US2862647A

US2862647A - Locking curler for resilient tubes

Info

Publication number: US2862647A
Application number: US698239A
Authority: US
Inventors: William C F Dietz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-11-22
Filing date: 1957-11-22
Publication date: 1958-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1975-12-02

Description

Dec. 2, 1958 w. c. F. DIETZ 2,862,647

' LOCKING CURLER FOR RESILIEINT TUBES Filed Nov. 22, 1957 I IN VEN TOR.

\ a); WILLIAM (.F. DIETZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,862,647 LOCKING CURLER FoR RESILIENT TUBES William C. F. Dietz, Cincinnati, Ohio Application November 22, 1 957,Serial No. 698,239 8 Claims. (c1. 222 214 This invention relates to collapsible tube curlers, and more particularly to collapsible tube curlers which may be attached to and detached from collapsible tubes at will. and have means adapted to co-operate with a tube to preclude rotation of the curler relative thereto.

An object of this invention is to provide a curler for collapsible tubes manufactured from flexible materials, which tubes because they have a resilient, or rubbery quality, tend to uncurl into straightened condition.

A'further object of this invention is to retain a portion of a collapsible tube in coiled or curledcondition about a portion of a curler.

Another object of this invention is to provide a curler for collapsible tubes having locking means adapted to co-operate with an uncurled portion of a tube to lock the curler against rotation relative to the tube at intervals corresponding to respective half revolutions of the curler, when desired. I

A further object of this invention is to provide a collapsible tube curler of the above character which may be placed with a collapsible tube in a paper board box, such as is used in packaging and marketing of tooth paste, shaving cream, and the like, Without enlargement of the box or damage to the tube. V V

A further object of this invention is to provide a collapsible tube curler of the above character which may be operatively engaged with and disengaged from a collapsible tube at any time without uncurling the tube sothat one curler may be used alternately with a plurality of tubes in various stages of collapse and curling.

Another object of this invention is to provide a collapsible tube curler which is fabricated from a rectangular blank of thin sheet metal and in which a finger tab is provided at one end of a hollow, tubular member having a longitudinal slot extending from the open end of the tubular member toward the tab, the tab having a thickness substantially equal to four times the thickness of the thin sheet metal and having a tubular portion spaced from and oriented transversely of the slotted tubular portionand a latch member extending through and pivotally supported in said second tubular portion, said latch member .havinga pair of latch arms extending substantially radially from the axis of the said second tubular portion, said arms having stop portions adapted to co-operate. with said tab portionto. preclude swinging of said latch arms through an angle greater than 360..

-. *A further object of this invention is to'provide for collapsible tubes a curler of the above character which is adapted to present at least one obstructing latch arm ing drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view'of a sheet metal blank from r 2,862,647 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 which the body of a curler embodying this invention may be fabricated;

Fig. 2 shows the blank of Fig. l bent to form a tubular member having a longitudinal slot;

Fig.3 is a view showing the tubular member of Fig. 2 after a portion adjacent one end thereof has been flattened to substantially coincide with an axial plane of the tubular member;

Fig. 4 is a view of the partially flattened member shown in Fig. 3, axially rotated from the position shown in Fig. 3 and with the flattened portion bent toward folded condition;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a locking member, part thereof being broken away, in association with the member illustrated in Fig. 4, after folding of the tab portion thereof has been completed, folding means being indicated in dashed lines;

Fig. 6 is a view of the device illustrated in Fig. 5, after axial rotation through an angle of 90 to a position corresponding to that of Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 7 is a side view of a collapsible plastic tube in co-operating relationship with a locking tube curler such as is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the corresponding relation of the lock and tube after the latter has been swung through an angle of relative to the curler are indicated by dashed lines;

Fig. 8 is an end view of a collapsible tube and locking curler generally corresponding to the tube and curler shown in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a schematic view showing fragments of lock member arms in relation to the profile or intercept of the external surface of a collapsible tube with a geometrical cylindrical surface coaxial with the swingable lock member and which geometrical cylindrical surface has a radius shorter than the length of the lock member arms.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application for UnitedStates Letters Patent, Serial Number 382,128, filed September 24, 1953, now Patent No. 2,820,575, issued January 21, 1958.

