Patent Publication Number: US-9850047-B2

Title: Airtight container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly to an airtight container. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Seasoning is usually vacuum packed in tins or canisters for reducing interact with oxygen and atmospheric moisture and thereby maintaining the fresh during an extended period of time prior to the use thereof. Once a consumer opens the vacuum packed container, the vacuum is lost. 
     The closest prior art of which applicants are aware is their prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,024 to Wu et al. The cover includes a valve depressible inward of the cover for allowing air to flow inward or outward of the cover. However, the valve assembly includes a screw secured to the plug rod and engaged with the cover for preventing the valve assembly from disengaging from the cover. The screw is normally made of metal and may not be easily threaded into place. In addition, the screw which is made of metal material may not closely enclose the opening of the cover such that a rubber ring and a gasket are required to be engaged on the screw for engaging with the cover so as to enclose the opening. Furthermore, the inner thread of the plug rod may be easily damaged by the metal screw. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a container, in which hermetic sealing can be simply and economically produced whenever desired. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, the container comprises a container body, a lid member, a sieve, and a seal control member. Wherein the lid member is covering on the container body, a channel is formed on the lid member and the channel is defining therein an opening. The sieve is disposed on the container body and facing the lid member, the sieve is defining a storage chamber and a buffer chamber in the container on both sides of the sieve respectively. The seal control member is movable disposed in the channel of the lid member, operable sealing the opening of the lid member. The seal control member has a button, a valve unit, and a spring. A column formed on the button and facing the opening, the valve unit is passed through the opening, a first end of the valve unit is covering the opening and a second end of the valve unit connected the column, the spring is mounted on the column and two ends of the spring is abutting the button and the channel. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a container comprising a container body including an open top, a lid member engaged on top of the container body for enclosing the open top of the container body, the lid member including a channel formed therein and including an opening formed therein and communicating with the channel, a button slidably engaged in the channel and including a tube extended therefrom and having a pair of engaging shoulders formed therein, the button including at least one projection for engaging with the lid member so as to prevent the button from engaging into the channel, a plug including a pair of hooks extended therefrom and a slit formed between the hooks, the hooks being engaged into the tube and engaged with the engaging shoulders of the tube so as to allow the plug to be secured to the tube, and a biasing means biased between the button and the valve unit for biasing the knob partially outward of the cover and for forcing the plug against the cover and for enclosing the opening. 
     The sieve isolates the seasoning from the opening and gives a buffer chamber, when pressing the button, the airflow does not directly impact the seasoning to spay or contaminate the lid member. 
     The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional, exploded perspective view of the container in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the container; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial enlarged view of the container shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is another perspective view of the container in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention with one type sieve; 
         FIG. 6  is another perspective view of the container in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention with different type sieve; and 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of the container in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention loaded with seasoning; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the  FIGS. 1 to 4 , an airtight container  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises a container body  10 , a lid member  20  covering the container body  10 , a sieve  30  disposed on the container body  10  and facing the lid member  20 , and a seal control member  40  movable disposed on a channel  21  of the lid member  20 . 
     In detail, the channel  21  is formed on the lid member  20  and the channel  21  defining an opening  22  therein, in other words, the opening  22  is formed within the channel  21 . The sieve  30  is disposed on the container body  10  and facing the lid member  20 , covering top of the container, the sieve  30  defines a storage chamber  15  and a buffer chamber  25  in the container  1  on both sides of the sieve  30  respectively. The seal control member  40  is disposed on the channel  21  of the lid member  20 , operable sealing the opening  22  of the lid member  20 , the seal control member  40  has a button  41 , a valve unit  42  and a spring  43 . The column is formed on the button  41  and facing the opening  22 , the valve unit  42  is passed through the opening  22 , a first end of the valve unit  42  is covering the opening  22  and a second end of the valve unit  42  is connected the column. The spring  43  is mounted on the column and two ends of the spring  43  is abutting the button  41  and the channel  21 . 
     The opening  22  is covering the valve unit  42  through an elastic force of the spring  43  abutting the button  41  and the channel  21 . When users press the button  41 , the spring  43  is compressed and the opening  22  is uncovered, meanwhile, users cover the lid member  20  on the container body  10 , an airflow passes through the opening  22  foreword to external of the container  1 , next, the opening  22  is sealed by the first end of the valve unit  42  and negative air pressure is forming in the container  1  after releasing the button  41  such that the container  1  is airtight and the lid member  20  is not easy to uncover if users do not press the button  41 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 7 , the sieve  30  covers the container body  10  and defines the space in the container  1  into the storage chamber  15  and the buffer chamber  25 . The sieve  30   s  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , have different type such as different pattern or hole  31  size for different kinds of seasoning like pepper, cayenne pepper, or sesame. Users cover the lid member  20  on the container body  10 , the sieve  30  as an obstacle prevents the seasoning spray out from the container body  10 , and the lid member  20  can keep clean, as well as less seasoning falls off from the lid member  20  when opening  22  the container  1 . Moreover, the sieve  30  isolates the seasoning from the opening  22  and the lid member  20 , also gives a buffer chamber  25 . When pressing the button  41 , the airflow does not directly impact the seasoning to spay or contaminate the lid member  20 . Users can choice different type sieve  30  corresponding to different type seasoning to advance the efficiency of keeping lid member  20  clean. 
     As  FIG. 2  shows, the opening  22  includes four sub opening  221  formed on periphery of the opening  22  within the channel  21 , when pressing or releasing the button  41 , the airflow is easier to pass through the opening  22 , especially if the diameter of valve unit  42  is closes on the opening  22 . 
     On the other hand, in one preferred embodiment of present invention, the column of button  41  is a hollow column  411  and the second end of the valve unit  42  is detachable plugged into the hollow column  411 . The valve unit  42  includes a pair of hooks  421  engaged into the hollow column  411  so as to allow the valve unit  42  to be quickly secured to the hollow column. If the valve unit  42  was deformed or loose, it can be replaced easily. 
     In other embodiment of present invention, the button  41  is slidably engaged in the channel  21  and includes a tube  411  extended therefrom and having a pair of engaging shoulders  412  formed therein. The button  40  includes four projections  413  for engaging with the lid member  20  so as to prevent the button  41  from engaging into the channel  21  of the lid member  20 . 
     The second end  422  of valve unit  42  includes a pair of hooks  425  engaged into the tube  411  of the button  41  and for engaging with the engaging shoulders  413  of the tube  31  so as to allow the valve unit  42  to be quickly secured to the tube  411  of the button  41 . The valve unit  42  includes a slit  426  formed between the hooks  421  so as to increase the resilience of the hooks  425 . The spring  43  is engaged on the tube  411  and is biased between the button  41  and the valve unit  42  so as to bias the button  41  partially outward of the lid member  20  and so as to force the valve unit  42  against the lid member  20  for enclosing the opening  22 . 
     In operation, when the button  41  is depressed inward of the channel  21 , the valve unit  42  is disengaged from the opening  22  such that the opening  22  is opened and such that air is allowed to flow inward or flow outward of the lid member  20 . The sieve  30  as an obstacle prevent the seasoning spray out from the storage chamber  15 , and the lid member  20  can keep clean, as well as less seasoning falls off from the lid member  20  when opening the container  1 . Moreover, the sieve  30  isolates the seasoning from the valve unit  43  and the lid member  20 , also gives a buffer chamber  25  for preventing the lid member  20  from contamination of seasoning.