GB2323081A - Nozzle for a filling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A nozzle assembly for use with conventional toothpaste tube filling machines for filling dual-tube toothpaste dispensers. The assembly comprises an adapter A, detachably connected to the outlet port of the filling machine, an intermediate chamber IC and a multiple outlet filling nozzle head DH. The nozzle assembly may be of a dual outlet type and used to fill the intermediate space SP between the external surface of a small size tube ST and the internal surface of a large size tube LT which make up a dual tube toothpaste dispenser.

Description

NOZZLE The present invention relates to a filling machine such as the one used for filling of viscous materials such as toothpaste and the like in tubes and in particular relates to a modified nozzle assembly for use with such conventional filling machines.

In our copending application No.323/Bom/95 dated 19th July 1995 there is disclosed a dual tube dispenser assembly for separate storage of two dissimilar substances which are to be kept separate for one reason or another, e.g., because they are mutually chemically reactive and/or physically incompatible with respect to one another, or because one wants to have perpetually attractive product forms with e.g., different colours, and for simultaneous dispensing when combined use of such substances is required by application of external pressure on the dispenser body which is deformable.

According to one aspect of our said co-pending application No. 323/Bom/95 dated 19th July 1995 the same provides for a dual tube dispenser assembly for separate storage of two dissimilar materials such as herein described and simultaneous dispensing of said materials as and when required comprising: a small size tube containing one said material and having a deformable body portion; an adapter secured to the mouth and/or neck portion of said small size tube and having at least one passage communicating with the inside of said small size tube; said adapter further having means to co-axially retain said small size tube secured thereto internally and with respect to a large size tube the latter also having a deformable body portion; the intermediate space there between the external surface of said small size tube with adapter and the internal surface of the large size tube containing the other of said dissimilar materials such that upon application of force/pressure on the deformable body portion of the large size tube said dissimilar materials from said small size tube and said intermediate space dispense simultaneously from the mouth portion of said large size tube; and a closure for said mouth of the large size tube.

According to a further aspect of our said co-pending application No.323/Bom/95 dated 19th July 1995 the same provides for an adapter for use in said dual tube dispenser comprising - a body portion having a cylindrical base and tubular extension thereof at the top; means provided in said cylindrical base to detachably secure with respect to said small tube neck/mouth portion; means provided externally on at least a portion of said body portion to press fit and hold said small tuber, detachably secured thereto at its cylindrical base portion, co-axially within and with respect to at least a portion of the internal surface of said large tube, said body portion having at least one passage communicating with the inside of said small tube and a further passage defined by at least a portion of the external surface of said body portion and the internal surface portion of the larger tube for communicating with the intermediate space there between the external surface of the smaller tube and the inside of the larger tube housing said smaller tube.

According to yet further aspect of our said co-pending application No.323/Bom/95 dated 19th July 1995 there is disclosed a method for producing the dual tube dispenser having separately stored two dissimilar material such as herein described and having means for simultaneous dispensing of said dissimilar material as and when desired comprising: providing an open ended empty small size tube with a releasably secured closure fitted thereon; filling-in one of said dissimilar material into said small size tube by means of a filling machine through said open end of said small size tube followed by crimping and sealing the open end after filling is completed; replacing the releasable closure of the thus filled small size tube by the adapter such as herein described to thereby secure the adapter base with respect to the mouth/neck portion of said small size tube; providing an open ended empty large size tube with its releasable closure fitted thereon; inserting the adapter secured to the filled in small size tube into said large size tube through its open end and press fitting the adapter external surface portion with respect to the internal surface/configuration of said large size tube preferably near its neck portion to thereby hold said small size tube co-axially within said large size tube; filling in the intermediate space defined by the external surface portion of the small size tube with adapter and the internal surface of the large size tube with the other of said dissimilar materials through the open end of said large size tube by a filling machine followed by, crimping and sealing the open end of the large size tube after filling is completed to thereby provide the dual tube dispenser.

Conventional filling machines such as used for filling viscous materials such as toothpastes in containers such as toothpaste tubes and the like are known to be provided with one or multiple independently operating filling ......., each of which is provided with a detachably secured single outlet filling nozzle.

