Closure device

June 8, 1943.

2,321,333

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W. C. TERRY

CLOSURE DEVICE

Filed Jan. 27, 1941

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Patented June 8, 1943

2,321,333

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,321,333

CLOSURE DEVICE

William C. Terry, Cambridge, Mass., assignor to Harriet E. Cole, Taunton, Mass.

Application January 27,

Claims. (

This invention relates to a device adapted to : make a discharge opening in a. tube and also close it, and which also serves as a spreader of the material discharged from said tube.

Tubes that contain adhesives such as house- : hold cement, rubber cement and the like, are commonly sealed or permanently closed at their discharge end when the consumer obtains them. This closed end must first be punctured to provide an opening through which to obtain the ad- 1 hesive in said tube, and it is my object to provide a closure device that has means to pierce said closed end and which also may serve as a readily removable stopper to prevent involuntary discharge of said cement. Said means is adapted ¹to serve a double purpose as it can extend into said device with said piercing end on the outside or on the inside as desired, depending upon conditions.

Another object is to make said device of a 2 simple construction that can be used in association with various kinds of tubes and that embodies an efficient spreader portion.

The foregoing and other objects will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, 2 may be accomplished by a construction, combination and arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by the drawing and specification. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and, therefore, I am not to be limited to said disclosure; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a tube with my closure device attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 3; but showing the stopper member in the same position as in Figure 1 before the closed end of said tube has been punctured.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, broken away, of said tube and device with the piercing end of the stopper member extending into the opening it has made in the closed end of said tube.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the applicator member of my device, while Figure 5 is a perspective view of the stopper member that fits in said applicator member.

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of modified forms of said applicator member and stopper member respectively.

As illustrated, a tube or container 3 of the kind commonly used to contain an adhesive, has the usual screw-threaded neck portion 9a ter1941, Serial No. 376,066

Cl. 15—135) minating in an end 19 that is closed or sealed when the consumer obtains it. It is shown after it has been pierced, in Figure 3 of the drawing, thereby providing a discharge opening for the > adhesive to pass out of said tube 9.

My closure device consists of an applicator member 11 having interior screw threads 12 to enable it to be removably attached to said neck portion 9a of the tube 9. Said applicator 11 has 0 a hollow sleeve portion 13 and a spreader portion 14. A slot 15 extends through said spreader portion 14 and communicates with the opening in said sleeve portion 13.

A stopper member 17 has a closure portion 28 5 preferably terminating in a sharpened end 18 and has a round cap portion 19 at the other end. Said slot 15 is of a size sufficiently large to receive any part of said closure portion 20; but not said cap portion 19. The latter overlaps on two 0 sides of said spreader portion 14 while other parts of said spreader portion 14 overlaps said cap portion 19.

Before said tube 9 is used, and as. it appears when it is placed on sale, said stopper member 17 :5 is within said applicator member 11 in the position illustrated in Figures 1 and. 2 of the drawing, and it cannot be removed unless said applicator member I I is unscrewed from said tube 9. It is kept in this position before said tube sealed end 10 is pierced, and also when carrying said tube in a pocket or the like after it is pierced, as in this position said stopper member 17 cannot come out or be withdrawn and the adhesive in the tube 9 cannot escape.

When first using said tube 9, the parts are in the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. Said applicator member 11 is unscrewed therefrom and said stopper member 17 is withdrawn. Said applicator member 11 is screwed onto said tube 9 again and said stopper member 17 is inserted into said slot. 15 and pushed until said sharpened end 18 forces a hole in said closed end 10 of the tube 9. When preparing to discharge adhesive said stopper member I7 is first withdrawn and the adhesive passes through said slot 15. The said spreader portion 14 can be used to spread or apply the adhesive. To close the opening in said tube 9 said stopper member 17 is ordinarily inserted through said slot 15—sharpened end first—to the position shown in Figure 3 of the drawing, and kept there, where it can readily be removed because said cap 19 projects over two edges of said spreader portion 14, thereby providing a good grasping surface.

In Figure 6 I have shown said applicator

2,321,333 member provided with a round hole 22 instead of a slot, in which event the stopper member used terminates in a pointed end 24, and has a round closure portion 25 and a round cap portion 26, as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawing.