WO2004035411A1

WO2004035411A1 - Airtight container for storing foods

Info

Publication number: WO2004035411A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/002145
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juhyun Seo; Kisu Jung; Yongsik Jun
Original assignee: Vaticano Inc.
Priority date: 2002-10-16
Filing date: 2003-10-15
Publication date: 2004-04-29
Also published as: AU2003271214A1; KR200301395Y1

Abstract

The invention is related to an airtight container for safely storing various foods so that smell or moisture does not escape from the container. At a lid of the container is formed an air discharging hole, through which fermented gas or inflating air generated in the container is discharged out of the container. At locking wings of the container are formed openings, which are arranged adjacent to a hinge part so that the connection length of the hinge part contacting the lid is decreased, and thus the locking wings can be smoothly and conveniently pivoted. A packing member disposed inside the lid has a plurality of holes, which are extended in the longitudinal direction of the packing member while being spaced apart from each other, whereby an elastic restoring force of the packing member is increased. Consequently, airtightness of the container is improved, and the service life of the container is increased.

Description

AIRTIGHT CONTAINER FOR STORING FOODS

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a plastic airtight container for safely storing various foods so that smell or moisture does not escape from the container. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plastic airtight container wherein at a lid of the container there is formed an air-discharging unit, through which fermented gas or inflating air generated in the container is discharged out of the container, whereby safety and convenience in using the container are improved. At a locking wing of the container is formed through-holes, which are arranged close to the folding line of a hinge part so that the connection length of the hinge part contacting the container lid is decreased, and thus the locking wing can be smoothly and conveniently pivoted. A packing member disposed inside the container lid has a plurality of holes, which are extended in the longitudinal direction of the packing member while being spaced apart from each other, whereby an elastic restoring force of the packing member is increased with the result that airtightness of the container is improved, and the service life of the container is increased.

Background Art

Well known are various airtight containers for safely storing various foods so that smell or moisture does not escape from the containers. For example, one of such containers is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2000-40798. As shown in Fig. 6, the container disclosed in the abovementioned Korean patent publication basically comprises a container body 10A and a container lid 20 A. At the upper end part of the container body 10A are formed a plurality of locking protrusions, which are spaced apart from each other. At the container lid 20A are integrally formed a locking wing

22 A, which is folded and unfolded by means of a hinge part 21 A. The locking wing 22A has a plurality of locking holes 23 A formed therein. The locking protrusions 11 A are engaged into the locking holes 23 A, respectively. In the inner groove of the container lid 20A is fitted a packing member 30A. When the container lid 20 A is placed on the container body 10A, and then the locking wing 22A is pushed downward, the locking protrusions 11A are fitted into the corresponding locking holes 23 A. At this time, the upper edge part of the container body 10A comes into tight contact with the packing member 30A fitted in the inner edge part ofthe container lid 20 A. Consequently, the inner space in the container body 10A is maintained airtight.

However, the conventional airtight container has the following problems.

The locking protrusions 11 A, which are formed at the upper end part of the container body 10 A, are spaced apart from each other. As a result, the structure of a mold for forming the locking protrusions 11A is very complicated, and a process for manufacturing the locking protrusions 11A is also complicated. Consequently, manufacturing efficiency is decreased, and the cost of manufacturing the locking protrusions is increased. Furthermore, the outer appearance is untidy with the result that cleaning the conventional airtight container is inconvenient. Also, other objects are easily caught by the locking protrusions 11 A, which causes difficulty in handling the conventional airtight container and thus using the conventional airtight container.

It is also required to form the conventional airtight container so that the locking holes 23A exactly correspond to the locking protrusions when the container lid is tightly attached to the container body by pushing the locking wing downward. Also, it is required that the locking holes be accurately placed at the positions where the locking protrusions 11A are formed so that the container lid is tightly attached to the container body, which is very inconvenient for consumers.

The conventional airtight container is not provided with an air- discharging unit for discharging fermented gas or inflating air generated in the container. Consequently, airtightness of the container is released by means of the pressure from the fermented gas or the expanded gas when fermented foods generating fermented gas are stored in the container, or when the container with the container lid tightly attached to the container body is heated in a microwave oven, by which air inside the container is heated and thus expands. As a result, the contents stored in the container escapes from the container or the container itself may instantaneously explode. Also, the packing member 30A fitted in the inner groove of the container lid 20A has no holes formed therein. As a result, the elastic restoring force ofthe packing member 30 A is small, and the airtightness ofthe container is gradually deteriorated as the container is repeatedly used. Consequently, the service life of the conventional airtight container is decreased, and the reliability ofthe container is lowered. Disclosure ofthe Invention

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view ofthe above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an airtight container which can be easily manufactured by means of a simple process for manufacturing the container and has a tidy external appearance, whereby the cost of manufacturing the container is reduced, and inconvenience in handling the container is eliminated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an airtight container wherein a locking wing can be smoothly and conveniently pivoted, whereby safety and convenience in using the container are increased, and the quality ofthe container is improved.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an airtight container having a packing member with improved elastic restoring force, whereby airtightness of the container is improved, and the service life of the container is increased.

