U.S. patent number 3,881,529 [Application Number 05/419,624] was granted by the patent office on 1975-05-06 for striped toothpaste fill nozzle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Colgate-Palmolive Company. Invention is credited to Giuseppe Mannara.
United States Patent |
3,881,529 |
Mannara |
May 6, 1975 |
Striped toothpaste fill nozzle
Abstract
A nozzle for filling containers with fluent materials, including
concentric tubes forming an annular space there between, a
plurality of orifices providing communication between the inner and
outer tubes and a dispensing opening for dispensing fluent
materials.
Inventors: |
Mannara; Giuseppe (Rome,
IT) |
Assignee: |
Colgate-Palmolive Company (New
York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
11287355 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/419,624 |
Filed: |
November 28, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Dec 6, 1972 [IT] |
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54513/72 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
141/100;
239/431 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B
39/00 (20130101); B65B 2039/009 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65B
39/00 (20060101); B67c 003/02 (); B05b
007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;141/100,105,9,275,311,312,263,313,317,319,321,320,374
;239/429,1,430,431,11,418,434,434.5 ;222/94,1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
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|
|
962,757 |
|
Jul 1964 |
|
GB |
|
466,931 |
|
Aug 1950 |
|
CA |
|
209,920 |
|
Jan 1924 |
|
GB |
|
891,027 |
|
Mar 1962 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Ward, Jr.; Robert S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sylvester; Herbert S. Grill; Murray
M. Koch; Kenneth A.
Claims
What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:
1. A nozzle assembly for filling containers with fluent materials
arranged in desired composite relation comprising longitudinally
coextensive inner and outer tubular members removably secured
together to form an annular space therebetween, said tubular
members being threadedly connected at one end, means for
introducing a first fluent material into one end of the inner
tubular member, means forming a discharge opening at the other end
of said inner tubular member, said inner tubular member having an
enlarged portion adjacent its other end slidably fitting within the
outer tube, means for introducing a second fluent material into
said space, means providing a plurality of spaced orifices in said
inner tubular member providing communication between said space and
the interior of said inner tubular member, and resiliant sealing
means between the tubes at opposite ends for preventing fluent
material from leaving said annular space except through said
orifices.
2. A nozzle assembly for filling containers with fluent materials
arranged in desired composite relation comprising inner and outer
tubular members secured together to form an annular space
therebetween, means for introducing a first fluent material into
one end of the inner tubular member, means forming a discharge
opening at the other end of said inner tubular member, means for
introducing a second fluent material into said annular space, means
providing at least one orifice in said inner tubular member, said
orifice providing communication between said annular space and the
interior of said inner tubular member, and sealing means at
opposite ends of said tubes for preventing fluent material from
leaving said annular space except through said orifice, said
sealing means including an enlarged portion of said inner tubular
member adjacent said other end and said orifice, said enlarged
portion terminating said annular space.
3. The nozzle assembly of claim 2 including a plurality of spaced
orifices in said inner tubular member.
4. The nozzle assembly of claim 3 wherein said plurality of
orifices are evenly spaced.
5. The nozzle assembly defined in claim 2, wherein said tubular
members are longitudinally coextensive tubes.
6. The nozzle assembly defined in claim 5, wherein said hollow
tubes are threadedly connected at one end.
Description
This invention relates to the filling of containers such as
collapsible tubes with two different fluent materials in such
relation that when the container is actuated for dispensing the
contents will emerge with the different compositions in
predetermined relative location, as for example to present a
markedly distinct striped effect.
It has been proposed, see British Patent No. 962,757, to provide a
device for filling toothpaste tubes, wherein different colored
pastes are separately fed through concentric nozzle tubes at the
discharge ends of which the outer paste is separated into smaller
streams that longitudinally and peripherally join the discharged
column of inner paste to provide a longitudinally striped product
in the container.
The present invention is directed to a novel nozzle construction
whereby different fluent materials are more effectively introduced
into coacting relation by combining them within the nozzle assembly
in such manner that an improved composite product is available, and
such is a major advantage of the invention.
The term fluent material as used herein includes creams, pastes,
gels and like fluent materials.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a novel nozzle
assembly for filling toothpaste and like tubes or containers for
producing a longitudinally arrayed composite product wherein
concentric columns of different fluent materials are fed separately
and coaxially toward a discharge outlet, and wherein peripherally
spaced streams of the longitudinally moving outer material are
forced substantially radially inwardly and peripherally into the
longitudinally moving inner column in controlled relation within
the nozzle assembly so that the different fluent materials are
united in a single effective composite column prior to discharge
through the outlet.
It is a further advantage of the invention to provide a novel
nozzle assembly structure wherein a hollow central tube receiving a
first fluent material is surrounded by a concentric annular passage
receiving a second fluent material and the wall of the central tube
is slotted at circumferentially spaced intervals to continuously
admit streams from the outer tube to penetrate into the inner
column and form longitudinal distinct regions such as stripes
therealong.
FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away and in section,
showing a filling nozzle arrangement according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a section substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing
internal structure; and
FIG. 3 is an essentially illustrative view showing a cross section
of the product as it appears within the container.
