This application includes subject matter that is related to commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/174,267, filed on Jun. 18, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a canister lid that forms an airtight seal with a canister body and allows evacuation and venting of the canister.
Food products, whether liquid or dry, spoil fairly quickly and can emit odors. Lids and storage devices have been developed for use with food storage containers that seal outside air from the goods stored within the container.
Vacuum sealing of perishables in the home and kitchen is becoming more popular as people increasingly become aware of the health benefits of the natural and healthy foods. Such foods, that do not contain preservatives, lose their freshness quickly. Storing foods in a vacuum sealed canister is a non-chemical way to help preserve the freshness of the food. Vacuum packing has the added benefit of evacuating the air from within the container as well as sealing off the outside air. Such packing increases storage life and eliminates odors. A simple, easy-to-use system for household use that allows goods to be vacuum packed would be advantageous.
Most available vacuum sealers are not particularly well suited for home use with rigid containers because they rely on hand pumps to pull a vacuum, or there must be an adapter that connects a vacuum hose to the canister lid. Accordingly, it would be advantageous if the vacuum hose could directly engage and mate with the canister lid to create a vacuum within the canister. It would also be advantageous if a canister lid, that enabled a vacuum hose to directly engage it, were simple and inexpensive to produce and assemble.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a canister lid that includes an evacuation and venting assembly. Embodiment of the present invention are also directed to the evacuation and venting assembly, and components thereof.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a canister lid includes a cover member adapted to cover a canister, thereby defining an interior of the canister. The canister lid also includes an evacuation valve and a vacuum release valve. The evacuation valve is adapted to allow evacuation of the interior of the container. The vacuum release valve is adapted to allow venting of the interior of the container.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a housing is attached to an underside of the cover member. An interior of the housing and the underside of the cover member define a chamber. A first opening and a second opening in the cover member provide access into the chamber through the cover member. A third opening and a fourth opening in a bottom of the housing provides access from the interior of the canister into the chamber through the bottom of the housing. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, at least one satellite opening extends through the bottom of the housing, near the fourth opening.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an evacuation valve includes a stem portion and a top portion having a flexible periphery that extends beyond the stem portion. The stem fits into the fourth opening such that the flexible periphery covers each satellite opening. In an alternative embodiment, rather than having (or in addition to having) at least one satellite opening, the fourth opening can be shaped such that a portion of it extends beyond the stem, but not beyond the flexible periphery. In such an embodiment, when the stem fits into the fourth opening, the flexible periphery covers the portion of the fourth opening extending beyond the stem.
A vacuum release valve, according to an embodiment of the present invention, includes a head the extends above the first opening, abase the extends below the third opening, and an elongated stem that extends between the head and the base. The head includes a flexible downwardly angled periphery that extends beyond the first opening, thereby keeping the head above the first opening. The base has a periphery that extends beyond the third opening. The flexible downwardly angled periphery of the head of the vacuum release valve provides sufficient biasing so that the periphery of the base is predisposed to seal the third opening.
In an embodiment of the present invention, when a vacuum is pulled through the second opening, the flexible periphery of the evacuation valve is lifted away from the bottom of the housing to allow air to be evacuated through the at least one satellite opening (and/or through the portion of the fourth opening that extends beyond the stem), around the flexible periphery, into the chamber, and out through the second opening. The flexible periphery of the evacuation valve covers each satellite opening (and/or the portion of the fourth opening that extends beyond the stem) after a vacuum is formed in the interior of the canister. Further, in additional to the flexible periphery of the evacuation valve covering each satellite opening (and/or the portion of the fourth opening that extends beyond the stem), the base of the vacuum release valve seals the third opening to retain the vacuum formed in the canister.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible downwardly angled periphery of the vacuum release valve flexes when a downward force is applied (e.g., by a finger of a user), thereby causing the base to move downward and a gap to form between the third opening and the vacuum release valve. This gap allows air to enter the interior of the canister when the pressure within the interior of the canister is lower than ambient pressure.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the head, base and elongated stem of the vacuum release valve are integrally formed, for example, from rubber and/or an elastomeric material.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the cover member, the housing, the vacuum release valve and the evacuation valve are each integrally formed. This results in a lid that has relatively few parts, and thus, a lid with parts that are relatively inexpensive to produce and assemble. Such a lid is also relatively simple, reducing the likely hood that the lid will break and/or fail to operate properly.
Further features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below, the drawings and the claims.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, lid 10 includes a raised portion 70, shown as being located in the center of cover member 58. Cover member 58 is shown as being substantially smooth and continuous and as having a convex or dome shape. The convex or dome shape is useful to raise evacuation and venting assembly 12, so that assembly 12 does not reduce the volume of the canister. Further, the convex or dome shape of cover member 58 increases the strength of member 58 so that it does not collapse when a vacuum is formed within the interior of the container. When in the center, raised portion 70 is at a highest point of lid 10. However, raised portion 70 need not be located in the center. As can be seen in
Raised portion 70 includes two openings that extend therethrough, including a release valve support opening 76 and a vacuum port opening 78. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, vacuum port opening 78 includes a collar 80 that protrudes from a top of raised portion 70 and surrounds the opening. Collar 80 is useful as an interface between lid 10 and a hose (not shown) connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). More specifically, the end of the hose fits over collar 80 to form an airtight seal with collar 80.
