Exhaust system

Abstract

To provide a vent tool generating a small gap between a nozzle tip of a suction machine and an abutting surface onto which the nozzle tip abuts.SOLUTION: A vent tool comprises a body part 1 anchored to an insertion hole provided at a storage bag and an adapter part 2 fitted to the body part 1. The body part 1 comprises a base part 4, a valve body 3 stored in the base part 4 and a lid part 5 fitted to the base part 4. The diameter of an outer periphery of the adapter part 2 is substantially identical with a diameter of a flange part 4a and is in an annular shape. The adapter part 2 is pushed until a lower bottom surface of the adapter part 2 abuts onto a surface 4b of the flange part 4a after inserted into the lid part 5 of the body part 1 anchored to the storage bag in a state where a central hole 2f is expanded. Air in the storage bag is exhausted by pushing the tip of the nozzle of a suction machine to a top surface 2a of the adapter part 2 to activate the suction machine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an exhaust tool for exhausting air in a compressible storage bag to the outside of the storage bag.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an exhaust valve attached to a compressible storage bag. As shown in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1, by pressing the nozzle of an electric vacuum cleaner against the surface of the cover of the exhaust valve and sucking, the valve port is opened, and the air in the storage bag is discharged to the outside of the storage bag through the exhaust port.

[0003] The cover of the exhaust valve against which the tip of the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner in Patent Document 1 abuts is made of a hard synthetic resin material and has a structure that is difficult to deform. There is a slight gap between the nozzle tip and the cover surface, and some air outside the nozzle flows into the nozzle through this gap, thereby avoiding failure due to the suction load of the electric vacuum cleaner.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in recent years, the tip of the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner has, as part of a locking mechanism or the like when attached to the head portion, a notch or a protruding piece. When the tip of the nozzle portion having these notch or protruding piece is pressed against the surface of the cover portion of Patent Document 1, a large gap is generated.

[0006] When the electric vacuum cleaner is started in a state where this large gap is generated, most of the air sucked by the electric vacuum cleaner flows from outside the nozzle into the nozzle through the large gap, and there is a problem that it takes a considerably long time for the compression operation of sucking the air in the storage bag.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust device that creates a small gap between the nozzle tip and the contact surface to which the nozzle tip abuts, regardless of the tip shape of the suction device nozzle, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The exhaust device according to the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises a main body that is fixed to an insertion hole provided in a storage bag, and an adapter that is attached to the main body, and is an exhaust device that uses a suction device to exhaust the air inside the storage bag to the outside, wherein the main body comprises a flange portion with a plurality of through holes in the center, a main cylinder portion erected on the surface of the flange portion and having the plurality of through holes arranged on the inside, a valve body attached to the flange portion inside the main cylinder portion and opening and closing the plurality of ventilation holes, and a lid portion that closes the upper end of the main cylinder portion and has an air hole on its top surface, and the adapter portion is an annular body having a predetermined thickness, the diameter of the central hole is approximately the same as the diameter of the outer surface of the side cylinder portion of the lid portion, or slightly smaller than the diameter of the outer surface. The adapter is molded from a soft synthetic resin or a foam made of synthetic resin, and the top surface of the adapter has a plurality of grooves formed thereon, each consisting of at least a plurality of parallel first grooves and a plurality of parallel second grooves that intersect the plurality of first grooves at a predetermined angle. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the exhaust device of the present invention, regardless of the shape of the nozzle tip of the suction machine, it is possible to create a small gap between the tip of the nozzle and the contact surface to which the nozzle tip abuts. A small amount of outside air flows into the nozzle through this gap, which helps to prevent malfunctions caused by the suction load of the vacuum cleaner. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a disassembled perspective view of the exhaust system. [Figure 2] A perspective view of the main body in its assembled state. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the main unit with the adapter attached. [Figure 4] These are the plan view and bottom view of the exhaust system. [Figure 5]This is a cross-sectional view of the exhaust system. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of a rectangular substrate. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of the adapter section cut out from the base material. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view showing the exhaust device attached to the storage bag and being sucked in with the suction device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the exhaust device, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembled main body 1, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main body 1 with the adapter 2 attached.

[0012] The exhaust device is, for example, about 5 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm thick, and consists of a main body 1 that attaches to a fixing part B1 provided on the storage bag B, and an adapter part 2 that attaches to the main body 1.

[0013] The main body 1 is made of a hard synthetic resin material, except for the valve body 3 housed inside, and the annular adapter 2 is molded from a soft synthetic resin material or a foam made of synthetic resin material, such as urethane rubber or foamed EVA. The valve body 3 is molded from an elastic synthetic resin material, such as rubber.

