US2881954A - Dispensing device for collapsible tubes - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1959 w. D. KIRKPATRICK ETAL 2,

7 DISPENSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Feb. 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l v I '2 INVENTORS f y; WILLIAM D. KIRKPATRICK 1 ARTHUR L. NEWMAN I J91, WAMJWM/ w ATTORNEXS W. D. KIRKPATRICK ETAL DISPENSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES April 14, 1959 mm 2 mmM H m) L m m 6 DR. m U s H M T I 2 M LA w, W

Y a B Filed Feb. 12, 1957 ATTORNEYS United States Patent DISPENSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES William D. Kirkpatrick and Arthur L. Newman, Kelseyville, Califl, assignors of one-third to Benjamin C. Jones, Lakeport, Calif., and two-thirdsto Red Devil Tools, Union, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 12, 1957, Serial No. 639,750

8 Claims. (Cl. 222-102) This invention relates to a dispensing device for collapsible tubes, and particularly for such tubes as are now widely employed for containing the paint pigments to be added to basic paints for obtaining a paint having the desired color and shade or'tint thereof.

The dispensing of the paint pigments (which are usually in a liquid paint medium of some kind) from collapsible walled tubes without creating a damaging and unsightly mess is almost impossible where .an attempt is made to manually hold the tube; cut oif one end of the tube; and then manually squeeze the paint from the tube. Furthermore, such a procedure fails to completely exhaust the tube.

The paint pigments in the tubes thereof that are provided for mixing with a basic paint for producing the desired color and tint or shade thereof, are necessarily concentrated and intense and for that reason are quite damaging to clothing and are very difficult to clean from the hands. Also asmall amount, such as the amount left in a partially exhausted tube, may be suificient to make a noticeable difference in the color of the final paint mixture.

Heretofore attempts have been made to provide devices for dispensing paint from collapsible tubes. For the most part, these attempts have been directed to dispensing tooth paste or shaving cream from tubes that are closed .at one end and that have an end wall at the opposite end, which end wall has a discharge nozzle through which the contents is ejected. In paint tubes of the character intended to be used with the present invention, there is no discharge nozzle on an end wall since the entire end wall is removed. Thus any device providing a support for a nozzle or for an end wall carrying such a nozzle, would defeat the purpose of the present invention since such support would become smeared with pigment, and such support would also interfere with the discharge of paint from the tube.

Also, while there is no objection to a device that provides means for squeezing the sides of the tube together after the end wall is removed so as to permit the paint to be ejected from the tube, it is very desirable that the device be so constructed as to prevent any pressure being applied to the walls of the tube until after the end wall is removed. This is accomplished in the present invention.

Heretofore manually actuatable squeezers have been developed that are intended to be held in the hand while the contents of a tube held by the device is being ejected. These have been found to be unsatisfactory since they differ little from the older method of manually squeezing the contents of a tube therefrom, and also any attempt to manually manipulate a tube While holding it in the hand requires a combination of strength and skill that is seldom found, and movement of the tube over the paint can during ejection of the paint may result in some of the paint smearing over the edges of the paint can.

One of the objects of the present invention is the proice vision of a paint ejecting device that will easily, safely and thoroughly eject paint from the tube, and which device supports the tube over the paint can during ejection of paint from the tube.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a paint dispensing device that will firmly hold a tube of pigment during ejection of the pigment therefrom in a predetermined position over a stationary can, and which device as provided with tube squeezing means that immediately move apart, and out of tube squeezing relation as soon as the force employed for squeezing the sides of the tube together ceases.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a tube squeezing device that is economical to make and to maintain.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the de scription and in the drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device with the side plate removed to show internal structure;

Fig. 2 is a reduced size side elevational view of the side plate for the housing of Fig. l, as seen from the inside of said housing;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the tube clamp in open position with the position of the tube squeezing rollers indicated before being moved to tube engaging position;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view as seen from line 77 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an isometric view of the tube squeezing mechanism only (not including the tube holder), separate from the housing, the view being broken in length, and the tube squeezing rollers are shown in open position;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to that of Fig. 8, except that the tube squeezing rollers are together in tube squeezing position. The tube is shown in dot-dash lines;

Fig. 10 is a reduced side elevational view of the tube squeezer as seen from the side opposite to that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view as seen from line 1111 of Fig. 8, showing the base of the device.