Collapsible tubes are widely used as containers for paste-like, semi-liquid materials. Cosmetics, lubricants, pigments, household supplies, abrasive compounds, and the like, are a few of the many commodities so packaged. To economically discharge the contents from such collapsible containers, it is best to progressively collapse them from the closed or sealed end thereof toward the discharge orifice. To accomplish this, I provide a curler by means of which such a tube may be progressively flattened and about which the flattened portion of the tube is progressively rolled or coiled. The most familiar of such collapsible tubes is fabricated from a material which may be flattened and wrapped or coiled about a cylindrical member which manipulation of the tube material results in its tending to remain in generally conforming relationship to and about that member. Tooth paste and shaving cream tubes fabricated from metal, such as tin or the like, found in most households, are of this type. So-called plastic tubes fabricatedfrom flexible, resilient, somewhat rubber-like materials have become available for packaging many of the materials which have heretofore been packaged in thin, metal-Walled collapsible tubes. These tubes fabricated from such rubber-like materials may be flattened and coiled about a curler but they do not normally take on a substantially permanent formation or set generally conforming to the curler. On the contrary, these plastic, rubber-like collapsible tubes tend to unroll and return to an extended condition, and also tend to return to a distended condition as Well, a quality or characteristic sometimes termed memory. This characteristic of the rubber-like plastic collapsible tubes renders relatively complete evacuation of the contents packaged therein, more difiicult, a circumstance which militates against consumer acceptance of such a container.

In the drawing, a preferred form of locking tube curler embodying my invention, is illustrated and comprises a curler member 16 and a locking member 17.

The curling member 16 may be fabricated from an elongate, substantially rectangular blank 18 of thin sheet metal, as shown in Fig. l. I prefer that the corners 19 of blank 13 be rounded as shown, and the lateral edges 20 are also preferably rounded to eliminate sharp edges which might cut or otherwise damage the wall of a collapsible tube. Edge 21 of the blank may also be rounded in a fashion similar to edges 20. The blank 18 is bent to form a thin-walled, hollow, tubular member 18 having a longitudinal slot 22 defined by blank edges 20 and the edges of the rounded corners 19. The tubular member 18 shown in Fig. 2, has a portion 24 adjacent its end 23 flattened so that the face of flattened portion 24 shown in Fig. 3 substantially coincides with a diametral plane of the tubular portion 16. The diametral plane with which the face of flattened portion 24 coincides is preferably perpendicular to a diametral plane through tube-receiving slot 22. In flattening the portion 24, the portions of the edges 20 in that portion of the member are moved into abutment along a center line 25 of the face shown in Fig. 3. The portion 26 of the member shown in Fig. 3 serves to couple flattened po-rtion24 and tubular portion 16. Portion 26 has a generally rounded exterior surface, as shown in the drawings. The configuration of the intervening or coupling portion 26 is completely formed when the stage of formation illustrated in Fig. 3 is reached. Flattened portion 24 is then folded or bent into the configuration illustrated in Fig. 4 in any suitable manner. As shown in Fig. 4, in dash lines, the portion 27 of flattened portion 24 adjacent portion 26 may be clamped between

clamp jaws

28 and 29. law 28 has a flat face adapted to support portion 27, while jaw 29 has a pair of flat faces joined by the face of the rounded edge portion 30. A movable jaw 31 serves to co-operate with the unsupported portion 32 of flattened portion 24 to bend the intervening portion about edge into the configuration illustrated in Fig. 4.

A locking member 17 preferably formed from round spring wire is then placed with its central portion 36 in engagement with that portion of the surface of flattened portion 24 which engaged the rounded edge of jaw 29. The portions of the locking member 17, other than that portion directly engaging the bent or folded portion 33,

jaw 34 advances toward it to complete formation of the tab 15 by moving portion 32 into flatwise abutting engagement with the opposed face of portion 27 while the connecting, intervening portion 33-substantially encircles the central portion of locking member 17 to secure same in pivoal relationship to the curler portion 16. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the lock member comprises a straight central portion 36 which extends transversely of the axis of the hollow, tubular curler portion 16 and a pair of arms 37, 37' extending in generally parallel, radial relation therefrom and adapted to swing in planes generally parallel to and spaced from the axis of tubular portion 16.

