GB2033573A

GB2033573A - Vacuum-jacketed vessels

Info

Publication number: GB2033573A
Application number: GB7843940A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Household Container Ltd
Current assignee: Household Container Ltd
Priority date: 1978-11-09
Filing date: 1978-11-09
Publication date: 1980-05-21
Also published as: GB2033573B

Abstract

A vacuum vessel assembly having a double walled glass vacuum bottle (2) is provided with a removable liner (6). A rim portion (8) of the liner extends over the rim (5) of the vacuum bottle to provides skirt (7) which extends between the outer wall (10) of the bottle and a protective casing (1). The liner (6) is retained within the bottle (2) by being clamped between the bottle rim (5) and a sealing ring (15) carried by an internal flange on the casing (1). The clamping of the liner (6) is effected by pressure exerted through the bottle (2) from a screw cap (12) which closes the bottom end of the protective casing (1) and retains the bottle (2) within the casing. The skirt (7) has locating flanges (18) thereon. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vacuum vessel assembly This invention relates to a vacuum vessel assembly.

More particularly, the invention concerns vacuum vessel assemblies of the type commonly known as flasks or jars in which a double walled vacuum insulated bottle has a liner in the storage chamber thereof which liner serves to protect the bottle from damage by contents of the flask or jar.

In the construction of such a vacuum vessel assembly it is usual for the liner, which is usually of plastics material, to be firmly retained within the bottle and many proposals have been suggested for this. The most common proposal is where the liner extends from the mouth of the bottle and is secured to a protective outer casing for the bottle (such securing being, for example, by interlocking screw threads, bayonet joint or welding). The retention of the liner by joint, welding or screw threaded connection with the protective casing requires relatively expensive production techniques and it can also be time consuming to assemble the vessel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum vessel assembly which alleviates the aforementioned disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a vacuum vessel assembly in which a double walled vacuum insulated bottle has a liner in its storage chamber and which liner extends over a rim formed at the mouth of the bottle, and wherein the liner is retained within the bottle by clamping said liner between the rim of the bottle and a protective casing within which the bottle is housed, said clamping being effected by pressure exerted through the bottle by closure means which retains the bottle within the protective casing.

The closure means will usually be in the form of a cap which is removably engageable with a bottom end of a tubular casing to close that end and which, in retaining the bottle, exerts pressure through the bottle to clamp the liner between the rim of the bottle and an abutment or internal flange on the casing.

Preferably the bottle is of the wide mouthed type whereby its internal wall is substantially cylindrical from the rim of the bottle to the concave, usually part spherical, closed bottom end of the storage chamber. With such a wide mouthed bottle the liner can be initially assembled with the bottle as a loose fit prior to the location of the bottle and liner within the casing and the clamping of the liner. It is preferred that the abutment against which the liner is clamped on the casing is a sealing ring so that during such clamping an annular seal is formed between the liner and the casing to prevent produce which is to be stored within the vessel from seeping into the region of the assembly between the outerwall of the bottle and the casing.To effect an efficient seal the liner should be in firm contact with the sealing ring over its annular extent and preferably the assembly includes means for orientating the liner within the protective casing so that during assembly of the vessel and clamping of the liner between the bottle rim and seal, the liner is automatically manoeuvred into a position in which it is presented to engage with the seal in a manner which provides efficient sealing characteristics therewith. The means for orientating the liner is preferably by a part, the liner being a close sliding fit within at least part of the casing so that such sliding relationship guides the liner for engagement with the seal in a manner which will provide efficient sealing during clamping of the liner.In a preferred embodiment the liner has a skirt which extends from the bottle mouth, over the rim of the bottle and part way over the outer wall of the bottle within the casing and which skirt is a close sliding fit within the casing so that during relative movement between the casing and skirt on assembly of the vessel the liner is manoeuvred into its optimum position for sealing when clamped. Conveniently the skirt has a flared portion or outwardly directed flange which effects the sliding fit with the casing wall.

To effect an efficient seal between the liner and the sealing ring the rim portion of the liner which extends over the rim of the bottle mouth can be provided with a continuous upstanding ridge which extends around the effective mouth of the liner and which, upon clamping of the liner against the sealing ring, is forced into the material of the seal so that the latter moulds itself overthe ridgethroughoutthe peripheral extent of the seal.In addition, or alternatively, the opposed peripheral surfaces of the liner and seal which move into abutment with each other upon assembly of the vessel can be of noncomplementary form so that the seal is deformed during clamping of the liner to provide a firm sealing effect against the liner; preferably said opposed surfaces are frusto conical, are concentric with a longitudinally extending axis ofthevessel and have respective angles of convergence which are different from each other.On this latter point it is preferred that the frusto conical surfaces are located at or towards the radially inner edges of the liner rim portion and the sealing ring respectively and that the frusto conical surfaces converge towards the closed bottom end of the storage chamber in the bottle; more preferably the acute angle of convergence of the frusto conical surface on the liner is greater than that of the frusto conical surface on the seal.

