Patent Publication Number: US-2015060459-A1

Title: Airtight container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to an airtight container, and more particularly, to an airtight container comprising a check valve for allowing air or gas in the airtight container to vent out from the airtight container and preventing air or gas outside the airtight container from entering the airtight container. 
     2. Related Prior Art 
     Airtight containers or bags are often used to contain food or any other things that are prone to rot and had better be isolated from air. Since conventional airtight containers or bags perform well regarding air isolation and are usually inexpensive, they are popularly used in our daily life. 
     However, ordinary airtight containers or bags do not allow air to vent out or get in, and therefore are not suitable for containing some sorts of food such as coffee beans and/or powder. Coffee beans and powder naturally release carbon dioxide after they are baked. If baked coffee beans and/or powder are contained in an ordinary airtight container or bag, the ordinary airtight container or bag would be expanded by inner pressure due to carbon dioxide released from the contained coffee beans and/or powder. As a result, the expanded ordinary airtight container or bag is usually deformed, or in the worst case, is burst by extreme inner pressure. Especially, release of carbon dioxide from coffee powder, which is made by grinding the coffee beans, is even faster than the coffee beans. Hence, expansion and deformation of the ordinary airtight container or bag containing coffee powder would be even worse due to the faster release of carbon dioxide. 
     Hence, coffee beans or powder are often contained in airtight containers or bags equipped with check valves. The check valves allow carbon dioxide released from the coffee beans and/or powder to leave the airtight containers or bags so that the airtight containers or bags are protected from extreme expansion and deformation. Besides, the check valves further function for preventing air outside the airtight containers or bags from entering the airtight containers or bags so as to avoid rapid deteriorating of the quality of the coffee beans or powder. In order to achieve the above function, the check valves are usually made as a complicated structure and include a lot of small separate parts to be assembled. As a result, airtight containers or bags having check valves are usually difficult to be made and are expensive than ordinary airtight containers or bags. 
     The present invention is therefore intended to solve or obviate the problems encountered in conventional airtight containers or bags. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be described via detailed illustrations of the preferred embodiment referring to drawings as follows. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an airtight container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the airtight container of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the airtight container of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 1  with a valve part thereof removed from the airtight container. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the airtight container of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 3  with the valve part thereof being assembled. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5A  is a schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 5B  is another schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 5  from a different viewing angle from  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 5C  is a schematic partially enlarged bottom view of the central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 4  showing the valve part of the airtight containers of the present invention releasing inner air. 
         FIG. 6A  is a schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an airtight container  1  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a cover  10 , a sealing ring  8  and a receiver  4 . The receiver  4  defines a space therein for receiving food such as coffee beans and/or powder. The receiver  4  defines an inlet at a side thereof to allow entry of food, and comprises an annular edge  12  extending and surrounding the inlet of the receiver  4 . An annular flange  14  is defined at an outer side of the receiver  4  near and next to the annular edge  12 , and extends around the inlet of the receiver  4  in a similar way as the annular edge  12 . The receiver  4  in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is a receivable jar or a bag, and is made of plastics or any other proper material. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5  as well as  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cover  10  comprises an opening  15  defined in a central area of the cover  10 , an annular frame  11  defined around the cover  10 , an annular groove  16  defined inside the annular frame  11 , and a plurality of hooks  18 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening  15  is defined as a hollow circle in the central area of the cover  10 , and can be defined at other areas of the cover  10  or can be shaped as other proper shapes. The annular frame  11  is defined along an entire external edge of the cover  10  to surround the cover  10 . The annular groove  16  is defined inside the frame  11  and extends along the entire frame  11 . An access to the annular groove  16  is formed at a side of the cover  10  facing the receiver  4 . All of the plurality of hooks  18  extend from the frame  11  of the cover  10  and extend toward the side of the cover  10  facing the receiver  4 . Each of the plurality of hooks  18  comprises a section thereof made with a reduced thickness so that the each hook  18  can easily be pivoted for hooking. The cover  10  is made of plastics or any other proper material. The cover  10  is used to cover and seal the inlet of the receiver  4  after food is properly placed in the space of the receiver  4 . 
     The sealing ring  8  is made according to a shape of the annular edge  12  and the annular groove  16  so that the sealing ring  8  is capable of being placed in the annular groove  16  in advance before the cover  10  is used to cover the inlet of the receiver  4 . The sealing ring  8  is made of plastics, silicone, rubber or any other proper material. 