Arm portions

37, 37 have their free end portions bent to form ring-

like portions

38, 38 so that the end of the wire stock lies against adjacent portions 37, 37' thereof to preclude damaging of a co-operating tube wall thereby. Each of the

arms

37, 37 has a spring-stop portion 39, 39' each of which, as shown most clearly in Fig. 6, may be of generally U-shaped configuration. The stopspring portions, as shown in Fig. 6, are spaced from central portion 36 by straight portions '40, 40'. The stoption 36 to which they are integrally joined by

elongate portions

46, 40. The stop-spring portions, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, are spaced from central portion 36 a limited distance so that they may be swung into abutting cooperation with a face of tab portion 35 without contacting portion 26 or the tubular portion to the left thereof, as shown in Fig. 6. It may be noted that the terminal ring portion 38 of lock arm 37, as shown in Fig. 5, extends from arm 37 toward the foot of the drawing sheet, in both of the limit positions, namely, the one illustrated in full lines, and the one illustrated in dashed lines in Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the terminal ring portion 38 of arm 37 extends toward the top of the drawing sheet, which is a direction opposite to that in which ring portion 38 extends. The ring portion 38 extends in like direction in both limit positions, namely, that shown in full lines, and that shown in dashed lines in Fig. 7.

As mentioned above, the lock member is preferably formed from round, springy, or resilient wire, and the arms 37 and 37' may be flexed away from each other to accommodate a collapsible tube which presents greater bulk without effecting permanent distortion of the lock member. Most flexing may occur when the tube is nearly empty and the major portion thereof is coiled about the curler portion 16, as well as when the tube is of an exceptionally large size. Such flexation of arm 37 is indicated in dashed lines in Fig. 8. In that figure it may be noted that the opposite face of the collapsible tube 41 is being urged toward lock arm 37 by a human finger 42.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the curler may be placed in engagement with tube 41 adjacent the seal thereof and as the contents of the tube 41 are expelled, the tube may be progressively collapsed or flattened from adjacent its seal toward its discharge neck and the flattened portions .coiled about curler 16. In coupling the curler to the tube 41 the seal portion is preferably received inside of the hollow, tubular portion 16 with adjacent portions of the tube extending outwardly through slot 22. When the emptied and collapsed portion of the tube has been coiled upon tubular curler 16, lock member 17 may be swung into obstructing relation with at least one of its arms in co-operative engagement with tube 41 to preclude any substantial rotation of curler 16 relative to the unflattened portion of tube 41. When a part of the contents of that portion of the tube illustrated in full lines in Figs. 7 and 8 has been evacuated and a suflicient additional portion of that tube may be flattened and curled over one-half of the periphery of the curler, the lock member 17 is swung to move the

arms

37, 37 thereof out of obstructing relationship with the tube 41 and the additional portion thereof is coiled about the curler 16. In Figs. 7 and 8 the curler 16 may be viewed as stationary while the tube is swung about it to curl or wrap the evacuated portion of the tube about it, placing the unevacuated portion 41' in the position indicated in dashed lines. The lock member 17 is then swung to the limit position indicated in dash lines to preclude any substantial rotational movement of the curler 16 relative to the tube portion 41. It may be noted that in the limit positions of lock member 17 the stop spring portions 39, 39' engage the adjacent face of tab 35. As the tube tends to uncoil from the curler 16, that is, to move in a clockwise direction about the curler as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the tube movement is opposed by the arm 37 or 37' the terminal ring portion 38 or 38' of which extends away from the discharge neck of the tube.

Fig. 9 is a somewhat schematic view showing the profile of. that portion of the tube with which the terminal ring and adjacent portions of the arms tend to contact andcooperate. In Fig. 9 the plane in which the

arms

37 and 37 tend to swing or toward which they are normally biased, is indicated by the lines 43, 43'. The profile 44 of the external surface of the'tube tends to bulge outwardly beyond the planes 43, 43' and thus servesto cooperate with arms 37, 37' and terminal ring portions thereof 38, 38' resisting movement of locking member 17 from the position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 7 to the position 45 indicated in dot-dash lines in that figure. Further, the tendency of the tube to mend from the curler results in the tube resting most heavily against the arm 37 or 37' which is closest to the surface of the curler portion from which the tube would first uncurl, which, in Fig. 9 is arm 37. As shownin Fig. 9, the tube tends to bulge outwardly at points 46 adjacent arm 37 and inwardly adjacent the line of contact 47 with that arm. Thus, as is shown most clearly'in Fig. 9, the tube co-operates with the lock member to also retain the locking member in locking co-operation with the tube, while the locking member locks the tube against unwinding from the curler. Of course the tube is somewhat resilient and gives as the

arms

37, 37 are positively swung toward the unlocked or locked position, asthe' case may be incident to hand manipulation of that locking member 17. Suchmovement of the locking member 17 from unlocked to locked relationship to the tube, or viceversa, normally results in some flexing of those arms, that is, spreading thereof, as- Well as corresponding 'flexation of the'portions of the tube bulging outwardly beyond the

planes

43, 43 toward those planes. Such flexation of the tube and arms 37, 37' is actually each the result of forces applied by the other co-operating member.

