MC983A1 - Tube automatically delivers paste when squeezed, and suitable tube head for use with this tube - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tube which, when squeezed, automatically dispenses paste. By 'paste', we mean any highly viscous substance, of a pasty consistency, for example ointments, creams or toothpastes, shaving creams, oil paints, mustards, liver sausages, mayonnaise, shoe creams, paste-like shampoos, beauty creams.

The invention also relates to a tube head intended for use with a tube arranged to automatically deliver paste when squeezed.

In all tubes currently used for dispensing paste, three operations are required for each individual dispensing: first, to open the tube's closure element, such as a screw-on cap or stopper; second, to squeeze the tube to varying degrees, causing a strand of paste to eject; and third, to replace the closure cap or similar device, thus resealing the tube. In particular, during this third operation, it is almost impossible to avoid contamination of the finger operating the tube's closure mechanism by residues of paste present at the tube's opening.

We therefore sought to create a new tube requiring, instead of the three currently necessary maneuvers, only one maneuver for each individual delivery of a sausage of pasty material, preferably a tube automatically delivering pasty material, with which the user does not have to touch with their fingers the area where the opening of the tube is located, before, during or after the exit of a sausage of paste from this tube in which it is sufficient, for the delivery of such a sausage, to squeeze only the part of the wall of the tube, far from the mouthpiece, the exit orifice being closed automatically and hermetically as soon as the aforementioned pressure on the outer wall of the tube ceases.

In the past, temptations have not been lacking to build

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such a tube automatically dispenses paste, but a problem that arises in this regard has not been solved. This problem lies in the prompt and airtight closure of the tube's opening under the influence of the pressure exerted on the tube's rear wall. Among these known tubes is the one described by Gleason in U.S. patent no. 1,881,488, in which the tube head is of particularly simple construction, although the flexible tab serving as a closing element in this head tends, due to its elasticity alone and from a position almost parallel to the expelled paste tube, to shear the paste tube as soon as the pressure exerted on the rear wall of the tube ceases and to hermetically close the tube's opening again. Other complicated constructions have been described in U.S. patents no. 1,753,665 of Roos and no. 2,755,974 of GODFREY. Similarly, British patent no. 1,007,657 and German patent no. 834,524 describe tube closures free of screw caps.

Contrary to this, the particular aim of the present invention is to provide a tube of the type described above and a head usable with this tube which, with a construction as simple as possible, ensures not only an automatic opening when moderate pressure is exerted, for example with two fingers of the same hand of the user, but also and above all a rapid and airtight closure after the pressure has ceased, even during prolonged use of the tube.

According to the invention, these objectives are achieved and the aforementioned problem is solved by a suitable tube that automatically dispenses paste when squeezed, a tube comprising a mouthpiece with a dispensing orifice or passage, a flexible wall element disposed in this passage and advantageously arranged in the form of a flexible tube which, optionally, constitutes part of the mouthpiece itself, a nozzle that crushes the flexible wall element in the closed position, and an elastic element or spring that pushes the nozzle against the flexible wall element.

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which, when the tube is squeezed, can retract and allow the paste to pass out of the tube, through the outlet orifice of the mouthpiece, this tube being characterized by the fact that the spout is mounted pivotally, outside the mouthpiece, on the part of the head arranged so as not to be compressible, far from the outlet orifice and resting, by its free end, against the flexible wall element, towards the outlet orifice, said elastic element acting on the spout, beyond its pivot axis, below the outlet orifice and pushing the spout back, as soon as the pressure on the tube ceases to cut the outgoing roll of paste and to close the outlet orifice of the mouthpiece in a hermetic manner.

In a first embodiment, the elastic element is arranged in the form of an annular spring which cooperates,

on the one hand, with the head and, on the other hand, with the beak in such a way that the latter, by tending to contract, exerts pressure on the flexible tube-shaped organ located in the mouthpiece attached to the head.

The mouthpiece then advantageously comprises an oblique bordering wall against which the mouthpiece applies in the closed position, a wall from which the mouthpiece is moved away, when pressure is exerted on the tube, under the action of the paste flowing through the outlet orifice, along the flexible wall element, the elastic annular organ lengthening.

The pivot axis of the spout is advantageously transverse to the direction of the flow, the elastic element, when arranged in the form of an annular spring tending to contract, acting here on the spout, in the direction of an area parallel to the pivot axis of the spout and transverse to the flow orifice.

The outlet is then advantageously and in a known manner towards the outer end of the mouth opposite the head.

When the elastic element is arranged in the form of an annular spring, it can consist of a rubber ring

elastic, expandable and fixed on the head by surrounding the mouthpiece and the beak, ring whose inner diameter is, in the unstretched state, smaller than that which it occupies in the fixing position described above.

