US2436849A - Downward stroke air evacuating jar sealing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

H. A. BILLETTER DOWNWARD STROKE AIR EVACUATING JAR SEALING APPARATUS March 2% 194s.

Filed Deo. 31; 1943 iwi l Ill-l- HALTUN A BILLETTER alllllllf l l Patented Mar. 2,o 1948 nowNwARD vsimone Am-Ev-Acnnfrlm-Jait e SEALING APPARATUS v v 1 Ilmo-nn Binett; Younsstnwnohie. Apmieatmnmsemm 31, mei semaine artista This invention relatestomethodA andf appara tus for vacuum sealingj containers'such as 'food preserving jars andv cans, 'for example; It has heretofore been: proposed to-` provide on 'the' top end ofthe container'l to be sealed;y ani annular surface against- Wnich' may 17e/applied thefouter rim portion of a' lid` or cover and itfhasA also-been proposalV4 to evacuate the; space atovev the rood in the: container 'and theA ,surface immediately about the lid orf cover itself preparatorie toF the final seating: of the" lidI o1r coverfso`V that: upon removalofthe evacuating-V apparatnsrthaatmospherici pressure-.will hold tlneli'd-l firmly oni the container; To insureA proper functioning citxihis method thef1idiis-norma1ly provided Within-soft pliable ring` orV gasket *which ts: the' annular seating surface4 on' the containerA thereby providingrauid-tightfconnectiom "The Speic methodsheretofore1 devised. for effecting the-'above described sealingz'operation have requiredrv either costlyf'apparatus vor appara;- tus whichisdiicult and cumborsomeito-mariipus late; Itis ac-cordintdy"the*primary,n object of the invention toi provide an improve:tand simplied method for evacuatilfleV thefainfromnacontainer immediately prior'tov the nal's'eatingf of afluid tight closure thereon andi improved? and simplified amiarat'usY for effecting: this m-odemf opera*- tion. To thisfend'I- provide aunitary and conrpact devicel'whi'cnin use; .is merely placed orrthe sincc'anir necessity-fior thaeneratonhandling the containerris .eliminatedi A iurtherf ohjectfof the invention-y isfzthemrovision of an. improved apparatusfhavingntility'es pointedv *out* above: whiclliis readilyaidaitable:foil* useV in. connection: with preserving: .jars 'or corrtainers; of diierent: congurations anddesignarI Tnexabove; and other objects andradvantaees of theinvention will; become apparent upon; con"- andz the; accompanying drawing-z lwherein; Vthezteeis disclosed certain preferred. embodiments of the invention. i

Inthedawinezr 2; v sealing;deeicezoonstructedin accordance'with the 'principles o'fi'tn'e invention-,1 the view showing the device beingfoperatively applied toa preservingfjano' the:MasonP type 'Figure 2 regia; fragrne'ntaryI vertical:y section of ahmodiedi form oi'sea-ling: device for use on a presenvilgf'jarfoi the Perfect` seal type, for exvvanplegfand;l

"Figure-'3 isla-.bottom viewr ofi" the apparatus of 101:2 Fig-uren A In the drawing, ret'erencefnumeral l0 indicates aicylinnerfhavingfanrupper end wall! l4 and screw threads orf-fits;outersurfacefadjacent its lower ende Az-Ynumberfof:circumferentially'spacedaperdetti tu. above? they screw' threads. thereon. Screw Vthreaded onto :the: lower end of the: cylinder l0 membeenavingfa transverse wall I 3 consti- 'toting thee loweif end; wallY of the cylinder I 0. members' iss aisdprovided with a depending mange: which. is"y me general continuation of the outerrsmfface off the'. cylinder H) and; in Figure l tlxisiiange; ehownrat Ui; is elongated so as. to reanhpasta the: tlireads on thev jar I5 and engage the;- annul'airtshoulden lr6; provided on jars of the ltype illustrated To the'lower'end of the flange M1 is'secureda'f soft? pliabley ring: H Which with the; upperi'surfacefof: the shoulder i5' forms a tiuidi-tiglitlconnectio'rr.. I

