Draw tube container

Abstract

A one-piece draw tube container offering a user the ability to expel its medium to high viscosity product contents by sucking up the product through a top opening of the tube container. A base plug at the tube's bottom end includes an aperture through which ambient air is sucked from an outside environment to drive a gasket in the tube forwardly against the product to be sucked up.

1 . A draw tube container comprising:
 an elongated tube having top and bottom openings;   a gasket within the tube;   a plug having a central aperture inserted into the tube between the gasket and the bottom opening of the tube;   a medium to high viscosity ingestible confectionery or medicinal product within the tube between the gasket and the top opening of the tube;   a cap at an upper end of the tube; and   a seal at a lower end of the tube;   whereby withdrawal of the ingestible confectionery or medicinal product follows a user's sucking on the top opening of the tube with the cap and seal set to open the top and bottom openings of the elongated tube, respectively.   
     
     
         2 . A draw tube container comprising:
 an elongated tube having top and bottom openings;   a gasket within the tube;   a plug having a central aperture inserted into the tube between the gasket and the bottom opening of the tube;   a medium to high viscosity ingestible confectionery or medicinal product within the tube between the gasket and the top opening of the tube;   a cap at an upper end of the tube for opening and closing the top opening of the tube; and   a seal at a lower end of the tube for opening and closing the bottom opening of the tube;   whereby, with the cap set to open the top opening of the tube and with the seal set to open the bottom opening of the tube, a user's sucking the tube at its top opening draws in ambient air from a surrounding environment through the aperture in the plug to drive the gasket forwardly in expelling the ingestible confectionery or medicinal product out the top opening of the tube.   
     
     
         3 . The draw tube container of  claim 2  wherein the cap is attached at an upper end of the tube. 
     
     
         4 . The draw tube container of  claim 3  wherein the plug is configured to force-fit into the lower end of the tube in providing a fit both tight and flush with the bottom opening of the tube. 
     
     
         5 . The draw tube container of  claim 4  wherein the gasket is fabricated of a flexible plastic of a dimension to provide a seal fit with the insides of the tube. 
     
     
         6 . The draw tube container of  claim 5  wherein the gasket includes a head extending past a top flange of the gasket a distance to extend to the top opening of the tube. 
     
     
         7 . The draw tube container of  claim 6  wherein the seal includes a label having an inner layer adhesively covering the aperture of the plug at a first portion thereof, and adhesively affixing to an outer wall of the tube at a second portion thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The draw tube container of  claim 7  wherein the upper end of the tube is threaded to release and secure the cap in the opening and closing of the tube respectively. 
     
     
         9 . The draw tube container of  claim 8  wherein the cap, when opening or closing the top end of the tube, remains fixedly attached to the tube. 
     
     
         10 . The draw tube container of  claim 9  wherein the tube is of a given inside diameter and wherein the plug includes side walls tapering from its top to its bottom so as to be wider at the top than at the bottom and to be of a larger width at the top than the inside diameter of the tube. 
     
     
         11 . The draw tube container of  claim 10  wherein the gasket includes a top flange of slightly larger diameter than the inside diameter of the tube.