EXTRUSION DEVICE FOR TUBES

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an extrusion device which compresses contents in a deformable tube to discharge the contents, and more specifically, to an extrusion device for tubes, which includes: an accommodation member having pushing holes formed through both sides facing each other and a discharge hole formed in the upper end thereof and connected to an internal space thereof; and a pressing member installed inside the internal space of the accommodation member and having a pair of pressing bodies arranged symmetrically with each other, each including a compression portion provided on the opposite side of a pushing portion exposed through each pushing hole to discharge contents in the deformable tube accommodated between the compression portions through the discharge hole by pressing of the pushing portions, wherein a plurality of fine adjustment pieces that protrude from the compression surfaces of the compression portions may vary in the degree of elastic deformation according to the pressing force of the pushing portions, thus adjusting the surface of contact with the tube and adjusting the discharge amount of the tube contents.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, adhesives are provided in a form where adhesive components in gel and/or liquid form are embedded in a deformable tube. An extrusion device for discharging the contents of the tube includes an accommodation member which accommodates the tube and a pressing member which is operated by being accommodated within the accommodation member or operated by being attached to the accommodation member and presses the tube to discharge the contents outside the accommodation member.

Regarding such tube extrusion devices, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0114068 (published on Oct. 16, 2013; Device for dispensing material from deformable tube), Korean Patent No. 10-2396503 (registered on May 6, 2022; Device for extruding material from deformable tube), Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0113504 (published on Oct. 16, 2018; Device for applying adhesives and/or sealants), U.S. Pat. No. 9,309,028 (registered on Apr. 12, 2016; Device for discharging material from a deformable tube), and International Patent Publication WO 2013/118582 (published on Aug. 15, 2013; Accommodation container) have been disclosed.

Among the conventional arts, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0114068 and Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0113504 describe a configuration in which a portion of a pressing member is integrally formed with an accommodation member to be operable, making the pressing member and the accommodation member a single unit.

Additionally, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0113504, U.S. Pat. No. 9,309,028, and International Patent Publication No. WO2013/118582 disclose a pressing member including a pair of pressing bodies that apply pressure from both sides of a tube, wherein lower ends of the pressing bodies are connected with a single support portion. Thus, the pressing member is formed as a single integrated structure. The pressing member, after accommodated in the accommodation member, presses the tube to discharge contents of the tube through a discharge hole of an accommodation member.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

Accordingly, the present invention has a configuration distinct from the related arts, and it is an objective of the present invention to provide an extrusion device for tubes which has a simple and concise structure, is economical, and improves ease of use.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide an extrusion device for tubes which varies an area where the compression surface of a pressing member touches the tube depending on the applied pressing force even if the pressing member applies the pressing force to the same position of the tube, thereby adjusting the discharge amount of contents of the tube by varying.

It is a further objective of the present invention is to provide an extrusion device for tubes in which when the pressing member applies the pressing force, the compression surface of the pressing member moves toward the lower portion of an accommodation member, namely, the bottom of the tube, thus achieving pressing from the lower end of the tube.

Technical Solution

To accomplish the above-mentioned objects, according to the present invention, there is provided an extrusion device for tubes, including: an accommodation member having pushing holes formed through both sides facing each other and a discharge hole formed in the upper end thereof and connected to an internal space thereof; and a pressing member installed inside the internal space of the accommodation member and having a pair of pressing bodies arranged symmetrically with each other, each including a compression portion provided on the opposite side of a pushing portion exposed through each pushing hole to discharge contents in the deformable tube accommodated between the compression portions through the discharge hole by pressing of the pushing portions, wherein a plurality of fine adjustment pieces that protrude from the compression surfaces of the compression portions may vary in the degree of elastic deformation according to the pressing force of the pushing portions, thus adjusting the surface of contact with the tube and adjusting the discharge amount of the tube contents.

Preferably, the fine adjustment pieces are formed on the compression surface of the compression portion in a linear pattern at predetermined intervals or in a dot-shaped pattern at predetermined intervals.

Preferably, an elastic leg having a sliding support formed at an end portion thereof is further provided at the lower end of each individual pressing body, allowing the pressing body to operate elastically. The lower end of the internal space of the accommodation member is provided with a sliding portion that supports the sliding movement of the sliding support.

Preferably, the sliding portion is formed as a “V”-shaped inclined guide surface that slopes upward from the center of the movement direction of the sliding support of the elastic leg toward both ends. Each individual pressing body is guided downward toward the lower end of the tube along the inclined guide surface of the sliding portion from both ends toward the center to compress the tube.

