The present invention relates to a compressible container tube for foodstuffs, comprising an essentially cylindrical, hollow housing which is made of a flexible or deformable material and has a first end and a second end, it being possible for the first end of the housing to be closed hermetically after the tube has been filled with the foodstuff; a front support part which is hollow and has essentially the shape of a truncated cone with one larger opening and one smaller opening, the said support part being joined to the second end of the said housing about the edge of the larger opening, so that the housing and the support part together delimit a space; a neck part which is provided with an external thread and which is hollow and has essentially a cylindrical shape and is joined to the said support part about its smaller opening so as to form a discharge opening for discharging the foodstuff from the said space; and a screw cap provided with an internal thread for releasable closure of the said discharge opening, the said tube being so designed that when the said space is being filled, preferably from the first end of the said housing, an essentially hermetically sealing means is arranged to prevent penetration of the foodstuff into the said neck part, and that the said means is so designed that an opening can be formed in it, as a result of which the foodstuff can be discharged through the same.

Tubes of this type are described in SE-B-318 821 and EP-A2-0 109 055, in which hermetically sealing means in the form of membranes are arranged so that the materials in the containers do not penetrate into the neck parts of the tubes when the tubes are being filled.

An object of the invention is to produce an alternative hermetically sealing means for a container tube of the type mentioned in the introduction.

The object is achieved according to the invention by means of a container tube which is characterized in

that the said means consists of an annular seat which is arranged at the transition between the said support part and the said neck part, and a pin part which is arranged on the said screw cap and which is intended, upon closure of the screw cap on the said neck part, to bear against the said seat in order to close off the said discharge opening.

The invention is described in greater detail hereinbelow with reference to the attached drawings which show preferred embodiments.

Figure 1 shows a side view of a container tube with a screw cap.

Figure 2 shows a sectional view of a first embodiment of the container tube with screw cap. Figure 3 shows a sectional view of a second embodiment similar to that in Figure 2, but with a differently designed screw cap.

Figure 1 shows a compressible container tube 101, preferably for foodstuffs in the form of paste or cream, i.e. in solid or semi-fluid form. A hollow housing 102, made of a flexible or deformable material, is preferably essentially cylindrical and has a first end 103, which can be hermetically closed after the tube has been filled with foodstuff, for example by means of the end 103 being bent and flattened out under pressure in the case of a tube made of metal, preferably aluminium. In the event of the tube being made of plastic or laminated plastic, the end can be sealed by being flattened out under pressure and with heat. A front support part 104 is hollow and has essentially the shape of a truncated cone which at its ends forms one larger opening at 105 and one smaller opening at 106, the support part being joined to the second end 107 of the housing about the edge of the larger opening, so that the housing and the support part together delimit an inner space for foodstuff.

The details of the invention are shown in particular in Figures 2 and 3.

In the embodiment of the container tube 201

according to the invention shown in Figure 2, the tube comprises a cylindrical, hollow housing 202 made of a flexible or deformable material; a support part 203 in the form of a truncated cone which is connected to the housing 202 at 204 so as jointly to delimit an inner space 205; a neck part 206 which is connected to the support part 203 and has an outer part 207 with external thread; and a screw cap 208 with an internal thread 209. At the transition between the support part 203 and the neck part 206 there is an annular bead 210 with an annular seat 211. A pin part 212 is arranged on the screw cap 208 and is intended, upon closure of the screw cap on the neck part, to bear against the seat 211 so as to close off the discharge opening. The pin part 212 is arranged centrally within the internal thread 209 and coaxially therewith.

The space 205 is expediently lined on the inside wall with a thin protective layer 213 before foodstuff is introduced, so that the junction between the seat 211 and the front edge 214 of the pin 212 is sealed hermetically, the layer 213 being arranged to be twisted off or torn off along the junction between the seat and the front edge of the pin when the screw cap is removed (unscrewed) for discharging the foodstuff from the space 205 by squeezing the tube. The screw cap 208 is additionally provided with an annularly bent grip edge 215 which facilitates opening the tube.

Figure 3 shows a view of an embodiment, similar to that in Figure 2, of a tube 201' with a screw cap 208' which has been modified compared to the embodiment in Figure 2. The parts in Figure 3 which correspond to like parts in Figure 2 have been given the same reference numbers with an added prime. The screw cap 208' in Figure 3 has an annular grip edge with a portion 215 ' at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the tube, and with an essentially circular cylindrical portion 216 ^■ which is connected to the latter portion and whose outer end 217', when the screw cap 208 ' is screwed on, is

located close to, or bears loosely against, the outer edge of the support part 203' at the transition 204' between the housing 202' and the support part 203'. Such a modified embodiment of the tube 201' according to the invention is suitable for standing the tube on the cap so that the foodstuff contained in the space 205' runs downwards and lies against the screw neck end of the tube.