Description

LID FOR AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a lid for an airtight container, and more particularly, to a lid for an airtight container which can tightly close the opening of a container body, thereby reliably maintaining the airtightness of the container. Background Art

[2] In general, in an airtight container, a lid must be tightly coupled to a container body so that the lid is not easily opened and the airtightness of the container is maintained.

[3] Various airtight containers have been heretofore disclosed in the art. As a typical example of the airtight containers, a LOCK & LOCK (a trade name) container, in which a lid is tightly coupled to a container body to maintain airtightness thereof, has been disclosed in the art.

[4] In the LOCK & LOCK container and similar products, locking means is provided to firmly lock the lid to the container body. The locking means is integrally formed on the side surface of the lid so that it can be pivoted upward and downward with respect to the lid. The locking means is structured in such a manner that it can be engaged with and disengaged from a projection which is formed on the side wall of the container body.

[5] In the conventional configuration in which the container body and the lid are locked to each other by locking means, as the locking means integrally formed with the lid is pivoted a number of times, the locking means is likely to be torn or loosened. As a consequence, a problem is caused in that, when the container is used for an extended period, the airtightness of the container is considerably degraded in comparison with initial airtightness.

[6] In particular, due to the fact that the opening and closing operation of the lid with respect to the container body is annoying to some extent, inconvenience is caused in the use of the container.

[7] In addition to the airtight containers having the locking means constructed as mentioned above, other airtight containers, in which protuberances are formed adjacent to the edge of a lid, have also been disclosed in the art. In the case of these airtight containers having the protuberances formed on the lid, coupling force is significantly decreased, and when they are used for an extended period, wear of the protuberances is caused, whereby it is difficult to reliably maintain airtightness inside the containers.

[8] Specifically, because most protuberances formed on the lids have a hemispherical sectional shape, the protuberances can easily slip on the surfaces of the container

bodies. As a result, a problem is caused in that the lids are likely to be easily opened. [9] Moreover, in the case of a conventional lid for an airtight container which is made of rubber or synthetic resin having a certain degree of flexibility, because it has a relatively small thickness, the initial configuration of the lid can be easily changed or distorted. [10] Further, due to the fact that the conventional lids for airtight containers are vulnerable to the heat, heating sterilization for disinfection purposes is impossible. For example, if the conventional lids for airtight containers are heated to or above 50 C, the initial configurations thereof can be changed or toxic constituents may be discharged therefrom.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem [11] Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lid for an airtight container which can be easily opened and closed while reliably maintaining the airtightness of the container. [12] Another object of the present invention is to provide a lid for an airtight container which is improved in strength on the surface thereof. [13] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a lid for an airtight container which can also be used upside down, thereby obviating the need of discerning the upper and lower parts of the lid.

Technical Solution

[14] In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided a lid for an airtight container, made of a silicon-based material having flexibility, the lid comprising a flat plate section for closing an opening of a container; a reinforcing section embedded in the flat plate section to allow the flat plate section to be held in the shape of a plate; a venting section defined through a center portion of the flat plate section; a connection section formed on an edge of the flat plate section; and a skirt section formed on an edge of the connection section to extend downward therefrom and having a distal end thereof which has a diameter less than that of the flat plate section.

Advantageous Effects

[15] Thanks to the features of the present invention, the opening of a container is closed by a flat plate section, and coupling and airtight force is produced by a skirt section which is formed on the edge of the flat plate section. Since the lid for closing the opening of the container according to the present invention is made of a silicon-based material having flexibility, even when the lid is used for an extended period, the same

coupling and airtight force can be maintained. Brief Description of the Drawings

[16] The above objects, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[17] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a lid for an airtight container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[18] FIGs. 2(A) and 2(B) are cross-sectional views illustrating the lid for an airtight container in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2(A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 1;

[19] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a lid for an airtight container in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

[20] FIGs. 4 through 6 are cross-sectional views illustrating variations of a reinforcing ring which is embedded in the lid for an airtight container according to the present invention; and

[21] FIGs. 7 through 12 are cross-sectional views illustrating a procedure for coupling the lid for an airtight container according to the present invention to a container body. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[22] Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

[23] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a lid for an airtight container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIGs. 2(A) and 2(B) are cross-sectional views illustrating the lid for an airtight container in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2(A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a lid for an airtight container in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and FIGs. 4 through 6 are cross-sectional views illustrating variations of a reinforcing ring which is embedded in the lid for an airtight container according to the present invention.

