Abstract:
The invention is directed to a pour and seal assembly and method of using the same. The assembly includes a closure configured to seal an opening of a food stuffs container including a lid configured to securely cover an opening to a container holding food stuffs, a lid collar configured to, in part, form the opening and further configured to engage the lid and seal the opening to the container, and an internal collar configured to be arranged at least partially in the lid collar and to hold a portion of the container against the lid collar and further, in part, seal the opening to the container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 61/105,874, filed on Oct. 16, 2008, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention is directed generally to an assembly and a method of its use for sealing containers of food stuffs and, more particularly, to sealing bag containers of food stuffs. 
         [0004]    2. Related Art 
         [0005]    In order to maintain various food stuffs fresh, such as snacks, cereal, and the like, manufacturers will often place these food stuffs in bag containers or other types of containers for transport and storage. These containers will keep the food stuffs fresh for long periods of time. However, once a consumer opens the bag, the food stuffs are then exposed to the environment and this will in turn reduce the shelf life of the food stuffs. In other words, the food stuffs will become stale or the like. Consumers in the past have used a number of different approaches to keep such containers closed in order to increase the shelf life of the food stuffs. This included rolling the open end of the bag in such a manner so as to close of the open end, clipping the bag with an elastic clip such as a “chip-clip,” and so on. These approaches are not satisfactory as they do not always provide an air-tight closure, they may be cumbersome to use, and so on. Moreover, the open end of the bag often does not provide a very user-friendly opening for pouring. In this regard, the open end of the bag oftentimes collapses, is jagged or will close undesirably thereby making it difficult to pour out the contents of the bag or causing a spill. 
         [0006]    Other approaches to trying to rectify the issue of providing increased shelf life of bagged food stuffs and also finding more user-friendly pouring have included moving the food stuffs into an altogether new container. The drawbacks on these new containers is that they are more costly and also more difficult to clean. In that regard, a consumer must buy a new container to contain each of the different kinds of food stuffs and then once the food stuffs have been depleted, must then clean the container. This is time consuming. Additionally, the new containers often have a great deal of open space or air space within the container itself. This air is exposed to the food stuffs and typically reduces the shelf life of the food stuffs whereas a bag of food stuffs will allow for the evacuation of air and will likely keep food stuffs fresher longer. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus that provides a way in which to seal bagged food stuffs that also allows for a more user friendly sealing to increase freshness and shelf life, and pouring of the food stuffs therein. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The invention meets the foregoing need and provides an assembly that is lower cost, seals well, and allows for user friendly pouring and storage of food stuffs and that furthermore includes other advantages apparent from the discussion herein. 
         [0009]    The invention may be implemented in a number of ways. According to one aspect of the invention includes a closure configured to seal an opening of a food stuffs container including a lid configured to securely cover an opening to a container holding food stuffs, a lid collar configured to, in part, form the opening and further configured to engage the lid and seal the opening to the container, and an internal collar configured to be arranged at least partially in the lid collar and to hold a portion of the container against the lid collar and further, in part, seal the opening to the container. 
         [0010]    Another aspect of the invention includes a closure configured to attach and seal an opening of a food stuffs container including a lid configured to securely cover an opening to a container holding food stuffs, a lid collar configured to, in part, form the opening and further configured to engage the lid and seal the opening to the container, and an internal collar configured to be arranged at least partially in the lid collar and to hold a portion of the container against the lid collar and further, in part, seal the opening to the container, wherein the container comprises a bag. 
         [0011]    Yet another aspect of the invention includes a closure configured to attach and seal an opening of a food stuffs container including a lid configured to securely cover an opening to a container holding food stuffs, a lid collar configured to, in part, form the opening and further configured to engage the lid and seal the opening to the container, an internal collar configured to be arranged at least partially in the lid collar and to hold a portion of the container against the lid collar and further, in part, seal the opening to the container, and wherein the lid collar and the internal collar are configured to have a frictional fit with respect to one another and the container, and a lid connector that is configured to connect the lid to the lid collar, wherein the container comprises a bag and at least one of the lid collar, lid, and internal collar are formed of synthetic materials. 
