CN1068285C - Nozzle for segregating materials while filling a tube, and a tube filled thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

A tube filling nozzle (10) for plural ingredients is disclosed which creates a pattern of deposition of material in the tube (10) such that the minor ingredient(s) deposited has a shape in cross section (21A, 21B) which does not decrease in size toward the center of the tube (10).

Description

Filling nozzle for separating material when filling a tube and the tube it fills

The present invention relates to a novel filling nozzle for filling various containers with a viscous flowable material, in particular to a filling nozzle for filling toothpaste containers with toothpaste having different colored toothpaste materials in each adjacent sector , in order to produce a toothpaste that has a streaky appearance when extruded. The invention also relates to a device for filling a container with toothpaste with such a filling nozzle, and a toothpaste container filled with such a filling nozzle.

Devices for filling toothpaste into containers, such as collapsible tubes and various pumps, are well known. A specific known form of this device is intended to pour a toothpaste material consisting of a plurality of different components, especially of different colors, into a container, so that the materials of the different components are arranged in the container in each adjacent sector area. When the toothpaste is dispensed from such a container, the toothpaste has a streaky appearance. These differently colored toothpaste materials are well known, such as those used to form three-color striped toothpaste, such as that sold under the (trademark) name "Aquafresh", having a white base and red and blue or Red and blue or green stripes of green toothpaste material.

Typically, such devices include a filling nozzle through which toothpaste is fed into a container, which generally includes a tubular, usually cylindrical body with a central longitudinal channel, usually a cylindrical eyelet, and multiple side channels surrounding the central channel. Each side channel generally has a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body, tapering toward the center of the body. For example, side channels may be formed between walls extending radially from the central channel to form sector regions of generally wedge-shaped cross-section.

This known technique can be illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , a known filling nozzle 1 generally includes an outer cylindrical tubular body wall 2 . Inside the filling nozzle 1 there is an axial central channel 3 bounded by a central channel wall 4 . A plurality of first side channels 5 and second side channels 6 are arranged around the center channel 3 , surrounded by side channel walls 7 , and these walls converge towards the central axis of the filling nozzle 1 . All side channels 5, 6 have a cross-section taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the filling nozzle 1, and gradually narrow toward the center of the filling nozzle 1, that is, the axis of the filling nozzle 1, that is, in the transverse direction. Appears generally wedge-shaped in cross-section.

To fill a container (not shown), the outlet end of the filling nozzle 1 is inserted into an empty cylindrical container with an inner diameter slightly larger than that of the main body wall 2, and the toothpaste is passed along the filling nozzle using known equipment. Each channel 3, 5, 6 flows out of the outlet port into the container. Make a first toothpaste material 8 flow along the central channel 3 and each second side channel 5, and make a second toothpaste material 9, whose color is different from the first toothpaste material 8, flow along each second side channel Road 5 flows. The cross-sectional appearance of the toothpaste formed in the container is shown in FIG. 2 , and the sector areas 8 and 9 of each toothpaste material are wedge-shaped and gradually narrow toward the central axis.

An object of the present invention is to provide a filling nozzle suitable for filling a container with various flowable viscous materials, so as to facilitate filling the container, and to make the thickness of each segment within the width range across the segment Basically even.

Another object of the present invention is a tubular toothpaste container for holding a plurality of toothpaste materials with different compositions to form segments with uniform color density.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a filling nozzle suitable for filling a container with a flowable viscous material, comprising a tubular body formed by an outer wall of the body and having a plurality of longitudinal channels within the body for Viscous flowable material flows longitudinally along and within the filling nozzle, each longitudinal channel includes:

a central channel surrounded by a central channel wall,

one or more first side channels, located between the central channel wall and the outer wall of the main body, and enclosed between each side channel wall, each first side channel has a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular body, tapers in a direction from the outer body wall towards the central channel, and

one or more second side channels, located between the central channel wall and the outer wall of the main body, and enclosed between the side channel walls, each second side channel has a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular body, There is no tapering in the direction from the outer wall of the body towards the central channel.

All longitudinal channels are open at an outlet end of the filling nozzle.

The filling nozzle of the present invention is suitable for pouring various toothpaste materials into a toothpaste container, such as a common tube or pump, and each toothpaste material with different components passes down a corresponding central channel or first or second side channel. channel, so that the various toothpaste materials are deposited in the container in adjacent sector areas, so that when the toothpaste is discharged from the container, such as when the tube is squeezed or the pump is operated in the usual way, the toothpaste is forced to pass through the filling. When the form of a section of rope of filling mouth flows out, each segment area that toothpaste emits is still adjoining. Suitably, the different toothpaste materials are differently colored materials, so that the discharged toothpaste strand has a striped appearance.

