U.S. patent application number 10/027571 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-19 for air sealable container with automatically actuable pressure equalizing valve.
Invention is credited to Serio, Donald JR..
Application Number | 20030111476 10/027571 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21838500 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030111476 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Serio, Donald JR. |
June 19, 2003 |
Air sealable container with automatically actuable pressure
equalizing valve
Abstract
An air sealable and preferably air and water sealable container
having an automatically actuable pressure equalizing valve
primarily adapted for operation upon opening and closing of the
container. The pressure equalizing valve, which is in the nature of
a pressure relief valve, is automatically actuable to allow air
pressure in the container to equalize with an ambient pressure to
enable easy opening of a lid of the container.
Inventors: |
Serio, Donald JR.; (Covina,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROBERT J. SCHAAP
Suite 188
21241 Ventura Boulevard
Woodland Hills
CA
91364
US
|
Family ID: |
21838500 |
Appl. No.: |
10/027571 |
Filed: |
December 19, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/835 ;
220/203.06; 220/324; 220/745 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 13/1084 20130101;
A45C 13/008 20130101; B65D 51/1683 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/835 ;
220/324; 220/745; 220/203.06 |
International
Class: |
B65D 051/16; B65D
045/16 |
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what I desire to claim and
secure by Letters Patent is:
1 A container capable of having an interior sealed with respect to
an ambient atmospheric condition and having a valve which is
automatically actuable thereon, said container comprising: a) a
container housing: b) openable cover means on said housing and
which is openable providing access to an interior compartment; c)
locking means for holding said cover means in a closed position
with respect to said container housing and enabling a seal of the
interior compartment; and d) valve means associated with said cover
means or locking means and being actuable in response to an action
of opening or closing the cover means or locking same.
2 The container of claim 1 further characterized in that said valve
means is located to be actuated by locking of said locking
means.
3 The container of claim 2 further characterized in that said
locking means comprises at least one locking latch and said valve
means is located to be engaged and actuated by locking of said
locking latch.
4 The container of claim 3 further characterized in that said valve
means comprises a valve actuator located on said locking latch and
closes said valve when locked and moved to cause an opening of said
valve means when said latch is unlocked.
5 The container of claim 4 further characterized in that said
actuator comprises a projection on said latch.
6 The container of claim 5 further characterized in that said valve
means comprises an opening in said container and which is engaged
by said projection when said locking latch is locked.
7 The container of claim 6 further characterized in that said
projection has a face which extends over and covers said opening in
sealing contact therewith.
8 The container of claim 6 further characterized in that said
projection extends into said opening in sealing contact
therewith.
9 A container capable of having an interior compartment sealed with
respect to an ambient atmospheric condition and for equalizing
pressure conditions in a different ambient atmosphere, an
improvement comprising: a) an opening on a housing of the container
between said housing interior compartment and an external
atmosphere; b) locking means for holding said housing in a closed
position and enabling a seal of the interior compartment; and c)
valve projection means associated with said locking means and being
actuable in response to an action of opening or closing the locking
means.
10 The improvement in the container of claim 1 further
characterized in that said valve projection means is located to
extend with respect to and engage said opening when said locking
means is locked.
11 The container of claim 3 further characterized in that a valve
projection engages a face of said opening in sealing contact
therewith when said locking means is locked.
12 The container of claim 10 further characterized in that said
projection has a face which extends over and covers said opening in
sealing contact therewith.
13 The container of claim 10 further characterized in that said
projection extends into said opening in sealing contact therewith.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates in general to certain new and useful
improvements in hand engageable carrying containers which are
provided with an automatically actuable valve capable of equalizing
pressure on the inside of the container with respect to an exterior
ambient pressure upon opening a member forming part of the
container.
[0003] 2. Brief Description of Related Art
[0004] Conventional carrying cases such as briefcases, satchels,
purses and the like which are not fluid sealed have no need for any
type of pressure relief valve or pressure equalizing valve.
Generally, the interior of these types of containers will assume
the same pressure which exists as the ambient exterior
pressure.
[0005] In many carrying cases, and particularly those which are
fluid sealed, such as air sealed, or even more so, air sealed and
water sealed, a pressure differential can exist between the
interior and the exterior of the container. As a simple example, if
a container is closed and in a city which has a relatively high
altitude with lower ambient pressure, and then transported to a
city having a much lower altitude and higher ambient pressure, a
substantial vacuum will exist on the interior of the container.
Thus, one who attempts to open the container may not be able to do
so because of the force on the lid of the container created by the
vacuum in that container.
