Pivoting Tube Squeezer Diverts Squeezed Portion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing two-handed tube squeezers are cumbersome for storage and use, as the squeezed portion of the tube interferes with the user's grip and view, and are awkward to handle when not in use.
Innovation Solution
A tube squeezer design featuring two frames with rollers that pivot, allowing the handle to form a comfortable grip with one hand and the squeezed tube portion to be diverted away from the user's hand, enabling efficient material ejection and easy storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a two-handed tube squeezer is designed with fixed frames, then the structure is simple and robust, but the squeezed tube portion interferes with the user's grip and view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the frames pivotable relative to each other about a vertical axis, allowing the frame configuration to change during operation. This dynamic adjustment enables the squeezed tube portion to be diverted away from the user's hand and line of sight, resolving the interference problem without requiring a completely complex fixed structure
2Ease of operation
If the tube squeezer has a compact design, then it is easy to store and carry, but the handle may be too short for comfortable one-handed gripping while operating
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable frames allow the handle portions to extend further apart when needed for comfortable gripping during operation, then return to a compact configuration for storage. This dynamic reconfiguration resolves the contradiction between handle length for comfort and compactness for storage
3Ease of operation
If the squeezed tube portion is directed towards the user's hand, then the device structure is simple, but it obstructs the user's view of material ejection and interferes with operation
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable frames automatically direct the squeezed tube portion away from the user's hand and viewing area through the pivoting motion, providing the necessary diversion function through the dynamic structural change rather than requiring a separate complex diversion mechanism
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design allows for effective ejection of remaining material from collapsible tubes without interference, improving usability and storage convenience by allowing the squeezed tube portion to be directed away from the user's hand and facilitating easy handling.
Implementation Method 1
A hinge connects the first and second frames to one another and allows the frames and their associated rollers to pivot relative to one another
Implementation Method 2
The two rollers provide the two surfaces that are used to squeeze a tube
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to a two-handed tube squeezer for facilitating the expulsion of material from a collapsible container. In one embodiment, the tube squeezer includes a pair of frames that each has a handle portion and a tube engagement portion that supports a roller. The frames are connected by a hinge. When the frames are substantially parallel to one another, the handle and tube engagement portions all lie in a low profile plane. The handle portions also form a handle that is separated from the tube engagement portions. When a user is holding the handle with one hand and causing the rollers to squeeze a tube with the other hand, the hand that is holding the handle is separated from the tube engagement portions such that the squeezed portion of the tube is unlikely to come in contact with the hand that is gripping the handle.