In detail, the tube squeezing device illustrated in the drawings comprises a base 1 having a vertical post or standard 2 rigid therewith, but removably secured thereto by any suitable means such as a set screw as indicated in Fig. l.

The base 1 is preferably of generally U-shape as seen in plan view from above (Fig. 11) so that the largest size can of paint ordinarily used will be adapted to fit between the sides 3 of the U, thereby automatically centering such can below the tube. Screws or bolts 4 may serve to secure the base to a table or the like. The post or standard 2 extends upwardly from the closed side of the U and, as will later be explained more in detail, the tube holder is offset laterally from the post 2, as will later be described in detail, so that the pigment therein will be discharged into a can disposed between the sides of the U-base irrespective of whether the can is of the 5 gallon cylindrical size or smaller.

Vertically adjustable on post 2 is a housing that is generally designated 5 (Fig. 10), and which housing forms the supporting frame for the operating parts of the tube squeezer.

Said housing, or frame, is preferably formed in two parts, one part comprising an open sided portion 6 (Fig. l) in which most of the operating parts of the tube squeezer, except the squeezing roller and tube clamp, are

positioned, and the other part 7 being generally complementary to the portion 6 and being a closure plate.

The portion 6 comprises a vertically disposed generally rectangular, vertical plate 8, except for a lateral extension 9 and a laterally projecting flange 10 is integral therewith and projects to one side thereof at its edges.

The top and bottom flanges on the lateral extension 9 are cut away as at 11 (Fig. 1) to pass the vertical post 2 as seen in Fig. 1, and a spring urged manually actuatable pin 12 (Fig. 10) is supported on the extension 9 for yieldable movement into one of several openings 13 formed in post 2 for supporting the portion 6 at different heights, as desired, according to the length of the tube being squeezed or the height of the can into which the tube is being squeezed.

The vertical portion 14 of flange 10 (Fig. 1) that is at the edge of plate 8 remote from the post, is preferably thickened and has a smooth vertical surface facing the post 2 to provide a bearing surface for part of the tube squeezing mechanism, and in spaced, opposed, parallel relation thereto is a similar vertically extending rib 15 integral with the plate 8 that also provides a smooth bearing surface for the other side of said mechanism.

Between the rib 15 and the flange portion 14 is the lower flange 16, of the generally designated flange 10 that is around the edge of plate 8. This lower flange 16 is spaced at its ends from the lower ends of flange portion 14 and rib 15, and the ends 17 of said flange portion 16 extend downwardly and have vertical bearing surfaces on their sides that face the lower ends of said portion 14 and rib 15.

Carried by flange 16 and projecting downwardly therefrom, is a tube clamp generally designated 18 (Figs. 1, 6). One arm 19 of this tube clamp is rigid with the flange 16, and consequently with the housing 5, said arm being formed at its lower end with a horizontally elongated jaw 21, which jaw 21 projects slightly laterally from said arm and is adapted to engage aside of the flat closed end of a conventional tube 22 (Fig. 9) when said closed end is uppermost with its open end directed downwardly.

The arm 19 may be stamped from sheet metal so as to be of generally channel shape with the sides 23 (Fig. 6) projecting laterally from the web connecting them, the jaw 21 being a downward extension of said web. Thus the lower end edges 24 of the sides 23 will form a stop against the closed flat end of the tube 22 will engage in positioning the tube in between the clamp to prevent the clamp from gripping the portion of the tube containing the pigment.

The other arm 26 of the tube holder or clamp is pivotally secured at its upper end, as at 27 to the sides of the fixed arm 19 for swinging of the lower end of the arm 26 toward and away from the lower end of arm 19. A jaw 28 corresponding to jaw 21 of arm 26 is on the lower end of arm 26, which jaw 28 projects toward the jaw 21 so that the closed end of the paint tube may be clamped between the relatively thin edges of jaws 21, 28 when arm 26 is moved toward the arm 19.

A quick actuating means for releasably locking the jaws 21, 28 into tight holding relation with the closed end of a tube is indicated at 29 and comprises a bolt 31 connected to arm 19 and relatively loosely extending through arm 26 at a point spaced above jaws 21, 28 and below pivot 27. A spring 33 reacting between the arms will yieldably hold them apart. A cam-like tightener 34 having a finger actuatable arm 35 rigid therewith is pivotally secured to the outer end of the bolt 31 that projects from arm 26. This tightener has a low side and a high fiat side 36 that successively engage arm 26 upon rotating the tightener about its pivotal bolt 31. When the low side is against arm 26 as seen in Fig. 6 the jaws 21, 28 are spaced apart by spring 33 for receiving the closed end of a paint tube between them and upon giving the tightener a quarter of a turn the jaw 28 W11]. move toward jaw 21 for tightly gripping the flat connection with closed end of the paint tube between them and the high flat side 36 will engage arm 26 for holding the jaws together until the arm on the tightener is actuated to rotate the tightener back to the released position shown in Fig. 6. Thus there can be no slippage of the tube from between the jaws.

The remainder of tube 22 will depend vertically from the tube clamp 18 when the tube is in a position held by the clamp, and said jaws 21, 28 when they are in holding relation to the tube, will be preferably exposed below housing or frame 5 so the operator can readily see them so as to quickly and accurately position the closed end of the tube between said jaws.

Disposed at opposite sides of a vertical plane positioned between jaws 21, 28 are horizontally extending parallel rollers 37 that are rotatable on shafts 38.

A pair of opposed members 39 (Figs. 5, 8, 9) extend across opposite ends of the rollers 37, and each member is formed with a pair of horizontal slots 40 through which the ends of shafts 38 extend. The said ends of shafts 38 are movable longitudinally of slots 40.

Members 39 are rigid with the lower ends of a pair of vertically extending flat bars 41 that are rigidly connected at their upper ends by a horizontally extending bar 42. Thus the vertical bars 41 and the bar 42 form a carriage that carries the members 39 at its lower end.

At the outer sides of members 39 and adjacent thereto are roller actuating elements 43, and these elements are carried on the lower ends of a pair of vertically extending flat bars 44 that are alongside the bars 41. Said bars 44 are connected at their upper ends by a horizontal bar 45 that is similar to bar 42.

These bars 42, 45 are preferably arranged with bar 42 above bar 45, and the ends of bar 45 will extend slightly over the opposed sides of the vertical bars 41 in substantially sliding contact with the latter to stabilize the pairs of vertical bars 41, 44 during their relative reciprocable movement, as will later be described. The ends of the bar 42 also slightly extend over the opposed inner sides of the vertical bars 44 when the assembly is in the position shown in Fig. 8.

The elements 43 are each formed with convergently upwardly extending slots 46 through which the ends of the roller shafts 38 slidably extend. Thus the bars 44 and bar 45 form a carriage that supports the roller actuating elements 43. When the carriage carrying said roller actuating elements is moved upwardly relative to the rollers 37, the latter will be moved apart and when the carriage carrying the roller actuating elements 43 is moved downwardly relative to the rollers, the latter will be moved together so as to tightly squeeze anything between them.

The two carriages above described, one carrying the rollers and the other carrying the roller actuating means (for moving the rollers toward and away from each other) cooperate, as will later be explained more in detail, for bodily carrying the rollers up and down, at which times the carriages operate as a unit.

The flange portion 16 and the ribs 14, 15 in the housing portion 6 act as vertical slide bearings between which the two carriages are held and are vertically reciprocable. Said flange portion and rib therefore are slide guides for the carriages.

The back plate 8 will hold the bars 41, 44 against lateral movement from between flange portion 10 and rib 16, and will slidably support said bars, while a similar but wider flange portion 47 in the cover plate 7 (Fig. 2) and a wider rib 48, also in said plate 7 will extend over and substantially in sliding engagement with the sides of bars 41, 44 that are opposite to plate 8 when the cover plate is in position, for retaining said bars against movement out of the near side of the housing portion as viewed in Fig. 1. The said cover portion 7 has an outline corresponding to that of the portion 6, and provision is made in the form of openings 32 in corresponding flanges in portions 6 and 7 for cap screws to releasably hold the cover plate against the portion 6, as seen in Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1, 8, a pair of rollers 49 extend over the upper cross bar 42 that connects the upper ends of the vertical bars 41, and a single roller 50 is below said cross bar 42. These rollers are connected at their ends by Opposed triangular plates 51 and are rotatably carried by the latter, with the axle 52 of roller 50 projecting outwardly from plates 51.

