JPH0369467A - Vacuum seal vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To completely insulate the inside from the outside, by closely sealing a cover and a vessel body via a packing due to the differencial pressure between the inner and outer sides of the vessel. CONSTITUTION:A packing 6 is compressed and a vessel is also deformed according to its deforming ability by compression of a cover 1 or the vessel body 3 of simultaneous compression of the cover 1 and the vessel body 3, and a part of the air in the vessel is discharged through an air vent 5. Upon halt of the compression, a check valve 4 works on recovering of the packing 6, the cover 1, and the vessel body 3 to close the air inflow from the outside and to make the inside of vessel to be negative in pressure. The cover 1 and the vessel body 3 adhere closely through the packing 6 due to the pressure difference of the inside and the outside of the vessel. When the check valve 4 is raised, the negative pressure is relieved and the cover is opened. In this way, as the inside of the vessel can be completely insulated from the outside, the foodstaff can be stably preserved and it does not absorb odors of a refrigerator and also it does not discharge outward the moisture and odors of the contents.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention is primarily concerned with airtight storage containers for refrigerators that can be used at home for both room-temperature foods and hot foods that have just been cooked, or room-temperature containers that can be used as lunch boxes. This relates to airtight storage containers.

(Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Conventional household refrigerating containers are soft plastic containers such as Tupperware (trade name), or the lid and main body are usually placed in two places via a gasket. It is a rectangular plastic container fitted with a hook.The former can be used for both cold and hot food, but cannot be completely isolated from the outside world, while the latter can be used for hot food when it cools down. The problem is that the inside of the container becomes negative pressure, making it impossible to open the lid.

There is also a well-known lunch box equipped with a negative pressure release valve as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-10050, but if outside air is allowed to flow in, bacteria may enter the box, making it unsuitable as a food storage container. be.

---In general, there are methods such as keeping food at low temperatures (freezing, refrigeration), cooking or processing (sterilization), and direct air to prevent food spoilage and quality deterioration at home. and food must be separated from each other. That is, a closed container is required.

Therefore, the problems to be solved by the present invention are as follows.

(1) It must be an airtight container that can be completely isolated from the outside world.

(2) The container must be able to be quickly filled with hot food immediately after cooking (sterilization) and sealed tightly. Therefore, when the food contents are cooled, the inside of the container becomes directly empty.

(3) The lid can be easily opened when taking out the food stored according to (2) above.

(4) There is a method described in JP-A-57-86465 to create direct air inside the container by attaching a manual direct air pump to the opening of the lid, but in this case, the pump is attached during food preservation. Because it is a container, the pump gets in the way when used as a refrigerated container or a lunch box, and the air inside the container is sucked out by an electric direct air pump from above the check valve on the lid. Although it is easy to think of directly emptying the inside, both require extra cost and are not suitable for home use. Therefore, the container must have a simple structure and can be sealed by applying negative pressure inside the container using a simple method.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, quickly fills both room-temperature food and hot food, creates negative pressure inside the container, seals the container, and easily releases the direct air when taking out the food. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vacuum-sealed container for food whose lid can be opened.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The gist of the present invention is to consist of a heat-resistant and cold-resistant synthetic resin container body 3 having pressure deformability and restoring ability, and a lid 1 having ventilation holes 5. , the lid 1 includes a check valve 4 configured in an umbrella shape made of heat-resistant and cold-resistant rubber or rubber-like elastic material that closes a ventilation hole 5, and a packing case 2 connected to the periphery of the lid 1. In a container configured such that the lid 1 and the container body 3 are in airtight contact with each other through a gasket 6 made of heat-resistant and cold-resistant rubber or rubber-like elastic material mounted inside the case 2, the lid 1 or the container body 3 is pressed. Alternatively, by pressing the lid 1 and the container body 3 at the same time, the gasket 6 is compressed, the container also deforms according to its deformability, and a part of the air inside the container is discharged to the outside through the ventilation hole 5. When the pressure is stopped, when the gasket 611 and the container body 3 try to recover, the check valve 4 operates to block the inflow of air from the outside, creating a negative pressure inside the container, and the lid 1 is closed due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the container. The container body 3 is brought into close contact with the gasket 6 to seal the container, and when the check valve 4 is lifted, the negative pressure inside the container is released and the lid 1 is closed.
in a vacuum-sealed container characterized in that the pressure is released.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The vacuum sealed container of the present invention will be described below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a vacuum sealed container of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the check valve fitted into the lid.

In FIG. 1, 1 is the lid of the container, and 3 is the container body. 4 is a check valve formed of heat-resistant and cold-resistant rubber or rubber-like elastic material, and 5 is a vent provided below the check valve. 6 is an endless gasket made of heat-resistant and cold-resistant rubber or rubber-like elastic material.

The details of the check valve 4 will be explained with reference to FIG. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the check valve 4 is formed in an umbrella shape, and a projection 4a is provided at the center of the lower part.
It has a notch 4b in a portion corresponding to the back side of the periphery of the umbrella.

The protrusion 4a of this check valve is inserted into the opening 7 of the lid 1 from the front side, and the protrusion 4a prevents the check valve 4 itself from coming off from the opening 7. Therefore, the diameter of the shaft 4d of the check valve is smaller than the diameter of the opening 7, and the enlarged diameter stepped portion 4e of the shaft 4d
The length from the lower end of the projection 4a to the upper end is longer than the thickness of the lid 1, so that the shaft 4d itself can freely move within the opening 7. Reference numeral 5 denotes a ventilation hole provided in the lid 1 facing the notch 4b. The peripheral edge tip 4C of the umbrella-shaped main body is in airtight contact with the surface of the lid 1. Note that the structure of the check valve is known and is not limited to this embodiment.

