Back to results
US 7,726,355 B2Granted
Motorized vacuum/pressure pump and stopper
AssigneeEpicurean International Corp.
InventorsAnthony R. Lemme, Chester M. Fudge
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeEpicurean International Corp.
InventorsAnthony R. Lemme, Chester M. Fudge
Estimating the term…
A pump and stopper combination for vacuum or pressure sealing a container. The stopper has a pour opening and a one-way valve movable between an operative position to permit one-way flow of fluid into or out of the container when the pour opening is in the closed position, and an inoperative position when the pour opening is in the open position. A vacuum/pressure pump that connects to the stopper includes a drive adapted to convert rotational movement of a motor to reciprocating motion of a pump piston in a chamber, and one-way pump valves mounted in a selectable flow control member. The selectable flow control member is movable between pressure and vacuum positions to permit passage of fluid only into or out of the pump chamber. The pump also includes an indicator for indicating when a desired level of vacuum or pressure has been reached The pump may be incorporated into a container lid.
A stopper for contacting and sealing with an opening in a container comprising a collar for removable sealing engagement with a pump and a portion extending from a lower end of the collar for insertion into the container opening, the stopper having a pour opening for accessing contents in the container, the pour opening being movable between open and closed positions, and a one-way valve movably disposed in the stopper between an operative position to permit one-way flow of fluid into or out of the container when the pour opening is in the closed position, and an inoperative position when the pour opening is in the open position.
A stopper for contacting and sealing with an opening in a container, the stopper having an opening therethrough between the container interior and exterior including a central pour opening for pouring out the contents of the container when the container is tipped from an upright position, and at least one parallel passageway adjacent the central pour opening to permit air to flow into the container to release back pressure, and a one-way valve disposed in the opening, the one-way valve comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.