Patent Application
20130313219
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing unit, and more particularly, to a sealing unit suitable for sealing opening with smooth inner periphery. The sealing unit does not use locking members.
2. Background of the Invention
The conventional sealing unit for jars or containers generally includes a cap with a sealing ring mounted to its outer periphery thereof. When the sealing unit is engaged with the opening of the jar, the locking members located on the periphery of the sealing unit securely connected to the locking blocks on the opening of the jar by the locking members thereof so as to seal the opening. However, the use of the locking members and the locking blocks makes the sealing unit have less competition in the market and at least one of the locking members has to be operated when opening or sealing, and this means an extra process should be taken.
EP2174882 discloses a Vacuum sealing cap which has an inner cap, a sealing ring mounted to the inner cap and an outer cap which has tapered bottom. When the outer cap is connected to the inner cap, due to the sealing ring extending inclinedly and outward, the sealing ring is squeezed outward by the tapered bottom of the outer cap so as to seal the opening. There is an axial gap when the outer cap is engaged with the jar, so that the sealing does not completely seal the jar.
The Vacuum sealing cap further has a resilient member which drives the link to move the inner cap and the sealing ring downward relative to the outer cap, such that the sealing ring is disengaged from the top flange so that the sealing cap is opened. The user can easily remove the sealing cap by one hand. The resilient member is a critical part in the invention, otherwise, because the sealing ring extends inclinedly and outward and is in contact with the jar, the user has to hold the jar by one hand and then remove the sealing cap upward from the jar by the other hand.
The present invention intends to provide a sealing unit which does not need the locking members and locking blocks, and the sealing unit seals the opening of the jar air-tightly.
The present invention relates to a sealing unit and comprises an inner cap having a flange and an outer groove is defined in the outer periphery of the flange. A resilient ring having a bent portion is engaged with the outer groove. An outer cap has an annular recess defined in the underside thereof and the flange of the inner cap is engaged with the annular recess which has room so that the flange is movable within the room. The outer cap has an inner groove defined in the inner wall thereof and the resilient ring is engaged with the inner groove. A through hole is defined through the center of the top of the outer cap. A linking member extends through the through hole of the outer cap and is connected with a connection portion of the inner cap so as to move the inner cap up and down relative to the outer cap. A lever is pivotably connected to the linking member and drives the linking member to move the inner cap upward. The resilient ring is engaged between the inner groove of the outer cap and the inner cap, and is deformed toward the inner periphery of the jar.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a sealing unit for sealing the opening of a jar and the sealing unit does not need extra locking members and locking blocks. The sealing is air tight and the manufacturing cost is reduced because no extra locking members and locking blocks are needed. Compared with the conventional vacuum sealing cap which has an axial gap between the outer cap and the jar, there will be no gap for the sealing unit of the present invention. The air path between the outer cap and the jar is completely sealed by the deformed resilient ring of the present invention.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to
A resilient ring 2 has a bent portion 21 extending radially from the underside thereof and the bent portion 21 is engaged with the outer groove 12. In other words, the resilient ring 2 has an L-shaped cross section.
An outer cap 3 has a positioning portion 34 located at the underside thereof and the connection portion 13 is engaged with the positioning portion 34. An annular recess 31 is defined in the underside of the outer cap 3 and the flange 11 of the inner cap 1 is engaged with the annular recess 31 which has room so that the flange 11 is movable within the room. The outer cap 3 has an inner groove 32 defined in the inner wall thereof and the resilient ring 2 is engaged with the inner groove 32. A through hole 33 is defined through the center of the top of the outer cap 3.
A linking member 4 extends through the through hole 33 of the outer cap 3 and is connected with the connection portion 13 of the inner cap 1 so as to move the inner cap 1 up and down relative to the outer cap 3.
A lever 5 is pivotably connected to the linking member 4 so as to drive the linking member 4 to move the inner cap 1 upward. The resilient ring 2 is deformed by the inner groove 32 of the outer cap 3 and the inner cap 1, and the resilient ring 2 is deformed toward the inner periphery of the jar 6. The distance between the pivot 51 of the lever 5 to the underside of the lever 5 is less than the distance between the pivot 51 to the left side or the right side. Accordingly, when the underside of the pivot 51 contacts the top of the outer cap 3, the jar 6 is opened. When the left side or the right side of the pivot 51 contacts the top of the outer cap 3, the linking member 4 is moved upward so that the inner cap 1 and the outer cap 3 are moved upward. The inner groove 32 of the outer cap 3 and the inner cap 1 squeeze the resilient ring 2 which is deformed and the central portion is raised and the jar 6 is sealed.
Furthermore, the outer cap 3 has at least one boss 35 located at the top of the outer cap 3 and at the contact area where the lever 5 is in contact with so that the lever 5 positioned. In this embodiment, there are two bosses 35 on two sides of the through hole 33 of the outer cap 3.
As shown in
When the user wants to unseal the jar 6, as shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
The resilient ring 2 of present invention is deformed by the inner groove 32 of the outer cap 3 and the inner cap 1 so that the air path between the jar 6 and the outer cap 3 is completely sealed by the deformed resilient ring 2, while compared with the conventional sealing cap, there is an axial gap formed between the jar and the outer cap. The present invention provides a larger contact area between the jar 6 and the resilient ring 2 to provide better sealing feature.
The sealing unit of the present invention does not need extra locking members and locking blocks and is able provide better sealing feature. The manufacturing time and cost are reduced.
The opening of the cooperated jar 6 has smooth inner periphery which is easily formed and does not need secondary machining. The cost is low and the price is competitive.
When unsealing the jar 6 by pivoting the lever 5, the resilient ring 2 bounces back to its initial shape and the bouncing force moves the inner cap 1 downward to unseal the jar 6. The user can unseal the jar 6 by one hand only.
While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
