Patent ID: 6012265
Filing Date: 2000-01-11
Classification: B65B,Y10S

Abstract:
A vacuum apparatus for evacuating and hermetically closing containers filled with foodstuff or other products, comprising:a vacuum chamber adapted to receive at least one container, the at least one container having an opening and a lid loosely placed onto the opening, said vacuum chamber being hermetically closable after receiving the at least one container;a vacuum pump driven by an electric motor, said vacuum pump having a suction port connected to said vacuum chamber and a delivery port connected to the atmosphere;a valve which is automatically openable at a predesignated vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber, the automatically openable valve fluidly coupling said vacuum chamber with the atmosphere, said valve being manually closable to thereby interrupt the fluid coupling between said vacuum chamber and the atmosphere, wherein said valve has an upstream end open to the atmosphere and a downstream end communicating with said vacuum chamber, said valve comprising an adjustable mechanism adapted to hold said valve in a closed position until a predesignated vacuum level has been attained, said adjustable mechanism comprising a permanent magnet positioned at the upstream end and adapted to magnetically attract a magnetically attractable body attached to the upstream end of said valve body, adjustment of the magnetic attracting force being made by changing the distance between said magnet and said magnetically attractable body by axial displacement of said magnet to automatically open said valve in response to said predesignated pressure;an electric power supply; andan electric circuit coupling said electric power supply to said pump motor for actuating said pump motor responsive to a closing motion of said valve, and for interrupting actuation of said pump motor responsive to an opening motion of said valve, thereby stopping the operation of said vacuum pump when said valve is opened.