In another preferred embodiment, the organ is arranged as a deformable elastic element which acts on the flexible mouthpiece or one side of the mouthpiece opposite the flexible tubular organ, on the lever arm of the mouthpiece extending from the pivot axis and opposite the outlet orifice, which elastic element exerts pressure on the mouthpiece, in the direction from the head.

In this embodiment, the elastic organ can notably be arranged as a part, elastically compressible, of the tubular organ or flexible wall element of the head and projecting on the beak.

Furthermore, the elastic organ and the flexible or tubular wall element carrying said organ can be arranged in the form of a flexible wall part with a substantially semi-circular cross-section of the head, the remaining part of which is not compressible.

In addition, the elastic element can be arranged in the form of the inner side of a lever arm of the beak, located opposite the outlet and elastically compressible against a rigid part of the head.

Finally, the elastic organ can be arranged in the form of an elastic blade part of the head, protruding from the wall of the elastic head and receding under the pressure exerted by the beak.

In a preferred embodiment, the non-compressible head may include a flat front face of sufficient surface area for the tube to stand upright securely when placed on a smooth surface and for the mouthpiece with its outlet to open outwards on the lateral side of the head.

The tube preferably has commercially available shapes and dimensions and is made of a suitable material found

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in the trade. Thanks to the airtight closure of the outlet under the action of the elastic means mentioned above, the contents of the tube are protected from decomposition due to the action of atmospheric air, as is the case with screw caps and sealing gaskets currently known.

When the nozzle and spring unit exerts a sufficiently strong closing force on the outlet, the flexible tube or other container on which the head according to the invention is mounted can be filled with a liquid product instead of paste or foam. It is even possible to dispense aqueous or alcoholic liquids such as toothpaste.

The closing head according to the invention can also be used as the actuating head of a pressure vessel in an aerosol dispenser, from which a liquid, paste, or foam product, held in the pressure vessel by a liquefied gas such as dichlorodifluoroethane (Freon), carbon dioxide, dimethyl oxide, nitrogen suboxide, etc., can be dispensed in spray or non-spray form. The pressure vessels of dispensers of this type are equipped with a valve comprising a movable element, for example, a valve stem, etc., which protrudes from the surface at the top of the vessel and must be pressed to open the valve. The head according to the invention can be mounted on this stem, and the vessel can be opened by pressing on said head. The mounting is achieved, for example, by means of a threaded connection between the axial channel of the head and the cylindrical surface of the valve stem. The head according to the invention will open and close automatically each time it is Pressed like a push button, the automatic closure when manual pressure is released prevents the accumulation of residual product outside the outlet, residues that could dry out and decompose. This advantage is particularly important when dispensing paste or foam food products susceptible to bacterial spoilage.

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In a particularly simple embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, which provides a particularly effective solution to the problem of ensuring a hermetic and fully satisfactory closure after each dispensing operation, a rigid cap of the closure device comprises a discharge orifice and a passage leading to it. This passage is surrounded on all sides, up to the discharge opening and from its inlet opening located in the underside of the cap, by a continuous wall. On one side of the passage, this wall consists of a rigid, nose-shaped portion integral with the cap, and on the opposite side, of an extensible and flexible wall that is also integral with the cap and the aforementioned wall. The closure device in this embodiment also includes a beak-shaped portion projecting from the cap below the base of the flexible wall of the cap, which is located away from the orifice. This beak-shaped portion is rigid while being joined to the cap and, preferably, integral with it, by means of a joint capable of flexing about a transverse axis relative to the direction in which the aforementioned passage extends, this beak-shaped part being pushed towards the flexible wall by pressing the latter, at its outer edge adjacent to the orifice, against the opposite rigid nose-shaped part, thus hermetically sealing the orifice, the elasticity of the aforementioned joint being calculated such that, in the presence of a determined excess of pressure inside the passage, the beak-shaped part gives way and releases the flexible wall which then flexes outwards while expanding, thus opening the orifice.

Further details and advantages of the tube and tube head according to the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawing. In this drawing:

- Figure 1 is a profile view of a first embodiment of the tube according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, after rotation by 90°, of the supplying part, in the closed state, of the same embodiment;

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- Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view in the open state of the debtor part, according to figure 2, of the same embodiment;

- Figure 4 is a perspective view, from above, of the supplying part of another embodiment of the tube, shown in the closed state;

- Figure 5 represents, in cross-section, the same supplying part of a tube according to Figure 4;

- Figure 6 represents the same embodiment as in Figure 5, but rotated 90°, in the open state and equipped with a special shutter device;

- Figure 7 is a plan view of part of the embodiment of Figure 6, with the shutter device;

- Figure 8 is a partial plan view of the realization shape of the tube according to figures 6 and 7, but with a different arrangement of the shutter device in the open position;

- Figure 9 is a partial view similar to the previous one, but with the shutter device in the closed position;

- Figure 10 represents a support for the support tube intended to cooperate with the shutter device;

- Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment, in particular of the tube head according to the invention;

- Figure 12 is a profile view of the tube according to the invention with a suitable head, specially designed to place the tube upright;