[0014] The main body 1 consists of a base 4, a valve body 3 housed within the base 4, and a cover 5 attached to the base 4. The base 4 comprises at least a thin plate-shaped flange portion 4a and a cylindrical main cylinder portion 4c erected in the center of the surface 4b of the flange portion 4a.

[0015] On the outer surface of the main cylinder portion 4c, a groove-shaped annular recess 4d is provided so as to surround the main cylinder portion 4c, and on the inside of the main cylinder portion 4c, in the center of the surface 4b of the flange portion 4a, a circular insertion hole 4e and a plurality of fan-shaped ventilation holes 4f are provided, arranged radially around the insertion hole 4e.

[0016] Fig. 4(a) is a plan view of the exhaust device, and (b) is a bottom view. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of Fig. 4(b) of the exhaust device. On the back surface 4h of the flange portion 4a of the bridging portion 4g formed between the ventilation holes 4f, a plurality of wall-shaped main ribs 4i are erected radially around the insertion hole 4e.

[0017] Furthermore, around these main ribs 4i, a plurality of wall-shaped sub-ribs 4j are erected radially, and the height of the main ribs 4i and the height of the sub-ribs 4j are substantially the same. Note that the main ribs 4i and the sub-ribs 4j may have a single continuous rib shape, and it is not necessarily required to provide the main ribs 4i and the sub-ribs 4j on the back surface 4h.

[0018] The valve body 3 disposed in the main cylinder portion 4c has a recessed dish shape at the upper part, including a protruding portion 3a curved toward the top side, a thin film-like annular portion 3b surrounding the protruding portion 3a, a peripheral portion 3c with a circular cross-section surrounding the outer edge of the annular portion 3b, and a cylindrical column portion 3d hanging downward from the center of the back surface of the protruding portion 3a.

[0019] The diameter of this column portion 3d substantially coincides with the diameter of the insertion hole 4e of the base portion 4, and the column portion 3d can be inserted into the insertion hole 4e. The column portion 3d and the insertion hole 4e can adopt appropriate shapes as long as their shapes match and they can be inserted.

[0020] The lid portion 5 is composed of a side cylinder portion 5a and a top surface 5b closing the upper part of the side cylinder portion 5a. A plurality of air holes 5c are formed in the top surface 5b. Also, in the center of the back surface of the top surface 5b, a protruding piece 5e with a Y-shaped horizontal cross-section protrudes downward.

[0021] On the inner surface of the side cylinder portion 5a, an annular convex portion 5d protrudes inward. By engaging this annular convex portion 5d with the annular concave portion 4d on the outer surface of the main cylinder portion 4c, the main cylinder portion 4c is closed and fixed by the lid portion 5.

[0022] Alternatively, an annular recess may be provided on the inner surface of the side cylinder portion 5a, and an annular protrusion on the outer surface of the main cylinder portion 4c. Or, an internal thread may be engraved on the inner surface of the side cylinder portion 5a, and an external thread may be engraved on the outer surface of the main cylinder portion 4c, and the lid portion 5 may be fixed to the main body portion 1 by screwing these internal and external threads together.

[0023] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the rectangular base material 2' that serves as the material for the adapter portion 2, and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the adapter portion 2 cut out from this base material 2'. The base material 2' is a plate-like body made of a soft synthetic resin or a foam made of synthetic resin.

[0024] The surface of the base material 2' has an uneven shape with multiple grooves, and the back surface (not shown) is flat. By cutting out the base material 2' with a press or the like, an adapter portion 2 is formed with the surface of the base material 2' as the top surface 2a, as shown in Figure 7.

[0025] The surface of the base material 2', which forms the top surface 2a of the adapter portion 2, is provided with at least a plurality of parallel first grooves 2b and a plurality of parallel second grooves 2c that intersect these first grooves 2b at a predetermined angle. As shown in the figure, the first grooves 2b and the second grooves 2c are perpendicular, but multiple parallel grooves may be intersected at an appropriate angle.

[0026] Alternatively, the top surface 2a of the adapter portion 2 may consist only of a plurality of first grooves 2b, or it may be provided with a plurality of grooves radiating from the center of the adapter portion 2, or it may form a gently wavy uneven surface.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, the first grooves 2b and the second grooves 2c, which are arranged at equal intervals, form partitioned portions 2d, which are separated by adjacent first grooves 2b and adjacent second grooves 2c. Each partitioned portion 2d on the top surface 2a bulges upward.

[0028] The outer diameter of the adapter portion 2 shown in Figure 7, which is cut out from the base material 2' in this manner, is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the flange portion 4a, and is an annular shape. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the adapter portion 2 can be of an appropriate size, such as the diameter of the nozzle N of a vacuum cleaner, and can be attached to the main body portion 1; it is not necessarily required to approximately match the outer diameter of the flange portion 4a.

