Patent Publication Number: US-7900769-B1

Title: Container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly, to a crashworthy fluid container. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Fluid containers that are most commonly used by consumers nowadays may include zip lock bags, aseptic packs, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles; however, these types of containers all have certain drawbacks. A zip lock bag uses a zipper to seal and lacks other specific designs to enhance its overall structure. Therefore, when a shock force exerts upon a zip lock bag containing a fluid, the zipper of the bag is more likely to burst. As for an aseptic pack, though a more crashworthy container compared to a zip lock bag, it cannot be reopened and reused like a zip lock bag. A PET bottle overcomes the above drawbacks of the other two types of containers; however, a PET bottle has a more rigid structure, making it inconvenient to store or carry and affecting its usefulness. Hence, there is a need to design a highly crashworthy container that is easy to store and easy to carry. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the drawbacks of conventional containers, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly crashworthy container. A container of the present invention comprises a pressure buffer area that can reduce the impact force exerted upon the container. This design prevents the container from being broken easily and the fluid from spilling over accordingly. 
     In accordance with the above object, the present invention provides a container, comprising: a cavity provided with a first opening portion; a pressure buffer area which is positioned above the cavity and the first opening portion and which is provided with a second opening portion corresponding to the first opening portion; and a thin film channel which extends through the first opening portion and the second opening portion and which has an inner channel wall and an outer channel wall, wherein the inner channel wall forms a passage for fluids with an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being positioned outside the second opening portion of the pressure buffer area with a first opening and closing structure and the outlet end being positioned inside the cavity, and wherein the second opening portion is hermetically connected to the outer channel wall while the first opening portion is hermetically connected to the outer channel wall except for the area of at least one directing hole formed therebetween, such that a fluid under pressure flows back to the pressure buffer area through the directing hole. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the cavity, the pressure buffer area, and the thin film channel are formed of the same or different material. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned material is polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, paper fiber, polyurethane, silica gel, fluorosilicone rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, polychloroprene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, natural rubber, a mixture or copolymer of the above, aluminum or aluminum alloy, or iron or iron alloy. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the first opening and closing structure uses a zipper seal structure. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the container is used as a substitute for lifejacket, oil barrel, or chemical container; an animal/plant breeding bag; an ice pack; or a storage bag for water, military ration, breast milk, liquid herbal medicine, or beverages. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the container further comprises a second opening and closing structure positioned at the other end of the cavity opposite the first opening and closing structure. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned second opening and closing structure uses a zipper seal structure. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a side edge of the cavity is further provided with an easy-tearing notch. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the cavity is used for containing fluids. 
     In a preferred embodiment, an inner edge side of the cavity is further provided with a plurality of pouch structures for containing substances, and preferably, each pouch structure further comprises a plurality of pouch units. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned pouch structure is made of a material that has a substantially uniform molecular orientation, and preferably, said material includes: polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, silica gel, and fluorosilicone rubber. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned substance is an embryo or ovum of an organism, or a seed; food ingredient, animal feed or fertilizer in the form of granules, tablets or any other formation; a vitamin; liquid ethylene glycol/antifreeze; powdered milk; a dye; or a chemical product. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned substance is first contained in a protector and then placed into the pouch unit, and preferably, the protector is made of a mineral material that does not soften when coming into contact with the fluid in the cavity, or wherein the protector is a capsule or a thin membrane that can dissolve into the fluid contained in the cavity. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the bottom of the cavity is further provided with a tube part, and preferably, the tube part is further provided with a filter medium. 