The tubular body is suitably a cylindrical tubular body of a diameter suitable for the container to be filled with the material, and suitable dimensions are well known to those skilled in the art of filling such containers . The tubular body can be tapered or otherwise shaped at the outlet end in a suitable manner, as is usual in filling nozzles of this type.

The central channel may suitably have a central cylindrical channel concentric and coaxial with a cylindrical tubular body, suitably bounded by a channel wall having a cylindrical aperture, coaxial with the tubular body Concentric and coaxial.

The number of first side channels will depend, inter alia, on the number of sector regions desired to be formed in the container, which in turn will depend on the number of types of material of differing composition used. There may suitably be four first side channels arranged symmetrically within the tubular body. Each first side channel may suitably be bounded on its outer side by the outer body wall and on its inner side by the outer surface of the central channel wall. The tapered cross-sectional shape of the first side channels is obtained by virtue of them being also bounded by side channel walls which converge toward the center of the tubular body, such as in a cylindrical tubular body by substantially Fixed by two convergent side channel walls parallel to the diameter of the main body.

The number of second side channels will also depend inter alia on the number of sector regions desired to be formed in the container, which in turn will depend on the number of types of material of differing composition used. There may suitably be four second side channels arranged symmetrically within the tubular body. Each second side channel may suitably be bounded on its outer side by the outer body wall and on its inner side by the outer surface of the central channel wall. The non-tapering cross-sectional shape of the second side channels is formed by surrounding them with side channel walls that do not converge towards the center of the tubular body, such as in a cylindrical tubular body It is bounded by two side channel walls generally parallel to the diameter of the body. In a preferred embodiment, the non-converging walls are substantially parallel to each other, so that the second side channels as a whole have a generally rectangular cross-section, although it is possible to have an inner and/or outer wall, Follows the curvature of a cylindrical inner channel wall and/or outer body wall, respectively.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the filling nozzle according to the invention, the central channel and the one or more first side channels are separated by means of the central channel and the (each) first side channel at the central channel wall An orifice in the wall of the central channel in the region communicates with each other at the outlet end of the filling nozzle. Preferably, all first side channels communicate with the central channel in this manner. The orifice(s) may be in the form of a slot, open at the outlet of the filling nozzle, extend longitudinally away from the outlet end of the filling nozzle, and be substantially rectangular in shape, with the long sides of the rectangle oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the filling nozzle. Alternatively, such a cutout may be chamfered at the end remote from the outlet end.

The present invention also provides a method for using the filling nozzle described herein, which is used to pour a toothpaste, preferably a toothpaste comprising two or more toothpaste materials with different components, such as different colors, into a toothpaste. container. In this method of use, various colored toothpaste materials can be made to flow along the central channel or the first or second side channels, respectively. Suitably, a first toothpaste material may flow along both the central channel and each first side channel, and one or more second toothpaste materials may flow along a respective second side channel . Suitably, a white first toothpaste material may be made to flow along the central channel and each first side channel, while one or more colored second toothpaste materials may be made to flow along one or more second side channels respectively. The side channels flow such that the toothpaste is arranged in the container in such a way that the colored segments of the second toothpaste material are separated by areas of the white segments of the first toothpaste material, with a center of the white first toothpaste material core body.

The filling nozzle of the present invention may be part of a device for filling toothpaste into a container, and the invention thus also provides a device for filling toothpaste into a container provided with such a filling nozzle. Equipment for filling toothpaste into containers is well known, such as the filling machines produced by IWK Packaging Machinery Inc. Fairfield NJ. USA and Norden Packaging Company. The portion of the filling nozzle remote from the outlet end of the filling nozzle can be designed in a manner known to those skilled in the art to fit into such known filling machines.

Known apparatus for filling a container comprising two or more toothpaste materials of different colours, so that the materials are arranged in adjacent sections inside the container, as described above, usually resulting in some Gradually narrowing sector area. This means that when viewed from the outside of a transparent or translucent container, such as a commonly used toothpaste pump, the edges of the sector areas are thinner than the middle of the sectors, so their color is not uniform, and in the middle darker than at the edge. Adopt the filling mouth of the present invention, when making various colored toothpaste materials flow along each second side channel, the sections formed are not gradually narrowed towards the middle, and their appearance is different from one to the other. When viewed from the outside of a transparent or translucent container, the condition is very good, and it is basically relatively uniform.

Thus, in another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tubular toothpaste container, such as a collapsible tube or pump, containing a plurality of toothpaste materials of different compositions, i.e., of different colors, wherein a first toothpaste The material is disposed in the container in the form of a central core of toothpaste material, and one or more second toothpaste materials are disposed in the container in the form of sector regions arranged around the central core, each sector of the second toothpaste material The outer surfaces of the regions contact the barrel wall and the inner surfaces of the segments of the second toothpaste material adjoin the core, wherein the cross-sections of the segments do not converge toward the center of the container.

