US2875926A - Device for the squeezing of tubes - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1959 E. FURRER '2',s15,926

DEVICE FOR THE SQUEEZING OF TUBES Filed April 8, i958 United States Patent "ice 7 2,875,926 DEVICE FOR THE SQUEEZING 0F TUBES Ernst l urrer, Wila, Zurich, Switzerland Application April 8, 1958, Serial No. 727,100 Claims priority, application Switzerland April 15, 1957 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-98) The present invention relates to a device for squeezing out the contents of tubes containing some pasty substance such as tooth paste, condensed milk, French mustard or the like, and has the main object of providing a device for squeezing such tubes with little eifort to the last drop of their contents.

With this and other objects, which will become apparent later from this specification, I provide a device for the squeezing of tubes comprising in combination:

a casing forming a base for the tube to be inserted into it in the vertical position, and having two parts hinged to. one another about a transverse axis, a spring operatively biasing the said two parts apart in the rest position, a longitudinally slotted axle journalled in the said two parts co-axially with the said transverse axis the slot of which receives the sealed flat end of the tube to be squeezed, a ratchet wheel fixed to one free end of the said axle, a driving pawl and a locking pawl each pivoted on one of the said two parts of the casing spring biased into engagement with the said ratchet wheel, and operatively connected to the said parts of the casing in such a manner as to drive by said driving pawl the said ratchet wheel when turning the said parts towards one another against the spring bias thus winding the said tube about said slotted axle and squeezing out its contents, and locking the said ratchet wheel by the said locking pawl, when releasing the said two parts of the casing to move apart under their spring bias. s

These and other characteristic features of the present invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the device according to the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on a smaller scale of a general arrangement of the said device with a tube to be squeezed out by it inserted.

The device comprises a casing composed of two parts 1 and 2. These two parts of the casing have lateral webs 1' and 2', respectively, slidable upon one another, and are pivotally mounted about a winding axle 3 provided with a deep longitudinal groove 4 extending over its full length. On one end of the axle 3 outside the adjacent lateral outer web 2' a ratchet wheel 5 is mounted, while on the other-end of the said axle outside the other outer web 2' a securing washer (not shown) is fitted. A second axle 6 is mounted in holes 7 of the inner lateral webs 1' and passes through slots 8 of the outer lateral webs 2' so that when turning the parts 1 and 2 of the casing relative to one another said axle 6 partakes in the movement of the part 1 of the said casing. Outside the outer lateral web 2 the axle 6 has at one end a head 9 and at the other a securing washer (not shown).

On the axle 6 two identical levers 10 are mounted, of which in Fig. 1 the rear one is hidden by the forward one. The levers 10 are connected to one another by a cross member 11 which consists in one piece with the 2,875,926 Patented Mar. 3, 1959 V 2 two levers andhas a turned-up handgrip lug 12. On top the two levers 10, 10 forming a double lever are connected with one another by a round presser beam 13 which is parallel to the axle 6.

A strong spring 14 coiled at two points about the axle 6 and whose two hook-shaped ends 15 engage on the said levers 10 while its middle portion running perpendicular to the plane of the drawing bears at 16 on a third axle 17, tends to turn the double lever 10 in the counterclockwise sense of Fig. 1, whereby the presser beam 13 isforced in the direction towards the slotted winding axle 3.

On said third axle 17 fixed to the lateral webs 1 a lever 18 is pivotally mounted which has two legs 20 connected with one another by a transverse portion 19, one of these legs only being visible and both being provided with holes 21 through which the axle 17 is pushed. The forward leg 20 visible in Fig. l is provided with a lateral projection 22 which protrudes outwardly through a window 23 of the adjacent lateral web 1' and forms a locking pawl 23 at its end, co-operating with the said ratchet wheel 5.

On the lateral webs 2' a fourth axle 25 is fixed on which a lever 26 is pivotally mounted having two legs 28 connected with one another by a transverse portion 27, only one of which legs is visible and both being about the second axle 6 engages with its two ends 34 on the transverse portion 27 of the lever 26, while its middle part turned back at 35 engages on the transverse portion 19 of the lever 18. The spring 33 accordingly tends to turn the lever 18 in the clockwise direction, and the lever 26 in the counterclockwise direction, so that the locking pawl 24 and the driving pawl 32 are forced towards the ratchet wheel 5. When the pawls 24 and 32 contact the ratchet wheel 5, the spring. 33 spreads the parts 1 and 2 of the casing apart.