[24] As is disclosed herein, a lid 100 according to the present invention is made of a silicon-based material having flexibility so that it can be coupled to the opening of a container body 200 to close the opening and to maintain the airtightness of the container body 200. The lid 100 largely comprises a flat plate section 110 for closing the opening of the container body 200, a skirt section 140 formed on the edge of the

flat plate section 110 to maintain the airtightness of the container body 200, and a connection section 130 for connecting the flat plate section 110 and the skirt section 140 with each other.

[25] The flat plate section 110 has the shape of a plate. A reinforcing section 120 is formed in the flat plate section 110 to allow the flat plate section 110 to be held in the shape of a plate.

[26] The reinforcing section 120 includes a reinforcing ring 121, which is embedded adjacent to the edge of the flat plate section 110, and a protective cover 122, which is integrally formed with the flat plate section 110 to enclose the reinforcing ring 121.

[27] As shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcing ring 121 can be formed in the shape of a hollow tube which has a space therein.

[28] Also, the reinforcing ring 121 can be formed to have the sectional shape of a quadrangle as shown in FIG. 5 or a circle as shown in FIG. 6.

[29] A venting section 150 is defined through the center portion of the flat plate section

110 to discharge air existing in a container to the outside. The venting section 150 includes a projection 151, which is formed to project from the upper and lower surfaces of the center portion of the flat plate section 110. The projection 151 is formed in a manner such that a sectional area thereof is gradually decreased from a proximal end portion thereof which is connected to the flat plate section 110 to a distal end portion thereof. A vent hole 152 is defined through the center portion of the projection 151.

[30] With the lid 100 coupled to the container body 200 and the flat plate section 110 held in a flat state, the vent hole 152 is always closed in an airtight manner. It is preferred that the vent hole 152 be defined in the shape of a slit.

[31] The connection section 130 connects the flat plate section 110 and the skirt section

140 with each other. The connection section 130 is formed on the edge of the flat plate section 110, and the outer surface of the connection section 130 is formed as an inclined surface 131. The angle of the inclined surface 131 is preferably 40°~ 50° and most preferably 45°

[32] If the angle of the inclined surface 131 is less than 40° as the thickness of the connection section 130 decreases, the lifetime of the lid 100 is shortened. If the angle of the inclined surface 131 is greater than 50° as the thickness of the connection section 130 increases, excessive force must be applied when the skirt section 140 is turned inside out or outside in.

[33] The skirt section 140 comes into contact with the outer surface of the container body 200 to be coupled thereto and maintain airtightness thereof. The skirt section 140 is formed on the end of the connection section 130 to extend downward therefrom. Due to the characteristic of the silicon-based material having flexibility, the distal end

portion of the skirt section 140 can be formed to have a diameter which is less than that of the flat plate section 110.

[34] The skirt section 140 can be used in a state in which it is turned inside out or outside in with respect to the flat plate section 110, while obviating the need of discerning the upper and lower parts of the lid 100. In either case, the distal end portion of the skirt section 140 has a diameter which is less than that of the flat plate section 110.

[35] The skirt section 140 is formed as a support ring 141 which is formed in a manner such that the thickness thereof is gradually decreased from the distal end portion thereof to the proximal end portion thereof which is connected to the connection section 130.

[36] A friction lip 142 can be projectedly formed along the intermediate portion of the inner or outer surface of the support ring 141 to improve airtightness of the container body 200. Also, as the occasion demands, it is preferred that friction lips 142 be projectedly formed along the intermediate portions of both inner and outer surfaces of the support ring 141 so that both inner and outer surfaces of the lid 100 can be used in an appropriate manner.

