Patent Publication Number: US-9427884-B2

Title: Vacuum release systems

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 61/521,858, filed Aug. 10, 2011. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure is directed to systems for releasing a vacuum in an open inverted container. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A liquid can be slowly and steadily drained through a single opening in a container by tilting the container so that air flows into the container through the opening while the liquid is flowing out through the opening. However, in an effort to increase the flow rate of the liquid, one typically inverts the container, but the liquid contents block the opening, preventing air from entering the container. As a result, a vacuum forms within the container which is repeatedly released when small amounts of the liquid falls through the opening followed by volumes of air that rapidly rush into the container through the same opening. This repeated interruption in the flow of the liquid causes the container to jolt up and down and sideways as the mass of the liquid contents rapidly changes and the liquid sloshes with each quick release of a small amount of the liquid through the opening. The jolts subside and a smooth steady flow of the liquid eventually occurs after much of the liquid is emptied and can no longer prevent the flow of air into the container. 
     SUMMARY 
     Vacuum release systems that allow rapid, uninterrupted flow of a liquid through a first opening in a container when the container is inverted are disclosed. The vacuum release systems include a hole punch and can be secured to the outer surface of the container. When the liquid-filled container is inverted, pressure applied to the hole punch forms a second opening in the side of the container. The second opening releases the vacuum by allowing air to flow into the container through the second opening. As a result, the liquid contents are rapidly emptied from the container through the first opening without interruption in the flow. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an exploded perspective view of an example vacuum release system. 
         FIG. 2A  shows a side view of the vacuum release system shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2B  shows a cross-sectional view of the vacuum release system shown in  FIG. 2A  along a line A-A. 
         FIGS. 3A-3B  show side and cross-sectional views of an example vacuum release system. 
         FIGS. 4A-4F  show isometric and cross-sectional views of an example implementation of the vacuum release system shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  shows an example of a hole punch. 
         FIG. 6A  shows a cross-sectional view of an example vacuum release system. 
         FIGS. 6B-6D  show cross-sectional views of an example implementation of the vacuum release system shown in  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 7  shows a cross-section view of the vacuum release system shown in  FIG. 6A  including a gasket. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various vacuum release system embodiments are now described.  FIG. 1  shows an exploded perspective view of an example vacuum release system  100 . The system  100  includes a rear housing  102 , a hole punch  104 , and a front housing  106 . The rear housing  102  includes a curved ring-shaped plate  110  and a male end  112  composed of hollow cylinder  114  with a perforated base  116  that includes a number of vents  118  distributed around a first central opening  120 . The punch  104  includes a shaft  122  with a tapered end  124  and a ring  126  disposed along the shaft  122  and a head  128  opposite the tapered end  124 . The front housing  106  includes a face  130  and a hollow cylinder  132  that extends from the face  130 . A central portion of the face  130  is a base for the cylinder  132  and includes a number of vents  134  distributed around a second central opening  136  that lie within the base of the cylinder  132 . The cylinder  132  forms a female end to receive the male end  112  of the rear housing  102 . 
       FIG. 2A  shows a side view of the system  100 .  FIG. 2B  shows a cross-sectional view along a line A-A, shown in  FIG. 2A , of the male end  112  of the rear housing  102  inserted into the female end of the front housing  106 . The male end  112  can be press fit into the female end. This is accomplished with the diameter d of the male end  112  of the rear housing  102  being slightly larger than, slightly smaller than, or approximately the same as the diameter D of the cylinder  132  in order to create frictional forces between the inner wall of the cylinder  132  and the inner surface of the cylinder  114  that hold the male end  112  within the cylinder  132 . 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 3A , the male end  112  of the rear housing  102  can include a number of tapered rings  302  located along the outside of the cylinder  114 .  FIG. 3B  shows a cross-sectional view along a line B-B, shown in  FIG. 3A , of the male end  112  of the rear housing  102  inserted into the female end of the front housing  106 . The male end  112  can be press fit into the female end with the diameter of the rings  302  being slightly larger than, slightly smaller than, or approximately the same as the diameter of the cylinder  132  in order to create frictional forces between the rings and the inner surface of the cylinder  114  that hold the male end  112  within the cylinder  132 . 
     In still other embodiments, the male end  112  of the rear housing  102  and the female end of the front housing  106  can be threaded so that the male end  112  can be securely fastened to the female end. 
     The front housing  106  is composed of a flexible material, such as rubber, that compresses when a force is applied and springs back to its original shape when the force is removed. The rear housing and hole punch can be composed of plastics, thermoplastics, aluminum, steel, or any other suitable material. The rear and front housings, hole punches, and caps can be fabricated using any combination of injection molding and/or machining to achieve the desire shape and size of the vacuum release system components. 