[0006] There are many commercially available hand engageable
carrying containers which are used in differing environments and
therefore require some means to vent the interior of the container,
or to at least expose the interior of the container to the ambient
atmospheric pressure. Generally, all of the commercially available
containers of this type which employ a fluid tight seal between the
lid and the base of the container also provide some form of
manually actuable valve. Generally, this manually actuable valve
will adopt the form of a simple valve mechanism built into the side
of the case or the lid, and which permits turning or moving of a
handle to open or close the valve. Thus, when the handle is moved
as for example, by the rotation in one direction the valve will
open, and when rotated in the opposite direction the valve will
close.
[0007] While these conventional manually actuable valves may
constitute an effective means to vent the interior of a carrying
case to the external ambient atmosphere, they nevertheless require
the manual intervention of the user. One of the main problems which
exists is that the user will frequently open the valve and forget
to close the valve thereafter. If the container is introduced into
another environment in which it must be fluid sealed, as for
example, in an underwater environment, the valve in the open
position will permit introduction of water into the interior of the
container. This introduction of water could seriously damage the
contents carried on the interior of the container.
[0008] Another one of the drawbacks of these manually actuable
valves is the fact that they are usually of a relatively simple and
concomitantly low cost construction. This is due to the fact that
any expensive valve mechanism would materially add to the overall
cost of the container and would not be commercially feasible.
Frequently, after a period of use, these valves will break or wear
out with no convenient means of repairing same. Thus, the entire
carrying case, which can be a moderately expensive item, must then
be discarded.
[0009] It would be desirable to provide a carrying case which has
an automatically actuable valve which actuates upon opening or
closing of the carrying case. It would also be desirable to provide
a valve of this type which is relatively simple in construction and
which is not capable of readily wearing out after limited use
thereof.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present
invention to provide a carrying case which is capable of being
fluid sealed and which includes a valve which is automatically
actuable upon moving a movable member on that carrying case.
[0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
carrying case of the type stated in which the automatically
actuable valve can be constructed into or form a part of a movable
lid or lock mechanism on the carrying case, and which does not
require the need of manual actuation by a user.
[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
carrying case of the type stated which is provided with an
automatically actuable valve of the type utilizing an opening in
the case, and which is automatically sealable upon shifting a lid
or latch on the case to a closed position.
[0013] It is an additional object of the present invention to
provide a carrying case of the type stated which can be constructed
with an automatically actuable valve at a relatively low cost, and
which is simple in operation but highly effective in use.
[0014] It is another salient object of the present invention to
provide a method of allowing for pressure equalization between an
interior of a carrying case and an exterior ambient atmosphere with
respect to that carrying case, and which automatically allows for
such pressure equalization upon moving a portion of the carrying
case.
[0015] It is still a further object of the present invention to
provide a method of the type stated which automatically allows for
venting of the interior of the carrying case to allow easy opening
thereof, regardless of the pressure differential which may exist
across that carrying case.
[0016] With the above and other objects in view, my invention
resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement
and combination of parts and components presently described and
pointed out in the claims.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention relates to a container which is
capable of being air sealed and preferably air sealed and water
sealed. Moreover, this container is provided with an automatically
actuable valve means forming part of or associated with the
container and which automatically allows for equalization of any
pressure differential across the interior of the container and the
external ambient atmosphere, all in a manner as hereinafter
described in more detail.
[0018] The container of the present invention generally includes a
container base having a closure which forms an interior
compartment. A lid is closeable and openable with respect to the
container base, and when the lid is shifted to the closed position,
the container is completely sealed with respect to the external
ambient atmosphere. As indicated, for a fluid tight container, the
container is both water and air sealed when the lid or other
closure member is moved to a closed position.
[0019] In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the
container has a lid which is hingeably mounted over the base. Thus,
the lid can be raised about its hinges to open the container and
can be shifted to a closed position with respect to the container.
Generally, an upper lip on the periphery of the container base
mates with a corresponding portion on the lid to create a fluid
tight seal between the two when the lid is moved to the closed
position. The seal is even further amplified when the lid is locked
in this closed position to the container base, as for example, by
latches on the container or the like. For this purpose, any form of
locking means is typically employed.
[0020] In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the
invention, latches are provided on the lid and are engageable with
hooks on the base when the latches are shifted to a locked
position. Thus, when the lid is moved to a closed position the
latches can be shifted to their locked position and thereby
retentively hold the lid on the container base in this locked
position.
