JPH039017B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage container closure device, and more particularly to a storage container closure device having a generally cylindrical throat opening and a first ledge loosely disposed within the throat opening or The present invention relates to an improved closure device for a container having a sealing member that can be selectively placed tightly in a second ledge.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention]

Situations may arise where sealable containers are required for long-term or medium-term storage of goods or substances, but where the container can be easily opened due to frequent or repeated access to the contents of the container. It is desirable that there be. One common case is to use ice buckets to store or transport ice cubes;
Subsequently or prior to that, the same bucket may be used to dispense ice at social gatherings such as parties or picnics. Although a tight, secure seal on the bucket is desirable during transportation and storage, a loose, easily opened closure on the bucket is preferred during frequent access to the ice at gatherings.

Conventionally available storage containers are equipped with closure devices that are intended to be tightly sealed or loosely covered, and are not intended for dual use. Although it may be possible to loosely cover a container with a lid that is intended to provide a tight seal, typically no means are provided for maintaining the lid in the correct orientation and relationship to the container. For example, the lid may sit on an angle, leave a gap, or become joined or wedged. Similarly, containers with closures that are intended to be loose-fitting are typically not equipped with devices to obtain a tight seal using the same parts.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,480, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a sealing member that is configured to be inflatable and deflated, has an elastic restoring force, and can be locally strained, A three-piece pressurized seal adapted to hermetically seal a container is disclosed. The seal has a peripheral bead and the bead can be retracted from a first diameter to a smaller second diameter by depressing a plunger that strains a sealing member integrally formed with the bead. Also disclosed is the use of such a seal to tightly close a container having a generally circular throat with a cylindrical wall and an annular ledge below the cylindrical wall that is sealingly engaged by a sealing bead. There is.

Therefore, there is a need for a container closure device that is compatible with two closure methods. That is, in the first type of closure, the closure rests loosely on the container and is easily removed or replaced, whereas in the second type of closure, the closure tightly seals the container. Furthermore,
It is desirable that such closures provide thermal insulation when used in containers with hot or cold contents.

[Means for solving problems]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a closure device for a container of the type having a generally circular throat opening and a closure member, the closure member having a second bead diameter smaller than a first bead diameter. a member of the type comprising an elastically deformable sealing member having a circumferential bead portion selectively retractable to the throat opening, said bead portion being releasably sealingly engageable with an inner surface of said throat opening; a substantially cylindrical first wall portion formed under and adjacent to the first wall portion and having a diameter greater than the first beam diameter; a second substantially cylindrical wall portion that is small and has a diameter at least equal to the second bead diameter; a first wall portion extending inwardly and disposed between the first wall portion and the second wall portion; an annular ledge and a second annular ledge extending inwardly and disposed between the second wall portion and a wall of the container, the first annular ledge, the second annular ledge and the lower surface of the bead portion being , beveled downwardly and inwardly at the same angle, said bead portion being removable in a first annular ledge for loosely capping the container and seated in a second annular ledge for tightly capping the container. To provide a device that is characterized by the following:

According to features of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing member is
Supplied as a pressurized seal. According to another feature, the container is expected to be an ice bucket or the like.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

〔Example〕

As a disclosure of a preferred embodiment and not as a limitation of the invention, FIGS.
An ice bucket is shown having a seal 11 and a seal 11 . Container 10 is substantially cylindrical in shape with a closed bottom and a generally cylindrical throat opening. Seal 11, shown in a leak-tight sealed position, is seated within the throat of container 10. On the container 10 is an upper circumferential rim 12. The seal 11 has a projecting flange 14 at its center.
It has a protruding plunger 13 surrounded by.

As best shown in FIG.
0 is constructed in two parts, consisting of an outer container 17 and an inner container 16 nested within the outer container 17. Inner container 16 and outer container 17 each have a substantially cylindrical wall 18, 19 and a substantially planar bottom 21, 22, respectively. The outer container 17 is somewhat larger than the inner container 16, and both containers 1
A dead space 23 is formed between 6 and 17.

There is a flange surrounding the upper area of the outer container 17, which flange includes a horizontal annular portion 24;
It has a cylindrical portion 26 that hangs down and a portion 27 that is upright and slightly protrudes outward. A second peripheral depending portion 29 surrounding the upper area of the inner container 16
There is a second horizontal annular portion 28 having a . Inner container 1
6 and outer container 17 are made of a resilient material such as polypropylene and polyethylene and are integrally formed by resiliently engaging the inside of the second depending portion with the outside of the upright portion 27 in a known manner. However, it is preferable to form the container 10 which is also decomposable.

As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper region of the wall 18 of the inner container 16 is formed with a throat opening 25 which is substantially circular in plan view. A substantially cylindrical first wall portion 31 is formed within the throat opening 25 . First wall portion 31
A substantially cylindrical second wall portion 32 is formed in the throat opening 25 below and adjacent to the throat opening 25 and has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first wall portion 31 . 1st
An inwardly extending annular first ledge 33 is formed between wall portion 31 and second wall portion 32 . Below the second wall portion 32 is an annular second wall extending inwardly.
A register 34 is formed. Therefore, there are upper and lower concentric ledges, and the upper first ledge 33
has a larger diameter than the second ledge 34 below.

