HK1068317A - Gasketless drum - Google Patents

Description

Barrel without sealing gasket

Background

Technical Field

The present invention relates to synthetic resin drums and more particularly to plastic drums which are sealable by means of a sealless lid to prevent air and moisture from entering the sealed drum.

Background

A drum type container made of synthetic resin has been widely used for storage and transportation of various kinds of pellets. The barrel is inexpensive, durable and corrosion resistant. Such open-top pails are typically provided with an annular flange or chime at the open upper end. The barrel is additionally sealed by a barrel cover which is clamped on the barrel edge of the barrel. Conventionally, the lid is fitted with a gasket which engages the chime to form a seal. The gasket is typically made of a synthetic resin which is slightly softer than the can body and lid so as to fit completely over the upper edge of the chime.

The barrel with the barrel cover is generally good for material storage and transportation. The use of gaskets to form a seal between the lid and the chime has certain disadvantages. The additional manufacturing of the sealing gasket requires an assembly process when the barrel cover is manufactured, thereby increasing the production cost. In some applications, softer gasket materials may allow moisture to permeate the seal and may also contaminate the packaged product if the gasket is worn.

There is therefore a continuing need for a pail lid which avoids the disadvantages of a cushioned pail lid.

Disclosure of Invention

The gasket-free barrel cover of the invention reduces the defects of the conventional barrel cover with the gasket. In accordance with the present invention, a reusable sealable plastic bucket comprises: a plastic barrel body with a convex curved upper barrel edge with a convex curved barrel edge radius; a plastic barrel lid having a peripheral mating annular groove sized to receive the upper chime, the groove having an inner wall, an outer wall, a notch for receiving the upper chime and a base surface for engaging the upper chime, the base surface having a concave radius matching the convex radius; a locking collar surrounding the outer wall and tightened by the locking collar to fully engage the base surface concave radius with the convex barrel edge radius in sealing relation.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a reusable sealable keg.

It is a further object to provide a sealable plastic bucket having a lid that is free of a gasket.

Still another object is to provide a gasket-free sealable plastic bucket with good water vapor permeation resistance.

Still another object is to provide a gasket-less sealable drum that is not subject to contamination from gasket material wear, tear, peeling or cutting.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the description of the invention which follows.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view, partially in section, of a bucket according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the gasket-less lid and chime of the cask shown in circle 2 of figure 1 to form a seal.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention, which is provided with a backup gasket compressed by the root of the outer wall of the tub cover.

Detailed Description

As shown in FIG. 1, the sealable pail 100 of the present invention is generally cylindrical in shape and comprises a generally conventional pail body 102 comprising a pail bottom 104 and a pail wall 106. The upper end of the barrel wall 106 has a barrel rim 110, the upper surface 112 of which has a convex curved surface. A flange 108 extends generally horizontally from the pail wall 106, surrounding the pail 100 a short distance below the chime 110.

The lid or lid 114 of the sealable pail 100 includes a floor 116 which is surrounded by a peripheral recess 118 which receives the chime 110 of the pail body 102. The peripheral groove 118 has an inner wall 120, an outer wall 122 and a concave curved base 124. The lower edge of the outer wall 122 of the peripheral groove 118 is provided with a horizontally outwardly extending flange 126 which rests on or comes into close contact with the tub flange 108 when the tub cover 114 is fitted to the tub 102. A generally conventional locking collar 130 surrounds the pail flange 108 and lid flange 126. The locking band 130 may be tightened by any conventional means, such as a locking or toggle lever, to radially compress the lid flange and apply a downward force on the lid to seal the pail.

In accordance with the present invention, the relatively soft gasket conventionally used to seal the tub at the base 124 of the peripheral groove 118 is no longer used. As can be seen in fig. 2, instead, the peripheral groove 118 closely matches the concave curvature of the base 124 with the convex curvature of the upper surface 112 of the chime 110. Thus, the base 124 of the peripheral groove 118 fits closely over the upper surface 112 of the chime 110 when the lid 114 is fitted over the bowl 102. When the clamp 130 is tightened around the flange 108 and flange 126, the lid is pulled downwardly and the outer wall 122 of the peripheral groove 118 is compressed radially inwardly. This action presses the base 124 of the peripheral groove 118 against the upper surface 112 of the chime 110 at a pressure sufficient to form a seal.

For good sealing, the top width of the chime 110 should be large enough to provide a large interface between the upper surface 112 of the chime 110 and the base 124 of the peripheral groove 118. The top width of the chime 110 (top width) is preferably about 0.190 inches (4.83 mm).

However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the top width of the chime 110 may be slightly greater or smaller than this particular width, provided that the convex curvature of the upper surface 112 of the chime 110 closely matches the concave curvature of the base 124 of the peripheral groove 118 and the width is large enough to form a good seal.

If increased seal reliability is required, the pail may be fitted with an auxiliary compressible seal 132, as shown in figure 3, which is located on the inside edge of pail flange 108. When the locking band 130 is tightened, the barrel head heel 128 compresses the sealing ring 132 to form an additional seal.

The pail and lid of the invention may be made from any suitable plastics material. Synthetic resins such as high density polyethylene and polypropylene are suitable for the manufacture of the can body and the can lid. The locking collar may also be made of a plastic material, provided that it is strong enough to exert the required pressure on the pail flange. Conventional metal locking ferrules may also be used. The bowl 102 and lid 114 may be made using conventional molding techniques of synthetic resins suitable for use in the manufacture of bowl lids.

The present invention has now been described in detail, but it should be understood that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms or variations without departing from the spirit of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims (4)

1. A reusable sealable plastic bucket comprising: a plastic barrel body having a convexly curved upper barrel edge with a convexly curved barrel edge radius; a plastic tub cover having a circumferentially adapted annular groove sized to receive said upper chime, said groove having an inner wall, an outer wall, a notch for receiving said upper chime and a base surface for engaging said upper chime, said base surface having a concave radius matching said convex radius of said chime; a locking collar surrounding the outer wall and fully engaging the concave radius with the convex radius of the barrel to form a sealing relationship by tightening the locking collar.

2. The reusable sealable plastic bucket of claim 1 further including a secondary gasket compressible by said outer wall when said locking collar is tightened.

3. The reusable sealable plastic bucket of claim 1 wherein said bucket body and said bucket lid are made of polypropylene.

4. The reusable sealable plastic bucket of claim 1 wherein said upper bucket rim has a top width of about 0.190 inches.