US2339464A - Collapsible tube - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 18, 1944.` Q DESKEY 2,339,464

COLLAPS IBLE TUBE Filed Dec. 5, 1940 JNVENTOR o/vALo afs/ffy j NORME? Patented Jan. 18, 1944 COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Donald Deskey, Annandale, N. J., assignor to Bristol-Myers CompanyVNew York, N. Y., ,a

corporation of Delaware Application December 5,`f194'0,jSerial No. 368,567

3 Claims.

'This invention relates to improvements in collapsible vtubes of the type employed in the packaging of toothpaste, shaving cream, and a variety of other creamy or pasty materials or even liquids or nely divided solids. It has particular reference `to thin-walled tubes of this character which are extruded from soft metals or metals which are rendered soft by appropriate heat treatment, such as tin, lead, aluminum, or the like or mixtures of the same.

' An object of the invention has been to provide a tube of the character mentioned which is strong and resistant to deformation in the course of ordinary handling but which is readily collapsed in the normal use of the same. This object has been attained Without increasing the Wall thickness` of the tube, which would increase its cost, and Without interfering seriously with the desired decoration oi the tube and the application thereto of appropriate trade marks or descriptive matter. In fact, the improved tube of the present invention lends itself readily to a wide variety of new decorative schemes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from a detailed description of an illustrative form of the same which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a collapsible tube constructed in accordance with the invention, the tube being shown in lled and sealed condition.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View through the tube along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in longitudinal section along the axis of the tube and partly in side elevation, the tube being shown prior to lling, and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the tube. Referring now to the drawing, the tube may originally be of the type conventionally employed in the packaging of tooth paste and may comprise a tubular wall i9, of cylindrical form, extending at its upper end into a relatively rigid, inclined shoulder portion i i, which partially closes the top of the tube, and a neck i2 which is preferably threaded'to receive a screw-threaded cap I3 that completes the closure of the tube and provides access to its contents. This tube may be eX- truded in the conventional Way by the action of a punch on a slug oi the appropriate metal deposited in a recess in a die of suitable construction. In this Way the Wall IU, shoulder Il and neck I2 may be formed as an integral unit. The threads in the neck are formed in a separate operation by either rolling or cutting and the lower end of the tube may be trimmed oi in the usual way to any desired length.

The wall It is preferably made quite thin in order to conserve the metal of which the tube is formed and thus keep to a minimum the cost of the tube. A wall thickness of about .003 of an inch may suitably be employed. Shoulder i i, on the other hand, is considerably thicker, at leastl several times thicker, and may Well be about .025 of an inch. Accordingly, the shoulder will lend considerable stiffness to the upper end of the tube'and will, therefore, resist accidental deformation of the tube adjacent its upper end. As will be later explained,the extreme lower end of the tube may also'be stiiened substantially by the closing or sealing of the same after the tube has been filled. However, the main body of the tube, vintermediate its upper and lower ends, is considerably more subject to indentation or deformation. Prior to lling and closing of the tube the entire lower part is unsupported and therefore easily marred in the course of handling. Thus, when tubes of this character are handled vin the course of iinishing and packing the same prior to lling and are further handled in the course of filling, packing andshipping the same, and sometimes in arranging a display, it is diincult to avoid indenting the thin wall and thus spoiling the neatness and attractiveness of the design on the surface of the tube. If the wall is .indented prior to the printing or other decorating operations, these are interfered with.

Accordingly, to overcome these weaknesses and disadvantages of prior tubes, the improved tube is provided With corrugations in the Wall IEB over that Apart of its area which is most likely to be deformed, i. e., the part which is not stiifened and strengthened by the shoulder i l or by other means. The corrugation of the tube, to provide projecting rib portions Il! and intermediate indentations I5, may be accomplished in any of a variety of Ways. Thus, in the course of finishing the tube 'after extrusion it may suitably be rolled in contact' with a corrugated roller or cylinder adapted yto impart the desired conguration'to a selected portion of thetube wall. "The mandrel which supports the tube in the course of this operation may suitably be indented or corrugated to conform with the corrugations of the cylinder or a slight clearance may simply be provided between the tube and the supporting mandrel in the region in which the corrugations are to be formed. The corrugating operation may be performed either before or after the tube has been decorated by coating or printing operations but is preferably performed as early as possible in the manufacture of the finished tube so as to be of maximum benet. If the corrugated portion of the tube is to be coated or otherwise decorated this should ordinarily be done prior to the corrugating step.

