Abstract:
The present invention is a container having at least one sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface. A bottom wall connects to the side wall to form an enclosure. The inner surface and the bottom wall define some of the boundaries of a cavity that is formed within the container. A lid is designed to attach to a portion of sidewall where an opening is defined of the cavity. An oxygen/moisture diminishing material is disposed within the container. The oxygen/moisture diminishing material absorbs and retains, in some instances immobilizes, a liquid/gas material inside the container for shipping.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY  
       [0001]    The present patent application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/558,982 filed Apr. 27, 2000; which relies on the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/184,917, filing date of Feb. 25, 2000. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to containers for shipping metallic products.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    There is a need for shipping containers that are suitable for shipping metal products in an oxygen diminished environment and/or moisture diminished environment.  
           [0004]    Desiccant packages, shaped like a sugar packet have been inserted into containers to ship metal products. These desiccant packages diminish the oxygen and the moisture in containers. The desiccant packages having an outer layer and inner contents of conventional desiccant material. When the packet is to be used, it is inserted within an outer container, i.e., a conventional tin can.  
           [0005]    A problem with this prior art system is that the small package does not diminish the oxygen and the moisture to a sufficient level for adequate shipping. the present invention solves this problem.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention meets the above-described need by providing a container having at least one sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface. A bottom wall connects to the side wall to form an enclosure. The inner surface and the bottom wall define some of the boundaries of a cavity that is formed within the container. A lid is designed to attach to a portion of sidewall where an opening is defined of the cavity. An oxygen/moisture diminishing material is disposed within the container. The oxygen/moisture diminishing material absorbs and retains, in some instances immobilizes, certain gases, like oxygen, or water, or liquids like water, that are found within the container. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures of which:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container of the present invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container of the present invention with the lid removed;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a cut-away side view of the container;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first alternate embodiment of the present invention; and,  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second alternate embodiment.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    In FIG. 1 a container  10  having a side wall  13 , a lid  22 , and a bottom wall  16  that defines the boundaries of a cavity  8  is shown. The side wall  13 , as shown, is cylindrical and defines the side boundaries of the cavity  8 . The bottom wall  16  is planar and defines the bottom boundary of the cavity  8 . Other shapes would also be suitable for these elements, for example, wall  13  can have a polygon shape and wall  16  corresponds to the shape of wall  13  except it can be planar as shown in FIG. 1, indented into the cavity as shown in FIG. 3, or protrude beyond the wall  13 . Also, the side wall  13  and bottom wall  16  may be constructed of any suitable material such as cardboard, wood, plastic, or metal.  
         [0014]    The bottom wall  16  closes off one end of the container  10 . At the opposite end, an opening  19  is defined at the end of the side wall  13 . A lid  22  attaches to the open end of the container  13  and is designed to define the top boundary of the cavity  8 .  
         [0015]    The lid  22  may be provided with a ribbed surface  23  for easier gripping. The lid  22  may also be provided with a set of internal threads capable of engaging with a set of external threads  24 , as shown in FIG. 2, disposed on the container  13 . Alternatively, the lid  22  could attach to a set of internal threads  25  or internal ribs (not shown.) The lid  22  may be freely removable or it may be a conventional one-way locking lid such that once the lid  22  is attached to the container  10  it cannot be removed without evidence of the lid being tampered with.  
         [0016]    The lid  22  and container  10  may be provided with a lock that does not allow the lid  22  to be removed without creating a visual indication of the fact that it has been removed, tampered with or it may cause damage to the container  10 . The lid  22  may be constructed from a translucent or transparent material so the contents of the container  10  can be viewed without opening the lid  22 .  
         [0017]    Turning to FIG. 3, in a first embodiment the side wall  13  is covered with an oxygen/moisture diminishing material  25 . When a liquid and/or gas contacts the material  25 , the material  25  absorbs and then retains gases, like oxygen and moisture, and liquids, preferably aqueous solutions. An example of material  25  is silica gel, (Gelok X-540 A/A, or Gelok X-422 N/N), clay composition known as Gelok X-542 A/A, desiccant known as Gelok X-387 N/N, EDTA from Gelok X-427 N/N, and activated carbon (Gelok 5038 A/A).  
         [0018]    In one embodiment, the material  25  is bonded to the side wall  13  by a conventional adhesive(s) or the like.  
         [0019]    In FIG. 4, an alternate embodiment of the invention is shown where the material  25  is disposed on the bottom wall  16 . In a preferred embodiment, the material  25  may be disposed on both the side wall  13  and the bottom wall  16 . To ensure the material  25  absorbs and retains the desired moisture and gases-oxygen.  
         [0020]    In another alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the container  10  has an additional layer  28  of a water and gas permeable material. Layer  28  is any conventional water permeable material, such as starch paper, polyvinyl acetate, water-soluble synthetic polymer films and water-soluble natural polymers. Examples of water/gas permeable synthetic polymer films include partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol, polyethers, such as polyethylene oxide and the like, polyvinylpyrolidone, ethylenically unsaturated acids, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, and polymers formed from the salts thereof.  
         [0021]    Examples of water/gas permeable semisynthetic polymer films include cellulose derivatives, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, and starch derivative such as cyclodextrin. As for the water soluble natural polymers, those include carrageena, starch, gelatin, and chitin.  
         [0022]    The layer  28  attaches to predetermined portions of the side wall  13  and, in some cases, the bottom wall. The material  25  is contained between the side wall  13  and the layer  28 .  
         [0023]    In operation, the layer  28  dissolves when a liquid/gas material contacts or allows the liquid/gas to penetrate through the layer  28 . The liquid/gas then contacts the material  25  which absorbs and then retains the liquid/gas as described above. After the liquid is retained, the liquid/gas can be extracted from the material  25  through a process that is described in another U.S. patent application that is licensed to the assignee of this application.  
         [0024]    Accordingly, in some instances it may be desirable to have the additional layer  28  cover the material  25  until a metal product is deposited into the container  10 .  
         [0025]    As an option and in order to avoid the possibility of contamination, the container  10  may be constructed of a size and shape that is suitable for specific purposes. The container  10  need not have a fixed bottom wall  16 , as shown in FIG. 1. Instead, the bottom wall  16  could be a seal of the sidewalls as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,087.  
         [0026]    Once the metal product is placed in the container  10 , the lid  22  is attached to the top of the container  10  by screwing or snapping it onto the end of the side wall  13  of the container  10 . As discussed above, the lid  22  may be a standard removable type with a set of threads capable of engaging with threads disposed on the container  10 . As an alternative, the container  10  can also be provided with a locking lid that will provide a visual indication if the lid is tampered with before it is received at its predetermined destination. Another alternative is to have a locking lid of the type where it cannot be removed without a special tool. If the lid  22  is removed without the tool, damage to the container  10  will occur and it will be obvious that the container  10  has been tampered with.  
         [0027]    Once the container  10  is received at its destination, the metal product is removed and if desired the entrapped gases and moisture in material  25 , can be separated from the material  25  through an osmosis process without any adverse ingredients being incorporated in the formerly entrapped material.  
         [0028]    The present invention can also have a lid that seals from the side walls coming together, as shown on commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,087.  
         [0029]    Accordingly, the present invention provides a container for shipping a metal product and also provides a method for shipping such products without adverse effects from moisture and certain gases.  
         [0030]    Alternatively, the lid  22  can be a conventional, non-locking, non-tamper-evident lid that merely covers the container  10 . For example, it could just slip on to the container  10 .  
         [0031]    While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.