- Figure 13 is a side view of the same tube but in an upright position and rotated 90° relative to the tube in Figu-

- Figure 14 is an axial cross-sectional view of the head of the tube shown in Figure 13, with all parts in the closed position;

- Figure 15 is an axial cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 14, but with all parts in the open position;

- Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view along the XVI-XVI plane indicated by dashed lines in Figure 15;

re 12;

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- Figure 17 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a preferred tube head, of particularly simple construction and in accordance with the invention;

- Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view following plane XVIII-XVIII of figure 17;

- Figure 19 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the tube head similar to that of Figure 17, however consisting of two parts, the open position being represented by dotted lines;

- Figure 20 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the tube head;

- Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view along plane XXI-XXI of Figure 20;

- Figure 22 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the tube head;

- Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view along plane XXIII-XXIII of Figure 22;

- Figure 24 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an embodiment similar to that of Figures 22 and 23, but consisting of only two parts;

- Figure 25 represents the embodiment of Figure 24 but in the position where the organs allow the dough to exit;

- Figure 26 is a perspective view of the arrangement according to figures 24 and 25, with a preferred embodiment of the nozzle, a shutter device connected to a nozzle piece;

- Figure 27 is a partial cross-sectional view along plane XXVII-XXVII of Figure 26, with the spout in the unlocked position;

- Figure 28, finally, is a view analogous to Figure 27, but with the beak engaged in the locked position;

- Figure 29 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the closure device according to the invention,

in the form of a working part obtained by injection molding before applying pressure to its beak-shaped part;

- Figure 30 illustrates the same form of implementation by

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an identical view, but after pressure has been applied to the beak-shaped part, thus bringing the closing device into the closed position; and

- Figure 31 is a perspective view illustrating the same closing device, with its beak-shaped part and flexible wall in the open position.

Figures 1 to 3 illustrate a collapsible tube equipped with a closure device according to a first embodiment of the invention, this tube comprising a tubular envelope 1 made, preferably, of a thermoplastic resinous material such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, an acrylic resin or a similar elastic polymer material, this tubular envelope 1 being also able to be made of collapsible aluminum or of a laminate made of a thermoplastic resin and a metal foil covering the inside of the envelope 1, preferably an aluminum foil, whenever the filling requires the use of such an internal coating or covering in order to protect the contents during a long period of storage, so as to avoid corrosion or losses due to diffusion through the wall of the envelope.

The manufacture of articles from synthetic plastics using injection molding techniques is well known, so a more detailed description is unnecessary. The hardening of thermoplastic articles, or parts thereof, is also a well-known technique. Hardening by heating to a relatively high temperature for a very short period (150 to 200°C for one or a few minutes) is preferred, as it allows for more localized heating and hardening of only certain areas while keeping other parts of the molded article flexible. The exact treatment depends on the composition of the thermoplastic material to such an extent that the variations are numerous.

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that it is not possible to give further details in this specification; moreover, these details are familiar to the person skilled in the art specializing in thermoplastic materials.

The envelope 1 comprises a thick-walled head 2 whose shape does not change when squeezed by hand, and a flexible main part 3 which can be easily compressed, for example, with two fingers of one hand.

The material used for the flexible tube's outer casing must be sufficiently elastic to tend, after compression and release, to return to its original shape, thus forcing the remaining toothpaste in the tube back into that shape. The usual lightweight metal used for commercially available toothpaste tubes is poorly suited, if at all, for this purpose.

A rigid mouthpiece 4 with an outlet 4a is provided on the head 2 and is advantageously made in one piece with this head. It has a groove 5 with an edge 5a inclined towards the tip.

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In the outlet channel 6 is a flexible tubular element 8 made of elastically compressible material, advantageously rubber. This element, which is press-fitted and sealed in the end of the mouthpiece, can, when the tube is closed, be pinched by a nozzle 9 towards the tip of the mouthpiece. The end of the nozzle 9, away from the tip of the tube, is pivotally mounted, by means of an axis 10, in the wall of the head 2 and is pressed into a longitudinal groove 11 of the head 2 under the tensile action of an annular elastic element 10 re 12, for example an elastic torus made of rubber, buna, or a similar material.

A strip or tab 13 made of hard plastic, advantageously of the same material as the casing 1, is fixed, by its end facing the tip of the tube, to the nozzle 9 and, 15 by its other end, to the wall of the flexible main part 3 of the tube, for example by ultrasonic probing or by gluing. When an area of the flexible wall of the main part 3 is compressed, for example with the thumb and forefinger of a hand holding the tube, the tab 13 exerts a pull 20 on the nozzle 9 to extract it from the longitudinal groove 11 and facilitates, by pivoting the nozzle 9 on the axis 10, the opening of the outlet orifice of the tubular element 8, an opening which is already caused by the internal pressure of the paste-like material contained in the casing 1 and compressed under the action 25 of the pressure exerted by the fingers. To prevent slippage of the elastic organ 12, it is engaged in an annular groove 14 of the head 2 and in a transverse groove 15 made in the outer wall of the beak 9.

