JP2003221010A - Vacuum deaerator for household food preservation bag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum deaerator to produce a vacuum in a bag in order to prevent degradation of a food by oxygen in the bag further and improve maintainance of freshness and flavor of the food further more than in the case that the food sealed hermetically in the bag is stored at a low temperature or by freezing simply, in a 'low temperature preserving bag' or a 'freezing preserving bag' for household use. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum deaerator is characterized by producing a vacuum in the bag by a vacuum pumping operation in the vacuum deaerator comprising the main body of the vacuum deaerator having a hydraulic pressure room 11 utilizing a water pressure of household water supply and an aspiration room 12 composed of an ejecting nozzle 6, a diffuser 7 and an aspirating pipe 8, and a deaerating connecting tube where a deaerating nozzle 9 having a hollow and flat cross-section at the tip of the nozzle and knife-edged both ends in the cross-section, is connected to the aspirating pipe 8 through a flexible tube 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a film container or bag used for refrigeration or frozen storage of food for home use, wherein the food is simply sealed in the bag. A vacuum deaerator that vacuums the inside of a bag in order to further prevent deterioration of the food due to oxygen in the bag and further improve the freshness and flavor of the food, as compared to refrigerated or frozen storage. It is. [0002] Conventionally, in order to preserve the freshness and flavor of food by storing the food in a refrigeration / freezing room, or to prevent drying or freezing burns, generally, a "refrigerated storage bag" or "frozen food" is generally used. Storage bags "are used. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the film container 21 configured in a bag shape,
A zipper 23 is provided at one end of the food inlet / outlet 22 side to provide a sealable structure. However, because the food is sealed in the bag in the air, the nutrients such as oils and fats in the food and the flavor and aroma components are oxidized and deteriorated by oxygen in the air confined in the bag, It is inevitable that the freshness and flavor of foods decrease. [0003] According to the present invention, after a food is put in the bag, a part of the zipper is opened without being sealed from one end to the other, and the zipper is opened from the part into the bag. Vacuum suction used for home use, which aims to further improve the freshness and flavor of foods by sucking air from the vacuum and maintaining the vacuum state. To provide a pneumatic device. The vacuum degassing method is similar to a well-known “futon compression storage bag” using a vacuum cleaner. However, the vacuum degassing method using the electric device has the following disadvantages. In some cases, cooked seafood and meat are put in the bag and stored in a refrigerator / freezer, and the foods are partially used. In this case, after the food is temporarily taken out of the bag, the remaining food is stored again in the refrigerator / freezer. At this time, in many cases, blood, juice, slime, fat, and the like are retained in the bag together with water (hereinafter, referred to as retained water). When the air in the bag containing the accumulated water is suctioned and degassed by a vacuum degassing device,
Retentive water may also be sucked in at the same time. When the electric device is used as a vacuum degassing device, there are concerns about various problems (for example, the sticking of the deposited matter into the rotating part, leakage of the rotating part seal, and insulation failure) caused by the adhesion of the accumulated water. In order to prevent these inconveniences, there is a drawback in that sufficient maintenance and inspection are required, and labor is required. Therefore, the present invention provides a vacuum deaerator that does not induce a problem caused by the staying water. As the “refrigerated storage bag” or “frozen storage bag” applied here, a material having a small gas permeability and a low moisture permeability of the film container 21 is selected, and the zipper 23 having an excellent air blocking property is selected. A prerequisite is that it be employed to prevent outside air from entering the once evacuated bag. By satisfying the above requirements, the inside of the bag can be maintained in a vacuum state for a long time. That is, by providing the function of "vacuum + refrigerated storage bag" or "vacuum + frozen storage bag" without changing the form of the bag, the freshness and flavor of food can be further improved than before. Becomes possible. [0004] In order to achieve the above object, in the vacuum degassing apparatus according to claims 1 (a) and (b) of the present invention, the pressure of tap water used at home is reduced. Utilizing a high-speed jet flow, the air in the "refrigerated storage bag" or the "frozen storage bag" is sucked and evacuated by the vacuum pump action based on the well-known ejector effect.
According to this configuration, unlike the vacuum degassing device using the electric device, there is no rotating machine component and no electric component, so there is no concern about the occurrence of the problem, and therefore, maintenance and inspection are not required. Further, even if the accumulated water is sucked, the following simple operation may be added. That is, claim 1 (a) of the present invention.
2. A part of the drainage from the vacuum degassing device according to claim 1.
By sucking the air into the deaeration connection pipe relating to (b), the inside of the pipe is washed, and the adhesion of the deposit due to the accumulated water can be prevented. [0005] The air in the "refrigerated storage bag" or the "frozen storage bag" is discharged by the vacuum pump action of the vacuum degassing device body utilizing the pressure of tap water.
