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US 5,240,141 AGranted
Hand-held dispenser with pivotal cover for collapsible tubes
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorRussell E. Blette
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dispenser for dispensing material from a collapsible tube includes a housing and a cover connected to the housing by pins that enable movement of the cover in an arc toward and away from the housing in clamshell-like fashion. An inflatable bladder is received in a recess of the housing and, when inflated, bears against the tube for collapsing the tube and directing material in the tube toward an application site.
Claims12
A dispenser for dispensing material from a collapsible tube comprising:
- a housing having a depending handle and an air valve connected to said housing next to the handle;
- a cover movable in a certain direction toward a closed position next to said housing, said housing an said over defining a chamber when said cover is in said closed position for receiving the collapsible tube, said chamber having a longitudinal axis generally perpendicular to said certain direction of movement of said cover toward said closed position;
- a latch for releasably retaining said cover in a closed position next to said housing;
- and
- an inflatable bladder located next to said chamber and connected to said air valve, said air valve controlling the admission of air into said bladder, said bladder during inflation being operable to at least partially collapse the tube for dispensing material, said chamber and said bladder having a configuration adapted to support the tube when said bladder is not inflated.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.