Such conventional filling machines with single outlet nozzle are known to be used for filling of deformable toothpaste tubes. For the purpose the empty open ended toothpaste tube with the releasably connected closure fitted at the mouth is provided and the said open end of the tube is inserted into the single outlet nozzle of the filling machine. After filling is completed, the tube is withdrawn from the nozzle and the usual step of crimping and sealing of the rear open end of the tube is attended to obtain the duly filled toothpaste tube ready for use.

As would be evident from the construction of the dual tube dispenser disclosed in our said co-pending application No.

323/Bom/95 dated 19th July 1995 and, in particular, from the method of producing such dual tube dispensers disclosed therein, the same apart from the usual filling of the small size tube which subsequent to its filling with a material of one kind is housed within a large size tube, requires the filling of the intermediate space there between the external surface portion of the small size tube with the adapter and the internal surface portion of the large size tube with a material of some other kind having distinct characteristics from that of the material contained in the small tube. The use of the conventional nozzle for filling the annular spaces of tube-in-tube will result in improper filling and formation of air pockets.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a modified nozzle assembly which can be used with the conventional filling machines to favour effective and convenient filling of containers such as toothpaste tubes and the like.

It is the basic objective of this invention to provide a modified nozzle assembly which can be used with such conventional filling machines to favour effective and convenient filling of the intermediate space in the dual tube dispenser disclosed in our copending application No.

323/Bom/95 dated 19th July 1995.

Another object of the invention is directed to the provision of a nozzle assembly which can be used with conventional filling machines and which would be easy to assemble and operate.

Yet further object of the present invention is to provide for a nozzle assembly for use with conventional filling machines which would be cost effective and easy to manufacture.

Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a nozzle assembly for use with conventional filling machines of the type described above comprising: an adapter for detachably connecting to the outlet port of a conventional filling machine; an intermediate chamber; and a multiple outlet filling nozzle head.

The nozzle assembly of the invention described above is developed keeping in view its suitability for use with any conventional filling machine and in particular for providing convenient and effective filling of said intermediate space in dual tube dispensers of the type discussed hereinbefore. In the nozzle assembly of the invention, the adapter is provided to releasably connect the nozzle assembly to the outlet port of any conventional filling machine, the intermediate chamber is essential to release pressure build up and it also serves to distribute evenly the contents to be filled there between the multiple outlet filling nozzles constituting the nozzle head.

The nature of the invention is described in greater detail hereunder with reference to non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the multiplel outlet nozzle assembly of the present invention with reference to the accompanying figures wherein: figure 1 shows a single outlet nozzle assembly known to be used with conventional filling machines; figure 2 shows a dual outlet filling nozzle assembly according to the present invention for use with conventional filling machines; figure 2A is an exploded sectional view of the dual outlet filling nozzle of the adopter of the invention.

figures 3a - 3f show the steps involved in the manufacture of the dual tube dispenser and the use of the dual outlet filling nozzle assembly of the invention in such manufacture.

Reference is first invited to figure 1 which shows the single outlet nozzle assembly [NA1] connected to the conventional filling machine generally indicated by reference [M]. As clearly represented in said figure, the single unit nozzle assembly comprises of the cylindrical base [B] extending the single outlet nozzle head [SH]. The base [B] is adapted to releasably connect the single unit nozzle assembly to the outlet port of the conventional filling machine.

Reference is now invited to figures 2 and 2A which illustrate the dual outlet filling nozzle assembly of the invention for use with conventional filling machine. As represented in figure 2A the nozzle assembly of the invention comprises of the adapter [A], the intermediate chamber [IC] and the dual outlet nozzle head [DH].

The adapter [A) is shown to be provided a cylindrical base [CB] with a flanged cylindrical stepped extension [F1, F23 integrally formed with respect of said base [CB] at its end facing the filling machine. The flange [F2) is having threads [TH1] formed externally thereof which correspond with internal threads [not shown] of the outlet port of the conventional filling machine. The cylindrical base [CB] at its other end is provided with internal threads [TH2].