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of an airtight container for storing foods, the container comprising a container body and a container lid, and the container lid being integrally provided at each side thereof with a locking wing, the locking wing being folded and unfolded by means of a hinge part connecting the container lid and the locking wing, wherein the container comprises: a protruded locking rim continuously formed at the upper outer peripheral edge of the container body, the protruded locking rim having a downward engagement part formed at the end thereof; a plurality of locking pieces integrally formed at the imier part of the locking wing such that the locking pieces are engaged with the locking rim, each of the locking pieces having an upward engagement part integrally formed at the end thereof, the upward engagement part corresponding to the downward engagement part; a plurality of through-holes formed at the locking wing while being arranged close to the folding line of the hinge part; a plurality of holes formed in a packing member disposed inside the container lid, the holes being extended in the longitudinal direction of the packing member while being spaced apart from each other; and an air-discharge unit disposed in the center of the container lid for discharging air generated in the container body.

Brief Description ofthe Drawings

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a container lid of an airtight container according to a preferred embodiment of he present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view, partially cutaway, showing a container body ofthe airtight container according to the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional view, partially cutaway, of the airtight container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the assembly ofthe container lid and the container body;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view showing an air-discharging unit applied to the present invention; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a packing member applied to the present invention showing the section ofthe packing member; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, partially cutaway, of a conventional airtight container.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Now, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a container lid of an airtight container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view, partially cutaway, showing a container body of the airtight container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a sectional view, partially cutaway, of the airtight container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the assembly of the container lid and the container body, Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view showing an air-discharging unit applied to the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a packing member applied to the present invention showing the section ofthe packing member.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the airtight container of the present invention comprises a container body 10 and a container lid 20, and the container lid 20 is integrally provided at each side thereof with a locking wing

22, which is folded and unfolded by means of a hinge part 21 connecting the container lid 20 and the locking wing 22. The improvement of the present invention comprises: a protruded locking rim 11 continuously formed at the upper outer peripheral edge of the container body 10, the protruded locking rim 11 having a downward engagement part 12 formed at the end thereof; a plurality of locking pieces 13 integrally formed at the inner part ofthe locking wing 22 such that the locking pieces 13 are engaged with the locking rim 11, each ofthe locking pieces 13 having an upward engagement part 13' integrally formed at the end thereof, the upward engagement part 13' corresponding to the downward engagement part 12; a plurality of through-holes 30 formed at the locking wing 22 while being arranged close to the folding line ofthe hinge part 21 ; a plurality of holes 41 formed in a packing member 40 disposed inside the container lid 20, the holes being extended in the longitudinal direction of the packing member 40 while being spaced apart from each other; and an air- discharge unit 50 disposed in a groove 51 formed in the center of the container lid 20 such that the air-discharge unit 50 commumcates with the inside of the container body 10, the air-discharging unit 50 comprising a pushing part 59 fitted on an inserting protrusion 52 upwardly extended from the center of the groove 51 while being vertically movable and rotatable for selectively pushing a shutting plate 54, a controlling member 53 having a plurality of air discharging holes 60, the shutting plate 54 being operated to open and close ventilation holes 55 formed at the groove 51, and a discharge controller part 58 having a female screw 56 formed at the inner wall of the groove 51 and a male screw 57 formed at the outer wall ofthe controlling member 53.

The container body 10 and the container lid 20 of the present invention are made of plastic, including silicon, and manufactured by means of injection molding. The locking wing 22 is provided with the plurality of through-holes 30, which are arranged close to the folding line ofthe hinge part 21. As a result, the connection length of the hinge part 21 contacting the container lid 20 is decreased, and thus the locking wing 22 can be smoothly and conveniently pivoted.

The protruded locking rim 11, which is integrally formed at the upper outer edge of the container body 10, is not divided into several locking rim parts. In other words, the protruded locking rim 11 is continuously provided at the contamer body 10, which allows the use of a simple mold. Consequently, the external appearance of the final product manufactured by means of the mold is tidy. Furthermore, the present invention does not require the plurality of locking protrusions, which are used in the conventional airtight container. Consequently, it is unnecessary to accurately place the locking holes at the positions where the corresponding locking protrusions are formed so that the container lid is tightly attached to the container body, which eliminates inconvenience for consumers.

