Vacuum packing apparatus

In container closure apparatus for enabling evacuation and sealing of a container by a vacuum pump of the type having a cup-like air intake, said closure apparatus being adapted for use with containers of the type having a rigid rim defining a container opening, the combination comprising:

• a lid adapted for sealing engagement on said container rim over said container opening, said lid having an outer surface and an air passage which communicates said outer surface with the interior of said container when said lid is engaged thereon, and
• a hollow valve disposed on said outer surface of said lid over said air passage and being proportioned to fit within said air intake, the lower portion of said valve being a resilient skirt which extends outward from said outer surface of said lid and which extends around a hollow interior chamber within said valve, both said skirt and said hollow chamber being broader than said air passage thereby causing said skirt to contact said outer surface of said lid at locations which are away from the periphery of said air passage and causing said hollow chamber to overlap the regions of said outer surface of said lid that are adjacent to said air passage, said hollow chamber being open at the underside of said valve, said valve further having means for inhibiting removal of said valve from said lid, wherein said valve has an upper portion that spans said hollow interior chamber and wherein said means for inhibiting removal of said valve from said lid includes a stem that extends down from said upper portion of said valve through said chamber and through said air passage of said lid and which has a lower end carrying an enlargement that is broader than said passage,
• wherein said stem is a threaded screw having a screw head with a slot therein and wherein said enlargement is a locknut engaged on said lower end of said screw, said screw head being in the upper region of said hollow interior chamber and wherein said valve has a resilient lip which extends under said screw head to attach said screw to said upper portion of said valve.

In container closure apparatus for enabling evacuation and sealing of a container by a vacuum pump of the type having a cup-like air intake, said closure apparatus being adapted for use with containers of the type having a rigid rim defining a container opening, the combination comprising:

• a lid adapted for sealing engagement on said container rim over said container opening, said lid having an outer surface and an air passage which communicates said outer surface with the interior of said container when said lid is engaged thereon, and wherein said lid is proportioned to span and simultaneously seal a plurality of said containers, and
• a hollow valve disposed on said outer surface of said lid over said air passage and being proportioned to fit within said air intake, the lower portion of said valve being a resilient skirt which extends outward from said outer surface of said lid and which extends around a hollow interior chamber within said valve, both said skirt and said hollow chamber being broader than said air passage thereby causing said skirt to contact said outer surface of said lid at locations which are away from the periphery of said air passage and causing said hollow chamber to overlap the regions of said outer surface of said lid that are adjacent to said air passage, said hollow chamber being open at the underside of said valve, said valve further having means for inhibiting removal of said valve from said lid.

Closure apparatus for enabling evacuation and sealing of a container by means of a vacuum pump having a cup-like air intake, the apparatus being adaptable to sealing of a container of the type which has a rigid rim forming a container opening, wherein said closure apparatus comprises:

• a rigid lid adapted for sealing engagement with said container over said container opening, said lid having outer and inner surfaces and having an air passage which extends between said surfaces,
• a hollow valve disposed on said outer surface of said lid over said air passage and having a stem which extends through said passage and which has an enlargement which inhibits removal of said valve from said lid, the lower portion of said valve being a cylindrical resilient skirt having an inner surface that is of greater diameter than said air passage and which is spaced apart from said air passage to define a chamber within said valve that is of greater breadth than said air passage and which overlaps the portions of said outer surface of said lid that encircle said air passage, said valve further having an upper portion which is of smaller diameter than said cylindrical resilient skirt and a flexible transition section which interconnects said upper portion and said cylindrical resilient skirt and which enables said upper portion to be forced downward by air pressure into a nesting relationship with said cylindrical resilient skirt.