 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. 19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the steps of integrally molding the compressible sealing member with the undersurface of the annular flange of the valve stem during a second step of the molding process; andforming the through hole with three generally flat surfaces and three sections, the three generally flat surfaces of the ferrule gasket compressively engage with an exterior surface of the valve housing to fasten the ferrule gasket thereto while the three sections of the through hole remain spaced from the valve housing to form three spaced apart product flow passageways between the ferrule gasket and the valve housing to facilitate passage of a desired propellent and product to be dispensed during the filling process. 20. The valve assembly combination according to claim 1, wherein the annular wall supports and spaces the annular edge axially from one of the undersurface of the valve stem and the mating surface of the valve housing.