Preferably, the elastic leg includes: an intermediate connector arranged transversely at the middle of the elastic leg; an upper connector alternately bent on both sides of the intermediate connector; a sliding support integrally connected above and below the intermediate connector in a transverse direction; and an upright connector extending longitudinally from an end portion of the upper connector, and integrally connected to the lower end of the pressing body.

Advantageous Effect

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pressing member that transmits the pressing force to the tube includes two independent pressing bodies which are formed in a pair and operates within the internal space of the accommodation member. Additionally, elastic legs are integrally provided at the lower ends of the pressing bodies, enabling elastic operation. Such a structure has a mechanism which is completely different from the conventional arts, where a portion of the pressing member is integrally combined with the accommodation member such that the pressing member and the accommodation member are integrally formed as a single unit (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0114068 and Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0113504) or where the pressing member and the accommodation member are formed independently and the pressing member of a single body includes a pair of pressing bodies integrally connected to the support portion (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0113504, U.S. Pat. No. 9,309,028, and International Patent Publication No. WO 2013/118582). Nevertheless, the present invention can still press and extrude the tube like reusable conventional art technologies.

In the present invention, the plurality of elastic fine adjustment pieces are formed at regular intervals on the pressing surface of the pressing portion, which is in contact with the tube to transmit the pressing force. The fine adjustment pieces varies the degree of elastic deformation according to the applied pressing force, and varies the contact area with the tube depending on the degree of elastic deformation, thus adjusting the discharge amount.

In addition, when pressed, the sliding support portion provided at the bottom of the elastic legs which elastically actuate the pressing bodies of the pressing member is guided to the sliding portion forming the lower end of the internal space of the accommodation member such that the compression portions of the pressing bodies move toward the lower end of the tube, thus compressing and discharging contents from the lower end of the tube.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of an extrusion device for tubes according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the extrusion device for tubes according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which one of pressing bodies is separated from FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are side conceptual views illustrating the operation of a pressing member according to the present invention.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are conceptual diagrams illustrating the arrangement of pressing surfaces of fine adjustment pieces according to the present invention.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are plan conceptual views illustrating the elastic deformation of the fine adjustment pieces according to the present invention.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Moreover, elements that belong to prior arts or that can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art are not described in detail.

Additionally, in the present invention, the terms “upper end, top, upper end portion, upper side, and upward” refer to the location where a discharge port for discharging contents of a tube T and/or an end portion of a component extending from the discharge port is positioned when the tube T is placed upright in a device, and are applied equally to all components other than the tube T.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6C, the extrusion device for tubes of the present invention includes: a pressing member 200 which includes a pair of pressing bodies 201 capable of independent operation and is installed to elastically operate in an internal space 101 of an accommodation member 100, wherein a plurality of fine adjustment pieces 213 of the pressing member 200 pressing the tube T in contact with the tube T vary the degree of elastic deformation according to the pressing force by the pressing member to vary the contact area with the tube T, thus adjusting the discharge amount.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4A to 4C, the accommodation member 100 has the internal space 101 formed inwardly. A discharge hole 103 is penetrated at the top of the internal space 101 to communicate with the exterior, and a pair of pressing holes 102 are penetrated on opposite sides of the internal space 101 to communicate with the exterior. Additionally, a sliding portion 104 is provided at the bottom of the internal space 101. The sliding portion 104 is entirely or partially formed as a surface, and the surface is formed as an inclined guide surface in a “V” shape rising from the center to both sides.

Referring to FIG. 3, the accommodation member 100 will be described in more detail. The accommodation member 100 is a two-part assembly that can be separably combined to form the internal space 101. One of the divided components includes a lid 105 which hingedly covers the top of the two-part assembly, and the discharge hole 103 is formed in the lid 105.

In addition, a restriction portion 106 is provided below the discharge hole 103 to hold and restrict the tube T within the internal space 101. The restriction portion 106 includes a circular through-hole which is formed by coupling the upper portions of the internal spaces 101 of the two-part assembly. The upper end of the tube T is supported and/or pressed and fixed to the circular through-hole to be restricted in movement. The upper end of the tube T restricted by the restriction portion 106 is exposed through the discharge hole 103, or is positioned adjacent to the discharge hole 103 inside the lid 105, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. A nozzle 111 for discharging the contents of the tube T, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is attached to the upper end of the tube T.

