PLASTIC TUBE

Abstract

The invention proceeds from a tube produced from a plastics material, having a tube body, which has a first end and a second end, having a tube head, which is connected to the tube body at the first end and has a removal opening, and having a tube fold which is formed at the second end and has a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface, wherein the first and the second sealing surfaces are connected to one another in a fluid-tight manner. According to the invention, the sealing surfaces have arranged between them a retaining insert, which is connected to the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface in a fluid-tight manner.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A plastic material tube, comprising: a tube body having a first end and a second end; a tube head having a removal opening connected to the tube body at the first end; a tube fold formed at the second end of the tube body, the tube fold having a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface, wherein the first and second sealing surfaces are connected to each other in a fluid-tight manner; and a retaining insert positioned between and connected to the first and second sealing surfaces in a fluid-tight manner.

16. The tube according to claim 15, wherein the retaining insert comprises a support element and at least one end part, wherein the support element tapers to the at least one end part and has a streamlined shape.

17. The tube according to claim 15, wherein the retaining insert further comprises at least one welded rib at least partly along one longitudinal extension of the first and second sealing surfaces.

18. The tube according to of claim 1, further comprising a functional element fixed to the retaining insert.

19. The tube according to claim 18, wherein the retaining insert defines at least one passage opening to affect a fluid exchange between an interior space of the tube body and an atmosphere surrounding the tube body.

20. The tube according to claim 16, wherein a ratio of a maximum thickness of the support element that extends between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface to a length of the retaining insert that extends along the first and second sealing surfaces is between 1:1 and 1:10.

21. The tube according to claim 20, wherein the ratio is between 1:2 and 1:4.

22. The tube according to claim 18, wherein an extension extends into the interior space of the tube, is formed on the retaining insert and is non-detachably connected to the functional element.

23. The tube according to claim 18, further comprising a membrane arranged in the functional element.

24. The tube according to claim 18, wherein the functional element is comprised of a membrane.

25. The tube according to claim 19, wherein the functional element is configured to close the passage opening.

26. The tube according to claim 1, wherein the retaining insert is comprised of a first material that can be connected in a fluid-tight manner to a second material of the sealing surfaces.

27. The tube according to claim 1, wherein the retaining element defines at least one opening having an aperture cross-sectional area smaller than 350 ?m.sup.2.

28. The tube according to claim 27, wherein the aperture cross-sectional area is smaller than 20 ?m.sup.2.

29. The tube according to claim 1, wherein the retaining element comprises a first fastening element accessible from an outside thereof and is connectable to a second retaining element corresponding to the first fastening element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1: a side view of a proposed tube;

[0027] FIG. 2: a sectional view through the tube from FIG. 1 along a cut line II-II;

[0028] FIG. 3: a sectional view through the tube from FIG. 1 along a cut line III-III;

[0029] FIG. 4: a perspective view of the proposed tube;

[0030] FIG. 5: an enlarged view of a retaining insert in a first embodiment;

[0031] FIG. 6: an enlarged view of a retaining insert in a second embodiment;

[0032] FIG. 7: an enlarged view of a retaining insert in a third embodiment;

[0033] FIG. 8: an enlarged view of a retaining insert in a fourth embodiment; and

[0034] FIG. 9: a sectional view along a cut line IX-IX in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] A proposed tube is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 that is designated as a whole with reference character 11. The tube body 13 has a first and a second end. The first end is connected to a tube head 15 or is formed as such. The second end is designed as a tube fold 17 that closes the second end of the tube body in a fluid-tight manner. For this purpose, first and second sealing surfaces 19a, 19b of tube fold 17 are welded to one another.

[0036] As can be better seen in FIGS. 5 to 7, a retaining insert 23 for retaining a functional element 23 is arranged between the two sealing surfaces 19a, 19b. Retaining insert 21 is arranged in the present embodiment centrally between the two sealing surfaces 19a, 19b. In order that the two sealing surfaces 19a, 19b can completely rest on retaining insert 21, retaining insert 21 tapers from its central part 25, which is designed as a support element, to its two opposing end parts 27a, 27b, as can be seen in FIG. 3. The two sealing surfaces 19a, 19b are therefore continuously widened from the two end parts 27a, 27b up to the center part 25. A fluid-tight transition between sealing surfaces 19a, 19b and the retaining insert is ensured by the streamlined shape of retaining insert 21.

[0037] Two welded ribs not shown here extend on each longitudinal side at a distance from one another along the longitudinal sides of retaining insert 21 facing the two sealing surfaces 19a, 19b. By means of the doubled implementation of the welded ribs, the security per longitudinal side is increased so that the welded connection between tube fold 17 and retaining insert 21 is fluid tight. It is obvious that retaining insert 21 is produced from a plastic that can be welded to sealing surfaces 19a, 19b.

[0038] Retaining insert 21 holds functional element 23 that can perform different tasks. A membrane 29 (FIGS. 5 to 7) is arranged in functional element 23. The functional element, for example in the form of a filter 31 (FIGS. 8 and 9), can be formed in retaining insert 21. In the region of the center 25, a passage opening 33 is provided so that the membrane 29 or the filter 31 is in communication with the tube interior and the environment. The membrane offers the advantage that the tube can be completely emptied. The rest of the product, which remains in the tube head in the case of customary tubes, can be pressed out in the case of tube 11 according to the invention because air can be sucked from the outside through membrane 29 or filter 31. By using the sucked-in air, the rest of the product can be pressed out of tube body 15. Membrane 29 or filter 31, however, also serves to counter tube deformations that can be caused by filling with a hot product or by a change of the air pressure (different elevations above standard elevation zero).

[0039] In order to obtain as long a sealing surface as possible between welded ribs and sealing surfaces 19a, 19b, it is desired that the ratio of the thickness of the central part to the length of the retaining insert amounts to at least 1:2. In order to be able to arrange membrane 29 or filter 31 in the tube interior, these can also be arranged on an extension 35. Membrane 29 is mounted in a housing 37 for attachment in or on functional element 23. For simplified insertion into retaining insert 21, housing 37 has a smaller-diameter collar 39 and a larger-diameter flange 41. Membrane 29 is thus arranged inside flange 41. Housing 37 with collar 39 (FIG. 5) or flange 41 (FIG. 6) can be inserted into retaining insert 21 in advance. Housing 37 can also be plugged into or screwed onto extension 35 (FIG. 7).

[0040] It can be seen from FIG. 8 that extension 35 can have a floor that acts as filter 31 in that fine filter pores or filter openings 43 are provided in the floor. The diameters of filter pores 43 are adapted to the viscosity of the product filled into tube 11 and are smaller than 25 ?m (for viscous products) or 5 ?m (low-viscosity products), so that the filter can be penetrated by gaseous media, but not by the packaged products. In FIG. 9, a top view of extension 35 is shown along the cut line IX-IX, in which a possible circular arrangement of filter pores 43 can be seen.