     A container of the present invention comprises a pressure buffer area; therefore, when the container is pressed by an external force, the fluid or gas inside the container can flow to the pressure buffer area through the directing hole, thereby reducing the pressure exerted upon the container. Consequently, the container cannot be broken easily. A container of the present invention is applicable in many situations and is thus useful for containing all kinds of fluids. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view showing a fluid container according to the present invention when no fluid is contained therein; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing the fluid container according to the present invention with a fluid contained therein; 
         FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view along line III-III, showing the fluid container according to the present invention when a fluid enters the cavity through the thin film channel; 
         FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view along line III-III, showing the fluid container according to the present invention when the pressure produced by the fluid exerts upon the thin film channel; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing a fluid container according to a second embodiment (provided with pouch structures) of the present invention when no fluid is contained therein; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing the fluid container according to a second embodiment (provided with pouch structures) of the present invention, with each pouch unit having a protector therein; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial, schematic view showing the pouch units of  FIG. 5  when they are broken by the force applied thereto; and 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view showing a fluid container according to a third embodiment (provided with a tube part at the bottom) of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Advantages and features of the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto. 
     For the purpose of better illustration, the embodiments hereinafter only describe containers with fluids contained therein. A skilled person in the art would know that a container of the present invention may contain substances other than fluids.  FIG. 1  is a schematic view showing a container according to the present invention when it is flat with no fluids contained therein. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a fluid container  100  of the present invention comprises: a cavity  10  provided with a first opening portion  12 ; a pressure buffer area  20  which is positioned above the cavity  10  and the first opening portion  12  and which is provided with a second opening portion  22  corresponding to the first opening portion  12 ; and a thin film channel  30  which extends through the first opening portion  12  and the second opening portion  22  and which has an inner channel wall and an outer channel wall; the inner channel wall of the thin film channel  30  forms a passage for fluids with an inlet end  24  and an outlet end  26 , wherein the inlet end  24  is positioned outside the second opening portion  22  of the pressure buffer area  20  with a first opening and closing structure  28 , and the outlet end  26  is positioned inside the cavity  10 ; the second opening portion  22  is hermetically connected to the outer channel wall (as shown by the grid area in  FIG. 1 ) of the thin film channel  30  while the first opening portion  12  is hermetically connected to the outer channel wall except for the area of at least one directing hole  32  formed therebetween (as shown by the grid area in  FIG. 1 ), such that a fluid under pressure flows back to the pressure buffer area  20  through the directing hole  32 . 
     In the fluid container  100  of the present invention, the cavity  10 , the pressure buffer area  20 , and the thin film channel  30  may be formed of the same or different materials, which include, but are not limited to: polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, paper fiber, polyurethane, silica gel, fluorosilicone rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, polychloroprene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, natural rubber, a mixture or copolymer of the above, aluminum or aluminum alloy, or iron or iron alloy. In a preferred embodiment, the fluid container  100  is made of flexible materials to allow the overall compactness and portability. The materials of the fluid container  100  may be selected in accordance with the property of the fluid that is going to be contained inside. Basically, as long as the materials do not react with the fluid contained in the container, no other specific limitation is imposed on the selected materials. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic, perspective view showing the fluid container of the present invention with a fluid contained therein.  