         [0012]    Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the pour and seal assembly in a disassembled configuration with the lid open; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the pour and seal assembly in the assembled configuration with the lid closed; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the pour and seal assembly with the lid open; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the pour and seal assembly in the disassembled configuration with the lid open; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a front view of the pour and seal configuration with the lid closed but in the disassembled configuration; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a cross-section view of the pour and seal assembly in the disassembled configuration and with the lid open; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another aspect of the pour and seal assembly having a larger configuration with the lid closed and fully assembled; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section view of the pour and seal assembly aspect of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the  FIG. 7  aspect; 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a side view of the pour and seal assembly in the process of going from the unassembled open lid arrangement on the left to the lid closed arrangement on the right aligned with a collar prior to assembly; 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  shows a partial view of the pour and seal aspect of  FIG. 7  with the lid in the open position; 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is another aspect of the pour and seal assembly that has a large opening with the lid closed and assembled; 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of the  FIG. 12  aspect; 
           [0027]      FIG. 14  is a partial side view of the pour and seal assembly aspect of  FIG. 12  in the unassembled arrangement with the lid open; 
           [0028]      FIG. 15  is an assembled view of the pour and seal assembly aspect of  FIG. 12  with the lid in the closed position; 
           [0029]      FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of the  FIG. 12  aspect; 
           [0030]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the  FIG. 12  aspect with the lid open; 
           [0031]      FIG. 18  is a partial perspective view of the pour and seal assembly of the  FIG. 12  aspect that includes only the collar; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 19  is a cross section of another aspect of the pour and seal assembly. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0033]    The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
         [0034]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the pour and seal assembly in a disassembled configuration with the lid open;  FIG. 2  is a side view of the pour and seal assembly in the assembled configuration with the lid closed;  FIG. 3  is a top view of the pour and seal assembly with the lid open;  FIG. 4  is a side view of the pour and seal assembly in the disassembled configuration with the lid open;  FIG. 5  is a front view of the pour and seal configuration with the lid closed but in the disassembled configuration; and  FIG. 6  is a cross-section view of the pour and seal assembly in the disassembled configuration and with the lid open. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the pour and seal closure  100  may be used to attach to a container, such as a bag of food stuffs, in order to close and seal the opening of the container of food stuffs to seal the same within the container. Moreover, the pour and seal closure  100  may also provide a more user friendly opening from which to pour the contents of the container, in particular to pour the food stuffs out of the container. In one particular aspect, the pour and seal closure  100  may include a lid collar  104 , a lid  102 , and an internal collar  110 . The lid  102  may be used to interact and close the opening to the container formed by at least the lid collar  104 . The internal collar  110  may be used to cooperate with the lid collar  104  to connect to the food container to form a strong connection to the container and maintain the pour and seal closure  100  arranged firmly with the container so that it will not easily be removed therefrom. 
         [0035]    The lid  102  may take a number of different arrangements, but in the arrangement shown in the figures, the lid  102  may include a tab  108  to allow a user to more easily grasp the lid  102  so that it may be removed from the closed position relative to the lid collar  104 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , when the lid  102  is moved into engagement (closed) with the lid collar  104  and/or internal collar  110 , thus providing a sealed arrangement with respect to the lid collar  104 , the lid  102  may be removed from the lid collar  104  and/or internal collar  110  by the user grasping the tab  108  and moving the tab upwardly to pry the lid  102  out of engagement (open) with the lid collar  104  and/or internal collar  110 . Of course, other arrangements of the tab  108  and lid  102 , including no tab, are contemplated by the invention herein. 
         [0036]    The lid  102  may engage the lid collar  104  and/or internal collar  110  by any known type of arrangement. In particular, the invention contemplates some form of frictional fit between the lid  102  and the internal collar  110 . In particular, as shown, for example in  FIG. 6 , the lid collar  102  may include a locking groove  118 . This locking groove may be a groove or other type of structure within the lid  102  to engage a similar or opposite structure in the internal collar  110 . As further shown in  FIG. 6 , the internal collar  110  may include a locking ridge  1   16 . When the lid  102  is inserted into the internal collar  1   10  the locking groove  118  may engage the locking ridge  116  and form a frictional fit connection therebetween. Accordingly, the lid  102  may be held firmly and not have a tendency to easily open. Of course these features may be reversed, rearranged, or replaced with equivalent features. For example, the  FIG. 19  aspect shows the ridge  116  on the lid  102  and the groove  118  on the lid collar  104 . 