       FIGS. 4A-4F  show isometric and cross-sectional views of an example implementation of the vacuum release system  100 . In  FIG. 4A , the system  100  is secured near the base of an upright liquid-filled container  402  with a sleeve  404  that wraps around the base of the container  402 . The container  402  includes a small first opening  406  through which the liquid contents of the container are to be emptied. Although, the sleeve  404  is shown as a wrap that encompasses a portion of the cylindrical wall of the container  402 , the sleeve can include a base (not shown) so that the sleeve can encase the bottom and cylindrical wall of the container  402 . The sleeve  404  can be composed of a fabric, foam, or an insulating material.  FIG. 4B  shows a cross-sectional view of the system  100  along a line C-C, shown in  FIG. 4A . The system  100  is thinly attached to a portion of the cylindrical wall  408  of the container  402 . The sleeve  404  includes an aperture through which the female end of the front housing  106  is inserted. As shown in the cross-sectional view, the plate  110  of the rear housing  102  is disposed between the wall  408  and the sleeve  404  and a portion of the sleeve  404  surrounding the aperture substantially fills a gap between the plate  110  and the front housing  106 . In  FIG. 4C , the container  402  is inverted to empty the liquid contents through the first opening  406 . When the container  402  is inverted, as shown in  FIG. 4C , a vacuum forms inside the container  402 , which is released when a force applied to the head of the hole punch  104  forms a second opening in the container wall  408 .  FIG. 4D  shows a cross-sectional view of system  100  along a line D-D, shown in  FIG. 4C . The force drives the punch  104  so that the tapered end  124  of the punch  104  forms a second opening  410  in the wall  408  of the container  402 .  FIG. 4D  also reveals that a portion of the front housing  106  around the punch  104  is compressed. When the force applied to the punch  104  is removed, the front housing  106  springs back to its uncompressed shaped which, in turn, removes the punch  104  from the hole  410  so that air can flow into the interior of the container  402 , as shown in  FIG. 4E .  FIG. 4F  shows a cross-sectional view of the system  100  along a line E-E shown in  FIG. 4E . In  FIGS. 4E-4F , the vacuum is released as the liquid begins to empty through the first opening  406  and air is drawn into the container  402  through the vents  118  and  134  in the rear and front housings  102  and  106 . The second opening  410  releases the vacuum formed in the inverted container  402  by allowing air to flow into the container  402  through the vents  118  and  134 . As a result, the liquid contents of the container  402  can rapidly flow uninterrupted through the first opening  406 , as shown in  FIG. 4E . 
     Returning to  FIG. 2B , the ring  126  is positioned to lie between face  130  of the front housing  106  and the base  116  of the rear housing  102 . The ring  126  is positioned along the shaft  122  in close proximity to the head  128  to prevent the punch  104  from falling through the opening  136  in the front housing  106 . Alternatively, the ring can be positioned along the shaft and spaced an appropriate distance from the head in order to secure the rear housing to the front housing.  FIG. 5  shows an example of a hole punch  502  that includes a shaft  504 , a tapered end  506 , a head  508 , and a ring  510  located along the shaft and spaced from the head  508  so that the ring  510  lies against the inner surface of the base  116  and the head  508  lies against the outer face  130  of the front housing  106 . The ring  510  and head  508  are spaced along the shaft  504  so that when the system  100  is assembled as shown in  FIG. 5 , the ring  510  and head  508  do not compress the flexible front housing  106  but instead apply enough force to secure the rear housing  102  to the front housing  106  and accommodate the thickness of the sleeve  404 . 
     Alternatively, the diameter of the ring of the hole punch can be extended to cover the vents in the base of the rear housing. As a result, the hole punch can be used to form a hole in the wall of container, as described above with reference to  FIGS. 4C-4D , and can be used as a value to allow air to flow into the container when the container is inverted, as described above with reference to  FIGS. 4E-4F , and prevent liquid from draining through the second opening when the container is placed upright.  FIG. 6A  shows an example of a system  600 . The system  600  is similar to the system  100  described above except the system  600  includes a hole punch  602  with a shaft  604 , a tapered end  606 , a head  608 , and a ring  610  located along the shaft and is spaced from the head  608  as described above with reference to  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 6A , the diameter of the ring  610  is large enough the cover the vents  118  in the base  116  of the rear housing  102  but does not extend to the inner wall of the cylinder  114 , leaving a ring-shaped gap between the inner wall of the cylinder  114  and the outer edge of the ring  610 . 
       FIGS. 6B-6D  show cross-sectional views of an example implementation of the vacuum release system  600  shown in  FIG. 6A . The system  600  is attached to a cylindrical wall  614  of a container and operated in a similar manner to the system  100 . In  FIG. 6B , a force is applied to the head  608  of the punch  602  to than a second opening  616  in the wall  614  of the inverted container, as described above with reference to  FIG. 4C-4D . In  FIG. 6C , the force applied to the punch  602  can be relaxed, air flows in the inverted container through the vents  118  and  134 , the gap  612 , and the second opening  616  so that the liquid contents of the container can flow freely through the first opening, as described above with reference to  FIGS. 4E-4F . In  FIG. 6D , the force applied to the punch  602  is removed and the front housing  106  springs back to its uncompressed shaped which, in turn, forces the ring  610  against the inner surface of the plate  116 . When the container is restored to an upright position, a portion of any remaining liquid contents of the container may flow into the hollow space of the cylinder  114  through the second opening, as shown in  FIG. 6D . However, because the ring  610  is forced against the plate  116 , the liquid is prevented from flowing out though the vents  118 . Note that the rear housing  102  can be composed of a flexible material that forms a seal with the container wall  616  to prevent the liquid from leaking out between the plate  110  and the container wall  614 . For example, the rear housing  102  can be composed of rubber or the plate  110  can be composed of rubber. 
     Alternatively,  FIG. 7  shows a cross-sectional view of the system  600  including a gasket  702  disposed between the plate  110  and the container wall  616 . The gasket  702  prevents the liquid from leaking out between the plate  110  and the container wall  614  when the container is restored to an upright position. 
     Note that in the above described examples, the hole punches are described as having cylindrical shaped shafts and the rear and front housings include circular shaped openings dimensioned to receive the shafts and operate as guides along which the punch slides. However, embodiments of the vacuum release systems are not intended to be so limited. Hole punches can also have square, rectangular, triangular, or any other polygonal cross-sectional shape, and the corresponding openings in the rear and front housings can be similarly shaped to receive the cross-sectional shapes of the shafts. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the systems and methods described herein. The foregoing descriptions of specific examples are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive of or to limit this disclosure to the precise forms described. Obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The examples are shown and described in order to best explain the principles of this disclosure and practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize this disclosure and various examples with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of this disclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents: