WO2002053954A1

WO2002053954A1 - Time capsule

Info

Publication number: WO2002053954A1
Application number: PCT/KR2001/002287
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hyeoung-Cheol Woo; Mi-Joung Kim
Original assignee: Hyeoung-Cheol Woo; Mi-Joung Kim
Priority date: 2000-12-29
Filing date: 2001-12-28
Publication date: 2002-07-11
Also published as: KR100419144B1; KR20020056617A

Abstract

The present invention provides a time capsule comprising one or more inner container for storing collected items, an outer container for receiving the inner container (s) in layers, and a package container which covers the outer container, wherein each of the inner container and the outer container is equipped with an upper plate, covering the respective container, while the edge of the upper plate is combined with the body of the respective container, each comprising an inlet hole for a sealing nozzle with a thread groove formed inside of the hole in the center of the upper plate, a sealing nozzle to be tightly sealed by a screw into the above inlet hole, and a flange for tightly re-sealing the above sealing nozzle.

Description

TIME CAPSULE

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a time capsule, in particular, to a time capsule having a double sealing structure wherein a container tightly sealed using a sealing nozzle is sealed anew by an outer container.

Background of the Invention

A time capsule is, in general, a container used to store items and/or documents of a generation to enable later generations experience commodities of everyday life or culture of that earlier generation. Earlier, burring of time capsules were commissioned mainly by the central or local governments. However, since around the turn of the millennium, interest on and popularity of a time capsule among civil entities and individuals have also been increased.

Examples of such time capsules are: The first time capsule was buried in Korea on October 17, 1985 at Namsan mountain by Joong-Ang newspaper; Another time capsule was buried by the municipal government of Seoul City in the year 1994 at the event of the sixth centennial of the establishment of the city Seoul. Time capsules buried by individuals contain, among others, infant clothes, bibs, milk bottles, cassette tapes storing the first mutters of their babies, a pair of rings to be shared by partners of opposite sex, etc. A primary school located in Inchon city has buried a time capsule made of plastic, which stores essays of all pupils of that school written under the subject, "My Future".

Since a time capsule is a container to be opened first in years or even in hundreds of years, the items to be stored in it shall be processed in a way that no corrosion or deterioration occurs. Further, in order to guarantee the optimal status of stored object items, special caution shall be made not to allow inflow of external air into the containers during and after manufacture thereof.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention, conceived to solve the above problems, aims to provide a time capsule having a double sealing structure wherein a container tightly sealed using a sealing nozzle is sealed anew by an outer container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic over-all construction of a time capsule in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an inner container of a time capsule in accordance of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an outer container of a time capsule in accordance of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an outer container of a time capsule in accordance of the present invention.

Fig. 5a is a cross-sectional view of a sealing nozzle inlet groove of an upper plate as combined with a pumping system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5b is a cross-sectional view of a pipe connection hole of an upper plate as combined with a pumping system in accordance of another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 illustrates a sealing nozzle tightening screw 51, a sealing nozzle 50, and a sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 in accordance with the present invention, prior to their combination with each other.

Fig. 7(a) is a plane view of a flange for covering the upper part of a sealing nozzle, while Fig. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the above flange as it covers the above nozzle with the nozzle inserted in the above nozzle inlet groove.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing a manufacture process of a time capsule in accordance with the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

A detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is given below making reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic over-all construction of a time capsule in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an inner container of a time capsule in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an outer container of a time capsule in accordance with the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an outer container of a time capsule in accordance with the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, a time capsule in accordance with the present invention comprises one or more inner container 100 for storing collected items, an outer container 200 for accepting the above inner containers 100 in layers, and a package container 300 for accepting the above outer container 200.

Each of the above inner container 100 and the outer container 200 is equipped with an upper plate 150, 250 which covers the upper part of the respective container 100, 200, the edge of which is welded with the body of the respective container 100, 200, and which has in the center of it a sealing nozzle inlet groove 155, 255 with a thread groove formed inside thereof; a sealing nozzle 50 capable of sealing the above sealing nozzle inlet groove 155, 255 by a screw; and a flange 60 capable of tightly re-sealing the above sealing nozzle 50. An example each of an inner container 100 and an outer container 200 is illustrated in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, respectively.

The inner container 100 stores the collected items in it after appropriate processing thereof, while the outer container 200 stores in it one or more of the above inner containers

100 containing the collected items in layers. The number of the inner container 100 is determined by the volume of the items to be stored, while the size of the above outer container 200 is determined by the number of the inner containers to be accepted therein.

