CROSS-REFERENCE  
       [0001]     The present invention described hereinbelow is also described in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/700,519, filed Jul. 19, 2005. Priority of invention based on the aforesaid U.S. Provisional Application is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. 119 (e). 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a dispensing aid for semi-solid cosmetic or pharmaceutical preparations, which are packaged in bags, especially in an elongated tubular bag in the form of a so-called stick pack. This bag-form one-time-use container should be emptied especially completely and in a single squeezing or spreading out process with the help of the dispensing aid. Especially this emptying process should be performed very comfortably with only one hand.  
         [0004]     2. Related Art  
         [0005]     Transdermal pharmaceutical preparations include, among other forms, semi-solid preparations, especially gels and creams. These preparations can be filled in tubes and dispensers acting as multi-dose containers. Alternatively they can be filled in tubular bags or sealed four-edged bags, which dispense a single dose. While sealed four-edged bags are often used for cosmetic products, especially samples, tubular bags are preferred for pharmaceutical applications. This is connected with the special requirements for complete dispensing of the contents of the bag and for repeatability of this dispensing process in the case of pharmaceutical applications. Cosmetic products are not legally required to satisfy these requirements. These requirements are fulfilled better by elongated tubular bags than sealed flat, rectangular or square bags. For example, a typical tubular bag in the form of a so-called stick pack contains the product Testogel, which is marketed by the firm Jenapharm GmbH &amp; Co. KG.  
         [0006]     The tedious removal of the entire contents of the bag is one disadvantage of this form of administration, since it requires multiple manual pressing and spreading out of the bag in a manner similar to that required with a tooth paste tube. This is especially applies when the user has only one hand available for dispensing product, when for example the gel should be applied with the right hand to the left upper arm.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing aid, which reduces the entire process for dispensing gel from a bag, especially a tubular bag, to a single squeezing or spreading out motion;  
         [0008]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispensing aid, which permits dispensing gel from a bag, especially a tubular bag, by manual operations with only one hand.  
         [0009]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispensing aid, which facilitates the dispensing of reproducible or repeatable amounts of the gel from its bag container.  
         [0010]     It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a dispensing aid for dispensing gel from a bag, especially a tubular bag, which is economically made with as few parts as possible.  
         [0011]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a bag for packaging a semi-solid preparation, especially a gel, with special features that facilitate cooperation with the dispensing aid described hereinbelow and claimed in the appended claims.  
         [0012]     All these objectives can be attained by a dispensing aid, which has a surprisingly simple structure, which can be assembled from only four separate parts. Furthermore all the parts can be made from plastic by currently known injection molding techniques. In fact adhesives are not even required.  
         [0013]     The re-usable dispensing aid according to the invention helps to manually dispense a cosmetic or pharmaceutical semi-solid preparation, which is packaged in a bag, which has a seal seam for closing the bag on an end of the bag opposite from another end and a bag tear-off for forming an opening at the other end. The re-usable manually operable dispensing aid comprises a housing and means for forcing the semi-solid preparation contained in the bag out of the bag. The means for forcing the preparation out of the bag is manually operable by a single hand of an operator, i.e. a user or administrator, after fixing the bag in a dispensing position in the housing.  
         [0014]     Preferred embodiments of the dispensing aid comprise a manually operable retaining device for releasably holding the bag in the housing during operation to force the semi-solid preparation out of the bag. This retaining device is arranged at the end of the bag opposite from the bag tear-off and is engaged with the bag in the vicinity of the seal seam prior to dispensing the semi-solid preparation.  
         [0015]     Preferably the means for forcing the bag contents out of the bag comprises a squeezing device for squeezing the bag and a slider connected with the squeezing device. The squeezing device is arranged in an interior region of the housing and the slider is slidably mounted on an exterior of the housing for manual operation of the squeezing device by means of a thumb of the hand of the operator. The squeezing device is preferably a rotatable roller mounted in side members connected to the slider and extending through slots in the housing. During operation to force the contents of the bag from the bag the roller is roller from an initial position in the vicinity of the bag seal seam toward the bag tear-off opening over a distance of from 3 to 7 cm.  
         [0016]     The preferred embodiments of the dispensing aid are illustrated in the drawing and described in more detail hereinbelow. Of course the dispensing aid of the invention can be constructed by well known construction techniques and the dispensing aid will function efficiently according to the expected operation principles.  
         [0017]     Furthermore it was found surprisingly that even small changes in the current conventional tubular bag considerably improved its cooperation with the dispensing aid according to the invention. These small changes include a widening of the seal seam, which permits complete spreading or pressing out of the bag middle portion on the one hand and certain recesses or openings in the seal seam opposite from the bag opening, in order to optimize the adjustment of the bag in the dispensing aid (see the figures in the drawing). 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0018]     The objects, features and advantages of the invention will now be illustrated in more detail with the aid of the following description of the preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying figures in which:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a dispensing aid for dispensing a semi-solid product from a tubular bag according to the invention;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  are, respectively, a perspective view and a cross-sectional view through the central part of the housing, showing a slider and other parts of the dispensing aid shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a cutaway perspective action view showing the operation of the squeezing roller in the dispensing aid of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIGS. 4   a ,  4   b  and  4   c  are plan end views and a perspective view of the dispensing aid of  FIG. 1 , showing action of a retaining mechanism for holding the tubular bag in the dispensing aid while the roller passes over bag; and  
         [0023]      FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  are perspective views showing an embodiment of a tubular bag, namely a stick pack, which is preferred for use with the dispensing aid according to the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     An example and preferred embodiment of the dispensing aid according to the invention is shown in the drawing.  
