CN102050276A - Draw tube container - Google Patents

Abstract

An integral suction tube container that enables the user to expel the medium to high viscous product contents by drawing up the product through the top opening of the tube container. A bottom plug at the bottom end of the tube includes an orifice through which ambient air is drawn in from the outside environment in order to drive a floating pad inside the tube forward against the product to be drawn up.

Description

Suction tube container

technical field

The present invention relates to containers for slow-flow to no-flow, medium-to-high-viscosity products which may be discharged by sucking the product from the top of the container, such products may include, for example, fruit juices, jellies, Ointments and creams.

Background technique

It will be readily appreciated that many containers are available for products that are squeezed out of them, such as tubes of toothpaste. However, experience has shown that no matter how hard one squeezes the toothpaste tube as far as one can go, a substantial percentage of the toothpaste remains inside the toothpaste tube. Similar available soft bottles that squeeze the product out suffer from the same problems as tubes of toothpaste, that is, a large amount of product remains.

On the other hand, for liquid food and medicinal products such as confectionery, it would be highly desirable if the suction action could achieve the entire product contained up into the user's mouth without a large residue afterwards. of. Container configurations that work by sucking up the contents similar to a straw are very welcome, especially if there are different length and diameter specifications (where the container has a cylindrical tubular configuration) it will better meet future requirements. Application requirements. In this way, a suction tube container for confectionery and medicinal products will allow different quantities of different products of different viscosities to be ingested at any time.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a draw tube container having the ability to expel substantially all of its contents by drawing the product upwards through the top of the container.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a suction tube container designed for medium to high viscous filling products having the nature of fruit juice, jelly, ointment or cream, however, it is further acknowledged that it is possible to upwardly A suction tube container that sucks up almost any aerated, slow to no-flow product would generally be highly desirable.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a suction tube container which, at any given desired amount of product to be ingested, allows the user to inhale and then allow the container to be closed for uptake of additional product at a later time. product.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a suction tube container of the type that can be cleaned and reused, later filled by the user with the same, similar or other product, and to ensure that the container system will again work the same way work.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a suction tube container of the type which is safe for children and where any small parts do not become loose and pose a choking hazard when the product is sucked out.

In these respects, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the size of the container of the present invention is selected according to the type of product to be drawn up from the bottom of the container towards its top. Thus, as an example for a confectionary application, the container may be approximately 9 inches in length and 3/4 inch in diameter when in a tubular configuration. On the other hand, for medicinal products, a container length of about 3 inches with an outer tubular diameter of 3/8 inch would be suitable, however, depending on the nature of the product to be drawn up and to be sucked into the mouth at intervals The amount can be longer or shorter, and/or larger and smaller diameters. Thus, small doses of medication can be packed into smaller containers compared to enclosing medium to high viscous confectionery in larger containers. In this way, the specific size of the container can be selected according to the density of the filled product to be sucked up through the drawing process.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container comprises an elongate tube capped off at its top end or upper end. The sealing label, bottom plug and floating pad close its bottom or lower end, and the bottom plug has an orifice through which air can be sucked in from the outside once the sealing label and cap are removed and suction action starts at the top end of the tube. This suction through the mouth, together with the airflow at the bottom end through the subsequently opened bottom plug orifice, forces the floating pad and contained product up and out from the top end of the tube and into the mouth, thereby creating a gap in front of the floating pad. Essentially no residual product.

According to the invention, an integral container can be used, having the shape of a tube, round, oval, rectangular, square, triangular, etc., and the tube is made of injection-molded plastic, transparent or opaque, for identification of product and remaining volume. With the present invention, the filled product is easily sucked upwards from the container by a suction action, and substantially all product can be sucked with minimal effort.

Description of drawings

These and other features of the invention will be more readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 a and Fig. 1 b are respectively the exploded view and the assembled view of the preferred embodiment of the one-piece suction tube container of the present invention of circular tubular shape;

Figure 2a is an enlarged view of the top of the tube part;

Figure 2b is a view of the tube part;

Figures 3a, 3b and 3c are views of the lid component to help understand the container structure, providing tamper-resistant and child-resistant features in an "all-in-one" design;

Figures 4a to 4f are views to help understand the floating pad part of the container, and Figure 4g is a view to help understand the way it operates;

Figures 5a to 5d are views to help understand the bottom plug part of the container;

Figure 6 is a view to help understand the sealing label part, which is preferably made of polyethylene with an adhesive layer; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the sealing label, bottom plug and floating pad as they fit into the bottom of the tube part of the one-piece container.

