Patent Publication Number: US-2007095849-A1

Title: Sealed container lid of vacuum valve operation type

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates to a sealed container lid having a vacuum valve.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      Generally, according to a sealed container for sealingly storing a certain stuff by covering a container body using a lid, a packing is engaged at a container lid, and the packing keeps a close contact with a rim of the container body. A sealed container may be provided with a locking wing so as to obtain a sealed engagement force of a lid.  
      However, in the case of an engagement method of a simple structure lid, a sealing force is disadvantageously weak. In the case of a locking wing method, a sealing force of the lid is good, but opening and closing the locking wing causes many inconveniences when in use.  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 , a vacuum valve  22  is engaged at a center of the container lid  21 . A silicon packing  23  is engaged near an outer side of the container body. When the container lid  21  is engaged with the container body  24 , the silicon packing  23  is closely contacted with an inner wall surface  25  of the container body  24 . In this state, the air of the container body  24  is discharged to the outside through the vacuum valve  22  by pressing the container lid  21 . In the above state, a valve seat  26  is closed by softly pressing the vacuum valve  22 . A negative force is formed in the container body  24  for thereby preventing the container lid  21  from being opened and obtaining a strong sealing force, so that the foods stored in the interior of the container is safely stored. In the above sealed container of a vacuum valve operation type, when it is needed to open the container lid  21 , the vacuum valve  22  is softly lifted, and the valve seat  26  is opened, so that the inner space of the container body  24  communicates with the outside, and a vacuum state does not occur for thereby easily separating the container lid  21  from the container body  24 . In the above conventional art, the opening and closing operations of the lid are easy, and a relatively strong sealing force is obtained.  
      However, in the above-described conventional sealed container of a vacuum valve operation type, the container lid  21  is made of a plastic material based on an injection method, whereas the packing is made of a silicon rubber material. Namely, the materials are different from each other. When the packing  23  is engaged at the container lid  21 , a vertically opened circular groove  27  is formed at the container lid  21 . A ring-shaped fixing member  29  having a plurality of insertion protrusions  28  formed at regular intervals is provided so as to obtain a certain fixing force. The insertion protrusions  28  pass through the packing  23 . The fixing member  29  is inserted into the circular groove  27  for thereby finishing an engagement of the packing  23 . In this case, a certain member (fixing member) is additionally needed so as to engage the packing  23 . Since an assembling process is further needed, the mold and manufacture costs increase, and the productivity decreases.  
      As shown in  FIG. 4 , a circular groove  30  provided for fixing the packing  23  may be formed and opened in a horizontal direction. When a silicon packing  23  having a relatively large elastic force is extended so that the diameter increases, and is inserted into the circular groove  30 , the packing  23  is not easily escaped from the circular groove  30  by a force as allowing the diameter to decrease for thereby obtaining a relatively strong engaging force. However, in the above conventional art, it is impossible to form the circular groove as being opened in the horizontal direction due to the following reasons. Namely, since a downwardly bent peripheral part  31  is formed at an outer peripheral part of the container lid  21  while surrounding the outer peripheral part  24   a  of the container body  24 , it is impossible to perform an injection method so as to concurrently satisfy the design conditions of the downwardly bent peripheral part  31  and the circular groove  30 . Namely, in the above structure, molds cannot be separated during the manufacture. So, the conventional art of  FIG. 4  may not be actually adapted to the industry.  
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sealed container lid of a vacuum valve operation type which overcomes the problems encountered in the conventional art.  
      It is another object of the present invention to provide a sealed container lid of a vacuum valve operation type in which an engagement structure of a silicon packing is simple, and a relatively strong sealing force is obtained. A process for engaging or disengaging a lid to a container body may be performed based one-touch method.  
      To achieve the above objects, in a sealed container lid of a vacuum valve operation type which includes a vacuum valve as operating with a certain pressure by communicating an interior of a container body and the outside or disconnecting the same, and a silicon packing for sealing the interior of the container body in close contact with an inner wall surface of the container body, there is provided a sealed contained lid of a vacuum valve operation type which comprises a body which is injection-molded and has a circular groove formed in a horizontally and outwardly opened shape for an engagement of the silicon packing; and a downwardly bent peripheral part which is formed at an outer peripheral part of the body based on a double injection method while surrounding the same. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustration and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein;  
       FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a sealed container lid of a vacuum valve operation type according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a view illustrating a dual injection structure of a sealed container lid of a vacuum valve operation type according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a view of a conventional art; and  
       FIG. 4  is a view illustrating a container lid which may be manufactured based on an injection method. 
    