Located adjacent vacuum port opening 78 is release valve support opening 76. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a collar 82 surrounds release valve support opening 76 to help keep vacuum release valve 36 in its proper position, as shown in
A housing 20 is secured to lower surface 62 of cover member 58 (e.g., using ultrasonic welding), below raised portion 70. More specifically, an underside of raised portion 70 defines a step or well including adjacent and substantially perpendicular surfaces 66 and 74. Housing 22 includes a side wall 22 (shown as being tapered, but not so limited), a bottom 26, and a rim 24. Rim 24 is preferably sized and configured to fit into the well under raised surface 70 in such a way that housing 20 is properly aligned, as will be explained in more detail below. A top of rim 24 is preferably flush against interior surface 62 of lid 10 (and more specifically against underside 74 of raised portion 70). In general, it is important for housing 20 to form an airtight seal with cover member 58. This prevents air from leaking into a canister (covered by lid 10) after a vacuum is produced within the canister.
Additional details of housing 20 are shown in
Located close to evacuation valve opening 30, is one or more satellite openings 32 that extend through bottom 26. Satellite openings 32 are shown as being located within circular grooves 31 that surround evacuation valve opening 30. Circular grooves 31 help direct air through satellite openings 32 during the evacuation process, described in more detail below. Twelve satellite openings 32 are shown in
Housing 20 is preferably manufactured from a single piece of material, and may or may not be manufactured from the same plastic material used to produce cover member 58. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3B, an outer surface of housing 20 includes spacers 33, the purpose of which shall be described below. For convenience, satellite openings 32 are shown as being along a same horizontal line as openings 28 and 30, but need not be, as shown in
An optional safety cap 34 is pressed fit onto housing 20. Cap 34 allows air to be evacuated from the canister, and vented back into the canister, yet assists in keeping liquid and other container contents from being drawn into chamber 35. That is, cap 34 is placed over housing to assist in preventing liquids or other contents from entering satellite openings 32 during evacuation and/or vent opening 28 during venting. Spacers 33, best seen in
Referring back to
A vacuum release valve 36 controls the airflow through vent opening 28. Vacuum release valve 36 includes an elongated stem 44, a base 46, and a head 38, which includes a flexible downwardly projecting periphery 40. In accordance with an embodiment, vacuum release valve 36 is manufactured from a single piece of rubber and/or elastomeric material.
Additional details of vacuum release valve 36 are now described with reference to
Base 46 gradually tappers outward from elongated stem 44 such that it is wider than stem 44. A lower outer edge 47 of base 46 is preferably rounded, as best seen in
When vacuum release valve 36 is in place, as just described above, head 38 of release valve 36 extends above release valve support opening 76, and base 46 (at least a portion thereof) extends below release valve opening 28, as best seen in
When a vacuum is not being pulled, flexible periphery 56 of evacuation valve 50 covers and seals off satellite openings 32 (and/or the portion of evacuation opening 30 that extends beyond stem 52 and stopper 54), and base 46 covers and seals vent opening 28, as seen in
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, flexible periphery 56 is urged downward when the vacuum hose stops pulling air from the canister (either because the vacuum source is turned off, or because no additional vacuum is being pulled) and the ambient pressure becomes greater than the pressure within the canister. At this point, bottom surface of flexible periphery 56 contacts an upper surface of housing bottom 26. As best seen in
In order to release the vacuum within the canister, head 38 of vacuum release valve 36 is pushed downward to break the seal and contact area between the circumference of vent opening 28 and base 46 of vacuum release valve 36, as seen in
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a slot or hole (not shown) is defined through periphery 40 of release valve head 38. Such a hole or slot provides an additional and/or alternative path through which ambient air can enter a canister during venting.
As mentioned above, cover member 58 and housing 20 are most likely manufactured of plastic, and valves 50 and 36 are each most likely manufactured from a rubber and/or elastomeric material. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, cover member 58, housing 20, evacuation valve 50 and vacuum release valve 36, are each integrally formed parts. An advantage of such an embodiment is that canister lid 10 can include as little at four separate pieces or parts, namely, cover member 58, housing 20, evacuation valve 50 and vacuum release valve 36. This results in a relatively simple canister lid 10. This also results in a canister lid l for which the parts are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble. However, even though it is preferred that each of these parts are integrally formed, it is within the spirit and scope of the present invention that one or more of these parts can be include sub-parts.
The forgoing description is of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments have been provided for the purposes of illustration and description, but are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to a practitioner skilled in the art. Embodiments were chosen and described in order to best describe the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
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