Manual evacuation system

A gastight interface for an evacuation device includes a flexible suction cup adapted to form a gastight seal with a surface surrounding a valve disposed on a container and extending from an evacuation end of an evacuation chamber. The flexible suction cup has an aperture disposed therethrough for fluid communication with the evacuation chamber. A plurality of support members extends from the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber to restrict movement of the flexible suction cup between the surface and the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber, to allow fluid communication between an interior of the container and the evacuation chamber through the valve when the valve is in an open position, while the piston is being reciprocated between the closed end and the evacuation end. Each support member has a distal surface disposed outside of an outer perimeter of the flexible suction cup.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

Not applicable

SEQUENTIAL LISTING

Not applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to vacuum devices, more particularly, to manual vacuum devices intended for use in evacuating gases, including air, from plastic storage pouches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vacuum evacuation of a container may be used to preserve freshness of food or other perishables within the container. Vacuum evacuation may also be used to reduce gas volume to increase storage space for blankets, clothes, or other compressible contents within a container. Hand operated, or manual, vacuum devices can be light weight, of simple construction, and cheap to produce. Manual vacuum devices have been used to evacuate deformable and rigid containers and have also been used in conjunction with a variety of one-way valves to create evacuation systems.

One manual vacuum device has a two-stroke piston pump for evacuating deformable and rigid containers. The pump has a piston disposed inside a cylinder, the cylinder having a pluggable flexible vacuum cup disposed on a bottom end thereof. The piston has a peripheral check valve that allows gas to flow past the piston toward a cylinder cap. To evacuate rigid containers, the flexible vacuum cup is placed over a flexible check valve that is applied over access openings of the rigid containers. The flexible vacuum cup is prevented from completely collapsing under a pumping action by an inwardly projecting annular lip on a bottom end of the pump cylinder. The cylinder also has a pluggable port through a side wall of the cylinder to allow attachment of a flexible hose to aid in evacuating deformable containers.

Another manual vacuum device has a one-piece elastomeric end cap and vacuum cup assembly that fits around a bottom end of a cylinder. A suction cup on a bottom end of the assembly extends from an annular base that surrounds a central recess. The central recess defines an uncollapsible space between the bottom end of the assembly and a container surface.

Yet another manual vacuum device has a cylinder with a lower end that flares outwardly to define a frustoconical outer surface. A suction cup having a central aperture is disposed inside an end of the cylinder. A periphery of the suction cup extends radially past the flared end of the cylinder allowing the periphery of the suction cup to collapse, but leaving a central chamber defined by an uncollapsed central portion of the suction cup.

A still further manual vacuum device has a pump that attaches to a central portion of a container cover. The pump has a cylinder and a piston that has a peripheral check valve that allows gas to flow past the piston away from the container. The cylinder is press fit over a flange on the container cover such that a sealing engagement is accomplished between a face of the cylinder and the flange, as well as between an end surface of the cylinder and an upper surface of the cover.

Another manual vacuum device has an outer tube that telescopically slides on an inner tube, the inner tube having a piston at a top end thereof. The top end of the outer tube has a cap with a check valve for allowing gas to flow out of the outer tube. A bottom end of the inner tube is open and is press fit over a rigid one-way valve on a container. The piston has a central hole and a peripheral check valve that allows gas to flow past the piston toward the container and out of the pump through a space between the tubes. Pulling the outer tube away from the container creates a vacuum in the inner tube and pushing the outer tube toward the container forces gas out of the outer tube.

Another manual vacuum device has a piston with a peripheral check valve disposed in a cylinder. An elastomeric suction cup and an elastomeric valve housing are fitted over a bottom end of the cylinder. Moving the piston away from the suction cup draws a vacuum on the suction cup. Moving the piston toward the suction cup causes a one-way ball valve in the elastomeric housing to close and forces gas in the cylinder past the piston and out to the atmosphere through a hole in a top end of the cylinder.

