Patent Publication Number: US-6659145-B1

Title: Toothpaste tube filling or replenishment unit

Description:
This invention relates to a toothpaste tube filling or replenishment unit mountable on the tube itself Thus, the tube, referred to herein as a travel tube, is equipped to carry a sleeve designed to allow the travel tube to be filled or replenished from another tube, called herein the home tube. Thus travellers may carry the travel tube and fill it or partially fill it or refill it from a home tube. The home tube may carry the traveller&#39;s favorite brand of toothpaste. 
     By ‘filling’ herein I include partial as well as complete filling and filling for the first or another time. 
     The filling unit is designed to be neatly carried on the travel tube. The travel tube may thus be filled or replenished by any other tube which has a compatible thread on its spout. Moreover the unit has means, preferably a plastic cap which squeezes on or fastens on the open end or spout of the travel tube when the travel tube is not in use, to effect closure of the travel tube. 
     In accord with the invention the filling or replenishment unit (‘unit’ hereafter) comprises a sleeve with interior threading shaped to threadedly receive a home tube exterior threaded spout. Means are provided for storing the sleeve on the travel tube when not in use; and when desired for filling or replenishment for placing the sleeve in an attitude (extended position) to receive the home tube screwed into the sleeve with the home tube passage communicating with the travel tube passage for filling or replenishment of the latter. The home tube may be unscrewed when the travel tube is filled or replenished, and the sleeve replaced in storage position or retracted position. 
     Preferably means by preferably a cap attached to the sleeve is available to close the travel tube when the sleeve is not in use. 
     In accord with the invention, unit comprising a sleeve designed to be carried on the travel tube is provided with exposable interior threads to receive the end of the home tube screwed thereto. When the home tube is threaded into the sleeve it will be noted that preferably the spout edge of the home tube can be made to abut the spout edge of the travel tube to prevent migration of extra toothpaste among the threads of the sleeve or the home tube. 
     In a first preferred form of the invention the travel tube mounts a sleeve having retracted and extended positions and internal threading which can mesh with exterior threading on the outside of the travel tube spout as well as with exterior threading on the home tube spout. Thus the sleeve, mounted on the travel tube when not in use may, for filling or replenishment, be partially unscrewed from the travel tube to expose an extent of its internal threads. The home tube may then be screwed in “docked” in the exposed sleeve threads so the home tube may be squeezed for filling or replenishment of the travel tube. When filling or replenishment is completed the home tube may be unscrewed from the sleeve and the sleeve screwed back into retracted position on the travel tube. The sleeve may be dimensioned so that the ends of the travel tube spout, screwed into one sleeve end, and of the home tube spout, screwed into the other sleeve end, may abut and prevent the escape of toothpaste into the internal or external threadings. When the sleeve is again retracted, means may be provided attached to the sleeve to close the travel tube spout. 
     In a second preferred form of the invention, the travel tube mounts a sleeve, having means for mechanical coupling with the travel tube in both a retracted and extended position. The sleeve may be manually moved to one position or the other. In the extended position the sleeve exposes internal threading to allow screwing in of the spout of the home tube. The sleeve may be dimensioned so that the end of the screwed in home tube spout abuts the end of the home tube spout to minimize escape of toothpaste in the threadings. 
     In a third preferred form of the invention the spout of the travel tube has an inner extent with exterior threading of a given external diameter, and an outward threading extent of smaller exterior diameter. A sleeve has complementary dual diameter internal threading so that it may be stored on and screwed on and off the travel tube. It is understood that both large and small diameter threadings have the same lead and be coaxial. 
     With such preferred form, when it is desired to fill or replenish the travel tube, the sleeve may be unscrewed from the travel tube and reversed then (a) screwed with its large threading on the home tube then (b) screwed with its small diameter on the small diameter exterior threading of the travel tube. (Note that steps (a) and (b) may be reversed in order.) The travel tube is then filled or replenished by squeezing the home tube. The sleeve may be dimensioned so that during filling or replenishment the travel tube spout edge rests on the spout end of the home tube to provide a near seal to inhibit the escape of toothpaste into the threadings. 