For the purpose of strengthening and stiftening the tube, the corrugations might be extended throughout the length of the wall I up to the shoulder II. However, this would interfere with the application and proper display of the usually desired printed matter I6 indicated in Fig. 1. Moreover, it is unnecessary to extend the corrugations to the top of the tube in view of the previously mentioned stileningeffect of the relatively rigid shoulder II. In the vicinity of this shoulder the wall of the tube is equally as stiff and resistant to deformation,`without corrugation, as the lowerr portion of the tube with its corrugation. Ordinarily, it will be found desiraable to extend the corrugations over the major portion of the length of the tube since the stiffening provided by the shoulder II is not sufficiently effective to resist deformation as far down as the mid-point in the length of the tube. As shown, the upper ends I'I of the corrugations are not more than about one-third of the Way down from the shoulder II.

At its lower end the tube may also be provided with a short, smooth section I8, below the corrugated portion, to facilitate sealing of the tube after it has been filled. It will be understood that in the use of the tube, the paste or liquid or the like will be introduced through the lower, fully open end of the tube and the tube will then be closed or sealed in any of the conventional ways. Thus, the portion I8 may be pinched together and folded upon itself several times, in any known manner, and then crimped or simply squeezed rmly, or after the folding operation a clip I9 may be applied or, if desired, the end of the tube may simply be pinched together and either soldered or Welded in a known manner to effect a seal. In any case, and particularly in the event that a soldered or welded seal is employed, the corrugations may be eX- tended completely to the end of the tube. However, when folding or crimping of the end is relied upon to seal the tube, the provision of the smooth portion I8 is desirable. In fact, the smooth portion I8 may safely be extended upwardly to a somewhat greater extent than is required for the sealing of the tube since the folding and crimping, and particularly the application of a separate clip, will materially stilen and strengthen the lower end of the tube. Even the pinching and soldering or welding of the lower end will add some rigidity. Accordingly, provision may be made for the application of printed matter at both ends of the tube, if desired, leaving only a wide band around the midsection of the tube to be corrugated.

While the invention has been disclosed primarily in connection with a tube of the conventional tooth paste type, having a neck at its upper end through which the contents of the tube is squeezed as it is to be used, the invention is also applicable to other types of collapsible tubes. It is applicable, for example, to tubes of the types illustrated in the Friden Patents No. 2,112,085 and No. 2,160,963. It is also applicable to containers of the type now available in which the top is completely closed by a substantially flat disc, in lieu of the inclined shoulder II and neck I2, this disc being removed by the thumb nail, or by cutting the tube with a knife or the like, when the contents of the package are to be used. In connection with all of these and other types of collapsible tubes, the provision of corrugations in a region adjacent the lower or filling end of the tube, or in a, central region intermediate the two ends, will serve to minimize accidental deformation of the tube in the course of handling the same.

The corrugations employed in the body of the tube may be of a variety of different forms and spacing. They may be relatively broad and widely spaced, as shown, or they may be ner, or more closely spaced, or arranged in groups. Normally it is preferable to extend the corrugations longitudinally but, if desired, they may be arranged in other ways, either transversely or diagonally of the tube, or in a way to form special designs or configurations.

While a preferred form of tube has been disclosed in considerable detail and several modiiications have been suggested, it will be understood that numerous other Variations may be employed without departing from the general principles and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A collapsible, thin metal tube comprising an extruded tubular wall and an integrally connected, relatively rigid member at least partial ly closing one end of the tube formed by said wall, said wall being corrugated for the major part of its length to impart stiffness thereto but being smooth adjacent said relatively rigid member to facilitate printing thereon, the construction being such as to maintain nearly uniform collapsing characteristics and resistance to deformation substantially throughout the length of the tube.

2. A collapsible, thin metal tube comprising an extruded tubular wall and an integrally connected, relatively rigid member at least partially closing one end of the tube formed by said wall, said wall being smooth adjacent said member to facilitate printing thereon but being corrugated over a substantial portion of the length of the tube including its mid-portion.

3. A collapsible, thin metal tube comprising an extruded tubular wall and an integrally con nected, relatively rigid member at least partially closing one end Aof the tube formed by said wall, said wall being smooth adjacent said member to facilitate printing thereon and also adjacent the opposite end thereof to facilitate sealing the same and being corrugated over a substantial part of its length intermediate said smooth portions to impart stiffness to the wall.

. DONALD DESKEY.

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