Abstract:
An apparatus for dispensing material from a collapsible tube of the present invention includes a pair of pinch rollers adapted to squeeze the tube from its tile to its nose and clamping means for stabilizing the tile as the rollers are moved away from the tile toward the nose. According to one embodiment, the tile is grasped by a vise which is fastened with a screw. According to another embodiment, the tile is held between a slot and a plank under the action of a cam lever. In both embodiments, the pinch rollers are preferably spring biased and carried on a lead screw driven carriage which is advanced from the tile toward the nose by rotating a knob or turning a crank.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates to apparatus for dispensing material from a package. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing paste materials from a collapsible tube.  
           [0003]    2. State of the Art  
           [0004]    Since toothpaste was first sold in a tube, people have concerned themselves with improving the manner in which toothpaste is dispensed from the tube. These efforts have focused on economy, aesthetics, and ease of use.  
           [0005]    With regard to economy, the concern has been to find a way to collapse the tube of toothpaste in a progressive manner such that all of the toothpaste is squeezed out of the tube before the tube is discarded and replaced. Over time, the consumer will save money by purchasing fewer tubes of toothpaste. It is estimated that as much as 10%-15% of the contents of a toothpaste tube are never dispensed.  
           [0006]    With regard to aesthetics, it has been plainly observed that a partially depleted tube of toothpaste resembles a disfigured caricature of its former self. A wrinkled, twisted, and/or partially rolled tube gives the appearance of being unkempt if not unhygienic.  
           [0007]    With regard to ease of use, unless the toothpaste tube is depleted carefully, it soon becomes unmanageable. Even when the tube still contains a substantial quantity of toothpaste, it may be difficult to dispense the toothpaste if the tube is severely deformed. This is particularly so in the case of persons having diminished manual dexterity such as small children and those afflicted with arthritis or similar maladies.  
           [0008]    Throughout the years many products other than toothpaste have been sold in similar “squeeze tube” containers and it has become known to purchasers of these products that they present the same or similar problems as those presented by toothpaste tubes. It may be noted that some products present special problems which do not necessarily afflict toothpaste tubes. Some products, such as denture creme, for example, become quite viscous when chilled even a relatively small amount. As those living in cold climates will have experienced, dispensing denture creme on a winter morning can present an unwelcome challenge.  
           [0009]    For more than seventy years inventors have concerned themselves with these problems and have offered numerous solutions. For example, as early as 1930, P. H. D. Winsor proposed a toothpaste tube squeezing device in U.S. Pat. No. 1,842,000. According to Winsor, the primary object of his invention was to provide “a device for dispensing the contents of a collapsible container in an economical, convenient, and sanitary manner.” Following Winsor&#39;s lead, P. F. Roache disclosed, in 1936, a shaving cream and toothpaste dispenser which is described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,085,673. Back then Roache said that he aimed to provide “a simple and inexpensive device” which will “afford a fixed sanitary support for a collapsible container to prevent the misplacement of the latter and which may be easily and quickly actuated to first open the collapsible container and then discharge therefrom a desired amount of its contents and automatically close the container when manually released to prevent evaporation of the contents and contamination by foreign matter.” Thus, Roache recognized and addressed additional toothpaste issues, namely the commonly known spousal complaint of the misplaced toothpaste cap and the non-so-commonly known problem of the misplaced toothpaste tube.  
           [0010]    Nearly half a century later, the problems associated with toothpaste tubes were still considered to be largely unsolved. In 1982, Edwin B. Wolfe filed an application for a “toothpaste extractor” which ultimately issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,242. Whereas many efforts which preceded Wolfe&#39;s involved manually operated devices, Wolfe&#39;s invention was, among other things, “electrically operated”. In its broadest claimed incarnation, it included no fewer than four switches. One of the more interesting features of Wolfe&#39;s device was that it held multiple toothpaste tubes which allowed “the family that has the need to use several types of paste to accomplish this need without any inconvenience, requiring only the push of a button and the turn of a knob.” 
           [0011]    Contemporaneous with Wolfe&#39;s efforts, Carl A. Wright recognized the need for a toothpaste dispenser which was “very convenient to use”, “easy to load”, and “easy to maintain”. Wright&#39;s “relatively minimalist” approach to a “dispenser for a collapsible tube” is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,763 which issued in 1986.  
           [0012]    Although all of the above described devices are structurally distinguishable, all have the significant similarity that all provide a pair of spaced apart rollers which are disposed to squeeze the tube from the “tile” of the tube to the “nose” of the tube. As used herein, the term “tile” is used to indicate the crimped or welded end of the tube farthest from the dispensing opening and “nose” is used to generally describe the end out of which toothpaste is released.  