By an appropriate choice of the annular tensile force of the elastic element 12, the band or tab 3 can also be completely eliminated, as is the case in the embodiment shown in figures 4 to 6.

In Figures 4 to 9, parts or elements identical to those of the embodiment described above are designated 35 by the same reference numerals as in Figures 1 to 3.

In this embodiment, the nozzle 2 9 is slightly flatter and has a more suitable shape than in the first embodiment. The head 20 connects seamlessly to the wall of the main part 3 of the casing 1.

For immobilizing the nozzle, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, a small safety pin 16 can be used, which is housed in a recess 17 in the head 20 and engages in a groove, or housing 18 in the nozzle 29, near the articulation of this nozzle on the axis 10. This pin 16 ensures the closure of the tube during storage by preventing accidental opening and is removed from the head before use of the tube.

In another, somewhat different embodiment of the immobilizing device, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the safety pin 26 is provided with a large locking element 26a and a push button 26b and can slide longitudinally in a transverse hole in the spout 29. The spout 29 has a lateral locking recess 25 in which, when the pin 26 is moved to the right (as seen in Figure 19), the locking element 26a engages, preventing the spout 29 from pivoting about the central portion 26c, which simultaneously serves as a pivot axis. Conversely, when the pin 26 is moved to the left (as seen in Figure 8), the locking element 26a is disengaged from the locking recess 25, so that when the tube wall is compressed, the The beak 29 can pivot around the axis 26c^ allowing the opening of the tube's mouth under the action of the pressure of the paste charge, thus allowing the exit, out of the tube, of a roll of pasty material.

Re-locking the nozzle after using the tube is not essential, but can be done as an additional safety measure in case of accidental tube compression. This can be easily accomplished by pushing the tube, head 20, into a support 30 having a slightly tapered hole 31 that narrows towards the inside, with the locking element 26a projecting slightly outwards and its end chamfered to match the angle.

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the wall of hole 31 is inserted into the locking position in the head 20.

According to the invention, the extruded tube does not have a circular cross-section, but a flattened elliptical one. Whereas, when dispensing a tube, for example of toothpaste, with a circular cross-section produced by a known tube, onto a toothbrush, it frequently happens that the extruded tube falls off the brush, the present invention does not pose this problem, thanks to the flattened elliptical shape of the outlet and the corresponding cross-section of the extruded tube when the tube is held properly with the edge 29a of the nozzle parallel to the surface defined by the ends of the brush bristles, because the elliptical tube rests, by its wide side, on the aforementioned surface of the brush bristles.

The tube according to the invention is even usable for the delivery of adhesive material. Insofar as these materials could combine with the plastic material of the tubular element 8, it is necessary to line the inner wall of this element with a coating particularly inert to the adhesive material or to the volatile solvents used with this material, a coating consisting for example of a thin metal sheet, advantageously an aluminum sheet, in order to prevent excessive adhesion of the tubular element, from the edge of the opening of this element to the inside of the latter.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, of the tube according to the invention, the head 22 is arranged as a removable part which, thanks to an internal thread 24 provided at the end of the channel 23, can be screwed onto the external filter of a nozzle 32 of an ordinary tube 33 available commercially.

In the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 12 to 16, of the tube of the invention, the tube's outer casing 33 comprises an outlet 32 equipped with a filter and preferably consisting of a non-compressible or slightly compressible portion 33a to which the flexible main portion 3 of the tube 33 is connected. The head 22 having a wall

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The thick head is screwed onto the tubing 32 of the tube itself 33 by means of an internal thread 24 provided at the end, facing said tube, of the conduit 23. The head 22 includes the conduit 23 which, on the side facing the tube itself,

the frontal face 40 of the head 22, opens, via an oblique canal 5', onto the cylindrical lateral wall 41 of the head 22.

The periphery of the opening of channel 5' here forms the actual mouthpiece 4, which, unlike the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 15, does not project from the head 22 but is completely integrated into it. In this embodiment, the mouthpiece 4 also includes a longitudinal recess, or groove, in which the mouthpiece of channel 5' is also located at the end facing the front face 40. In this embodiment of the head, a tubular element 8 is also permanently fixed within the channel 5'. This permanent fixing can be achieved, for example, by ultrasonic welding of the tubular element 8 to the inner wall of channel 5', using the same material from which the mouthpiece 4 and the head 22 are made.

