US2981430A - Plastic vacuum containers - Google Patents

Description

April 1961 HSUE c. TSIEN ET AL 2,981,430

PLASTIC VACUUM CONTAINERS Filed April 21, 1959 INVENTORS H5 (/5 C. TSIEA/ P40 H. CHI

HTTORNEY United States Patent C ee PLASTIC VACUUM CONTAINERS Hsue C. Tsien, Elmsford, N.Y. (11 Browning Drive, Livingston, N.J.), and P20 H. Chin, 1271 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY.

Filed Apr. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 807,804

1 Claim. (Cl, 215-13) This invention relates to containers such as commonly referred to as vacuum bottles for preserving liquids in a hot or cold state. More particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described, wherein the several parts are formed from suitable plastics to render the device nonbreakable.

Still more particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described, wherein the inner container is fixedly mounted in an outer shell and spaced from the outer shell throughout substantially the full length of the chamber portion of the container and, wherein, a hollow vacuum chamber stopper is used, controlling admission and discharge of the fiuid used in conjunction with the container tube.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, wherein, the drawing is a longitudinal sectional view through a container device made according to our invention.

In the drawing, 1 represents an outer shell or casing in the form of an elongated cylinder, the upper end portion of which has a reduced supplemental shell part in the form of an extending sleeve 2, externally threaded,

in part, as indicated at 3, the lower portion of the sleeve having an outwardly extending flange 4 seated upon the upper end of the shell proper 1 and suitably united therewith by a solvent, or the like, as at 4'. At 5 is shown the inner container tube, in the chamber 6 i which a suitable fluid is adapted to be positioned for preservation over a period of time.

The tube has a rounded lower end '7 spaced from the bottom wall 8 of the shell. The upper end of the tube terminates in an outwardly extending ribbed annular flange 9, having an abrupt bevelled inner surface 10 leading into a long bevelled seat 11, upon which a stopper part 12 is adapted to seat, the stopper part having a bevelled surface 13 seating snugly upon the bevel 11. The container has below the flange 9 an outwardly extending shoulder 9 which fits snugly in the bore of the sleeve 2.

The flange 9 seats upon the upper end of the supplemental part 2 of the shell 1 and is sealed thereto by a solvent or other sealing means 14 arranged in a bevelled portion of the flange 9, as diagrammatically illustrated in solid marking in the drawing. This construction unites the parts 1, 2 and 5 permanently together. It will be apparent that the shoulder 99 spaces the outer wall of the tube 5 from the sleeve 2 to form a chamber 15 which opens into the vacuum chamber 16 formed between the shell and the tube 5.

It will appear that the bottom wall 8 of the shell is set inwardly to form a depending peripheral rim 17, leaving a recess 18 at the bottom of the shell. The bottom wall has a center aperture, as at 19, to facilitate formation of the vacuum in the chamber 16 and, then, sealing the aperture 19 by suitable sealing means, as at 20, the latter being disposed within the recess 18.

Patented Apr. 25, 1961 The stopper 12 is in the form of a cup-shaped member, the upper end of which has on its inner surface a groove, as at 21, to form a seat for a closure disc 22 sealed to the stopper by a solvent or other sealing means.-

The disc 22 has an aperture 23 to facilitate formation of the vacuum in the chamber 24 of the stopper, the aperture being vacuum sealed, as diagrammatically illustrated at 25.

At 26 we have shown a detachable cover, more or less cup-shaped in form to serve as a drinking cup. As shown in the drawing, the upper end of the cup is set inwardly and the peripheral surface of this inwardly set portion is ribbed, as diagrammatically illustrated at 27, to provide a gripping surface facilitating attachment and detachment of the cover. The inwardly set upper portion of the cup forms a shoulder, as at 28, which is adapted to bear upon the upper end of the stopper in pressing the stopper into firm seated position on the bevelled seat 11.

The lower or larger diameter portion 29 of the cover is spaced from the walls of the flange 9 and the upper portion of the sleeve 2 above the threads 3 to provide an air space 30 therebetween. The lower end portion of the cover is threaded, as seen at 31, to engage the threads 3 in attachment and detachment of the cover. It will also be apparent that the inwardly set upper portion of the cover also forms another air space 32 between the top wall 33 of the'cover and the closure disc 22.

With our improved construction, it will appear that the contents of the tube is bordered substantially in its entirety by vacuum chambers and this is further assisted by the air spaces 30 and 32 surrounding the upper end of the shell 1 and tube 5 and the upper portion of the stopper 12. From, this standpoint, a highly eflicient vacuum container will result for maintaining the contents of the tube 5 at the desired temperature for a long period of time.

It will appear from the drawing that the several parts of the container are made of plastics and, in many uses, the shell 1, as well as the tube 5, can be composed of transparent plastics, so as to indicate at all times the level of the contents in the chamber 5.

By virtue of the structure employed, a device of the type and kind under consideration can be produced economically and, at the same time, the resulting device will be substantially nonbreakable in the packaging, handling and use thereof.

It will be apparent that, by setting the sleeve portion 2 inwardly, in the manner shown, the outer wall of the closure cover is maintained within the dimension of the outside diameter of the casing or shell part and,-at the same time, the vacuum chamber will include the extension, as at 15, so as to dispose the contents of the container tube entirely within the vacuum chamber formed between the shell and container tube.

With our improved device, in addition to providing a substantially unbreakable construction, the device in its entirety can be sterilized and otherwise cleaned, thus freeing the device from all possible collection of bacteria and eliminating the presence of odors by virtue of unsanitary conditions. It will also be understood that, in securing the several parts of the device together, any type and kind of securing means can be utilized, including fusing processes, so that the joined parts will become as one.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A vacuum container of the character described, comprising a container part, a stopper forming a closure for said part, a casing part including a reduced diameter sleeve part permanently fixed thereto and to the container part, said casing part and sleeve part being spaced from the major portion of the container part to form a vacuum chamber substantially enveloping the container part, means detachable with respect to the sleeve part of the casing part for retaining the stopper in seated position on the container part, and the container part 5 including, at its open end, an outwardly extending flange portion seating on and secured to the upper end of said sleeve part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Johnson July 22, 1930 Noeth Oct. 11, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Jan. 2, 1957

Images