Using the deaeration nozzle of the deaeration connection pipe in (b), a vacuum is drawn by suction. After the inside of the bag is evacuated, the evacuating nozzle is removed, and at the same time, the zipper is pressed and sealed to maintain the vacuum state. An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The vacuum deaerator includes a main body and a deaeration connection pipe. FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the main body of the vacuum deaerator and the deaeration connection pipe, and a cross-sectional view (AA cross section) of the deaeration nozzle. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a main body of a vacuum deaerator having a flexible fitting 3 tightly fixed is inserted into and held by a round faucet 2 of a faucet 1. The structure of the main body of the vacuum degassing device is composed of the main body outer cylinder 4, the main body inner cylinder 5, the injection nozzle 6, the diffuser 7, and the suction pipe 8, and their assembly locations are tightly fixed and no fluid leakage occurs. . The deaeration connection pipe connects the deaeration nozzle 9 and the suction pipe 8 via a flexible tube 10 (for example, a vinyl tube). The tip of the deaeration nozzle 9
As shown in the AA cross section, after a cylindrical pipe having a hollow cross section is deformed to be flat, the edges at both ends which are further bent are formed into the shape of a knife edge 9A. The reason why the edges at both ends are formed in the shape of the knife edge 9A will be described later. In FIG. 1, tap water flowing from an arrow a of a faucet 1 and discharged from a round faucet 2 is guided to a hydraulic chamber 11. The high-pressure water flowing out of the hydraulic chamber 11 is injected at high speed from the injection nozzle 6 having a narrow flow path into the flow path of the diffuser 7 and discharged to the atmospheric pressure state shown by the arrow b. Due to this high-speed jet flow, the pressure in the suction chamber 12 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure due to the well-known ejector effect. Since the deaeration connection pipe is connected to the suction chamber 12, an arrow c
As shown in (1), a vacuum pump action for sucking air occurs. FIG. 2 shows a situation in which the air in the above-described bag is sucked and deaerated using a vacuum deaerator. That is, first, after attaching the vacuum degassing device shown in FIG. 1 to the faucet 1, one end of the nozzle retaining wire 13 is assigned to the degassing nozzle 9, and the other end is hung on the faucet 1. . Next, the valve 14 is fully opened so that tap water is discharged. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the zipper 23 of the bag is partially opened, and the flat portion of the deaeration nozzle 9 is inserted into the unsealing portion as shown in detail in the C-C portion. Furthermore, as shown in the DD cross section, the entire area of the zipper 23 is pressed and sealed, and the periphery of the deaeration nozzle 9 is sandwiched and adhered to the zipper 23. In particular, a gap is likely to be formed around the knife edge 9A at both ends of the deaeration nozzle 9, so that it is firmly sandwiched with both hands to eliminate the gap. as a result,
The inside of the bag can be almost completely isolated from the outside air. As described above, the edges at both ends of the deaeration nozzle 9 are formed into the shape of the knife edge 9A because of the zipper 23 around the knife edge 9A.
By increasing the radius of curvature due to the bending deformation of the zipper 23 as much as possible, it is possible to not only eliminate the damage due to the deformation of the zipper 23 itself, but also to reduce the hand-holding force. Under the above circumstances, since the tap water is continuously discharged, the air in the bag is sucked into the main body of the vacuum deaerator through the deaeration connection pipe. The sucked air is discharged from the diffuser 7 together with tap water as bubbles as shown by an arrow b in FIG. If the inside of the bag is degassed and reaches a vacuum, the outflow speed of the tap water containing the air bubbles discharged at the arrow b is rapidly reduced, so that it can be recognized. After the bag has been deaerated, pull the bag in the direction of arrow d while holding the bag with both hands. At this time, the degassing nozzle 9 is also drawn in the direction of the arrow d, but since it is governed by the nozzle retaining wire 13, the degassing nozzle 9 is left behind and is finally pulled out of the bag. By the way, immediately before pulling out the deaeration nozzle 9 from the bag, that is, strictly speaking, immediately after pulling out the tip of the deaeration nozzle 9 from the position of the zipper 23, quickly hold both hands (with the state of being sandwiched between the aforementioned DD cross section). In step ゝ), the zipper portion in contact with the deaeration nozzle 9 is pressed and sealed with a finger. The reason why the zipper portion is quickly sealed by pressing is to prevent outside air from entering into the vacuum bag as much as possible. As a result, a vacuum state is almost completely maintained in the bag. Finally, after the deaeration nozzle 9 is pulled out of the bag, the valve 14 is fully closed to stop water. Here, if it is considered that the above-mentioned accumulated water is contained in the bag, there is a concern that the accumulated water is also sucked into the deaeration nozzle 9. In this case, the entire flow path of the deaeration connection pipe from the deaeration nozzle 9 to the suction pipe 8 and the suction chamber 12
