Abstract:
A roller apparatus for dispensing the contents of a flexible tube may include a housing, a shaft and a cap. The shaft being positioned in the housing and mounted to thereto by rotation in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The shaft may then be enclosed in the housing by placement of a cap on the housing that also functions to engage an end of the shaft. Following insertion of the sealed end of a flexible tube though openings in the housing and the shaft, the tube is taken up into the housing by further rotation of the cap, and thus the shaft. To remove the tube, the cap may be counter rotated to release the shaft (and the tube now wrapped around the shaft) from the housing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     A roller apparatus is disclosed that may be used for dispensing material from a flexible walled tube. The roller apparatus may, for example, be configured to dispense toothpaste from its tube. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Since the creation of the flexible walled tube, their have been some that have had a need to squeeze the last possible drop of material from each tube. To assist with this goal, in 1928 E. L. Rostier received U.S. Pat. No. 1,770,946, which disclosed a key for collapsible folding tubes. Then in 1950, A. A. F. Kruger was issued U.S. Pat. No. 2,531,060 for an adapter for collapsible tube winding. Kruger&#39;s adapter included a housing into which an associated winding key (fitted to the end of a flexible tube) could be inserted and easily rotated. In 2001, Liberatore received U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,618 for a roll-up tube dispenser with shell housing. In Liberatore, the adapter like housing had a clam-shell design that allowed a key to be easily inserted into the housing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A roller apparatus that may be used for efficiently dispensing the contents of a flexible tube may include a housing, a shaft and a cap. The housing may be a tubular shaped housing having a wall, an open first end, and a second end. The wall of the housing may define an open interior space and include a channel that extends through the wall and runs from the first end longitudinally along the housing toward the second end. This channel may be dimensioned to receive a sealed end of a flexible tube. The second end of the housing may include an aperture having a threaded wall. 
     The shaft of the apparatus may define an opening that extends longitudinally along the body of the shaft. The opening of the shaft may be aligned with the channel of the housing when the shaft is positioned in the housing, and dimensioned to receive the sealed end of the flexible tube. The shaft may also include one end having a pin and an opposite end having a base, and a post extending from the base. The post may include an unthreaded portion proximate the base and an unthreaded portion. 
     The cap of the apparatus may be configured to be rotatably mounted on the first end of the housing and operate to engage the pin of the shaft. The cap may thus function to assist in retaining the shaft within the housing and allow a user may rotate the shaft by rotation of the cap. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference will be made herein to the associated drawings wherein like reference numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a roller apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing an end of a flexible tube and other elements in phantom; 
         FIG. 2  is a exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the roller apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a planar side, partial cutaway, view of the embodiment of the roller apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4 . is a further perspective view of the embodiment of the roller apparatus shown in  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 5  is a planar view of one side of the embodiment of the roller apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a planar view of an opposite side of the embodiment of the roller apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a planar view of one end of the embodiment of the roller apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a planar view of an opposite end of the embodiment of the roller apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1-8 , a roller apparatus  10  for a flexible tube  100  may include a housing  12 , a shaft  14  and a cap  16 . The roller apparatus  10  may be configured to allow the flexible tube  100  to be manually reeled in or taken up into the housing  12 —starting with a sealed end of the tube  100 —to assist a user in efficiently dispensing material from the tube  100 . 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , the housing  12  may have a generally tubular shape or construction that may included a wall  18 , a first end  20 , and a second end  22 . The wall  18  may define an open interior space  24  for the housing  12  and further define a channel  26  that extends from the first end  20  (so that an end  28  of the channel  26  is open) to proximate the second end  22 . Also, as will be explained further below, the channel  26  may be dimensioned to receive the sealed end of a flexible tube  100 . 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , the first end  20  may be open to permit access into the open interior space  24  of the housing  12 . The second end  22  may include a recess  30  defined on an exterior face  32  of the second end  22  and a support  34  positioned on a floor  36  (e.g., a raised portion of the floor  36 ) of the interior  24  of housing  12 . An aperture  38  may also be defined through the recess  30  and support  34 , with the aperture  38 , support  34  and recess  30  each being aligned with and/or be concentric to a longitudinal axis (not shown) of the housing  12 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , a face or wall  40  of the aperture  38  may include one or more threads  42  that, as will be discussed below, may be engaged by the shaft  14 . 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , the housing  12  may be molded or milled from polymer materials known in the art. Additionally, in the disclosed embodiment the housing  12  is illustrated as having cylindrical construction. It will be appreciated, however, that the housing  12  may also be constructed in a square, rectangular, oval, polygonal (e.g., hexagonal, pentagonal) design. 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , and as best shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the shaft  14  may define an longitudinally extending aperture or opening  44  and include including a pin  46  at one end  48 , with a base  50  and post  52  at an opposite end  54 . The aperture  44  of the shaft  14 , like the channel  26  of the housing  12 , may be dimensioned to receive the sealed end of the flexible tube  100 . And, to that end, when the shaft  14  is positioned within the housing  12  it will be appreciated that the aperture  44  of the shaft  14  may be aligned with the channel  26  to receive the end of the tube  100 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the aperture  44  of the shaft  14  may also include a serrated portion  56 . In operation, this serrated portion  56  may function to grip the sealed end of the flexible tube  100  to better allow the shaft  14  to “reel-in” the tube  100 . 