With wide mouthed jars as above described the liner can be provided, within the storage chamber of the vessel, with an internal abutment or step which is spaced from the mouth of the vessel and from the closed bottom end of the storage chamber and on which abutment or step a dish for the storage of food or other produce can be retained while the remaining, lower, portion of the storage chamber is available for the storage of different produce.

One embodiment of a vacuum vessel assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention and in the form of a wide mouthed jar will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which Figure lisa side elevation of the jar in part section; Figure2 is a sectional side elevation of a liner forming part of the assembly in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a rim portion of the liner of Figure 2, and Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing a radial section through an annular sealing ring which forms part of the assembly in Figure 1.

The jar of Figure 1 has a plastics tubular casing 1 (with a moulded handle 1a) within which casing is housed a glass double walled vacuum insulated bottle 2 of the wide mouthed type whereby the inner wall 3 is substantially cylindrical in its extent from the part spherical closed bottom end of the bottle storage chamber 4 to an annular rim 5 which extends around the mouth of the bottle.

Located within the storage chamber 4 is a moulded plastics liner 6 (of, for example, polypropylene) which extends over and adjacent to the whole of the inner wall 3 and which emerges from the mouth of the bottle as an annular rim portion 8 which carries an integral skirt 7. The rim portion 8 extends over the bottle rim 5 and the skirt 7 extends part way over the outer wall 10 of the bottle 2. The wall of the skirt 7 and the opposing inner wall of the liner 6 are generally cylindrical and the bottle rim 5 is received between these liner wall parts substantially concentrically so that, during assembly of the jar, the liner 6 can be received in the bottle 2 as a loose, or relatively free, fit.

Upon assembly of the jar the bottle 2 (with the liner 6 fitted thereto) is inserted through the bottom open end 11 of the tubular casing 1 prior to a cap 12 being fitted to the casing 1 to close the open end 11 as shown. The cap 12 screw threadedly engages with the wall of the casing 1 and carries a resilient tip protector 13 which encloses the exhuasting tip 14 of the bottle 2 and biases the bottle and its liner 6 upwardly in Figure 1 towards an annular sealing ring 15 carried by an internal annular shoulder 16 of the casing 1. On securing the cap 12 to the casing 1 the biasing effect of the resilient device 13 causes the liner rim portion 8 to be clamped between the bottle rim 5 and the sealing ring 15 throughout the annular extent of the rim portion 8.

To ensure that the liner rim portion 8 is correctly orientated and aligned for mating with the sealing ring 15 (in the sense that the desired annular part of the liner rim portion will abut against the desired annular part of the sealing ring 15 in substantially coaxial manner) the skirt 7 of the liner has a flared hem portion 17 which carries outwardly directed annular flanges 18. These flanges 18 are arranged to provide a close sliding fit with the upper region of the wall of the casing 1 so that during assembly of the jar the liner 6 will be guided for its rim portion 8 to co-operate accurately with the seal 15 (by the sliding movement of the flanges 18 over the casing 1) as the cap 12 is screwed on to the casing 1.The flared poertion 17 of the skirt 7 is particularly useful to facilitate location of the rimmed end 5 of the bottle 2 into the confined region between the main body of the liner and its skirt.

From Figure 4 (which shows an enlarged radial section of the sealing ring 15 prior to the material of such ring being stressed by its engagement with the rim portion 8 of the liner) it will be seen that the sealing ring has an annular rib 19 by which the seal is located in an annular recess 20 moulded into the shoulder 16 on the wall of the casing 1. The annular rib 19 can be retained in the annular recess 20 as a press fit or by adhesive. On the side of the sealing ring 15 remote from the rib 19 is an annular surface part 21 which, when the seal is initially fitted to the casing 1, is substantially flat and extends in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 22 of the jar. The radially inner peripheral edge of the surface 21 communicates with a frusto conical surface 23 formed by a flange 24 of the sealing ring.The surface 23 converges at an acute angle Ct of, for example 35 , to the longitudinal axis 22. Referring now to Figure 3 it will be seen that the rim portion 8 of the liner 6 has an upstanding annular ridge 25 which is located for abutment against the surface 21 of the sealing ring 15. In addition the liner rim portion has a frusto conical surface 26 formed over its radially inner peripheral edge part which surface 26 converges at an acute angle 1) of, for example 55~, to the longitudinal axis 22.When the rim portion 8 of the liner 6 is urged into engagement with the seal 15 the frusto conical surface 26 moves into co-operation with the frusto conical surface 23 and the ridge 25 is urged into the surface 21 so that the material of the sealing ring (which may be polyvinyl chloride) effectively moulds itself over the annular profile of the ridge to form a close seal therewith. Since the angle lS is greater than the angle (I, the flange 24 will be deformed as the surfaces 23 and 26 move into engagement with each other so that these surfaces come into substantially face-to-face abutment to provide an effective seal.