A filling nozzle assembly 11 consists essentially of an outer
tubular member 12 and a relatively fixed removable inner tubular
member 13.
Outer tubular member 12 comprises a hollow cylindrical body 14
having an inturned conical open lower end 15 and an open upper end
that is internally threaded at 16. Below the threaded upper end,
tubular member 12 is laterally open to a connecting intake supply
conduit 17 for introducing a fluent material such as a toothpaste
or the like as will appear.
Inner tubular member 13 comprises a hollow cylindrical body 18
having at its lower end an enlarged diameter short cylindrical
guide section 19 that has a snug sliding fit within the cylindrical
bore 21 of body 14. At its upper end body 18 is formed with an
enlarged diameter section 22 that is externally threaded at 23 to
mate with the threads 16 of the outer member. Beyond threaded
section 22, body 18 is further enlarged at 24 and provided with an
annular radial surface 25 that faces downwardly. The enlarged
section 24 is adapted for connection to a supply conduit indicated
diagrammatically at 26 for introducing fluent material such as a
toothpaste.
At its lower end, the inner member 13 below guide section 19 is
formed with a reduced external diameter portion 27 defining a
downwardly facing annular shoulder 28. The lower end of member 13
is externally conical at 29 where it projects through the open
lower end of outer member 12. Inner member 13 has a constant
diameter internal cylindrical bore 31.
The cylindrical walls of body 14 and body 18 are radially separated
so as to provide an annular space 32 disposed between the threaded
connection at 16, 23 and the enlarged inner section 19. Conduit 17
opens into space 32. Below the junction of conduit 17 with space
32, inner body 18 is formed with a plurality of laterally open
orifices in the form of uniformly circumferentially spaced slots 33
that provide communication between space 32 and the interior of
inner member 13.
The parts are so constructed and arranged that when the inner and
outer members 12 and 13 are joined by the threaded connection at
16, 23 a resilient O-ring 34 will be compressed sealably between
surface 25 and the upper end of outer member 12, and a resilient
O-ring 35 will be compressed sealably between shoulder 28 and the
inner surface of the conical lower end of the outer member 12. This
axially seals space 32 at opposite ends, so that the space is
closed except for the inlet thereto at 17 and the discharge
orifices 33.
In operation, two separate fluent materials typically having
contrasting colors may be introduced at the same time into bore 31
and space 32 respectively. This provides a core column of one
fluent material in bore 31, and an annular column of a second
fluent material in space 32. Preferably these fluent materials are
forced into the nozzle assembly under pump pressure; the nozzle
assembly having been introduced into the interior of an open tube
indicated at T in FIG. 1. The core column of fluent material
flowing down the interior of member 13 is peripherally joined at
the level of orifices 33 with streams of the second fluent material
entering through orifices 33 from the surrounding column in space
32.
FIG. 3 illustrates a distribution of the two fluent materials
within the tube T as filled. It will be understood that in accord
with known practice the nozzle assembly is initially fully
introduced in a conventional manner (not shown) within tube T so
that at the beginning it discharges paste at the closed capped end
of the tube, and as filling progresses the nozzle assembly is
gradually moved upward out of the tube in a controlled manner (not
shown). The conical end at 29 facilitates entry of the nozzle
assembly into the tube to be filled, and the diameter of body 14 is
usually a few centimeters less than the inner diameter of the tube
to permit free entry while permitting discharge of an adequate
column of paste into the tube T. Where a striped toothpaste is
desired, pastes of different color are continuously introduced into
inner member 13 and space 32 respectively, and the pattern of
combination within the nozzle assembly and eventually within the
tube is for example like that illustrated in FIG. 3.
Within the nozzle assembly outer circumferentially spaced streams
of paste from the annular column enter the inner tubular member
through orifices 33 and penetrate deeply radially into the core
column stream within bore 31, and conditions may be varied to
control such penetration. For example, the pressure in space 32 may
be increased for deeper penetration. Should paste of one color,
such as white, enter member 13, paste of another color, such as
blue, may enter space 32, and the discharged column emerging at 29
of the nozzle assembly will have a central core of white paste and
four distinct peripherally spaced longitudinal blue regions. The
relative locations of the core and outer regions are substantially
maintained when the composite paste enters the tube and when the
tube contents are discharged by the consumer.
A feature of the invention is that the discharging composite column
leaving the nozzle assembly is of the same diameter as bore 31
whereby the container filling action may be closely controlled with
the result that the product ultimately extruded from the tube T is
more uniformly and distinctly striped.
The invention also contemplates variations in the number, size,
shape and disposition of orifices 33 for attaining different
composite effects and composition.
A practical advantage of the disclosed structure is that the inner
tube 13 may be periodically removed for cleansing the assembly.
Another is that different inner tubes 13 having different orifice
arrangements and sizes may be substituted into the outer tube
assembly for different composite products while maintaining the
same outer tube in the filling machine.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The
present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects
as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention
being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing
description, and all changes which come within the meaning and
range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be
embraced therein.
* * * * *