US2655293A

US2655293A - Automatically closing cap for collapsible tubes of cream

Info

Publication number: US2655293A
Application number: US108528A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lamagna Vincent
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-08-04
Filing date: 1949-08-04
Publication date: 1953-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1970-10-13

Description

Oct,

13, 1953 v. LAMAGNA AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING CAP F'QR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES 0F CREAM Filed Aug. 4; 1949 FIG. I. I.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE 2,655,293 AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING" CAP. FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES OF CREAM Vincent Lamagna, Rutherford, N. J. Application August 4, 1949-, 's'e'ria1 No."10s;528' (Cl. 222-511) 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to closures for collapsible tubes containing tooth paste or similar material that is squeezed from the tube in small'amounts from time to time; The invention relates more particularly to a self-closing cap that is applied to a collapsible tube in place of a regular cap, and it is a feature of the invention that the cap can be opened by pressure from the tooth brush, the closing being automatic when the tooth brush pressure is withdrawn.

It is an object of'the invention to provide an improved self-closing 'cap for collapsible tubes and to provide a construction for such caps that is economical to manufacture and that is particularly efficient and convenient to use.

One feature of the invention'rela'tes to a slide which closes an outlet of the cap, and to a construction whereby the "slide is supported in a guideway' open at both ends, but provided with concealed limit stops for preventing the slide from traveling in the guideway beyond predetermined limits. Another'feature of the invention relates to the construction of the cap with automatic, spring-operated means for closing the cap; and to the construction whereby the spring is housed and retained in the cap, a construction of economical cost.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure l is a sectional view through the dis charge end of a collapsible tube with a, cap embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 through the cap shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional'view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

A cap I has a recess l2 at itslower endthr'eaded to receive a neck l3 of a collapsible tube !4. Above the recess I2, there is a passage l6 extending rearwardly and havin'g'a flattened discharge opening [7.

The cap 10 is made'in two parts comprising a of the discharge opening [1, serves as a guideway for aslide 30.

The slide 30 is made with a cross section to fit the undercut guideway 26 as a running fit, and oneend of the slide 30 has an upwardly extending flange 32 for operating the slide. When the slide 30 is in the full line' position indicated in Figure 1, it covers and closes the discharge open-' ing l'|';' and when the slide 30 is shifted in'to'the dotted line position, the discharge opening I! is uncovered.

The spacing of the operating flange 32 from the discharge opening it is so chosen that a tooth brush- 35 with its back pressed against the lip flange has its bristles in position to receive tooth paste 3? as it is squeezed from the discharge openmg The 'slidett can be operated by hand, but the provision of the flange 32, extending from" the slide 30 far enough to permit the slide to be operated by the tooth brush has the advantage'of above the top surface of the slide far enough to prevent the sloping tooth brush from jumping over the flange whenpre'ssed against the flange to move the slide into position to uncover the discharge opening.

It would not be convenient to hold the slide 30 open with the same'hand as used to squeeze the tooth paste, nor would it be convenient to hold the slide 30 open with the same hand in which the tooth brush is gripped The feature by which the'brush can be used to keep'the slide open, therefore, has the advantage of making possible the use of an automatically closing cover which does not increase the effort required to squeeze the-tooth paste from the tube." Many self-closing caps of the prior art have used the pressure of thepaste to open the cap, but it is'evident with such caps the force required to squeeze the paste from;

the tube is increased, and greatly increased when .the paste is stiff and a strong spring pressure is provided to close the cap against the resistance of the stiff paste.

The slide 30 is held in closed position, and restored to closed position after each operation,

5: 1b--a spring A!) housed in a socket betweenthe 38 along the length of the guideway 26 is limitedby the lug 42 which strikes against the abutment provided by the rearward wall of the socket-when the slide 39 reaches the full line position shown in Figure 1, and which pushes the spring 40* against the forward wall of the spring socket when the slide 38 is moved into the dotted line position shown in Figure 1.