Detailed ways

The suction tube container of the present invention is used for suctioning medium to high viscosity filled products with slow or no flow rate and basically consists of 5 parts: Transparent or opaque tube 10 (exemplarily shown in the shape of a circle) , Openable/removable screw cap 12, floating pad 14, bottom plug 16 and sealing label 18. As shown in Figure 1b, the cap 12 is placed over the top opening 20 of the tube 10, the pad 14 and bottom plug 16 are inserted into the bottom opening 22 of the tube 10, and the bottom plug 16 is closed with a sealing label 18 to contain the product. Material 24 is loaded into the suction tube container assembly. Figure 1a shows how the parts of the one-piece container are assembled, and Figure 1b is an assembly view showing the filling of juice, jelly, ointment, cream or any other aerated product (collectively referred to as liquid food) container 26. To this end, the bottom plug 16 includes small holes or orifices 28 to allow ambient air to be drawn in and flow through the assembled container 26 . Such an orifice 28 is shown in more detail in Figures 5a and 5c, showing an internal view and an external view of the bottom plug, respectively, where Figure 5b shows an internal interface view of the bottom plug 16, and Figure 5d shows the exterior of the bottom plug 16. side view. Reference numeral 30 shows the top edge of the bottom plug, while reference numeral 32 shows its tapered side walls.

To use the suction tube container 26, the first step is to remove the sealing label 18 (Fig. 1b) located at the bottom of the tube; this releases and exposes the orifice 28 of the bottom plug 16. Then, by opening or removing the lid 12 from the top opening 20, the container system is ready for suction. By placing the top opening into the mouth, and sucking in there, a flow of ambient air from the outside environment through the bottom opening of the tube 22 and the orifice 28 of the bottom plug is created to drive the floating pad 14 forward, causing the product 24 to exit the top Opening 20 and into the mouth. Thus, substantially all of the product of the tube can be pushed upwards, with substantially no product remaining in the tube ahead of the floating pad 14 . On the other hand, it will be appreciated that this suction or "drawing" can be interrupted at any point by the user when it is decided not to take out the entire product contents in one operation, but simply put the cap 12 back where it is needed, and Reserve the remaining product for subsequent removal.

Figures 2a and 2b show the tubular structure which is helpful in understanding the container, set to be transparent to allow viewing of the internal volume content, however, it can be made opaque when the internal volume content is not critical. Such a tube part 10 may be injection molded from any medical or food grade plastic having a hardness that may be selected from semi-rigid to rigid. Regardless of whether the tube shape is round (as shown in the figure), or rectangular, square or triangular, the tube is preferably arranged so that there are no corners or sharp edges on the inside of the tube, ie all edges should be rounded, as shown as shown.

It will be appreciated that the top opening 20 is where product is drawn from the tube 10 and flows into the mouth by an inhalation action similar to a drinking straw in a beverage. In Figures 2a and 2b, threads 33 are shown at the upper end of the tube 10 in order to allow fitting of the cap 12 onto the tube, with a lower lower locking ring 34 providing the tamper-resistant properties of the cap 12 and a further lower The lower retaining ring 36. Specifically, the retaining ring 36 works together with the smaller locking ring 34 to lock/hold the tamper-evident ring 40 of the cover 12 in place (Fig. 3b). Tamper resistant ring 40 of cover 12 is pushed over locking ring 34 to be secured between retaining ring 36 and locking ring 34 . It will be appreciated that the shape and diameter of the bottom opening of the inner tube wall remains constant up the tube 10 up to the inner ring 38 at the top opening 22 . At the inner ring 38 , by its increased inner wall thickness, the floating pad 14 is prevented from being sucked out of the tube in order to avoid possible suffocation hazards during pump suction. The pad 14 is prevented from advancing further beyond the inner ring 38 by the increased wall thickness.

