US1676734A - Apparatus and method for filling collapsible tubes - Google Patents

Description

Julyv 1o, 192s. 1,676;734

` N. M. HOPKINS APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR'IFI'LLING COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Demle. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 'July 1o, 192s.

N. M. HQPKINS APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FILLING COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed De. 16, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Patented July l0, 1923.

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NEVIL MONROE HOPKINS, OF NE'W YORK, N.' Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

` TO GILMONT IPRODUCTS CORPORATION.

` APPARATUS .AND METHOD FOR FILLING- COLLAPSIBLE TUBES.

Application led December 16, 1922.. Serial No. 607,338.

The present invention relates to apparatus or equipment and methods 'for lilling colilapsible tubes/such as are employed in toothpastes, shaving creams, skin foods, cements 5 andmany 4other substancesused in the arts and sciences, with special reference to designs of multi-compartment collapsible tubes. In my several cop'ending applications the earliest of which is collapsible tubes tiled June 11, 1921, Seria-l Number 476,746, and

, more especially iny my later application collapsible tubes with cooperating compartments` contents and orifices tiled November 30, 1921, Serial Number 518,965 together with other applications 'for tubes and containers pending beforev the Patent Oiiice I have shownvarious designs ot' multi-compartm-ent collapsible tubes of sott or pliable metal or alloy orother suitable material wherein aninner tube is placed `within an outer tube,

and spaced in a Substantially concentric position. `In still another copending applica-- tion machinery and methods for filling and closing collapsible tubes filed VOctober 17, 1922, Serial Number 595,146 I have shown broadly machinery or apparatus and methods 'for lilling bi-compartment collapsible tubes, and especially the design wherein an inner vtube is placed substantially vertically and concent-rically within an outer tube and d ependent upon their neck pieces with collar for centering and holding purposes where both tubes are adapted to be filled with diiferent kinds of substances.

The present invention has to dogwith important details such as automatically centering the substantially concentric inner tube of a bi-compartment Vcollapsible tube combination, and in holding said inner tube in a true vertical and concentric position withrefernular space between the two concentric tubes may be lirst filled with one kind. of substance and then permitting ot the withdrawal oi the centering and annular space filling device leaving lthe centered inner -tube held vertical and concentricby the vertical impact trulyimparted to the neck of the inner tube by the cone shaped member of the plunger and the material placed aroundthe same acting as a retaining wall and with the system in position :tor the filling of the inner tube. I wish to particularly emphasize and point out vin my present invention that the illing ence to the outer tube, in order that the anof such a bi-comp'artmentjy collapsible soft or pliable metal or alloy tube or othernthin suit-v able material, involves radically and scientillcallythis salient principle yover those involved in the filling ofthe oldfashioned single ytypes ot collapsible tubes. lVith a` simple single type of collapsible tube it may be truly and vertically held in eXaet position for `filling by al jig or deeply recessed receptacle. ln 'my double tube combination, whereas I may hold t-he'outer tube truly and vertically in such a deeply recessed-receptacle l must not only depend upon the less reliable workmanship of the two interlocking neck pieces with spacing collar or spider'but upon the soft and easily` deformed character of the light pieces necessarily inthis and other reasons the tubes'cannot be assembled separately by` an attendant outside' the machine and be placed'in an ondi-l naryjjig and be filled by the ordinary machinery apparatus or methods previously employed in the art. v l

The accompanying illustrations setlorth my invention in suicient clearness to enable anyone familiar with vthe general art to fullyk grasp my new principles involved and these illustrations 'form a part of the present specifications. l f

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a view of my automatic inner tube centering device and the outer or annular space lilling nozzle in section,` about to descend and center the inner tube of a pair of collapsible tubes held in a jig or deeply recessedguide also in sectionshowing an inner tube which is considerably out of true due to imperfection in the workmanship of the l held firmly in the jig or deeply recessed guide and driven down hard against the lower end or shoulder of the inner tube aiter` centering, and not only driving the two tubes *tol,grether at` theirv nec-k pieces and collar in a l la-psible tubes in jigs or deeply recessed guides in'variousstages of being centered and iilled with different kinds of material through the agency of my devices and methods. I have not shown a complete systen'i comprising all of the carriersand tube-s nor the full length of conveyor I would employ in practice nor the tube closing' and clip attaching machinery for purposes of clearness, but I have shown enough to' set forth the principles and methods employed. u With reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4,