Iti-shouldzbeobserved. thatfthe flange i4" is of siioient length'. to: provide space intermediate the upperannuiar surface-13 of the jar and the horizontaly wail iik for the loose. reception ofthe jansealingclosnre or lid.. This lid;V indicated by referencer numeral i9, may' be a thin disk. of .metal havingia-.depressedcenter portionto pro- `vi'defant annular/recess in'vvhich isa-secured a soft pliable-z'sealing` ring 2m The: outer peripheral wail' of-.theqdepressedjportion also serves as a cuide vto*insure:tin-:rmfopei seating, of the lid on .Extend-ings downwardly-A fromy the bottom'E vSurial''e of thefwa'li: l are: av number of segmental bosses 2i andfextending upwardly from id'ieaoentenofzfther wail; I el is l an' elongatedl borse 22 nreieiablyihtcaral:withathe-wall. I3..-

Slideablein; thea'cylinder` ifs a= piston 2% to whichI s= connected? af plungerv 24 extending up :through anVv opening in the top end wall H of diefcylinden i0. Af close fit is provided between vsideration:of 'chef-following detailed: spceicadfionv a0 thanplungerr Z4 and the' aperture thieueh Wall fhliso; asrtovxrdnimize leakage ofair, 'Eesthefupzper'endfofplunger'zifis fastened ali-nab 25 the upper'surfacef owhichtogether with the upper -endf-ofrthev-1p1nngen24 is curved' slightly to lit .Figurarisaxveirticaisectiontl'mouzh avacimmfa-.acomfettablwaeainstitha palm of the hand-ofthe person using the apparatus. Depending from the center portion of the piston 2 3 and preferably integral therewith is a sleeve 26 which is adapted to have a close sliding t over and about the outer surface of the boss 22. Extending longitudinally through the boss 22 and the wall I3 is a bore 21 and another passageway 28 located partly in the plunger 24 provides communication between the upper end of the cylinder formed by the sleeve 26 and the space in cylinder I above the piston 23. Encircling the sleeve 26 and the boss 22 is a coil spring 29 the function of which is to normally bias'the plunger piston 23 to uppermost position.

Since a close ilt is provided between the plunger piston 23 reaching the lower end of its stroke and the subsequent release of the downward pressure applied to the knob 25, the spring 29 begins to move the piston 23 upwardly thus reversing the flow of air in the passageway 21 and,

` as explained above, this back pressure, as well as 24 and 24 and the aperture in the top'end wall II of the cylinder I0 as well 'as between the piston 23 and the cylinder I0 downward movement ofthe piston in the cylinderv will decrease the pressure in the space above the piston 23 causing air to be drawn into the space through the passageways 2'I and 28. If now the apparatus is placed on a jar or other container with the sealing ring 11 maintained in fluid-tight engagement therewith, the suction created by the expanding chamber caused by the downward movement of the piston 23 will withdraw a substantial part .of the air contained Within the jar or other container, such withdrawn air passing up through the openings 21 and 28 and into the expanding chamber above the piston 23.

In employing the apparatus described above to effect the vacuum sealing of the jar I5 the lid I9 is first laid loosely in proper position on the ljar after which the assembled apparatus de-` scribed is placed on the jar in the position shown in the drawing. Next, the palm of the hand is laid on the knob 25 and by a quick downward thrust the air within the jar I5 above the food or other contents therein and within the housing.

