EP0011633A1

EP0011633A1 - Tube key.

Info

Publication number: EP0011633A1
Application number: EP79900387A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Karl Goran Rosenlind; Stig Bertil Thomas Brandberg
Original assignee: SVENSKA STRECK AB
Current assignee: SVENSKA STRECK AB
Priority date: 1978-04-06
Filing date: 1979-11-05
Publication date: 1980-06-11
Also published as: GB2035948A; SE7803909L; SU936802A3; IT7935764V0; CA1120013A; ES250474U; JPS55500229A; GB2035948B; EP0011633B1; IT1116180B; IT7948665A0; DE2945418A1; ES250474Y; CH641110A5; WO1979000887A1

Abstract

Cle pour tube pour extraire un produit (7) empaquete dans un tube (5), comprenant une poignee (1) qui porte deux bras paralleles (2) dont les extremites (4) sont libres et qui sont separes l'un de l'autre d'une distance de 0,25 a 0,75 fois le diametre moyen des bras. Les deux bras (2) sont faits en un materiau elastique et le diametre ou la largeur moyenne de la section des bras (2) est au moins douze fois plus grande que l'epaisseur du materiau du tube (5) pour lequel la cle est utilisee. Les bras (2) de la cle pour tube sont de preference au moins deux fois plus longs que le diametre moyen du tube (5) pour lequel la cle est utilisee et l'un des bras peut etre forme avec des moyens pour ameliorer la prise entre le tube et le bras, par exemple des rayures (10) ou une fente longitudinale (11) ouverte du cote oppose a la poignee.Tube wrench for extracting a product (7) packaged in a tube (5), comprising a handle (1) which carries two parallel arms (2) whose ends (4) are free and which are separated from each other other from a distance of 0.25 to 0.75 times the average diameter of the arms. The two arms (2) are made of an elastic material and the diameter or average width of the section of the arms (2) is at least twelve times greater than the thickness of the material of the tube (5) for which the key is used. The arms (2) of the pipe wrench are preferably at least twice as long as the average diameter of the pipe (5) for which the wrench is used and one of the arms may be formed with means to improve grip between the tube and the arm, for example stripes (10) or a longitudinal slot (11) open on the side opposite the handle.

Description

Tube key

The present invention relates to a tube key for exud¬ ing by a rotating movement products which are packed in collapsable exuding tubes. The exuding tube is a hygienic, practical and eco¬ nomical package which is used for many different products. However, depending on several facts like :he stiffness of the product, the present relatively stiff tube materials which are difficult to roll etc. the tubes are used to a relatively restricted extend. Tubes made of metal like alu¬ minium or any light metal alloy are so stiff, that problems appear to many people when exuding the product by rolling the tube up from the end thereof. Either the said persons do not manage to exude the product from the end and there- fore the tube is squeezed somewhere closer to the opening or the tube is folded or shrinkled during the attempts to roll up the tube. In both cases a substantial amount of the contents of the tube gets lost, and the tube obtains a non-essential appearance. When exuding by hand of products contained in tubes of plastic material, which are generally somewhat elastic the additional problem is met with in that it is difficult to exude the content of the tube from the end. Also the additional problem is met with that _the_,tube. regains its initial form as soon as the tube is let free so that the air is sucked into the tube. Such air which is introduced into the tube may contaminate the content of the tube or provide a precipitation of liquid or any other subs¬ tance of the packed product.

Previously tube keys were often used consisting of a piece of metal plate having a punched groove or a key of a metal wire in the form of a sling likewise providing a groove in which the end of the tube can be introduced. Such keys, however, normally are far too weak to withstan the stiff tubes nowadays appearing on the market or tubes containing stiff products. Further the said keys are supplied separa¬ tely but as non-recurrent keys which many times provide prob-

OMPI lems in handling an supply and which often get lost. Even if the keys actually might be reused this involves some trouble in that the tube after the content is exuding must be un¬ rolled, so that the end of the tube can be released from the groove of the key. The said previously known keys generally are formed so that the groove with fairly good fit is adap¬ ted to.the end of the tube, and the keys have such small outer diameter that the tube, at least during the first turns, must be rolled onto the key with a very little radius of curvature. For this reason the material is easily folded or shrinkled and the tube may move sideways when being rolled up so that finally a longitudinal end of the tube is left un-exuded.

Basis of the invention is the problem to provide a tube exuding key which is intended to be used and by means of which different types of tubes easily can be exuded, which can easily be released without unrolling when the tube is emptied, and which by its special form actually contri¬ butes to the exuding of the product packed in the tube. According to the invention the tube key is formed with a handle which carries two parallel legs of a springy material which are free at the ends opposite the handle, so that the legs can resiliently be bent inwards and outwards respectively, and in which the free distance between the legs is at least twelve times as large as the thickness of the material from which the tube is made.

According to a special embodiment of the invention the free distance between the freely supported parallel legs is 0,25-0,75 of the average diameter of the legs, what opposi¬ tely means that the diameter of the legs should be at least 16-48 times as large as the thickness of the tube material. Further characteristics of the invention will be evi¬ dent from the following detailed specification in which re¬ ference will be made to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment

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¹ 1 of α tube key according to the invention, figure 2 shows the tube key of figure 1 used in con¬ nection with an exuding tube.

Figures 3-6 show -four different embodiments of a tube key according to invention.

The tube key illustrated in figure 1 is made of a round material, for instance a round bar of stainless steel or spring seal which is bent to a substantially circular handle 1 which at the ends merges in two parallel legs 2. The length of the legs should be about twice the average diameterof the tube for which the key is intended to be used. The least free distance 3 between the legs should be at least twelve times the thickness of the material that the tube is made of, what means that the flattened tube end comprising two layers of tube material with large play can be introduced in the gap 3 between the legs 2. The legs 2 which are free at the ends 4 thereof opposite the handle 1 should be made of such coarse material that the least free distance in the gap 3 between the legs 2 is 0,25-0,75 of the average diameterof the legs, or oppositely that the legs 2 have a diameter which is between sixteen and forty eight times the width of the gap 3. Compared with conventional tube keys the key according the invention therefore has a very large circumference and a very wide gap 3 between the legs 2 at the same time as the legs 2 are springy and are free at one end thereof. This is essential to the invention in order to make it possible to pull out the tube key late¬ rally after the tube is squeezed empty and to provide a spring action against the tube that contributes to keep the tube end well clamped between the two legs 2 and the outer turns of the tube lying thereover. By the spring action the tube key provides a kind of pumping activity assisting the exuding of the content of the tube at the open end thereof. In figure 2 is illustrated diagrammatically a cross section of the key according to figure 1 applied on a tube 5, and in which a couple of turns 6 of the tube have been rolled on the key. When applying the key to the tube end the flattened end is introduced in the gap 3 and is fold about one of the legs 2a and is held secured by the thumb when the key is being rotated by means of the handle 1. Thereby the tube end is laid in S-form first round one leg 2a and thereafter round the second leg 2b, whereafter the tube end is clamped between the first leg 2a and the subsequent turn 6 of the tube. Since the legs 2 are springy they are resi- liently clamped somewhat together when the tube is squeezed in connection with the exuding of the content 7 thereof, and as the rotating movement is stopped the legs 2 tend to move apart by the spring action, whereby the tube content which may be present in the part of the tube lying round the se¬ cond leg 2b is pressed forwards in the tube by a pump like acticity. When the entire tube is squeezed empty and it is consequently wound round the legs 2 the key is easily relea¬ sed by simply drawn out laterally what does not meet any problems since the gap 3 between the legs 2 is substantial¬ ly larger than the two layer tube material and since the legs 2 are springy and have open free ends. .

In figures 3, 4 and 5 are illustrated three different embodiments of tube keys according to the invention which all comprise a handle 1 and 2 parallel legs 2 which are springy and free at the ends opposite the handle 1. In figure 6 is shown an alternatvie embodiment of the tube key according to the invention in which the key is formed as two halves each including a handle half la, lb. The two handle halves are connected by an intermediate joint 8 so that the handle halves can be rotated out from each other. In order to get a correct parallel distance between the two legs 2 one half is formed with a shoulder 9 which keeps the two legs 2 on a correct mutual distance from each other when the legs are moved together.