     Looking now at  FIGS. 1-3 , the pin  46  of the shaft  14  may extend axially from the one end  48  of the shaft  14 . The pin  46  may function to allow the shaft  14  to engage and be rotated by the cap  16 . And, as best shown in  FIG. 3 , the base  50  of the shaft  14  may rest on the support  34  have a circular or “disk-like” construction with a diameter that is less than an inside diameter of the interior  24  of the housing  12 . Further, it will be appreciated that a base  50  with sufficient predetermined diameter may function to stop the shaft  14  from passing through the aperture  38  at the second end  22  and center the shaft  14  within the housing  12  interior  24 . Centering of the shaft  14  within the housing  12  allows the portion of the shaft  14  including the shaft aperture  38  to be spaced from an interior face  58  of the wall  18  (and thereby create room with the interior  24  for up-take of the flexible tube  100 , see  FIG. 1 ). 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the post  52  may axially extend from the base  50  and include an unthreaded portion  60  proximate the base  50  and a threaded portion  62 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the distance between the threaded portion  62  and the base  50  may be larger than a distance from a top  64  of the support  34  to a floor  66  of the recess  30  of the second end  22 . As a result, the shaft  14  may be mounted to the housing  12  by threading the post  52  through the aperture  38  at the second end  22  of the housing until the threaded portion  62  extends into the recess  30 . When in this orientation, it will be appreciated that the shaft  14  may be further rotated in the first direction and remain in the housing  12 , but rotation in a second direction permits the threaded portion  62  to reengage the aperture wall  40  and allow the shaft  14  to be backed out from the housing (e.g., removed). 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-8 , the shaft  14  may be molded or milled from polymer materials known in the art. Additionally, in the disclosed embodiment the shaft  14  is illustrated as having cylindrical construction. It will be appreciated, however, that the shaft  14  may also be constructed in a square, rectangular, oval, polygonal (e.g., hexagonal, pentagonal) design. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-5  and  7 , the cap  16  may be configured to be rotatably mounted on the first end  20  of the housing  12  and include an exterior wall  68  and an interior wall  70 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the exterior wall  68  may be configured to removably engage the first end  20  of the housing  12 . The interior wall  70  may define a recess  72  dimensioned to receive the end  48  of shaft  14  having the pin  46 . A top of the cap  16  and/or a floor of the recess  72  of the cap  16  may include an aperture  74  configured to receive and engage the pin  46  so that, in operation, the rotation of the cap  16  may result in rotation of the shaft  14 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6  and  8 , the cap  16  may be molded or milled from polymer materials known in the art. Additionally, in the disclosed embodiment the cap  16  is illustrated as having the general ornamental shape of a human molar. It will be appreciated, however, that the cap  16  may also be constructed in a square, rectangular, oval, polygonal (e.g., hexagonal, pentagonal) design. 
     In operation, the shaft  14  may be inserted into the housing  12  and then rotated in a first direction so that the post  52  threads through the aperture  38  in the second end  22 . The cap  16  may then be placed over the first end  20  and engage the opposite end  54  of the shaft  14 . Next, the sealed end of a flexible tube  100  may be passed through the channel  26  and into the aligned aperture  44  of the shaft  14 . Once engaged, the tube  100  may be taken up/reeled in by the shaft  14  as a result of the further rotation of the cap  14  in the first direction. To remove the tube  100  from the housing  12 , the cap  16  may be rotated in the opposite or second direction to cause the post  52  to thread back through the aperture  38  and release the shaft  14  from the housing  12 . 
     Having described an embodiment of a roller apparatus, various other embodiment will become apparent to those of skill in the art that do not depart from the scope of the invention as claimed.