[0029] The height of the outer surface 2e of the adapter portion 2 is approximately the same as the height of the lid portion 5, and the diameter of the central hole 2f of the adapter portion 2 is slightly smaller than or approximately the same as the diameter of the outer surface of the side cylinder portion 5a of the lid portion 5.

[0030] In this embodiment, the lid portion 5 is described as a cylindrical body and the adapter portion 2 as an annular body. However, as long as the central hole 2f of the adapter portion 2 can be inserted into the lid portion 5, it is possible to use a cylindrical body of an appropriate shape for the lid portion 5 and an annular body having a central hole 2f of an appropriate shape that can be inserted into this cylindrical body for the adapter portion 2.

[0031] When assembling the exhaust device, as shown in Figure 8, first insert the main cylinder portion 4c of the base portion 4 from below into the circular, hole-shaped fixing portion B1 provided in the storage bag B, whose diameter is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the main cylinder portion 4c.

[0032] Next, as shown in Figure 1, the column portion 3d of the valve body 3 is inserted into the insertion hole 4e of the base portion 4, and pushed in until the lower end of the peripheral portion 3c contacts the surface 4b, as shown in Figure 5. In this way, with multiple ventilation holes 4f located within the peripheral portion 3c, the valve body 3 functions as a ventilation valve that opens and closes the ventilation holes 4f.

[0033] Next, the lid portion 5 is pushed onto the main cylinder portion 4c and fixed in place until the annular projection 5d engages with the annular recess 4d of the main cylinder portion 4c. At the same time, the peripheral portion of the fixing portion B1 of the storage bag B is sandwiched between the lower end portion 5f of the side cylinder portion 5a of the lid portion 5 and the surface 4b of the flange portion 4a. In this way, the fixing of the main body portion 1 to the storage bag B and the assembly of the main body portion 1 are completed.

[0034] In addition, the main body 1 was fixed to the storage bag B by sandwiching the area around the fixing part B1 below the storage bag B between the lower end 5f of the side cylinder part 5a of the lid part 5 and the surface 4b of the flange part 4a. Alternatively, adhesive may be applied to the surface 4b to bond and fix it to the bottom surface of the storage bag B.

[0035] Furthermore, the diameter of the fixing portion B1 may be made larger than the distance between the outer edges of the opposing sub-ribs 4j, and the main rib 4i and sub-rib 4j may be inserted into the fixing portion B1 and bonded to the top surface of the storage bag B with adhesive applied to the back surface 4h. This allows the main body portion 1, which is fixed to the storage bag B, to exhaust the air inside the storage bag B to the outside only through the ventilation holes 4f.

[0036] Finally, the adapter portion 2, which has a predetermined thickness, is inserted into the lid portion 5 with the central hole 2f widened, and then pushed in until the lower bottom surface of the adapter portion 2 contacts the surface 4b of the flange portion 4a, thereby completing the assembly of the exhaust device as shown in Figure 3.

[0037] When compressing storage bag B, which is sealed with an opening and closing fastener and contains items such as futons, the tip of the nozzle N of the suction machine is pressed against the top surface 2a of the adapter part 2, as shown in Figure 8, to activate the suction machine. When the suction machine is activated, a first airflow F1 is generated by the suction force of the suction machine, as shown in the figure. At the same time, a second airflow F2 is generated from the small gap between the tip of the nozzle N and the top surface 2a of the adapter part 2 to which the tip of the nozzle N is in contact.

[0038] The first airflow F1, which is the main airflow F, causes the peripheral edge 3c of the valve body 3 to float, so that the air inside the storage bag B is exhausted to the outside through the vent hole 4f. In addition, the projection 5e provided on the back surface of the top surface 5b prevents the valve body 3 itself from floating up due to the suction force of the suction machine.

[0039] Because the top surface 2a of the adapter section 2 has an uneven shape, as shown in Figure 8, even if the tip of a normal nozzle N is pressed against the top surface 2a, a small gap is created. Therefore, air from outside the nozzle flows into the nozzle as a second airflow F2 through this small gap, thus preventing malfunctions caused by the suction load of the suction machine.

[0040] Furthermore, even if the tip of the nozzle N has a shape with a notch or projection as part of the locking mechanism when attached to the head, pressing the tip of the nozzle N against it causes a part of the deformed adapter 2 to enter the notch or recess in accordance with the projection, so that, as with the conventional nozzle N described above, a small gap is created between the tip of the nozzle N and the top surface 2a. Then, a small amount of air from outside the nozzle flows into the nozzle as a second airflow F2 through this gap, thus preventing malfunctions caused by the suction load of the suction machine.

[0041] Furthermore, in the case of a nozzle N having a notch at its tip, and the notch is large, the tip of the nozzle N is aligned with the top surface 2a so that the bulge 2g of the compartment 2d is inserted into the notch, and then pressed against the top surface 2a of the adapter 2. In this way, by having the bulge 2g enter the notch, it is possible to prevent more air than necessary from flowing into the nozzle N from the outside through the notch.