Each sector area of the first toothpaste material may be arranged between each sector area of the second toothpaste material, and may be integrally formed with the core body. Suitably there may be four sector regions of the second toothpaste material. Suitably, the first toothpaste material may be a white toothpaste material, and the one or more sector regions of the second toothpaste material may be red, and the one or more sector regions of the second toothpaste material may be blue or green. Suitably, the segments of the second toothpaste material may have substantially parallel non-converging surfaces extending inwardly from the outer surfaces of the segments, preferably, the segments of the second toothpaste material Basically rectangular in cross section.

Another advantage of the preferred embodiment is that wherein the central channel and one or more first side channels, at the outlet end of the filling nozzle, rely on the central channel wall separating the central channel and each first side channel An opening in the wall of the central channel in the area of the container communicates with each other, and it has been found that the edges of the sector areas formed in the container are particularly clean.

This feature has not been found in the known filling nozzles for filling toothpaste into containers, so in another aspect of the present invention there is provided a filling nozzle through which toothpaste can be fed into a container. container, the filling spout comprising a tubular, e.g. cylindrical, body having a longitudinal central channel therein, e.g. having a cylindrical eyelet, and a plurality of longitudinal side channels formed between the side channel walls, Around the central channel, all longitudinal channels openly terminate at an outlet end of the filling nozzle, and the central channel and one or more side channels, at the outlet end of the filling nozzle, rest on the central The channel wall separates the central channel and an opening in the central channel wall in the region of each side channel, communicating with each other.

The shape of the orifice may be substantially as described above.

The filling nozzle of the present invention may suitably be made of various metals, such as those commonly used to make filling nozzles for filling toothpaste containers, such as stainless steel. The individual dimensions of the filling nozzle can be substantially the same as usual for filling nozzles of this type.

According to the present invention, fillings such as toothpaste are evenly distributed in the tube, and the observed color density of each segment is basically uniform. If the container has transparent or translucent walls, the thickness of the individual sector regions will be substantially uniform across the width of the sector when viewed from the outside. This is an advantage over the prior art where the thickness of each sector would be smaller at the edges than at the center.

The invention will now be described by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the attached picture:

Figure 1 shows a cross-section through a known filling nozzle for filling toothpaste into a toothpaste container;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section through toothpaste in a toothpaste container formed by filling the container with the filling nozzle of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a partially cutaway perspective view of the filling nozzle of the present invention;

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view through the filling nozzle in Figure 3 taken immediately in front of the outlet end;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of toothpaste in a toothpaste container formed by filling the toothpaste container with the filling nozzle of FIGS. 3 and 4 .

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, there is shown a filling nozzle 10 of the present invention comprising an outer cylindrical tubular body wall 11 terminating at an outlet end 12. The portion 13 of the filling nozzle 10 remote from the outlet end 12 is generally adapted to mate with a conventional toothpaste container filling mechanism.

The filling nozzle 10 has a central channel 14 inside, which is fixed by a central channel wall 15 . The filling nozzle 10 also has four first side channels 16 arranged symmetrically around the central channel 14 , and each first side channel 16 is located between the outer body wall 11 and the central channel wall 15 . The first side channels are bounded by side channel walls 17 which converge toward the center of the filling nozzle 10 with respect to the first side channels 16, so that the cross-sectional shape of the first side channels faces towards the filling nozzle 10. The central axis of the filling nozzle 10 gradually narrows, and the cross section is substantially wedge-shaped.

The filling nozzle 10 also has four second side channels 18 arranged symmetrically around the central channel 14 , and each second side channel 18 is also located between the outer body wall 11 and the central channel wall 15 . Each second side channel 18 is bounded by each side channel wall 17, and these walls are substantially parallel and juxtaposed with respect to each second side channel 18, so that the cross-sectional shape of each second side channel 18 is substantially Rectangle.

The central channel 14 and all of the first side channels 16 are in communication with each other at the outlet end 12 of the filling nozzle 10 by virtue of the fact that the central channel wall 15 separates the central channel 14 and each of the first side channels 16. An opening 19 in the central channel wall 15 in the region. This orifice 19 is a substantially rectangular slot opening at the outlet end 12 of the filling nozzle 10 and extending longitudinally upwards from the outlet end 12 .

The filling nozzle of Figures 3 and 4 can be used to fill a toothpaste container (not shown) with toothpaste in a manner similar to that of the known filling nozzle of Figure 1 described above. A first toothpaste material 20 may flow along the central channel 14 and each first side channel 16 , while one or more toothpaste materials 21 may flow along each second side channel 18 . When so used, the cross-sectional appearance of the sectors of the first and second toothpaste materials 20, 21 formed in the container upon filling is shown in FIG. 5 . The first toothpaste material 20 is arranged in the container inside and each sector region 20B around in the shape of a central core 20A, and each sector region of the second toothpaste material 21 has a substantially rectangular cross-section and is aligned with the first toothpaste material. The sectors of 20B are staggered. The opposite two sector regions 21A of the second toothpaste material 21 can be a kind of red toothpaste material, and the remaining two sector regions 21B can be a kind of blue or green toothpaste material, so that when the toothpaste material 20 , 21. When discharged in a thin stream from a tube such as a collapsible tube or pump, the toothpaste has a longitudinally streaked appearance.

