AIRTIGHT CONTAINER

Abstract

An airtight container comprises a receiver, a cover and a sealing ring. The cover comprises an opening. The sealing ring is used to block a gap between the cover and the receiver when the cover is used for closing or sealing an inlet of the receiver. A valve part is used to close or seal the opening. The valve part comprises a tunnel and a valve to close or seal the tunnel. The valve extends from the valve part into the tunnel and has a thickness decreasing from the valve part to a center of the tunnel so as to form a concave surface at a side of the valve facing away from the tunnel. The valve can be opened by air leaving the receiver.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to an airtight container, and more particularly, to an airtight container comprising a check valve for allowing air or gas in the airtight container to vent out from the airtight container and preventing air or gas outside the airtight container from entering the airtight container.

2. Related Prior Art

Airtight containers or bags are often used to contain food or any other things that are prone to rot and had better be isolated from air. Since conventional airtight containers or bags perform well regarding air isolation and are usually inexpensive, they are popularly used in our daily life.

However, ordinary airtight containers or bags do not allow air to vent out or get in, and therefore are not suitable for containing some sorts of food such as coffee beans and/or powder. Coffee beans and powder naturally release carbon dioxide after they are baked. If baked coffee beans and/or powder are contained in an ordinary airtight container or bag, the ordinary airtight container or bag would be expanded by inner pressure due to carbon dioxide released from the contained coffee beans and/or powder. As a result, the expanded ordinary airtight container or bag is usually deformed, or in the worst case, is burst by extreme inner pressure. Especially, release of carbon dioxide from coffee powder, which is made by grinding the coffee beans, is even faster than the coffee beans. Hence, expansion and deformation of the ordinary airtight container or bag containing coffee powder would be even worse due to the faster release of carbon dioxide.

Hence, coffee beans or powder are often contained in airtight containers or bags equipped with check valves. The check valves allow carbon dioxide released from the coffee beans and/or powder to leave the airtight containers or bags so that the airtight containers or bags are protected from extreme expansion and deformation. Besides, the check valves further function for preventing air outside the airtight containers or bags from entering the airtight containers or bags so as to avoid rapid deteriorating of the quality of the coffee beans or powder. In order to achieve the above function, the check valves are usually made as a complicated structure and include a lot of small separate parts to be assembled. As a result, airtight containers or bags having check valves are usually difficult to be made and are expensive than ordinary airtight containers or bags.

The present invention is therefore intended to solve or obviate the problems encountered in conventional airtight containers or bags.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described via detailed illustrations of the preferred embodiment referring to drawings as follows.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an airtight container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the airtight container of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the airtight container of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1 with a valve part thereof removed from the airtight container.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the airtight container of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3 with the valve part thereof being assembled.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5A is a schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5B is another schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5 from a different viewing angle from FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is a schematic partially enlarged bottom view of the central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4 showing the valve part of the airtight containers of the present invention releasing inner air.

FIG. 6A is a schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the central section of the cover of the airtight containers of the present invention as shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an airtight container 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a cover 10, a sealing ring 8 and a receiver 4. The receiver 4 defines a space therein for receiving food such as coffee beans and/or powder. The receiver 4 defines an inlet at a side thereof to allow entry of food, and comprises an annular edge 12 extending and surrounding the inlet of the receiver 4. An annular flange 14 is defined at an outer side of the receiver 4 near and next to the annular edge 12, and extends around the inlet of the receiver 4 in a similar way as the annular edge 12. The receiver 4 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is a receivable jar or a bag, and is made of plastics or any other proper material.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 as well as FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover 10 comprises an opening 15 defined in a central area of the cover 10, an annular frame 11 defined around the cover 10, an annular groove 16 defined inside the annular frame 11, and a plurality of hooks 18. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening 15 is defined as a hollow circle in the central area of the cover 10, and can be defined at other areas of the cover 10 or can be shaped as other proper shapes. The annular frame 11 is defined along an entire external edge of the cover 10 to surround the cover 10. The annular groove 16 is defined inside the frame 11 and extends along the entire frame 11. An access to the annular groove 16 is formed at a side of the cover 10 facing the receiver 4. All of the plurality of hooks 18 extend from the frame 11 of the cover 10 and extend toward the side of the cover 10 facing the receiver 4. Each of the plurality of hooks 18 comprises a section thereof made with a reduced thickness so that the each hook 18 can easily be pivoted for hooking. The cover 10 is made of plastics or any other proper material. The cover 10 is used to cover and seal the inlet of the receiver 4 after food is properly placed in the space of the receiver 4.

The sealing ring 8 is made according to a shape of the annular edge 12 and the annular groove 16 so that the sealing ring 8 is capable of being placed in the annular groove 16 in advance before the cover 10 is used to cover the inlet of the receiver 4. The sealing ring 8 is made of plastics, silicone, rubber or any other proper material.

Referring further to FIGS. 1-5A, a valve part 20 is used to cover and close the opening 15 of the cover 10. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve part 20 is a disc shape corresponding to the circular shape of the opening 15. The valve part 20 comprises a spherical upper portion 24, a disc-like lower portion 26 extending away from the upper portion 24, and an annular trench 28 formed between the upper portion 24 and the lower portion 26. The upper portion 24 and the lower portion 26 of the valve part 20 are respectively sized larger than the opening 15 of the cover 10. Hence, edges of the opening 15 of the cover are capable of being placed in the annular trench 28 when the valve part 20 is placed and squeezed at the opening 15 of the cover 10 for closing or sealing the opening 15. The valve part 20 is made of plastics, silicone, rubber, thermoplastic rubber (TPR), polyethylene (PE) or any other proper material.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 5A-5C, the valve part 20 further comprises a tunnel 30 defined at a center of the valve part 20 and extending through the valve part 20 from a side of the valve part 20 having the upper portion 24 toward the other side of the valve part 20 having the lower portion 26. The tunnel 30 is defined in the valve part 20 to extend through the valve part 20 as an air passageway, and is formed as a columnar shape at an end thereof extending in the upper portion 24 and is formed as a semispherical shape at the other end thereof extending in the lower portion 26. A valve 32 is formed at the other end of the tunnel 30 near the other side of the valve part 20 having the lower portion 26. The valve 32 extends from the lower portion 26 of the valve part 20 into the tunnel 30 in order to completely close or seal the other end of the tunnel 30. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a side of the valve 32 facing the tunnel 30 is defined as a flat surface or a convex surface having a bump formed at a center of the valve 32. The other side of the valve 32 facing away the tunnel 30 is shaped as a triangular prism concave surface as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C. In other words, a thickness of the valve 32 decreases from the lower portion 26 of the valve part 20 to the center of the valve 32. The valve 32 is formed by at least three divided sections so that a passageway can be easily formed at the center of the valve 32. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve 32 is formed by four sections, two of them opposite to and spaced from each other are shaped as being triangular viewing from the other side of the valve 32 while the other two sections opposite to each other are shaped as being trapezoid and are engaged with each other at the center of the valve 32 to physically form a linear slit therebetween. The valve 32 is made by the same material as the valve part 20 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In assembly, the valve part 20 is firstly placed at the opening 15 of the cover 10 to close or seal the opening 15 for the airtight purpose. The lower portion 26 of the valve part 20 is inserted and squeezed through the opening 15 by force because of the valve part 20 is made of an elastic material. The surrounding edges of the opening 15 are located in the annular trench 28 after the lower portion 26 of the valve part 20 passes through the opening 15. Thus, the surrounding edges of the opening 15 of the cover 10 are substantially sandwiched between the upper portion 24 and the lower portion 26 due to their larger sizes than the opening 15. Hence, the cover 10 is capable of performing the airtight purpose right after the valve part 20 covers the opening 15 of the cover 10.

The sealing ring 8 is fit in the annular groove 16. Thus, the sealing ring 8 is detachably installed to the cover 10.

The receiver 4 can be used to contain coffee beans, powder, pickles or any other types of food that release various types of gas. The cover 10 is used to cover or close the receiver 4 after food is received therein. The sealing ring 8 is engaged with the annular edge 12 when the cover 10 closes and seals the inlet of the receiver 4. The plurality of hooks 18 are engaged with the annular flange 14 so that the sealing ring 8 is firmly engaged with the annular edge 12 due to its flexibility. Accordingly, it is difficult for air to travel through the receiver 4 and the cover 10.

As mentioned earlier, carbon dioxide will be released from the received coffee beans, powder or pickles in the receiver 4. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 6A, the released carbon dioxide will push the center of the valve 32 due to its reduced thickness and the triangular prism concave surface design of the valve 32 when pressure in the receiver 4 increases and reaches a value sufficient to overcome a weight of the center of the valve 32. As a result, the released carbon dioxide can automatically push to open the valve 32 and leave the receiver 4 via the valve 32 (Referring to the Arrow “A” in FIGS. 6 and 6A). Therefore, the airtight container 1 will not be expanded, deformed or burst. On the contrary, outside air of the airtight container 1 will not enter the container 1 because the valve 32 blocks air passageway of the tunnel 30 and forms the flat surface or the convex surface at the side thereof facing the tunnel 30.

The present invention has been described via the detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.

Claims

1. An airtight container comprising:

a receiver defining a space therein for receiving and an inlet for entry of the space;

a cover used to close the inlet of the receiver, the cover comprising an opening to spatially communicate the space of the receiver with an outside of the container; and

a valve part used to close the opening of the cover, and comprising a tunnel formed therein to extend through the valve part for spatially communicating the space of the receiver with the outside of the container, and a valve extending from the valve part into the tunnel so as to close the tunnel at a center of the tunnel, a thickness of the valve defined along an extending direction of the tunnel decreasing from the valve part toward the center of the tunnel so as to form a concave surface at a side of the valve facing away from the tunnel.

2. The airtight container according to claim 1, wherein the concave surface of the valve is a triangular prism concave surface.

3. The airtight container according to claim 1, wherein another side of the valve facing the funnel is formed as a selective one of the group consisting of a flat surface and a convex surface.

4. The airtight container according to claim 1, wherein the cover comprises an upper portion, a lower portion and a trench formed between the upper portion and the lower portion, a size of the upper portion and a size of lower portion are both larger than a size of the opening of the cover.

5. The airtight container according to claim 1, wherein the valve is formed by at least three divided sections.

6. The airtight container according to claim 5, wherein the valve is formed by four divided sections, two of the four sections are opposite to each other and spaced from each other while the other two sections are opposite to each other and engaged with each other at a center of the valve.

7. The airtight container according to claim 6, wherein a linear slit is formed at the center of the valve between the two engaged sections of the valve.

8. The airtight container according to claim 1, wherein the valve is made by a material same as the valve part.

9. The airtight container according to claim 8, wherein the valve part is made of one of plastics, silicone, rubber, thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and polyethylene (PE).