A further manual vacuum device has a piston disposed in a cylinder for evacuating freezer bags. A conical nozzle having an axial passageway is attached at a wide end of the nozzle to an end of the cylinder. The piston has a peripheral check valve that allows gas to flow past the piston and away from the nozzle. The nozzle has four lateral passages near a narrow end thereof, the passages connecting the axial passageway to an outer surface of the nozzle. A check valve covers the nozzle axial passageway at the end of the cylinder allowing gas to enter the cylinder. A circumferential groove is disposed in the outer surface of the nozzle. The groove is positioned between the lateral passages and the wide end of the nozzle for the purpose of receiving an O-ring for tightly holding freezer bag walls against the nozzle.

A reversible manual vacuum device has a piston movable inside a cylinder for evacuating a bottle through a stopper that has a slit valve and is disposed in an open end of the bottle. The stopper has a peripheral flange and a raised annular wall extending upwardly from the flange. A bottom of the cylinder fits around the annular wall and contacts the peripheral flange. A piston disposed on an end of a hollow piston rod slides within the cylinder and a reversible one-way mushroom valve is disposed within a hole in the center of the piston. A reversible combination vacuum and pressure valve is also disposed in the stopper. Drawing the piston away from the stopper creates a vacuum in the cylinder. Pushing the piston toward the stopper forces gas through the mushroom valve, into the hollow piston rod, and out to the atmosphere through a hole in a top end of the piston rod.

Yet another manual vacuum device functions to draw a sudden vacuum on containers and bodily wounds. The pump has a hollow piston rod connected to a piston disposed in a cylinder. The cylinder has a closed end and a gas-flow orifice at an opposite end with a cup shaped end member having a central opening disposed over the orifice. The piston has a peripheral check valve that allows gas to flow past the piston toward the orifice. When the piston is drawn away from the orifice, gas in the volume between the piston and the closed end escapes past the check valve, travels through the hollow piston rod, and exhausts out of the piston rod to the atmosphere through a hole near a top end of the piston rod. When the piston is pushed back toward the orifice, the volume of gas between the piston and a top of the cylinder expands causing a vacuum to be created. As the piston nears the orifice, the hole in the piston rod comes into communication with the volume of gas between the piston and the closed end of the cylinder, which causes a sudden vacuum to be drawn on the orifice.

A manual vacuum evacuation system has a rigid check-valve in a bag wall and a pump for evacuating gas from the bag. The check-valve has an inner part that extends through a hole in the bag wall and threadably mates with an outer part of the check-valve to squeeze the bag wall and a flat holding washer therebetween. The pump has a cylinder and a piston disposed in the cylinder, the piston having a peripheral check valve. An open end of the cylinder has an annular flange over which fits an elastomeric ring. The ring has an annular wall extending from a bottom side of the ring, the annular wall being placed against a surface of the flat washer to seal the pump to the valve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a pump for evacuating a container comprises an evacuation chamber having a closed end and an evacuation end, and a piston slidably disposed within the evacuation chamber and attached to a first end of a piston rod. The piston rod extends through an opening in the closed end of the evacuation chamber, and a handle is attached to a second end of the piston rod. A check valve is disposed on the piston to allow gas to flow past the piston when the piston is reciprocated toward the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber. A flexible suction cup is adapted to form a gastight seal with a surface and extends from the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber. The flexible suction cup has an aperture disposed therethrough for fluid communication with the evacuation chamber. A plurality of support members extends from the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber to restrict movement of the flexible suction cup between the surface and the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber to prevent a portion of the suction cup from collapsing onto the surface while still maintaining a gastight seal with the surface. Each support member has a distal surface disposed outside of an outer perimeter of the flexible suction cup.