In this embodiment, the nozzle 9, when in its rest position, is fully inserted into the longitudinal groove 11 and can pivot by means of the axis 10 in the end of the groove facing the tube. It is inserted into the groove 11 and then clamps the end of the tubular element 8 by means of the annular tension spring 12, thus keeping the outer end of the tubular element 8 hermetically sealed. Here too, the spring 12 is housed in an annular groove 14 of the head 22 and in a transverse groove 15 of the nozzle 9. To dispense paste from the tube of the invention, pressure is applied to the flexible main part of this tube, thereby forcing the paste through the tubular element 8. The nozzle 9 pivots, upon opening said tubular element 8, into the position shown in Figure 15, by tensioning the annular tension spring 12.

has the shape of a central, axial hole which, on the side facing towards

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The flat frontal surface 40 of the head is large enough so that the entire tube can be placed securely on this surface.

Whereas in this case the head of the tube 22 can be separated from the tube itself 33 by unscrewing the tubing 32 of this tube, this head can also be an integral part of this tube.

In the embodiments of the tube heads shown in Figures 17 to 25, the elastic element which presses the nozzle against the tubular element and which hermetically clamps this element towards its outlet opening, when the tube is not in use, i.e. when no pressure is exerted by the fingers on the wall of the tube, exerts a thrust from the inside of the head on the nozzle, so that the head can, with the exception of the recess provided for the nozzle, present a continuous outer surface.

Thus is achieved a perfected head of the aforementioned type, formed of a maximum of three, preferably even of only two parts.

In the embodiments of figures 17, 18 and 20 to 23, the hard material head 102 comprises an axial conduit 103 in which the tubular element 138 with the outlet orifice 104 is fixed. In the lateral recess 111 which opens into the axial passage 104a is housed the nozzle 103 with the pivot axis 131, nozzle having, on the one hand, an arm which extends to the outlet orifice 104 and there clamps the tubular element 138 in a tight manner preventing any exit of paste when the tube is not compressed and, on the other hand, another arm 133 with the inner side of which an elastic element cooperates.

When a flexible tube (not shown in the drawing) is tightened, for example by screwing, into the conduit 103, the paste contained in the tube expands the tubular element towards its outlet end 104, a roll of paste then escaping as long as pressure is exerted on the wall of the tube.

The arm 132 of the beak 130 is then pushed out of

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The recess 111 and the other arm 133 then slightly and correspondingly compress the elastic element. In the embodiments of figures 17 and 18, the elastic element consists of a compressible elastic annular bulge or bead 134, while, in the embodiment of figures 20 and 21, it consists of a compressible elastic pad 135 which can be one piece with the beak 130 or fixed to the inner wall of the lever 133 of said beak 130, for example by gluing or welding.

In this case, the pad 135 is pressed against the wall 139 surrounding the inner end of the tubular element 138 which, extending from the head 102, penetrates slightly into the recess 111, thereby elastically compressing the pad. In the embodiment shown in Figures 22 and 23, the elastic element consists of a projection of the head 102, arranged in the form of a leaf spring 137 that is elastically deformable and penetrates the recess 111.

When the pressure exerted on the tube wall ceases, the elastic element (i.e. the bulge 134, the buffer 135 or the spring 137), which returns to its initial position or resumes its initial shape, brings the lever 133 out of the recess 111, an operation during which the beak pivots around its axis 131 housed in suitable recesses in the lateral walls of the recess 111 and clamps the tubular element 138 in the area of the outlet orifice.

Whereas, in these three embodiments, three elements are required, namely the rigid head 102, the flexible tubular member 138, and the spout 130, while the deformable elastic member is arranged as a part of the first, second, or third element mentioned above, the embodiments of Figures 19, 24, and 25 require only two parts, namely the head and the spout. Whereas, in the embodiments described above, the head itself and its portion extending towards the outlet are arranged rigidly, in the embodiment of Figure 19 mentioned above, the wall 140 of the head 120, the wall facing the recess 111, is arranged

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to bend elastically and thus ensures the function of the tubular organ; the wall 140 also carries the elastic and compressible semi-circular bulge 134 which rests against the lever arm 132 of the nozzle 130, as is the case in the embodiment of figures 17 and 18. When pressure is applied to the wall of the flexible tube (not shown in the drawing) adjacent to the head, the paste filling the cavity between the rigid wall element 142 and the flexible wall element 140 (which, in the open state, both have a substantially semi-circular cross-section, while, at least towards the outlet orifice 104, the rigid wall 142 preferably has a substantially straight closing edge 144) pushes the nozzle 130 into the delivery position shown in dashed lines in the drawing. The rigid wall element 141 then deforms, between the bulge 134 and the rigid head part 120 turned towards the tube wall, so that the lever arm 133 pushes back the bulge 134. When the pressure exerted on the tube wall ceases, the bulge 134 which had been pushed back, thanks to its elasticity, returns to its original shape and pushes the lever arm 133 outwards into the recess 111, so that the lever arm 132 pivots around the axis 131 and, by its free end, pushes and flattens the flexible wall 140 immediately towards the outlet orifice and applies it in a tight manner against the equally flat edge 144 of the rigid wall 142 of the head.