From the aforegoing description it will be apparent that the guidance which is provided for the liner by the flanges 18 thereof sliding over the wall of the casing 1 ensures that its ridge 25 and frusto conical surface 26 are accurately aligned to effect efficient sealing against the surfaces 21 and 23 with which they respectively co-operate on the sealing ring 15.

Moulded into the liner 6 within and part way down the depth of its storage chamber is an annular step 27. The step 27 forms an abutment on which is rested the base of a removable plastics moulded dish 28. The dish 28 conveniently serves for the retention of solid food stuffs within the jar while the lower portion of the storage chamber is available for the retention of liquid.

The end of the tubular casing remote from the cap 12 is formed with an annular pouring lip 29 which is shaped to provide a smooth transition with the radially inner surface of the sealing ring 15 and therethrough with the radially inner surface of the liner rim portion 8. The jar has a stopper 30 with an internal screw threaded skirt 31 which removably engages with an external screwthread moulded into the casing 1. The stopper 30 has a frusto conical sealing surface 32 which, when the stopper is fully screwed on to the casing 1, forms a seal against the internal shoulder 16 of the casing and also seals the mouth of the dish 28.

A removable cup 33 encloses the stopper 30 and is internally screw threaded to engage at 34 in conventional manner with an external screw thread moulded into the wall of the casing 1.

Claims

1. A vacuum vessel assembly in which a double walled vacuum insulated bottle has a liner in its storage chamber and which liner extends over a rim formed at the mouth of the bottle, and wherein the liner is retained within the bottle by clamping said liner between the rim of the bottle and a protective casing within which the bottle is housed, said clamping being effected by pressure exerted through the bottle by closure means which retains the bottle within the protective casing.

2. Avacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 1 in which the closure means comprises a cap which is removably engageable with a bottom end of a tubular casing to close that end.

3. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 2 in which the cap, in retaining the bottle, exerts pressure through the bottle to clamp the liner between the rim of the bottle and an abutment or internal flange on the casing.

4. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the liner is clamped between the rim of the bottle and sealing ring means on the casing to form a substantially annular seal between the liner and the casing.

5. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 4 in which the sealing ring means comprises a flexible sealing ring interposed between the liner and the casing.

6. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 5 in which the sealing ring is retained by adhesive or co-operating recess and rib means on the casing.

7. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 6 in which a rim portion of the liner which extends overthe rim of the bottle mouth has an upstanding ridge which extends peripherally around the mouth of the liner and wherein, upon clamping of the liner against the sealing ring means, the material of the sealing ring means moulds itself over the ridge to provide a sealing effect therewith.

8. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 7 wherein the opposed peripheral surfaces of the liner and sealing ring means which move into peripheral sealing abutment with each other upon assembly of the vessel are of noncomplementary form so that the sealing ring means is deformed during the clamping of the liner to provide a firm sealing effect against the liner.

9. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 8 wherein the opposed peripheral surfaces are frusto conical, are concentric and have respective angles of convergence which are different from each other.

10. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 9 in which the liner has the or a rim portion which extends over the rim of the bottle mouth, and wherein the frusto conical surfaces are located at or towards the radially inner edges of the liner rim portion and the sealing ring means respectively and each of the frusto conical surfaces converges towards the closed bottom end of the storage chamber in the bottle.

11. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 10 in which the acute angle of convergence of the frusto conical surface on the liner is greater than that of the frusto conical surface on the sealing ring means.

12. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the or a seal is formed between the liner and the casing and wherein means is provided for orientating the liner within the protective casing so that, during assembly of the vessel and the clamping of the liner between the casing and the bottle rim, the liner is automatically manoeuvred into a position in which it is presented to provide efficient sealing characteristics relative to the casing.

13. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 12 in which the means for orientating the liner is by a part of the liner being a close sliding fit within at least part of the casing so that such sliding relationship guides the liner during assembly of the vessel to present the liner for efficient sealing.

14. Avacuum vessel as claimed in Claim 13 in which the liner has a part which extends from the bottle mouth, over the rim of the bottle and forms a skirt extending part way over the outer wall of the bottle within the casing, and wherein the skirt is a close sliding fit within the casing so that, during relative movement between the skirt and the casing on assembly of the vessel, the said orientation of the liner is provided.

15. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 14 in which the skirt has a flared portion or outwardly directed flange which effects the sliding fit with the casing wall.

16. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the bottle is of the wide mouthed type having a substantially cylindrical internal wall which extends from its rim to a concave closed bottom, and wherein the liner can be assembled with the bottle as a loose fit prior to the location of the bottle and liner within the casing and the clamping of the liner.

17. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and of the wide mouthed type and in which the liner is provided, within the storage chamber of the vessel, with an internal abutment or step which is spaced from the mouth of the vessel and from the closed bottom end of the storage chamber, and wherein a dish for the storage of produce is removably retained on the abutment or step in the upper portion of the storage chamber, while the remaining lower portion of the storage chamber is available for the storage of different produce.

18. A vacuum vessel assembly as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.