Multi-chamber tube package

Abstract

A multi-chamber tube package which comprises a first tube chamber having a tube nozzle channel extending from a tube shoulder and terminating in an outlet, and a second tube chamber having a tube nozzle channel terminating in an outlet adjoining the first outlet. The tube nozzle channels enable the dispensing of the multiple preparations from the chambers. The nozzle channels lead to an outlet where the first preparation and the second preparation meet and coalesce to form a common strand. The two channels and the chambers associated with them have a defined ratio to each other. One nozzle channel may be subdivided into one or more parallel branches and/or the nozzle channels may have orifice rims or edges which lie on different planes.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a §365 (c) continuation application of PCT/EP2005/001878 filed Feb. 23, 2005, which in turn claims priority to DE Application 10 2004 009 434.1 filed Feb. 24, 2004, each of the foregoing applications is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Two- or multi-chamber tube packages are previously known from the prior art, and in principle there are two familiar embodiments. In the first, particularly simple, embodiment, one tube in the form of a flexible tube material has been inserted into another, the nozzle at the top of the inner tube here having been inserted within the nozzle channel of the outer tube. The end of the two tubes of this “tube-in-tube package” have a shared welded or folded joint. The two tubes define an interior and an exterior chamber, and these chambers lead to the shared top region or shared discharge region. In another embodiment, a separating wall separates a tube in the form of flexible tube material into two adjacent chambers (“side-by-side”). Again, in this embodiment, the design of the nozzle channels is such that the two compositions separately located in the chambers do not coalesce until they reach the orifice region at the end of the tube neck. The two preparations are jointly discharged from the tube as soon as pressure is exerted on the outer tube. The design of the outlet determines the strip pattern in which the preparations are discharged from the tube package. Known commercially available tube packages here have identical subvolumes of the various chambers, and reflect this ratio in a corresponding mixing ratio, in particular 50:50.

For products whose two phases have to be stored separately and whose mixing ratio deviates from the conventional 50:50 value, the known tube packages are of no use. Although multi-chamber tube packages with different chamber volumes have occasionally been disclosed, it has hitherto been difficult to reproduce the mixing ratio in the expelled strand. Multicomponent products are therefore still supplied in separate containers if the intention is that the components be mixed in an unequal ratio. This makes handling of the product rather inconvenient for the consumer.

Another disadvantage of the known tube packages is that the preparations undergo undesired mixing in the discharge region, without pressure on the tube package by the consumer. The tube packages are sometimes provided with a tamper-proof seal, such as a peelable foil, which suppresses mixing prior to initial use. However, the known screw closures provide little prevention of mixing of the two components at least after initial use. This mixing is firstly disadvantageous to the aesthetic perception of the product. If the two components have different colors, as known for example from toothpastes, a smeared product always appears initially on the toothbrush before separate color stripes appear in the toothpaste strand. Another problem is that the compositions contaminate one another chemically, and specifically in the case of aggressive components this has unattractive consequences.

This problem of mixing is highly dependent on the nature of the components. For example, direct dyes or precursors of nature-analogous dyes feature particularly high susceptibility to diffusion (susceptibility to creep). In such cases the mixing is not restricted solely to the discharge region, but rather the dye diffuses from one of the chambers into the other chamber, the result being that the composition present therein becomes permanently contaminated. This diffusion cannot be prevented via the familiar seals screwed onto the top, even if high torque is exerted.

The tendency to mix also severely restricts the shelf life of these products. For example, it has been found impossible to prevent diffusion of the components over the entire discharge region on storage for two or more weeks, even with the lid firmly screwed in place. The known foils intended to be peeled away prior to first use and therefore serving as tamper-proof seal have very little suitability in the case of multi-chamber tube packages by virtue of the design of the outlet, because they cannot be applied so as to give a reliable seal.

The first object of the present invention is to provide a multi-chamber tube package which can be produced simply and at low cost, and which is suitable as a reliable and storable dispenser for two-phase products. Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-chamber tube package of this type having a mixing ratio which is as desired but is firmly established. Irrespective of this, another object of the invention is to modify the multi-chamber tube package in such as way as to reduce the risk of mixing of the components in the discharge region and diffusion from chamber to chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These objects are achieved via multi-chamber tube packages with the claimed features, and are described i9n connection with particular embodiments of the tube package.

