US3120909A - Collapsible container and closure member therefor - Google Patents

Description

"1. M. MILLER 3,120,909

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER AND CLOSURE MEMBER THEREFOR Feb. 11, 1964 Filed Aug. 2. 1961 IN V EIY TOR. (Pa M MI/Ier BY 20 01 WW /7 TTORN E Y United States Patent 3,120,909 COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER AND CLOSURE MEMBER THEREFOR Ira M. Miller, Rte. 1, Box 1253, Gig Harbor, Wash. Filed Aug. 2, 1961, Ser. No. 128,833 2 Claims. (Cl. 22.2-522) My invention relates to a collapsible container and closure member therefor and an object of my invention is to provide a collapsible container of the tube or bottle type which is particularly well adapted to contain soft pasty material, such as tooth paste, shaving cream, hand cream, or the like, and which has a captive closure member of sleeve valve type that can be quickly and easily moved between an open position and a closed position to control the discharge of material from the container without entirely removing the closure member thus doing away with the danger 'of dropping and losing the closure member while handling the container.

My container is adapted to receive and dispense substantially any material having the consistency of a paste. It is particularly well adapted to receive tooth paste and to dispense it onto a tooth brush and is herein described as applied to this use. In dispensing tooth paste from a collapsible tube of conventional type having a screw cap the user ordinarily will hold the tube in one hand, unscrew the cap with the other hand, lay the cap down, pick up the tooth brush and load said brush by ejecting tooth paste from the end of the neck of the tube onto the brush. He will usually then either lay the uncapped tube of tooth paste down while using the brush or he will lay the loaded brush down while he is picking up and replacing the cap on the tube before using the brush. In one instance the cap and the paste which is exposed at the open end of the tube are open to contamination while the user is brushing his teeth and there is danger of the paste oozing out of the tube or being inadvertently squeezed out while the tube remains uncapped. In the other instance the paste on the loaded brush is open to contamination and can be inadvertently smeared on adjacent objects when the loaded brush is laid down to enable the user to pick up the cap and replace it on the tube. Also this procedure, when followed, requires a good many movements or operations on the part of the user and consumes considerable time. Carrying out this procedure is particularly difficult for children who are liable to leave tooth paste tubes uncapped, drop and lose caps and smear tooth paste over objects and fixtures.

A primary object of my invention is to simplify the procedure outlined in the preceding paragraph and make it easier and quicker for a user to carry out the operation of brushing his teeth and to minimize the danger of contaminating the tooth paste used.

Another object is to provide a collapsible container having thereon a captive closure member which operates like a sleeve valve and is very quickly and easily opened either by the hand in which it is held or by using both hands and is quickly and easily closed by holding it in one hand and pressing the closure member against any firm and non-yielding object, such as against a wash bowl or a wall or a shelf.

Another object is to provide a collapsible container having a neck portion in which there is a transversely directed discharge opening of suitable shape to emit a flat ribbon of paste and which has a sleeve valve type closure member movable longitudinally of said neck to cover and uncover said discharge opening.

A further object is to provide a collapsible container having thereon a neck provided with "a suitable closure member slidable on the neck, the neck having a transversely directed discharge opening which can be positioned to direct a ribbon of paste downwardly onto a brush and the slidable closure member serving to cut the paste 01f cleanly when it is moved from an open to a closed position without producing any back pressure in the container.

A still further object is to provide a collapsible container having a cylindrical neck with an external annular stop rib on its outer end and having on said neck a closure sleeve with an inner end part of smaller diameter than said stop rib, said smaller inner end part fitting snugly but slidable on said neck, said sleeve being formed of plastic material which has enough elasticity so that, in assembly, its smaller inner end part can be expanded and passed over said stop r-ib to permanently mount the sleeve on the neck.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a collapsible container and closure member therefor which are simple in construction, not expensive to manufacture, time saving and easy to use, and capable of dispensing paste or cream or even liquids from the container in a clean cut manner and without leaving excess paste, cream or the like on the outside of the container or creating in the container 2. back pressure which will tend to cause the contents to ooze out of the same.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a collapsible container and closure member therefor constructed in accordance with my invention, the sleeve of the closure member being shown in an open position.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of said container and closure member taken substantially on broken line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the sleeve of the closure member in a fully closed positlOtIl.

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section taken substantially on broken line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4A is a small scale sectional view showing an adaptation of my closure member to conventional screw cap type collapsible tube.

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating one manner of handling my container and a tooth brush preparatory to loading tooth paste onto the brush when the container is used as a receptacle for tooth paste.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing a preferred manner of depositing a ribbon like strip of tooth paste on the tooth brush.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrating how my container can be quickly and easily closed with one hand while the tooth brush with paste on it is held in the other hand.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings '10 indicates a collapsible container of the tube or bottle type. The container 10 has a neck 11 which is provided at one side and adjacent the top of said container with a discharge opening or slot 1 2. The container 10 may be a collapsible metal tube or it may be a plastic receptacle of the type commonly termed a squeeze bottle. A cavity 13 in the neck 11 affords communication between the discharge opening 12 and the interior of the container 10. Preferably the cavity 13 has walls 14 which curve toward the opening 12 and terminate at the top edge of said opening 12 and are shaped so as to avoid forming pockets in which material can remain and not be moved toward the discharge opening 12 each time material is ejected.