A pair of rollers 53 similar to rollers 49 across lower bar below the latter, and a single roller 54 similar to roller is over the bar 45. These rollers 53, 54 are rotatably carried by and between a pair of triangular plates 55 that are the same as plates 51 except their apices are uppermost, while the apices of plates 51 are lowermost. The axle 56 of the single roller 54 project outwardly of plates 55 and a pair of parallel links 57 are pivotally connected at their ends with the projecting ends of axles 52 and 56.

When the cross bars 42, 45 are at their closest position, as seen in Fig. 1, the links 57 are horizontal and one of the corresponding angularly extending edges of plates 51 are parallel with and are almost in engagement with similarly extending edges of plates 55.

One of the links 57 that is nearest to the plate 8 is rigid with an arm 58 that projects angularly upwardly as best seen in Fig. 1. In Figs. 8 and 9 the arm 58 is indicated in dotted lines on the near side of the mechanism, since the latter is turned around in these views to show the side of the mechanism that is opposite to that shown in Fig. 1. It is obvious that the arm 58 and the link 57 with which it is connected could be integrally formed so that the one end of the arm would form the link.

The outer or upper end of the arm 58 is pivotally connected by a pivot 59 with one end of a relatively long arm 60 that extends angularly downwardly toward post 2 to a position adjacent to said post where it is rigidly connected with one end of a relatively large diameter shaft 61 (Fig. 1). This shaft 61 rotatably extends through a bearing 62 formed in the portion 6 of the housing, and the shaft projects outwardly of said hearing (which is a boss on the plate 8) for connection with one end of an actuating arm 63 that extends upwardly across the outer side of the housing to a point, preferably slightly beyond the edge of the housing that is remote from the post 2.

A coil spring 64 within the housing connects the arm 60 with the portion 8 of the housing for yieldably urging the arm upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1 at all times. This spring, of course, also urges the arm 63, at all times, to the position shown in Fig. l.

Disposed between the opposed lower ends of the vertical pair of bars 41 is a cylinder 65 (Fig. 4) rigidly connected to the portion 6 of the housing. This cylinder has an expansion spring 66 therein reacting between one end of the cylinder and a brake element 67 that extends from the opposite open end of the cylinder into frictional engagement with one of the vertical bars 41, or the carriage that carries the roller supporting members or plates 39 will always be in frictional engagement with the brake.

In operation, the manually actuatable handle 63 when not being actuated, will be in its uppermost position as seen in Fig. 1, and when it is in this position, the carriages that carry the roller supporting members 39 and the roller actuating elements 43 will be in the position shown in Fig. 8 in which the ends of roller shaft 38 are at the lower divergent ends of the divergently downwardly inclined slots 46. Thus the rollers 37 are at their maximum position apart and are at the opposite outer sides of the pair of tube gripping jaws 21, 28.

The operator will first position the flat, closed end of a tube 22 between the jaws 21, 28 and then will swing the handle 35 of the quick acting clamp actuating means downwardly, which will cause said closed end to be tightly and positively gripped between said jaws. The closed lower end of the tube will then be cut off or removed by any suitable means, there being a number of cutters designed for this purpose, and in this connection it should be noted that the tubes holding the paint pigment do not have a nozzle or threaded removable cap, but have a solid flat circular head that is equal in diameter to the maximum diameter of the tube, and this entire head is cut 011 or partially cut from the body and peeled away, so that the pigment will not have to move through a restricted opening in being squeezed from the tube. This provision is necessary since the formula for producing the desired shade or tint of a color is based upon all of the pigment being squeezed from the tube, and the tubes cannot be flattened to their open ends it a nozzle or restricted opening is in the head and the head remains on the tube. The sole support for the tube during the tube squeezing operation are the clamp 18 and the rollers 37.