A first principle consists in providing the volumes of the individual chambers in a ratio which differs from the hitherto known uniform division. The intention here is that the invention encompasses any unequal distribution of the volumes which has a significant difference. In order to provide the possibility of ensuring that the mixture in the expelled strand corresponds to the ratio of the chamber volumes, the discharge region is appropriately designed according to the invention. For example, the ratio of the chamber volumes is also reflected in the cross sections of the nozzle channels which lead to the outlet. A nozzle channel here can have been divided into one or more parallel branch channels. The total of the cross sections of the branch channels then gave the cross section of the nozzle channel. It should be noted here that it is advantageous for the function of the multi-chamber tube packages if each of the different components present in the chambers has approximately the same viscosity.

The advantage of the inventive design is that materials can be expelled entirely and relatively uniformly from the chambers to which different volumes have been charged, and that the mixing ratio of the product expelled here is the same over almost the entire period. Tube packages of this type can be relatively simply manufactured and filled by the known methods. They can therefore serve as a secure and convenient container for a multi-component product requiring careful handling.

A particularly preferred application sector for these two-chamber tube packages is the sector of colorants and/or tinting compositions for keratinic fibers, in particular for human hair. The chemical formulations of these compositions demand mixing ratios deviating from equal distribution. Specifically for these two-component compositions, the two preparations can be packaged separately from one another in an inventive two-chamber tube package. The disclosure of the applications DE 103 59 538.4, DE 103 59 557.0 and DE 103 59 539.2, all of which derive from the applicant of this application, and all of which have filing date Dec. 17, 2003, is explicitly incorporated by way of reference into the text of the description of this application. Those documents describe fillings for two-chamber tube packages, where the preparation intended for one of the chambers comprises at least one direct dye and/or comprises at least one precursor of a nature-analogous dye, while the preparation intended for charging to the second chamber comprises at least one conditioning substance.

A range of from 1:2 to 5:1, preferably from 2:1 to 3:1, is stated for the ratio of the volumes and therefore of discharge of the preparations, and the intention is to exclude the ratio 1:1. Furthermore, a preparation with at least one oxidation dye precursor is described as the material to be charged to one chamber and a preparation with at least one oxidant or one conditioning substance is described as material to be charged to the second chamber, the ratio of the volumes and therefore of discharge of the preparations being in the range from greater than 1:1 to 3:1.

In order to obtain the mixing ratios required by the mixing specification, and in order that product discharge is uniform, advantageous geometries of the tube openings have a mixing ratio not equal to 50:50, namely from 80:20 to 60:40, preferably 75:25. The outer tube:inner tube ratio of 75:25 is advantageous in the case of a color-pigmented phase and a conditioning substance with a volume of 100 ml. The design of the outer tube and/or of the inner tube can be transparent for aesthetic reasons.

In view of the fact that in the case of a tinting composition the proportion of the color preparation is about 75% and the proportion of the conditioning preparation is about 25% and that therefore the color preparation is advantageously introduced into the outer tube with the greater volume in the case of a tube-in-tube package, it is particularly advantageous for the shoulder region of the outer tube to be reinforced, with disks which have particularly good barrier properties. This can exclude any diffusion of the dye from the shoulder region. In order to provide maximum effectiveness in preventing diffusion it is advantageous to incorporate aluminum or a suitable plastic, such as, PBT, i.e., Polybutyleneterephthalate, into the material of the tube shoulder.

As mentioned above, a general problem with multi-chamber tube packages is that the components mix in the discharge region and that components diffuse into one another over the entire discharge region, the result being mixing in the chambers. In order to prevent discharge of the mixture during storage and to ensure that the tube package is intact for the consumer, it can be advantageous in the case of an orifice region with relatively simple geometry, for example in the case of two coaxial cylinders, to seal the dispenser opening with a tamper-proof seal which is removed by the consumer prior to first use, for example composed of aluminum foil or of plastics foil. However, this type of tamper-proof seal is, as mentioned, difficult to install and moreover cannot prevent the components from mixing after first use. In particular the dyes addressed here have comparatively high susceptibility to creep or to diffusion.

The problem of undesired mixing here is certainly not solely restricted to the multi-chamber tube packages with different chamber volumes, but occurs in all multi-chamber tube packages, including those with the same volumes. Another general concept of the invention therefore consists in designing the discharge region of the multi-chamber tube packages in such a way as to reduce dramatically the risk of mixing. According to the invention, this problem is solved in that the orifice edge of the first nozzle channel is at a different level from the orifice edge of the second nozzle channel. The result is that, with respect to the strand being discharged, the location of one of the orifice edges is above or behind the other, this orifice edge forming a barrier for the composition present in the chamber with the lower-lying orifice edge. The final result is that the composition has difficulty in passing over the step created via the elevated orifice edge. It therefore acts to some extent as “diffusion retarder”.