When the container lid 20 is placed on the container body 10, and then the locking wing 22 is pushed downward toward the protruded locking rim 11, the upward engagement part 13' of the respective locking pieces 13 is engaged with the downward engagement part 12 of the protruded locking rim 11, as shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the container lid 20 is securely attached to the container body 10. At this time, the upper edge part of the container body 10 comes into tight contact with the packing member 40 fitted in the inner edge part of the container lid 20. Consequently, the inner space in the container body 10 is maintained airtight.

Fig. 4 shows the air-discharging unit applied to the airtight container of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the controlling member 53 is moved upward so that the shutting plate 54 is not pushed by means of the pushing part 59. As a result, the ventilation holes 55 are opened. In this condition, the shutting plate 54 is raised by means of the pressure from the fermented gas or the expanded gas in the container body 10 so that the ventilation holes 55 are opened. Consequently, the gas in the container body 10 escapes from the container through the air discharging holes 60 of the controlling member 53. When the controlling member 53 is rotated so that the controlling member 53 is moved downward, the male screw 57 of the controlling member 53 is moved downward along the female screw 56 formed at the inner wall of the groove 51 while the male screw 57 is engaged with the female screw 56. As a result, the shutting plate 54 is pushed by means ofthe pushing part 59 so that the ventilation holes 55 are closed. Consequently, discharge of the air from the container body 10 is stopped. The discharged amount of the air can be adjusted by controlling the rotation ofthe controlling member 53.

As described above in detail, the locking mechanism formed at the container body and the container lid is improved, whereby the external appearance of the airtight container is tidy, the airtight container can be easily manufactured by means of a simple manufacturing process, the cost of manufacturing the airtight container is reduced, and inconvenience in handling the airtight container is eliminated. The fermented gas or the inflating air generated in the airtight container is discharged out of the container through the air-discharging unit disposed at the container lid, whereby safety and convenience in using the airtight container are improved.

The airtight container of the present invention does not require the plurality of locking protrusions, which are used in the conventional airtight container. Consequently, it is unnecessary to accurately place the locking holes at the positions where the corresponding locking protrusions are formed so that the container lid is tightly attached to the container body, which eliminates inconvenience for consumers. Furthermore, the connection length ofthe hinge part contacting the container lid is decreased, whereby the locking wing can be smoothly and conveniently pivoted. Also, an elastic restoring force of the packing member is increased. Consequently, airtightness of the container is improved, and the service life ofthe container is increased.

Industrial Applicability

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides an airtight container having an improved locking mechanism formed at a container body and a container lid. Consequently, the airtight container of the present invention can be easily manufactured by means of a simple manufacturing process, and the cost of manufacturing the airtight container can be reduced. Also, the external appearance of the airtight container is tidy, and inconvenience in handling the airtight container is eliminated. According to the present invention, fermented gas or inflating air generated in the airtight container is discharged out of the container through an air- discharging unit disposed at the contamer lid, whereby safety and convenience in using the airtight container are improved. At a locking wing ofthe airtight container there are formed through-holes, which are arranged close to the folding line of a hinge part so that the connection length of the hinge part contacting the container lid is decreased, and thus the locking wing can be smoothly and conveniently pivoted. Furthermore, a packing member disposed inside the container lid has a plurality of holes, which are extended in the longitudinal direction of the packing member while being spaced apart from each other, whereby an elastic restoring force of the packing member is increased. Consequently, airtightness of the contamer is improved, and the service life ofthe container is increased.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

Claims:

1. An airtight container for storing foods, the container comprising a container body and a container lid, and the container lid being integrally provided at each side thereof with a locking wing, the locking wing being folded and unfolded by means of a hinge part connecting the container lid and the locking wing, wherein the container comprises: a protruded locking rim continuously formed at the upper outer edge of the container body, the protruded locking rim having a downward engagement part formed at the end thereof; a plurality of locking pieces integrally formed at the inner part of the locking wing such that the locking pieces are engaged with the locking rim, each of the locking pieces having an upward engagement part integrally formed at the end thereof, the upward engagement part corresponding to the downward engagement part; a plurality of through-holes formed at the locking wing while being arranged close to the folding line o the hinge part; a plurality of holes formed in a packing member disposed inside the container lid, the holes being extended in the longitudinal direction of the packing member while being spaced apart from each other; and an air-discharge unit disposed in the center of the container lid for discharging air generated in the container body.

2. The container as set forth in claim 1, wherein the air-discharging unit comprises: a pushing part fitted on an inserting protrusion upwardly formed at a groove formed in the center ofthe container lid while being vertically movable and rotatable for selectively pushing a shutting plate; a controlling member having a plurality of air discharging holes; the shutting plate being made of a soft material and operated to open and close ventilation holes formed at the groove; and a discharge controller part having a female screw formed at the inner wall ofthe groove and a male screw formed at the outer wall ofthe controlling member.