Patent Publication Number: US-6991132-B1

Title: Tube substance dispenser

Description:
I. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/618,478, filed Oct. 14, 2004. 

   II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention concerns that of a dispenser which assists an individual in dispensing a substance from a squeezable tube. 
   III. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,563, issued to. Turner, discloses a combined toothpaste dispenser and toothbrush comprised of a handle for holding a tube of paste with a rotateable knob of dispensing paste through the bristles. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,977, issued to. Kuo and U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,497, issued to. Rodriguez, disclose a combination toothbrush with means to store and dispense toothpaste through the brush. 
   IV. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention concerns that of a dispenser which assists an individual in dispensing a substance from a squeezable tube. The dispenser has a bottom-located rotating wheel, that when rotating, causes a volume of material within an incorporated tube to be expelled out of the dispenser. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of a dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube in detail, it is to be understood that the dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube is capable of other embodiments and being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube which is of durable and reliable construction. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser which dispenses a substance from a squeezable tube which is economically affordable and available for relevant market segment of the purchasing public. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and appended claims. 

   
     V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a side view of the outer cylinder. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective end view of the outer cylinder. 
       FIG. 3  shows a side view of the inner cylinder. 
       FIG. 4  shows a side view of the inner pushing device. 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the inner pushing device. 
       FIG. 6  shows a side view of the nose cone. 
       FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the nose cone. 
       FIG. 8  shows a side view of a tube used with the present invention. 
       FIGS. 9 through 11  show various nozzle attachments that could be used with the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  shows a brush attachment that could be used with the present invention. 
   