Preferably the discharge opening 12 is narrow in transverse directions and has a length substantially greater than its width so that the paste or cream in the tube 10 will be discharged from said opening 112 in the form of a ribbon.

The outer end of the neck 1-1 is externally provided with a rib 15 which serves as a stop member, as hereinafter explained. A tubular cup shaped closure member 16 fits over the neck 11 and is movable longitudinally thereon and operates like a sleeve valve to selectively cover or uncover the discharge opening 12. The inner end portion of the closure member 16 is of smaller internal diameter than the outer end portion is. The inner end part which is of smaller diameter is of a length suflicient to at least completely overlap the discharge opening 12 when the closure member 16 is in a closed position. Said smaller inner end part snugly fits the exterior of the neck 11 and is slidable thereon. The internal diameter of the outer end part of the closure member 16, that is the part thereof shown uppermost in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, is larger than the external diameter of the neck 11 by an amount just enough to provide clearance for the annular stop rib 15 on the outer end of said neck 111. A shoulder 17 is provided within the closure member 216 at the junction of said parts of smaller and larger diameter. The shoulder 17 engages with the annular stop shoulder or rib v15 on the outer end of the neck 11 to limit outward movement of the closure member 16 on the neck 11 and prevent complete removal of said closure member 16 from neck l l. The closure member 16 is made of plastic material, which in its finished state, is sufficiently elastic to allow the inner end portion thereof to be expanded enough so it can be passed over the annular external r-ib 15, in the process of assembly. Usually it is not necessary to remove the closure member 16 from the neck 11 after it has been assembled thereon.

The inner end of the closure member 16 is externally beveled to provide a fairly sharp annular inner edge 18 which cooperates in cleanly cutting off paste, cream or like material which may be protruding from the opening 12 at the time the closure member r16 is moved to a closed position.

Preferably the exterior of the outer end portion of the closure member 16 is serrated or roughened, as indicated at 19 in FIG. 1, so said closure member can be more easily and firmly grasped in moving the same outwardly to uncover the discharge opening 12. Also a small air vent 20 can be provided in the upper end portion of the closure member 16 to relieve pressure and suction therein.

FIG. 4A shows an adaptation of my invention to a collapsible tube 25 of conventional construction which is provided with the usual externally threaded neck 26. In this application of my invention the part 1=1a corresponds to the previously described neck part 11 of FIGS. 1 to 4 except that it is not integral with any container but its lower end portion is tubular and internally threaded to adapt it to screw onto the threaded neck of a conventional collapsible tube, such as the neck 26 of the tube '25. Parts 12a, 13a, 14a and 15a of the member 1141 are similar respectively to the parts 12, 13, 14 and 15 of the neck member 111 of FIGS. 1 to 4 and they function in the same manner, as hereinafter described. In this construction shown in FIG. 4A the part 11a serves as an adapter member'and makes possible the use of my captive sleeve valve type closure member on collapsible tubes now in common use, either by individual users or by those who disperse products in conventional collapsible tubes.

FIGS. '5, 6 and 7 illustrate a preferred Way of using my collapsible container with captive sleeve valve closure member for dispensing tooth paste onto a tooth brush which includes a handle 21 and bristles 22. For instance, the user can hold the tube in one hand, such as the left hand, and the handle 21 of the brush between the fingers of the right hand and, without elevating the arms into an awkward position, can grasp the closure member 16 between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand and move it to an open position. Also it is possible for the user, when holding the tube 10 in one hand, to quickly and easily open the closure member 16 with the thumb and forefinger of that hand by pushing outwardly on the same. With the closure member 16 open and the tube 10 rotatively positioned so that the discharge opening 12 is in a generally downwardly directed position, the user draws the bristle part 22. of the brush across the lower side of the neck 11 and at the same time sqeeezes out a desired amount of tooth paste 23 in ribbon form to load the bristle part of said brush, as shown in FIG. 6. The ribbon 23 of tooth paste on the brush will adhere to the bristles 22 and will not drop off even if the brush is oriented into a partially inverted position, as shown in FIG. 7.

While the loaded brush is held in the right hand, and without laying it down, the user can quickly and easily move the sleeve valve member 16 to a closed position by pressing the same against any convenient fixed object, such as a wash bowl 24, and can proceed to use the loaded tooth brush. Thus it is not possible for the user to drop or lose the cover member of the tooth paste tube and it is the easiest course and requires very little time and the use of only the hand which holds the tube to move the sleeve member 1.: to a closed position before laying the tube down. Also the hand which holds the brush is not needed in closing the sleeve member 16 and there is no reason for laying the loaded brush down before using it. Thus time and effort on the part of the user are saved and the danger of contaminating the tooth paste through contact of the same with unsanitary objects is minimized.