FIG. 3 shows a seal 11 that tightly covers the container 10 to prevent leakage. The seal is constructed in accordance with the disclosure of US Pat. No. 3,756,480, to which reference should be made in lieu of a detailed description of its construction and operation. To explain briefly, Seal 11
In its general configuration, it includes an elastically deformable sealing member 36, a top wall 37, and a plunger 1.
3. Around the periphery of the seal member 36 is a bead portion 38 and an upright rim 39. The upper edge of rim 39 engages the circumferential edge of top wall 37.

Bead portion 38 has a circumferential outer edge 41 and a lower surface 42 . The dimensioning of the throat opening 25 of the inner container 16 and the seal 11 is such that when the seal member 36 is in a relaxed and undistorted condition, the first wall portion 31
is dimensioned such that its inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer edge 41 of the bead, and the inner diameter of the second wall portion 32 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer edge 41 of the bead. Furthermore, when the seal member 36 is in an unstrained condition and the bead is retracted, the inner diameter of the second wall portion 32 is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer edge 41 of the bead.

Figures 3 and 4 show two types of closure of the closure device of the invention. In FIG. 3, the sealing device is in a tight sealing mode. The seal 11 is prepared for insertion by depressing the plunger 13, which acts on the center of the seal member 36 and causes a strain in the seal member 36;
The bead portion 38 is contracted to a diameter small enough to allow the seal 11 to be inserted into the throat opening 25 with the underside of the bead in contact with the second ledge 34 . After insertion, the plunger 13 is released and the elastic force of the seal member 36 uniformly forces the bead portion 38 outward. The container 10 is thus tightly sealed with the outer edge 41 of the bead tightly engaged with the second wall portion 32 and the underside 42 of the bead seated on the second ledge 34. Seal 11 can be removed by reversing the method described above.

In FIG. 4, the closure device is shown in a loosely covering manner. Seal 11 until the lower surface 42 of the bead rests on top of the first ledge 33.
is inserted into the throat opening 25 in an unstrained manner. A small annular gap is formed between the outer edge 41 of the bead and the first wall portion 31. Seal 11 is properly centered and horizontally oriented without wedging or bonding effects. No gap is left between the lower surface 42 of the bead and the first ledge 33. Seal 11 can be easily removed and replaced.

According to a preferred embodiment, the first ledge 33;
The second ledge 34 and the lower surface 42 of the bead are beveled at the same angle, thereby providing a centering effect on the seal 11. First wall portion 31 and second wall portion 3
2, both wall portions 31 are substantially cylindrical in order to aid in centering the seal 11 and to facilitate removal of the container from the mold during manufacture.
It is desirable to form an upwardly outwardly pulling angle at and 32. In a preferred embodiment, this pulling angle is 1 degree from vertical. Although the ledge must be close enough to the horizontal so that no wedging occurs, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide other lift angles to provide a slope of the ledge.

When practicing the invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment, the dead space 43 of the seal 11 between the seal member 36 and the top wall 37 is useful for thermally insulating the contents of the container 11. will be understood. However, the sealing device of the present invention
It should be understood that use is not limited to ice buckets or other thermal containers.

Although the invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, it is understood that it is desirable to embody all modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the granted patent and within the scope of the invention's contribution to the art. Should.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a covered ice bucket embodying the invention. 2 is a top plan view of the ice bucket of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the seal in a loosely mounted position. FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but with the seal removed. FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the ice bucket of FIG. 1 with the seal removed. 25... Throat opening, 11... Sealing device, 10... Container, 38... Surrounding bead portion, 36... Seal member,
31...first wall portion, 32...second wall portion, 33...first annular ledge, 34...second annular ledge, 43...
Dead space.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A closure device for a container 10 of the type having a generally circular throat opening 25 and a closure member 11, the closure member 11 extending from a first bead diameter to a smaller second beam diameter. a member of the type comprising an elastically deformable sealing member 36 having a peripheral bead portion 38 selectively retractable, said bead portion being capable of releasably sealingly engaging an inner surface of said throat opening; a substantially cylindrical first wall portion 31 formed below and adjacent to the first wall portion and having a diameter greater than the first bead diameter; a substantially cylindrical second wall portion 32 having a diameter less than and equal to at least the second bead diameter;
a first annular ledge 33 extending inwardly and disposed between the first wall section and the second wall section; and a first annular ledge 33 extending inwardly and disposed between the second wall section and the container wall 18. a second annular ledge 34 which is
the lower surfaces of the annular ledge, the second annular ledge and the bead portion are sloped downwardly and inwardly at the same angle, and the bead portion can be placed on the first annular ledge to loosely cap the container; Apparatus characterized in that it is seatable on a second annular ledge for tightly capping the container. 2 The sealing member is an elastically deformable sealing member 3
The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a three-part pressurized seal consisting of a top wall 6, a top wall 37, and a plunger 13. 3. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the container is an ice bucket.