   VI. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1  shows a side view of the outer cylinder  2 , while  FIG. 2  shows a perspective end view of the outer cylinder  2 . Outer cylinder  2  has two ends, a front end and a rear end, with both ends being open. Outer cylinder  2  also has two surfaces, an inner surface  4  and an outer surface  6 . 
   Outer cylinder  2  has a pair of internal grooves comprising a first internal groove  8  and a second internal groove  10 . Each of the grooves has two ends, a first end and a second end, with each of the grooves being embedded onto the inner surface  4  of the outer cylinder  2 . The first end of each groove begins near the rear end of the outer cylinder  2 , while the second end of each groove is located near the front end of the outer cylinder  2 . Each groove is parallel to the other groove and is located one hundred eighty degrees away from the other groove on the inner surface  4  of the outer cylinder  2 . 
   Outer cylinder  2  also has a circumferential cutout  12  that is located near the rear end of the outer cylinder  2 . Cutout  12  is also located on the inner surface  4  of the outer cylinder  2  and completely encircles the inner surface  4  of the outer cylinder  2 . Cutout  12  has a uniform thickness and depth and is located in between the first end of the grooves  8  and  10  and the rear end of the outer cylinder  2 . 
   Outer cylinder  2  also has a groove  17  that is located on the inner surface  4  of the outer cylinder  2  at the front end of the outer cylinder  2 . 
     FIG. 3  shows a side view of the inner cylinder  20 . Inner cylinder  20  as two ends, a front end and a rear end, with both ends being open. Inner cylinder  20  also has two surfaces, an inner surface  22  and an outer surface  24 . 
   The rear end of the inner cylinder  20  has a plurality of notches  26  uniformly dispersed on the outer surface  24  of the inner cylinder  20 . These notches  26  allow the rear end of the inner cylinder  20  to be more easily grasped so it can be turned once it has been integrated with the outer cylinder  2  and the other components of the present invention. Each of the notches extends from the rear end of the inner cylinder  20  about one-half to one inch inward. 
   Approximately one and one-half inches to two inches from the rear end of the inner cylinder  20 , a cylindrical cutout  30  is present. Cylindrical cutout  30  essentially tapers toward the front end of the inner cylinder as it travels circumferentially around the inner cylinder  20 , causing most of the length of inner cylinder  20  to appear like a ribbon which holds a rigid, tubular shape. The diameter of the cylindrical cutout  30  is uniform throughout its length. 
   Inner cylinder  20  also has a pair of knobs  32  and  34  which are attached to the outer surface  24  of the inner cylinder  20  near the rear end of the inner cylinder  20 . Each of the notches is attached to the outer surface  24  the same distance from the rear end of the inner cylinder  20 , while the two knobs  32  and  34  are located one-hundred eighty degrees from each other. The knobs  32  and  34  are located at about the location where the cylindrical cutout  30  begins traveling toward the front end of the inner cylinder  20 . 
     FIG. 4  shows a side view of the inner pushing device  40 , while  FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the inner pushing device  40 . Inner pushing device  40  has two ends, a front end and a rear end, and is cylindrical. Inner pushing device  40  has an outer surface. 
   The inner surface of inner pushing device  40  is not even throughout the length of the inner pushing device  40 . Viewed from the front end of the inner pushing device  40 , it appears that there are two panels  42  and  44  within the inside of the inner pushing device  40 , with the panels  42  and  44  each having two ends, a front end and a rear end. 
   The front end of each panel is attached to the front end of the inner pushing device  40 , with each panel that shaped in a convex manner as it travels down toward the rear end of the inner pushing device  40 . Approximately two-thirds of the distance to the rear end of the inner pushing device  40 , the two panels  42  and  44  come into very close contact with one another, but they do not actually get to the point where there faces touch. Rather, they cause a slot  46  to be formed, with a slot  46  having two ends, a front end and a rear end. The entire length of slot  46  has the same cross-sectional shape, with the rear end of slot  46  located at the rear end of the inner pushing device  40  and the front end of the slot  46  located approximately one-third the distance from the rear end to the front end of the inner pushing device  40 . 
   The outer surface of the inner pushing device  40  has a knob  41 . The knob  41  is circular in shape and has approximately the same diameter as that of the width of the cylindrical cutout  30  on the inner cylinder  20 . 
     FIG. 6  shows a side view of the nose cone  50 , while  FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the nose cone  50 . Nose cone  50  has two ends, a front end and a rear end, and has two surfaces, an inner surface and an outer surface. Nose cone  50  is conically shaped, with the front end of the nose cone  50  being small and the rear end of the nose cone  50  being larger. Nose cone  50  is hollow and has a small hole  54  located on the front end of the nose  50 . 
   Nose cone  50  has a pair of knobs  87  and  89  that are located on the outer surface of the nose cone near the rear end of the nose cone  50 . These knobs  87  and  89  are designed to be integrated with the groove  17  on the outer cylinder  2  so that the two pieces can be integrally attached. 
   Within nose cone  50  is a small nodule  56  that is connected to the hole  54 . Nodule  56  is essentially a rigid small tube that has two ends, a first end and a second end, with the first end being connected to the hole  54 . 
   Nose cone  50  also has a small tip  60  that is attached to the front end of the nose cone  50 . Tip  60  has a central hole  62 . 
   To use the present invention, the rear end of the inner pushing device  40  is placed against the front end of the inner cylinder  20  in a manner that allows the knob  41  on the outer surface of the inner pushing device  40  to be inserted into the cylindrical cutout  30  at the front end of the inner cylinder  20 . Then, the inner pushing device  40  can be rotated until it reaches all the way down until the end of the cylindrical cutout  30 . 
   Next, the rear end of the inner cylinder  20  would be inserted into the front end of the outer cylinder  2  until the knobs  32  and  34  would be within the circumferential cutout  12  on the outer cylinder  2 . In this position, the notches  26  on the rear end of the inner cylinder  20  stick outside the rear end of the outer cylinder  2 , making them accessible for easy rotation of the inner cylinder  20  within the outer cylinder  2 . 
   Next, an individual would take an open end of a tube  80 , as seen in  FIG. 8 , and fixedly attach it to the second end of the nodule  56 . The tube  80  has two ends, an open end and a closed end, with the open end being the end in which material in the tube is expelled after a cap has been removed. The tube  80  is then inserted into the front end of the inner cylinder  20 /outer cylinder  2  combination until the closed end of the tube is located within the slot  46  on the inner pushing device  40  (the location of the inner pushing device  40  may have to be changed to accommodate this necessary physical connection). Once this occurs, the knobs  87  and  89  located on the outer surface of the nose cone  50  near the rear end of the nose cone  50  are selectively coupled to the groove  17  on the outer cylinder  2  so that the two pieces can be integrally attached. 
   Each time an individual wants to expel a small amount of material  82  within the tube  80  out of the open end of the tube and onward through the hole  54  and tip  60 , an individual merely needs to the turn the inner cylinder  20  in relation to the outer cylinder  2  a small distance, which forces the inner pushing device  40  upward toward the front end of the inner cylinder  20 . This action, in turn, causes the tube  80  to be compressed, squeezing out some of the material  82  within the tube  80  out of the hole  54  and tip  60 . 
     FIGS. 9 through 11  show various nozzle attachments that could be used with the present invention. Each nozzle attachment has two ends, an attached end and a free end, with the attached end having external threads  90  and being designed to threadably attach to internal threads  92  located within the hole  62  on the tip  60 .  FIG. 9  shows attachment  94 , with attachment  94  having a one-half inch wide hole on its free end.  FIG. 10  shows attachment  96 , with attachment  96  having a one-fourth inch wide hole on its free end.  FIG. 11  shows attachment  98 , with attachment  98  having a fine hole on its free end. 
     FIG. 12  shows a brush attachment  100  that could be used with the present invention. Brush attachment  100  has two ends, a free end and an attached end, with the attached end having external threads  90  and being designed to threadably attach to internal threads  92  located within the hole  62  on the tip  60 . 
   Brush attachment  100  has a plurality of bristles  102  on its free end and has an internal tube  104  within brush attachment  100 . The internal tube  104  has two ends, an attached end and a bristle end. The bristle end is attached to a plurality of holes  106  located near the plurality of bristles  102 . The attached end of the internal tube  104  is located at the attached end of the brush attachment. When utilizing the brush attachment  100 , any material squeezed out of tip  62  will be squeezed through internal tube  104  and out onto the plurality of bristles  102 , where it can be used in conjunction with the plurality of bristles  102  for scrubbing or cleaning purposes, as the case may be.