     When the sleeve has been unscrewed from the home tube and screwed to the travel position on the travel tube cap, means preferably provided on the sleeve may be used to cap the open end of the travel tube. 
     In a fourth preferred form for the invention the travel tube sleeve has internal threading to (c) to threadably receive a home tube external thread and a snap flange which cooperates with the travel tube spout to (d) mount the sleeve in retracted and external positions. In external position the sleeve exposes its internal threading facing the home tube to receive the latter screwed therein. In retracted position a cap preferably on the sleeve may be used to close the sleeve spout. 
     In all embodiments, during filling or replenishment there is a defined conduit from the inside of its home tube to the inside of the travel tube. Preferably this conduit will be smooth for easy flow of toothpaste and home and travel tubes will preferably abut during filling or replenishment to avoid escape of toothpaste into the threaded extents. 
     Preferably the sleeve in each embodiment is provided with a means such as a cap operable in a way well known to those skilled in the art to close the travel tube spout when the sleeve is stowed on the travel tube. 
     All embodiments preferably provide a sleeve which stows neatly on the travel tube when not in use, and, which in use provides a conduit between the inside of the home tube and the inside of the travel tube for filling or replenishment of the contents of the latter. 
    
    
     In drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first preferred form of the invention showing travel tube, sleeve and home tube. 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a travel tube and detached sleeve of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a travel tube mounting a retracted sleeve of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 1C is a vertical section with a sleeve of FIG. 1 mounted thereon in retracted position. 
     FIG. 1D is a vertical section with the sleeve of FIG. 1 wound to extended position. 
     FIG. 1E is a vertical section of a home tube filling or replenishing the travel tube of FIGS. 1-1D. 
     FIG. 2 shows the top of a travel tube with part of an alternate sleeve removed. 
     FIG. 2A shows a section of the top of a travel tube of FIG. 2 with the sleeve in retracted position. 
     FIG. 2B shows a section of the top of a travel tube with the sleeve of FIG. 2 in extended position and a home tube about to be screwed thereto. The travel tube cap is omitted in FIGS. 2-2B, 
     FIG. 3 is a section of a travel tube with a sleeve in retracted position thereon. 
     FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective of the travel tube and sleeve of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 3B is a section of a home tube filling or replenishing the travel tube of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 4 is the section of a travel tube and another sleeve in retracted position. 
     FIG. 4A is a perspective of the sleeve shown in FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 4B is a travel tube and the sleeve portion (of FIG. 4) ready to couple to the home tube. 
     FIG. 4C is a section showing the travel tube of FIG. 4 being replenished. 
     The toothpaste tubes have bodies of conventional design, typically a metal compressible tube and a plastic tube end with spout and threading. 
    
    
     FIGS. 1 to  1 E show the first of four preferred embodiments. 
     A travel tube  10  is assumed to have the same lead pitch and size of threading  26  as the basic threading  34  of the home tube  20 . The travel tube  10  has a sleeve  18  with sides outward of the end of the threading to make, in retracted position, a snap fit with travel tube cap  14  on flexible arm  16 . Other closing means may be provided in other embodiments; most suitable caps known to those skilled in the art will work with the invention features if the caps are mounted on the sleeves. 
     Sleeve  18  has internal threading  22  to screw smoothly on travel tube exterior threading  26  or on outer threading  34 . 
     Flange  28  on the outer rim of sleeve  18  seals against a surface  30  adjacent the spout opening  32  in the retracted attitude of the sleeve. Flange  28  acts to prevent the escape of toothpaste into the threading when the sleeve is retracted . Members may be dimensioned so that in the filling or replenishment position edge  35  of the home tube spout bears on surface  30  of the travel tube to inhibit the escape of toothpaste among the threadings  22 . The sleeve  18  is shown in extended position in FIGS. 1D and 1E to expose a length of inner threading to threadedly receive the outer threading  34  of the home tube  20 . 