At this point, express reference is again made to the fact that the idea of placing the orifice edges of the nozzle channels at a different level is not restricted to multi-chamber tube packages with different sizes of the chamber volumes, but is a useful invention for any multi-chamber tube package. It is, of course, possible to combine in any desired manner the two inventions described, which are actually independent: the multi-chamber tube package with different chamber volumes and the multi-chamber tube package with a difference in the levels of the orifice edges.

A prime advantage provided by this inventive idea is that it is possible to reduce greatly the mixing of the components. This advantage first gives benefits during the storage of the multi-component products, where the inventively packaged products feature high storage stability with respect to mixing and/or diffusion. This firstly permits compliance with the aesthetic requirements of consumers, which in the case of differently colored components can now perceive clear separation of the colors during first use and also after first use. Consumers are substantially spared the unattractive smearing of the components in the region of the tube top. Furthermore, chemical reactivity sometimes makes it advantageous to avoid mixing. This applies in particular when the two components react with one another to give an end product which may be relatively unstable, volatile or aggressive.

The increased storage stability here was confirmed in experiments. Indeed, it has been found that dyes do not, as was assumed, diffuse through the wall of the inner tube, with resultant distribution at the interior tube edge, but rather that diffusion takes place over the entire discharge region. According to the invention, this diffusion is now greatly reduced via the stepwise arrangement of the orifice edges.

There are various possible designs for implementing stepped orifice edges in the tube package top. One particularly simple and advantageous method forms the separate chambers as separate tubes, each with its own nozzle channel. The nozzle channels here are designed with different length, starting at the tube shoulder. If the tubes are then brought together in the tube neck by being inserted alongside one another into a shared holder, as known from “side-by-side” tube packages, or are simply inserted into one another as in “tube-in-tube” tube packages, the result, because of the different length of the nozzle channels, is a difference in the level of the orifice edges. It is advantageous here in the case of the “tube-in-tube” package that the package has the nozzle channel of the interior tube coaxial with the nozzle channel of the exterior tube and protruding somewhat further. There is almost complete suppression of diffusion in the direction from the exterior to the interior tube. An advantage of the invention in the case of “tube-in-tube” tube packages is that the tolerances which necessarily arise when a tube is inserted into another tube are no longer important. When the level difference is designed, care should advantageously be taken that it is greater than the maximum possible tolerance.

In principle, the present invention is intended to encompass any type of distribution of the chambers within the shared tube. In the “side-by-side” tube package, the two individual chambers are arranged alongside one another in an exterior shell, whereas the abovementioned “tube-in-tube” has an exterior tube which entirely surrounds an interior tube. This embodiment features consistent metering of the two preparations.

It is, of course, particularly advantageous that the composition whose diffusion is to be avoided, for example the component admixed with intensive color pigments, is provided in the chamber whose orifice edge is at a lower level.

For the purposes of this invention, a level difference means that this is greater than the conventional tolerances in the manufacturing process, which can certainly amount to a tenth of a millimeter. For the purposes of the invention, the size of level differences is at least 0.3 millimeter, preferably more than 0.5 millimeter, and particularly preferably more than 1.0 millimeter. This can reliably provide a level difference which inhibits diffusion, despite manufacturing tolerances. The level difference formed in the present case can be about 1.5 millimeters. Level differences of more than about 3 millimeters have proven impracticable specifically in the case of the present multilayer tube packages.

The inventive two-chamber tube package has preferably been manufactured from a material suitable for the packaging of this type of tinting composition and colorant. A factor to be taken into account here is that the barrier properties of commercially available plastics tube packages are not always adequate, because of the oxidation properties of the product. A material that can clearly be used for direct dyes or their precursors, and also for oxidants and oxidation dyes precursors, is an aluminum laminate or straight aluminum, although straight aluminum tubes have only limited usefulness because of their mechanical properties. An aluminum laminate here means an aluminum layer coated with multilayer plastic. A tube which has proven very particularly preferred according to the invention has not only the inner tube but also the outer tube manufactured from aluminum laminate. Tubes composed of plastics laminate (PE, i.e. Polyethylene; PET, i.e. Polyethyleneterephthalate; PP, i.e. Polypropylene) or from plastics coextrudate (PE, PET, PP) with barrier properties, for example EVOH, i.e. Ethylenevinylalcohol, can also be considered for the less aggressive preparations. In one embodiment, furthermore, the material of the inner tube can be selected irrespective of the material of the outer tube. As mentioned above, it can be advantageous for reasons of attractive design to manufacture the outer tube, and also the inner tube, from transparent plastic.