FIG. 2  will give a better understanding of how to use the container. First, through the inlet end  24  of the thin film channel  30 , a fluid is introduced to be contained in the cavity  10 . Here, the pressure produced by the fluid exerts upon the thin film channel  30  within the cavity  10 ; as a result, the thin film channel  30  is forced to close spontaneously and remain in a closed state, defining a self-closing structure that can prevent the fluid from flowing backward to exit the cavity  10 . Next, the first opening and closing structure  28  is sealed by the user, so that the fluid within the container  100  is further isolated from the outside environment. The user then folds the inlet end  24  of the thin film channel  30  to cover the second opening portion  22  of the pressure buffer area  20 , and folds once more to cover the first opening portion  12  of the cavity  10 . A securing element is used to secure the fluid container, making the fluid more tightly sealed therein. The securing element may be, but is not limited to, an adhesive tape, clip or the like. Moreover, a person skilled in the art would know that methods for isolating the fluid in the container from the outside environment are not limited hereto, and that other known techniques in the art may also be applied to the present invention. To help the user pour out the fluid in the container more easily, a second opening and closing structure or an easy-tearing notch may be further provided at any side edge of the cavity  10 . In other words, the second opening and closing structure is positioned at the end (i.e., the bottom end, not shown) of the cavity  10  opposite to the first opening portion. The first and second opening and closing structures in the present invention may use, but are not limited to, a zipper seal structure. The first opening and closing structure may even be a self-closing structure as described above, which reaches a closed state due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the fluid container. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 3B ,  FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view, along line III-III, of the fluid container according to the present invention when a fluid enters the cavity  10  through the thin film channel;  FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of the fluid container along line III-III, when the pressure produced by the fluid exerts upon the thin film channel  30 . As  FIG. 3A  shows, a first directing hole  32   a  and a second directing hole  32   b  is provided respectively at the upper side and lower side of the thin film channel  30 . The diameter of the thin film channel  30  is R, and the diameter of either the first directing hole  32   a  or the second directing hole  32   b  is r. In the present invention, the values of R and r may be the same or different as long as they are both smaller than the width of the cavity; no other specific limitation is imposed on the values of R and r. When the fluid is flowing into the cavity  10  through the thin film channel  30 , the force carried by the flowing fluid stretches the thin film channel  30  open (as shown in  FIG. 3A ). However, when the fluid container is in use (i.e. the fluid has stopped entering the cavity  10 ), the pressure produced by the fluid exerts upon the thin film channel  30  within the cavity  10 , thereby forcing the thin film channel  30  to close spontaneously and remain in a closed state (as shown in  FIG. 3B ). It should also be noted that the fluid container  100  of the present invention is made of a flexible material, and the side edges of the container are hermetically sealed using a hot pressing process. As a result, the container is flat when no fluid is contained therein, as shown in  FIG. 1 . And when the fluid enters the container  100 , the four hermetically sealed side edges around the cavity  10  will contract toward the center of the cavity  10 , thereby making the cavity  10  to inflate so that the fluid can be contained therein. Moreover, since the thin film channel  30  and the first opening portion  12  of the cavity  10  are hermetically sealed (except for the area of the directing hole  32 ), as the side edges of the cavity  10  contract while the cavity  10  itself inflates, the thin film channel  30  is affected and may bend or distort accordingly (the bending and distortion are not shown in  FIG. 3B ). In this situation, it is even harder for the fluid contained inside the cavity to flow beyond the cavity through the thin film channel. Therefore, when a shock occurs to the fluid container in use (with a fluid contained therein), since the thin film channel  30  in the cavity  10  is closed while the directing holes  32   a  and  32   b  are slightly open (as shown in  FIG. 3B ), the fluid will overflow into the pressure buffer area  20  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) through the directing holes  32   a  and  32   b . The shock force exerted upon the fluid container is reduced; therefore, the container cannot be broken easily, and its leakage probability is reduced as well. 
