Patent Application
20090206295
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1. Field of Invention
The present invention is generally directed toward a detachable, reusable one way valve apparatus for self-sealing bags. The valve is ideally used in conjunction with a vacuum source to create a negative pressure environment in the self sealing bag relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby preserving or prolonging the useful life of the items contained in the bag.
2. Background of the Invention
The concept of vacuum sealing or otherwise removing air from a container in order to preserve or prolong the useful lifetime of its contents is well known. For example, one product currently in the prior art uses a combination of heat sealing a sheet of thermoplastic material and a motor driven vacuum pump to vacuum seal the specifically constructed bags. This product, however, is quite expensive and the many various electrical and mechanical components necessary for its operation are subject to malfunction. Additionally, the bag material required by this device is another significant expense with the added problem that the bag material is difficult to obtain. What is needed is a simpler, less expensive alternative that is able to duplicate the functionality of this far more expensive counterpart. Ideally, it should also be reusable and, not only simple to use, but also simple to manufacture and therefore potentially less prone to breakage. Moreover, the product should not require the use of specialized bags.
Saving previously prepared foodstuffs and breaking down purchased bulk foodstuffs into individual or smaller portions has become a national phenomenon. While undertaking such actions can result in significant savings, these savings are often offset by the spoilage of portions that are not consumed quickly enough. Additionally, many find it convenient to prepare foods in large quantities that are broken down for later consumption over multiple meals. In these and similar circumstances, vacuum sealing is a well recognized method for preserving foods and has been in use since at least the development of the various home and commercial canning techniques developed during the 19th and 20th centuries. These traditional methods generally utilize cooling of the container's contents after it has been sealed in order to create a partial vacuum. However, devices are now available for home use utilizing pump mechanisms to directly evacuate containers. Unfortunately, these devices are relatively complicated and a malfunction in any of the various interconnected components renders these expensive devices unusable.
The present invention effectively addresses the disadvantages of these previously known technologies. It is a simple, easy to use, inexpensive, and rugged one way valve that may be attached to almost any sealable bag, or nearly any airtight container with an easily pierced sidewall. The only limitation of the present invention is that there needs to be sufficient access to the interior of the bag or container to enable fitment of the interior portion of the valve. The present invention is a one way valve specially adapted for airtight attachment to a container. After sealing the container, a vacuum source is attached to the valve in order to evacuate air contained in the bag. When the desired degree of vacuum or air extraction is achieved, the vacuum source is removed and air is prevented from returning to the container by operation of the one way valve in the valve passageway. The valve is easily detached from the container when no longer needed and may be re-used after handwashing or a washing in the dishwasher. The vacuum source need not be a substantial piece of equipment and may include vacuum provided by the user's own inhalation. Alternatively, when using a flexible container, for example, a self-sealing plastic bag (e.g., Ziploc™), the user may simply compress the container itself to expel the desired amount of air.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive alternative to current vacuum sealing methods of self sealing flexible containers.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a more robust alternative to current vacuum sealing technologies.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a reusable, easily cleaned vacuum valve for a self sealing bag.
It is another object of this invention to provide an intuitive, easy to use vacuum sealing device for a self sealing bag.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a reusable vacuum sealing technology for flexible containers.
It is another object of this invention to provide a vacuum sealing technology requiring no electrical power.
These and other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent when considered with the teachings contained in the detailed disclosure along with the accompanying drawings.
The preferred embodiment and best mode of the reusable valve invention 10 is shown in
The invention may be constructed from any moldable material, but in a preferred embodiment, is constructed from various plastic polymer formulations, including but not limited to food grade silicone, fiberglass, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyfluoroethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, and other acrylics, polyurethanes, or their composites.
The base member 12 of the reusable valve 10 is shown in
The second member 30 is depicted in a partial cross sectional view (
While the design of the preferred embodiment's one way valve 23 is a ball valve, it is noted that one way or check valves are well known and their use is encompassed by the present invention. The present valve 23 is seated in valve housing passageway 38 which has a decreasing diameter from the top toward the circular base sealing element 34. Examples of valves include, but are not limited to, flutter valves, diaphragm valves, swing check valves, clapper valves, stopper-check valves, and lift-check valves.
After assembly of the present invention onto an appropriate container, the bag 60 is filled with foodstuffs, sealed, and a vacuum applied via the vacuum fitting 81 until the desired degree of vacuum in the bag is achieved. Thereafter, the vacuum source is removed, the one way valve 23 in the passageway 38 prevents re-infiltration of air into the container. An auxiliary airtight cap assembly 40 is included to provide an additional degree of sealing as is shown in
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments which have been described above. Instead, the embodiments described here should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims:
