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US 2006/0032852 A1Published application
Airtight lid for container and method of use
OwnerEdward Caiinventor
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OwnerEdward Caiinventor
Estimating the term…
A lid for forming an airtight seal to a bowl or dish plate to elongate the life of product therein comprises an impermeable membrane having an outer perimeter larger than the rim of the container and an enforcement ring for enabling the formation of an airtight seal between the membrane and rim of the container under vacuum. The membrane is sufficiently soft to cause it to fill the lower sections or imperfections on the rim, thus enabling the lid to form an airtight seal to almost all household containers. The membrane may be adapted to have sufficient low tensile stress, thereby preventing the vacuum in the container from imploding or collapsing the container even if it has a thin or weak wall. The enforcement ring has vertical and horizontal rings connected to the membrane perimeter to prevent the membrane deformation at both vertical and horizontal directions. The lid may further comprise an air evacuation passageway having an air collection chamber for extracting air from the container and a valve for allowing air to flow out of the container but preventing air from entering. In use, the lid may be sealed to a container by simply pushing the membrane into the container and releasing the membrane to generate a vacuum to affix the membrane to the container, or may be sealed to a container by connecting a vacuum generator to the evacuation passageway to evacuate the container.
A lid for sealing a container having an opening for allowing a product to be placed into the container, a side wall and a rim at the free end of the side wall under a subatmospheric pressure or vacuum to increase the life of the product, said lid comprising a substantially impermeable membrane having an outer perimeter at least as large as the rim of the container to cover the container and an enforcement means for preventing said outer perimeter from substantial deformation when said membrane is being elongated, said membrane being adapted to enter the container to contact at least part of the side wall of the container as well as to wrap around at least the top end of the product therein when a subatmospheric pressure or vacuum is formed in the space between said membrane and the container, thereby causing said membrane to conform substantially to the topographies of the side wall of the container and the product to prevent the container from being imploded or collapsed by said vacuum or subatmospheric pressure.
A lid for forming an airtight seal to a container having an open end for receiving a product into the container, a side wall and a rim at the free end of the side wall, said lid comprising an air impermeable membrane having an outer perimeter at least as large as the rim of the container and an enforcement ring permanently connected to said outer perimeter or to an area near said outer perimeter on said membrane for facilitating the formation of an airtight seal between said membrane and the rim of the container, said membrane being sufficiently flexible and adapted to enable the part of said membrane that is in contact with the rim or side wall of the container to conform to the topography of the rim or side wall to prevent any air passageway from being formed between said membrane and the rim or side wall of the container.
A lid for forming an airtight seal to a container such as a bowl, dish plate, canister, cup, jar, tray or bottle that has an open end, a bottom, a side wall between the open end and bottom, and a rim at the open end, said lid comprising an air-impermeable membrane having an outer perimeter at least as large as the rim of the container to cover the open end of the container and an air evacuation passageway comprising a valve for allowing air to be evacuated from the container but preventing air from entering the container via said evacuation passageway, said membrane being sufficiently flexible to enable the part of said membrane above the rim or side wall of the container to conform to the topography of the rim or side wall to prevent air passageway from forming between said membrane and the rim or side wall of the container.
A lid for sealing a container having an opening for allowing a product to be placed into the container, a side wall and a rim at the free end of the side wall under a subatmospheric pressure or vacuum to increase the life of the product, said lid comprising a thin body affixed on the side wall of the container to close the opening of the lid at least in part by the subatmospheric pressure or vacuum in the container and a valve having a seal member located above said thin body, a valve opening on said thin body and normally closed by said seal member, and a slender member having one end connected to said seal member and a free end, said seal member being adapted to open said valve opening when one pulls said free end of said slender member, said slender member being adapted to be sufficiently flexible to prevent unintended release of the vacuum in the container when said slender member is accidentally touched by another container or object.
In a container having a top part and a bottom part sealed or adapted to seal to said top part to enclose a product under a subatmospheric pressure or vacuum to increase the life of the product, the improvement comprising a substantially air impermeable membrane for at least one of said top and bottom parts of the container, said air impermeable membrane comprising a material having sufficient barrier to air to maintain said subatmospheric pressure for an extended period of time and being capable of expanding or stretching at least 50% prior to causing any significantly deterioration of said sufficient barrier to air by said subatmospheric pressure or vacuum, thereby allowing said membrane to wrap around at least the part of the product, said membrane being configured to have a tensile stress lower than 2Rp/L pounds per square inch at a tensile strain of approximately 20% to 50% elongation to prevent said membrane from crushing or damaging the product under said subatmospheric pressure, wherein Rp and L are the radius or equivalent radius of the product and the membrane thickness in inches, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.