The embodiment shown in Figures 24 and 25 is the same as that just described, but here, instead of the wall 140 and the bulge 134, there is a more easily deformable wall element 146 and a thicker, more rigid wall element 147. When the outlet orifice 104 is opened, the lever arm 133 of the nozzle 130 penetrates the less flexible wall element 147 slightly and deforms it. When the pressure on the tube wall ceases, the less flexible wall element 147 pushes the lever arm 133 back from the position shown in Figure 25 to that shown in Figure 26.

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figure 24, the other lever arm 132, as a result of its pivoting around the axis 131, then presses in a sealed manner, by its free end, the flexible wall element 146 against the flat edge 144 of the outlet of the rigid wall 142, so that the exit of the head, out of the tube, is again interrupted.

In the embodiment of the tube head shown in figures 26 to 28, the nozzle 230, which is engaged by its two pivots 231 and 231a in corresponding bearings 229 and 229a of the recess 211 of the head 220, has a narrowing 250 through which its end 233 opposite the outlet 204 can easily be moved angularly away from the plane defined by the longitudinal axis of the nozzle and passing through the pivots 231 and 231a, while the remaining part of the nozzle nevertheless represents a rigid lever arm perpendicular to the aforementioned plane. On its lower side turned towards the inside of the head, the beak 230 advantageously presents a small projection 234 in the form of a protuberance close to a lateral edge of the end of the beak 230. On the same side, the recess 211 has a hollow 235 which is flatter than the remaining part of the recess 211, and whose depth is just sufficient so that one can, by a slight lateral deviation, partially move the end 233 of the beak on the bottom 236 of the hollow 235.

A small recess 237 is advantageously provided in the bottom 236, a recess into which the projection 234 of the end 233 of the spout can be engaged when this end is offset, as shown in figure 28.

In the position that the tip 233 of the nozzle 230 occupies in Figure 28, this nozzle 230 is held in the closed position, even when the tube is accidentally compressed. The tip 233 of the nozzle must first be returned to the release position shown in Figure 27 before the nozzle 230 can open the outlet orifice 204 when pressure is applied to the contents of the tube.

With a sufficiently strong closure of the nozzle, the tube head according to the invention and optionally the tube according to

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The invention can also be filled, instead of a paste, with a low viscosity liquid, even with aqueous or alcoholic solutions such as toothpaste elixir or similar products.

5 A tube head has been described above comprising, carried by it and possibly mounted with it, a mouthpiece with a conduit and having an outlet orifice, a flexible wall element, possibly a tubular member, housed in said mouthpiece, a nozzle pinching in a tight manner, in the closed position, the flexible wall element or the tubular member and an elastic member applying the nozzle against the tubular member but able to give way under pressure from the paste present in the mouthpiece and allow the passage of this paste along the flexible wall element or through the tubular member, characterized by the fact that the nozzle is pivotally mounted, outside the mouthpiece, on the non-compressible part of the head, away from the outlet orifice, and that it applies, by its free end, against the tubular member or the flexible wall element.

The tube head according to the invention can also be used as an operating head for a valved container filled with a liquid, paste, or foam and an expulsion or propulsion means, such as those used for aerosol spraying. In this case, the head according to the invention is mounted on the valve stem in place of the tube's mouthpiece. When the head is pressed down, the valve opens and the material contained in the container is dispensed. The head opens and closes automatically, as described in the main patent. This represents a significant improvement over existing commercial devices of this type, which leave a considerable amount of product exposed to the outside air at the outlet and consequently decompose or disintegrate. In the case of food dispensing, bacterial growth can also occur in the product residue at the outlet of known devices. Pressure vessels with outlet valves fitted with a head according to the invention as an operating device are completely free from these drawbacks.

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The closure device illustrated in Figure 29, which is made of a known type of synthetic material such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polymethyl acrylate or methacrylate, or similar materials, using an injection molding process, consists of a rigid cap 301 whose lower face is open for assembly to a collapsible tube or a pressure vessel having a conventional opening. A central tubular portion 302 serves to receive, for example, the moving part of a pressure vessel relief valve. From the open lower end of the cap 301 extends a passage 303 leading to a relief opening 304 via a tubular portion 302; This passage 303 is surrounded on all sides by a continuous wall, the upper part of which consists of the rigid, nose-shaped portion 305, which is integral with the cap 301, while the lower part of this peripheral wall consists of the thin, extensible, and flexible wall 306, which is integral with the nose-shaped portion 305 and the cap 301. Outside the passage 303, a rigid, beak-shaped portion 307 projects from the cap 301. This beak-shaped portion 307 is assembled to the cap at the base of the flexible wall 306 by means of a flexible joint 308 formed, using a transverse forge made in the cap 301 at the base of the beak-shaped portion 307. The workpiece obtained by injection molding in the form illustrated in Figure 29 is transformed into a final closing device, illustrated in Figure 30 in the closed position, by subjecting the part to a beak-shaped projection is subjected to hot pressing to move it from the position illustrated in Figure 29 to the position illustrated in Figure 30. In this way, the beak-shaped part 307 receives pressure which permanently presses it into a position in which its free upper end comes to rest on the outer face of the upper end of the flexible wall 306. This method of forming the joint in 308 preferably consists of welding the beak-shaped part 307 onto the cap 301, although this latter feature falls within the scope of the present invention.

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While Figure 30 illustrates the closing device with its discharge opening 304 in the closed position, Figure 31 illustrates the closing device by a perspective view with its discharge opening 304 open as a result of an expansion of the flexible wall 306 under the effect of an excess of pressure inside the passage 303.

This excess pressure can be created, for example, by pressing the closing device when it has been mounted on the moving part of the valve of a pressure vessel, thus acting as a push-button control head for the latter. The cap 301 of the closing device can be depressed by applying finger pressure to the pressure face 309, thereby opening the pressure vessel's relief valve. In this way, the pasty or foamy product is expelled into the passage 303 by being compressed against the inner face of the flexible wall 306, which expands and then deflects the rigid, beak-shaped part 307 outwards, while the product is discharged through the orifice 304. When the closing device is released by ceasing to press on the face 309, the discharge valve of the container closes, which also relieves the excess pressure in the passage 303, while the beak-shaped part 307 firmly presses the upper edge of the flexible wall 306 against the nose-shaped part 305, thus hermetically sealing the orifice 304.

The tubular portion 302 may also have an external or internal thread and be screwed onto a corresponding internal or external thread provided on the mouth of a collapsible tube. By applying pressure to the wall of the collapsible tube at a point distant from the closing device according to the invention, the paste or liquid contained in the tube is then distributed through the orifice 304 just as in a standard tube.

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Claims (27)

