US2809651A - Non-reusable device for closing a flexible tube - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1957 a M. MOBERG 2,809,651

NON-REUSABLE DEVICE FOR CLOSING A FLEXIBLE TUBE Filed Aug. 24, 1955 all! 1 WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'IIII I/IIIIIIIII III,

United States Patent NON-REUSABLE DEVICE FOR CLOSING A FLEXIBLE TUBE Application August 24, 1955, Serial No. 530,368 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-67) This invention relates to means for closing a flexible tube such as a rubber tube and, more particularly, to means which function as a safeguard or seal and which cannot be reused.

To mention only one of various ways in which the present invention may be advantageously employed, some dispensers of liquids, such as, for example, milk or other beverages, employ a replaceable and refillable tank which has a rubber tubing associated therewith to permit connection of the tank to a valve which controls the dispensing of the liquid. These tanks are usually filled at a central, filling depot and then delivered as replacements or refills for tanks which have been emptied at the dis- Means must be provided, however, to assure the one who owns or controls the dispenser and purchases the retill tanks that none of the liquid has been surreptitiously withdrawn from the tank between the time of its filling at the filling depot and the time of delivery to the owner of the dispenser; i. e., dispenser wants assurance that full measure of the liquid is received.

The principal or broad object of this invention, therefore, is to provide means which will prevent such surreptitious withdrawal of liquid from the tank without leaving evidence that such withdrawal has occurred. The said object and other more or less obvious objects are accomplished, through this invention, by the provision of a device for pinch-closing the flexible tube, which device, once used and opened, cannot thereafter be used to reclose the tube. It, as would be arranged, such devices could only be obtained by authorized persons, it follows that the invention affords a safeguard to responsible persons participating in the distribution of liquids through the use of such tanks.

A single embodiment of a tube-closing device according to this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing without, however, limiting the invention to that particular embodiment.

In the drawing:

Figures 1, 2 and 3, respectively, are front, end, and back elevational views of a nonreusable tube-closing device according to a preferred embodiment of this invention, illustrated as in closing association with a flexible tube which is fragmentarily shown.

Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, are sectional views on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and 7, respectively, are reduced-scale, elevational views of the inner and outer sides of the device as supplied to users by the manutacturer, i. e., as before application to a tube.

Fig. 8 is a reduced-scale, side-edge view of the device as at an initial stage in its application to a flexible tube.

The tube-closing device 10 is preferably stamped and formed from sheet metal of such composition and thickness as to function in the manner hereinafter described. As illustrated, it is formed and stamped out to the generally rectangular shape shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Its outer ice face is formed with a transverse score or line of weakness 12 which constitutes a dividing line between a front tubesqueezing portion 14 and a back tube-squeezing portion 16; and a pair of parallel, transverse scores or lines of weakness 18 and 20 on the inner face of the device, at a neck 22, serve to demark the portion 16 from an end, locking flap 24.

The device, preferably, has parallel ridges on its inner face, two such ridges 26 being shown in spaced relationship adjacent to opposite edges of portion 16 and one such ridge 28 being shown centrally of portion 14', and the latter portion has ears 30, at its outer corners, adapted, when the device is closed upon a tube 32, to engage within notches 34 at opposite sides of neck 22 in a manner and for a purpose hereinafter explained.

The device is applied to the tube 32 by first manually bending front portion 14 toward back portion 16 into the shape of a V and placing the tube 32 between ridges 26 and 28, all as shown in Fig. 8, whereafter the portions 14 and 16 are manually bent further to their substantially parallel positions as shown in Fig. 4 with the tube 32 tightly squeezed and closed therebetween. Then, the locking flap 24 is manually bent counterclockwisely (as viewed in Figs. 4 and 8) to its position of Fig. 4, wherein it intimately overlies front closure portion 14.