formed by the wall I3 and ange I4 will be evacuated into the cylinder ID above the downwardly moving piston 23 through the passageways 21 and 28 as explained above. The air displaced below the piston 23 escapesl through ports I2. During this operation the lid I9 acts as a valve and raises slightly to allow the air to escape from within the jar I5. The spaces circumferentially intermediate the segmental bosses 2I insure the continuance of communication between the space within the jar and the bore 21 even though the lid I9 is drawn up into tight engagement with the lower surface of the bosses 2| as shown in the drawing. Immediately upon cessation of movement of the piston 23 and the consequent cessation of outflow of air from the jar I5 the lid I9 seats by force of gravity and back pressure on the surface I8 of the jar so as to preserve the vacuum created in the jar. The spring 29 now returns the piston 23 to its upper or initial starting position and the atmospheric pressure then coming against the outer surface of the lid I9 firmly holds the lid on the jara',

It should be observed'thatl uponthe application of downward force to the knob 25 the apparatus will be urged downwardly asa Whole thus bringing the sealing ring- I1 into pressure engagement with the shoulder I5 of the jar I5 thus effecting an eiicient seal against the entrance of outside air into the member I4. As the piston 23 moves downwardly against the force of the spring 29, the air within the jar and within'the member I4 is sucked into the space in-'chamber I9 above piston 23 thus at least partially evacuat- `ing the air from within the jar I5. Upon the the force of gravity, will quickly seat the lid I9 on the surface I8 of the jar I5. The withdrawal of external downward force on the apparatus reduces the seal at the ring I1 so that if the pressure developed in member I4 immediately outside of the lid I9 by continued upward movement of `the piston 23 in the cylinder I0 becomes greater than atmospheric pressure, the excess air will bleed oif under the ring I1. Thus, the apparatus acts as an efficient air suction pump and a number of successive downward movements of the plunger and piston may be applied to Vfurther evacuate the jar if desired. In the normal and convenient operation of the device, such successive downward thrusts are applied rapidly in succession. This rapid operation can be accomplished only by withdrawing al1 outwardly applied pressure during the return movement of the plunger and piston and the mode of operation concerning the release of the excess air as explained'above is accomplished.

VAn important feature of the invention is the obtaining of a high degree of Vacuum by downward movement of the plunger. This arrangement enables the required connection between the apparatus and the jar or container to be sealed to be effected simply by seating the apparatus on the jar or container. Further, upon downward pressure being applied to the apparatus through the plunger and piston the apparatus is automatically brought into pressure engagement with the jayl or container thus automatically effecting an eiiicient seal between the rjar or container and the evacuating housing against the ingress of air. In this manner the device'is made highly efcient in operation.

Another important advantage of the invention is the facility with which the apparatus may be modilied in the hands of the user to operate efficiently on preserving jars of different types. In Figure 2, for example, there is illustrated a modified form of jar 30 which is in common use and this jar is provided with a wide flat annular top surface 3|. For this jar the sealing lid, indicated by reference numeral 32 in Figure 2, may be of such diameter that its outer edge occupies only about half the radial width of the surface 3|, thus allowing the outer peripheral portion of the surface 3| to be engaged by the lower end of the evacuating housing of the assembled apparatus. In modifying the apparatus of Figure 1 for use in connection with jars of the type shown in Figure 2 the housing or member including the flange I3 is replaced by a member or housing which is generally similar but which has a much shortened flange 33. It should be observed that in any of the embodiments of the invention the space within the housing of the apparatus which is in communication with the space within the jar'during the evacuating process is of minimum Volume so that a high degree of vacuum can be obtained from the rst downward thrust on the plunger of the apparatus and in most cases a single downward thrust will be suincient. This depends, of course, on the extent to which the jar is filled with solid 0r liquid materials.

It should now be apparent that I have provided an improved method of evacuating a jar or container during the sealing thereof and that I have provided improved apparatus for accomplishing this object. The apparatus is simple and compact in design and may readily be economically produced in large quantities principally by casting in metal or plastics and is rugged and durable in use. The advantages of evacuating and sealing the jar or container while the same and its contents are still quite hot are well recognized in the art and the nature and mode of operation of the present method and apparatus enables the evacuating and sealing to be accomplished in a very short interval of time while eliminating any necessity for holding or otherwise manipulating the hot jar or container. It is only necessary to place the latter Von a solid surface after which the lid and evacuating apparatus can be set on in the manner outlined above.