In addition, pressing holes 102 are formed on both side coupling surfaces of the individual divided components of the two-part assembly. However, alternatively, the pressing holes 102 may be installed on surfaces perpendicular to the coupling surfaces rather than on the coupling surfaces. If the pressing holes 102 are formed on the perpendicular surfaces rather than on the coupling surfaces of the divided components, the sliding portion 104 is naturally formed in correspondence with the location of the pressing holes 102.

Furthermore, the bottom of the internal space 101 in the two-part assembly is formed as a convex surface protruding outward. Thus, the bottom of the internal space 101 has the surface which transitions from one end to the center and then to the other end, namely, the surface which extends from one side where one of the pressing holes 102 is formed to the other side where the other one of the pressing holes 102 is formed through the center, forming a “V”-shaped valley. The “V”-shaped curved surface serves as an inclined guide surface of the sliding portion 104.

The pressing member 200 includes a pair of independently structured pressing bodies 201 that are symmetrically arranged. A compression portion 212, integrally connected to the pushing portion 211 which transmits external pressing force to the accommodation member 100, operates elastically using an elastic leg 220 at the lower side thereof to compress and discharge the contents of the tube T within the internal space 101 of the accommodation member 100.

Referring to FIG. 3, the pressing member 200 will be described in more detail. Each pressing body 201 includes the pushing portion 211 and the compression portion 212, which are respectively formed on the opposite sides, and the elastic leg 220 which is formed integrally at the lower end of the body where the pushing portion 211 and the compression portion 212 are formed integrally. In this instance, the plurality of elastic fine adjustment pieces 213, which is the key feature of the present invention, are protrudingly formed on the compression surface of the compression portion 212.

Preferably, the pressing member 200 is injection-molded as a single unit, integrating the pushing portion 211, the compression portion 212, the fine adjustment pieces 213, and the elastic leg 220. However, since the fine adjustment pieces 213 are made of an elastic material, it is appropriate for the pressing member 200 to be entirely formed of an elastic material. Elastic materials undergo elastic deformation when a certain level of pressing force is exceeded. In the present invention, To concentrate the elastic deformation on the fine adjustment pieces 213, the pushing portion 211 and the compression portion 212 excepting the fine adjustment pieces 213 are formed in an integrated body. Accordingly, even if an excessive pressing force is generated and elastically deforms the fine adjustment pieces 213, no elastic deformation occurs in the other parts of the compression portion 212 and the pushing portion 211 excepting the fine adjustment pieces 213. Additionally, a plurality of slits may be formed on the pushing portion 211. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the slits are only formed along the outer surface of the pushing portion 211 to function only as knurling, preventing slippage of the hand. In addition, due to the elastic nature of the pressing member 200, along with the structural characteristics of the elastic leg 220, the pair of pressing bodies 201 elastically operate when compressing the deformable tube T.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the pushing portion 211 is formed to be exposed externally through the pressing hole 102 of the accommodation member 100. Preferably, movement guides 211a may be formed at the upper and lower ends of the pushing portion 211 to prevent the pushing portion 211 from being completely inserted into the internal space 101 through the pressing hole 102 and ensure proper alignment along the pressing hole 102. The movement guides 211a correspond to the operation of the elastic supports of the pressing bodies 201 against the sliding portion 104 of the accommodation member 100, preferably, are oriented upward within the internal space 101 of the accommodation member 100 toward the outside.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A to 4C, the compression portions 212, including the fine adjustment pieces 213 provided on one side of the pair of pressing bodies 201, are arranged within the internal space 101 of the accommodation member 100 so that the compression portions 212 face each other. The fine adjustment pieces 213 are formed at the ends of the opposing compression portions 212 in FIGS. 4A to 4C.

The plurality of fine adjustment pieces 213 are protrudingly formed on the compression surface of the compression portion 212. Preferably, the fine adjustment pieces 213 protrude on the compression surface in a linear pattern with fixed intervals as illustrated in FIG. 5A, or in a dot-shaped pattern as illustrated in FIGS. 5B and 5C. If the fine adjustment pieces 213 are formed in the linear pattern, the fine adjustment pieces 213 can be arranged transversely or diagonally. However, considering that the contents of the tube T are discharged from the lower portion toward the upper portion, it is preferable to arrange the fine adjustment pieces 213 in a longitudinal direction, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, to facilitate smooth discharge of the contents of the tube T. Moreover, if the fine adjustment pieces 213 are formed in the dot-shaped pattern, dot-shaped protrusions of the fine adjustment pieces 213 may be formed in a cylindrical shape as illustrated in FIG. 5B or in a rectangular cylinder shape as illustrated in FIG. 5C. If the dot-shaped protrusions of the fine adjustment pieces 213 are formed in the cylindrical shape, relatively smaller cylinders are arranged in the middle of the four fine adjustment pieces 213 that are relatively larger in size, thus facilitating the connection by elastic deformation of individual fine adjustment pieces 213 during elastic deformation of the fine adjustment pieces 213.

