Montana Patent of the Month – July 2022
Removing the air from storage containers can increase the storage lifespan, for instance preventing the contents from becoming stale or oxidizing. Planetary Design, who started their story by developing a travel French press, has turned their expertise towards the development of a storage lid capable of venting air out of the container.
Their design uses an internal vent in the lid to evacuate air out of the inner cavity. The lid uses a squeeze-actuated vent valve. Other designs which have used this concept use a handle to rotate the lid between the upper and lower positions (i.e. venting vs. closing). THe handle is a limiter in the design, and needs to be kept free of any material that might interfere with it. Planetary Design’s solution creates a more reliable design, able to function with larger containers without tilting over. For instance, in a french press, the sieve pushes down on the coffee grinds, separating them from the water. If not properly positioned, it can move down at an angle and mess up the separation. The same issue can happen when venting air out.
The internal cover and vent handle in this design allows for effective venting from immediately above the stored material. This means, as product is taken out of the storage container, the additional air can be vented out. The squeeze-activated vent valve is positioned in the handle of the lid. The user simply squeezes the handle to open vents, forcing air out of the container. Releasing the handle closes the vents, locking the storage container with reduced air. Removing air has never been so easy.
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