In another aspect of the present invention, an evacuation system comprises a one-way valve disposed on a container and a pump for evacuating the container. The pump includes an evacuation chamber having a closed end and an evacuation end, and a piston slidably disposed within the evacuation chamber. The piston is attached to a first end of a piston rod, wherein the piston rod extends through an opening in the closed end of the evacuation chamber and a handle is attached to a second end of the piston rod. A check valve is disposed on the piston to allow gas to flow past the piston when the piston is reciprocated toward the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber. A flexible suction cup is adapted to form a gastight seal with a surface of the container surrounding the one-way valve and extends from the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber. The flexible suction cup has an aperture disposed therethrough for fluid communication with the evacuation chamber. A plurality of support members extends from the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber to restrict movement of the flexible suction cup between the surface and the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber, to allow fluid communication between an interior of the container and the evacuation chamber through the one-way valve when the one-way valve is in an open position, while the piston is being reciprocated between the closed end and the evacuation end. Each support member has a distal surface disposed outside of an outer perimeter of the flexible suction cup.

In a further aspect of the present invention, a gastight interface for an evacuation device comprises a flexible suction cup adapted to form a gastight seal with a surface surrounding a valve disposed on a container and extending from an evacuation end of an evacuation chamber. The flexible suction cup has an aperture disposed therethrough for fluid communication with the evacuation chamber. A plurality of support members extends from the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber to restrict movement of the flexible suction cup between the surface and the evacuation end of the evacuation chamber to allow fluid communication between an interior of the container and the evacuation chamber through the valve when the valve is in an open position while the piston is being reciprocated between the closed end and the evacuation end. Each support member has a distal surface disposed outside of an outer perimeter of the flexible suction cup.

Other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, wherein similar structures have similar reference numbers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to apparatuses such as vacuum pumps that create a vacuum to evacuate a void volume and/or to remove a gas, such as air, from a container. A container may include, for example, a sealable plastic container, a storage pouch with a valve, a can, a bottle, a hermetically sealable volume, a container with a removable lid with a valve associated therewith, and the like, and/or other containers suitable for vacuum packaging. While specific embodiments are discussed herein, it is understood that the present disclosure is to be considered only as an exemplification of the principles of the invention. The present disclosure is not intended to limit the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated.

As seen inFIGS. 1-6, an embodiment of a manual vacuum pump50includes a tube, or an evacuation chamber,100that has a first opening200at a first end, or an evacuation end,202and a second opening204at a second end, or a closed end,206. The tube100is illustratively shown inFIGS. 1 and 2as having a cross section that is circular, but the tube may have a cross section that is elliptical, triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, or some other suitable shape. The shape of the tube100may be selected to provide for enhanced gripping and control by a user, for ease of manufacture, or for other reasons. It is also contemplated that the tube100may be covered by a slip-on outer sleeve (not shown) having tackiness, compressibility, or other properties to further enhance gripping and control by a user.

A piston102is disposed in an interior104of the tube100, as shown inFIGS. 4-6. A first end106of a piston rod108is attached to the piston102. An end cap208shown inFIGS. 1-4is attached to and covers the second opening204of the tube100. The end cap208has a rod aperture210disposed through a central portion thereof. The piston rod108is disposed through the rod aperture210and a second end110of the piston rod is attached to a handle112that is disposed outside212of the tube100.

The handle112may be symmetrically disposed with regard to the piston rod108or may be asymmetrically disposed with regard to the piston rod, as best seen inFIG. 3. The handle112includes recessed finger grooves146on a side thereof attached to the piston rod108. The asymmetric attachment of the handle112and the finger grooves146may promote a better grip of the handle for ease of use of the manual vacuum pump50. The handle112may be attached to the piston rod108by any means known in the art, for example, a mechanical press fit, or an adhesive. The piston rod108may have a circular cross section or may have a flattened cross-sectional profile as shown inFIG. 2, or any other cross-sectional profile that may be advantageous for ease of use or manufacture. In this embodiment, the flattened cross section of the piston rod108allows the rod to fit between the fingers of a user gripping the handle112and may, therefore, promote a better grip and control of the handle for ease of use of the manual vacuum pump50.