The "all in one" twist cap 12 of the present invention exhibits properties that can be understood from the various views of Figures 3a, 3b and 3c. Firstly, the cover 12 includes spaced vertical grooves 42 for better gripping the cover 12 to facilitate its detachable opening and subsequent reset closing. Flexible loop 44 joins child-resistant fastening loop 46 to tamper-resistant "breakaway" loop 48, wherein the open position of flexible loop 44 is shown at 50, and the assembled position of flexible loop 44 is shown at 52, from a The changeover from one position to another follows the direction of the flexible loop 44 along the arrowed line 54 .

In this regard, the safety fastening ring 46 is produced from the mold or injection molding tool in the open position 50 and is push fit between the upper and lower cover flanges 56, 58 in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3c, FIG. The view at 3 a is that without the fastening ring 46 assembled. The diameter of the cap flanges 56 and 58 is greater than the diameter of the fastening ring 46 so that the cap 12 will always be attached to the tube 10 once assembled. Thus, this attachment will not interfere with the closing or opening of the lid when the container is closed or when it is opened for inhalation. The top cover flange 56 is shaped with a taper on its outside (i.e. towards the top of the cover) and a flat area below to allow the child resistant fastening ring 46 to be pushed onto the top flange with the flat area below to prevent the fastening ring from coming out. The bottom cover flange 58 cooperates in this respect to prevent the fastening ring 46 from moving downwards (Fig. 3c).

The tamper evident ring 48 is attached to the top opening 20 of the tube 10 by twisting the cap 12 and pushing the tamper evident ring 40 onto the flexible band 44 . The ring 40 is part of the design of the lid 12 and therefore "breaks apart" after the lid 12 is opened for the first time. Once separated, the ring 40 remains on the tube to keep the ring band 44 and fastening ring 46 connected to the cap 12 . Thus, Figure 3b shows the cover 12 with the fastening ring 46 assembled, and with the flexible annulus 44 in the assembled position. Reference numeral 60 in FIG. 3c designates the recessed area between the top cover flange 56 and the bottom cover flange 58 where the fastening ring 46 remains permanently. On the other hand, the reference numeral 62 in FIG. 3 c designates a ring in this cross-sectional view of the cap 12 which allows the cap to fit into the top opening 20 of the tube so as to thus form a leak-proof seal. The internal threads 64 of Figure 3c work together with the pipe threads 32 of Figure 2a to close and open the tube during the "stop" and "start" suction operations of the present invention.

The structure of the bottom plug 16 and sealing tab 18 of the present invention can be more easily seen in the various views of Figures 5a-5d and Figure 6, respectively. The bottom plug 16 is configured to be press fit into the bottom opening 22 of the tube 10 and may be made of plastic. Its top edge 30 is not tapered (its side walls 32 are), and the bottom plug is arranged to be pushed all the way into the lower end of the tube to provide a tight and flush fit with the bottom opening 22 to accommodate children safety regulations. At the same time, the bottom plug is tapered, slightly wider at the top than at the bottom, and has a width at the top greater than the diameter of the tube, and the tight fit prevents removal by children once the bottom plug is secured within the tube.

On the other hand, the label 18 of FIG. 6 includes an inner adhesive layer, one end of which is glued to the bottom stopper 16 (as in FIG. 1 a ) to cover its orifice 28 for sealing the suction tube container 26 until use. The tail end 70 of the label (ie, the other end of the inner adhesive layer) is glued to the outer side wall of the tube 10 adjacent the lower end of the tube 10, so as to be grasped by the user when suctioning is performed (FIG. 1b). Both the tail end 70 and its opposite label end 72 are printed with a "remove from here" symbol as a visual reminder of the "direction" in which to start pipetting. As previously mentioned, Figure 7 shows the assembly of the tab 18 and the bottom plug 16 to achieve the suction action required to urge the floating pad 14 forward. It will be appreciated that reference numeral 74 in FIG. 7 shows that the tube 10 is open at its lower end, that the floating pad 14 is inserted into the tube 10 prior to insertion of the bottom plug 16, and that the positioning of the label 18 relative to the bottom plug 16 is shown. , for inserting the bottom plug into the tube along with the floating pad. It will be appreciated that the label 18 (until it is removed) prevents the ingress of foreign matter during manufacturing and shipping, as well as at retail. Once the label is removed by the end user, the container will remain sealed by the "floating pad", as described below.