If desired, the curler may be formed of any suitable material and permanently attached to the tube adjacent the seal thereof.

Having thus described the invention, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains, that various changes may be made in the disclosed embodiment without departing from either the spirit'or scope of the invention.

Therefore, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is r r 1. For collapsible tubes; a locking curler comprising a curler member having a longitudinal slit hollow tubular portion adjacent one of its ends, a folded fiattenedtab portion adjacent its otherend and a rounded intervening portion integrally connecting said tubular and tab porv operative pivotal relation to said tab, and said stop portion is adapted to engage said tab and limit swinging of the locking member to an angle of less than 360 degrees. 2. For collapsible tubes, a locking curler comprising a curler member having a longitudinally slit hollow tubular portion adjacent one of its ends, a folded flattened tab portion adjacent its other end and a rounded intervening portion integrally connecting said tubular and tab portions, and a resilient locking member having an axially rotatable central portion coupling a pair of normally parallel arm portions extending radially therefrom and having a stop portion on at least one of said arms extending toward the other arm and spaced from said central portion, said central portion being received in co-operative pivotal relation to said tab, and said stop portionis adapted to engage said tab to preclude swinging of said locking member arms past said longitudinally slit hollow tubular portion and limiting swinging of the locking member arms to an angle of less than 360 degrees.

3. Packaging means comprising a collapsible tube having a hollow flattenable body, a discharge orifice in one end of said body, means for closing said discharge orifice, said body having a second end adapted for sealing after charging, means sealing said second end being adapted to serve as a core extending transversely of said body and about which flattened portions of said tube may be 'tions, and a resilient locking member having an axially I coiled, a resilient locking member having a central portion, a pair of normally parallel arm portions extending radially in like direction from said central portion to terminal ring portions, said sealing means extending laterally of said tube to support the central portion of said locking member for pivoting about an axis spaced from said tube and extending transversely of the sealing means, at least one of said arm portions having a portion adapted to co-operate with said sealing means intermediate said tube sealing portion and said locking member supporting portion for limiting swinging of'said locking member to an angle of less than 360 degrees, said arms being adapted to straddle said tube adjacent said sealing means, whereby the sealing means may be locked against rotation relative to said tube and uncoiling of the tube therefrom is precluded thereby, the locking member arm portion being adapted to co-operate with said tube to'resist movement of said locking member from (to-operating engagement with said tube.

4. Means for sealing the charging end of a collapsible tube comprising an elongate core member adapted to seal the charging end thereof, said core member extending laterally from the tube and being adapted to pivotally support alocking member for co-operative engagement and disengagement with said tube to regulate rotation of the core member relative to said tube, said locking member'having a central portion supported by said core and a pair of resilient parallel arms extending radially in like direction from the central portion thereof, said arms being adapted to co-operate with a tube sealed by said core whereby the free ends of the arms are adapted to move apart when in contacting co-operation with portions of the tube of thickness greater than the spacing of the arms as they pass from a position in which thelocking member arms are disengaged from the tube and extend substan-' tially parallel thereto, into a position in which they extend substantially.transversely of the tube in straddling relation to same.

5. .For collapsible tubes, a locking curler comprising a curler member having a longitudinally slotted hollow tubular portion adapted to co-operate with a collapsible tube adjacent the seal thereof, a folded flattened tab por tion adjacent the other end of said curler member and a rounded hollow intervening portion integrally connecting said tubular and tab portions, and a resilient locking member having. a pair of normally parallel arms joined 'by a central connecting portion from which said arms extend perpendicularly in like direction, said central connecting portion being received and supported for pivotal rotation inv a co-operating portion of said tab spaced from said connecting portion, each of said arms having a ring-shaped terminal end portion remote from said central portion, each of said arms having a stop-spring portion between and spaced from said central and ringshaped portions, said stop-spring portion extending toward each other and being adapted to co-operatively engage said tab portion to limit swinging of said locking member to an angle of less than three hundred sixty degrees.