The manually actuatable arm 63 is next swung downwardly by an operator positioned at the side of the device opposite to the post 2, and this movement initially causes the carriage carrying the roller actuating elements 43 to move downwardly, which movement, in turn, moves the rollers toward each other. The rollers will engage the downwardly convergently oppositely outwardly facing sides of the jaws 21, 28 which will guide said rollers to the upper end of the tube directly adjacent to the jaws, and which end is flattened. Thus the complete discharge of pigment from the tube is assured.

The angle of the slots 46, and the braking efiect of the brake 67 on the bars 41, are such that the downward movement of the roller actuating elements will cause the rollers to be moved toward each other with sufficient force to tightly squeeze the opposite sides of the tube together, and when the movement of the rollers toward each other steps, the two carriages for the rollers and for the roller actuating elements will move downwardly together as a unit so that the rollers will squeeze all of the contents of the tubes therefrom out of their lower open ends. The tube, as already mentioned, is held stationary at a predetermined level above the paint can, by the tube clamp or holding device 18.

The movement of the crank arm 58 under the influence of the downward movement of the arm 60 is what causes the roller actuating elements 43 to move downwardly relative to the roller carrying members 39, together with the action of brake 67. The roller carrying plates 51, 55 are caused to move apart when the connecting links 57 are pivoted through the rotation of the arm 58 and the links 57 cannot swing across center since the rollers 37 would come together before this could occur.

If at any point in the downward movement of the rollers 37 the downward force on the manually actuatable arm 63 were relieved, the force of spring 64 will move arm 63 upwardly and the rollers will move apart before the two carriages for the rollers and the roller actuating devices move upwardly as a unit.

This prevents any possible buckling of the flattened tube. Also should the operator relieve the downward pressure on arm 63 momentarily thus causing the rollers 37 to move apart, they will eventually be moved back into tight engagement with the opposite sides of the tube as soon as downward force on arm 63 is resumed.

A collar 78 (Fig. 10) may be adjustably secured to the stationary projecting boss or bearing 62 through which shaft 61 rotatably extends. Any suitable means, such as a set screw 71 may be used to secure the collar to said boss in adjusted position, and said collar carries a laterally projecting stop 72 that is adapted to engage the arm 63 at the lower end of the stroke of the latter. By rotatably adjusting the collar the point of engagement between the stop and the arm 63 can be determined, and the movement of the arm will thus be limited by the stop. This is desirable since different sized tubes may be used on the device, and the rollers 37 should not move past the lower end of the tube, although they should move to a point substantially at said lower end. If they were to move past the lower end, some of the pigment from the tube would be deposited on them and they would have to be cleaned.

While the rollers 37, when moved into tight engagement with the flattened opposite sides of the tube will not move apart while the pigment is being discharged from the tube, should they encounter some incompressible projecting solid during their downward movement, they will move apart before injury to the device, which is a desirable feature. However, the operator usually is warned of any obstacle by the added resistance to downward movement of arm 63.

After the tube has been emptied by operation of the squeezer, and the rollers have been carried back to their uppermost position, a quarter turn of the quick acting tightener 34 will release the flattened tube for removal from the tube squeezer.

Since the housing is flattened and lies in a plane parallel with the plane in which arm 63 moves, and since the post 2 and housing 5 and the paint can into which the paint pigment is to be discharged all lie in the same plane as the housing, the tube squeezer will occupy a minimum of usable space on a bench or table, and the operator will stand in the same plane as the plane of the housing while operating the device. For example, were the handle to operate in a plane at right angles to the housing, the device could not be placed at the end of a bench if there were a wall at the end of the bench. Usually the space in stores is at 'a premium, hence it is quite important that any pieces of equipment he compact and adapted to operate in a limited space. The can into which the pigment is to be squeezed is usually wider than the overall thickness of the present tube squeezer in a direction at right angles to the plane in which the housing is disposed.

In making the detailed description, it is our intention that the claims should cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A device for squeezing paint from a collapsible walled tube that is closed at one end thereof and open at its other end comprising: a pair of spaced, opposed tube gripping means at least one of which is movable toward the other to tube gripping relation with the closed end of such tube and in which position the remainder of said tube projects from said pair of tube gripping means, a pair of tube squeezing means movable to tube squeezing position squeezing opposite walls of said remainder of said tube flat together at a point adjacent to said tube gripping means when the latter is in said tube gripping relation with a tube, a support supporting said pair of tube gripping means and said pair of tube squeezing means for movement of one pair thereof relative to the other in a direction toward and away from each other axially of a tube held by said pair of tube gripping means, means for holding said tube squeezing means in said tube squeezing position during such movement of said one pair away from said other pair, and means connected with said pair of tube squeezing means for moving them apart to an open position out of tube squeezing relation upon movement of said one pair toward said other pair, and means operatively connecting one pair with the other pair for causing said last mentioned movement.

2. A device for squeezing paint from a collapsible walled tube that is closed at one end thereof and open at its other end comprising: a pair of spaced, opposed tube gripping means at least one of which is movable toward the other to tube gripping relation with the closed end of such tube and in which position the remainder of said tube projects from said pair of tube gripping means, a pair of tube squeezing means movable to tube squeezing position squeezing opposite walls of said remainder of said tube flat together at a point adjacent to said tube gripping means when the latter is in said tube gripping relation with a tube, a support supporting said pair of tube gripping means and said pair of tube squeezing means for movement of one pair thereof relative to the other in direction toward and away from each other axially of a tube held by said pair of tube gripping means, means for holding said tube squeezing means in said tube squeezing position during said movement of said one pair away from said other pair, and means connected with said pair of tube squeezing means for moving them apart to an open position out of tube squeezing relation upon movement of said one pair toward said other pair, and means operatively connecting said one pair with said other pair for causing said last mentioned movement, said support including a vertical stand supporting said pair of tube gripping means in a position for downward projection therefrom of said remainder of tube gripped thereby.

3. A device for squeezing paint from a collapsible walled tube that is closed at one end thereof and open at its other end comprising: a pair of spaced, opposed tube gripping means at least one of which is movable toward the other to tube gripping relation with the closed end of such tube and in which position the remainder of said tube projects from said pair of tube gripping means, a pair of tube squeezing means movable to tube squeezing position squeezing opposite walls of said remainder of said tube flat together at a point adjacent to said tube gripping means when the latter is in said tube gripping relation with a tube, a support supporting said pair of tube gripping means and said pair of tube squeezing means for movement of one pair thereof relative to the other in direction toward and away from each other axially of a tube held by said pair of tube gripping means, means for holding said tube squeezing means in said tube squeezing position during said movement of said one pair away from said other pair, and means connected with said pair of tube squeezing means for moving them apart to an open position out of tube squeezing relation upon movement of said one pair toward said other pair, said support including a vertical stand supporting said pair of tube gripping means in a position for downward projection therefrom of said remainder of the tube adapted to be gripped thereby, a manually actuatable lever pivotally connected at one end to said support for downward swinging of the opposite end, said support further including a vertically reciprocable carriage carrying said tube squeezing means and supporting said pair of tube squeezing means for their said movement from said tube squeezing position to said open position and vice versa, and means connecting said lever with said carriage and with the said means that is connected with said tube squeezing means for causing downward movement of said carriage and for moving said tube squeezing means to said open position thereof upon downward swinging of said lever.

4. A device for squeezing paint from a collapsible walled tube that is closed at one end and open at the other end comprising: an upright stand having a supporting base at its lower end, a tube gripping member carried by said stand at one side thereof above said base for gripping the closed end of such tube with the remainder of the latter depending therefrom, a pair of horizontal, parallel, opposed rollers, a carriage carried by said stand supporting said rollers adjacent to said tube gripping member and at opposite sides of such tube adjacent to its closed end when said closed end is gripped by said member and when the said remainder is depending from the latter, said carriage including roller carrying means supporting said rollers for relative movement from an open position spaced apart to a closed position adapted to tightly squeeze opposite walls of such tube flat together when such tube is between said rollers and vice versa, oppositely movable roller actuating means connected with said rollers for moving said rollers from said open position to said closed position upon initial movement of said roller actuating means in one direction, said carriage being vertically reciprocable for bodily carrying said rollers downwardly relative to said tube gripping member, and means connecting said carriage with said roller actuating means for so moving said rollers downwardly as a unit with said carriage upon continued movement of said last mentioned means in said one direction following said initial movement thereof, said roller actuating means being connected with said rollers for moving them to said open position upon, movement of said roller actuating means in an opposite dircciton and being connected with said carriage for moving said rollers upwardly as a unit with said carriage upon movement of said roller actuating means.