The closure is particularly significant in the multi-chamber tube package designed according to the invention. This preferably takes the form of a screw cap whose inner shell, as is known from such screw caps, seals the outlet. In the present case it is advantageous that there is, in contact with the base of the inner shell, a lining whose thickness is more than one millimeter, for example 3 millimeters, and which is composed substantially of a foam. This is covered with respect to the outlet with paper applied by adhesive bonding and an aluminum foil thereon. This lining can press the orifice edges into the material, thus providing leakproof sealing of the nozzle channels. In order to limit the pressure applied it is advantageous for there to be restriction on the torque used for screw-on of the cap. To this end, an edge is provided on the inner diameter of the shell and protrudes above the inner screw thread. During screw-on of the cap, this edge makes contact with contact area which surrounds the face side of the outlet.

Although in principle there is no intention to restrict the invention in any way with regard to this discharge pattern, it can be preferred according to the invention that the first preparation is discharged as main strand and the second preparation forms two or more colored strips running along this main strand. Nor is there any intention to restrict the invention with respect to the number of these strips. A number of from two to four strips can be particularly preferred according to the invention for reasons of applications technology or of appearance. The strips can increase the aesthetic quality of the product. In a first embodiment here, the first preparation can form the strips, while the second preparation forms the main strand, and in a second embodiment the second preparation can form the strips while the first preparation forms the main strand. However, it is advantageous to ensure that the colored preparation has been stored in the chamber whose orifice edge is at the lower level.

In another embodiment it can be preferred that the two preparations in particular to some extent form the main strand together alongside one another. In another embodiment, the discharge strand can be composed of an interior region formed from a first preparation and of an exterior region formed from the second preparation, the preparations here forming the discharge strand in accordance with their arrangement in the tube package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in more detail below using the attached FIGS. 1 to 8:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of a two-chamber tube package with the outer chamber broken away;

FIGS. 2a through 2i illustrate various cross-sectional geometries of the outlet;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the top of a two-chamber tube package;

FIG. 4 is a section through the top of the two-chamber tube package of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the top of the two-chamber tube package of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 6a through 6d are top views of tube package tops with varying mixing ratios;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of an open two-chamber tube package similar to the package of FIG. 3 with different levels of orifice edges;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the two-chamber tube package of FIG. 7 with a closure in place;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG.7 of a package similar to the package of FIG. 6d; and

FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view through a groove about the interior of the outlet in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a section through the upper region of a two-chamber tube package. This has been formed in “tube-in-tube” manner and is suitable for two reactive preparations, which are stored in a shared package in chambers separate from one another. The mixing or the confluence of the two preparations does not occur until the product is used. The two-chamber tube package has exterior tubing 1 onto which a tube shoulder 2 has been molded, and which comprises an outer nozzle channel 3. The exterior tubing 1 forms an outer tube which is a first chamber 21 for a preparation A. This first exterior chamber 21 coaxially surrounds a pipe-like inner tube 4 which forms a further chamber 22 for a preparation B, and the inner tube 4 has an interior tube shoulder 5 with a corresponding inner nozzle channel 6. The inner tube 4 has been inserted into the exterior tubing 1 and held by way of latching projections 8 which engage detents (not shown) in the outer nozzle channel 3. Fins 7 form a contact site during the insertion process and reliably provide the desired spacing between the tube shoulders 2 and 5, thus retaining a passage with respect to the nozzle channel 3. The nozzle channels 3 and 6 lead to a shared outlet.

In the nozzle channel 3, the inner nozzle channel 6 arranged therein form a means of separation, permitting initially separate conveying of the preparations A and B when pressure is exerted on the tube package. After the separate conveying, the preparations unite in the region of the outlet prior to the dispenser opening, and are discharged therefrom in a shared strand. In this case, outer tube and inner tube have been formed from flexible tubes which have been sealed at the rear end by means of a shared folded joint.

