Patent Application
20240174408
The field of the invention is a new dispensing tube that allows the user to apply the contents of the tube with just one hand while keeping their hands clean from the contents of the tube.
A tube for a one-hand application. Made up of 3 Parts: A, B, and C, described and illustrated as A. Body Cylinder Hollow Tube Container (the body that holds the contents of the tube) that permanently attaches to the rim of Part B. Applicator Tip Shoulder that has a hole in the center for the contents to come out of and C. Suction Cup Based Lid that has a finger that slides into the hole of the applicator tip to create a secure seal. Part C. Suction Cup Based Lid has a suction cup base to be attached to any hard flat surface for a one-hand application process.
The current method of applying ointment from a tube is to hold the tube with one hand while opening the lid with the other. Then squeezing a desired amount either directly into the desired surface or on one's hand, then using fingers to distribute the contents of the tube. The problem is that this method requires two hands and makes the user's fingers dirty from the ointment. It is beneficial for the user to have one free hand while applying the ointment in cases where the other hand is needed, for example, holding another body part such as the testicles of a man while applying jock-itch ointment with the other hand. As well as in cases where the user may only have one hand, such as handicapped people or people with healing injuries such as a broken or sprained hand or arm, and in other cases where the user is applying diaper cream ointment onto a wiggly baby it would be essential to keep one hand on the baby at all times during the diaper cream application process to keep the baby safe.
To understand the full scope of the preferred embodiments, it is essential to understand the current method of manufacturing tubes.
Starting with Part 1—Body Tube Container (the body that holds the contents of the tube). is made by rolling out a flat piece of plastic or metal and then making it into a tube. This tube is then cut into specific lengths depending on the size of the tube contents. Then once the shoulder Part 5 has been attached to Part 14, the rim of the tunnel part of the tube (the body that holds the contents), the tube is then placed upside down in a filling machine with the top part of the tube still open so that the tube can be filled with the desired contents such as cream. Then Part 4—male threads of the shoulder part of the prior art are twisted into Part 7—female threads of the lid part of the prior art and closed with Part 6—lid part of the prior art.
The problem with the current way that cream tubes are manufactured is that they require two hands to apply the contents of the tube. The user needs to hold the Part 1—Body Tube Container (the body that holds the contents of the tube) with one hand, squeeze the desired contents onto the other hand or surface area and use their fingers to spread the ointment.
The problem is that if the user's hands are not completely clean, they will transfer the germs onto the area of the surface they are spreading the contents of the tube. In cases where the surface of the skin has a rash, open skin, or an infection, it can be made even worse when germs are transferred from the user's hand onto the skin area with the ointment. This is why direct application from the tube is the more sanitary and desired method of applying ointment onto the skin's surface more hygienically.
In addition, the current method is also not a preferred method because it leaves the user's hands covered in the ointment; in the case where the user has long fingernails or where the contents of the tube is water resistant, it makes it difficult to wash the ointment off of the user's fingers while getting stuck under the user's nails.
The preferred embodiment replaces Part 5—the shoulder part of the prior art and Part 4—male threads of the shoulder part of the prior art with Part 8—the applicator tip part of the invention, which has a Part 9—Applicator: the hole (Female) part of the applicator where the contents of the tube come out of. The applicator can be seen independently (not attached to the body of the tube) in its various views in
Part 8—the applicator tip part of the invention has a flat surface that acts as a spread and a curved tip edge that tapers toward the tip making it accessible for fitting into tight crevices of the body such as in between the butt cheeks, armpits, under the breast area of the user or under the testicle area, making it extra user friendly during the application process in those hard to reach spots.
There are many scenarios where the user would need an extra free hand during the application process. When applying diaper ointment, a free hand is beneficial for holding the baby safely and preventing any potential falls. In the case where the user would apply ointment underneath the testicles for jock itch relief, it is beneficial to have an extra free hand to hold the testicles out of the way so that the user can easily apply the ointment onto the desired area without the testicles being in the way. In addition, when ointment needs to be applied underneath the breast area, the user will need the hand to hold the breast up and out of the way for the application process. There are also many uses where the user would have only one hand at all times; if they have an injury on the other hand or are handicapped from using the other hand at all times, a one-hand cream applicator would make applying ointment possible for these people.
