Background to the Invention In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date: (i) part of common general knowledge; or (ii) known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

Tubular dispensers are a convenient and a common means for storing and dispensing a flowable material. Common examples of flowable material suitable for dispensing from tubular dispensers include toothpaste, paints, creams, adhesives, and topically applied medicines.

Dispensers of this type generally include a deformable tubular body portion for receiving and holding the material to be dispensed, a sealed end, and an outlet remote from the sealed end. The outlet usually contains a removable cap for sealing the outlet to protect the flowable material from contamination from the external environment and to prevent it from escaping when the tube is inadvertently squeezed, as can happen.

In use, the user removes the cap, and applies a manual force to the tubular body of the dispenser to force an amount of flowable material towards the outlet whereupon it flows from the outlet and is dispensed from the dispenser. Depending on the manner in which and the extent to which the force is applied to the tube, the flowable material can exit the outlet in an uncontrolled manner.

Tubular dispensers can be manufactured from lightweight metals such as aluminum. In this example, the tube is formed by folding a sheet of the material having a desired dimension and joining it along the fold line. The tube will often be provided at one end with a threaded portion having an opening which functions as an outlet for tube contents, to which a screw cap having a complementary threaded portion can be attached.

The tube is filled with flowable material through the open end opposite to that of the threaded portion, and the open end is then sealed to form a dispenser ready for use.

In use, the screw cap can be unscrewed from the threaded portion and a depressive force applied to the tubular dispenser body, thereby deforming the tubular body and expelling an amount of the flowable material through the outlet.

One disadvantage observed by the Applicant is that in the case of toothpaste tubes, for example, it often becomes increasingly difficult to apply a sufficient force to the tube to expel contents from the tube when the tube contents have diminished.

There is also a tendency among users of toothpaste tubes in particular to depress the tube in the middle region of the tube or towards the outlet in order to dispense the tube contents, regardless of the state of the tube contents. A consequence of this is that tube contents remain in varying positions along the tube, requiring the application of a strong depressive force in order for the user to try and urge the remaining contents towards the outlet. Such a feat is not always possible due, amongst other things, to the nature of the materials of construction of the tube.

The squeezing of toothpaste tubes from the middle has also anecdotally led to breakdowns in relationships.

The application of force to the tubular body can also upset the aesthetic appearance of the tubular body, especially when the user needs to twist, squeeze or crush the tubular body in an attempt to extract as much of the flowable material as possible. Typically, it is both time consuming and very difficult to extract all the flowable material. This ultimately leads to not only user frustration with having a deformed tubular dispenser but can also lead to significant wastage, which in the case of more expensive topically applied medicines can be quite substantial.

An alternative form of tubular dispenser is made from a soft deformable plastic. In this instance, a user can depress a portion of the tubular body to dispense an amount of flowable material. The resilient nature of the soft plastic, to a degree, allows the tubular dispenser to retain its aesthetic qualities. However, the user still has difficulty in extracting substantially all of the flowable material from the dispenser.

As with tubular dispensers based on metallic materials, this can lead to wastage as a residual amount of flowable material is usually left in the tubular dispenser when it is discarded.

Summary of the Invention The present invention accordingly provides in one embodiment a device for facilitating the dispensing of a flowable material from a tubular dispenser, the tubular dispenser having a tube containing a flowable material, a sealed end and an outlet remote from the sealed end, the device comprising a body portion having an opening in which part of the tube is receivable, the device being in use movable along the tube, inner faces of the body portion defining extremities of the opening, the inner faces contacting opposed outer faces of the tube wall to urge the tube contents towards the outlet on movement of the device along the tube in the direction of the outlet and to substantially limit the tube contents from flowing in a direction away from the outlet by reducing the distance between the opposed faces.

The arrangement is preferably such that when part of the tube is received in the opening, the tube wall is compressed by the inner faces of the device so that opposed outer faces of the tube wall are brought towards each other and flowable contents in the tube in the region of contact between the device and the tube are substantially expelled from that region. The device according to the invention preferably exerts a clamping action on the tube wall as a consequence of the inner faces contacting opposed outer faces of the tube wall.

The device according to the invention is preferably slidable along the tube of the tubular dispenser. This will typically be achieved by the application of a manual force to the body portion of the device to move it along the tube to urge the contents of the tube towards the dispenser outlet.

The device may be attachable to the tube of the dispenser. The attachment may be a permanent attachment. It may be a temporary attachment. Preferably the device is initially attachable to the tube in the region of the sealed end of the tube.

Attachment of the device to the dispenser may take any suitable form. The device may be provided with locking means to provide for permanent attachment of the device to the tube. This arrangement ensures that once the device is on the tubular dispenser, and

locked into place, it cannot be removed without breaking the device. The locking means may take any suitable form. Preferably, the locking means comprises a graduated arrow- shaped shaft locatable within a complementary recess. When the device is constructed from two body portions, the arrow-shaped shaft is located on an end of one portion of the device and can be locatable within a complementary recess on the complementary portion.

The arrow-shaped shaft has a plurality of radially extending projections. The projections can be angled. In use, the projections are locatable within the complementary recess, to engage the inner surface of the complementary recess to prohibit the disengagement of the two complementary body portions. Other locking means arrangements are envisaged within the scope of the invention.

