DE2355818A1 - Compressible tube with cap - has mouthpiece plate with snap cap hinged to it fitting over nozzle - Google Patents

Abstract

The tube is particularly for toothpaste, with a cap operated by one hand, and of the hinged snap type. This comprises a mouthpiece plate with a round outlet and an apron extending from its edge, the mouthpiece plate and outlet being covered by a plate. The two plates are joined together by a strip of material and a plastic spring, so as to move into two end positions past a dead centre. An inner apron fits over the tube mouthpiece, its inner diameter being approximately the same as the outer one of the latter, to hold the cap assembly in place. The inner apron can have an internal peripheral bead, engaging in an undercut portion on the outside of the tube mouthpiece.

Description

Tube, especially toothpaste tube.

The invention relates to a squeezable tube and especially a tube of toothpaste with a one-hand closure.

Toothpaste tubes are known in which the screw cap by means of a thin, bracket-like design Metal wire-attached to the shoulder of the tube. This prevents the lock from being lost or even falls into the sink, for example, and clogs it. The manufacture of such at Screw closures attached to wire brackets are extremely complex, so that these closures are not widely accepted to have.

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There are also plug-in closures for tubes, mostly sample tubes with little content, known, which are simple Let pull out remove. These closures only have an inadequate sealing effect and do not sit and are therefore only used for tubes whose contents are required once or at most twice.

All of these closures have the disadvantage that you need both hands to open the tube, namely one hand to hold the tube and the other to unscrew or pull off the cap. The use of such tubes i.e. the screwing and screwing down of the closures therefore takes unnecessary time. Another disadvantage of the The usual screw caps for toothpaste tubes are that parts of the squeezed out toothpaste strand with the screw cap on the thread, so that after opening and closing the screw cap several times the abrasive material of the toothpaste causes a small amount of aluminum abrasion, which results in an unsightly gray or Blackening of the toothpaste residues in the thread.

The present. Invention has the task of proposing a novel closure that the above Disadvantages eliminated and which is firmly connected to the toothpaste tube, can not be lost and furthermore

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with a single finger movement of a pinger the the Tube holding hand can be opened.

A compressible tube, in particular a toothpaste tube with a one-hand closure, is therefore used to solve this problem proposed, which is characterized in that a known swivel snap lock, which consists of a provided with an outlet opening essentially circular Muzzle plate with one extending from the edge of the same extending apron and a cover plate covering the mouthpiece plate and outlet opening, which both with two hinge strips and a plastic spring connected and are movable between two defined end positions over a dead center, on the mouthpiece of the tube by means of an inner skirt extending downward from the mouthpiece plate, the inner diameter of which is approximately the Outer diameter of the tube mouthpiece corresponds, is attached.

With such a tube you can fold up the the cover plate covering the outlet opening let it pop open without difficulty and this after removal Let the desired amount of toothpaste spring back with a small nudge. This manipulation can be opened with the thumb without difficulty

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the hand holding the tube or, when closing, the thumb or forefinger of the hand holding the tube carry out. Since there is no thread, there can be no smearing of the thread or abrasion caused by it aluminum particles and contamination or discoloration of the toothpaste.

Swivel snap locks with a circular Mouthpiece plate connected to a cover plate via two hinge strips and a plastic eder are on known. Such swivel snap locks are used with larger containers and are either with These containers are injection-molded from one piece, inserted with the mouthpiece plate into the Piaschen opening or by means of an apron extending downward from the mouthpiece plate is placed on the neck of the mouthpiece. So far However, such closures could not be used for compressible tubes, especially toothpaste tubes, use, since the mouthpieces of toothpaste tubes · are relatively in short, and above all, relatively small in diameter, namely only about 4 to 7 mm in size are. For the known swivel snap locks, however, mouthpiece plates of at least about 10 mm in diameter are required, because the distances between the points of application of the plastic spring from one another and from the pivot axis are sufficient

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must be large in order to obtain appropriate tensile forces. For this reason, so far such swivel snap locks have not been used for outlet openings with a diameter from less than 10 to 15 now used. In addition, there was a prejudice that one should go for mouthpieces with a smaller diameter can not use swivel snap locks, since the production of such small dimensions Joint strips and plastic core require excessive precision of the injection molding tools and there also Swivel tendon closures for such small mouthpieces are difficult to handle. , -

With the proposal according to the invention, however, surprisingly achieves that such swivel snap locks with a much larger mouthpiece plate than it corresponds to the mouthpiece of a toothpaste tube, and can produce it safely on the relatively can apply small and short mouthpieces of toothpaste tubes without excessive precision of the injection mold being necessary, the manipulability of the cover plate is given because of the sufficient size and also the distance between the points of application of the plastic spring from each other and from the pivot axis are sufficiently large so that sufficient tensile forces are obtained.

