Colgate Palmolive Company

Christopher Miller

Derek Samaroo

Jun Wang

Scott Murray Walsh

Yu Shi

Issac Zaksenberg

Kai Wang

Devesh Badola

Sandeep Thombre

Alok Agashe

Scott Beckerman

Joseph Thomas Norris

Orlando Fuquen

Joel Millon

Kowsilla P Pillay

Sunil Shah

David C Hernandez

A method of making a tube () includes forming at least one tube layer (); and forming at least one film layer () on the at least one tube layer, wherein the at least a portion of the at least one film layer does not completely overlap the at least one tube layer.

Method of making a tube and tube

Provided is a method for making barrier tube shoulders. The method includes forming a parison from a multi-layer laminated structure having an inner layer that faces an interior of the parison, an outer layer comprising an exterior surface of the parison, and an interdisposed layer between the inner layer and the outer layer, wherein the interdisposed layer is a flavor barrier layer. The method also includes providing an extrusion blow molding (EBM) mold comprising at least one cavity shaped as a barrier tube shoulder, positioning the parison in the EBM mold, and blow molding the parison such that the parison substantially conforms to the EBM mold to form a barrier tube shoulder having the barrier layer.

Barrier tube shoulders

A tube holder is disclosed for carrying a tube to multiple processing stations of a tube filling machine. In one non-limiting embodiment, the tube holder includes a body comprising a receptacle configured for retaining a tube. The tube includes a dispensing end and an opposite open end for filling a cavity therein with a product. A retractable tube shaping device is movably disposed in the tube holder. The shaping device is movable between an extended position and a retracted position. When the shaping device is in the extended position, the shaping device engages the tube proximate to the open end and removes ovality which might interfere with the tube filling operation. In various embodiments, the shaping device comprises a plurality of vertically retractable straightening elements that engage the sidewalls of the tube to ensure circularity of the open tube end.

Tube holder for a filling machine

A package () for containing a fluidic product. In one embodiment of the invention, the package comprises a first laminate sheet () and a second laminate sheet () thermoformed together to form a unitary body (). The unitary body () has a product containing portion () having a product cavity containing a fluidic product, a nozzle portion () for dispensing the fluidic product from the product cavity, and a break-off cap () sealing a dispensing orifice of the nozzle portion (). Each of the first and second laminate sheets () includes a layer of polyethylene (PE) and a layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The layer of PE has a first thickness and the layer of PET has a second thickness, the second thickness being less than or equal to the first thickness.

Package having unitary body including a break-off cap

The method comprises an automated technique for making and inserting flexible laminate film barrier liners into the shoulder/nozzles of product tube packaging. The shoulder/nozzles are made and oriented with the shoulder opening to be facing the laminate film. The film is fed to a station that forms the nozzle aperture, die cuts the laminate film to fit into the shoulder of the shoulder/nozzle, and inserts this laminate film into the shoulder/nozzle. The laminate film can be heat bonded to the shoulder nozzle at this station or in a subsequent sealing station. After the shoulder/nozzle leaves the station that forms and inserts the laminate film into the shoulder/nozzle there can be a detection station to determine if the laminate film is properly aligned in the shoulder/nozzle. There also can be a detection station after a subsequent sealing station. Shoulder/nozzles with sealed laminate film liner are then sent to tube making. The laminate film will have a polymer layer and a barrier layer comprising ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers, polyethylene terephthalate polymers, polyethylene naphthalate polymers and acrylonitrile methyl-acrylate copolymers The tube packages produced using these shoulder/nozzles are very useful for products which contain flavorants, such as dentifrices.

Method of making shoulder/nozzles with film barrier liners

The dispensing of substances from multi-chamber containers, such as tubes, can be controlled by the placement of a flow modifying unit in the dispensing nozzle of the container. The dispensing nozzle will have a plurality of channels, usually one for each chamber. The flow controlling unit is a constriction at an intermediate point, a point between the channel inlet and exit, in at least one of the channels. This constriction is sized to adjust flow so that the viscous substance from each chamber is dispensed at a set flow rate and in a set ratio, one to the other. The constriction is formed at the time that the nozzle is formed. In the compression molding process a mold pin is used, the mold pin meeting a mold base at an intermediate point in at least one channel. The mold pin and or mold base has a recess that is the size and shape of the flow modifying constriction. Plastic is injected into the mold and the flow modifying unit is formed at the same time as the nozzle.

Controlling flow from multi-chamber containers

Dispenser

A dual chamber sachet with a dispensing outlet can be made in a form/fill sequence by attaching the dispensing outlet to the film that is to form the chamber divider wall followed by attaching films that are to form the outer walls of the sachet to the dispensing outlet. The upper and side lateral edges of the sachet then are sealed together to produce a sachet with an open bottom end. The sachet can be produced from three film sources, two film sources with the outer walls being formed from a single film, or from a single film formed into a W-shape. The sachet preferably is filled through the open bottom end and the bottom end then sealed. However the sachet can be top filled through the nozzle. The sachets then are severed one from the other by cutting along a lateral seal and packed into a carton, or preformatted along a lateral seal and cut to produce a string of a set number of sachets. The sachets can have a single use dispensing outlet or a reclosable dispensing outlet. Larger sachets will have a reclosable dispensing outlet.

Method of making dual chamber sachet

A closure for a multi-chamber container can have a flow director device that will assist in the dispensing of the products from the multi-chamber tube in a number of product streams that are greater than the number of chambers in the container. This provides versatility in the dispensing of products from such tubes. By the use of several different closures with different flow patterns different products can be delivered in a number of patterns form the same container.

Growing community of inventors

Flemington, NJ, United States of America

Christopher Miller