Receptacles – Arrangements of plural receptacles
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-04
2001-07-24
Pollard, Steven (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Arrangements of plural receptacles
C220S004120, C220S023870, C220S023910
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264054
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a vacuum airtight container from which the internal air can be discharged and which can be sealed after accommodating food, a material that is desirably preserved in a vacuum or low-pressure condition, or the like.
When food is exposed to air, the food is subject to oxidation by oxygen in the air, or aerobic bacteria proliferates. As a result, the food may be deteriorated or become rotten. In the case of dry food, the food may become damp by moisture in the air. When food is to be stored for a long term, conventionally, the keeping quality of the food is enhanced in the following manner. The food is accommodated in an airtight container which can be sealed by attaching a cover via a sealing member, and then refrigerated or frozen. Some foods or materials are desirably kept in a dry condition.
In the case of the above-described prior-art airtight container, the food is not exposed to the outside air, but there exists a problem in that it is impossible to completely prevent the food from being deteriorated or becoming rotten by the air left inside the container. There is a further problem in that the prior-art airtight container has a relatively complicated structure and hence the production cost is high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been conducted in view of the above-described circumstances. It is an object of the invention to provide a vacuum airtight container from which the air left inside the container can be relatively easily discharged by sliding an inner container and an outer container each having a check valve, and in which the production cost can be lowered.
In order to solve the problems, the vacuum airtight container according to claim
1
of the invention is characterized in that a cylindrical inner container having a bottom portion provided with a second check valve which can discharge air to an outside only is slidably inserted into an inner cylindrical portion of a cylindrical outer container having a bottom portion provided with a first check valve which can discharge air to the outside only, in a hermetic condition, via a sealing member which is slidably contactable, and
the inner container is hermetically sealed by attaching a cover member to a cylindrical upper end opening portion of the inner container via a sealing member.
According to the invention of claim
1
, the cover member is attached to the inner container, so that the inner container can be hermetically sealed. When the inner container is repetitively inserted into or extracted from the outer container in a sliding manner, the first and second check valves disposed in the respective bottom portions are alternately opened, so that the air left inside the inner container can be sequentially discharged to the outside. Furthermore, the external air is prevented from entering the interior of the inner container by the first and second check valves, and hence the vacuum (reduced pressure) condition of the interior of the inner container is maintained. As a result, the food A accommodated in the inner container is not exposed not only to the external air but also the air left inside the inner container, so that the keeping quality can be enhanced.
The vacuum airtight container according to claim
2
is characterized in that the check valve includes a valve element which can move in a direction along which a through hole formed in the bottom portion is closed, and urging means for urging the valve element in a direction along which the through hole is opened (a check valve
8
has the same construction).
According to the invention of claim
2
, the check valve can be configured with a simple structure. In the case where a rubber plate, a synthetic resin sheet, or the like is used for the valve element, particularly, the elasticity of the valve element itself eliminates the necessity of additionally using another elastic body such as a spring or the like.
The vacuum airtight container according to claim
3
is characterized in that the sealing member which is slidably contactable is an O-ring having a V-shaped section, and the sealing member is fitted into a groove which is annularly formed in an outer circumference of a cylindrical side wall of the inner container, whereby a fringing portion protruding into an outer circumferential side is pressingly contacted with an inner circumferential face of a cylindrical side wall of the outer container.
According to the invention of claim
3
, the use of the O-ring having the V-shaped section surely increases the hermetic property as compared with the case of a usual O-ring having a circular section. Thus, the inner container and the outer container can be slidably moved. If, instead of one O-ring, two or more O-rings are disposed with intervals, more stable slidable property can be attained.
The vacuum airtight container according to claim
4
is characterized in that the cover member is screw fastened to a cylindrical upper end portion of the inner container via a sealing ring, thereby hermetically sealing an upper end opening portion of the inner container.
According to the invention of claim
4
, the cover member can be attached to the upper end portion of the inner container with a simple structure using the screw fastening of the male screw to the female screw.
The vacuum airtight container according to claim
5
is characterized in that a male screw is formed on an outer circumference of an upper end portion of a cylindrical side wall of the inner container; an annular flange portion protruding to an outer circumferential side is disposed below the male screw on the outer circumference of the upper end of the side wall; a female screw is formed on an inner circumference of a side wall protruding downwardly from a fringing portion of the cover member; the female screw of the cover member is screw fastened to the male screw of the inner container; and a sealing ring disposed between a lower end of the side wall of the cover member and the flange portion of the inner container is pressed, thereby hermetically sealing the upper end opening portion of the inner container.
According to the invention of claim
5
, a female screw is formed on the inner side of the side wall of the fringing portion of the cover member, so as to form a cover member having a cap-like shape. Therefore, the cover member can be easily attached to and detached from the inner container. In addition, it is possible to open the cover member even in the case where the interior of the inner container is in a vacuum condition.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3304852 (1967-02-01), Lande
patent: 4574776 (1986-03-01), Hidle
patent: 5123571 (1992-06-01), Rebeyrolle et al.
patent: 5129534 (1992-07-01), Dunn
patent: 5386925 (1995-02-01), Lane
patent: 6145685 (2000-11-01), Dick
Miyake Kazuyo
Miyake Masaharu
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
Pollard Steven
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