Without proceeding beyond FIG. 1, it can be seen that the outer wall 6a of the inner nozzle channel 6 has a star or cruciform shape. Various geometries for the walls of the inner nozzle channels 6a to 6i have been shown in FIGS. 2a to 2i. The channels are hatched at 9a to 9i and can be filled with the preparation B as indicated at Ba to Bi. In the embodiments of 2a, 2c, 2d, 2h, and 2i, the cross-sectional areas 9a, 9c, 9d, 9h and 9i are in the form of a star, which can have three or four points. Each area 9 defines the size of the substream for the preparation B (hatched at Ba through Bi) located in the inner tube. The lobes of the stars engage the inside of the outer walls 10 and provide interstitial spaces 11. These interstitial spaces 11 between the outer wall 8 of the inner nozzle channel and the round outer wall 10 of the outer nozzle channel define the branch streams for the preparation located in the outer tube. The entirety of the branch streams sets the size of the substream for the second preparation A (shown at Aa through Ai).

The two chambers 21 and 22 have different volumes which are in a certain prescribed ratio to one another. According to the invention, the nozzle channels generate two substreams with at least almost the same ratio, where one of the substreams, for example as in FIGS. 2a or 2c, can have been divided into two or more branch channels which provide a like number of parallel branch streams. The embodiment of FIG. 2c is particularly preferable for generating a striped effect visible from all viewing angles on the product stream being discharged. Using the geometries shown in FIGS. 2a to 2i, it is possible to produce orifice variants which form mixing ratios of at least 60:40 and preferably 75:25. The maximum achievable difference is about 80:20.

FIG. 3 shows the top of a two-chamber tube package, and the cross-sectional geometry in the discharge region prior to the dispenser opening can be seen clearly here. This corresponds approximately to the example in FIG. 2c. A disk composed of plastic is shown and forms a tube shoulder 16 onto which the neck 17 has been molded. The body of the exterior tubing, in particular manufactured from aluminum laminate, has been welded onto the edge 18. FIG. 4 shows a section through the disk of FIG. 3. The tube top 12 of the inner tube can be seen, and has been securely inserted into the tube top 13 of the outer tube. In this example, the orifice edge 19 of the outer tube is at the level of the orifice edge 20 of the inner tube. The nozzle channels 3 and 6 can be clearly seen. The shoulder region 16 of the outer tube in this case has reinforcement via an incorporated plastics layer (not illustrated in this figure, but see the shoulder 30 in FIG. 7) which has particularly good barrier properties with respect to the diffusion of dyes. FIG. 5 shows the view from below through the disk of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The spacer fins 7 can be seen and are in contact from the underside of the shoulder 16.

FIGS. 6a to 6d show how modification of the outer wall 8 of the inner nozzle channel firstly can adjust the mixing ratio and secondly can adjust the width of the strips and therefore the appearance. Each of FIGS. 6a to 6c shows an outer wall 8a to 8c in the shape of a star, and each star here has three lobes in the form of points. The width of the lobes 14a to 14c here defines the width of the strips in the strand expelled. The geometry of the tube top of 6a gives a mixing ratio of 60:40 for the ratio between the cross-sectional area 11, composed of three parts of the outer nozzle channel and the cross-sectional area 9a of the inner nozzle channel. The tube top of 6b has a mixing ratio of about 25:75 with comparatively narrow strips. The top of 6c shows deeper curves of the walls 8, nevertheless generating relatively wide strips with a relatively small mixing ratio of about 27:73. The two ratios last mentioned are clearly useful for two-chamber tube packages which serve as a dispenser for a tinting composition with about 75% color content and 25% conditioning content. Any desired mixing ratios and any desired strip design can, of course, be produced via modification of the walls.

The embodiment of FIG.6d shows a tube top which implements a cylindrical inner strand 15 within the likewise cylindrical outer strand 25. The mixing ratio can be adjusted as desired by way of the diameter of the inner strand. This embodiment is particularly suitable if the outer strand dispensed through the nozzle channel is formed by a transparent preparation while a colored preparation is dispensed as the inner strand from the inner nozzle channel.

