Pumps for vacuum containers
A hand operated pump for evacuating air from a vacuum container having: (1) a barrel defining a conduit therethrough; (2) a plunger having a hand at one end and a piston at the opposite end, the plunger mounted within the barrel and capable of moving reciprocatingly within the plunger; (3) a cap closing a first end of the barrel and having an opening to receive and guide the plunger; and (4) an adapter connected to a second end of the barrel for engaging a valve on a vacuum container.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/899,513 filed on Feb. 5, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made a part hereof.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Technical Field
The present invention provides an interface on a pump for docking to a fitment of a vacuum storage container and pumps for use with vacuum storage containers. Vacuum storage containers come in numerous shapes, styles and sizes and include flexible bags, semi-rigid and rigid type containers.
2. Background Art
Collapsible, evacuable storage containers typically include a flexible, fluid-tight bag, an opening through which to place an article or food item in the bag, and a fixture through which to evacuate excess air. A user places an article into the enclosure through the opening, seals the opening, and then evacuates the fluid through the fixture. With the chamber thus evacuated, the article contained therein may be significantly compressed, so that it is easier to transport and requires substantially less storage space. For articles of food, storage life can be increased by removing air from the container and by maintaining this reduced oxygen environment.
Collapsible, evacuable storage containers are beneficial for reasons in addition to those associated with compression of the stored article. For example, removal of the air from the storage container inhibits the growth of destructive organisms, such as moths, silverfish, and bacteria, which require oxygen to survive and propagate. Moreover, such containers, being impervious to moisture, inhibit the growth of mildew.
One such container was developed by James T. Cornwell (U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,458). That patent described a disposable, evacuable container for sealing and compressing contaminated surgical garments for ease of storage and transportation prior to disposal.
Another such container is described in a patent to Akihiro Mori and Ichiro Miyawaki (Japanese Pat. No. 1767786). In that device, the opening through which the stored article is placed requires the application of a heat source, such as a home iron, to form an effective seal.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0209326 A1 discloses an evacuable, food storage container having a one way valve for access by an electric vacuum pump.
U.S. Pat. Application No. 7,178,555 B2 discloses a pressure relief valve for flexible storage containers.
Commonly owned, United States Patent Publication No. 2006/0131328 A1 discloses evacuable vacuum storage containers having a fitment with a moveable cap and a diaphragm for use with a vacuum pump.
Vacuum storage containers also include multiple piece containers including a bottom part providing a storage compartment and a top part for releasably attaching to the bottom part and to provide an air tight seal. These containers can be rigid or semi-rigid. The top or bottom part can include a fitment or a one-way valve mechanism for docking to a pump to evacuate air from the container.
These and other aspects and attributes of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the following drawings and accompanying specification.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
The plunger body 122 is rotatably mounted to the valve body 120 through a set of mating threads to move the valve between open and closed positions,
The diaphragm 124 is dimensioned to fit within the valve body and has a generally uniform thickness across its entire diametric dimension. The diaphragm is preferably fabricated from a material that has a density that allows it to be moved in response to a suction applied by the pump through passageway 152. Suitable materials for the diaphragm include paper, plastic, rubber, cork or metal. In another preferred form of the invention, the diaphragm will have a density of less than about 1.2 g/cc. In yet another preferred form of the invention, the diaphragm will be fabricated from silicone or polyvinyl chloride.
Another suitable valve that can be affixed to a sidewall of a flexible container is shown in
The adapter 18 has a through hole 210 through which a suction can be applied with the pump to draw any excess air from the container. To reduce the amount of liquid that may be entrained in the air flow 140 an air gap 212 is provided between a top surface 222 of the plunger member and a bottom surface 224 of the adapter.
It should be understood that any of the adapters 18 disclosed herein could be used with an electric powered pump or batter powered pump in addition to the manual pumps disclosed herein.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A hand operated pump for evacuating air from a vacuum container comprising:
- a barrel defining a conduit therethrough;
- a plunger having a hand at one end and a piston at the opposite end, the plunger mounted within the barrel and capable of moving reciprocatingly within the plunger;
- a cap closing a first end of the barrel and having an opening to receive and guide the plunger; and
- an adapter connected to a second end of the barrel for engaging a valve on a vacuum container.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 5, 2008
Publication Date: Sep 25, 2008
Inventor: Brent Anderson (Barrington, IL)
Application Number: 12/012,948
International Classification: F04B 33/00 (20060101); B65B 31/04 (20060101);