It is evident from Fig. 5 that if the container has a transparent or translucent wall, then when viewed from the outside, the thickness of each sector region 21 will be substantially uniform over the width of the sector, whereas in Fig. 2 In the toothpaste shown, the thickness of each segment 9 will be smaller at each edge than at the center. The observed color intensity of each sector 21 will thus be substantially more uniform.

Claims (15)

1. one kind charges mouth, be suitable for a kind of viscous material that flows is irritated into a kind of container, it comprises a tubular body that is formed by an outer body wall, and many longitudinal channels are arranged within the main body, be used for flowing viscous material along charging mouth and flowing the vertical of its inside, each longitudinal channels comprises:

One central channel, it is fixed to be enclosed by a central channel wall,

One or many first side conduits, between central channel wall and outer body wall, and enclose and fix between each side channel wall, each first lateral groove road has a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the tubular body longitudinal axis, narrowing down gradually on the direction of central channel from outer body, and

One or many second side conduits, between central channel wall and outer body wall, and enclose and fix between each side channel wall, each second lateral groove road has a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the tubular body longitudinal axis, do not narrowing down gradually on the direction of central channel from outer body

An exit end place that charges mouth of all longitudinal channels is opened wide.

2. the mouth that charges according to claim 1, wherein tubular body is a columnar tubular body, its diameter is suitable for remaining the container that charged with material.

3. the mouth that charges according to claim 2, wherein central conduit comprise a center circle tubular conduit, and be concentric and coaxial with a cylindrical tubular body; And enclosing surely by a channel wall, this wall has a cylindrical shape eyelet, and is concentric also coaxial with the outer body wall.

4. the mouth that charges according to claim 3 has four first side conduits, is symmetricly set on tubular body the inside, and it is fixed to be enclosed by the outer body wall in their outside, and enclose by the outer surface of central channel wall in their inboard fixed.

5. the mouth that charges according to claim 4 has four second side conduits, is symmetricly set on tubular body the inside, and it is fixed to be enclosed by the outer body wall in their outside, and enclose by the outer surface of central channel wall in their inboard fixed.

6. the mouth that charges according to claim 5, wherein the non-cross sectional shape that narrows down gradually of each first side conduit is surrounded them by each side channel wall of not drawing in towards the tubular body center and causes.

7. the mouth that charges according to claim 6 has a columnar tubular body, and wherein each second side conduit be enclose by two side channel wall that are parallel to main diameter substantially fixed.

8. the mouth that charges according to claim 7, wherein each second side conduit has the cross-sectional plane of rectangle substantially generally, selectively has an inwall and/or outer wall, respectively along the curvature with a cylindrical inner channel wall and/or outer body wall.

9. the mouth that charges according to claim 8, wherein central channel and one or many first side conduits communicate with each other at the exit end place that charges mouth, this will rely on the central channel wall and separate the aperture on the central channel wall in the zone of central channel and each first side conduit.

10. the mouth that charges according to claim 9, wherein all first side conduits are communicated in central channel.

11. according to claim 9 or the 10 described mouths that charge, wherein each aperture is the slotted eye shape, opens wide at the exit end place that charges mouth, and longitudinally leaves the exit end that charges mouth and stretch.

12. the mouth that charges according to claim 11, wherein the slotted eye shape is rectangular basically, and the orientation on the long limit of each of rectangle is arranged essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis that charges mouth.

13. tubulose toothpaste container, hold the different paste material of multiple composition, wherein a kind of first paste material is receptacle with the form configuration of a paste material center core, and one or more second paste material is configured among the container with the form in each sector zone of arranging around center core, the outer surface contact barrel in each sector zone of second paste material, the surface, inside in each sector zone of second paste material is in abutting connection with core body, and wherein the cross-sectional plane in each sector zone does not draw in towards the center of container.

14. container according to claim 13, the sector zone that between each sector zone of second paste material, has first paste material wherein, it can form one with core body.

15. one kind charges mouth, charge mouth by this, can send into a container to a kind of toothpaste, charge mouth and comprise a tubular body, one longitudinal center's conduit is arranged in it, and many vertical side conduits, be formed between each side channel wall also around central channel, all longitudinal channels terminate in an exit end place that charges mouth with all opening wide, and central channel and one or many side conduits, at the exit end place that charges mouth, rely on the central channel wall and separate in the zone of central channel and each side conduit the aperture on the central channel wall and communicate with each other.

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