     Referring further to  FIGS. 1-5A , a valve part  20  is used to cover and close the opening  15  of the cover  10 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve part  20  is a disc shape corresponding to the circular shape of the opening  15 . The valve part  20  comprises a spherical upper portion  24 , a disc-like lower portion  26  extending away from the upper portion  24 , and an annular trench  28  formed between the upper portion  24  and the lower portion  26 . The upper portion  24  and the lower portion  26  of the valve part  20  are respectively sized larger than the opening  15  of the cover  10 . Hence, edges of the opening  15  of the cover are capable of being placed in the annular trench  28  when the valve part  20  is placed and squeezed at the opening  15  of the cover  10  for closing or sealing the opening  15 . The valve part  20  is made of plastics, silicone, rubber, thermoplastic rubber (TPR), polyethylene (PE) or any other proper material. 
     Referring to FIGS.  5  and  5 A- 5 C, the valve part  20  further comprises a tunnel  30  defined at a center of the valve part  20  and extending through the valve part  20  from a side of the valve part  20  having the upper portion  24  toward the other side of the valve part  20  having the lower portion  26 . The tunnel  30  is defined in the valve part  20  to extend through the valve part  20  as an air passageway, and is formed as a columnar shape at an end thereof extending in the upper portion  24  and is formed as a semispherical shape at the other end thereof extending in the lower portion  26 . A valve  32  is formed at the other end of the tunnel  30  near the other side of the valve part  20  having the lower portion  26 . The valve  32  extends from the lower portion  26  of the valve part  20  into the tunnel  30  in order to completely close or seal the other end of the tunnel  30 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a side of the valve  32  facing the tunnel  30  is defined as a flat surface or a convex surface having a bump formed at a center of the valve  32 . The other side of the valve  32  facing away the tunnel  30  is shaped as a triangular prism concave surface as shown in  FIGS. 5A-5C . In other words, a thickness of the valve  32  decreases from the lower portion  26  of the valve part  20  to the center of the valve  32 . The valve  32  is formed by at least three divided sections so that a passageway can be easily formed at the center of the valve  32 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve  32  is formed by four sections, two of them opposite to and spaced from each other are shaped as being triangular viewing from the other side of the valve  32  while the other two sections opposite to each other are shaped as being trapezoid and are engaged with each other at the center of the valve  32  to physically form a linear slit therebetween. The valve  32  is made by the same material as the valve part  20  in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     In assembly, the valve part  20  is firstly placed at the opening  15  of the cover  10  to close or seal the opening  15  for the airtight purpose. The lower portion  26  of the valve part  20  is inserted and squeezed through the opening  15  by force because of the valve part  20  is made of an elastic material. The surrounding edges of the opening  15  are located in the annular trench  28  after the lower portion  26  of the valve part  20  passes through the opening  15 . Thus, the surrounding edges of the opening  15  of the cover  10  are substantially sandwiched between the upper portion  24  and the lower portion  26  due to their larger sizes than the opening  15 . Hence, the cover  10  is capable of performing the airtight purpose right after the valve part  20  covers the opening  15  of the cover  10 . 
     The sealing ring  8  is fit in the annular groove  16 . Thus, the sealing ring  8  is detachably installed to the cover  10 . 
     The receiver  4  can be used to contain coffee beans, powder, pickles or any other types of food that release various types of gas. The cover  10  is used to cover or close the receiver  4  after food is received therein. The sealing ring  8  is engaged with the annular edge  12  when the cover  10  closes and seals the inlet of the receiver  4 . The plurality of hooks  18  are engaged with the annular flange  14  so that the sealing ring  8  is firmly engaged with the annular edge  12  due to its flexibility. Accordingly, it is difficult for air to travel through the receiver  4  and the cover  10 . 
     As mentioned earlier, carbon dioxide will be released from the received coffee beans, powder or pickles in the receiver  4 . Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 6A , the released carbon dioxide will push the center of the valve  32  due to its reduced thickness and the triangular prism concave surface design of the valve  32  when pressure in the receiver  4  increases and reaches a value sufficient to overcome a weight of the center of the valve  32 . As a result, the released carbon dioxide can automatically push to open the valve  32  and leave the receiver  4  via the valve  32  (Referring to the Arrow “A” in  FIGS. 6 and 6A ). Therefore, the airtight container  1  will not be expanded, deformed or burst. On the contrary, outside air of the airtight container  1  will not enter the container  1  because the valve  32  blocks air passageway of the tunnel  30  and forms the flat surface or the convex surface at the side thereof facing the tunnel  30 . 
     The present invention has been described via the detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.