FIG.7 shows a section through an open two-chamber tube package 30, with a difference in the levels of the orifice edges. This is a “tube-in-tube” tube package similar to the package illustrated in FIG.3 and described above. The first nozzle channel 24 of the outer tube 34 has an orifice edge 26, and the second nozzle channel 27 of the inner tube 37 has an orifice edge 28. It can be seen that, with respect to the tube shoulder 30, the level of the orifice edge 26 is markedly below the level of the orifice edge 28 at the top of the threaded outlet. The level difference has been indicated at 29. The double tube package illustrated in this figure is particularly suitable for dispensing of colored tinting compositions. The component admixed with color pigments here has been stored in the chamber 31 formed by the outer tube. The level difference 29 is sufficient to prevent the diffusion of the color pigments from the nozzle channel 24 by way of the discharge region into the nozzle channel 27.

The inner tube forms the chamber 32 and comprises a conditioning substance. The tube top of the outer tube is in turn formed by a top-piece 33, to which the flexible tube material of the outer tube 34 has been attached. The shoulder region has an inlay 35 as reinforcement. The inner tube itself has a top-piece 36, which takes the geometry of the nozzle channels. A flexible tube material of the inner tube 37 has been molded onto a top-piece 36. The flexible tubes 34 and 37 have been sealed together and thus closed at the end not shown. The top-piece 36 has been inserted into the nozzle channel 24 and latched by way of latching projections 38 on the exterior of the inner nozzle channel 27 which grip within a groove 39. Spacer fins 40 reliably provide the desired spacing to allow the preparation in the chamber 31 to be dispensed through the nozzle channel 24. Before proceeding, reference may be made to the abutment area 41 provided at the upper end of the neck and, during screw-on of the cap, having contact with an edge 45 located in the screw cap (see FIG. 8).

FIG. 8 then shows the “tube-in-tube” tube package of FIG.7, but with a closure in the form of a screw-on screw cap 42. A screw thread of the known type permits screw-on of the screw cap 42. In the interior of the double-walled screw cap 42 an interior shell 43 has been provided and seals the outlets of the nozzle channels 24 and 27. There is a lining 44 whose thickness is more than one millimeter in contact with the base of the shell and composed substantially of a foam which may be covered with respect to the outlet with paper applied by adhesive bonding and an aluminum foil thereon. It can be seen that the orifice edge 28 protrudes into the lining 44, whereas the lining 44 is in adjacent contact with the orifice edge 26. When screwing the cap onto the outlet, the orifice edge 28 slides against the undersurface of the lining 44, compressing the foam. When the screwing process has come to an end, the foam lining expends to allow the edge 28 to protrude into the lining 44, as shown in FIG. 8. Leakproof sealing of the nozzle channels has thus been provided. On the inner diameter of the shell 43, an edge 45 has been provided which protrudes above the inner screw thread. On completion of the screw-on process, this edge 45 bears on the abutment area 41 (FIG.7) surrounding the face side of the outlet. This provides a limit on the torque. Furthermore, the skirt 46 of the screw cap 42 is prevented from pressing on the tube shoulder.

FIG. 9 shows a section through an open two-chamber tube package 130 similar to the package of FIG. 6d with a difference in the levels of the orifice edges. The first nozzle channel 124 of the outer tube 134 has an orifice edge 126, and the second nozzle channel 127 of the inner tube 137 has an orifice edge 128. It can be seen that, with respect to the tube shoulder 130, the level of the orifice edge 126 is below the level of the orifice edge 128 at the top of the threaded outlet. The level difference is sufficient to prevent the diffusion of the preparation from one chamber through the nozzle channel 124 by way of the discharge region into the nozzle channel 127, avoiding contamination of the preparation emanating from the other chamber.

The inner tube forms the chamber 132 and the outer tube forms the chamber 131. The tube top of the outer tube is in turn formed by a top-piece 133, to which the flexible tube material of the outer tube 134 has been attached. The shoulder region has an inlay 135 as reinforcement. The inner tube itself has a top-piece 136, which takes the geometry of the nozzle channels. A flexible tube material of the inner tube 137 has been molded onto a top-piece 136. The flexible tubes 134 and 137 have been sealed together and thus closed at the end not shown. The top-piece 136 has been inserted into the nozzle channel 124 and latched by way of latching projections 138 on spacer fins 140 radiating from the exterior of the inner nozzle channel 127 which grip within a groove 139 on the interior of the nozzle channel 124. The spacer fins 140 engage against the underside of the inlay 135 of the top piece 133 and have legs projecting upwardly into the interior of the nozzle channel 124 and reliably provide the desired spacing to allow the preparation in the chamber 131 to be dispensed through the nozzle channel 124 and latching of the top piece 136 into the nozzle channel 124. Reference may be made to the abutment area 141 provided at the upper end of the neck and, during screw-on of the cap, having contact with an edge 45 located in the screw cap 42 (see FIG. 8) which may seal the orifice edges 126 and 128.