[0021] Although this type of construction is conventional, the
prior art relied upon a manually actuable valve which was usually
constructed into the body or the lid of the container. Usually,
this valve relied upon a knob which was engageable by the user to
obtain this mechanical actuation. As a simple example, a knob could
be rotated in one direction to open the valve and rotated in an
opposite direction to close the valve. This allowed for pressure
equalization in the event that the container was moved from one
ambient atmospheric condition to another.
[0022] One of the main problems with these prior art containers is
that breakage of the valve before the same was shifted to an opened
condition could preclude the actual opening of the lid on the
container because the overall pressure on the inside as a result of
pressure differential was too great to allow for manual opening of
the lid. As also indicated, previously, failure of the user to
remember to close valve could result in serious damage to the
contents of the case if the case were introduced into water or a
similar environment.
[0023] The present invention obviates these and similar problems by
the use of the automatically actuable valve, as aforesaid. In this
case, the automatically actuable valve is actuated by moving one or
more components on the carrying case itself. Thus, and in a
preferred embodiment, an opening is formed in a sidewall of either
the base or the lid and thereby provides communication between the
interior of the carrying case and the external ambient
atmosphere.
[0024] In a more preferred embodiment, that opening can be closed
upon movement of some moveable member forming a part of the
carrying case. As a simple example, closing of a lid or a latch can
cause a member associated with that lid or latch to extend over the
opening and thereby completely seal the same. In still a more
preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of the latches
on the carrying case of the invention is provided with a protrusion
which extends over and abuts against the exterior surface of that
opening to thereby constitute a seal for that valve opening. Thus,
if the latch is shifted to the locked position on the carrying
case, the protrusion will extend over the opening and thereby
completely seal the same.
[0025] If there were a pressure differential across the carrying
case which precluded an opening of the carrying case, the mere
release of the latch will cause a venting and allow the pressure in
the carrying case to equalize with the external ambient atmospheric
pressure.
[0026] In another embodiment of the invention, a movable portion of
the carrying case, as for example, one or both of the latches, is
provided with a protrusion which extends into the opening. For this
purpose, the opening can be provided with a grommet or the
protrusion could be provided with a cylindrical sealing means, if
desired.
[0027] This invention possesses many other advantages and has other
purposes which may be made more clearly apparent from a
consideration of the forms in which they may be embodied. These
forms are shown in the drawings forming a part of and accompanying
the present specification. They will not be described in detail for
purposes of illustrating the general principles of the invention,
but it is to be understood that such detailed description and
accompanying drawings are not to be taken in a limiting sense.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Having thus described the invention in general terms,
reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art case having a
valve means for equalizing pressure with respect to an ambient
condition;
[0030] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air sealable case in
accordance with the present invention and having the automatically
actuable pressure equalizing valve therein;
[0031] FIG. 3 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 2, and showing
a lid forming a part of the container of FIG. 2 in an opened
condition;
[0032] FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing a
locking latch on a container lid in an opened condition;
[0033] FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, similar to
FIG. 5, except that it shows the locking latch in a closed
position;
[0034] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a
modified form of container in accordance with the present
invention;
[0035] FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, similar to
FIG. 7, and showing a modified form of locking latch in an opened
condition; and
[0036] FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 8 and
showing the locking latch in a fully locked position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PRACTICAL EMBODIMENTS
[0037] Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to
the drawings which illustrate practical embodiments of the present
invention, P designates a typical prior art fluid sealed container
10, having a base 12 along with a lid 14 hingedly mounted thereon
through conventional hinges 16. The carrying case may be
conventionally provided with a handle 18 for grasping by the hands
of the user. Moreover, the lid 10 is capable of being locked to the
base in a fluid sealed condition, through the use of latches 20,
all as best shown in FIG. 1.
[0038] The prior art containers which were fluid sealed typically
included some valve to allow for pressure equalization between the
interior of the container and the ambient atmosphere. In this case,
a conventional pressure type relief valve 22 was provided. This
pressure relief valve could be of relatively simple construction
and frequently relied upon a screw which was partially unthreaded
from an opening through the containing wall, thereby allowing for
air passage into the interior of the container. The screw was
provided with a knob, as shown in FIG. 1, for manual engagement by
a user.
[0039] However, as indicated previously, the user of the container
case oftentimes overlooked the need for sealing the container and
there was no means on the knob to indicate whether or not the valve
was opened or closed.