6. For collapsible tubes, a locking curler comprising a curler member having a longitudinally slotted hollow tubular portion adapted to co-operate with a collapsible tube adjacent the seal thereof, a folded flattened tab portion adjacent the other end of said curler member and a rounded hollow intervening portion integrally connecting said tubular and tab portions, and a resilient unitary locking member having a pair of normally parallel arms joined by a central connecting portion from which said arms extend perpendicularly in like direction, said central connecting portion being received and supported for pivotal rotation in a co-operating portion of said tab spaced from said connecting portion, each of said arms havinga ring-shaped terminal end portion remote from said central portion, each of said arms having a stop-spring portion between and spaced from said central and ringshaped portions, said stop-spring portions being adapted to co-operatively engage said tab portion to limit swinging of said locking member about the axis of said central portion to an angle of less than three hundred sixty degrees, and to provide for increased resilient flexing of said arms adjacent said intervening portion whereby the portion of said arms extending between said terminal ring and stop-spring portions swings through a greater angle than the portion thereof extending between said stop-spring and central portions when subjected to forces tending to increase the spacing of the terminal ring portions.

7. A device for curling a collapsible tube and interlocking with said tube to preclude uncurling of same therefrom which comprises athin-walled hollow tubular member formed from a rectangular sheet metal blank, there being a longitudinal slot therein between the spaced adjacent edges of said formed blank, a portion of said tubular member adjacent one end thereof being flattened, said flattened portion being folded upon itself along a line transversely of the axis of said tubular member to form a finger grip with the slot defining edges inside the folded portion, said finger grip portion supporting the slot-defining edges against longitudinal displacement relative to each other, a resilient locking member having a central portion extending transversely through the finger grip adjacent and parallel to the fold line thereof in pivoting relation thereto and having a pair of spaced normally parallel like directed radially extending arms, said arms having rounded free end portions and intermediate portions forming stop-spring elements adapted to co-operate with said finger grip adjacent the unflattened portion of the tubular member whereby swinging of the locking member arms is limited to an angle of less than 360 degress and the portions of the arms extending between said stop-spring portions and said rounded end portions are adapted to flex through, a greater angle from the normal position of parallel relationship than the portion between. the stop-spring portions and the central portion in response to a force of given magnitude, said tubular member being adapted to receive the end seal portion of a collapsible tube with an adjacent portion projecting outwardly through said longitudinal slot whereby said tubular member may be rotated to effect progressive collapsing of said tube for emptying same while simultaneously curling the emptied portion thereof about said tubular member, and said tubular member at half revolution intervals may be secured against substantial rotation relative to said tube by swinging of said lock member arms from a position generally parallel to the length of the tube into a position substantially transversely and straddling the tube whereby the tube and at least one of the arms so co-operate as to resist swinging of the lock member out of engagement with the tube.

' 8. A collapsible tube curler comprising a thin-walled hollow. tubular member having spaced edges bounding a longitudinal slot, aportion of said tubular member adjacent one end thereof being collapsed into flattened condition with the walls thereof in substantial coincidence with a diametral plane and joined together by longitudinal fold portions, the collapsed and flattened portion being joined to the tubular portion thereof by an integral hollow tapering portion, said flattened portion being folded upon itself along a line transversely of the axis of said tubular member to form a finger grip tab with the slot-bounding edges inside the tab for supporting the slot-defining edges against longitudinal shifting relative to each other and the tubular member against distortion, the slot in said tubular membertextending from the open end of said member toward said tab, for receiving and gripping a portion of a collapsible tube adjacent the end sealed portion thereof, the slot-defining edges of the tubular member being in opposed facing relation throughout their length and being in abutment in the flattened portion of said member, the crimped end portion of a collapsible tube being receivable in said slot, a locking member having a central portion and a pair of resilient parallel arms extending radially in like direction from the endsof said central portion, said central portion being received in said tab adjacent the transverse fold line thereof and parallel to said fold line for pivoting relation to said tab, the arms of said locking member beingadapted to co-operate with a collapsible tube received in said slot, said arms being swingable from a posi-.

tion generally parallel to said tube and a position generally transversely of said tube and straddling same, the free ends of the arms being adapted to move apart when in contacting co-operation with portions of the tube of thickness greater than the normal spacing of the arms as they pass toward and away from the position transversely of the tube straddling same, whereby the tube may be coiled on the tubular member while the lock member arms are in disengagedrelation and the tubular member secured against substantial rotation relative to the tube when the lock member arms are in straddling relation to said tube.

No references cited.