Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/18—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient
  • B65D81/20—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas
  • B65D81/2007—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas under vacuum
  • B65D81/2015—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, or in a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas under vacuum in an at least partially rigid container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D79/00—Kinds or details of packages, not otherwise provided for
  • B65D79/005—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting
  • B65D79/0087—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting the deformable part being located in a closure, e.g. in caps or lids
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
  • B65D51/16—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas
  • B65D51/1672—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas whereby venting occurs by manual actuation of the closure or other element
  • B65D51/1683—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas whereby venting occurs by manual actuation of the closure or other element by actuating a separate element in the container or closure

Definitions

• the invention relates to a storage container for food with a container lid according to the features of claim 1.
• Lids for food storage containers are already known from the prior art, in which a vent or ventilation valve is provided in the container lid for pressure compensation during the warming-up process in a microwave oven.
• EP 0 633 196 A2 describes such a mechanism. This is intended to solve the problem of preventing the build-up of excess pressure in the interior of the container for food storage containers which are warmed up in a microwave. This usually happens when there are aqueous liquids in the interior of the container that evaporate when heated and thereby build up excess pressure in the interior of the container. This is particularly disadvantageous when the container lid is opened, since sauces or other food components suddenly spurt out when the lid is opened.
• EP 0 633 196 A2 proposes a vent valve in the lid of the food storage container, which is to be opened before the container is introduced into the microwave oven. The water vapor then generated during the warming-up process can thereby escape unhindered without a corresponding vapor pressure building up inside the sealed container.
• EP 0 820 939 A1 is also based on the object of building up excess pressure in the interior of the container for food storage containers which are opened in a microwave. to be warmed to prevent, that is to say, a venting facility for storage containers for foodstuffs is to be made available here so that the foodstuffs stored therein can be safely heated up in a microwave oven when the container lid is closed.
• a valve mechanism is described which can be opened via a joint such as a rocker. It is therefore only necessary to press in the rocker arm, which simply opens the valve.
• WO 88/00560 describes an opening mechanism for a plastic beverage can.
• pressure relief should be created by opening a ventilation valve, which should facilitate the subsequent opening or removal of the entire cover.
• plastic lids because the use of metal lids is to be prevented.
• the pressure equalization of excess pressure inside the container which arises, for example, from carbonated drinks, plays a role.
• EP 0 644 128 A1 discloses a storage container for foods of the type described in the introduction.
• a plurality of ventilation openings are formed in a recess formed in the container lid and are closed by a seal in the presence of vacuum in the receiving space.
• the seal has slightly protruding pin-shaped tie rods upwards from the recess, which are thickened at their ends. These tie rods are used to lift the seal from the ventilation openings if air is to enter the storage compartment of the storage container from the outside. In order to open this valve, relatively high manual forces are required.
• the present invention has for its object to provide a storage container with a lid for food, the opening and closing mechanism is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. It should be possible to open the evacuated container simply and without great effort. At the same time, if there is overpressure due to heating, no food should spurt out of the ventilation opening in an uncontrolled manner, which could lead to contamination and combustion of an operator. This object is achieved by the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the subclaims.
• the storage container according to the invention has the advantage that it is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Furthermore, a surprisingly simple solution for easy opening of the container lid is made available, since when the opening flap is pulled over the driver, the sealing tongue which is only resting on the ventilation opening is lifted off the ventilation opening. Due to the leverage effect between the opening tab, driver and sealing tongue, this process is easily possible without any special effort. This results in a pressure equalization between the inside of the container and the environment. The container lid is no longer sucked in by the negative pressure inside the storage container and can be easily lifted off from it.
• the opening mechanism can also be arranged in the upper region of the outer wall above the maximum fill level of the storage container instead of on the lid. In the upper area of the storage container so that no food is sucked into the vacuum pump when air is sucked out of the storage container.
• the sealing tongue is designed, for example, as a rectangular plastic strip, which is connected on one narrow side to the container lid or an elastomeric plastic layer attached to it. This fastening edge acts as an elastic joint.
• the sealing tongue is pivoted upward from the ventilation opening by the suction effect of the suction device, i.e. the sealing tongue is lifted from the ventilation opening, the air in the storage container can be extracted by the suction device.
