Multiport valved dispenser for toothpaste and the like

Abstract

A multiport valved dispenser for a viscous material such as toothpaste is provided. A first member is attached to a tube of toothpaste, and a second member is turned with respect to the first so as to align mating ports therein, and thus to allow flow of the toothpaste through a single dispensing nozzle at any given time.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority from Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 689,091, filed May 30, 2012.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to a multiport valved dispenser for toothpaste and the like, whereby a number of persons, such as the members of a family, can share a tube of toothpaste without spreading germs by way of their respective toothbrushes all contacting the same orifice in a tube of toothpaste.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION[0003]It will be apparent that if the members of a family all dispense toothpaste onto their toothbrushes from a single tube of toothpaste by way of the single orifice that is provided, a substantial risk of spread of disease is presented; that is, if one family member contacts the orifice of the tube of toothpaste with his or her toothbrush, he or she may leave germs, bacteria or the like thereon which can then be picked up undesirably by the next family member to use the toothpast...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a dispenser for toothpaste and dental floss that is designed for use by children and is easy to manufacture and assemble. The dispenser has a tubular central member with multiple ports and a tubular outer member with even more ports. By rotating the outer member with respect to the inner member, only one pair of ports is aligned at any given time, preventing toothpaste from being dispensed from more than one nozzle at a time, making the process messy. The dispenser also has a safety position where no toothpaste can escape to make a mess if the caps become detached. The dispensers are made of plastic and have advantages in terms of manufacturing and cost. Additionally, the dispensers can be combined to make dental hygiene more convenient for travel and promoting good dental hygiene in children.

Problems solved by technology

It will be apparent that if the members of a family all dispense toothpaste onto their toothbrushes from a single tube of toothpaste by way of the single orifice that is provided, a substantial risk of spread of disease is presented; that is, if one family member contacts the orifice of the tube of toothpaste with his or her toothbrush, he or she may leave germs, bacteria or the like thereon which can then be picked up undesirably by the next family member to use the toothpaste, and so on.

Of course this possibility could be eliminated if each family member had his or her own tube of toothpaste, but this might be unworkably complicated in many families.

However, these patents simply show manifolds with plural dispensing orifices, each separately capped, and have various defects.

For example, the patents mentioned all include rather large-capacity manifolds which would be filled with toothpaste; presuming that the dispensers were discarded along with the toothpaste tube when the latter was emptied, this quantity of the toothpaste would be wasted.

Further, these devices all show separable caps for the various dispensing orifices, which caps are liable to be lost; if the caps are lost, or if the caps are not securely attached to the orifices (both likely in households with children), squeezing of the tube is likely to cause toothpaste to be squirted from several of the orifices, making a mess.

Absent some positive means of securing the caps to the orifices, they could become loose during travel, making a mess.

Further, the internal volume of the dispenser of the invention is limited, such that a very limited amount of toothpaste is wasted, again presuming that the dispenser is discarded along with the tube of toothpaste when the tube is emptied.

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