There is a possibility that stagnant water is also attached to the wall surface of the. To clean this, the following simple tasks are added. That is, before the deaeration nozzle 9 is pulled out of the bag and the valve 14 is fully closed to stop water, the tip of the deaeration nozzle 9 is brought into contact with tap water discharged in the direction of the arrow b shown in FIG. Tap water is sucked into the nozzle 9. As a result, the accumulated water adhering to the entire flow path of the deaeration connection pipe and the wall surface of the suction chamber 12 is washed, and the deposits are prevented from adhering. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the deaeration nozzle 9 is inserted near the center of the food inlet / outlet 22 of the bag. However, if the end of the zipper 23 is sufficiently welded around the end of the film container 21 and the strength is secured,
The deaeration nozzle 9 can be inserted at a position closer to any one of both ends of the food inlet / outlet 22. That is, the deaeration nozzle 9
Can be inserted into the end of the zipper. In this case, any one of the knife edges 9A at both ends of the deaeration nozzle 9 may be firmly brought into contact with any one of the both ends of the zipper 23. By inserting the deaeration nozzle 9 into the end of the zipper,
It is not necessary to use both hands as shown in the DD section. That is, it is not necessary to use the hand on the side of the end insertion position of the deaeration nozzle 9. Therefore, the deaeration nozzle 9 can be pulled out of the bag with one of the left and right hands after the deaeration of the bag is completed, so that there is no need to provide the nozzle retaining wire 13. Generally, faucets used at home have various shapes other than the shape of the faucet 1 shown in FIG. 2, and the faucet tip shapes of those faucets also vary. Therefore, in order to attach the main body of the vacuum deaerator to the faucet, it must be adapted to the shape of the faucet tip. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the main body of the vacuum deaerator is attached to the round faucet 2. The first countermeasure in the case where the foam metal fitting is attached to the tip of the faucet by a screw (inner screw or outer screw) may be as follows. First, an adapter having a round faucet (same as the faucet outer shape in FIG. 1) having a built-in foam function at the tip is prepared. The adapter has the same screw type as the foam metal fitting and is attached to the tip of the faucet. Next, the foam metal fittings attached to the faucet tip are removed, and the adapter is attached instead. Finally, the main body of the vacuum degassing device is attached to the round tap of the adapter in the same manner as shown in FIG. The second countermeasure in the case where the foam metal fitting is attached to the tip of the faucet by a screw (inner screw or outer screw) may be as follows. Instead of providing the fixture 3 shown in FIG. 1, an internal thread or an external thread is provided on the main body outer cylinder 4, and the main body of the vacuum degassing device is directly screwed into the faucet tip and mounted. As described above, according to the vacuum degassing device of the present invention, the conventional “refrigerated storage bag” or “frozen storage bag” of food can be used as “vacuum + It can function as a “refrigerated storage bag” or a “vacuum + frozen storage bag”. In the case of a liquid food (eg, curry, stew, meat sauce), once stored in a molded container (with a lid) that does not deform even when vacuumed, it can be stored by putting the molded container in the bag. . In recent years, many processed foods such as tea, coffee, powdered milk, spices and other seasoned foods, processed foods such as corn and delicacies, processed livestock products, and processed agricultural products have been vacuum packed into the market. Is out. After these vacuum packs have been opened once, many of them have a configuration in which a zipper provided on the pack is pressed and sealed. However, when open, the outside air enters the pack,
It is inevitable that the food will become moist, lose freshness and flavor, or shorten the shelf life of the food. As described above, by utilizing the vacuum degassing device of the present invention also in the pack once opened, there is an effect that the preservation state of the food can be improved as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a main body and a deaeration connection pipe of a vacuum deaeration device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a cross sectional view showing a deaeration nozzle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view and a partially detailed view showing a state in which air in a bag is suctioned and deaerated by a vacuum deaerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a form of a conventional “refrigerated storage bag” or “frozen storage bag”. [Description of Signs] 1 faucet 2 round faucet 3 fitting 4 main body outer cylinder 5 main body cylinder 6 injection nozzle 7 diffuser 8 suction pipe 9 deaeration nozzle 9A knife edge 10 flexible tube 11 water pressure chamber 12 suction chamber 13 nozzle Prevention wire 14 Valve 21 Film container 22 Food door 23 Zipper

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A hydraulic pressure chamber 11 is provided, and an injection nozzle 6 is provided.
Suction chamber 1 composed of diffuser 7 and suction pipe 8
The main body of the vacuum deaerator equipped with 2. (B) A deaeration connection pipe in which a deaeration nozzle 9 having a hollow flat nozzle tip cross section at both ends in a knife edge shape is connected to a suction pipe 8 via a flexible tube 10. The vacuum degassing device configured as described above.