Patent Publication Number: US-2009235701-A1

Title: Safety Device for Cap of Liner of Thermos Bottle

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a safety device of a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a safety device for preventing a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle from being incautiously opened when a high-temperature steam is stored in the thermos bottle so as to prevent scald-accidents. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In a container storing a high-temperature steam therein, for protecting a user from scald-accidents that may happen when the user incautiously opens the container with his/her hands, a safety device is typically equipped at an opening of the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,409, which is titled as “Steam Cleaner with Safety Device” and proposed by the same inventor as of the present invention, provides a safety device mounted on a cap of a steam cleaner. Therein, a lock assembly  5  is settled at a bottom of a rotary cap  31 . A hollow cylinder  53  passing through a cylindrical base  51  has a top annular flange  531  extending upward. Two opposite slots  532  are such formed at the annular flange  531  that two opposite tabs  522  provided on an edge of a hole  521  of a hollow driving disk  52  abutting upon the cylindrical base  51  can stably engage therewith. Furthermore, an actuation assembly  4  downward assembled to the lock assembly  5  has a cylindrical seat  41  for being screwed with a shroud  42 . Between the cylindrical seat  41  and the shroud  42 , a flexible actuating member  44  is high-heat resistant and has a central through hole for allowing a top push rod  451  of a pushing member  45  to pass therethrough and penetrate a hole  421  formed at the shroud  42  so that an annular groove  453  provided on a base  452  of the pushing member  45  can be matingly engaged with a ridge  442  formed downward from the actuating member  44 . 
     The assembled cap assembly  3  is fastened to a top of a steam chamber  2  in a screw means. When a high-heat steam  6  is generated in the steam chamber  2 , the steam  6  surges upward through holes of the hollow cylinder  53  and a valve  54  in the lock assembly  5  so that the steam  6  lifts the pushing member  45  settled between the cylindrical seat  41  and the shroud  42  until the actuating member  44  tightly compresses against the shroud  42 . Meanwhile, the push rod  451  raised from the pushing member  45  also lifts a cylindrical clutch  32  so that a plurality of legs  321  extending downward from the cylindrical clutch  32  are disengaged from the driving disk  52  of the lock assembly  5 , thereby resulting in disengagement between the cap  31  and the lock assembly  5 . At this point, even if a user rotates the cap  31  by hands, the cap  31  does not drive the lock assembly  5  to rotate and therefore the lock assembly  5  in the cap assembly  3  is free from being opened. Consequently, the cap  3  is prevented from being incautiously opened so that the user is protected from being scalded by the high-heat steam  6  in the steam chamber  2 . 
     When the steam  6  inside the steam chamber  2  is almost released out, since the steam pressure is dissipated, a first spring  33  between the cap  31  and the cylindrical clutch  32  pushes the actuation assembly  4  downward in strength of a bounce thereof, and in turn engages the legs  321  at the bottom of the cylindrical clutch  32  with the driving disk  52  of the lock assembly  5  again, thereby resulting in engagement between the cap  31  and the lock assembly  5  so that when a user rotates the cap  31  by hands, the cap assembly  3  is opened. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention therefore applies the principle of the above-mentioned safety device that prevents a cap of a container containing a high-temperature steam from being incautiously opened so as to provide against scald-accidents to a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle as a safety device in order to fully prevent the cap sealing the liner of the thermos from being opened incautiously due to carelessness and therefore prevent scald-accidents. 
     A first objective of the present invention is to provide a safety device which is characterized in a rod of a pushing member passing through a through hole formed at a center of a lock assembly that is for being screws with the opening of the liner; the rod being retained in an accommodating space of the lock assembly with a first blocker and a second blocker, which are further positioned with respect to the rod by a c-shaped ring; the lock assembly being covered by the cap; a fastening member being settled in a depression of the cap; a spring being deposited between the fastening member and the accommodating space of the lock assembly; a recess formed at an upper end of the fastening member fittingly receiving a moving member having a plurality of protrusions formed at a periphery thereof; a hole formed at a center of the fastening member allowing the rod to be pierced therethrough so that the rod can be combined with the moving member positioned thereon; and a plurality of the cavities at an upper periphery of the cap being engaged with a plurality of hooks extended downward from an upper decorating plate, whereby when there is a pressurized steam in the liner assembled with the safety device, the steam lifts the pushing member having the rod so that the rod pushes upward to lift the moving member so as to disengage the moving member from the recess of the fastening member and in turn sit the moving member in the corresponding gaps of the upper decorating plate and at this point, even if the cap is rotated, the cap does not drive the lock assembly to rotate, thereby scalded-accidents caused by a user&#39;s incautiously opening the cap sealing the liner being efficiently prevented. 
     A second objective of the present invention is to provide the aforementioned safety device wherein the fastening member settled in the depression is combined with the lock assembly as a whole by a plurality of screws. 
     A third objective of the present invention is to provide the aforementioned safety device wherein a plurality of spacers are extended downward from the upper decorating plate that is engaged with the cavities at the upper periphery of the cap so that the plural spacers define gaps for receiving the moving member when the moving member is lifted. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an assembly drawing of a liner of a thermos bottle and a cap thereof, 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic drawing showing the cap is disassembled from the liner of the thermos bottle; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a safety device of a cap according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  provides a top view and a lateral view of the safety device of the cap according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along line  50 - 50  of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is an applied view showing the safety device of the cap lifted by a steam pressure according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a safety device of a cap covered on a liner of a thermos bottle according to the present invention is a safety device  8  assembled to a cap  5  for being combined with a thermos bottle at an opening  101  of a liner  10  thereof. 