• the seal is made automatically by the fact that the sealing tongue is sucked into the ventilation opening in the container lid.
• a particularly simple connection of the driver to the opening tab is achieved without these parts being connected to one another via screw connections or in some other way via special connecting elements.
• the fact that the driver is made of plastic elastically can by elastic together press the brim through the hole formed on the opening tab so that the brim then covers the hole and no longer slips through the hole.
• the cross-section of the brim is dimensioned so large that when the opening flap is pulled open, the stiffness of the brim is sufficient not to slip through the hole, but always lies against the top of the opening flap and the sealing tongue is always securely removed from the ventilation opening even with a vacuum inside the container.
• the opening tab for the storage state of the storage container can be pressed into a recess in the lid and preferably locked there. This ensures that several storage containers with their container lids can be easily stacked on top of each other without the opening flap protruding from the top of the container lid.
• the distance between the underside of the brim and the top of the opening penetrating the driver ensures that when the opening tab is pivoted, the driver first slides through the bore and only after the pivoting of the opening tab, preferably counterclockwise, around the bearing point the brim strikes the top of the opening tab and supports it there. From this moment on, the distance between the underside of the opening tab and the top of the container lid is so large that several fingers can reach under the opening tab. Now, with greater effort, if this is necessary at all, the sealing tongue can be lifted off the ventilation opening by moving the driver and thus also the sealing tongue upward from the opening tab.
• the driver can be arranged, for example, as a spigot which is essentially perpendicular to the sealing tongue and which has an upper region thereof circumferential edge.
• the driver is preferably made of an elastic material. Since the upper area of the driver must be passed through a suction opening of the opening flap during assembly of the valve device with the brim, the brim must first be elastically compressed until it has penetrated the suction opening from the bottom up. The brim then widens again and acts like a kind of barb. When the opening flap is swung open, the driver is moved upwards over the brim in a curved path. As a result, the loose end of the sealing tongue, which is connected to the driver, is also moved upward and lifted off the ventilation opening.
• the pivoting movement of the opening flap on the driver is deflected into a direction of force which is essentially perpendicular to the sealing surface of the valve opening, so that only the smallest possible valve opening forces are required to have the sealing tongue lifted off the valve seat of the ventilation opening and to release the vacuum in the storage container.
• a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides the features of claim 8.
• the opening tab serves as a coupling element for receiving and sealingly connecting to a vacuum pump, it serves as an actuating and opening element for the check valve which forms together with the sealing tongue and the vent opening and it serves as impact protection for the valve and display device.
• a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides the features of claim 9. This makes it possible to store the storage container and its contents in a freezer and then thaw them in a microwave oven. For the warm-up process in the microwave oven, the vent opening can be opened via the opening tab, as already described. Possible materials are polypropylene and polyamide as well as any other temperature and age-resistant plastic material.
• a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides the features of patent claim 10. This allows the container lid and the opening tab manufacture as a common injection molded part. An elastomeric plastic or rubber material can be used for the sealing tongue and the membrane of the pressure indicator, which is then inserted sealingly into the component formed from the container lid and opening tab.
• valve device is arranged on the cover, ie above the maximum fill level of food. But it can also be formed above the maximum fill level on the storage container, it would be advantageous if it then at least points obliquely upwards in order to be able to better attach the vacuum pump to the container wall. This would also simplify the handling of the valve device.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional illustration of a first embodiment of a valve device with a pressure indicator for a container lid of a storage container for foodstuffs when there is insufficient vacuum in the storage container
• FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of FIG. 1, with a sufficient vacuum in the storage container,
• FIG. 3 shows the valve device according to FIG. 1, but after the vent opening has been released through the opening tab, so that atmospheric pressure is again in the storage container,
• FIG. 4 is a partially sectioned perspective view of a second embodiment of a pressure indicator for a food storage container when there is insufficient vacuum in the storage container, 5 as in FIG. 4, but with the opening flap pivoted upwards to release the ventilation opening, so that pressure compensation can be produced in the storage container and
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a food storage container with a pressure indicator according to FIG. 4.
• FIGS. 1 to 3 show a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of a storage container 15 (Fig. 4) for food.