     The home tube  20  in the position of FIG. 1E may then be squeezed to replenish the travel tube  10  with toothpaste  36 . 
     After which the home tube is removed and capped with a cap (not shown), the sleeve  18  is screwed back to retracted position on the travel tube and the travel tube cap  14  is closed. 
     In FIGS. 2 to  2 B the second alternative embodiment is shown. (FIG. 2 omits sleeve  218  for clarity.) The travel tube provides surface  237  with vertical grooves  238  below the spout  232 , the grooves terminating in upper and lower stop recesses  240  and  242  respectively. A sleeve  218  is provided with resilient dogs  244  which run in the vertical grooves  238  between upper and lower stop recesses  240 . The sleeve  218  is provided with inner threading  222  complementary to the outer threading  234  on home tube  220 . Thus the home tube may be screwed into the internal threading  222  to fill or replenish the travel tube. During filling or replenishment members may be dimensioned so that travel tube spout edge  235  contacts spout surface  230  of the home tube to avoid the escape of toothpaste into the threadings. After which the home tube may be removed and capped, the sleeve  218  snapped to retracted position and the travel tube cap (not shown) replaced. 
     In FIGS. 3 to  3 B the third preferred embodiment is provided showing a travel tube  310  with large exterior threading  326  inboard of small exterior threading  325 . To operate both large and small threading must be coaxial and of equal pitch. 
     A sleeve  318  has internal threading  322  and internal threading  321  complementing respectively the large and small threading  326  and  325  on the travel tube so that sleeve  318  may be screwed in place on the travel tube when not in use as shown in FIG.  3 . The sleeve  318  carries a cap  314  for snap closure of the travel tube spout in the retracted position of the sleeve as in the solid line position in FIG.  3 . For filling or replenishment the sleeve  318  may be unscrewed and reversed and (a) have its smaller internal threads  322  screwed on the travel tube&#39;s spout small exterior threads  325  and (b) the home tube with threads  334  is screwed into the large threading  322  in the sleeve. Please note that steps (a) and (b) can be performed in reverse order. 
     No claim is made to the inner shaping of the home tube which may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. FIGS. 1E,  2 B,  3 E and  4 B show home tubes with inner tapering throats of varying dimensions. The tapering throat eases filling or replenishment but is not essential to this invention. After filling or replenishment the sleeve  318  is removed from home tube  320  and travel tube  310  (in either order) and reversed in direction to be screwed on the travel tube as shown in FIG. 3, the cap  314  fastening in any desired manner well known to those skilled in the art to close the travel tube spout. 
     In the fourth embodiment of the invention travel tube  410  is shown in FIGS. 4-4C where there is shown a sleeve  416  with internal threading  422  to screw on travel tube spout exterior threads  426 . Filling or replenishment is provided by unscrewing the sleeve  416  from the travel tube external thread  426 . The sleeve  416  is then (c) screwed onto the home tube threading  434  and (d) has its snap groove  440  snapped over the ridge  446 , on the travel tube  416 . (Note (c) and (d) can be done in reversed order.) The travel tube is then filled or replenished as shown in FIG. 4C by squeezing home tube  420 . After filling or replenishment the sleeve  416  is snapped off the travel tube end and unscrewed from the home tube  420 , reversed and stowed on the home tube as shown in FIG.  4 . Both tubes are capped. 
     It is noted that a sleeve may be provided with a travel tube closure means such as a spout cap in all embodiments. It is noted that dimensions may be chosen so that home tube and travel tube surfaces abut during filling or replenishment to inhibit toothpaste flow on sleeve or spout threads. 
     It is noted that the design allows relatively smooth contours in the filling or replenishment conduits on travel and home tubes, see particularly FIG. 1E, FIG.  3 B and FIG. 4C. A similar smooth contour, (not shown) may be found for the arrangement of FIGS. 2-2B.