     The safety device  8  of the cap  5 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , comprises a lock assembly  1 , a pushing member  2 , a first blocker  31 , a second blocker  32 , a spring  4 , the cap  5 , a fastening member  6  and a moving member  7 . 
     The lock assembly  1  has an accommodating space  11  formed at a center thereof for allowing the first and second blockers  31 ,  32  to be settled therein (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). A through hole  12  is formed in the lock assembly  1  below the accommodating space  11 . A limiting member  13  having a plurality of through holes  131  can be received in the lock assembly  1  and around the accommodating space  11 . An annular plane  14  is formed at a top periphery of the lock assembly  1  and a push segment  15  having a plurality of cavities  151  is formed at a center of the annular plane  14 . 
     The pushing member  2  is a component combined with one end of a rod  21  and can be lifted by a steam (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). The pushing member  2  comprises a contacting portion  22  serving to engage with a lower end of the rod  21 , and a covering portion  23  serving to retain the rod  21 . Therein, the contacting portion  22  and the covering portion  23  are preferably made of a high-heat resistant and slightly flexible material. The covering portion  23  has a tube  231 . When the tube  231  is put around the rod  21 , a protruding annular edge  232  below the tube  231  can be fittingly combined with a groove  221  of the contacting portion  22  as a whole. 
     The first blocker  31  has a protrusion  311  extended downward therefrom and a groove  312  formed at an upper end thereof. The second blocker  32  also has a protrusion  321  extended downward therefrom and another protrusion  322  for positioning the spring  4 . Through holes  313 ,  323  are formed at centers of the first and second blockers  31 ,  32 , respectively, so as to allow the rod  21  pass therethrough (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). In addition, the first and second blockers  31 ,  32  closely abut against each other. 
     The cap  5  has a depression  51  formed at a center thereof for allowing the fastening member  6  to be settled therein. A through hole  52  is formed in the depression  51  for receiving the push segment  15  of the lock assembly  1 . A plurality of cavities  53  are formed at an upper periphery of the cap  5  so that a plurality of hooks  541  extended downward from a lower periphery of an upper decorating plate  54  can engage therewith. Furthermore, a plurality of spacers  542  are also extended downward from the upper decorating plate  54  to define gaps  543  with intervals therebetween. 
     The fastening member  6  has a recess  61  formed at an upper end thereof and shaped according to a peripheral contour of the moving member  7 . A hole  62  is formed at a center of the recess  61  for allowing the rod  21  passing therethrough. An annular groove  63  is formed at a bottom of the fastening member  6  for receiving the push segment  15  of the lock assembly  1  and an end of the spring  4  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). Besides, a plurality of threaded holes  64  are provided at an upper surface of the fastening member  6 . 
     The moving member  7  has a plurality of protrusions  71  formed at a periphery thereof. 
     To assemble the lock assembly  1 , the pushing member  2 , the first blocker and the second blocker  31 ,  32 , the spring  4 , the cap  5 , the fastening member  6  and the moving member  7 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the rod  21  of the pushing member  2  is pierced through the through hole  12  of the lock assembly  1  that can be screwed with the opening of the liner. The rod  21  is therefore retained in the accommodating space  11  of the lock assembly  1  with the first the second blockers  31 ,  32 , which are further positioned with respect to the rod  21  by a c-shaped ring  33 . The annular plane  14  at the top periphery of the lock assembly  1  is covered by the cap  5 . Then the fastening member  6  is settled in the depression  51  of the cap  5 . The spring  4  is deposited between the fastening member  6  and the accommodating space  11  of the lock assembly  1 . Thus, the fastening member  6  can be positioned on the push segment  15  of the lock assembly  1  by a plurality of screws  65 . The recess  61  formed at the upper end of the fastening member  6  fittingly receives the moving member  7  having the plural protrusions  71  formed at the periphery thereof. The hole  62  formed at the center of the fastening member  6  allows the rod  21  to be pierced therethrough so that the rod  21  can be combined with the moving member  7  positioned thereon. The cavities  53  at the upper periphery of the cap  5  are designed to be engaged with the plural hooks  541  extended downward from the upper decorating plate  54 . After the aforementioned components are such assembled as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the safety device  8  is accomplished. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 6 , when there is a pressurized steam  9  in the liner  10  assembled with the safety device  8 , the steam  9  lifts the pushing member  2  having the rod  21 . As a result, the rod  21  pushes upward to lift the moving member  7  so that the moving member  7  is disengaged from the recess  61  of the fastening member  6  and in turn sit in the corresponding gaps  543  of the upper decorating plate  54 . At this point, even if a user rotates the cap  5  by hands, the cap  5  does not drive the lock assembly  1  to rotate, thereby scalded-accidents caused by the user&#39;s incautiously opening the cap  5  sealing the liner  10  being efficiently prevented. 
     On the other hand, when there is no steam in the liner  10 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , the moving member  7  combined at the end of the rod  21  gravitatively falls from the gaps  543  of the upper decorating plate  54  and gets engaged with the recess  61  of the fastening member  6  again. At this point, a user can open the cap  5  on the liner  10  by rotating it, as shown in  FIG. 2 .