Inert Gas Storage Container with Rechargeable Cartridge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coffee beans and ground coffee tend to oxidize and become stale when exposed to air, leading to a loss of flavor notes, and existing packaging solutions fail to completely eliminate air, especially after repeated use.
Innovation Solution
A container assembly that uses a gas charging system to displace air with an inert gas, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or argon, creating an oxygen-free environment within the storage compartment, which can be reestablished after each use by injecting inert gas through a gas cartridge and fill valve system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If coffee is stored in vacuum-packed containers, then air is removed to prevent oxidation, but the vacuum seal is broken upon opening and air re-enters causing staleness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces vacuum packing with inert gas (nitrogen or carbon dioxide) filling in the storage container. This creates an oxygen-free environment that prevents oxidation of coffee beans. The inert gas atmosphere is maintained through a gas cartridge system that can be recharged, ensuring long-term protection without the need for vacuum sealing that would be compromised upon opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The container incorporates an automatic gas refilling mechanism using a gas cartridge and filling valve. When the inert gas level decreases, the system automatically replenishes it from the cartridge, maintaining the protective atmosphere without requiring user intervention or manual vacuum sealing operations.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If packaging is squeezed to remove excess air before sealing, then some air is removed, but not all air can be eliminated and trapped air causes oxidation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful air completely from the storage environment by introducing inert gas that displaces all atmospheric air from the container space. The gas filling system ensures complete replacement of air, eliminating trapped air pockets that would otherwise remain in conventional packaging methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic pressure from gas cartridges to force inert gas through filling valves and distribution channels into the storage container. This pressurized gas flow efficiently displaces all air from the container, including trapped air in crevices and between coffee beans, without requiring manual squeezing or complex mechanical compression.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If ground coffee is tightly packed to reduce air spaces, then less air is trapped, but smaller particles oxidize more readily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inert gas filling regardless of coffee form (whole beans or ground). The inert atmosphere prevents oxidation of ground coffee particles by eliminating oxygen contact, addressing the heightened oxidation susceptibility of ground coffee without requiring changes to packing density or particle size.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a container is designed to be repeatedly opened and closed, then coffee can be accessed multiple times, but air enters each time compromising the inert environment
Solution Approach 1:
The container automatically replenishes inert gas from an integrated cartridge system after each opening event. The gas filling valve detects pressure differential and refills the container with inert gas, automatically restoring the protective atmosphere without requiring manual intervention or compromising the reusability of the container.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas filling system incorporates feedback through pressure differential detection between the container interior and the gas cartridge. When the container pressure drops upon opening, the system automatically activates refilling, and stops when pressure equalizes, ensuring the inert atmosphere is maintained through each use cycle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively prevents oxidation, allowing coffee to remain fresh for longer periods, regardless of its form, by maintaining an inert environment, even after the container is opened and closed multiple times.
Implementation Method 1
inert gas is released into the storage compartment. The incoming inert gas displaces air out of the storage compartment through the release valve
Data Source
AI summary
A container assembly that can store items in an inert environment. The container assembly is rechargeable so that the inert environment can be repeatedly reestablished. The storage container has a base. The base has a top surface with at least one gas port. A gas charging system is disposed within the base. The gas charging system includes a piercing projection for piercing a gas cartridge. The gas charging system also includes a conduit that leads from the piercing projection to the gas ports, and a fill valve for selectively controlling gas flow through the conduit. A tubular wall is affixed to the base. A removable closure is selectively attached to the open top end of the tubular wall to provide access to the storage compartment. A release valve is provided in the closure that enables gas to exit the storage compartment.