Patent ID: 6401978
Filing Date: 2002-06-11
Classification: B65D

Abstract:
An apparatus for dispensing a substance from a collapsible substance containing tube, the tube having an outlet opening through which the substance is dispensed, the apparatus comprising:a housing; a slider positioned within the housing, the slider having a passage therethrough; a tube holder, comprising a first flexible member and a second flexible member spaced apart from the first flexible member, the first and second flexible members being disposed in the housing and passable through the passage in the slider, the first and second flexible members for exerting pressure on the tube; first and second slots formed in the housing, wherein the respective end of each flexible member is positionable in the respective slot; a rod for supporting the slider within the housing, the slider being movable along a length of the housing along the rod upon the rotation of the rod; a motor couplable to the rod for causing rotation of the rod; wherein the movement of the slider along the rod urges the first flexible member towards the second flexible member; whereby the urging of the first and second flexible members towards each other causes pressure to be exerted against the tube thereby collapsing the tube and pressurizing the substance therein so as to cause the dispensing of the substance out the outlet opening in the tube.