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The circular mouthpiece plate is preferably fastened via the inner skirt in that in the The lower inner area of the inner apron has a circumferential annular bead and on the outside of the tube mouthpiece a corresponding undercut is provided near the tube shoulder. It can also be used indoors Inner skirt has an internal thread and a corresponding external thread on the outside of the tube mouthpiece intended for fastening the swivel snap lock be. ·

For reasons of stability, it is also advantageous if the one extending from the edge of the mouthpiece plate Apron extends to the tube shoulder.

In a modification of the invention, the tube can be designed in such a way that it extends from the edge of the mouthpiece plate extending apron tapers in the direction of the tube shoulder and on.der inner surface a circumferential one Has an annular bead or an internal thread, which is in a corresponding undercut or in an external thread engage on the tube mouthpiece. It is advantageous here if the downwards from the mouthpiece plate extending inner skirt ends sealingly at the outlet opening of the tube mouthpiece.

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In both embodiments, it is also useful if the outlet opening on the circular. The mouthpiece plate is designed as an annular shoulder ₃ which protrudes in the axial direction over the surface of the mouthpiece plate. This ensures that the emerging toothpaste when wiped on a toothbrush is not distributed over the entire surface of the mouthpiece plate, but rather emerges from an annular opening, the shape of which corresponds approximately to a tube mouthpiece.

In both embodiments, it is also advantageous -if on the inside of the covering the outlet opening Cover plate a nose engaging in the outlet opening, in particular an annular shoulder, is provided whose outside diameter is slightly smaller than is the inside diameter of the outlet opening. This creates a better seal and, at the same time, allows it to be snapped shut achieved a certain pushing back of the toothpaste located in the outlet opening.

In the following the invention is explained in more detail on the basis of drawings \ show it:

FIG. 1: a longitudinal section through the upper part of a toothpaste tube according to the invention with a one-hand closure;

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FIG. 2: a longitudinal section through a further according to the invention One-hand closure analogous to FIG. 1, but with the outlet opening as an annular shoulder is trained;

FIG. 3 "a longitudinal section analogous to FIG. 2, but with now the attachment of the swivel snap fastener to the tube by means of a thread ^ he follows;

Figure 4: a longitudinal section through the upper part of a toothpaste tube according to the invention with a modified Embodiment of the one-hand lock;

FIG. 5 'shows a plan view of the opened one-hand lock according to FIG. 2.

The swivel snap lock 2 shown in FIG. 1 consists of an essentially circular mouthpiece plate 4 with a central outlet opening 6 and a skirt 8 extending downward from the edge of the mouthpiece plate which a nose-like projection 9 is provided, on which two adjacent joint strips 12 and 12 'are pivotable are hinged, while below this nose in a recess, which the nose in two projections

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divides, a plastic spring 1 * 1 is provided. The two Hinge strips and the plastic spring are connected in a known manner to the cover plate 10 covering the outlet opening 6. On the inside of the cover plate 10 there is a projection 32 reaching into the outlet opening 6. As shown in Figure 2, an annular shoulder 3 ^ is also provided be. The outlet opening 6 is in alignment with the outlet opening 23 of the tube mouthpiece 22. The free-standing end of the cover plate preferably also has a protruding strip 36, the-up and Closing it makes it easier.

According to the invention, this swivel snap lock 2 has an inner skirt 16 extending downward from the mouthpiece plate 4, the inner diameter of which corresponds approximately to the outer diameter of the tube mouthpiece 22 of the tube 20. In the lower inner area of the inner apron 16 there is a circumferential annular bead 18 which engages in a corresponding undercut 26 on the outside of the tube murid piece 22 near the tube shoulder 24 and thus enables the attachment between the swivel snap fastener 2 and the tube 20 for better stability the skirt 8 extending from the edge of the mouthpiece plate ^ is extended to the tube shoulder 2 ^{1 1} .