[0042] Furthermore, in the case of a nozzle N having a projection at its tip, and the projection is large, the tip of the nozzle N is aligned with the top surface 2a so that the projection is located on the intersection 2h where the first groove 2b and the second groove 2c intersect, and then pressed against the top surface 2a of the adapter portion 2.

[0043] In this way, while suppressing the pressing force, it is possible to prevent more air than necessary from flowing into the nozzle N from between the tip of the nozzle N and the top surface 2a of the adapter part 2.

[0044] Since the bulging portion 2g and the intersecting portion 2h are irregularly formed on the top surface 2a of the adapter portion 2, it is possible to align the notch or projection of the nozzle N with the optimal position of the bulging portion 2g or the intersecting portion 2h depending on the diameter of the nozzle N.

[0045] Furthermore, since the back surface 4h of the base 4 is provided with main ribs 4i and sub-ribs 4j, even after the contents of the storage bag B come into contact with these main ribs 4i and sub-ribs 4j, the ventilation holes 4f located between the main ribs 4i are not blocked by the contents, and the first airflow F1 continues to be generated.

[0046] When the suction device is stopped after the contents have been sufficiently compressed, the negative pressure in storage bag B causes the peripheral portion 3c to adhere tightly to the surface 4b of flange portion 4a. As a result, no airflow is generated in the opposite direction to the first airflow F1, and storage bag B maintains its compressed state. The compressed state of storage bag B is released by opening the fastener on storage bag B.

[0047] Furthermore, by making the height of the outer surface 2e of the adapter part 2 higher than the height of the side cylinder part 5a of the lid part 5, when the compressed storage bags B are stacked, the top surface 2a of the adapter part 2 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the storage bag B that is stacked on top of it, functioning as an anti-slip feature to prevent the upper storage bag B from shifting sideways.

[0048] Thus, with the exhaust device according to the present invention, regardless of the tip shape of the nozzle N of the suction machine, it is possible to create a small gap between the tip of the nozzle N and the contact surface of the flange portion 4a to which the tip of the nozzle N abuts. Through this gap, a small amount of air from outside the nozzle N flows into the nozzle N, thereby preventing malfunctions of the suction machine due to the suction load. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Main body 2. Adapter section 2a Top surface 2b External surface 2c center hole 3 Valve body 3c Peripheral area 4a flange part 4b surface 4c main cylinder part 4f ventilation hole 4g bridging part 4h inner surface 4i main rib 5 lid part 5a side cylinder part 5b top surface 5c air hole B storage bag F air flow

Claims

1. An exhaust device comprising a main body that is fixed to an insertion hole provided in a storage bag, and an adapter that is attached to the main body, which uses a suction device to exhaust the air inside the storage bag to the outside, The main body consists of a flange portion with multiple through holes in the center, a main cylinder portion erected on the surface of the flange portion with the multiple through holes arranged on its inside, a valve body attached to the flange portion within the main cylinder portion for opening and closing the multiple ventilation holes, and a lid portion that closes the upper end of the main cylinder portion and has an air hole on its top surface. The adapter portion is an annular body having a predetermined thickness, the diameter of the central hole is approximately the same as the diameter of the outer surface of the side cylinder portion of the lid portion, or slightly smaller than the diameter of the outer surface, and is molded from a soft synthetic resin material or a foam made of synthetic resin material. The top surface of the adapter portion has multiple grooves formed therein. The exhaust device is characterized in that the plurality of grooves consist of at least a plurality of parallel first grooves and a plurality of parallel second grooves that intersect the plurality of first grooves at a predetermined angle.

2. The exhaust device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first groove and the second groove are perpendicular to each other.

3. The exhaust device according to claim 2, characterized in that the partitioned portion separated by the adjacent first groove and the adjacent second groove bulges upward.

4. The exhaust device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the adapter portion is attached to the main body portion by inserting the adapter portion into the lid portion with the central hole of the adapter portion widened, and then pushing the adapter portion until the bottom surface of the adapter portion abuts against the surface of the flange portion.

5. The exhaust device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the tip of the nozzle of the suction machine is pressed against the top surface of the adapter part, and the airflow generated by operating the suction machine causes the peripheral edge of the valve body to float, thereby exhausting the air inside the storage bag to the outside through the vent hole, and when the suction machine is stopped, the negative pressure of the storage bag causes the peripheral edge to adhere tightly to the surface of the flange part.

6. The exhaust device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the through-holes are fan-shaped and arranged radially in the center of the flange portion.

7. The exhaust device according to claim 6, characterized in that a plurality of wall-shaped ribs are radially erected on the back surface of the flange portion of the bridging portion formed between the through holes.

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