CLAIMS 10 15 20 25 1.- Tube arranged to automatically deliver paste when squeezed, comprising a head, a mouthpiece with a conduit carried by this head and having an outlet orifice, a tubular element disposed in this mouthpiece or a flexible wall element forming with said mouthpiece a compressible passage similar to a flexible tube, a pinching beak, when squeezed, of the tubular element to bring it into the closed position and an elastic element pushing the beak against the tubular element but which, when the tube is squeezed, can give way to allow the passage of paste out of the tube, through the tubular element and the delivery of this paste out of the outlet orifice, characterized by the fact that the beak is pivotally mounted outside the mouthpiece, away from the outlet orifice, on the non-compressible head and that its free end is in contact with the tubular element, towards the outlet orifice. 2.- Tube according to claim 1, in which the elastic element is arranged in the form of an annular spring which is engaged, on the one hand, with the head and, on the other hand, with the beak, in such a way that this beak, which is thus made to contract, presses against the tubular element located in the mouth fixed to the head. 3.- Tube according to claim 2, in which the mouthpiece has a chamfered end wall against which the spout applies in the closed position but from which said spout is moved away, causing the annular spring to expand, under the action of the paste passing through the tubular element, when the tube is tightened. 4.- Tube according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the pivot axis of the spout is arranged transversely to the direction of the exit of the tube, while the annular spring acts on the spout, in an area parallel to the pivot axis of the spout and located, from said axis, in the direction of the exit orifice. 22 5.- Tube according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which the outlet orifice is located at the end of the mouth away from the head. 6.- Tube according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the elastic element consists of an elastic and expandable ring, made of rubber, surrounding the mouthpiece and the spout and fixed to the head, the inner diameter of said ring being, in the relaxed state, smaller than that which it has in its fixing position described above. 7.- Tube head comprising, carried by it and possibly mounted with it, a mouthpiece with conduit and having an outlet orifice, a flexible wall element, possibly a tubular member, housed in said mouthpiece, a nozzle pinching in a tight manner, in the closed position, the flexible wall element or the tubular member and an elastic member applying the nozzle against the tubular member but able to give way under pressure from the paste present in the mouthpiece and allow the passage of this paste along the flexible wall element or through the tubular member, characterized by the fact that the nozzle is pivotally mounted, outside the mouthpiece, on the non-compressible part of the head, away from the outlet orifice, and that it applies, by its free end, against the tubular member or the flexible wall element. 8.- Tube head according to claim 7, in which the elastic member is arranged in the form of an elastically deformable element which acts on the inner side, facing the tubular member, of the nozzle by attacking the lever arm of this nozzle, which, with respect to its pivot axis, is located opposite the outlet orifice, thus pushing the nozzle out of the head. 9.- Tube head according to claim 8, in which the elastic element is arranged in the form of an elastically compressible element projecting on the tubular element, in the direction of the nozzle. 10. Tube head according to claim 9, wherein the elastic element and the tubular element that support it are arranged in the form of a flexible wall element, (having 10 15 20 25 30 a roughly semi-circular cross-section) of the head which, moreover, is not compressible. 11.- Tube head according to claim 7, in which the elastic element is arranged in the form of a lever arm of the nozzle, the arm which is opposite the outlet orifice and which can be elastically clamped against a rigid part of the head. 12.- Tube head according to claim 7, in which the elastic element is constituted by a part, in the form of a spring blade, of the head, yielding elastically under the pressure of the nozzle and projecting on the rigid wall of the head. 13.- Tube head according to claim 7, in which the elastic element is arranged in the form of an annular spring which comes into contact, on the one hand, with the head and on the other hand, with the mouth, in such a way that the latter, having a tendency to contract, presses against the tubular element which is in the mouthpiece. 14.- Tube head according to claim 13, in which the pivot axis of the nozzle is placed transversely to the direction of the exit, while the annular spring acts on the nozzle in an area parallel to the pivot axis of said nozzle and from said axis, in the direction of the exit orifice. 15.- Tube head according to one of claims 7, 13 and 14, in which the annular spring consists of an elastically expandable rubber ring, surrounding the mouthpiece and the spout and fixed to the head, the inner diameter of which, in the relaxed state, is smaller than that which it has in its fixing position mentioned above. 16.- Tube head according to any one of claims 7 to 15, wherein the head has a flat front face of sufficiently large surface area so that the tube attached to it can remain upright when placed on a flat surface, while the mouth opens outwards, through its outlet orifice, on the side of the head, near the flat front face of this head. 17. A tube head according to any one of claims 7 to 16, wherein the nozzle comprises an end rigidly connected to it in a plane perpendicular to the wall of the head, which end can be deflected angularly and laterally from 24 the longitudinal axis of the beak, in the plane passing through this longitudinal axis and the pivot axis. 18.- Tube head according to claim 17, in which the recess of the head has laterally a hollow whose bottom is substantially at the level of the lower face of the end of the spout, so that, during a lateral angular deviation of this end of the spout, it comes to rest partly on the surface of the bottom of the hollow and thus prevents the opening of the spout and, consequently, an accidental release of the contents of the tube. 19.- Tube head according to claim 18, in which locking means are provided disposed respectively on the lower face of the end of the nozzle and on the bottom of the hollow. 20.- Pressure-resistant container, filled with a liquid, pasty or foam product and a means of expelling this product, and equipped with an outlet valve and a valve operating head, characterized in that the operating head is a tube head according to one of claims 7 to 19 of the main patent. 21. A closure device for containers holding a pasty or foamy product, this closure device opening and closing automatically when a predetermined excess pressure is created in a passage formed within the closure device and extending towards a discharge orifice thereof, and when this pressure is released, respectively, this closure device also comprising a rigid cap in which the aforementioned discharge orifice is located, the aforementioned passage passing through this cap to open into this discharge orifice, characterized in that the aforementioned passage is surrounded on all sides up to this orifice by a continuous wall, one side of which consists of a rigid, nose-shaped portion integral with the cap, while its opposite side consists of an extensible and flexible wall integral with the cap and the aforementioned nose-shaped portion, this closure device comprising a rigid, beak-shaped portion protruding from the cap rigid outside the aforementioned passage and near the flexible wall, while being connected to the cap by a joint, this beak-shaped part being pushed relative to this flexible wall, while its free beak-shaped end presses against the flexible wall near the aforementioned orifice, thus pressing this wall into airtight contact with the nose-shaped part while closing the orifice, the aforementioned joint being flexible, so as to be able to deflect the beak-shaped part and thus allow an expansion of the flexible wall to open the orifice when the determined excess pressure is created in the passage. 22.- Closure device according to claim 21, characterized in that the elasticity of the beak-shaped part is calculated so that it can flex in the presence of a determined excess pressure, thus releasing the flexible wall, while allowing its expansion, the aforementioned orifice opening when the aforementioned excess pressure is created in the aforementioned passage. 23.- Closure device according to claim 21, characterized in that the beak-shaped part is integral with the aforementioned cap. 24.- Closure device according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that the beak-shaped part is pushed against the flexible wall by exerting tension in the beak-shaped part by thermal hardening of a workpiece obtained by injection molding, the beak-shaped part being directed at a certain angle away from the flexible wall, while it is then pressed by being bent towards and in contact with the aforementioned flexible wall to close the orifice during the aforementioned thermal hardening. 25.- Closing head according to claim 7, in which the elastic element is spring-shaped and integral with said beak, being a flexible part of the beak which, moreover, is not flexible or compressible. 26.- A closing head according to claim 25, wherein the non-flexible part of the spout consists of a molded synthetic resin hardened at a temperature above 80°C 26 while the said flexible part consists of the same resin, but hardened at a temperature between 40 and 60° C. 27.- Closure head according to any one of claims 25 and 26, wherein said molded resin is a curable resin selected from epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, furar resins, low molecular weight alkyl methacrylates and vinyl carbazole resins. 27 Sheets - > Franco DEL BON ia VcC ' - 27 -