The one-hand cream application process is achieved with Part 17—The suction cup base part of the lid to be secured onto Part 24—a hard flat surface. This allows the applicator to snap in and out of the standing docked lid and stand upright for easy access.
In a preferred embodiment, the lid snaps in and out of the application with Part 11—the rim part of the shoulder of the invention that is smaller in diameter than Part—13, the shoulder part of the invention, which acts as a support and seals tightly against Part 20—top rim part of the lid. There is also an indention on the inside of Part 20—top rim part of the lid that grips the Part 12—rim lip that allows the lid to stay securely snug on the applicator by the pressure of the Part 12 rim lip against the interior of the lid.
In an alternative embodiment, the rim part of the shoulder screws into the top rim part of the lid with screw threads.
Part 9—Applicator: the hole (Female) part of the applicator, where the contents of the tube come out of, is in the exact center of the applicator so that when Part 21—finger part of the lid (Male) is placed inside of it, it aligns perfectly from any direction. This allows for a secure seal of Part 9—Applicator: the hole (Female) part of the applicator, thus preventing any tube contents from coming out.
During the manufacturing process, the original shoulder, Part 5 with the threads Part 4, would be replaced by the preferred embodiment (Applicator) where Part—13—The shoulder part of the invention would be attached to Part 14—Rim of the tunnel part of the tube. This would keep the filling process of the tube to remain the same, allowing mass manufacturing production to be performed without any disruptions, such as waste of time or material. But now, with the added benefits and solutions that the preferred embodiment offers, including:
(1) Applicator tip that allows hygienic distribution of the contents without getting the user's hands messy and without cross-contamination of germs from the user's fingers onto the surface skin area.
(2) Applicator tip that easily fits between the crevices of hard-to-reach places such as between butt cheeks, under the arm, under the breast, and under a male's testicles.
(3) The applicator tip part of the invention allows for smooth and even distribution of the ointment. When the user is applying diaper ointment, a thicker layer of ointment is preferred, especially at night, to prevent and treat a diaper rash, and the applicator allows the user to control the thickness of the ointment applied easily.
(3) Applicator tip can be both made of a hard or soft material; in the case where it is made of a soft material, the application is more gentle and pleasant than the feel of one's fingers.
(5) The Applicator does not add extra material to the manufacturing costs because it replaces the prior art shoulder and threads. And allows the filling process of the tube to remain the same; this keeps the costs of time and material down for mass production.
(6) The Applicator has a hole (Part 9—hole (Female) part of the applicator where the contents of the tube come out of) that perfectly aligns with the Part 21—finger seal part of the lid (Male) that goes inside the Part 9, this allows the user to snap the lid in and out of the tube without worrying about aligning the hole with the seal.
(7) Lid that snaps in and out of the applicator with a suction cup-based lid, allowing the user to easily take the lid off and on with just one hand by suctioning Part 17 Suction cup part of the lid onto Part 24—hard flat surface. This allows for the fast and easy one-hand cream application because the suction cup-based lid would remain on the flat hard surface when the user grips the body of the tube from the standing docked lid. In other words, the suction cup would allow the applicator attached to the tube's body to stand upright, as illustrated in
How the invention works: When it is time to apply the ointment, the user would simply (1) pull the tube from the standing docked lid, (2) squeeze the desired amount of ointment that would come of it Part 9 hole part of the Applicator. (3) Then apply the ointment directly from the tube onto the desired surface using Part 8—Applicator tip part of the invention. And (4) place the tube attached to the applicator back into the standing docked suction cup-based lid.
Cleaning: If the user would prefer to clean the applicator tip in between applications, that can be easily accomplished with a sanitary wipe to the tip of the applicator, and the interior of the lid can be washed with soap and water or placed in a dishwasher.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63483659 | Feb 2023 | US |