During the described bending of locking tlap 24 relatively to portion 16, the scores 18 and 20 serve to localize such bending to the vicinity of said scores so that the neck 22 assumes a position angular to flap 24 and portion 16 and, also, substantially perpendicular to the portions 14 and 16. Also, during such bending, the ears 30 extend through notches 34 so that any tendency of the resilient rubber or other material to spread open the locking flap 24 would be defeated because, in the presence of the only force which might conceivably have such a spreading effect would be localized at the neck 22 where no leverage would be present to cause such spreading. It should be understood, of course, that the metal or other sheet material of which the device might be made, should have very little or no resiliency for the device to be closable as just described.

The depth of the scores 12, 18 and 20 and the composition of the material of which the device is made are such that, during the described closing of the device upon the tube, it does not break at any of the scores. The scores and composition of said material, however, are such that the device cannot be removed from the tube or even eased oit from its squeezing relationship to the tube and reclosed thereon without breaking at one or the other of scores 18 and 20.

The device is removed from the tube by reversely (or clockwisely) bending the locking flap 24. This reverse bending normally would be localized at one or the other of scores 18 or 20, and breakage of the device would occur at the point of such localization, thereby destroying the restrictive character of the notches 34 and allowing portions 14 and 16 to be spread or broken apart at line 12 to release the tube.

It surreptitious opening of the device were attempted, in an effort to purloin some of the liquid contents of a related tank, an attempt would be made to open flap 24 by distributing the unbending of the device equally between scores 18 and 20. However, if that attempt succeeded to the extent of enabling portions 14 and 16 to be spread apart sutficiently to permit withdrawal of some of the contents of the related tank, the device would most certainly break at one or the other of scores 18, 20 when the purloiner attempts to bend the device back to its fully closed condition. Hence, the purloiner, not having a replacement seal, could not reclose the tube in such manner as to cover up the theft of liquid from the to enter into approximate parallelism to each other when tank It may be noted that the ridges 26, 28 are preferably ther including a reduced neck defined by notches at opin staggered relationship to cause irregular deformation posite sides thereof, and a locking fiap integrally conless than a total number of three such ridges could be two parallel lines of weakness, spaced apart approximately provided. to the extent of the thickness of such a squeezed tube, There is little possibility that the device could ac- 10 facilitating bending of said locking flap into intimate cidentally become opened, but to minimize or obviate overlapping relationship to said first tube-squeezing porthat possibility, the free end of locking flap 24 may be tion to hold the device closed with said portions in their slightly bent inwardly at at 36 as shown in Fig. 4. Also, tube-squeezing relationship and with said neck perpendicears 3!), as shown in the same figure, may be slightly ular to said portions; said ears being adapted to extend bent inwardly to enable them to slide more readily on the 19 into said notches when the neck is in said perpendicular inner surface of locking flap 24 during closing of the deattitude to lock said two tube-squeezing portions against vice upon the tube. spieadmg away from each other; said portions having It should be obvious that the concepts of this improvenon-aligned ridges on their inner surfaces for rigidifying ment may be embodied in various other tube-closing structhem and extending transversely of a squeezed tube to actures without, however, departing from this invention 20 centuate their squeezing effect upon such a squeezed tube as set forth in the following claims. and said lines of weakness inducing breakage thereat if I laim: an attempt is made to open and reclose the device 1. A non-reusuable device for closing a flexible tube A device according to claim I, further including a at any accessible portion thereof, comprising a strip f 25 line of Weakness coincident with said straight line. substantially non-resilient sheet metal having a first tube- A deVlCe according to Claim a h f aid tubesqueezing portion with ears at opposite corners of one Squeezing Portions having Such a bend Therein adjacent end edge thereof, a second tube-squeezing portion adjoin- 1O Said straight line to permit the mentioned parallelism. z FE? P j relative]; 5 first ji along ,3 References Cited in the file of this patent s rai me a a margin 0 e a er 0 on e rom sai one 5nd edge thereof to squeeze such a {[11:55 therebetween, 30 UNITED STATES PATENTS one of said portions having a bend therein adjacent to said 1,821,418 Brooks Sept. 1, 1931 straight line enabling tube engaging areas of said portions 2,544,929 Madsen Mar. 13, 1951

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