• a pressure indicator 6 is connected to a valve device 1, which is attached to a container lid 2.
• An opening tab 7 is integrally connected to the container lid 2 via a film hinge 32.
• the opening tab 7 and the container lid 2 are made as an injection molded component from temperature-resistant thermoplastic.
• the opening tab 7, which is essentially an oval plate in plan view, has a connection device 9 for a suction connection of a vacuum pump, which is essentially formed by a smooth annular surface 18 on the outside 24 of the opening tab 7 and one or more suction openings 17 within the annular surface 18.
• a sealing tongue 3 made of elastomeric plastic is arranged below the connecting device 9 in FIGS. 1 to 6.
• the sealing tongue 3 is fastened to the opening tab 7 via an annular web 19 and is designed as a disc-shaped component.
• the web 19 has an air passage 30.
• the opening tab 7 is inserted into an essentially rectangular recess 20 in the container lid 2 of the storage container 15 which is adapted to the opening tab 7.
• a vent opening 4 is provided in the container lid 2.
• the ventilation opening 4 establishes the connection between the atmosphere and the interior 22 of the storage container 15.
• the ventilation opening 4 is closed airtight by the sealing tongue 3.
• the vent opening 4 forms with the sealing tongue 3 a check valve 40 closing in the direction of the storage container 15.
• a measuring opening 5 is arranged in the container lid 2 above the ventilation opening 4.
• the measurement opening 5 is airtightly covered from above by a plastic membrane 29 of the pressure indicator 6 from above.
• the pressure indicator 6 extends essentially perpendicularly to the plane of the container lid 2 and, according to FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, has an essentially cup-shaped, slightly convex side wall 23 in the improperly vacuum-sealed state, which tapers upwards and ends with a horizontally extending circular bottom 24.
• the diameter D of the base 24 is smaller than the diameter d of the opening 25 at the foot section 25 of the pressure indicator 6, as shown in particular in FIG. 4.
• the pressure indicator 6 is made of an elastomeric plastic and preferably in a signal color, in the present case in red.
• the pressure indicator 6 according to FIGS. 1 to 3 is stiffened by a spring element 12, which preferably consists of a resilient material, such as spring plate or elastomeric plastic, and lies flat against the inside 34 of the pressure indicator 6.
• the part of the opening tab 7 near the edge has an actuating surface 10.
• the end of the opening tab 7, starting from the bending edge 35, is slightly beveled upwards.
• the container lid 2 has the recess 20 so that, since the opening tab 7 is spaced apart by ribs 29, 36 from the bottom 37 of the recess 20, the actuating surface 10 of the opening tab 7 is comfortably gripped between the fingers and thumb of a user's hand (not shown) and after can be pulled up.
• FIGS. 1 to 3 show a holding bracket 11 which presses the elastomeric plastic material of the flat foot section 25 of the pressure indicator 6 onto the container lid 2.
• the bracket 1 1 is supported on the walls of the container lid 2, not shown in the drawing.
• the pot-shaped pressure indicator 6 is thus connected in one piece to the foot section 25, so that the pressure indicator 6 is sealingly connected to the container lid 2 in the clamped state by the retaining bracket 11.
• Figures 4 to 6 show a partially sectioned perspective view of a second embodiment of a valve device 1 with a pressure indicator 6 on a storage container 15 for food according to the invention.
• the opening tab 7 is integrally connected to the container lid 2 via the film hinge 32.
• the sealing tongue 3 arranged under the connecting device 9 of the opening tab 7 is connected to the opening tab 7 via a driver 13.
• Both the sealing tongue 3 as the driver 13, the foot portion 25 and the pressure indicator 6 are made of a single elastomeric plastic part which is attached as an insert to a bead 21 in the recess 20 of the container lid 2.
• the plastic material used for the pressure indicator 6, the sealing tongue 3, the driver 13 and the foot part 25 has spring properties, so that the snap effect mentioned occurs when there is too little vacuum on the pressure indicator 6 if either too little or too much vacuum is present.