         [0025]     The dispensing aid in  FIG. 1  comprises an extended simplified parallelepiped-shaped housing  1 , which has an opening  2  on a small side or end, through which a tubular bag  3  in a stick pack format of a suitable length can be inserted so that the end through which its contents are dispensed remains protruding through the opening  2 . The tubular bag  3  is filled with a semi-solid preparation, for example a gel. The dispensing aid has a slider  4  to be operated manually and preferably with a thumb, which is arranged on the upper side of the housing  1 . The slider  4  has a partially grooved or rippled top surface  5  in order to improve the grip of thumb in operation. The slider  4  is connected with a roller  9 , which is not shown in  FIG. 1  and which is in the interior of the housing  1 , by means of two side members  4   a  of the slider  4 , which extend through slots  6  in the upper side of the housing  1 . The slider  4  can be freely moved in the slots  6  over the middle portion of the housing  7 . A retaining device, which is shown and described in more detail in the following description, covers the front end and the housing opening there.  
         [0026]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  only show the slider  4  with the rippled top surface  5  and the squeezing roller  9  moved by the slider and part of the housing.  FIG. 2   a  shows how the squeezing roller  9  is mounted in the side members  4   a  of the slider  4  (Each side member forms a T-shaped structure with a guide bolt  10  engaged in a recess in the bottom of the “T”). The lateral guide bolts  10  are preferably made in one piece with the rest of the squeezing roller  9 , e.g. by milling or injection molding. The U-shaped recess in the bottom of each side member  4   a  of the slider  4  acts as a slide bearing for the squeezing roller  9  and each side member  4   a  has a web-shaped overhang  11 . This overhang  11  guarantees that the roller  9  does not immediately slip out from this slide bearing during gentle motion. Furthermore crosspieces  12  are arranged on the inner sides of both side members  4   a  of the T-shaped slider  4 , whose operation cooperates with the housing as shown clearly in  FIG. 2   b.    
         [0027]      FIG. 2   b  is a cross-sectional view through the housing  1  in its central region, at which point the slider  4  is located. The top part of the slider  4  provided with a rippled surface structure is connected with the side members  4   a  on opposite sides, which pass through the slots  6  and into the housing interior. The crosspieces  12  of the side members  4   a  slide along the interior side of the housing and are formed to hold the slider freely slidable in the track predefined by the slots  6 , so that the slider  4  cannot be moved up and out from the housing  1 . While the dispensing aid is held enclosed by one hand, the slider can be operated with the thumb of this hand. The displacement of the slider  4  corresponds advantageously to the distance, over which the thumb can easily pass. This distance amounts to 3 to 10 cm, preferably 4 to 7 cm. The crosspieces  12  are preferably triangular in shape. The housing  1  and the slider  4  are made from elastic plastic parts so that it is possible to press the separately made slider  4  from above into the guide track  6  during assembly of the dispensing aid until the triangular crosspieces bend the somewhat elastic sides of the housing out and pass through the slots  6 . After that the slider  4  is permanently connected with the housing in a position in which it is used.  
         [0028]     The free space between the crosspieces  12  and the middle part of the housing upper side  7  determines the mechanical play of the roller  9  with respect to the housing bottom or base  13 . This play is selected so that the rear seal seam of the stick pack  14  can pass easily into the dispensing aid between the roller  9  and the housing bottom  13  on insertion of the stick pack  14  into the dispensing aid. On the other hand the roller and slider are designed so that the full surface of the roller  9  can be pressed against the housing bottom  13  in a completely reduced pressure pressing state when the housing is empty and without the stick pack.  
         [0029]     The cutaway view in  FIG. 3  shows the interior of the dispensing aid, in which a stick pack  14  has been inserted, with part of the housing  1  and the slider  4  removed. The squeezing roller  9  is shown twice, once in its initial position  15  and also once at its end position  16  to illustrate the operation of the dispensing aid. Only one roller is provided of course in the dispensing aid;  FIG. 3  only shows the one roller in different positions. The stick pack  14  is correctly positioned on insertion in the housing by a slot-shaped opening  17  in the rear end  8  of the housing  1 , when it is pushed into the slot-shaped opening  17  until at stop position  18 . The special shape of the rear seal seam edge of the stick pack, which is shown in  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b , guarantees that the stick pack  14  halts in the stop position  18 . The seal seam widths at the front end and rear end of the stick pack are especially wide so that the squeezing roller  9  can sit or bear on it prior to the filled middle part  19  of the stick pack  14 , so that the entire contents of the bag middle part will be pressed out or dispensed after completely rolling the bag from the initial position  15  to the end position  16  with the squeezing roller  9 . Only the nose-like extension  20  of the bag lumen remains as a small dead volume, which cannot be completely pressed out by the roller  9 .  