The above specically described embodiments of the invention should be considered as illustrative only as obviously many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit `or scope of the invention. Reference should therefore be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention. n

What I claim is:

1. Vacuum sealing apparatus comprising in combination a uid-tight housing having an annular lower end adapted to be brought into fluid-tight engagement with an annular surface on the upper portion of a jar to be sealed, said housing being adapted to contain a sealing lid for said jar, a cylinder connected to and extending upwardly from said housing, said cylinder having an upper en d wall, a piston in said cylinder, a plunger having an upper palm engageable surface slideably mounted in said upper end wall and connected to said piston, and means providing communication between the space within said housing and the space in said cylinder above said piston whereby upon downward movement of said plunger the air within said housing and jar will be evacuated.

2. Vacuum sealing apparatus comprising in combination a fluid-tight housing having an upper wall and an annular lower end adapted to be brought into uid-tight engagement with an annular surface on the upper portion of a jar to be sealed, said housing being adapted to contain a jar sealing lid, a cylinder connected to and extending upwardly from said housing, said cylinder having an upper end wall, a piston in said cylinder, a plunger having an upper palm engageable surface slideably mounted in said upper end wall and connected to said cylinder, said housing having an upwardly extending boss, said piston having a sleeve slideably received over said boss, an opening extending vlongitudinally through said radially inward of said surface comprising in combination a fluid-tight housing having a depending flange adapted to rest in fluid-tight engagement on said surface, a cylinder connected to and extending upwardly from said housing, said cylinder having a top end wall, a manually engageable plunger extending through said wall, a piston in said cylinder connected with said plunger, and means providing communication between the space within said housing and the space in said cylinder above said piston whereby upon downward movement of said plunger the air within said housing and container will be evacuated.

4. Evacuating apparatus for use with an opentopped container and a self-sealing lid for closing and sealing said container comprising in combination a fluid impervious housing having a boss and upper wall of said housing, and means providing communication between the space within said sleeve and the space within said cylinder above said piston whereby downward movement of said plunger and piston results in evacuation of the air within said housing and jar.

3. Apparatus of the character described for use with a container having an upwardly facing annular surface and a free seating closure member adapted to seat over an opening insaid container flange adapted to be brought into Huid-tight engagement with a surface of said container outwardly of said lid, a fluid pump carried by said housing and including a member reciprocable in a vertical direction and operable upon quick downward movement to evacuate the space below and about said lid, said member having a single upper surface of appreciable area for being comfortably engaged by the palm of a users hand and having a path of movement generally coincident with the vertical axis of said container, the arrangement being such that the downward thrust applied to said member simultaneously increases the pressure of said engagement and effects said evacuation.

5. Evacuating apparatus for use with an open-topped container and a self-sealing lid for closing and sealing said container comprising in combination a fluid impervious housing having a flange adapted to be brought into fluid-tight engagement with a surface of said container outwardly of said lid, a fluid pump comprising relatively slideable piston and cylinder members one of which is rigidly connected with said housing and the other of which is provided with a single circular concaved but generally horizontal upper surface of appreciable area positioned centrally above said container and being adapted to be comfortably engaged by the palm of a users hand whereby said other member may be rapidly moved downwardly, spring means for moving said other member upwardly, and a passageway in the said one of said members interconnecting the space Within said flange with the space within that end of the cylinder which is increased in volume upon downward movement of said other member.

HALTON A. BELLETTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name s Date 13,291 Elliot July 17, 1855 29,582 Gill Aug. 14, 1860 817,538 Wixon Apr. 10, 1906 1,013,230 Staunton Jan. 2, 1912 1,356,224 Sager Oct. 19, 1920 1,414,283 Jewell Apr. 25, 1922 2,339,791 Mahlke Jan. 25, 1944

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