• the difference between the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3 and the embodiment according to FIGS. 4 to 6 essentially consists in the fact that in FIGS. 1 to 3 the sealing tongue 3 forms a separate sealing part with respect to the pressure indicator 6, whereas in the embodiment according to FIGS. 4 to 6 these parts are formed by a single elastomeric component, the sealing tongue 3 of which is partially cut out of the foot section 25 and thus forms a gap 28.
• the foot section 25 is fastened by a holding bracket 11, which latches on the container lid 2 is pressed against the container lid 2, while in FIGS. 4 and 5 this is simultaneously fulfilled by the opening tab 7, that is to say no separate retaining bracket is required.
• a circumferential seal 14 is provided on the edge of the container lid 2 according to FIGS. 4 and 5, which enables an airtight closure with respect to the storage container 15.
• a seal 14 it is also possible not to use a seal 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, so that the lid 2 itself forms a tight seal with the storage container 15.
• the foot part 25 is pressed by the circumferential rib 29 against the bottom 37 of the container lid 2 and thus sealed.
• the pressure inside the container 22 of the storage container 15 corresponds to the ambient pressure.
• the pressure indicator 6 therefore protrudes from the outside due to its spring preload through the display opening 8 via the opening tab 7.
• the user When used in a household, the user can first of all find out about the pressure in the interior 22 of the container based on the position of the pressure indicator 6 with the container lid 2 closed. Is the bottom of the pressure indicator 6 through the display opening 8 outwards, this means that the pressure inside the container 22 is not sufficient to ensure the storage of food under vacuum conditions (see Figures 1, 4 and 6).
• the storage container 15 is evacuated according to Figures 1, 3 and 6.
• a suction connection with a circumferential sealing lip of a vacuum pump (not shown) is placed on the connection device 9 of the valve device 1.
• the vacuum pump is started.
• the ventilation opening 4 of the valve device 1 opens automatically, since the suction effect allows the sealing tongue 3 to be lifted off the ventilation opening 4 and the air contained in the storage container 15 is extracted by the vacuum pump.
• air can now flow through the suction opening 17 of the connection device 9 and the ventilation opening 4 flow into the container interior 22.
• the distance 5 between the brim 27 and the top of the opening tab 7 is dimensioned at least such that only after the opening tab 7 has been released from the catch (not shown) in the recess 20 does the top of the opening tab 7 strike the brim 27. In this way, the operating forces are kept low.
• the container lid 2 can now be removed from the storage container 15 without any significant effort. Since the sealing tongue 3 according to FIGS. 4 and 5 is partially separated from the rest of the flat foot part 25 by the essentially U-shaped gap 28, that is to say it is only connected to the rest of the foot section 25 in the left rear area 39, it falls due to its Gravity repeatedly on the vent 4, so that vacuuming is not a problem. However, since the opening tab 7 can be snapped onto the container lid 2 by means of clip connections, the sealing tongue 3 closes the ventilation opening 4 anyway when the opening tab 7 is closed acting closing torque when there is no pressure difference, the vent 4 is closed. Only when there is a pressure difference does the sealing tongue 3 lift off from the vent opening 4 and therefore works like a check valve. In FIG. 3, when the opening tab 7 is pivoted about the film hinge 32, the sealing tongue 3 is also lifted upwards because it is attached to the opening tab 7 with play to fulfill the check valve function.
• FIG. 6 shows a perspective illustration of a storage container 15 for foodstuffs made of thermoplastic material with a valve device 1 according to FIG. 4.
• the storage container 15 has a cuboid-shaped container body 16 and a container lid 2 with a circumferential brim 27 which is essentially rectangular in plan view.
• the valve device 1 is arranged in a recess 20 on one of the narrow sides of the container lid 2.
• the actuating surface 10 of the opening tab 7 closes approximately with the outer surface 33 of the container lid 2. Only the pressure indicator 6 protrudes vertically upward from the display opening 8 of the opening tab 7 when the vacuum is insufficient.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=7666240

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (10)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 2000
  • 2000-12-08 DE DE10060999A patent/DE10060999C1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-11-15 WO PCT/EP2001/013233 patent/WO2002046062A1/de not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2001-11-15 AU AU2002217034A patent/AU2002217034A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-11-15 EP EP01999514A patent/EP1339620A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-11-15 CN CNA018189466A patent/CN1474776A/zh active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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