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The embodiment shown in Figure 2 corresponds to Principle of the swivel snap lock according to FIG. 1, but the outlet opening 6 is on the circular mouthpiece plate 4 designed as a ring shoulder 30, which in protrudes in the axial direction over the surface of the mouthpiece plate 4 and in alignment with the outlet opening of the tube mouthpiece 22 is located. Instead of the nose 32 closing the outlet opening on the cover plate 10 an annular shoulder is provided, the outer diameter of which is also slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the Outlet opening is.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 is instead the annular bead 18 at the lower end of the inner skirt 16 is provided with an internal thread 19 which is inserted into an external thread 27 of the tube mouthpiece 22 engages.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4 is the The swivel snap lock 102 is fastened on the tube 120 in an analogous manner, but in the present case the Fastening by means of an undercut 126 on the tube mouthpiece 122 in the lower area near the tube shoulder 124 not through the inner skirt, but rather through the outer skirt 108, which tapers from the edge of the mouthpiece plate 104 in the direction of the tube shoulder 124. The actual fit by means of an annular bead and undercut or, if necessary, also by means of

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Thread corresponds to the embodiment of Figure 1 to 3> however, in the present case the outer skirt 108 is to ensure a sufficiently large mouthpiece plate according to the invention expanded upwards towards the mouthpiece plate bz, vi. formed from this tapering downwards. This in turn is based on the basic principle of the present Invention of the distance between the points of application of the plastic spring from each other and from the pivot axis large enough so that Sufficient tensile forces can be obtained, simple handling of the closure is possible and furthermore no uneconomical great accuracies with regard to the injection mold are required.

In this embodiment, it is not necessary for an ^{inner skirt extending downward from the mouthpiece plate 10 1} I to be provided. However, there may be an inner skirt 116 which is in alignment with the outlet opening 106. As in FIG. 2, the outlet opening 10.6 can also be formed by an annular shoulder. The downwardly extending inner skirt 116 is preferably sealingly on the outlet opening 123 of the tube mouthpiece 122. As in the other embodiments, the cover plate 110 is articulated via a nose 109 and is designed analogously.

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FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the one in FIG. 2 in section drawn swivel snap lock, whereby in particular the position of the hinge strips and the plastic spring can be seen are.

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Claims (1)

Expectations f 1. ^ Compressible tube, in particular toothpaste tube with one-hand closure, characterized in that a known swivel snap closure (2), which consists of an essentially circular mouthpiece plate (4) provided with an outlet opening (6) with a from the edge of the same extending apron (8) and a cover plate (10) covering the mouthpiece plate (4) and outlet opening (6), both of which are connected by two hinge strips (12, 12 ') and a plastic spring (1 * 1) and between two defined end positions can be moved beyond a dead center, on which the mouthpiece (22) of the tube (20) is attached by means of an inner skirt (16) extending downwards from the mouthpiece plate (M), the inner diameter of which corresponds approximately to the outer diameter of the tube mouthpiece (22) . 2. Tube according to claim 1, characterized in that in the lower inner area of the inner skirt (JQ a circumferential Ring bead (18) and on the outside of the tube mouthpiece (22) near the tube shoulder (2 * 0 a corresponding Undercut (26) for fastening the swivel snap lock (2) on the tube (20) are provided. 509821/0052. 3 tube according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that that in the inner area of the inner skirt (16) an internal thread (19) and on the outside of the tube mouthpiece (22) a corresponding external thread (27) is provided for fastening the swivel snap lock on the tube are; (Figure 3). ¹ J. Tube according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that extending from the edge of the die plate ⁽¹ O skirt (8) extends to the tube shoulder (24). 5. Modification of a tube according to claim 1, characterized in that the ^{skirt (108) extending from the edge of the mouthpiece plate (1O 1} J) tapers in the direction of the tube shoulder (12 ¹ I) and has a circumferential annular bead (118) on the inner surface ) or has an internal thread which engages in a corresponding undercut (126) or in an external thread on the tube mouthpiece; (Figure 4}. 6. Tube according to claim 5, characterized in that one of the. Mouthpiece plate (10ή) extending downwards Inner skirt (116) is provided, which ends in a sealing manner at the outlet opening (123) of the tube mouthpiece (122). 509821/0052 - 15 - 7, -Tube according to claim 1 ^Ibis: β, characterized in that the outlet opening (β) formed on the circular Mundstüekplatte ⁽¹ O as ring shoulder (30) in the axial sighting across the face of the die plate · (■ *}) protrudes; (Figure 2). 8 * Tube according to claim 1 Tdis 7 _S, characterized in that on the inside of the OeekeIplatte (1 © | covering the outlet opening (6)) engaging in the outlet opening (6) ends {32; Figure 1), in particular an annular shoulder (3 ^; -Figure 2) is provided, the outer diameter of which is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outlet opening. fS Empty soap