Claims

1. A multi-chamber tube package having a tube neck with an outlet and at least two chambers, comprising

exterior tubing with a tube shoulder and a nozzle channel terminating in an orifice in said outlet, said exterior tubing providing a first of said at least two chambers adapted to be charged with a first preparation, and

interior tubing with a tube shoulder and a nozzle channel terminating in an orifice in said outlet, and providing a second of said at least two chambers adapted to be charged with a second preparation,

said orifices being adapted to dispense said first and second preparations from said outlet so as to coalesce and from a common strand,

said two chambers having different volumes which are in a certain ratio to one another, and said nozzle channels having cross sectional areas which are substantially in the same certain ratio.

2. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said nozzle channels is divided into at least two parallel branch channels.

3. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1 wherein one of said first and second chambers is filled with a preparation selected from the group of a precursor of a direct dye and nature-analogous dye, and the other chamber is filled with a preparation comprising at least one conditioning substance.

4. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1, wherein said certain ratio is in the range from (greater than 1):1 to 5:1.

5. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1, wherein one of said chambers is filled with a preparation comprising at least one oxidation dye precursor, and the second chamber is filled a preparation comprising at least one oxidant.

6. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1, wherein one of said chambers is filled with a preparation comprising at least one oxidation dye precursor, and the second chamber is filled a preparation comprising at least one conditioning substance.

7. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1, wherein said orifices in said outlet have edges which are at different levels in said outlet.

8. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 7, wherein the levels of said orifices are different by at least 0.3 millimeter.

9. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 8, wherein said level difference is more than 1.0 millimeter.

10. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 7, wherein the orifice of said interior tubing is at a level higher than the level of the orifice of the exterior tubing.

11. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 10, including a closure for said outlet adapted to be placed over said outlet, said closure including side walls adapted to encircle the outlet and an internal lining adapted to seal the orifices, said lining comprising a resilient compressible material having a part, upon displacement of said closure, adapted to be penetrated by the orifice at a higher level to seal said higher orifice, the remaining part being adapted to seal the other of said orifices.

12. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 11, wherein said closure is a screw-on cap adapted to be telescopically engaged with the outlet.

13. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 11, wherein said outlet has an abutment, and said closure has a stop adapted to engage said abutment and limit further displacement of said closure after said remaining part has sealed said other orifice.

14. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1, wherein said the exterior tubing coaxially surrounds said inner nozzle channel, said inner nozzle channel being pipe-like with an outer wall of said inner nozzle channel separating the two nozzle channels.

15. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1, wherein said inner nozzle channel has lobes in the shape of a star, where the cross-sectional area of the star defines the substream for the preparation located in the chamber associated with said nozzle channel, inner tube, and lobes of the star engage the inner wall of the outer channel to produce interstitial spaces between the outer wall of the inner nozzle channel and the inner wall of the outer nozzle channel to define parallel branch channels for the preparation to be dispensed through the outer nozzle channel.

16. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 1, wherein the chambers associated with the outer and inner nozzle channels comprise flexible outer and inner tubes which have been sealed at the rear end by means of a shared folded joint.

17. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 16 wherein at least one of said outer and inner tubes comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a plastics-coated aluminum foil, an aluminum laminate, and a plastics laminate.

18. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said outer and inner tubes comprises transparent plastic.

19. A multi-chamber tube package having a tube neck with an outlet and at least two chambers, comprising

exterior tubing with a tube shoulder and a nozzle channel terminating in an orifice in said outlet, said exterior tubing providing a first of said at least two chambers adapted to be charged with a first preparation, and

interior tubing with a tube shoulder and a nozzle channel terminating in an orifice in said outlet, said providing a second of said at least two chambers adapted to be charged with a second preparation,

wherein said orifices in said outlet have edges which are at different levels in said outlet,

said orifices being adapted to dispense said first and second preparations from said outlet so as to coalesce and from a common strand,

20. A multi-chamber tube package according to claim 19, wherein said the exterior tubing coaxially surrounds said inner nozzle channel, said inner nozzle channel being pipe-like with an outer wall of said inner nozzle channel separating the two nozzle channels.