           [0013]    It is the opinion of the inventor herein that all of these previous devices fail miserably to solve the primary problems of economically dispensing as much toothpaste as possible before discarding the tube and easing the awkward task of dispensing paste from a partially depleted tube, particularly in cold weather. In deference to these primary problems, the inventor has realized something which has not been realized in nearly a century of effort, i.e., that in order to effectively dispense paste from a tube using a roller device, it is necessary to stabilize the tile portion of the tube.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for dispensing material from a collapsible tube which nearly completely empties the tube of its contents.  
           [0015]    It is also an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for dispensing paste materials from a collapsible tube which eliminates the need to manually handle misshapen partially depleted tubes.  
           [0016]    It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for dispensing material from a collapsible tube which facilitates dispensing tube contents when operated by a person having diminished manual dexterity.  
           [0017]    It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for dispensing material from a collapsible tube which facilitates dispensing viscous tube contents.  
           [0018]    Another object of the invention is to provide an economical, simple, and reliable design for an apparatus which dispenses paste from a collapsible tube.  
           [0019]    In accord with these objects which will be discussed in detail below, the apparatus for dispensing material from a collapsible tube of the present invention includes a pair of pinch rollers adapted to squeeze the tube from its tile to its nose and clamping means for stabilizing the tile as the rollers are moved away from the tile toward the nose. According to one embodiment, the tile is grasped by a vise which is fastened with a screw. According to another embodiment, the tile is held between a slot and a plank under the action of a cam lever. In both embodiments, the pinch rollers are preferably spring biased and carried on a screw driven carriage which is advanced from the tile to the nose by rotating a knob or turning a crank.  
           [0020]    Although the invention is described with reference to toothpaste and similar personal hygiene materials, it may have application in dispensing other materials (e.g. epoxy, silicons, various medications, etc.) from similar types of tubes. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 is a rear end view of the first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a section taken along line A-A in FIG. 1;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 is a section taken along line B-B of FIG. 4; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 7 is a section taken along line C-C of FIG. 4. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]    Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, a first embodiment of a dispenser  10  according to the invention includes a base  12  which is formed as a guiding channel, a front plate  14  defining a U-shaped opening  16  for the nose of a tube (shown in phantom in FIG. 1) and a rear plate  18  defining an opening  20  for the tile of the tube. A clamping bar  22  is located in the opening  20  and is engaged by a clamping screw  24  which extends into the opening  20 . A lead screw  26  is mounted between the front plate  14  and the rear plate  18  and is provided with a drive knob  28 . A carriage  30  carrying a pair of pinch rollers  32 ,  34  and having an internal thread  35  is mounted on the lead screw  26  and sits loosely in the guiding base  12 . One of the rollers  32  is spring biased toward the other by a flat spring  36  and is provided with a knob  38 .  
         [0029]    The lead screw  26  has reduced diameter unthreaded ends  43 ,  44 . Unthreaded end  43  is captured by an opening  47  in the front plate  14 , while the unthreaded end  44  is captured in an opening  49  in the rear plate  18 . Because the threaded portion of the lead screw has a larger diameter than the unthreaded end  44 , the lead screw cannot be pulled by knob  28  through the opening  49  in the rear plate  18 . The unthreaded end  44  is captured by the drive knob  28  via use of a set screw  52 . In order to capture the lead screw  26 , the front plate  14  and/or the rear plate  18  can be formed separately from the base  12  and coupled together by screws, bolts, welding, or otherwise. Alternatively, the base  12 , front plate  14 , and rear plate  18 , can be formed as an integral unit, and a plug (not shown) can be used in the front plate to capture the lead screw.  
         [0030]    The apparatus  10  operates as follows. The tile of the tube is inserted through the pinch rollers  32 ,  34  with the aid of the knob  38 , into the space  20  between the clamping bar  22  and the rear plate  18  and is clamped in place by tightening the clamping screw  24 . The nose of the tube is inserted into the U-shaped opening  16  of the front plate  14  and the cap (not shown) is removed from the nose. Rotation of the knob  28  in a first direction causes the lead screw  26  to rotate, thereby driving the carriage  30  with the pinch rollers  32 ,  34  (and guided by guiding base  12 ) toward the nose. As a result, the pinch rollers  32 ,  34  squeeze the tube and force paste to be dispensed through the nose of the tube. Eventually, after many uses, the carriage  30  and rollers  32 ,  34  will move adjacent the front plate (rollers shown in phantom). The spent tube may then be removed from the dispenser  10  by: rotating the knob  28  in an opposite direction (preferably, while holding the nose of the tube or a cap attached thereto) until the carriage  30  assumes its original position, loosening the clamping screw  24 , removing the tile from between the clamping bar  22  and the rear plate  18 , the tube from between the rollers  32 ,  34  of carriage  30  (using knob  38  if necessary), and lifting the tube out of the dispenser  10 . A new tube of paste may then be placed into the dispenser by: inserting the tile of the new tube through the pinch rollers  32 ,  34  (with the aid of the knob  38 ) into the space  20  between the clamping bar  22  and the rear plate  18 , clamping the tile in place by tightening the clamping screw  24 , and inserting the nose of the tube into the U-shaped opening  16  of the front plate  14 .  
