Patent Publication Number: US-6336460-B2

Title: Sealable case

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a sealable case that incorporates a hinged inner cover mounted so as to pivot over an inner space, said inner cover being thus able to expose or seal the inner space, and a separate outer cover that attaches to the case body by means of an interlocking thread structure located there between. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2523785 teaches a structure for a sealable container, commonly utilized as a cosmetic compact, that incorporates an internal lid. This cosmetic compact is comprised of a main body part that defines an internal space, an internal lid capable of covering the aforesaid space, and an external cover capable of covering the aforesaid internal lid. The internal lid is hinge mounted so as to rotatably expose or close against the aforesaid internal space. The external cover removably installs to the main body part by means of interlocking screw threads, and when in an installed position, forcibly presses against the internal lid, thus sealing the internal space from the external environment. 
     The internal lid hinge structure utilized in this type of cosmetic compact is comprised of a hinge pin installed within a cutout section formed in the upper periphery of the main body part, and a hinge boss protruding from the periphery of the inner cover, said hinge boss receiving the aforesaid hinge pin so as to form a pivoting connection between the aforesaid main body part and hinge boss. 
     Because the hinge boss is installed to the hinge pin at a fixed position, the inner lid is capable of moving only on the rotational axis defined by the fixed hinge pin. As movement of the hinge boss is restricted to this single rotational axis, when the external cover is closed against the internal lid, the internal lid is strongly pressed against the periphery of the internal space only at the region opposite the hinge. In spite of the skirt shaped sealing material installed at the periphery of the internal space, the internal lid is not capable of applying uniform pressure around the entire circumference of the internal space, thus resulting in a relatively weak seal between the internal space and external environment. 
     Moreover, the structure taught by the aforesaid Japanese Utility Model Patent does not provide means to eliminate the open space required to house the hinge structure between the external cover and main body part, thus necessitating that the hinge structure be installed directly between the external cover and main body part. Furthermore, the screw threads used to secure the external cover to the main body part must be structured in a way that avoids the hinge structure, thus necessitating that the external cover be made larger when it is often desired to make the main body part small and compact. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a structure for a sealable case whereby an internal lid is strongly and uniformly pressed against the periphery of an internal space when the external cover is secured to the main body part, thus providing for an improved internal space sealing function. 
     The invention is comprised of a main body part, an external wall peripherally formed on the main body part that defines an internal space within the main body part, fastening threads formed on the periphery of the external wall, a hinge installed within a space on the outwardly facing perimeter of the main body part, an internal lid rotatably installed to the main body part through the hinge so as to movably cover or expose the internal space, a separate external cover, screw threads  23  formed on the inwardly facing perimeter of a cover wall of the external cover, screw threads provided as means of removably connecting the external cover to the main body part by interlocking with the aforesaid fastening threads, whereby the internal lid is forcibly pressed against the upwardly facing perimeter of the internal space, by the external cover, so as to form an air-tight seal therebetween, and a sliding yoke that allows a linear movement of the internal lid when the internal lid is pressed against the perimeter of the internal space. 
     The hinge structure is comprised of a hinge pin and a hinge boss which are provided with the main body part and internal lid, respectively. A hinge tongue extends downward from the perimeter of the internal lid and incorporates either the hinge boss or hinge pin at its extremity. The sliding yoke, formed as a relatively long channel within the hinge boss, provides means of rotatably connecting the hinge boss to the hinge pin so as to form a sliding hinge mechanism that allows the linear movement of the internal lid in relation to the main body part. 
     The main body part  11  incorporates an expanded portion that radially extends from the lower region of the external wall, the expanded portion being located below the lower edge of the cover wall of the external cover. The hinge tongue, formed as an integral extension of the perimeter of the internal lid, resides in a cutout space and extends to the expanded portion. The expanded portion may be formed as a circular flange, the outer perimeter of the circular flange is formed to the approximate same diameter as that of the cover wall of the external cover as means of aligning the perimeter of the circular flange with the cover wall of the external cover when the external cover is attached to the main body part. 
