Clip for collapsible tube

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6685057
  • Patent Number
    6,685,057
  • Date Filed
    Friday, March 8, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 3, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Mancene; Gene
    • Buechner; Patrick
    Agents
    • Renner, Kenner, Greive, Bobak, Taylor & Weber
Abstract
A retainer used in conjunction with a collapsible tube, the retainer including a body adapted to contact the end of the tube; and at least one tab extending from the body laterally of the tube and adapted to selectively laterally wrap around the tube to hold a portion of the tube in a selected position.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




In general, the present invention relates to dispensers, in particular, collapsible tubes used to dispense viscous fluid. More particularly, the present invention relates to a retainer that maintains the end of such a tube in a selected folded or rolled configuration. Most particularly, the present invention relates to a retainer having at least one tab that wraps around the lateral edges of the tube to hold the end in the folded condition.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Collapsible tubes are commonly used as dispensers of various fluids including viscous materials that, due to their viscous nature, are often difficult to expel completely from the lower reaches of the tube. Localized squeezing of the tube, as with one's fingers, often results in some fluid remaining in the tube. Since collapsible tubes are universally used to store viscous fluids including, for example, toothpaste, glue, medicines, ointments, creams, and paint pigments, the subject of expelling every last drop of fluid from the tube has been the source of widespread frustration. As a result, a great deal of inventive effort, evidenced by a large number of designs dealing with the subject, has been expanded toward solving this issue.




In most designs, an implement is used to force all of the tube contents toward the open end of the tube. In several designs, a clamp or adaptor that encircles the tube and has a closely fitting slot designed to flatten the tube, while expelling the contents therefrom as the device is drawn toward the open end. The slot in these devices is made extremely narrow such that all of the contents are forced from the tube as the device is advanced and the device relies on the interference fit created by the close fitting slot to prevent the material from regressing through the slot into the collapsed portion of the tube.




In other designs, mechanical assemblies are used to drive the contents from the tube. Representative assemblies include rollers positioned on either side of the tube or vice-like jaws designed to progressively squeeze the tube from the end farthest from the tube's opening. In still another design, a key is used in connection with inwardly tapering jaws to wind the end of the tube through the jaws forcing the material out of the wound end.




Up until recently, most collapsible tubes were constructed of metal foil. Thus, a common practice of attempting to evacuate fluid from the lower portion of the tube was to fold or roll the lower end of the tube as fluid was removed from the tube. Since the metal tube would generally hold its shape after being rolled, this proved to be a useful method of preventing the tube's contents from flowing back into the compressed end of the tube. Increasingly, however, these tubes are made from plastic. Due to their elastic nature, plastic collapsible tubes are less likely to remain in a rolled condition and often will unroll quickly after the user has used the tube allowing material to return to the previously evacuated extremity of the tube.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a retainer used in conjunction with a collapsible tube, the retainer including a body adapted to contact the end of the tube; and at least one tab extending from the body laterally of the tube and adapted to selectively laterally wrap around the tube to hold a portion of the tube in a selected position.




In light of the foregoing object, the present invention generally provides a retainer used in conjunction with an end of a collapsible tube, the retainer including a body adapted to contact the end of the tube, and at least one tab extending from the body laterally of the tube and adapted to selectively laterally wrap around the tube to hold the end in a selected position.




The present invention further provides a retainer including a body having a base portion, an upstanding portion, and a lip portion, extending from the upstanding portion and at last partially over the base portion, wherein the base portion includes a planar surface adapted to contact one surface of the tube, the upstanding portion extends from the base portion and spaces the lip portion from the base portion defining a slot therebetween adapted to receive at least a portion of the end of the tube, and at least one flexible tab extending from the body laterally relative to the tube, wherein the tab is adapted to be selectively folded about the tube to contact a second face of the tube opposite the first face clamping a portion of the tube between the body and the tab.




The present invention further provides a collapsible tube having a first end having an opening through which contents of the tube are released, and a second end opposite the first end including a pair of tabs extending laterally from the second end of the tube, the tabs being adapted to wrap around the tube when the second end is in a folded condition, thereby maintaining the end in the folded condition.