5. A tube squeezing device for squeezing paint from a collapsible walled tube that is closed at one end and open at its opposite end comprising: tube holding means movable into holding relation with said closed end of a tube with the remainder of said tube suspended from said closed end, a stationary support for supporting said tube holding means over a paint receptacle adapted to receive paint squeezed from said tube, tube squeezing means below said tube holding means movable into and out of squeezing relation with said tube at a point directly below said tube holding means, a lever pivotally connected at one end with said support for downward swinging and means operatively connecting said tube squeezing means with said lever for moving said tube squeezing means downwardly relative to a tube suspended from said support during said downward swinging and means actuated by said downward swinging of said lever connected with said tube squeezing means for moving the latter into tube squeezing relation during said downward swinging and downward movement of said tube squeezing means.

6. A tube squeezing device for squeezing paint from a collapsible walled tube that is closed at one end and open at its opposite end comprising: tube holding means movable into holding relation with said closed end of a tube with the remainder of said tube suspended from said closed end, a support for supporting said tube holding means over a paint receptacle adapted to receive paint squeezed from said tube, tube squeezing means below said tube holding means movable into and out of squeezing relation With said tube at a point directly below said tube holding means, a lever pivotally connected at one end with said support for downward swinging and means operatively connecting said tube squeezing means with said lever for moving said tube squeezing means downwardly relative to a tube suspended from said support and means actuated by said downward swinging of said lever connected with said tube squeezing means for moving the latter into tube squeezing relation during said downward swinging and downward movement of said tube squeezing means, said last mentioned means being actuated by upward swinging of said lever and connected with said tube squeezing means for moving the latter apart and out of tube squeezing relation, and yieldable means connected with said lever for yieldably swinging said lever upwardly upon release of said lever after a downward swinging thereof for so moving said squeezing means apart and for moving said swinging means upwardly;

7. A device for squeezing paint from a collapsible walled tube that is closed at one end thereof and open at its other end comprising: a vertically extending post, a base secured to the lower end of said post for supporting the latter on a table, a frame member supported on said post for vertical movement to different heights on said post, and cooperating means on said frame member and post for holding said frame member in adjusted position on said post, said frame member including a portion offset to one side of said post, a main carriage mounted on said portion for vertical reciprocation, a pair of opposed, horizontal, parallel rollers supported on the lower end of said carriage for horizontal movement toward and away from each other and for squeezing such tube between them when they are moved toward each other, an auxiliary carriage supported on said portion for vertical reciprocation, means connecting said auxiliary carriage with said rollers and with said main carriage for moving said rollers together and for moving said main and said auxiliary carriage downward as a unit, a movable manually actuatable member on said portion, means connecting said member with said main carriage and with said auxiliary carriage for respectively moving the latter to move said rollers together and for moving said main and said auxiliary. carriages downwardly as a unit, and tube clamping means stationary on said frame above said rollers for gripping the closed end of a paint tube with the latter depending therefrom between said rollers.

8. In a device for squeezing paint from a tube; a pair of horizontally extending, opposed, horizontally spaced, clamping jaws, means supporting said jaws for movement toward each other to tube holding position adapted to grip the closed end of such tube therebetween with the remainder of such tube depending from said jaws, the oppositely generally horizontally outwardly facing sides of said pair of jaws being inclined toward each other in a downward direction toward the closed end of such tube when said end is gripped between said jaws, a pair of horizontally extending rollers respectively in a starting position adjacent to said oppositely outwardly facing inclined sides of said jaws, means supporting said rollers in said starting position and for movement toward each other into engagement with said inclined faces and for movement downwardly against said sides into squeezing relation with said tube and downwardly along opposite sides of such tube in squeezing relation thereto to the lower end of such tube when the latter has its closed end gripped between said jaws, means connected with said pair of rollers for so moving the latter, and for moving said rollers upwardly from the lower end of such tube to said starting position, and means for moving said rollers apart and out of squeez ing relation with such tube during movement thereof upwardly in direction toward said starting position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,548,587 Cadalzo Apr. 10, 1951 2,687,827 McGilchrist et al Aug. 31, 1954 2,734,662 Shippen Feb. 14, 1956

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