     The external cover incorporates a pressure lip that is located so as to come into contact with the internal lid when the external cover is installed to the main body part. A contact seat may be formed on the perimeter of the internal lid as means of creating a specific area of contact against the external cover. The internal lid may also be structured so as to be pressed down by the external cover without the use of the aforesaid pressure lip. 
     In cases where a substance is contained within the internal space, a packing piece may be provided as means of forming a more effective seal between the internal lid and the main body part when the internal lid is brought into contact with the external wall of the main body part. 
     The invention also allows for the utilization of a separate substance container that can be removably installed within the internal space as means of conveniently filling or removing a substance from the internal space. A container wall can be formed to a height slightly lower than that of the external wall of the main body part as means of allowing the internal lid to form a seal against the main body part. As needs dictate, a packing piece may also be utilized with this structure as means of forming a more efficient seal between the internal lid and the main body part. 
     Conversely, in regard to the aforesaid structure in which the removable container is utilized, the container wall may be formed to a height slightly higher than that of the external wall as means of allowing the internal lid to form a seal directly against the upper edge of the container wall. In this case, a packing piece may also be utilized as means of forming a more efficient seal between the internal lid and the container. 
     The invention puts forth a structure for a sealable case comprised of a main body part incorporating an external wall that defines an internal space and has fastening threads provided on an outwardly facing perimeter surface thereof, an internal lid capable of rotatably sealing or exposing the internal space, a hinge installed between the internal lid and the external wall of the main body part, and an external cover incorporating screw threads formed on the inwardly facing surface of a circumferential wall. When the external cover is screwed onto the main body part, the external cover simultaneously presses the internal lid against the internal space so as to form an atmospheric seal between the internal lid and internal space. The hinge incorporates a hinge pin and a hinge boss provided with the external wall of the main body part and the internal lid, respectively, the hinge boss rotates freely on the hinge pin. A sliding yoke connects the hinge pin and hinge boss in a manner so as to allow a linear movement of the internal lid in relation to the hinge pin when the internal lid is pressed down by the external cover. 
     The invention further puts forth a structure for a sealable case comprised of a main body part incorporating an external wall defining an internal space and having fastening threads provided on a perimeter surface thereof, a hinge installed within the external wall, a rotatably installed internal lid capable of sealing or exposing the internal space, and an external cover incorporating screw threads formed on the inwardly facing surface of a circumferential wall, the screw threads being capable of removably connecting with the fastening threads on the main body part. This external cover fastening operation also presses the internal lid against the internal space so as to form an atmospheric seal between the internal lid and the internal space. Moreover, a radially extending expanded portion is provided at the lower region of the external wall of the main body part, the upwardly facing surface of the expanded portion being located opposite to the perimeter wall of the external cover when the external cover is attached to the main body part. The internal lid incorporates a tongue part that extends to the expanded portion through a cutout space provided in the perimeter of the external wall. The aforesaid hinge utilizes a hinge pin and a hinge boss provided with the tongue part of the internal lid and the expanded portion of the main body part, respectively. The hinge provides a structure through which the hinge boss is able to rotate on the hinge pin, as well as move in a linear direction, when the internal lid is pressed downward by the closing external cover, by means of a sliding yoke formed within the hinge boss as an elongated channel able to grip the hinge pin securely while simultaneously moving in a linear direction in relation to the hinge pin. 
     In order to seal the internal space in the main body part, the internal lid is pressed down onto the internal space by the external cover as the external cover is screwed onto the main body part. During this operation the internal lid is forcibly pressed down against the periphery of the internal space while moving in rotational and linear directions made possible by the yoke sliding over the hinge pin, thus allowing the internal lid to apply uniform pressure against the entire periphery of the internal space as means of forming a more effective atmospheric seal. 