The present invention further provides a retainer used in connection with an end of a collapsible tube, the retainer including a body having generally planar base portion, an upstanding wall extending from one side of the base portion, and a lip from the upstanding portion, wherein said lip extends laterally to substantially the same extent as the base portion, defining a substantially U-shaped cross-section of the body, wherein a clearance is defined between the base portion and the lip portion, the clearance being adapted to receive the end of the collapsible tube, and a pair of tabs extending laterally outward from the body relative to the tube, wherein the tabs are integral with the base portion, the tabs being adapted to selectively wrap around the tube to maintain a selected longitudinal position of the end relative to the tube, whereby the end of the tube is wrapped about the base portion through successive folding of the tube and held in a folded condition by securing the body to the tube with the tabs.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a bottom plan view of a retainer according to the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a front elevational view of a retainer according to the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a front elevation view similar to

FIG. 2

shown with the tabs in a secured position;





FIG. 4

is a top plan view of a retainer according to the present invention shown attached to an unrolled end of a collapsible tube with the tabs in an unsecured position;





FIG. 5

is a side elevational view of a retainer and collapsible tube, depicting a retainer slid unto the end of the collapsible tube;





FIG. 6

is a side elevational view similar to the

FIG. 5

, depicting the tube with a quantity of material removed and the end of the tube in a folded condition with the retainer tabs in a secured position;





FIG. 7

is a bottom plan view of the collapsible tube depicted in

FIG. 6

showing the tabs wrapped around the lateral edges of the tube to hold the end of the tube in the folded condition; and





FIG. 8

depicts an alternative embodiment of the present invention showing integrally formed tabs formed on the end of a collapsible tube.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




A retainer according to the concepts of the present invention is depicted in the appended Figs. and generally indicated by the numeral


10


. Retainer


10


may be suitably constructed of metals, plastics or combinations thereof. Retainer


10


or a portion thereof may be provided with a coating for safety purposes, to improve grippability, or to prevent corrosion. In general, retainer


10


includes a body, generally indicated by the numeral


15


, adapted to be placed in contact with an end


16


of a collapsible tube


17


. To that end, body


15


defines an end receiving opening


18


of a size and shape suitable for receiving the end


16


of the collapsible tube


17


. In the embodiment depicted in

FIG. 5

, the end


16


is a rectangular flange formed at the end of the tube


17


, and, thus, the end receiving opening


18


is in the form of a slot. It is appreciated that the end


16


of the collapsible tube


17


may have different configurations requiring adaptation of the opening


18


to receive the end


16


. Such adaptation is considered within the scope of the present invention.




In the example shown, in

FIGS. 1-3

, body


15


includes a base portion


20


, an upstanding member


22


and a lip portion


24


. As shown in

FIG. 5

, base portion


20


may be a generally planar thin walled member having an interior surface


25


adapted to fit closely against a surface


23


of the collapsible tube


17


. Lip


24


may be similarly formed such that lip


24


has an interior surface


26


that closely conforms to the surface


28


of tube


17


opposite base portion


20


. The height of upstanding portion


22


may be made such that the clearance


18


defined between the base and lip portions


20


,


24


closely conform to the thickness of the end


16


. Further, the clearance


18


may be such that an interference fit is formed between the body


15


and the end


16


, as by frictional contact between the end


16


and the base and lip portions


20


,


24


.




It will be appreciated that attachment of the body


15


to the end


16


of the tube


17


is not necessary and body


15


may include only a single member placed against the end


16


of the tube. Moreover, as described in more detail below, the body


15


may be omitted altogether.




While the body


15


is shown as a generally planar member having flat surfaces


25


,


26


that bear upon the end of the tube


17


, it will be appreciated that the body


15


may be formed with virtually any shape and cross-section. The planar cross-section shown, incorporating thin walled structures, such as, base portion


20


and lip portion


24


, tend to reduce the bulk of the retainer


10


. As a consequence, when rolling or folding the tube around the thin walled body


15


, the resulting folded structure, generally indicated by the numeral


30


, also has less bulk. This facilitates retention of the folded position, as will be apparent from the description below. The planar body


15


may facilitate folding of the tube


17


, by providing a flat surface


25


or


26


that may be used to compress the end of the tube against a supporting surface, such as a table, aiding in expelling fluid from the lower portion of the tube


17


and providing an axis, which in this example is defined by the front edge


29


of the body


15


, about which the tube


17


may be bent or folded.




It will be appreciated that polygonal structures may provide a similar axis and would perform suitably to expel and fold the end of the tube about their sides, or bodies having a non-planar outer surface would be suitable for folding and in some cases facilitate rolling of the end


16


of the tube


17


, which is a suitable alternative method of expelling fluid from the lower portions of the tube


17


, as is well known in the art. For example, a cylindrical body


15


would be useful in rolling the end


16


of the tube


17


. Thus, as mentioned above, virtually any cross-section may be used in accordance with the concepts of the present invention. For simplicity, however, the description will proceed with reference to the planar cross-section body


15


shown in the

FIGS. 1-7

.




As best shown in

FIG. 6

, as the contents of the tube


17


are expelled, the effective volume of the tube


17


may be reduced by gathering the end


16


of the tube


17


, as indicated at


30


. Retainer


10


may be used to compress the tube


17


to assist in driving the tube's contents from the lower portion of the tube


17


. To cause the body


15


of the retainer


10


to bear upon the fluid filled tube


17


, when the retainer is initially placed in contact with the end


16


, body


15


may be oversized relative to the end flange


16


. The body


15


may extend longitudinally to a greater extent than end flange


16


, such that, either or both of the base and lip portions


20


,


24


contact a fluid filled region of the tube


17


allowing the user to apply pressure to these portions to drive fluid from the tube


17


. In the example shown, the end


16


of the tube


17


has been folded about the body


15


of the retainer


10


by rotating the retainer


10


in a clockwise direction, indicated by the arrow R, in

FIG. 5

, it being appreciated that any direction is suitable depending on the user's preference, wrapping the tube


17


in consecutive folds about the body


15


of retainer


10


to achieve the folded condition


30


, shown. In this way, the end


16


of the tube


17


is advanced in the longitudinal direction with the contents substantially expelled from the folds


31


formed about the retainer


10


to effectively shorten the length of the tube


17


and reduce its volume. In addition to expelling the contents from the end


16


, the folds


31


are intended to prevent the material from reentering the end


16


as the user further compresses the tube


17


to release additional contents.




To maintain the retainer


10


and end


16


in the selected longitudinal position relative to the tube


17


, one or more tabs, generally indicated by the numeral


35


, extend laterally from the body


15


. A pair of tabs


35


,


35


are depicted in

FIG. 2

, extending an equal length from the body


15


such that the opposed tabs


35


,


35


tend to balance any torsional forces that would be created by the tendency of the tube


17


to unroll or unfold (FIG.


7


). In the example shown, tabs


35


may extend from the base portion


20


(

FIG. 2

) or lip portion


24


(FIGS.


5


and


7


). Tabs


35


are constructed of a flexible material such that they may be wrapped around the lateral edges


37


of the tube


17


to clamp the folds


31


between the tab


35


and the base member


20


. To maintain the folded condition


30


, tabs


35


are designed to hold their shape after being wrapped around the tube


17


. To facilitate folding of the tabs


35


around the lateral edges


37


of tube


17


the tabs


35


may be provided with localized weak zones, generally indicated by the numeral


36


, which may be created in any known manner including locally removing material from the retainer


10


, pre-stressing areas, or various heat or surface treatments. For example, a score line


36


, may be formed in the tabs


35


near the body


15


or at various increments on the tab


35


. Score line


36


may extend in any fashion to locally weaken the tab


35


and is shown extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube


17


, for purposes of example.




Multiple weakened zones


36


may be created to account for the changes in the folding position that will occur as the tab


35


has to encompass additional folds


31


or to accommodate tubes


17


having different widths. Since the tabs


35


may be turned up or down, the zones


36


may be formed on one or both sides of the retainer


10


. For example, a pair of zones


36


may be formed on either side of a tab


35


and lie in the same plane. As showing in the example of score lines


36


, opposed wakened zones may extend along a common line within the same plane. Zones


36


may be located at any position on or adjacent tabs


36


, and the position of the weakened zones


36


, shown, are provided only as an example.




To release the folds


31


, as when further folding is necessary, the tabs


35


may be unfolded by the user. To prevent the forming of sharp edges, the exposed ends


39


of the tabs


35


may be rounded. It will be appreciated that the tabs


35


may be wrapped upward or downward depending upon the extent that the body


15


has been rotated, for example, a half turn, 180° rotation would require the tabs


35


to be folded in one direction, for example downward and a full turn, 360° rotation, would require tabs


35


be folded in another direction, for example up. To help visualize this concept, the tube


17


shown in

FIG. 6

has a retainer


10


that has been rotated a full turn, such that, the base portion


20


is on the bottom of the body


15


, shown in that Fig. and the opening


18


is facing forward. If the body


15


had been rotated only a half turn, the base portion


20


would be on top and the opening


18


would face rearwardly of the tube


17


. The degree of turn discussed is provided, for example, only to help the reader visualize the use of the tabs


35


and is not intended to limit the use of the present invention to a particular mode.




An alternative embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG.


8


and generally indicated by the numeral


100


. In this embodiment, the body


15


has been omitted and the tabs


35


,


35


have been integrally formed on the tube


17


. There, tabs


35


,


35


extend laterally of edges


37


,


37


and may operate in the fashion previously described to hold the end


16


of the tube


17


once it has been rolled or folded. It will be appreciated that the body


15


might also be formed integrally with the tube


17


to provide a surface that bears against the tube to drive the contents from the lower portion of the tube


17


, as described in the previous embodiment.