     The fluid container may have different uses by containing different substances. For example, the container may be a breast milk storage bag, an ice pack when containing distilled water with a cooling agent, a liquid herbal medicine storage bag, or a beverage storage bag; a substitute for lifejacket, oil barrel, or chemical container; a water storage bag; an animal/plant breeding bag; or a military ration storage bag. It should be understood that the uses of the container are not limited hereto. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing a fluid container according to a second embodiment (provided with pouch structures) of the present invention when no fluid is contained therein. As  FIG. 4  shows, in the fluid container  100 , an inner edge side of the cavity  10  is further provided with a plurality of pouch structures  40  for containing substances. Each pouch structure  40  further comprises a plurality of pouch units  41  for containing the same or different substances. Preferably, the pouch structure  40  is made of a material that has a substantially uniform molecular orientation, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, silica gel, or fluorosilicone rubber, but the material is not limited to the above. The pouch structure  40  is made of a material that has a substantially uniform molecular orientation, and therefore, the pouch structure  40  tends to be broken more easily when a force perpendicular to the molecular orientation is applied thereto. And when the pouch structure  40  is broken, the substance contained inside will enter the cavity  10 . This is a feature that the user can utilize, depending on the user&#39;s needs, to select a suitable substance to be contained in the plurality of pouch units  41  of the pouch structure  40 . The substances may include but are not limited to: an embryo or ovum of an organism, or a seed; food ingredient, animal feed or fertilizer in the form of granules, tablets or any other formation; a vitamin; liquid ethylene glycol/antifreeze; powdered milk; a dye; or a chemical product. Also, the substance may be further wrapped in a protector; for example, the protector may (but is not limited to) be made of a mineral material that does not soften when coming into contact with the fluid in the cavity, or may be a capsule or a thin membrane that can dissolve into the fluid contained in the cavity.  FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing the fluid container  100  according to a second embodiment (provided with pouch structures) of the present invention, with each pouch unit  41  having a protector  42  therein. The protector  42  may (but is not limited to) be used to contain liquid ethylene glycol/antifreeze, an embryo/ovum of an organism or a seed, powdered milk, or a dye.  FIG. 6  is a partial, schematic view showing the pouch units  41  of  FIG. 5  when they are broken by the force applied thereto. When the pouch structure  40  of the fluid container  100  is in use, the user may press the pouch units  41  in a direction toward the central part of the container (as indicated by the direction of arrows shown in  FIG. 6 ). Since the pouch structure  40  is made of a material that has a substantially uniform molecular orientation, the pouch units will be broken easily because its molecular structure in the perpendicular direction is more vulnerable to external forces. As the pouch units  41  are broken by the pressing force, the protectors  42  can enter the cavity  10  as shown in  FIG. 6 . When the fluid container  100  of the present invention is used as an ice pack, for example, the protectors may be capsules that are able to dissolve into the fluid contained in the cavity, and each of the protectors  42  may contain dyes of different colors. The user may select a color that he/she is fond of and then press the pouch unit  41 , so that the protector  42  containing the particular dye can enter the cavity  10 . As the protector  42  starts to dissolve into the fluid contained in the cavity  10 , the dye contained in the protector  42  diffuses, and the ice pack will show that particular color. That is to say, the ice pack can show different colors according to the user&#39;s choice. 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic view showing a fluid container  100  according to a third embodiment (provided with a tube part  44  at the bottom) of the present invention. As  FIG. 7  shows, other than a plurality of pouch structures  40  provided at the inner side edges, the cavity  10  is further provided with a tube part  44  for feeding or discharging at the bottom. When the fluid container  100  is used as a beverage storage bag, for example, the tube part  44  may serve as a drinking straw for the user to suck a drink into the mouth; preferably, the tube part  44  is provided with a lid  46 , so that the user can store the container with ease whenever he/she wants to stop taking the drink. When the fluid container  100  is used as an animal/plant breeding bag, for another example, the tube part  44  may serve as a regulator used for ecosystem controls. In that case, the tube part  44  can be used to remove dirt, foreign objects or wastes expelled from living organisms inside the cavity  10 , or to control the air or water quality inside the cavity  10 . The tube part  44  may be further provided with a filter medium  48 , which may include but is not limited to a cotton filter, to facilitate removing the foreign objects or wastes. When the user needs to remove any foreign object, he/she may use gravity to make the foreign object sink down on the filter medium  48  of the tube part  44  and then replace the filter medium. 
     From the above, it is understood that the container of the present invention is more resistant to impact due to the design of a pressure buffer area. And the crashworthy feature further makes the container easy to store and carry, greatly improving its usefulness. Moreover, a container of the present invention is reusable and thus more eco-friendly. 
     Other Embodiments 
     All characteristics disclosed herein can be combined in any combination. And the characteristics disclosed herein can be replaced by any characteristics to be used for the same, equal, or similar purpose. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the characteristics disclosed herein are examples of a series of equal or similar characteristics. 
     In addition, based on the disclosure herein, appropriate changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art according to different uses and situations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, other embodiments are included in the claims of the present invention.