[0040] The present invention provides a container 30 having a
container base 32 and a lid 34 hingedly mounted thereon by means of
hinges (not shown). The carrying case is also provided with a
handle 38 on the container base and locking latches 40 associated
with the lid, and mounted therein through latch pins 41, as
hereinafter described in more detail. When the lid is in a closed
position, as shown in FIG. 2 for example, an interior compartment
42 (seen in FIG. 3) is air sealed. The base 32 may also be provided
with a peripheral upwardly struck protrusion 46 which extends into
a peripheral groove 7 on the lid to further provide an effective
locking seal.
[0041] The container lid 34 is provided with two pairs of spaced
apart ribs 44 and 46 which extend from the front side of the
container to the rear side thereof. These ribs are designed to not
only provide further structural integrity, but they also serve as a
means to mount each of the latches 40, also as best shown in FIGS.
2 and 3 of the drawings. Thus, it can be seen that one latch 40 on
one side of the container is mounted on one pair of ribs 44 and the
other latch 40 is mounted on the opposite pair of ribs 46.
[0042] Each latch 40 cooperates with a locking tab 48 on the
exterior of the base and which exists in the form of an outwardly
extending peripheral flange 50. Thus, each latch 40 is provided
with an inwardly struck tab 52 which faces external wall of the
container base, and is engaged on the underside of each locking tab
48. Moreover, by pressing the latch against the locking tab 48, the
flange 52 becomes retentively locked thereunder to create a fluid
tight seal between the lid and the container base. Moreover, and
for this purpose, a thumb engaging extension 54 may also be formed
on the latch 40, in the manner as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the
drawings.
[0043] A pressure equalizing valve arrangement is also constructed
directly into the container itself. In this case, an opening 56
forming part of a pressure equalizing valve 58 is provided and
communicates with the interior of the container in the manner as
best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings. In this case, the
opening 56, if desired, could be provided with a grommet or similar
sealing material 60. At least one of the latches 40 is provided
with an inwardly struck protrusion 62 which is adapted to extend
over the front face of the opening 56. Thus, when the latch 40 is
moved to the locked position as shown in FIG. 6, it can be observed
that the protrusion 62 fits over the front face of the opening 56
and thereby completely seals the same. Inasmuch as there is a tight
locking pressure created by the inwardly struck tab 52 engaging the
locking flange 48, there is a fluid tight seal created between the
face of the protrusion 62 and the opening 56.
[0044] This type of valve mechanism, although simple in its
construction, has been found to be not only quite reliable, but
very effective in maintaining a sealing pressure against the
opening, and thereby maintains a complete air tight seal in the
interior chamber 42. Thus, this device has proved to be effective,
capable of being produced at a low cost, and is highly reliable in
operation.
[0045] FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a modified form of container 66 in
accordance with the present invention. The container 66 uses common
parts to the container 30 and therefore, like components forming
part of the container 30 as found in the container 66 will have the
same reference numbers.
[0046] The container 66 comprises a latch 40, similar to the latch
illustrated in FIGS. 2-6 of the drawings. However, in this case, as
opposed to a protrusion 62 which bears against the outece of the
front wall of the container and extending over the opening 56, the
latch 40 includes an elongate round protrusion 68 which literally
fits within the opening 56. In this case, the protrusion 68 may
also be provided with a cylindrically shaped sealing sheath 70 on
its exterior face. Thus, when the exterior sheath 70 bears against
the wall of the opening 56, a fluid tight seal is created
therebetween.
[0047] The valve mechanism as shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 7-9
has also proved to be effective in providing a fluid tight seal and
thereby operates as an effective valve arrangement.
[0048] The container and the various components thereof may be
formed of any of a number of known plastic materials. Thus, the
container may be conveniently molded in a thermoforming operation,
blow molding, injection molding, or the like. Any of a number of
suitable plastic materials may be usable for this purpose
including, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. In
addition, and for that matter, the container could also be formed
of reinforced plastic composite materials, such as fiberglass-epoxy
resin combinations. Also, and in like manner, the container could
be formed of metal materials. However, for purposes of creating the
automatically actuable valve, some type of sealing material may be
necessary if the protrusion 62, or for that matter, the protrusion
68 is to create a fluid tight seal.
[0049] Thus, there has been illustrated and described a unique and
novel air sealable container with an automatically actuable
pressure equalizing valve and which thereby fulfills all of the
objects and advantages which have been sought therefore. It should
be understood that many changes, modifications, variations and
other uses and applications will become apparent to those skilled
in the art after considering this specification and the
accompanying drawings. Therefore, any and all such changes,
modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do
not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to
be covered by the invention.
* * * * *