Wall mountable toothpaste dispenser with magnetic tube-winder holding means

• US 5,048,725 A
• Filed: 12/03/1990
• Issued: 09/17/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mildred I. Peterson
• Original Assignee: Mildred I. Peterson
• Inventors: Peterson, Mildred I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huppert, Michael S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaufman, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US07/620,739
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• Field of Search: 222/92, 222/95, 222/99, 222/100, 222/105, 222/107, 222/494
• US Class Current: 222/100
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 35/34 connected to, or associated with, tube holders

Abstract

A tube-packaged-product dispenser is provided with a tube-winder knob 2 at each end of a slotted tube-winder rod 1 that is extended through channels 3 at opposite sides of a container 5 into which a tube 9 is inserted. A magnetic ring 22 with magnetic attraction to surfaces 23 of the channels 3 hold the knobs 2 with sufficient rigidity to prevent unwinding of the tube 9 after it has been wound onto the rod 1. Bondable strips 24, 26, 14, 36, 38 with magnetic or other attraction to each other positioned at opposite sides of the tube are brought into binding contact with each other with the effect of squeezing sides of the tube together and further preventing unwinding of the tube. A spout anchor nut 20 or 43 is threaded onto the exit spout 10 of the tube 9 at the opposite side of the container bottom 11 with an anchor orifice 40 into which the spout is positioned for use. A magnetic tube spout ring 44 just above the threads of tube 9, with magnetic attraction to the magnetic surface 45 around the anchor orifice 40 into which the spout 10 is positioned for use, will further hold tube 9 with sufficient rigidity to prevent wobbling of the tube 9 when being wound by tube winder knobs 2. A resilient orifice 39, 41, 42 in the spout nut 20 forms contents of the tube into ribbon shape as ejected and prevents drip from the tube when not being used. Toothbrushes, other use items and ornamentation are positionable on the outside surface of the container. The container is attachable to a wall with nail-head orifices 32 and to a mirror or other flat surface with suction cups 34.

Claims

1. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser comprising;

a tube container with inside dimensions selectively longer than tubes to be inserted into it, selectively wider from side-to-side than tubes that are flattened within it and selectively thicker from front-to-back than diameters of tubes to be inserted into it;

a container bottom to which side walls of the container are attachable;

a tube outlet orifice in the container bottom;

a key channel extended selectively between a vicinity of a top and a vicinity of a bottom of each side of the container;

a tube-winder rod extendible through the key channels from an outside surface of the container at one side of the container to an outside surface of the opposite side of the container;

a tube-winder-rod orifice extended from side-to-side of the tube-winder rod with a size and shape to receive a bottom of a tube insertable into the container;

a tube-winder knob attachable to each end of the tube-winder rod at positions exterior to outside surfaces of the sides of the container and having a diameter selectively larger than a cross-sectional dimension of the tube-winder-rod;

a circumferential magnetic ring positioned selectively between the tube-winder knob and the tube-winder-rod orifice; and

a surface of each key channel having magnetic attraction to the circumferential magnetic ring.

2. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising;

a strip of windable bonding material positionable at front and back surfaces of the container for bonding to matching bonding material on front and back surfaces of a tube inserted the container.

3. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 2 and further comprising:

a container cover positionable over the top of the container and extendible on the sides of the container in a manner that aids rigidity of the container.

4. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the windable bonding material is a magnetic material.

5. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the windable bonding material is a magnetic material at opposite sides of a tube insertable into the container.

6. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the windable bondable material is fibrous.

7. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the windable bonding material is attachable to inside surfaces of the bottom of the container.

8. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the tube-winder knobs are fixedly attached to opposite ends of the tube-winder rod.

9. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the tube-winder knobs is quick-disconnect attachable to an end of the tube-winder knob.

10. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a tube-packaged-product spout attachable to the bottom of the container and having a resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice.

11. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 10 where in the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is linear, such that a tube-packaged product expelled therefrom by winding action from rotation of the tube-winder knobs is relatively flat for providing a flat layer of a tube-packaged product on a use item placed thereunder.

12. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 2 and further comprising:

a tube-packaged product flow controller attachable to the bottom of the container and having a resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice.

13. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 3 and further comprising:

a tube-packaged product flow controller attachable to the bottom of the container and having a resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice.

14. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 4 and further comprising:

a tube-packaged product flow controller attachable to the bottom of the container and having a resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice.

15. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 5 and further comprising:

a tube-packaged product flow controller attachable to the bottom of the container and having a resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice.

16. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 6 and further comprising:

a tube-packaged product flow controller attachable to the bottom of the container having a resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice.

17. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 7 and further comprising:

a tube-packaged product flow controller attachable to the bottom of the container and having a resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice.

18. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a toothbrush holder at an outside surface of the container.

19. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a nameplate section on an outside surface of the container.

20. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

an aesthetics plate on the outside surface of the container.

21. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a vertical-wall attachment means at the back surface of the container.

22. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 21 wherein the vertical-wall attachment means is a suction cup facing in the opposite direction of the container and attached rigidly in the vicinity of both the top and bottom of the container.

23. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 21 wherein the vertical-wall attachment means is a suction cup in the vicinity of the top of the container and a separate suction cup in the vicinity of the bottom of the container, both facing in the opposite direction of the container and both attachable rigidly to the container.

24. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 21 wherein the vertical-wall attachment means is an orifice in a plate at the back of the container for a hang-nail head and a nail-shank channel extended from the orifice for the hang-nail head to a position selectively above such orifice in the vicinity of both the top and the bottom of the back surface of the container.

25. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 10 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

26. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 11 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

27. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 12 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

28. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 13 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

29. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 14 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

30. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 15 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

31. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 16 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

32. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 17 wherein the resiliently self-sealing outlet orifice is a hand-turnable flow-control nut with inside-diameter threads threadable onto a tube-outlet spout at one side and having a flexible spout at the opposite side and further comprising:

a container bottom having a tube-spout orifice and being sufficiently thin to allow threading of the hand-turnable nut onto the spout at the opposite side of the container bottom from the tube to hold the tube firmly to the container bottom in addition to providing resiliently self-sealing discharge from the tube.

33. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a spout having a spout orifice;

a thin container bottom; and

a hand-turnable nut threadable onto outside-diameter threads of the tube spout inserted through the spout orifice in the sufficiently thin container bottom to allow the hand-turnable nut to be threaded onto the spout to hold the tube firmly against the container bottom while the tube-packaged product is being expelled by rotational action of the tube-winder knobs and tube-winder rod.

34. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

ridges on the magnetic ring that are linear to the axis of the tube-winder knob.

35. A wall-mountable tube-packaged-product dispenser according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a spout on the tube container magnetically attracted to a magnetic surface of the tubes outlet orifice on the container bottom.