    
     MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
       FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a sealed container lid of a vacuum valve operation type according to the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is a view illustrating a dual injection structure of a sealed container lid of a vacuum valve operation type according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
      In the drawings, reference numeral  1  represents a container lid, and  2  represents a container body in which the container lid  1  is opened and closed.  
      A vacuum valve  4  for an opening and closing operation of a lid is engaged at a body  3  of the container lid  2 . When a valve seat  5  of the vacuum valve  4  is lifted off the valve seat  6 , the interior  8  of the container body  2  is opened through a valve hole  7  with respect to the outside. When it is pressed and is closely contacted with the valve seat  6 , the valve hole  7  is closed, and the interior  8  of the container body  2  is disconnected with the outside.  
      A circular groove  9  is formed at the body  3  in a horizontal direction and is open in the outward direction. A silicon packing  10  having a smaller diameter and a high elastic force is formed at the circular groove  9 . When it is engaged, it is needed to enlarge the diameter by pulling the same. A downwardly bent peripheral part  12  is engaged at an outer peripheral part  11  of the body  3  while surrounding a peripheral part  2   a  of the body  2 .  
      In the present invention, the body  3  is first manufactured based on the injection method and is provided with an opened circular groove  9  as being horizontally formed in an outward direction. The downwardly bent peripheral part  12  is formed at the body  3  based on a double injection method. The silicon packing  10  is inserted into the circular groove  9  for thereby finishing the manufacture of the lid  1 .  
      When the downwardly bent peripheral part  12  is formed at the body  3  based on the double injection method, it is preferred to provide protrusions  13  and  14  so as to obtain a certain durability.  
      According to another embodiment of the present invention, the downwardly bent peripheral part  12  may be separately manufactured and assembled at the body  3  as compared to the earlier described method in which the downwardly bent peripheral part  12  is formed on the body  3  based on the double injection method.  
      In the present invention, when the lid  1  is engaged at the container body, the silicon packing  10  is closely contacted with the inner wall surface  15  of the container body  2 . When the body  3  of the container lid  1  is softly pressed, the air of the interior of the container body  2  is discharged to the outside through the valve hole  7 . At this time, when the valve seat  5  is closely contacted with the valve seat  6  by softly pressing the vacuum valve  4 , the interior  8  of the container body  2  is disconnected from the outside. When the pressed body  3  returns to its original position by the elastic force, since a certain vacuum pressure is formed in the interior, it is possible to prevent the lid  1  from being opened based on a generation of negative pressure in the container. So, it is possible to obtain a strong sealing force.  
      When it is needed to separate the container lid  1  from the container body  2 , the vacuum valve  4  is lifted upward, so that a valve assembly  5  is separated from the valve seat  6 . The vacuum of the interior  8  of the container body  2  disappears, so that the inner and outer spaces communicate. As air is freely inputted from the outside into the interior based on the above communication, the container lid  1  can be easily opened.  
      Here, the silicon packing  10  is not easily escaped even if a certain fixing member is not used in the present invention. Namely, the silicon packing  10  is elastically extended and inserted into the circular groove  9 , so that it is not easily escaped due to a strong inward contraction force.  
      As described above, a downwardly bent peripheral part as surrounding an outer peripheral part of the container body may be formed on a lid body based on a double injection method or may be separately manufactured and assembled. A circular groove for an engagement of a silicon packing is formed at the lid body in a horizontally and outwardly opened shape, not in a vertical direction. So, it is possible to obtain a stable engagement without using an additional fixing member of the silicon packing. The assembling process decreases, and the productivity is enhanced. The manufacture cost advantageously decreases.  
      As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described examples are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.