     As stated previously, the invention provides for the structure in which the hinge boss is able to rotate so as to allow the internal lid to seal or expose the internal space. Furthermore, when the external cover is attached to the main body part, the yoke part of the hinge boss is able to move in the linear direction while the external cover is secured to the main body part, thus allowing the internal lid to move on the linear axis in response to the downward pressure applied by the closing external cover. This linear movement is made possible by the simple structure of the elongated channel that comprises the yoke in the hinge boss. 
     As mentioned previously, the invention specifies the tongue and the cutout space that extend downward to the expanded portion at the lower external region of the main body part. Locating the expanded portion directly beneath the lower edge of the external cover (when the external cover is attached to the main body part) allows the hinge to be positioned outside of the external cover. Moreover, this structure assures that the fastening threads do not interfere with the operation of the hinge, thus eliminating the need to provide a space for the hinge directly between the external cover and main body part, and thus making it possible for a small sealed case to hold a relatively large volume of substance. 
     Furthermore, an external appearance of the sealable case is improved as a result of the circular flange as the expanded portion at the base of the main body part aligning with the edge of the external cover. Appropriate uniform sealing pressure can be applied as a result of the pressure lip on the external cover pressing against the contact seat on the internal lid. Moreover, by specifying the contact region of the internal lid in accordance with sealing needs of a specific substance, a high degree of sealing efficiency can be maintained and further augmented by the use of the packing piece. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an oblique exploded partial cross sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view cross section of the first embodiment showing the sealable case with the external cover attached. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view cross section of the first embodiment showing the sealable case with the external cover removed and the internal lid open. 
     FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged cross section of the first embodiment showing the operation of the hinge structure. 
     FIG. 5 is a side view cross section of the second embodiment of the invention with the external cover attached. 
     FIG. 6 is a side view cross section of the third embodiment of the invention with the external cover attached. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The invention is shown, in both FIGS. 1 and 2, as portable jar-type cosmetic case  10 . 
     In the first embodiment, cosmetic case  10  as a sealable case provides a structure whereby internal space  11   a  is effectively sealed from the external environment as a result of downward pressure applied to internal lid  13  against space  11   a when external cover is  14  is securely attached to main body part  11 . Cosmetic case  10  is comprised of main body part  11  that defines centrally located internal space  11   a,  cosmetic container  12  that is removably installable to space  11   a,  hinge  20  that is installed within main body part  11 , internal lid  13  that is capable of sealing or exposing space  11   a,  and external cover  14  that is installable to main body part  11  by means of screw threads, and in doing so completely covers internal lid  13 . The operation whereby external cover  14  is screwed onto main body part  11  results in the external cover also pressing internal lid  13  downward over and sealing internal space  11   a.  The salient point of this structure is the design and location of hinge  20  that makes use of sliding yoke  22  as means of allowing internal lid  13  to slide linearly as it is rotatably pushed downward by external cover  14 . 
     Main body part  11  is circular in shape as resulting from the shape of circular internal wall  11   b  that defines internal space  11   a.  External wall  11   c  is an extension of the part of wall  11   b  that is bent radially outward and downward, thus forming a double wall structure consisting of walls  11   c  and  11   b.  The upper edge of external wall  11   c  extends to a higher point than that of the upper edge of internal wall  11   b.  Screw threads  15  are formed at the upper region of the external surface of external wall  11   c  as means of connecting to fastening threads on external cover  14 . Circular base flange  11   d  as an expanded portion is formed as a flange that extends radially outward from external wall  11   c  below screw threads  15 . Cutout space  16 , formed to width dimension W 1 , is a vertically oriented channel formed at one location within external wall  11   c,  and extends downward from the top of external wall  11   c  to base flange lid. Hinge pin  17  is horizontally installed within cutout space  16  at the level of base flange  11   d.    
     Cosmetic container  12  is formed as a circular tray-type structure defined by floor  12   a  and container wall  12   b,  and is of the approximate same diameter as internal space  11   a.  As shown in FIG. 2, container  12  may be filled with cosmetic substance P, and may be installed or removed from internal space  11   a.  The height of container wall  12   b  is lower than that of internal wall  11   b,  thus allowing the upper edge of internal wall  11   b  to extend to a point above that of container wall  12   b.    
     Internal lid  13  is a round plate-like structure that fits within external wall  11   c  of main body part  11 . Contact seat  13   a  is formed on internal lid  13  as a round flange extending upward from the perimeter of internal lid  13 . Surface  13   b,  an inverted dish-type structure on the lower surface of internal lid  13 , is formed to a diameter larger than that of internal wall  11   b,  and has packing piece  18  installed thereon. Tongue  19 , a downwardly extending flange formed at one point on the perimeter of internal lid  13 , resides within cutout space  16 , extends to the upper surface of base flange lid, and is specified as width W 2  as shown in FIG.  1 . When external cover  14  is secured to main body part  11 , the lower part of tongue  19  is exposed beneath lower edge  14 d of external cover  14 . Hinge  20  is installed between the lower end of tongue  19  and base flange  11   d.    
     Hinge  20  is comprised of hinge pin  17  horizontally installed within the walls that define cutout space  16 , and hinge boss  21  that rotatably attaches to hinge pin  17 . Hinge boss  12  incorporates two downwardly extending flanges that comprise sliding yoke  22 . These flanges are structured so as to allow yoke  22  to simultaneously slide and rotate on hinge pin  17 , and thus allow internal lid  13  to slide linearly while rotating downward as a result of pressure applied by external cover  14 . To be specific sliding yoke  22  is an elongated channel oriented in the same direction as that of the moving direction of internal lid  13  when closing against internal space  11   a.    
     External cover  14  is comprised of top plate  14   a,  and perimeter wall  14   b  which is formed as a downwardly extending cylindrical extension of the perimeter of top plate  14   a.  Female screw thread  23  is formed on the inner surface of wall  14   b  as means of removably connecting to male fastening thread  15  located on external wall  11   c  of main body part  11 . Pressure lip  14   c  is formed at the upper region of the internal surface of perimeter wall  14   b,  the purpose of pressure lip  14   c  being to press against seat  13   a  of internal lid  13  when external cover  14  is secured to main body part  11 . In a condition where external cover  14  is completely attached to main body part  11 , lower edge  14   d  of perimeter wall  14   b  is located directly above base flange  11   d  of main body part  11 . A pleasing appearance of the cosmetic container is realized as a result of external cover  14  and base flange  11   d  having the approximate same diameter. Pressure lip  14   c  may be formed either as a continuous round ring structure, or as intermittently spaced lip parts. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, cosmetic container  12  is removably installed within internal space  11   a of main body part  11 , internal lid  13  is rotatably attached to main body part  11  through hinge  20 , and external cover  14  is secured to and covers main body part  11  by means of fastening threads provided there between. Hinge  20  is a structure in which internal lid tongue  19  is inserted into cutout space  16  of main body part  11 , and in which hinge boss  21 , located at the lower region of tongue  19 , is rotatably connected to hinge pin  17 . Cosmetic powder puff  24  or other like implement resides in the space between internal lid  13  and external cover  14 . 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of the first embodiment in which external cover  14  is removed and internal lid  13  is opened to expose cosmetic container  12 . Internal space  11   a is exposed, thereby allowing cosmetic substance P to be picked up by powder puff  24  and utilized as needed. When the cosmetic substance need no longer be accessed, internal lid  13  is closed over space  11   a, and external cover  14  is screwed down over main body part  11 , thus forming a double sealing mechanism around space  11   a.    
     When external cover  14  is securely attached to main body part  11 , a highly efficient seal is maintained around internal space  11   a by means of packing piece  18  installed to internal cover  13 . This seal, formed when external cover  14  is securely screwed down onto main body part  11 , is established by the mechanism in which contact seat  13   a  of internal lid  13  is forcibly pressed down over space  11   a by pressure lip  14   c  of external cover  14 . The force applied by external cover  14  is thus transferred from pressure lip  14   c  to the perimeter region of internal lid  13 , and thus against the upper edge of internal wall  11   b  of main body part  11  through packing piece  18 . 
