Dispensing – Collapsible wall-type container – With wall-collapsing means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-13
2001-11-13
Derakshani, Philippe (Department: 3752)
Dispensing
Collapsible wall-type container
With wall-collapsing means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315165
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for expressing a substance from a deformable tube. The tubes in question are yieldable tubes which are usually comprised of metal or plastics. The metal or plastics tubes are squeezable. Squeezing of the tube by hand expresses the substance contained in the tube through a delivery nozzle. This can be a tricky and messy operation especially when the tube is not completely full. The amount of substance being expressed is not easy to regulate by pressing with fingers, and it is difficult to simultaneously regulate the amount dispensed and its application to a substrate. Accordingly dispensing devices have been used to overcome these problems. Examples of deformable tubes include those containing pasty or thixotropic substances such as adhesive.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many dispensing devices are known for example from UK patent application No. 2,206,567 A and UK patent No. 451,933, French patent application Nos. 1,170,939, 1,210,659 and 1,170,939, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,876,489, 4,213,543, 3,405,843, 2,568,286, 2,589,058, 2,613,853, 4,334,638 and 4,723,687, Belgian patent application No. 418523. Such devices provide various methods of expressing a substance from a tube.
A further device of the type described above is disclosed in European patent publication No. 0,521,200. This European publication describes a device having a casing having a base end, a top portion opposite the base end and side wall portions intermediate the base end and the top portion, a squeezer insertable in the casing, the squeezer comprising two opposing jaws for gripping and expressing a substance from the tube, the casing having an aperture in the top portion through which a discharge outlet of the tube is extendable and further having apertures in opposing parts of the side wall portions through which the jaws are actuatable. This document forms the preamble to claim
1
.
The device disclosed in EP 0,521,200 has a two-part casing which comprises two shell halves pivotally connected together. The squeezer is a separate piece which must be positioned correctly in cradles provided on the casing. The tube is inserted by opening the shell halves, correctly positioning the tube within the jaws of the squeezer and correctly positioning the hinged end of the squeezer in the cradles. Accordingly it is desired to provide an alternative mode of insertion of the tube. Furthermore it is desired to provide a construction of device which is mechanically simpler than that disclosed in EP 0,521,200.
EP 0,504,213 describes an adhesive dispenser for dispensing adhesive from a deformable tube. The dispenser is provided with a child-proof locking cap which may be locked to the barrel by a collar. The collar is slidable axially, with respect to the barrel, between an operative locking position where the collar engages both the cap and the barrel, preventing relative rotation of the cap and barrel, so that the cap can not be unscrewed from the barrel, and an inoperative position spaced from the cap in which the cap can be removed.
The cap of the device is provided with latching arms which are arranged to engage in corresponding clips on the barrel body.
The dispenser is provided with a mechanism for piercing a sealing membrane in the dispensing nozzle of the deformable tube. The cap has a pin aligned with the outlet passage in the nozzle when the cap is placed on the barrel. When the cap is fully screwed down the pin extends just past a sealing membrane in the tube rupturing the membrane if still intact.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,342 discloses a composite container for low viscosity liquids. One embodiment describes a “lachet teeth” arrangement provided between the cap of the container and the container body, the lachet teeth arrangement preventing over-tightening of the cap on the composite container by providing a torque-slip arrangement whereby once a desired level of torque is reached while screwing the cap on, additional torque causes the cap to slip, remaining at the same position and not becoming tighter.
A second “lachet teeth” arrangement between the nozzle of the container and the container body allows screwing of the nozzle onto the container by a screw thread arrangement. However the nozzle once screwed on cannot be unscrewed by rotation in an opposing direction as the arrangement causes engagement of the nozzle with the container preventing relative rotation.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative device which is of more simple construction than that of EP 0,521,200 and which allows ease of insertion of the deformable tube.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a device for expressing a substance from a deformable tube, the device comprising:
a casing having a base end, a top portion opposite the base end and side wall portions intermediate the base end and the top portion,
a squeezer insertable in the casing, the squeezer comprising two opposing jaws for gripping and expressing a substance from the tube,
the casing having an aperture in the top portion through which a discharge outlet of the tube is extendable and further having apertures in opposing parts of the side wall portions through which the jaws are actuatable,
characterised in that
the casing is open at its base end, the squeezer is insertable into the casing through its open base end, the jaws of the squeezer are attached at one end to a carrier, and the carrier and the casing have interengaging formations for retention of the squeezer in the casing.
This formation provides a very simple construction which is economical to manufacture and extremely simple to assemble. The casing can be made in one piece. It allows for ease of insertion of the deformable tube into the device through the open base end, followed by insertion of the squeezer so that the jaws embrace the deformable tube.
Suitably the squeezer and the carrier are integrally formed so as to form a unitary body. In this case the squeezer and carrier may be moulded in one piece. Desirably, each jaw of the squeezer is attached at one end to the carrier by a resiliently deformable member. This construction biases the jaws toward their open position and provides a hinge-like action, for the jaws.
In one embodiment of the invention the carrier forms a base for the casing on insertion of the squeezer in the casing. In this arrangement the construction of the device is simple and allows for ease of manufacture.
In one arrangement the interengaging formations comprise a snap-fit rim and corresponding peripheral recess. In a desired construction the casing has a central body portion which is part-cylindrical in shape and the casing extends outwardly in its lower region to form two shoulder portions. This construction allows for ease of insertion of the squeezer in the casing.
Suitably the device further comprises a dispensing nozzle attachable by a screw-threaded arrangement to the discharge outlet of the tube, the dispensing nozzle and the casing having interengaging rachet formations to lock the nozzle and the casing against relative rotation. The invention extends to a device for expressing a substance from a deformable tube substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
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Bauman Steven C.
Bui Thach H.
Derakshani Philippe
Loctite (R&D) Limited
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