It is to be noted that all of the operations of moving the sleeve valve member 16 to an open position and to a closed position and of loading the tooth brush are carried out without requiring the user to elevate either arm into an awkward position, whereas, in the use of a conventional collapsible tooth paste tube having an end discharge opening the user will ordinarily find it desirable to elevate the arm which supports the tube into a substantially hori- Zontal position in order to direct the paste downwardly onto the brush.

It is to be noted that the sleeve member 16 is freely slidabie and freely rotatable on the neck .11 of FIGS. 1 to 4 and on the adapter 11a of FIG. 4A. Also that this sleeve 16 is not adapted to be detached by the user. Turning of the sleeve 16 of the FIG. 4A device will not ordinarilyunsorew the adapter member .1 1a from the neck 26 of tube '25 because said sleeve 16 will turn on member 111a. If the part of the sleeve 16 which covers the discharge opening '12 or 12a is sufficiently close fitting it will prevent thin pastes and creams. and even liquids from leaking out of the receptacles to which this device is applied. Thus my captive sleeve type closure member is practical for use on receptacles in which liquids are stored.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose preferred embodiments of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that changes may be made Within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible container and closure member therefor comprising a collapsible container body; a cylindrical neck connected with one'end portion of said body, said neck having a discharge opening in one side thereof in close proximity to the junction of said neck and the container body, said discharge opening being of narrow width transversely of said neck and substantially greater width longitudinally of said neck to thereby impart a fiat ribbon shape to soft material discharged therefrom, the inner end portion of said neck having a passageway extending from the interior of the container body to said discharge opening, the part of said neck immediately outward from said passageway and said discharge opening being solid and restricting outward movement of soft material beyond said discharge opening; an external stop rib of larger over-all diameter than said neck on'the outer end portion of said neck; and a tubular cylindrical cup shaped cap slidably mounted on said cylindrical neck, said cap having a closed outer end and an inner end which is externally beveled to a narrow annular edge, the internal diameter of said cap from the inner end of the cap outwardly for a distance greater than the length of the discharge opening on the neck being substantially equal to the external diameter of the neck whereby this part of the cap will fit snugly but slidably on said neck and overlap said discharge opening from end to end of said opening when the cap is in the innermost position on the neck, said portion of smaller diameter terminating in an internal stop shoulder within the cap and approximately mid way of the length of said cap, the internal diameter of the portion of said cap outwardly from said stop shoulder being substantially equal to the external diameter of said stop rib and the cap being slidable on said stop rib,

said internal stop shoulder being adapted to engage with said stop rib and limit outward movement of said cap on said neck.

2. The container and member as claimed in claim, 1 in which at least the inner end part of the cap which is of an internal diameter smaller than the over-all external diameter of the stop rib is slightly elastic, whereby it can be expanded and passed over said stop rib and will contract and provide a leak proof working fit on said neck.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. A COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER AND CLOSURE MEMBER THEREFOR COMPRISING A COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER BODY; A CYLINDRICAL NECK CONNECTED WITH ONE END PORTION OF SAID BODY, SAID NECK HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING IN ONE SIDE THEREOF IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE JUNCTION OF SAID NECK AND THE CONTAINER BODY, SAID DISCHARGE OPENING BEING OF NARROW WIDTH TRANSVERSELY OF SAID NECK AND SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER WIDTH SHAPE TO SOFT MATERIAL DISCHARGED THEREFROM, THE INNER END PORTION OF SAID NECK HAVING A PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER BODY TO SAID DISCHARGE OPENING, THE PART OF SAID NECK IMMEDIATELY OUTWARD FROM SAID PASSAGEWAY AND SAID DISCHARGE OPENING BEING SOLID AND RESTRICTING OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SOFT MATERIAL BEYOND SAID DISCHARGE OPENING; AN EXTERNAL STOP RIB OF LARGER OVER-ALL DIAMETER THAN SAID NECK ON THE OUTER END PORTION OF SAID NECK; AND A TUBULAR CYLINDRICAL CUP SHAPED CAP SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CYLINDRICAL NECK, SAID CAP HAVING A CLOSED OUTER END AND AN INNER END WHICH IS EXTERNALLY BEVELED TO A NARROW ANNULAR EDGE, THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID CAP FROM THE INNER END OF THE CAP OUTWARDLY FOR A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF THE DISCHARGE OPENING ON THE NECK BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE NECK WHEREBY THIS PART OF THE CAP WILL FIT SNUGLY BUT SLIDABLY ON SAID NECK AND OVERLAP SAID DISCHARGE OPENING FROM END TO END OF SAID OPENING WHEN THE CAP IS IN THE INNERMOST POSITION ON THE NECK, SAID PORTION OF SMALLER DIAMETER TERMINATING IN AN INTERNAL STOP SHOULDER WITHIN THE CAP AND APPROXIMATELY MID WAY OF THE LENGTH OF SAID CAP, THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE PORTION OF SAID CAP OUTWARDLY FROM SAID STOP SHOULDER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID STOP RIB AND THE CAP BEING SLIDABLE ON SAID STOP RIB, SAID INTERNAL STOP SHOULDER BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE WITH SAID STOP RIB AND LIMIT OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID CAP ON SAID NECK.

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