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, when the lid 1 is pressed with a force P in the state shown in FIG. The volume inside the container is compressed and a part of the air inside is discharged to the outside through the ventilation hole 5, and when the pressure is released, the gasket 6 and the lid 1 are
When the container body 3 attempts to recover, the check valve 4 operates to block the inflow of air from the outside, creating a negative pressure inside the container, and at the same time, the pressure difference P2 between the inside and outside of the container causes the lid 1 and the container body 3 to be restored. The lid 1 and the container body 3 are brought into close contact with each other via the gasket 6, and the container is sealed.

If the pressing is repeated two to three times as necessary, the check valve 4 moves up and down, and the negative pressure inside the container can be increased slightly.

Further, when taking out the food contents, by lifting the check valve 4 and letting outside air flow in, the negative pressure inside the container is released and the lid 1 is released.

Now, the structure of the packing and check valve used in the present invention is no different from known ones, but the general function of the check valve is to exhaust the internal gas through the vent hole under the check valve and block the backflow. The present invention is characterized by the following functions.

(b) When pressure is applied to the container and then the pressure is stopped, negative pressure is created within the container and the container is sealed, it functions as a general check valve.

The operations in (b) and (a) are for sealing the container, and at the same time, from the perspective of food preservation, they also serve as a so-called "deaeration" function.

That is, if the container of the present invention is filled with food in a small head space and pressure is applied to the container, most of the air in the container will be exhausted and the air density will be reduced, so that the food preservation function will be improved.

Furthermore, if the container is filled with food that has just been cooked (sterilized) and pressure is applied to the container, the air heated and expanded by the hot food and the steam generated from the food will be exhausted, further reducing the air density inside the container. If the food is refrigerated and the temperature drops, the water vapor inside the container will condense, creating a high vacuum inside the container and further improving the preservation function of the food.

In other words, if you fill the container with almost sterile food immediately after cooking, apply pressure to the container, degas it, reduce the pressure slightly, and refrigerate it.
An important feature of the present invention is that a high vacuum can be created within the container, improving the food preservation function.

(c) When removing the food contents, the lid can be easily opened by lifting the periphery of the check valve to allow outside air to flow in. At this time, the check valve functions as a negative pressure release valve within the container.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that the check valve performs the functions (a) to (c) above. In addition, there is no need for hooks or other means to secure the lid and main body, and there is no need for manual or electric direct air pumps. Another feature of the present invention is that it can provide a direct airtight airtight storage container for foods that can also be used as a microwave heating container.

(Effect of the invention) Since the present invention has the above configuration, it has the following effects.

(1) If the container is filled with food and refrigerated with a structure that creates negative pressure inside the container and seals the lid and main body via a gasket, the negative pressure will become even stronger as the temperature drops, and the container can be completely isolated from the outside world. Food can be stored stably, and odors inside the refrigerator are not absorbed, and moisture and odors from the contents are not released to the outside.

(n) When the container is filled with high-temperature food that has been cooked (sterilized) and pressed, the gas inside the container (expanded air and steam, etc.) is discharged, and if the container is sealed, the air density inside the container is considerably reduced. Therefore, if the food is refrigerated, the temperature inside the container will drop and the temperature will drop, allowing the flavor of the food to be preserved for a long period of time.

Next, an example of use of the vacuum sealed container of the present invention will be explained.

A microwave-transparent resin container constructed according to the present invention (with an internal volume of 500 m0 filled with freshly cooked cooked rice (82°C) and pressed three times on the lid will produce -70 am Hg)
The pressure inside the container becomes 6900 mmmm (reading on the vacuum gauge). Store this at room temperature (about 2
When the container was cooled to 5°C, the pressure inside the container became 500 mmHg, and when it was further refrigerated (5°C), the pressure inside the container became 410 mmHg after 2 hours, and the pressure inside the container was maintained as it was until 7 days later. I reheated this in the microwave for 2 minutes and tried it, but the taste remained almost the same as it was right after cooking. Further, no changes in appearance such as browning were observed.

In fact, it is sufficient to store it for 2 to 3 days at home, so you can always have delicious food, which is important for family life.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a vacuum sealed container of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the check valve. 1: Lid, 2: Packing case, 3: Container body. 4: Check valve, 5: Vent hole, 6: Packing, 7: Opening.

Claims (1)

[Claims] It consists of a container body 3 made of heat- and cold-resistant synthetic resin that has pressure deformability and restorability, and a lid 1 with a ventilation hole 5. The lid 1 is made of heat- and cold-resistant rubber or rubber that closes the ventilation hole 5. A check valve 4 made of an umbrella-shaped elastic body and a packing case 2 connected to the periphery of the lid 1 are provided. In a container configured such that the lid 1 and the container body 3 are in airtight contact via the packing 6, the lid 1 or the container body 3 is
or by pressing the lid 1 and the container body 3 at the same time, the packing 6 is compressed, the container is also deformed according to its deformability, and a part of the air inside the container is discharged to the outside through the ventilation hole 5. When the pressure is stopped, when the packing 6, lid 1, and container body 3 try to recover, the check valve 4 operates to block the inflow of air from the outside, creating a negative pressure inside the container, reducing the pressure inside and outside the container. Due to the difference, the lid 1 and the container body 3 are attached to the packing 6.
The reduced pressure sealed container is characterized in that the container is tightly sealed through the lid 1, and when the check valve 4 is lifted, the negative pressure inside the container is released and the lid 1 is released.