Tube like containers for food and a variety of other substances

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED CONTAINER FOR MARKETING AND DISPENSING PASTELIKE SUBSTANCES INCLUDING FOODSTUFFS HAVING SOLID PIPS OF MATTER, COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY PORTION COMPOSED OF A PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING THE PROPERTY OF RETAINING ITS SHAPE AND CLOSED AT THE LOWER END, A TOP SECTION CONNECTED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY PORTION TO COMPLETELY CLOSE THE BODY PORTION AND INCLUDING A TOP WALL TERMINATING IN AN AXIAL NOZZLE FITTED WITH A REMOVABLE CLOSURE, A NONRETURN VALVE UNIT TO PREVENT ACCESS OF AIR TO SAID BODY PORTION AFTER COMPRESSION THEREOF FOR PREVENTING RETURN OF THE BODY TO ITS ORGINAL SHAPE AND THEREBY YIELD A VISUAL INDICATION OF THE AMOUNT OF PASTELIKE SUBSTANCE REMAINING IN THE CONTAINER, AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID UNIT IN SAID TOP SECTION TO FORM THEREWITH A UNITARY ASSEMBLY HAVING SPACE BETWEEN SAID NONRETURN VALVE UNIT AND SAID NOZZLE, SAID NONRETURN VALVE UNIT INCLUDING AN APERTURED DISC EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID TOP SECTION AND A DISPLACEABLE MEMBRANE IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APERTURED DISC AND LOCATED ON THE UPPER SIDE OF THE DISC FACING SAID NOZZLE, SAID DISC BEING STIFF AND RELATIVELY MUCH THICKER THAN SAID MEMBRANE, SAID MEMBRANE BEING FORMED OF A PLASTIC MATERIAL AND HAVING A THICKNESS OF FROM ABOUT ONE THOUSANDTH OF AN INCH TO ABOUT FIVE THOUSANDTHS OF AN INCH, SAID MEMBRANE BEING SECURED TO SAID DISC AT LEAST AT ONE SIDE OF THE APERTURE THEREIN SO AS TO OVERLIE SAID APERTURE, SAID MEMBRANE ALSO BEING SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE TO CONFORM TO IRREGULARITIES IN THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE DISC AND TO THE SHAPES OF ANY SOLID PIPS OF MATTER DEPOSITED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE DISC, WHEREBY AFTER SOME OF THE PASTELIKE SUBSTANCE HAS BEEN DISCHARGED BY COMPRESSING THE TUBULAR BODY PORTION, THE INFLUENCE OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES ON THE PASTELIKE MATERIAL REMAINING BETWEEN THE VALVE UNIT AND THE NOZZLE CAUSES SAID MATERIAL TO FUNCTION AS A RAM AND TO PRESS SAID MEMBRANE BACK INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APERTURED DISC DESPITE THE TEMPORARY LODGEMENT OF SOLID PIPS OF MATTER BENEATH SAID MEMBRANE.