The intermediate chamber [IC] is also cylindrical shape having a base [BA). The cylindrical portion of said intermediate chamber away from the base {BA] is provided with external threads [TH3] which correspond with the internal threads [TH2] of the adapter base [CB]. The cylindrical base {BA] of the intermediate chamber is further shown to have internal threads [TH4].

The dual outlet filling nozzle head [DH] is shown to have a body portion [BP] with extending dual outlet nozzles [N1, N2] originating therefrom. The cylindrical body [BP] of the nozzle head is provided with external threads [TH5] which correspond to the internal threads [TH4] of the base [BA] of the intermediate chamber [IC].

Thus, for the purpose of using the dual outlet filling nozzle of the invention with conventional filling machines it is simply required to connect the adapter by the threads [TH13 to the matching threads of the outlet port of the machine [not shown]. After assembling of the adapter the intermediate chamber is screwed onto the adapter by means of threads [TH3] on the chamber and matching threads [TH2] in the base [CB]. This is followed by assembling of the dual outlet nozzle head by screwing the same into the intermediate chamber by means of threads [TH4] in the base [BA] and threads [TH5] on the nozzle head body portion [BP].

The cylindrical base [CB] of the adapter and the cylindrical base [BA] of the intermediate chamber are preferably provided with knurlings [K] to facilitate quick and easy assembling of the nozzle assembly of the invention with respect to the outlet port of the filling machine.

Reference is now invited to figures 3a to 3f which illustrate the sequence of manufacture of dual tube dispenser and the use of the dual outlet nozzle assembly of the present invention in such manufacture.

As represented in figure 3a, a small size tube [ST] with the replaceable closure [RC] provided at the mouth is shown being first filled in through its open rear end [El] by inserting the known single outlet nozzle [SN] used with conventional filling machine [not shown]. Subsequent to complete filling, the tube is withdrawn from the nozzle [SN] and its open end [El] is crimped and sealed by seal [S] as represented in figure 3b. Further in said figure 3b it is shown that the releasable closure [RC] is being replaced by the adapter [A] and the replacement thus complete on the duly filled small size tube is represented in figure 3c.

After completing the filling in and assembling of the adapter {a] with respect to the small size tube [ST], the same is inserted into a large size tube [LT] through the open end [E2] of the latter and the adapter head is press fitted within the internal surface portion of the neck of the large size tube. The mode of insertion of the small size tube [ST] with adapter [A] into the large size tube [LT] for the purpose is represented in figure 3d.

Reference is now invited to figure 3e, which show the mode of application of the dual outlet filling nozzle [DH] of the present invention in filling the intermediate space [SP] therebetween the external of the small size tube [ST] with adapter [A] and the internal of the large size tube [LT]. As represented in said figure 3e, for the purpose of filling the said intermediate space [SP] the dual outLet nozzles [N1, N2] the nozzle assembly of the present invention is inserted through the rear open end [E2] of the large size tube and along side the small size tube [ST] housed therein said large size tube [LT]. As would be evident, the dual outlet nozzle head of the nozzle assembly of the invention favour effective and convenient filling of the intermediate space [SP] of dual tube dispensers of the type described herein.

Subsequent to the filling of the intermediate space [SP], the dual dispenser is withdrawn from the dual outlet filling nozzles [N1, N2] and the open rear end [E2] is crimped and sealed to complete the assembling of the dual dispenser. The thus completed and filled dual dispenser is illustrated in figure 3f.

It is thus possible by way of the present invention to provide for dual outlet nozzles for use with conventional filling machines to thereby provide for a convenient and cost effective method of producing the dual tube dispensers of the type described herein.

Claims (1)

1. Claim

   1. A nozzle assembly for use with toothpaste tube filling machines for filling dual-tube toothpaste dispensers, comprising an adapter, detachably connected to the outlet port of the filling machine, an intermediate chamber and a multiple outlet filling nozzle head, the intermediate chamber being connected with said adapter and said multiple outlet filling nozzle head.