The end of the slide 38' which moves back and forth across the discharge opening I! preferably has a sharpened edge for cutting off the paste 3! without requiring the spring 40 to be excessively heavy. There is no end wall at the rearward end of the guide 25 and it is, therefore, impossible for the closing of the slide 38 to be prevented by an accumulation of the paste between the end of the slide and the end wall of the groove or guideway in which the slide moves back and forth.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, but changes and modifications can be made, and some features of the invention can be used alone or in different combinations, without departingfrom the inven-, tion as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible tube cap having upper, and lower ends and comprising two sections with recesses in confronting faces shaped and positioned to form a threaded socket for the end of the collapsible tube at the lower end of the cap, a channel in the surface at the upper end of the cap with undercut side walls and serving as a guideway, each of said walls being on a different section of the cap, said channel being open at both ends and also having a discharge opening through its bottom, a slide movable back and forth along the guideway for covering and uncovering the discharge opening, an upwardly extending flange at one end of the slide at a distance from the other end of the slide equal to theheight of a tooth brush with which the cap is intended to be used and by which the slide can be moved with the tooth brush, said slide having an unobstructed top surface on the side of the flangepnearest to the discharge opening so that a side of the tooth brush can be laid across the slide and moved toward the flange end of the slide, a downwardly extending lug under the slide, a socket in the cap below the slide in position to receive the down-v wardly extending lug of the slide, said lug being of a size to cooperate with the ends of the socket and thereby limit the stroke of the slide in both directions, a spring in the socket urging the slide towards closed, position, said spring having a loop intermediate its ends, and fastening means securing sections of the cap together, one of said fastening means extending through the socket and through the loop of the spring for maintaining the spring at a fixed location within the socket.

2. An automatic cap for a collapsible tube, said cap including two sections that flttogether to form a threaded opening on one end of the cap for receiving the end of the tube and, to form a channel at the other end of the cap toserve as a guideway, said channel having side walls one of which is on each of the respective sections, and both of which sides are undercut, a slide movable along the guideway and across an outlet which opens through the bottom of the channel and which communicates with the threaded opening of the cap through a passage in said cap. which passage is substantially longer than the maximum width of the outlet, said slide having side edges that extend into the undercut portions of the guideway and having a top surface that is substantially flush with the top edges of the guideway, and a flange extending upwardly from the slide toward one end thereof for a substantial distance to prevent the tooth brush from jumping over the flange when pressed against the flange to move the slide into position to uncover the discharge passage, the channel formed by the assembly of said sections being open at both ends.

3. A collapsible tube cap having a threaded opening in its underside for screwing on the neck of the tube and a guideway in its upper side, extending transversely across the cap and open at both ends, and having a discharge opening extending longitudinally of the cap intermediate the ends of the guideway, a slide at least as short as the guideway and confined throughout its length between the-sides of the guideway, the slide being movable along the guidewa-y for covering and uncovering the discharge opening, a flange extending upward from the top surface of the slide near one end of the slide that is remote from the discharge'opening when the slide is in position to uncover the opening, said slide having an unobstructed top surface on the side of the flange nearest to the discharge opening so that a side of the tooth brush can be laid across the slide at a slope that brings the upper ends of the bristles on one side of the brush adjacent to the top surface of the slide, and the brush can be moved into contact with the flange to shift the slide into position to uncover the opening, a socket under the slide, and spring means in the socket urging the slide toward the position in which it covers the opening, an abutment in the socket limiting movement of the slide to a position in which one end of the slide just clears the discharge opening, the flange extending above said top surface on the side of the flange toward said discharge opening far enough to provide a ledge for the tooth brush and to prevent the sloping tooth brush from jumping over the flange when pressed against the flange to move the slide into position to uncover the discharge opening, and

the length of the slide from the flange to the end of the slide nearest to the discharge opening being equal to the height of the tooth brush with which the cap is intended to be used.

4. A collapsible tube cap having a channel in a top face in the cap with a discharge opening in the bottom surfaceof the channel, said channel being open at both ends and having undercut side walls and serving as a guideway, a slide having longitudinal edges that flt in the undercut side walls of the channel, said slide being movable lengthwise alongthe channel into different positions to cover and uncover the discharge opening, a flange extending upward from the top surface of the slide near the end of the slide remote from the discharge opening, said slide having an unobstructed top surface on that side of the flange which is nearestto the discharge opening so that a side of a tooth brush can be laid across the slide and moved along the slide into contact 5 with the flange to shift the slide into position to uncover the opening, said flange extending upwardly from the slide and having a straight surface above the top of the guideway on the side of the flange which is toward the discharge opening and for a distance suiiicient to prevent a tooth brush from jumping over the flange when pressed against the flange to move the slide into position to uncover the discharge opening, said cap also having a recess in the bottom of the channel under the slide, said recess having abutment surfaces at its opposite ends, a lug on the bottom of the slide projecting downward into the recess and located in position on the slide to be stopped by the end faces of the recess to limit movement of the slide in both directions lengthwise of the channel.

VINCENT LAMAGNA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Maves Mar. 25, 1952