Apparatus for dispensing flowable contents of a collapsible tube

Abstract

A hand held tube squeezer facilitates emptying a tube of its contents. The squeezer has a gripping action on the tube to which it is applied, thus preventing rearward slipping of the squeezer. Top and bottom plates of the squeezer are connected by a loop which has a slot through which a tube extends when it is being emptied. Portions of the loop at opposite ends of the slot function as a line hinge between the top and bottom plates. The squeezer and a roller are packaged in a clear plastic wrap film.

1 . A hand held device for discharging contents of a collapsible tube comprising: 
 a tube squeezer formed from an elongated thin flat resilient material segment wider than said tube, said segment being folded over near the mid point of its length forming a loop joining a flat bottom plate and a top plate inclining upwardly from said bottom plate, said loop including a laterally extending slot having laterally length slightly greater than the collapsed width of said tube, and a height slightly greater than the collapsed thickness of said tube, the portions of said loop at the laterally opposite ends of said slot constituting a live hinge between said top plate and said bottom plate.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein a downwardly extending dimple is formed across the lateral width of said squeezer at the junction of said loop with said top plate.  
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said top plate is slightly concave in its direction of elongation.  
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said device is made of a thermo plastic.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said tube is gripped between said dimple and said bottom plate when said tube is placed in said squeezer and said top plate is pivoted downward.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said top plate is disposed at an angle between 10 and 25 degrees relative to said bottom plate.  
   
   
       7 . A package of tube squeezing products comprising 
 a tube squeezer of thin flat resilient material having a flat bottom joined to a slightly concave top by a loop with a laterally extending slot through which a flattened tube may be extended, the portions of said loop at laterally opposite ends of said slot serving as a live hinge between said top and bottom,    a cylindrically shaped roller having a parallel axially extending ridges on its circumference, said roller being between 12 mm and 24 mm in diameter and between 70 mm and 100 mm in axial length and    a clear plastic film shrink wrapped around said squeezer and roller.    
   
   
       8 . The package of  claim 7  wherein said roller is beveled at its axially opposite ends.  
   
   
       9 . The package of  claim 8  wherein said tube squeezer and said roller are made of plastic.