[37] In order to efficiently ensure decoupling/coupling of the lid 100 and maintain air- tightness, the thickness of the intermediate portion of the support ring 141 is set to 3.5-5 mm, the thickness of the proximal end portion of the support ring 141 which is connected to the connection section 130 is set to 0.7-1.5 mm, and the thickness of the flat plate section 110 is set to 1.-3 mm.

[38] Hereafter, a procedure for coupling the lid 100 according to the present invention, constructed as mentioned above, to the container body 200 will be described.

[39] FIGs. 7 through 12 are cross-sectional views illustrating a procedure for coupling the lid for an airtight container according to the present invention to a container body.

[40] First, as shown in FIG. 7, with the skirt section 140 turned inside out with respect to the flat plate section 110 of the lid 100 to extent upward of the flat plate section 110, the flat plate section 110 of the lid 100 is placed on the opening of the container body 200.

[41] At this time, since the flat plate section 110 is held in the shape of a plate due to the presence of the reinforcing section 120, it is stably kept seated on the opening of the container body 200.

[42] In this state, as shown in FIG. 8, by turning again the skirt section 140 outside in, the skirt section 140 comes into contact with the upper end portion of the outer surface of the container body 200. Since the diameter of the distal end portion of the skirt section 140 is less than that of the flat plate section 110, the skirt section 140 can be tightly brought into contact with the outer surface of the container body 200, whereby

contact force between the flat plate section 110 and the container body 200 is increased.

[43] Due to the fact that the support ring 141 of the skirt section 140 is formed in a manner such that the thickness thereof is gradually decreased from the distal end portion thereof to the proximal end portion thereof, the coupling force can be further increased.

[44] The friction lip 142, which is projectedly formed along the intermediate portion of the inner surface of the support ring 141, is brought into tight contact with the outer surface of the container body 200 and prevents the support ring 141 from being fluctuated.

[45] If the lid 100 is coupled to the container body 200, the center portion of the lid 100, which is made of a silicon-based material having flexibility, that is, the center portion of the flat plate section 110 protrudes upward. In particular, in the case where the lid 100 is coupled to the container body 200 having a hot food received therein, by the heat emitted from the hot food, the center portion of the flat plate section 110 gradually protrudes upward as shown in FIGs. 9 and 10.

[46] At this time, in order to discharge air or heat existing in the container body 200 to the outside, the projection 151, which is formed in the venting section 150, is pressed in the direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 11. As the projection 151 is pressed, the center portion of the flat plate section 110 is moved downward, and the vent hole 152, which is defined through the projection 151, is opened so that air or heat existing in the container body 200 can be discharged to the outside.

[47] With the vent hole 152 opened, air or heat existing in the container body 200 is discharged to the outside through the vent hole 152.

[48] After air or heat is discharged to the outside, as the external force applied to the projection 151 is removed, the flat plate section 110 is returned to a flat state as shown in FIG. 12. At this time, the vent hole 152 is closed due to the contractible characteristic of the silicon-based material having flexibility, whereby the inside and the outside of the container is airtightly isolated from each other.

[49] When it is necessary to decouple the lid 100, the skirt section 140 is upwardly turned inside out again as shown in FIG. 8 so that the skirt section 140 is detached from the container body 200. By this fact, the coupling force applied by the skirt section 140 is removed, and by lifting the lid 100, the opening of the container body 200 is opened.

[50] Even when the lid 100 for an airtight container according to the present invention is made of soft synthetic resin having sufficient contractibility and flexibility, the lid 100 can have the same configuration and function as that made of the silicon-based material having flexibility.

Industrial Applicability

[51] As is apparent from the above description, in the present invention, since the inside and the outside of a skirt section, which is integrally formed on the edge of a flat plate section, have the same structure and function, it is not necessary to specifically discern the upper and lower parts of the lid, and the upper and lower surfaces of the lid can be used in the same manner to airtightly close the opening of a container body.

[52] Also, since air or heat existing in a container can be discharged to the outside without the need of opening the lid, a peculiar effect is provided in that the freshness of the food items received in the container can be reliably maintained as it is.

[53] In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.