Additionally, the fine adjustment pieces 213, which elastically protrude on the pressing surface of the pressing part 212 in a linear or dot-like pattern at regular intervals, vary the degree of elastic deformation depending on the pressing force of the pressing part 211.

FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate an assumption of a case where the fine adjustment pieces 213 are formed on the pressing surface of the pressing part 212 in a longitudinal linear pattern. FIG. 6A illustrates a situation where the pressing force applied through the pressing part 211 is insufficient to cause elastic deformation of the fine adjustment pieces 213. Here, the fine adjustment pieces 213 press the tube T without the elastic deformation, resulting in a relatively small contact area with the tube T. Accordingly, the amount of the contents discharged from the tube T is minimized.

FIG. 6B illustrates a case where the applied pressing force is sufficient to elastically deform the fine adjustment pieces 213, but not strong enough to connect one fine adjustment pieces 213 with an adjacent one, as shown in FIG. 6C. In this instance, as the contact area of the elastically deformed fine adjustment pieces 213 gets wider than that of FIG. 6A, the overall contact area between the tube T and the fine adjustment pieces 213 also increases. The increase in contact area results in an increase in the compression area against the tube T, leading to a relatively greater amount of the contents being discharged from the tube T.

FIG. 6C illustrates a case where the pressing force applied by the pressing part 211 is strong enough to not only elastically deform the fine adjustment pieces 213 but also connect one fine adjustment pieces 213 with the adjacent one. In this instance, the ends of the fine adjustment pieces 213 are connected to adjacent fine adjustment pieces 213 to get in contact with the tube T like a single plane. Thus, the fine adjustment pieces 213 press the tube T together with no gaps between the individual fine adjustment pieces 213, thereby significantly increasing the amount of contents discharged from the tube (T).

The elastic leg 220 is integrally formed at the lower end of the pressing body 201, which is installed within the internal space 101 of the accommodating member 100, and enables the pressing member 200 to slide along the inclined guiding surface of the sliding section 104.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the elastic leg 220 includes: an upper connector 223 and a sliding support 221, which are alternately bent on both sides of an intermediate connector 222 transversely arranged at the central portion thereof, namely, are integrally connected above and below the intermediate connector 222 in a transverse direction; and an upright connector 224, which is bent at an end portion of the upper connector 223, extends in a longitudinal direction, and is integrally connected to the lower end of the pressing body 201.

Due to this continuous bent configuration, where the upright connector 224, the upper connector 223, the intermediate connector 222, and the sliding support 221 are linked, the elastic leg 220 has elasticity due to the structural feature, and the pressing member 200 also has elasticity since being made of an elastic material. Due to the elasticity of the pressing member 200, the pressing member 200 which undergoes FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C in order can return back to FIG. 4A.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the deformable tube T is fixedly positioned between the fine adjustment pieces 213 of the compression portions 212 facing each other, in a state in which the upper end of the tube T is restricted to the restriction portion 106 of the accommodation member 100. In this state, when the pushing portions 211 of both sides are pressed, the pair of pressing bodies 201 are guided along the inclined guide surface of the V-shaped sliding portion 104 where the sliding support 221 at the lower end of the elastic leg 220 forms the bottom of the accommodation member 100, moving diagonally downward toward the center of the sliding portion 104 and transitioning from FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B. Due to the downward movement of the pressing bodies 201, the lower end of the compression portion 212 further moves toward the lower end of the tube T, thus enabling the contents of the tube T to be compressed and discharged from the lower end of the tube T. Additionally, in FIG. 4B, when the top of the pushing portion 211 is further pressed, the fine adjustment pieces 213 of the compression portions 212 arranged at both sides are in close contact by the elastic deformation of the elastic leg 220 as illustrated in FIG. 4C, thus completely discharging the contents of the tube T.