         [0030]     So that the stick pack  14  is not pushed out from the housing  1  during the squeezing process with the squeezing roller  9 , it can be mechanically retained in the housing interior. The retaining device for this purpose is illustrated in  FIGS. 4   a ,  4   b  and  4   c . The rear seal seam of the stick pack  14  is partially pushed through the slot  17  in the rear wall  8  of the housing, where it protrudes from the slot  17  shown in the rear view of the housing in  FIG. 4   a . A retaining plate  22  with upper stop bosses  23  and lower stop bosses  24  on both sides is held in two angled retaining members  21  on the rear wall of the housing  1 . When the stick pack  14  in the position according to  FIG. 4   a  is conducted through the slot  17 , the retaining plate  22  is pushed downward, so that the seal seam edge  25  protruding through the slot  17  is bent downward at a right angle and clamped between the retaining plate  22  and the housing  1 , as shown in  FIG. 4   b . Devices, for example a roughened surface, grooved surface, grainy surface or rubber coating, can be applied to the inner surfaces of the retaining plate  22  and the lower edge  26  of the housing to increase the adherence and sliding resistance.  
         [0031]      FIG. 4   c  shows an intermediate state between an open and closed retaining plate  22 , in which the seal seam edge  25  is already partially clamped. The retaining plate  22  is pressed by the laterally positioned angular retaining members  21  fixed on the housing. The lower stop bosses  24  are preferably triangular. When the housing and the retaining plate are made of an elastic plastic material it is possible to press the separately made retaining plate  22  from above between the angular retaining members  21  during assembly of the dispensing aid, until the triangular stop bosses  24  pass between them while the angular retaining members  21  are bent out. After that the retaining plate  22  is permanently fixed in the position in which it is used on the housing.  
         [0032]     A suitable embodiment of a tubular bag in the form of a stick pack  44  for use with the dispensing aid according to the invention is shown in  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b . This stick pack  44  is characterized by especially wide seal seams  26 . Recesses  27  are cut out of the rear edge of the rear seal seam  26 . The still present portion of the rear edge is guided through the slot  17  in the rear end  8  of the housing  1  and fixed in position with the retaining plate  22 . The rear edge with the recesses bears against the stop region of the housing interior, to avoid inserting the stick pack too far into the dispensing aid. In the front region the conventional applicator spout  29  is formed by a suitable sealing in stick packs for semi-solid preparations. This is especially long in stick packs formed especially for the dispensing aid and is small in order to keep the dead volume after rolling with the squeezing roller  9  as small as possible. The placement of the applicator spout in the center according to  FIG. 5   a  can be advantageous in order to prevent contamination of the dispensing aid during dispensing through a lateral applicator spout as shown in  FIG. 5   b . The applicator spout or nose can be opened by tearing along the illustrated perforations  30 .  
         [0033]     The illustrated embodiment of the dispensing aid represents the preferred solution to attain the objects of the invention and can be complemented with further refining elements, as may result from the requirements of industrial manufacture or packaging. Especially representation of this embodiment was confined to a plain representation of only those features which are relevant for the functioning of the dispensing device. Particular structures of a given form and color for an article of this type would be understood by and can be left to one skilled in the art. This especially relates to the outer housing and the slider (see the figures).  
         [0034]     A simplification of the otherwise the same embodiment, for example, can consist of the elimination of the roller in favor of a cylinder connected rigidly with the slider or a rounded non-rotatable squeezing or stroking member that is slidable over the bag. This simplification would of course lead to poorer sliding and squeezing properties of the slider, however these poor properties can still suffice, in order to guarantee the functioning of the dispensing aid according to the invention.  
         [0035]     A further refinement of the dispensing aid could consist of a resilient mounting of the slider or the roller mounted on the slider with the goal of producing a perceptible resistance for the user with lower pressure of the slider and/or the roller so that the user can sense a concrete trigger pressure.  
         [0036]     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a re-usable dispensing aid for a semi-solid preparation packaged in a bag, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0037]     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.  
         [0038]     What is claimed is new and is set forth in the following appended claims.
The re-usable dispensing aid helps to manually dispense a semi-solid preparation packaged in a bag having a seal seam on an end of the bag opposite to a bag tear-off. The dispensing aid has a housing, a device for fixing the bag in the housing and a device for forcing the preparation out of the bag by single-handed operation after fixing the bag and opening the bag. The device for forcing the preparation out of the bag has a manually operable slider on the housing exterior and a roller connected with it inside the housing so that a mechanical pressure is applied to the open bag by the roller to squeeze out its contents when the slider is operated by a thumb of the operator. The bag can be especially adapted for dispensing with this dispensing aid by suitable structuring of the seal seam with appropriate recesses.