Toothpaste Tube and Dispenser

Abstract

There is a toothpaste tube with flexible wall that deforms under atmospheric pressure. One end of the tube is closed and the other end has a head attached with an opening for dispensing. Inside the tube at the head there is a resilient dispensing member extending along a small fraction of the tube length. The dispensing member has a cavity to accommodate the paste. In the first embodiment, the dispensing member has two prongs extending from the head on the two flatter sides of the tube. The dispensing member can be squeezed together with the tube by hand or between fingers to reduce the size of its cavity and dispense the paste through the opening. Upon release of hand or finger pressure, the dispensing member returns to the original shape and brings its adjacent part of the tube into original shape. The expansion of the dispensing member and the tube adjacent to it creates a vacuum that pulls the paste from the farther parts of the tube and fills the cavity and the tube at the opening end. The tube deforms uniformly under atmospheric pressure and will be ready for next dispensing.In the second embodiment, the dispensing member is a thin wall tube.In the third embodiment, the tube wall near the head is made thicker or more resilient than the rest of the tube and functions as the dispensing member.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to dispensing pastes such as toothpaste, lotion and food paste out of tubes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Toothpaste tubes function both as a container and dispenser. The paste is dispensed by squeezing the tube with hand or fingers. Some tubes are resilient and return back to the original shape after release of pressure. Therefore, air enters the tube and replaces the volume of dispensed paste. In this type of tube, dispensing becomes more difficult as the tube becomes further empty. Also, the tube should be kept in vertical upside down position to have paste at the tube opening and air at the closed end of the tube. For this reason, tubes are made more of a deformable material so they stay in deformed shape after release of pressure. However, as the tube is squeezed at different positions, the paste spreads at different places in the tube. The tube gets an unsightly skewed and non-uniformly deformed shape. Usually, the user mus...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a simple and cost effective means for improving the dispensing of paste from toothpaste tubes that is integral to the toothpaste tube, is transparent to the user, and does not require additional work or extra attention by the user.

Problems solved by technology

In this type of tube, dispensing becomes more difficult as the tube becomes further empty.

The tube gets an unsightly skewed and non-uniformly deformed shape.

Paste dispensers have been made using rigid containers and pumping mechanisms, but they are complicated and costly and consume excessive material.

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