like numerals refer to likey parts -throughout and with further speeiiic relference to Figure 1, lOrepresents an outer collapsible tube oi soit or pliable metal or alloy or other suitable compositiomand 11 represents an inner soft orrpliable metal or alloy collapsible tube, or a tube made of any other' suitable material, with a neck '12 surrounded at a shoulder thereon by ak centering collar 1,3, which has been forced on the said neck against its shoulderjwith a tight tit, said centering collar being notched out and resting in a slightly'tapered recess 14C of the neck piece 15 of the outer collapsible tube 10., said neck piece` being extended and threaded as shown at' 16 and closed by the screw cap 177. Both tubes are here depicted neck end down, the outer oiithe two col- H (ill lapsible tubes 1 0 fitting snugly into the or deeply recessed centering guide-18. The construction of; the collar '13 on the neck `especially in the copending applications the l serial numbers off which are' herein given.

19 isja'turned metall member witha shoulder 20 adapted to receive with a drive lit a, tube 21 opened at the lower' end by chamt'ered or with a rounded edge 22. vAgainst the terial entering through the threaded hole 29 or the tube 33 screwed therein, would pass laterally through the hole 28 and enter the `annular space 30 between the tubes V21 and 24 and issue forth at the constricted orifice 31.

It lurthe'r evident from an ini-ipection of Figure 1 that the above rdescribed'nozzlev hasA It y will thus be seen' from an inspectionof the drawings that ma-A so c anannular spacev 32 between the centering inen'iber 26 andthe inner side of the inner tube 24%. It is also evident trom an inspec- `tion oi Figure 1 that the above described" hollow nozzle with centering device may be made to descend vertically and that the cone shaped member 27 will automatically center the inner tube 10 placed immediately below it and firmly held in iilling position and that` .the rounded or chamtered ends'22 or 2,5 of] the tubes 21 and 24;y will descend without collision with. the upper open endsoi the tubes-10 and 11. y

lVith further reference to Figure 2 the aforesaid centering device and hollow noz- Zle have descended and the conev shaped mem-- ber 27 is forcing the neck and Shoulder of theinner tube 11 downagainst the centering collar 1,3 and in turn is forcing the centering collar 13y down into. the slightly tapered recess 111 of the neck piece 15 of the outer collapsible tube 10 and down against f the 18 making'atight or drive friction.

fit which prevents the withdrawal ot the inner tubell from the outer tube 10`by the sliding friction, when the plunger and centering device is withdrawn. seen that I not only provide a centering and. iilling device for the outer tube or annular space in my bi-compartment collapsible tube system, but I hold the inner tube` vertical and concentric after the' withdrawal' of the plunger and centering device, by the material which has been placed and left packed around it thereby holding the inner tube lin a truly vertical and concentric position for" the second operation of filling said innertube by a separate inner tube illing nozzle;

y lVith further reference to Figure i.s ,e c'ond sheet of drawings, a .guide is shownV at 34 serving to direct thev tube 33 in a tru .l `.yV vertical sliding c'ourse up and dQWn which may be either manually or mechanically operated.-

With the completed' centering' and filling` It will thus bel nozzle for the annular space in my system of collapsible tubes shown partly in` elevation and partly in section broken' away'at withmaterial shown in the annular space 30betweeen the two tubes and the cone plunger 26 carrying the cone-27 about 'to descend and center up the inner tube 11 in the vouter tube 10 held in vertical position by the jig or guiding member 18 being supported and carried by the belt 36 sliding over the firm plane table 37 in the direction` of the arrow and driven by the drum wheels 38` and 39 in the direction of the two arrows upon' the said drum wheels. rI'he upper end of the sliding and filling tube 33 is enlarged at 40 and an arrow 4l indicates the feeding. of material at this point into the upper end adapted tol move up and down either by hand or by machinery.