     As result of sliding yoke  22  being structured so as to maintain a secure grip on hinge pin  17  while also sliding over it, internal lid  13  and tongue  19  are able to move downward in a compound linear and rotating motion when external cover  14  is secured to main body part  11 . As shown in the detailed cross section of FIG. 4 a,  hinge boss  21  grips hinge pin  17  at the lower end of sliding yoke  22  when packing piece  18  comes into contact with the upper edge of internal wall  11   b  as a result of internal lid  13  being initially closed over internal space  11   a.  As shown in the detail cross section of FIG. 4 b,  when external cover  14  is screwed down onto main body part  11 , hinge boss  20  is able to rotate while also sliding downward along hinge pin  17  as a result of the elongated channel in sliding yoke  22 , thus allowing internal lid  13  to move with a compound rotating and linear motion as it closes against internal space  11   a.  As a result, packing piece  18  is compressed against the upper edge of internal wall  11  with uniform pressure along the entire perimeter, thus providing for a more secure and efficient sealing function between both components, and an improved sealing function for internal space  11   a.    
     As a result of the aforesaid improved sealing function, the cosmetic substance P is prevented from leaking out of the cosmetic case, and cosmetic substances that tend to evaporate quickly can be preserved longer. Furthermore, because packing piece  18  is compressed against inner wall  11   b  with uniform pressure, the packing piece deteriorates less over time and lasts longer. 
     The use of tongue  19  allows hinge  20  to be installed within base flange lid of main body part  11 , thus also allowing base flange lid to be located directly beneath external cover  14 . Hinge  20  is thus able to be located at a position external to the external cover  14 , and screw threads  15  and  23  can be formed without consideration of the location of hinge  20 . In other words, it is not necessary to provide for a hinge housing space directly between external cover  14  and main body part  11 . This means that internal space  11   a  can be structured to hold a relatively large amount of cosmetic material, without the need for a large external cover, in a cosmetic case having compact external dimensions. Obviously, as tongue  19  is located within cutout space  16 , it offers no interference with the joint formed between fastening threads  15  and  23 . 
     FIG. 5 presents a second embodiment of the invention wherein container wall  12   b  of container  12  is formed to a height greater than that of internal wall  11   b  of main body part  11 . Packing piece  18  thus seals internal space  11   a by compressing against the upper edge of container wall  12   b  instead of internal wall  11   b  as taught by the first embodiment. In this second embodiment, packing piece  18  is compressed uniformly over the upper edge of container wall  12   b  as a result of external cover  14  pressing internal lid  13  downward in a compound linear and rotating action made possible by the compound movement of sliding yoke  22  around hinge pin  17 . 
     A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG.  6 . This embodiment does not make use of cosmetic container  12 , but instead places the cosmetic material directly into internal space  11   a of main body part  11 . Packing piece  18  comes into contact with the upper edge of internal wall  11   b  that defines internal space  11   a.  Internal cover  3  is able to move downward over internal space  11   a with a compound rotational and linear movement provided by sliding yoke  22  sliding over hinge pin  17 , thus allowing packing piece  18  to be compressed onto the upper edge of internal wall  11   b  with uniform pressure to effectively seal internal space  11   a.    
     While the aforesaid explanations have embodied the invention as a portable cosmetic case, the structures presented here may also be applied to other types of containers. In regard to the structure of hinge  20 , hinge pin  17  may be installed to internal lid  13 , and hinge boss  21  to main body part  11 . Moreover, the use of packing piece  18  is not required by the invention, as a sufficient sealing effect may be gained by internal lid  13  coming into direct contact with the upper edge of internal wall  11   b  or container wall  12   b.