It is also contemplated that a flared member (not shown) may be spaced along the piston rod108below the handle112to allow a user's fingers to be comfortably disposed between the handle112and the flared member. The flared member may enhance the utility of the manual vacuum pump50by allowing a user to establish an alternate grip on the handle112. The flared member may be integral with the handle112or separately attached to the piston rod108.

The end cap208, which may include knurling264to promote ease of installation, may be attached to the second opening204of the tube100by any means known in the art, for example, by an interference press fit, a tapered press fit, an adhesive, threads, or by a bayonet socket258, as shown inFIGS. 1-4. The end cap208is positioned over the second opening204such that longitudinal portions of each bayonet socket258line up with each bayonet protrusion260that extends from an outer surface262of the tube100. The end cap208is forced toward the tube100and then rotated until each bayonet protrusion260is seated in a corresponding bayonet socket258and the end cap is secured to the tube. Thus secured, the end cap208provides lateral support for the piston rod108that is disposed therethrough, while also providing a path for gas to escape from the tube100.

As best seen inFIG. 5, the piston102includes a top surface114on a side connected to the piston rod108. The piston102also includes a bottom surface116opposite to the top surface114. The top surface114is essentially planar and the bottom surface116includes a recess118. In this embodiment, the piston102is generally cylindrical to accommodate the circular tube100, and the piston102includes a peripheral check valve that comprises a sealing ring, for example, an O-ring124, seated in a peripheral groove120that is recessed into an outer peripheral surface122of the piston. The sealing ring may have a cross section that is circular or that is non-circular as known to one of skill in the art. The O-ring124is sized to transversely slide across the peripheral groove120and make contact with an upper sidewall121and a lower sidewall123of the peripheral groove. When disposed in contact with the lower sidewall123, as shown inFIG. 5, the O-ring may make gastight sealing contact with the lower sidewall123and an inner surface126of the tube100. A region of relief, for example, a notch130a, is disposed in the outer peripheral surface122of the piston102from the top surface114to the lower sidewall123of the peripheral groove120. The notch130ahas a base surface132that has a smaller radius with respect to a center of the piston102than the base surface128of the peripheral groove120. When disposed in contact with the upper sidewall121as shown inFIG. 6, the O-ring124is disposed over the notch130a. The depth of the base surface132allows clearance between an inner diameter of the O-ring and the base surface132, and this clearance provides a path, as indicated by the curved arrow133, through which gas may flow around the piston102from the bottom surface116to the top surface114. The piston102may have a second notch130b, or any further relief or a number of notches as may be appropriate to accommodate desired levels of gas flow, to preselect the force required to push the piston102downward, or for other reasons. In other embodiments (not shown), the piston102may have a shape other than cylindrical to accommodate other cross-sectional shapes for the tube100, as described herein, and may include other types of check valves. For example, the piston102may include an aperture therethrough and a mushroom valve disposed in the aperture. As a further example, a flap of resilient material overhanging the bottom surface116of the piston102at the outer peripheral surface122thereof may function as a check valve by forming a seal with the inner surface126of the tube100.

An interface member134is mounted to the first end202of the tube100. The interface member134includes a generally tapered first end136and a generally frustoconical flexible suction cup138opposite to the first end. An evacuation aperture140extends through the interface member134from the generally tapered first end136to the flexible suction cup138. A peripheral groove142is recessed into an outer peripheral surface144of the interface member134. The generally tapered first end136and the peripheral groove142allow the interface member134to be press fit into the first opening200of the tube100, wherein end wall214of the tube100fits into the peripheral groove142to hold the interface member within the first opening.

A support assembly250is attached to the first end202of the tube100. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 5, the support assembly250is press fit over the first end202of the tube100such that support wall252makes contact with the end wall214. Illustratively, the support assembly250includes support members254that include distal surfaces that extend longitudinally away a first distance from the first end202of the tube100. The flexible suction cup138extends away from the first end202of the tube by a second distance, wherein the difference between the second and first distances is sufficient to allow the flexible suction cup to flexibly form a seal against a surface of a container. For example, the first distance may be equal to, less than, or greater than the second distance to accommodate surface geometries of the container and/or the valve. Inner surfaces256of the distal surfaces of the support members254define an annulus that has a radius greater than a largest radius of the flexible suction cup138. Therefore, the support members254are long enough to allow the flexible suction cup138to form a seal against a surface while restricting the flexible suction cup from completely collapsing onto the surface. The support members254also allow for the manual vacuum pump50to rest on the surface, such as a valve disposed on a pouch, without applying pressure to the entire circumference surrounding the flexible suction cup138. This facilitates movement of gas from a portion of the pouch outside of the support members254to the evacuation aperture140. Further, by limiting the collapse of the flexible suction cup138onto the surface, a valve disposed underneath the non-collapsed portion may open more freely than if disposed under a collapsed portion of the flexible suction cup, facilitating evacuation of the pouch through the valve. The flexible suction cup138may have a non-circular footprint, or outer perimeter, and may, for example, have a footprint that is elliptical, oval, square, or another shape tailored to fit a particular container or valve thereon. Correspondingly, the support members254may also define a discontinuous or intermittent non-circular shaped footprint surrounding the flexible suction cup138, while still allowing the suction cup to form a gastight seal with a surface and restricting collapse of the flexible suction cup.

A surface of a container on which the flexible suction cup138is placed may require variable amounts of contact with the flexible suction cup to form a gastight seal therebetween, depending on characteristics of the surface, environmental conditions, the size of a one-way valve disposed on the surface, or other factors. To accommodate these factors while providing a gastight seal between the flexible suction cup138and the surface, it may be desirable to be able to adjust the restriction of movement of the flexible suction cup138when placed on the surface.FIG. 7shows an embodiment in which an adjustable support assembly350is adjustably attached to the first end202of the evacuation chamber100in such a manner, for example, via threads404, which allow the support assembly to be adjusted toward or away from the first end of the evacuation chamber. The support wall252shown inFIG. 5has been omitted in this embodiment to allow a fuller range of travel of the adjustable support assembly350through the threaded attachment. By adjusting the position of the adjustable support assembly350relative to the first end202of the evacuation chamber100, a user may adjust the first distance that distal surfaces of the support members254longitudinally extend from the first end of the evacuation chamber. A larger first distance disposes the distal ends of the support members254closer to, or past, the position at which the flexible suction cup138is disposed, and, therefore, allows less of the flexible suction cup freedom of motion to contact the surface. A smaller first distance disposes the distal ends of the support members254toward the first end202allowing a larger portion of the flexible suction cup138freedom to contact the surface, creating additional surface contact area to form a gastight seal.

A further embodiment includes an adjustable support assembly450having a multi-setting bayonet socket406attachment, as illustrated inFIG. 3. A bayonet protrusion408extends from the evacuation chamber100proximate to the first end202thereof. Each bayonet protrusion408may be slid along a corresponding bayonet socket406and be locked into place at one of several selectable latching positions410. The latching positions410are staggered such that each latching position410corresponds to a distinct distance that the support members254extend from the first end202. A user may select the particular latching position410as may be desired and as has been described above in regards toFIG. 7.

In another embodiment, shown inFIG. 8, a flexible suction cup238includes a small restraint button266disposed within a perimeter of the flexible suction cup and extending from an inner surface268thereof. Similar to the support members254, the restraint button266allows the flexible suction cup238to engage and to form a seal with a valve on a surface of a container, without blocking off gas flow through the valve. In this embodiment, the flexible suction cup238may be advantageous for use with smaller valves or valves that experience a functional enhancement when a portion of the valve is secured from moving.

Illustratively, an evacuation system employing the manual vacuum pump50described herein includes a one-way valve disposed on a container that allows gas to be evacuated from the container. Referring toFIG. 9, a container, such as a storage pouch300, having a valve302a,302b, or302c, may also include a gastight closure mechanism304across a mouth330of the storage pouch. Pouch sidewalls306,308are connected, such as by folding, heat seal, and/or adhesive, along the bottom peripheral edge322and the lateral peripheral edges324,326to define an interior space328therebetween. The mouth330is disposed along a top edge332where the first and second sidewalls306,308are not connected so as to allow access to the interior space328. When occluded, the closure mechanism304may provide a gastight seal such that a vacuum may be maintained in the interior328of the storage pouch300for a desired period of time, such as days, months, or years.

The closure mechanism304may comprise first and second interlocking closure elements that each may include one or more interlocking closure profiles (not shown). Further, a sealing material, such as a polyolefin material or a caulking composition, such as silicone grease may be disposed on or in the closure elements and closure profiles to fill in any gaps or spaces therein when occluded. The ends of the closure elements and closure profiles may also be welded or sealed by ultrasonic vibrations as is known in the art. Illustrative closure profiles, closure elements, sealing materials, and/or end seals useful in the present invention include those disclosed in Pawloski U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,474, Tomic et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,273, Sprehe U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,969, Kasai et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,866, Ausnit U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,796, Wright et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,041,249, Anderson U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0091179, Pawloski U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0234172, Tilman et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0048483, Anzini et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0093242, or Anzini et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0111226. Other closure profiles and closure elements useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/725,120, filed Mar. 16, 2007, and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/818,585, 11/818,586, and 11/818,593, each filed Jun. 15, 2007. It is further appreciated that the closure profiles or closure elements disclosed herein may be operated by hand, or a slider may be used to assist in occluding and de-occluding the closure profiles and closure elements. It is also contemplated that a pouch useful herein may also be closed by other methods known to those skilled in the art other than, or in conjunction with, interlocking profiles, including, for example, heat sealing as disclosed in, for example, Bassett et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0155607.

The sidewalls306,308of the storage pouch300, and/or the closure mechanism304, may be formed from thermoplastic resins by known extrusion methods. For example, the sidewalls306,308may be independently extruded of thermoplastic material as a single continuous or multi-ply web, and the closure mechanism304may be extruded of the same or different thermoplastic material(s) separately as continuous lengths or strands. Illustrative thermoplastic materials include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), metallocene-polyethylene (mPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), ultra low density polyethylene (ULDPE), biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BPET), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), among other polyolefin plastomers and combinations and blends thereof. Further, the inner surfaces of the respective sidewalls306,308or a portion or area thereof may, for example, be composed of a polyolefin plastomer such as an AFFINITY™ resin manufactured by Dow Plastics. Such portions or areas include, for example, the area of one or both of the sidewalls306,308proximate and parallel to the closure mechanism304to provide an additional cohesive seal between the sidewalls when the storage pouch300is evacuated of gas. The sidewalls306,308may also be formed of air-impermeable film, such as an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) ply adhesively secured between PP and LDPE plies to provide a multilayer film. Other additives such as colorants, slip agents, and antioxidants, including, for example, talc, oleamide or hydroxyl hydrocinnamate may also be added as desired. The closure mechanism304may also be extruded primarily of molten PE with various amounts of slip component, colorant, and talc additives in a separate process. The fully formed closure mechanism304may be attached to each sidewall306,308using a strip of molten thermoplastic weld material, or by an adhesive known by those skilled in the art, for example. Other thermoplastic resins and air-impermeable films useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, Tilman et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No 2006/0048483.

The containers and resealable pouch described herein can be made by various techniques known to those skilled in the art including those described in, for example, Geiger et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,248. Other useful techniques to make a resealable pouch include those described in, for example, Zieke et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,789. Additional techniques to make a resealable pouch include those described in, for example, Porchia et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,561. Additional examples of making a resealable pouch as described herein include, for example, a cast post applied process, a cast integral process, and/or a blown process.