         [0031]    Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 7, a second and presently preferred embodiment of a dispenser  110  according to the invention includes a base  112  which is formed as a guiding channel, a front plate  114  defining a U-shaped opening  116  for the nose of a tube (shown in phantom in FIGS. 4 and 5) and a rear plate  118  defining an opening  120  having a slot  121  for the tile of the tube. A clamping bar (plank)  122  is located in the opening  120  and is engaged by a cam lever  124  which extends into the opening  120 . A lead screw  126  is mounted between the front plate  114  and the rear plate  118  and is provided with a drive knob  128  and a crank handle  129 . A carriage  130  carrying a pair of pinch rollers  132 ,  134 , and having an internal thread  135  is mounted on the lead screw  126  and sits loosely in the base  112 . A cam lock  136  is located above the roller  132  and is movable from an open position where rollers  132 ,  134  are spaced apart from each other to a closed position where the rollers are moved close together.  
         [0032]    The lead screw  126  has reduced diameter unthreaded ends  143 ,  144 . Unthreaded end  143  is captured by an opening  147  in the front plate  114 , while the unthreaded end  144  is captured in an opening  149  in the rear plate  118 . The unthreaded end  144  is captured by the crank handle  129  and/or by the knob  128  via use of a one or more set screws  152 . Typically, both the front plate  114  and the rear plate  118  will be formed from two pieces and coupled together by screws, bolts, welding, gluing, or otherwise.  
         [0033]    The apparatus  110  operates as follows. The cam lever  124  and the cam lock  136  are opened. The tile of the tube is inserted through the pinch rollers  132 ,  134  into the space  120  between the clamping bar  122  and the slot  121  and is clamped in place by closing the clamping bar  124 . The cam lock  136  is also closed. The nose of the tube is inserted into the U-shaped opening  116  of the front plate  114  and the cap (not shown) is removed from the nose. Rotation of the knob  128  (or turning the crank  129 ) causes the lead screw  126  to rotate, thereby driving the carriage  130  toward the nose, moving the pinch rollers and causing paste to be dispensed. Eventually, after many uses, the carriage  130  and rollers  132 ,  134  will move adjacent the front plate (as shown in phantom in FIG. 4). The spent tube may then be removed from the dispenser  110  by: opening the cam lock  136  to release the pinch rollers  132 ,  134 , rotating the knob  128  or crank  129  in an opposite direction until the carriage  130  assumes its original position, opening the cam lever  124 , removing the tile from between the clamping bar  122  and the rear plate  118  and the tube from between the rollers  132 ,  134  of carriage  130 , and lifting the tube out of the dispenser  110 . A new tube of paste may then be placed into the dispenser in the same manner as previously described with reference to FIGS.  4 - 7 .  
         [0034]    There have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of an apparatus for dispensing material from a collapsible tube. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Thus, while a screw activated clamp and a cam activated clamp were described as means for grasping or stabilizing the tile, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other mechanisms could be utilized, including, without limitation screws or cams which directly contact the tile, pairs of jaws which close from two directions, etc. Also, while a particular lead screw mechanism was described as the preferred means of driving the carriage, other mechanisms could be utilized including, without limitation different types of gears, electromechanical devices, etc. Where electromechanical devices are utilized, instead of utilizing knobs or cranks to operate the drive mechanism, the closing of an electrical circuit (e.g., via a button) can be utilized. Further, while a particular pinch roller arrangement was described as the preferred means for squeezing the tube, it will be appreciated that other mechanisms including, without limitation, wedges or blocks could be utilized. In addition, while particular arrangements of a front plate, a rear plate, and a guiding base have been described and shown, it will be appreciated that these elements may assume many different forms, and may be coupled together in many different manners. Furthermore, while the invention was described with reference to toothpaste and similar personal hygiene materials, it may have application in dispensing other hygienic materials (e.g., cremes, gels, etc.) or materials not related to hygiene (e.g. epoxy, silicons, various medications, etc.) from similar types of tubes. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as so claimed.