The forward leg 20 of the lever 18 has a turned-up abutment end 36, on which the point 37 of the forward lever 10 abuts, when pressing in the direction of the arrow 137 on the transverse lug 12 while holding the part 1 of the casing by pressure in the sense of the arrow 38, both of which actions can easily be performed with the thumb and forefinger of the same hand. By thus turning the lever 10 in the clockwise direction, the locking pawl 24 is lifted off the ratchet wheel 5 owing to the co-operation of the point 37 with the abutment end 36. At the same time the presser beam 13 bears on an abutment 39 provided at the inside of the forward leg 28 of the lever 26, whereby the driving pawl 32 is lifted off the said ratchet wheel 5.

The device described operates as follows:

The device is taken in one hand, so that the two parts 1 and 2 of the casing can be readily swung towards one another in the direction of the arrows 40, 41 (Fig. 2). Then the lower end 42 of the tube 44 is inserted into the slot 4 of the winding axle 3, and the parts 1 and 2 are intermittently pressed against one another over and over again. At each pressing together the driving pawl 32 advances the ratchet wheel 5 one step, which may correspond to one or more teeth of the said ratchet wheel. When the parts 1 and 2 of the casing are again spaced apart by the spring 33, the locking pawl 24 arrests the ratchet wheel 5 so that the latter can turn stepwise only in the direction 43 of winding-on of the axle 3;. the tube thereby gets-between the axleS and the turn of the axle 3 the positionindicated in Fig; 1 is reached.- When turning the axle 3 further, eventually the whole of the tube 44 is squeezed out. When at any time enough of the contents have been squeezed out of the tube, the device is set up as illustratedin Fig. 2,- the casing 1, 2 forming a base for the tube 44, which is held vertically in the device.

When the tube 44 has been emptied completely, one presses with two fingers on the transverse lug 12 and on the part 1 of the casing (arrows 137 and 38), whereby both the pawls 24 and 32 are lifted off the ratchet wheel 5. It then suflices to pull the head of the tube 44 in order to draw its emptied body easily otf the freely rotating axle 3.

The device described is for example extraordinarily well suitable for tooth paste or French mustard containing tubes, being readily deposited on the bathroom or dinner table. The operation by one hand, which even' with the body of the tube almost completely wound-n requires very little force, is very simple. Obviously devices of different size will be provided for tubes of different size, e. g. two or three sizes of the device for all sizes of tubes practically coming into question.

While I have described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing what may be considered a typical and particularly advantageous embodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated; for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art:

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for the squeezing of tubes comprising in combination, a casing forming a base for the tube to be inserted therein in the vertical position, and having two parts hinged to one another about a transverse axis, a spring operatively biasing the said two parts apart in the rest position, a longitudinally slotted axle journalled in the said two parts co-axially with the said transverse axis the slot of which receives the sealed fiat end of the tube to be squeezed, a ratchet wheel fixed to a free end of the said axle, a driving pawl and a locking pawl each pivoted on one of the said two parts of the casing spring-biased into engagement with the 4 said ratchet Wheel, and operatively connected to the saidparts of the casing in sucha manner as to drive by the said driving pawl the said ratchet Wheel when pivoting the said parts towards one another about their hinge connection against said spring bias thus winding the said tube about said slotted axle and squeezing out its contents, and to lock the said ratchet Wheel by the said locking powl when the said two parts of; the casing are released to move apart under their spring bias, each of the said parts of the casing have lateral webs mutually sliding upon one another, a second axle fitted parallel to the said slotted axle into the said lateral webs of a first of the said casing parts, and a lever pivotally mounted on the said second axle, a presser beam at one end of said second axle parallel to and spring biased against the said slotted axle, a third axle fitted parallel to the said slotted axle into the said lateral webs of one of said casing parts and carrying the said locking pawl, a lever pivotally mounted on said third axle, a fourth axle fitted parallel to said slotted a'xle into the lateral webs of the other of the said casing parts, the said driving pawl being pivotally mounted on the said fourth axle.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said spring serving for biasing the said parts of the casing apart acts on the said lever and on the said driving pawl so as to urge both the said driving pawl into engagement and locking pawl with the said ratchet wheel.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said spring biasing the said two casing parts apart is wound about the said second axle carrying the lever of the said presser beam, and comprising a second spring also wound about the said secondaxle and biasing the presser beam against the said slotted axle.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the said lever of the presser beam has a transverse lug serving as a finger grip providing for manual pivoting of said lever against the bias of the said second spring, the said driving pawl and locking pawl each having an abutment operatively cooperating with the said lever of the presser beam, whereby both may be lifted off the said ratchet wheel when manually turning the said lever of the presser beam against its spring bias.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,542,571 Rakestraw Feb. 20, 1951

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