Further, both the inner container 100 and the outer container 200 are preferably be made of stainless steel (SUS 316 type) in cylinder form, as an example of the outer container 200 is illustrated in Fig. 4. However, the form of the containers is not limited to a cylinder, but may also take other forms, including a hexahedron.

Moreover, the above package container 300 is preferably made of a specially reinforced plastic (FRP), but may accommodate on its outer surface decorations e.g. in oak, so that the container may also function as an article of decoration. As to the sealing method of the above upper plate 150, 250 with the respective upper part of the above inner container 100 and the above outer container 200, not only welding, but also other methods such as clamping via bolts and nuts, etc. or copper gasket may be used as well.

In addition, each of the above upper plate 150, 250 has in its center a sealing nozzle inlet groove 155, 255 with screw groove formed inside thereof to allow tight sealing of the above sealing nozzle 50 by a screw.

Next, a detailed description of the above sealing nozzle 50 and of the sealing nozzle inlet groove 155, 255 are given below making reference to Figs. 5a and 6.

Fig. 5a is a view of a pumping system 300 as combined with a sealing nozzle 50 and a sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, while Fig. 6 illustrates a sealing nozzle tightening screw 51, a sealing nozzle 50, and a sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 in accordance with the present invention, prior to their combination with each other.

As shown in Fig. 5a, a pumping system 300 capable of making vacuum, consisted of a valve, a pump, a gauge or a bellows hose, and a gas inlet pipe is combined with the above sealing nozzle inlet groove 155, after the above inner container 100 has accepted the collected items, the above upper plate 150 has properly covered the inner container, and the edge thereof has been welded.

The processes of vacuum, sterilization, and corrosion protection are all performed by the above pumping system 300, during which processes the sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 remains open with the sealing nozzle 50 above it, while the sealing nozzle is combined at the upper part with the sealing nozzle tightening screw 51, as illustrated in Fig. 5a.

As to the combination of the above sealing nozzle 50 with the sealing nozzle tightening screw 51, the male thread groove formed at the lower outer surface of the sealing nozzle tightening screw 51 fits into the female thread groove formed at the center inner part of the above sealing nozzle 50, as illustrated in fig. 6.

The above sealing nozzle 50 is inserted into the above sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 by the above sealing nozzle tightening screw 51 via a screw after the vacuum, sterilization, and corrosion protection processes have been completed by the above pumping system 300. The above pumping system 300 is separated after insertion of the above sealing nozzle 50 into the above sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 has been completed, and then, the sealing nozzle50 is sealed again by a flange 60. The above flange 60 is preferably sealed with the above upper plate 150 by argon (Ar) welding. Fig. 7(a) is a plane view of a flange for covering the upper part of a sealing nozzle, while Fig. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the above flange as it covers the above nozzle with the nozzle inserted in the above nozzle inlet groove.

A detailed process of manufacturing a time capsule in accordance with the present invention is described below making reference to Fig. 8, which is a flow chart showing example of a manufacture process of a time capsule in accordance with the present invention.

First, an inner container 100 is manufactured considering the volume of the item to be stored (S10), and then surface of the container is polished (S20). The polishing process initiates with a rough and then proceeds to fine abrasive clothes until the surface becomes glossy.

After that, a cleaning process proceeds to eliminate dust and/or contamination of the container 100 (S30), wherein the welded parts are brush cleaned using a stain cleaner, while other contaminations are cleaned using alkalic liquids. The container is dried after the cleaning (S40).

The bottom and side wall of the container 100 are covered with glass fiber from inside to accommodate the object item (S50), and then, the container is covered by the upper plate and welded therewith (S60) after the collected item has been covered by glass fiber. Next, a vacuum process proceeds (S70), as shown in Fig. 5a, using a pumping system including a valve, a pump, and a gauge or a bellows hose, to enable gas pouring into the above sealing nozzle inlet groove 155, the vacuum process, the sterilization process, etc. Vacuumization is preferably performed on or below lOmTORR. After the vacuum process, a mixed gas is poured for sterilization with duration of eight hours or longer (S80). The mixed gas is preferably an ethyl ene oxide composition consisted of 22% of Heiken-F C₂H O and 88% of CC1₈F₂. A vacuum process at lOmTORR or below follows (S90) the above sterilization process, and after that, argon (Ar) gas is poured for corrosion protection (SI 00). The Ar gas is poured at a pressure slightly over the normal pressure, namely, at l~2kg/cm². After pouring Ar gas, the container is sealed by tightly inserting the above sealing nozzle 50 into the above sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 by the above sealing nozzle tightening screw 51 (SI 10), and then, the pumping system 300 is separated.

Then, the sealing nozzle 50 is re-covered using a flange 60 (S120).

In this way, the manufacture process of the above inner container 100 as shown in Fig. 2 is terminated. In the following, the manufacture process of an outer container 200 is described. The process of manufacturing an outer container 200 is almost the same as that of manufacturing an inner container 100 described above, except for the difference that the size of an outer container 200 is determined considering the number of the inner containers it accepts, for the outer container 200 stores in it one or more inner containers 100 in layers, and that an additional step of accepting the manufactured inner containers (e.g. 100a- 100c) is included instead of the step S50 for storing the collected items. Since the other processes of manufacturing are the same as those of the inner containers 100, an explanation thereon is omitted. Now, another embodiment of the present invention is described below making reference to Fig. 5b. Fig. 5b illustrates a pumping system 300 as connected to a pipe 55, which in turn is connected by welding to a pipe connection hole of an upper plate 150.

The embodiment in Fig. 5b differs from that in Fig. 5 a in that the former embodiment comprises a flange 60 for covering the upper plate, having a hole formed in the center thereof to be connected with the pipe connection hole, while the latter embodiment comprises a sealing nozzle inlet groove 155 in the center of the upper plate 150, having a thread groove formed in the inside thereof allowing a pumping system 300 to be connected with and to perform vacuum, sterilization, and corrosion protection processes. A pumping system 300 is then connected with the above flange 60 via a copper (Cu) pipe 55 which is to be welded with the edge of the groove formed in the center of the above flange, for performing the vacuum, sterilization, and corrosion protection processes

In addition, after the vacuum, sterilization, and corrosion protection processes by the above pumping system 300 have been completed, the embodiment in Fig. 5a proceeds to seal the inner container 100 by tightly screwing the sealing nozzle 50 into the above sealing nozzle inlet groove 155, while the sealing process in Fig. 5b is performed by cutting off the above pipe 55 using a pinch-off-press.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings, it should be noted that the scope of the rights of the present invention is not limited thereto, but rather shall be determined by the appended claims, allowing various alterations, modifications and adjustments as those skilled in the art will understand.

For example, although sealing of the above container 100, 200 with the corresponding upper plate 150, 250 at the above step S60 has been made via welding in an embodiment of the present invention, the bordering edges may also be sealed, e.g. using bolts and nuts.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention, by providing a double structured sealing using one or more inner containers and an outer container accepting the above inner containers, enables the stored items to be protected over a long period of time almost without the fear of corrosion or deformation thereof.

Furthermore, since each of the inner container and outer container in accordance with the present invention comprises a sealing nozzle inlet groove at the upper plate thereof, allowing sealing thereof using a sealing nozzle after termination of the required processes of gas pouring, vacuumization, sterilization, etc., the present invention enables the stored items to be protected over a long period of time almost without the fear of corrosion or deformation thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A time capsule comprising one or more inner containers for storing and sealing collected item(s), an outer container for accepting in layers and sealing said inner containers, and a package container for packing said outer container, wherein each of said inner container and outer container comprises an upper plate for covering the upper part of said container, having in the center a sealing nozzle inlet groove with a thread groove formed inside thereof, a sealing nozzle to be tightly sealed into said sealing nozzle inlet groove via a screw, and a flange for re-sealing said sealing nozzle by covering the same.

2. A time capsule comprising one or more inner containers for storing and sealing collected item(s), an outer container for accepting in layers and sealing said inner containers, and a package container for packing said outer container, wherein each of said inner container and outer container comprises an upper plate for covering the upper part of said container, having a pipe connection hole formed in the center thereof, a flange for covering said pipe connection hole, having a hole formed in the center thereof for connection with the said pipe connection hole of said upper plate, and a pipe to be welded with the edge of said hole in the center of said flange.

3. The time capsule as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said sealing nozzle, having the form of a toy top, is inserted into said sealing nozzle inlet groove by a screw.

4. The time capsule as set forth in Claim 2, wherein said pipe is made of copper (Cu).

5. The time capsule as set forth in any one of Claims 1 or 2, wherein said inner container and outer container are sealed using argon (Ar) gas.

6. The time capsule as set forth in any one of Claims 1 or 2, wherein said inner container is made of stainless steel 316 and said outer container is made of a reinforced plastic (FRP).

7. The time capsule as set forth in any one of Claims 1 or 2, wherein said inner container and outer container are of cylinder form. •

8. The time capsule as set forth in any one of Claims 1 or 2, wherein outer surface of said outer container is decorated with oak to enable said outer container to be used as an article of decoration.

9. The time capsule as set forth in Claim 1, wherein the upper center part of said sealing nozzle comprises a thread groove formed inside thereof.