In many cases it may be preferable to form the legs with other cross sectional form than the circular form, for instance with a square form, rectangular for or any other polygonal cross section form, In order to give a good hold between the legs and the tube the legs can be formed with rifles 10 as indicated in figure 4 or one leg can be formed with a narrow slot 11 as indicated in figure 5 in which the compressed tube end can be introduced laterally. In this - case, however, the leg 2 having the slot 11 ought- to have somewhat larger diameter than the other leg so that the two legs have substantially the same spring action. The embodiment illustrated in figure 6 can be formed as a screw lid opener with the handle portion la, lb, and the key besides can be combined with any other domestic apparatus like a tin-opener or similar means.

In a practical embodiment of a tube key according to the invention intended for exuding the contents of for inst¬ ance caviar tubes having an average diameter of "thirty mm the tube key was made as illustrated in figure 1 of stainless steel having a circular cross section form and six mm dia- ' meter. The free gap 3 between the legs 2 was three milli- meters, the length of the legs between the outer ends 4 and the point were the legs merge into the handle 1 was sixty mm and the outer diameter of the handle 1 was sixtyfive mm. By means of the said tube key the caviar tube could very easily be emptied by rolling the tube onto the legs what was made without any inclined drawing of the tube, the tube did not fold or shrinkle and the tube was emptied to a substan-* tially larger extent than what is possible by an optimum strong rolling up of the tube end by hand.

Of course the legs 2 can be given any wanted length but the least length preferably should be twice the average diameter of the tube for which the key is intended.

The above described tube key may as well be used for tubes of metal like light metal or any aluminium alloy as for tubes made of plastic or any other material. Especially when used on tubes of such resilient materials like plastic the use of the tube key according to the invention is advanta- geous in that the content 7 of the tube is always pressed out from behind and that the content both at the tube end and along the edges provides a sealing which prevents air from being sucked into the tube like what may happen when pressing the content out by hand. Also the spring action provided by the springy legs acts for this purpose even after the tube key is let free. As long as the tube key is kept on the tube it prevents the tube from unrolling depend¬ ing on the large mass and the large size of the tube key, even if the tube material is very elastic and tends to re¬ gain^' its initial form.

It may, however, be pointed out that the tube key upon need can be released even from a half emptied tube and it can easily be remounted in that the legs are pressed somewhat together to enter the former hose between the S-sling and the outer tube turns.

Since the tube key can be formed very coarse it can be used even for every stiff products like stiff paints, filler, butter or margarine, treacle and many other stiff products and products which are difficult to handle.

It is to be understood that the above specification and the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings are only illuminating examples and all kinds of different modifications may be presented within the scope of the appended claims.

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Claims

C l a i s

1. Tube key for exuding products (7) packed in soft tubes (5) by compressing the tube to double form and rolling same onto the tube key, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the tube key comprises a handle (1) carrying two parallel legs (2) which are free in their ends (4) opposite the handle, and which at least the legs (2) are made of a springy material, and in that the least free distance (3) between the legs (2) is 0,25 - 0,75 times the average cross section width of the legs and at least twelve times the thickness of the material of the tube (5).

2. Tube key according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e in that the legs (2) are at least twice as long as the average diameter of the tube (5) for which the tube key is to be used.

3. Tube key according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that -the key is made of a bar material which is bent to a circular or otherwise rounded handle which merges into the parallel legs.

4. Tube key according to claim 1, 2 or 3, c h a- r a c t e r i z e d in that the legs (2) are rifled in the longitudinal direction.

5. Tube key according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the legs (2) have a polygonal cross section form.

6. Tube key according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that one of the legs is formed with a slot (11) which is open outwards opposite the handle and the width of which is slightly larger than twice the thickness of the tube material.

7. Tube key according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it is formed with two halves (la, lb) which are connected over a joint (8), and in that one of the halves (lb) is formed with a shoulder (9) which keep the legs (2) parallelly to each other when moved together.

8. Tube key according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it is made of a springy metal, a springy glass fibre material or plastic material or similar material.