The views of Figures 4a to 4g show various views of the floating pad 14, which is preferably made of a plastic resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene. In order to drive the product out of the tube 10 in a smooth and efficient manner, scraping all the inner walls of the tube so that no visible residue remains, the floating pad 14 includes a top projection having a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the tube 10. Edge 80. Constructed to be flexible and thin so as to conform to the inner wall of the tube 10 and not allow any gaps between the flange 80 and the inner wall, the flange 80 thus effectively creates a "seal fit" with the interior of the tube. Figure 4a shows a top perspective view of the floating pad 14 and Figure 4d shows a bottom perspective view of the floating pad 14 with the bottom flange 82 also having a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the tube. This allows the top flange 80 and bottom flange 82 to work together.

As shown in Figures 4a and 4b, the head 84 of the floating pad 14 extends beyond the top flange 80 to allow the head to drive all product contents out through the top opening 20 of the tube. The top edge of the head 84 beyond the flange 80 is now aligned with the inner ring at the top opening 20 of increased thickness, which prevents the pad 14 from coming out any further. In this regard, top flange 80 stops floating pad 14 at point 88 in FIG. 4g , which is defined by inner ring 86 .

Figure 4c is a top cross-sectional view of floating pad 14 showing that the wall between top 80 and bottom flange 82 is concave. This allows the flanges to flex and conform to spring outward to travel effortlessly through the interior of the tube 10 . This concave configuration also serves to reduce any resistance that occurs, as well as the suction force required to drive the product contents upwards towards the top opening 20 of the tube. Figure 4f shows different wall thicknesses at different areas of the floating pad, thinner in some locations to create more elasticity, and thicker in other locations to provide more rigidity for first positioning the floating pad on the tube 10 Inside.

While there has been described what is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein of the unitary container which All of its contents can be drawn up by the user by sucking the product through the top of the suction tube assembly. While specifically intended for medium to high viscous fill products with slow or no flow rates, size and size variations may similarly be included in order to allow the suction tube container structure to be used for suction removal of confectionery products with Or medicinal ointment or liquid food, jelly and product contents outside of inflatable products, etc. Also, as will be appreciated, other means of sealing the bottom bung opening prior to or during aspiration may be utilized in order to control the volume of product contents aspirated at any one time. Therefore, for at least these reasons, a proper understanding of the invention should be had in reference to the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A suction tube container for liquid food or pharmaceutical products of medium to high viscosity, comprising: an elongated tube with a top opening and a bottom opening; a floating pad within said tube reciprocable along the tube; a bottom plug having a central aperture inserted into the tube between the floating pad and the bottom opening of the tube; a cap at the upper end of the tube for opening and closing the top opening; and a seal at the lower end of the tube for opening and closing the bottom opening; wherein the liquid food or medicinal product is contained between the floating pad and the top opening of the tube, with the cap opening the top opening of the tube and the seal opening the bottom opening of the tube, The user sucks in the top opening of the tube, sucks the outside air from the surrounding environment through the opening in the bottom plug, drives the floating pad forward, and discharges the liquid food or medicinal product out of the bottom plug. The top of the tube is open. 2. The suction tube container of claim 1, wherein the cap is attached to the upper end of the tube. 3. The suction tube container of claim 2, wherein the bottom plug is configured to be press fit into the lower end of the tube for providing a tight and flush fit with the bottom opening of the tube. flat fit. 4. The suction tube container of claim 3, wherein the floating pad is made of flexible plastic sized to provide a sealing fit with the interior of the tube. 5. The suction tube container of claim 4, wherein the floating pad includes a head that extends beyond a top flange of the floating pad a distance so as to extend to the top of the tube Open your mouth. 6. The suction tube container of claim 5, wherein the seal comprises a label having an inner adhesive layer, a first portion of the inner adhesive layer adhesively covering the bottom plug The second portion of the inner adhesive layer is adhesively secured to the outer wall of the tube. 7. The suction tube container of claim 6, wherein the upper end of the tube is threaded for releasing and securing the cap for opening and closing the tube, respectively. 8. The suction tube container of claim 7, wherein the cap remains fixedly attached to the tube when opening or closing the top end of the tube. 9. The suction tube container of claim 8, wherein the tube has a given inner diameter and the bottom plug includes a side wall that tapers from its top to its bottom so as to The top is wider than at the bottom and has a width at the top that is greater than the inner diameter of the tube. 10. The suction tube container of claim 9, wherein the top flange of the floating pad has a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the tube.

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