The jig or guide 'member 18is again shown at the left supporting a pair of concentric lcollapsible tubes after centering and filling the annular .space withy material 43and is now shown moving over through the intermittent motion of the wheels 38 and 39 and the conveyor belt 37 where it has been stopped directly under the nozzle 44 of the slidingtube 45 in the guideway 46 and terminating with a top member 47 where an arrow 48 indicates the entrance of material from a different reservoir and of a different composition from that previously supplied to the annular space as received at 43. Material 49 is shown within the broken away section of the nozzle'44. It is now quite evident from an inspection of this device that the nozzle 44 may descend in the centered inner tube which is held truly vertical and concentric by the materialv 43 and that it may be filled with material 49. With an additional intermittent movement of the conveyor belt 37 we have both tubes shown filled at the extreme left with material 43 evident that the upper end of the tube 47 y communicates with a like reservoir by means of a rubber hose or other suitable sliding or flexible connection and that means for intermittently feeding or forcing the material from the aforesaid reservoirs in conformity with general practice may be introduced and that the entire equipment extruding material from reservoirs may be either manually or mechanically operated.,

The arrows at the sides of the Figures l, 2 and 4l indicate the downward and upward motion of the paste or substance feeding nozzle respectively, and the arrows within .the tube 33 and the annular space 30 of the feeding nozzle in Figure 2 indicate the flow of paste or substance. The operation of the machine or apparatus in detail islas follows: The hollow plunger as illustrated and described filled with paste or substance automatically centers and enters the system of double collapsible tub'es, and descends to the bottom of said tube system forcing the neck pieces and collar together with a vdrive lit. Pressure is then put upon the paste or substance column from above in connection with the reservoir (not shown) causing thepaste or substance to flow. The-,plunger is then drawn upward with a steady motion discharging the paste or substance as it travels at the same rate of motion until the plunger reaches av point about an inch fromthe top, when the discharge of paste or substance is discontinued by releasing the pressure upon said paste or substance column when the-hollow plunger is accelerated in its upward move ment, and is quickly withdrawn. `This accel- @rating movement near the top after the removal of the pressure on the paste or substance column is for the purpose of breaking off the paste or substance sharply and in preventing it from stringing7 out ofthe tube. This completes the first stage of my process. The

second stage consists of the entrance of the n 1 simple hollow nozzle into the centered inner tube which islikewise filled with paste or substance and descends to the bottom of the tube system. Pressure is likewise put upon the paste or substance column of this central nozzle and it is likewise withdrawn, the paste or substance flowing during this'withdrawal movement, when likewise about an inch from` the top-'the pressure upon the paste or sub`- stance column is removed and the plunger is accelerated and quickly withdrawn to prevent the Stringing of the paste or substance supplied to the inner collapsible tube.l The establishment of the pressures upon the pastes or substances and the establishment of nozzle motions may obviously vbemanually accomplished or be mechanically accomplished through the agencyof impellers, cams, connecting rods and suchother mechanical devices and movement-s as are naturally employed in universal machinery of this general nature for thel filling of simple single collapsible tubes with such substances as toothpastes, shaving creams, cements, etc. etc. modify the, details of this invention within considerable limits without departing from the spirit thereof. f

Having described my invention, I claim: l. A method of filling a receptacle comprising separated compartments formed by collapsible tubes which comprises introducing matter initially at the bottom of the outer compartment and continuing progres-` sively upwardly to. fill the compartment while internally supporting the walls ofthe inner compartment and subsequently filling the inner compartment. p 2. A method of filling a receptacle comprising an inner and an outer compartment .formed by collapsible tubes which comprises introducing mattei' initially at the bottom of- Zon It is obvious that l may Withdrawal of the tillingnozzle and prothe outer compartmentk and continuing progressively upwardlyto till the compartment while internally supporting the Walls of the inner compartment at points substantially corresponding to the levelfto whichv the outer compartment is illed, the point of support of the inner compartmentprogressing with the filling of the outer compartment, and

subsequently lilling the inner compartment. IH

3. A method of filling' a receptacle comprising inner and outer compartments formed by collapsible tubes which comprises forcing a Supporting plugr to the lowermost portion of the inne-r tube to iX the inner tubelirmly withinhe outer tube,- simultaneously projecting an annular filling nozzle into the lowermost portion of the outer compartment and simultaneously withdrawing. the iilling nozzle and-the supporting member from the respective compartments while charging into the outer compartment material at a rate Substantially corresponding to the rate of veiated centering device Within the innermost.

tube.

Y 5. A lilling machine for'bi-compartment receptacles., comprisinga discharge member, l

consisting of two tubes, one smaller than the other the smaller placed within the larger concentrically with a spacing' between the two tubes 'forming a dischargenozzle, and a centrally disposed downwardly projecting rod: carrying a centering headmemberv said rod and head membery being within the inn-er tube. f 1 f Signed at NewYork city in thepcounty of New York* and State of NewYork this 15th day of December A. D. 1922.

Nrvnt nonnen Hommel n, 7

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