The body portion of the device may take any suitable form. The body portion may be elongated. Typically, in the case where the tube of the tubular dispenser is elongated, the body portion is elongated and the longitudinal axis of the body portion will be positioned on the tube transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tube. The body portion may be of any suitable cross-sectional shape. Suitable cross-section shapes include circular, square, rectangular, triangular and oval. In one particularly preferred arrangement the body portion is substantially circular in cross-section, leading to a body portion having a substantially cylindrical appearance. Other cross-sectional shapes are envisaged within the scope of the invention.

In accordance with one preferred form of the invention, the body portion is of a length marginally greater than the width of the tube of the tubular dispenser so that the tube is received in the opening of the body portion and no significant gap between complementary faces of the body portion and the tube wall results. This allows the dispenser to be locatable within the device, the extremities of the device opening substantially defining the width of the tubular dispenser. This arrangement has been found to inhibit unwanted sideways movement of the device relative to the dispenser tube.

The body portion may be formed in one piece. It may be formed from a plurality of components. In one embodiment the body portion is formed from two components, the components when brought together defining an opening to receive part of the tube. The components may be hinged to one another.

Inner faces of the body portion of the device may be provided with a retention means for resisting movement of the device along the tube in a direction away from the

outlet. The arrangement is preferably such that the retention means substantially prevents the device from being moved in a direction away from the outlet once the device has been moved along the tube in a direction towards the outlet.

Preferably, the retention means comprises a plurality of projections on inner faces of the body portion to engage the tube wall of the dispenser. The projections can take the form of small serrations which produce teeth-like structures capable of engaging the dispenser tube wall. In use, the serrations can engage the tubular dispenser and inhibit the movement of the device in a direction away from the outlet.

According to another preferred form of the invention, the teeth-like structures can be arranged around the inner surface of the opening to form a serrated opening wherein the peak of one projection is aligned with a trough of the corresponding projection.

According to another preferred form of the invention, the projections can be angled in a direction away from the outlet, thereby engaging the body portion of the tubular dispenser along an angled plane.

The angled direction of the projections is thought to inhibit the movement of the device away from the outlet.

The retention means is intended to allow a user to slide the device towards, but not away from, the outlet of the dispenser to thereby facilitate the dispensing of the flowable material through the outlet. In this way, the flowable material always moves towards (and not away from) the outlet ready for the user to use with a simple forward application of the device.

Other retention means arrangements are envisaged within the scope of the invention.

The device allows the user to progressively move the device towards the outlet thereby dispensing an even amount of flowable material. The device also allows a user to ensure that pockets of flowable material are minimised as the manual force is applied progressively to the tubular dispenser. This in turn reduces wastage as less residual flowable material is left in the tubular dispenser.

According to a further preferred form of the invention, the device can be manufactured from a unitary piece of plastic. The device can thus be placed on the tubular

dispenser, and given the presence of the retaining means cannot be lost or removed from the tubular dispenser.

The device may be adapted for once-only use, the arrangement being such that it is thrown out with the dispenser when the dispenser is discarded.

In another preferred form of the invention, the device can be made from molded plastic. The plastic can be clear so that the device, when in use, does not obscure any promotional or trade mark material which may be emblazoned upon the tubular dispenser.

Alternatively, the device may be coloured and contain its own promotional material.

The present invention provides in another embodiment a tubular dispenser comprising a tube the tubular dispenser having a tube containing a flowable material, a sealed end and an outlet remote from the sealed end, the dispenser having a device as described herein attached thereto.

The device according to the invention may be provided at point of sale in the same packaging as that provided for the tubular dispenser. Alternatively, it may be attached to the dispenser and provided in that form at the point of sale.

Description of the drawings The invention will now be explained and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of the device according the invention; Figure 2 is a side lateral view of the device of figure 1; Figure 3 is a partly cross sectional view of the device of figure 1 ; Figure 4 is a partially exploded side perspective view of the device of figure 1; Figure 5 is a partially exploded side view of the device of figure 1; and Figure 6 is a view of the device of figure 1 in use.

As shown in the accompanying figures the device 1 comprises a body portion 2 having an opening 3. As is clearly shown in figure 6, a part of the tubular dispenser 7 is receivable within the opening 3. A plurality of teeth like projections 4 lie on alternate surfaces of the opening. As shown in figure 6 the projections 4 engage the tubular

dispenser. The projections 4 can be angled in a direction away from the outlet to further inhibit the movement of the device away from the outlet.

The device is constructed from at least two separate complementary body portions 2a and 2b which are joined to form a single body portion 2. As shown in figures 4 and 5, one end of the device is hinged 5 while on the opposite end a graduated arrow-shaped shaft 6 and a complementary recess 8 can be locked together. A plurality of radially extending projections 9 on the shaft 8 engage the inner surface of the complementary recess to permanently lock the two complementary body portions together.

The device 1 is made of clear plastic so that when in use, the device does not obscure any promotional or trade mark material which may be emblazoned upon the tubular dispenser's surface.

In use the device 1 is movable along the tubular dispenser 7 in the direction of the arrow A. Movement of the device towards the outlet 9 urges the flowable material contents (not shown) of the tubular dispenser towards the outlet 9. A user progressively moves the device 1 towards the outlet 9 thereby dispensing an even amount of flowable material. The device 1 also allows a user to ensure that pockets of flowable material are not left behind as the manual force is applied progressively to the tubular dispenser. This in turn reduces wastage as less residual flowable material is left in the tubular dispenser.

As is in figure 6 the longitudinal axis of the device body portion 2 lies transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tubular dispenser.

The word'comprising'and forms of the word'comprising'as used in this description does not limit the invention claimed to exclude any variants or additions.

Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of this invention.