With reference to

FIGS. 5-7

, operation of retainer


10


will be described with reference to the example shown therein. This discussion is for exemplary purposes and is not intended to limit use of the retainer


10


to a particular mode of operation. With that said, body


15


of retainer


10


is initially placed against the end


16


of the tube


17


, as best shown in FIG.


4


. As discussed previously, the body


15


may include a single member having tabs


35


,


35


extending therefrom. In this instance, the body


15


might be placed above or below the end


16


of tube


17


, and, then, the end


16


of the tube would be rolled or folded about the body


15


to drive contents from the tube


17


. Once the tube


17


was sufficiently compressed i.e., sufficient contents were expelled from the tube


17


, the tabs


35


would be laterally wrapped around the edges


37


of tube


17


extending inwardly over a portion of the tube


17


and pinched to compress the tube


17


between the body


15


and the tabs


35


. For example, as shown in

FIG. 6

, the tube


17


may be rolled or folded about the body


15


to obtain a folded condition


30


and then held in that condition


30


by clamping of the folds


31


between the body


15


and the tabs


35


. As mentioned above, folding, rolling or other methods of effectively reducing the volume of the tube


17


may be used and the gathered portion


30


of the tube


17


secured by the retainer


10


.




Considering the embodiment shown, in more particularity, body


15


may include an end receiving opening or clearance


18


defined between a base portion


20


and a lip portion


24


, which are spaced from each other by an upstanding portion


22


, which may simply be a bend between the base and lip portions


20


,


24


. The upstanding portion


22


may extend the entire length of the body and lip portions


20


,


24


such that a generally U-shaped slot


18


is formed to receive the end


16


of tube


17


. As best shown in

FIGS. 4 and 5

, the body


15


may be slid onto the end


16


of the tube


17


with the end


16


residing within slot


18


between the base portion


20


and lip portion


24


. If necessary, end


16


may abut the upstanding portion


22


, as shown in FIG.


5


. At this point to expel contents from the tube


17


or simply fold the tube


17


after contents have been expelled from it, the body


15


may be rotated, as indicated by the arrow R, to fold the tube


17


about the body


15


. As best shown in

FIG. 6

, rotation of the body


15


through 360° results in a fold


31


of tube


17


that wraps around the base portion


20


adjacent upstanding portion


22


and over lip portion


24


with the end


16


extending into the slot


18


defining a generally lower case e-shaped section. The user may apply pressure to the body


15


, as the folding process continues, to flatten the tube


17


beneath body


15


driving the contents from the lower portions of the tube


17


. To secure the folded end


30


of tube


17


, the tabs


35


are wrapped around the lateral edges


37


of tube


17


and pinched against the folded section


30


of tube


17


clamping it against the body


15


, as shown in

FIGS. 6 and 7

. In this way, the clamping of the rolled or folded end


30


between tabs


35


and body


15


prevents the folded end


30


from unrolling and allowing the contents to flow back into the previously flattened and folded end


30


.




In light of the foregoing, it should thus be evident that the retainer of the present invention is a new and useful improvement upon the art. While, in accordance with the patent statutes, only the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove, the present invention is not to be limited thereto or thereby. Rather, the scope of the invention shall include all modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the attached claims.



Claims
  • 1. A retainer used in conjunction with a collapsible tube, the retainer comprising:a body adapted to contact the end of the tube; and at least one tab extending from said body laterally of the tube and adapted to selectively laterally wrap around a portion of the tube to hold the tube in a selected position, said tab including a weakened zone formed on said tab, whereby said weakened zone facilitates folding of said tab.
  • 2. The retainer of claim 1, wherein said tab has a plurality of weakened zones formed at laterally spaced intervals, whereby said plurality of weakened zones facilitate folding of said tab at plural positions.
  • 3. The retainer of claim 1, wherein said weakened zone includes a pair of score lines formed on opposite sides of said tab, said score lines being collinear and coplanar with respect to each other.
  • 4. The retainer of claim 1 further comprising a score line formed in said body adjacent said tab.
  • 5. The retainer of claim 1, wherein said body and tab are formed in a punch process.
  • 6. The retainer of claim 1, wherein said weakened zone includes a score line formed in said tab.
  • 7. The retainer of claim 6, wherein said score line extends longitudinally relative to the tube.
  • 8. A collapsible tube having a first end having an opening through which contents of the tube are released, and a second end opposite the first end comprising a pair of tabs extending laterally from the second end of the tube, said tabs being adapted to wrap around a portion of the tube when the second end is in a folded condition, thereby maintaining said end in said folded condition.
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