Illustratively, the valve302a-302cmay be a check valve or a one-way valve, to allow gas to be evacuated from the storage pouch300and to maintain a vacuum when the closure mechanism304, as previously described herein, has been sealed. Illustrative valves useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, Newrones et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0228057, Buchman U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0172157, and Tilman et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0154118. The valve302amay be a flat film valve as disclosed in, for example, Engel et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,555, or a commercially available flat film valve such as, for example, a PLITEK® PV-28 or PV-44, both manufactured by Plitek, LLC, in Des Plaines, Ill. As a further example, the valve302bmay be an offset aperture valve as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/818,591 filed on Jun. 15, 2007.

Further referring toFIG. 9, one or both of the pouch sidewalls306,308may be embossed or otherwise textured with a pattern318, such as a diamond pattern to create flow channels320on one or both surfaces spaced between a bottom peripheral edge322of the storage pouch300and the closure mechanism304, or a separate textured and embossed patterned wall (not shown) may be used to provide flow channels within an interior of the storage pouch300. The flow channels320may provide fluid communication between the pouch interior and the valve302a-302cwhen gas is being drawn through the valve. Illustrative flow channels useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, Zimmerman et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0286808, Buchman U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0172157, and Tilman et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0048483 and 2007/0154118. Other flow channels useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/818,584, filed on Jun. 15, 2007.

It is further contemplated that a suitable container for use with the manual vacuum pump may include rigid walls310, as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7, and as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/818,591, filed Jun. 15, 2007. A container312having a container lid314that sealingly fits on a hard-walled container body316is illustrated. Such a container may also include a flexible and/or an elastic component that collapses as gas is drawn from the container, while the rigid walls310maintain their shape. A container useful herein includes those disclosed in, for example, Zettle et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,827 or Stanos et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,231. The valve302a-302cmay be applied to the lid314, as shown inFIG. 10, or may be applied to one of the rigid walls310, as shown inFIG. 11.

The evacuation system described herein is operated, for example, by placing the interface member134of the manual vacuum pump50over the one-way valve302a-302clocated on a container. The interface member134is positioned over the one-way valve302a-302csuch that the evacuation aperture140is disposed above the one-way valve. The flexible suction cup138may now form a seal with a surface surrounding the one-way valve302a-302c. As the piston rod108is reciprocated upwardly from the tube100, the O-ring124maintains a seal with the inner surface126of the tube and the lower sidewall123of the peripheral groove120. A vacuum is created by an expanding volume between the piston102and the one-way valve302a-302c. The flexible suction cup138may partially collapse around a periphery thereof under the force of this vacuum to form a gastight seal with the one-way valve302a-302c. However, the support members254restrict further collapse of the flexible suction cup138that might block gas flow through the valve302a-302c. In another embodiment, the restraint button266also makes contact with the one-way valve302a-302cto further allow the flexible suction cup238to engage with and to form a seal with the valve, without blocking gas flow through the valve.

As the piston rod108is reciprocated downwardly into the tube100, the O-ring124slides transversely across the peripheral groove120to a position wherein the O-ring is disposed over the notch130a. The seal between the O-ring124and the lower sidewall123of the peripheral groove120is broken, allowing passage of gas past the O-ring and through the notch130a. Gas is exhausted from the tube100through clearances between the tube and the end cap208and between the end cap and the piston rod108. The evacuation cycle is repeated by reciprocating the piston rod108within the tube100.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure provides an evacuation system that comprises a vacuum device that may form a gastight seal with a one-way valve on a container. The evacuation system enables the evacuation of a storage container, such as a vacuum storage pouch, to allow food or other perishables to be stored in the container for an extended period of time.

Numerous modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying out the same. The exclusive rights to all modifications within the scope of the claims are reserved. All patents, patent publications and applications, and other references cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.