         [0037]    The internal collar  110  may be used to engage, as noted above, the food stuffs container. In this regard, a food stuffs container such as a bag, may be opened by the user in a normal fashion. Thereafter, the open end of the bag  202  may be inserted through the internal collar  110  with the remaining portion of the bag  204  extending therebelow. Thereafter, the lid collar  104  may be pressed onto the internal collar  110  providing a firm connection and seal thereto. This is best shown in  FIG. 6  wherein the open end of the bag  202  is shown extending out from the internal collar  110 . The remaining part of the bag portion  204  holding food stuffs is shown with dotted lines to indicate that this is a partial view only. From the  FIG. 6  arrangement, the lid collar  104  may be pushed downwardly, as shown by arrow A, toward the internal collar  110  to engage and lock thereto. Thereafter, the lid  102  may be moved in the direction of arrow B and rotated into the lid collar  104  to engage the same to provide a frictional fit thereto. When a user decides that they would like to obtain some of the contents in the container, then the user may then grasp the lid  102 , for example by the tab  108 , and rotate the lid  102  in the direction of arrow C to open the container. The internal collar  110  and lid collar  104  then provide a convenient and open pouring opening for the user to pour out the contents of the container. Thereafter, to seal the container the user may then rotate the lid  102  in the direction of arrow D to again seal the container  200 . 
         [0038]    The internal collar  110  may engage the lid collar  104  in any number of different ways. However, in the aspects shown in the figures, the lid collar  104  may engage the internal collar  110  through a frictional fit type of arrangement. In this regard, the frictional fit arrangement may include a locking groove  112  on the lid collar  104  that may engage with a locking ridge  114  on the internal collar  110 . Accordingly, these two components engaging each other may engage a portion of the food stuffs container therebetween the locking ridge  114  and the locking groove  112  to provide a frictional engagement between each other to provide a snug fit that will not allow the pour and seal closure  100  to be easily removed from the container. Of course other arrangements to connect these components are also contemplated. 
         [0039]    The lid  102  may be connected to the lid collar  104  with a lid connector  106 . In this regard, the lid connector  106  may take any particular form or configuration, however a flat, flexible material arrangement provides a useful way to connect the lid top  102  to the lid collar  104 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another aspect of the pour and seal assembly having a larger configuration with the lid closed and fully assembled;  FIG. 8  is a cross-section view of the pour and seal assembly aspect of  FIG. 7 ;  FIG. 9  is a top view of the aspect of  FIG. 7 ;  FIG. 10  is a side view of the pour and seal assembly in the process of going from the unassembled open lid arrangement on the left to the lid closed arrangement to the right aligned with a collar prior to assembly; and  FIG. 11  shows a partial view of the pour and seal aspect of  FIG. 7  with the lid in the open position. In particular,  FIGS. 7 to 11  show a different arrangement of the pour and seal closure  100  that includes a different arrangement and sizing of the various components of the pour and seal closure  100 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 12  is another aspect of the pour and seal assembly that has a large opening with the lid closed and assembled;  FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of the  FIG. 12  aspect;  FIG. 14  is a partial side view of the pour and seal assembly aspect of  FIG. 12  in the unassembled arrangement with the lid open;  FIG. 15  is an assembled view of the pour and seal assembly aspect of  FIG. 12  with the lid in the closed position;  FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of the  FIG. 12  aspect;  FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the  FIG. 12  aspect with the lid open;  FIG. 18  is a partial perspective view of the pour and seal assembly of the  FIG. 12  aspect that includes only the collar; and  FIG. 19  is a cross section of another aspect of the pour and seal assembly. 
         [0042]    In particular,  FIGS. 12 through 19  show yet another aspect of the pour and seal closure  100  having a different arrangement, configuration, and sizing. This aspect has a large curved corner rectangle opening and the groove  118  and ridge  116  is rearranged. 
         [0043]    The construction of the above noted pour and seal closure  100  may be made by molding synthetic materials. In particular, the pour and seal closure may be formed of a synthetic plastic or rubber material. For example, the lid and the lid collar may be formed from thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and the internal collar may be formed of polypropylene. However, any type of material that may provide the required strength and flexibility is within the scope of the invention. Moreover, the materials may include any combination of new or recycled materials as needed. 
         [0044]    Moreover, the pour and seal closure may take any known configuration. As noted above, the pour and seal closure  100  may take a circular or curved corner rectangle cross section to provide a unique opening to the container of food stuffs that it is connected to, however any shape is contemplated by the invention including square, rectangular, oval, triangular and so on. Additionally, although the connector  106  is shown as a flat material, any type of arrangement that connects the lid  102  to the food collar  104  is contemplated by the invention including none at all. Furthermore, although the type of container used in conjunction with the pour and seal closure  100  is a bag container, any type of container may be used in conjunction with the invention as long as it is able to, with modifications known to the skill of the art, connect to the pour and seal enclosure  100 . Finally, it is noted above that this seal and pour closure  100  may be used with food stuffs, it is contemplated that other types of storage materials may be used in conjunction with this device that are non-food stuffs. 
         [0045]    While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention.