Hermetic container

Abstract

A hermetic container includes a container body, a cap unit, and a control unit. The cap unit is disposed to cover a mouth of the container body, and has an outer cap, a mid cap, and an inner cap having a sealing ring that is movable toward and away from the mid cap and that can be pushed by the mid cap to abut against the mouth when moving to the mid cap. The control unit includes a release button depressably inserted into the cap unit, a sealing button inserted into the cap unit around the release button, and a lever unit connected to the inner cap to interact with the sealing button. The sealing button is movable relative to the release button to switch between a sealing position and a non-sealing position.

1 . A hermetic container, comprising:
 a container body having a mouth;   a cap unit disposed to cover said mouth and having an outer cap, a mid cap stacked beneath said outer cap and extendable into said mouth, and an inner cap stacked beneath said mid cap and having a sealing ring that is movable toward and away from said mid cap and that can be pushed by said mid cap to abut against said mouth when moving to said mid cap; and   a control unit including a release button depressably inserted into said cap unit, a sealing button inserted into said cap unit around said release button, and a lever unit connected to said inner cap to interact with said sealing button, said sealing button being movable relative to said release button to switch between a sealing position and a non-sealing position;   wherein, when said sealing button is at said sealing position, said sealing button is substantially flush with said outer cap and presses said lever unit so that said inner cap together with said sealing ring is moved toward said mid cap;   wherein, when said release button is pressed, said lever unit pushes said sealing button to protrude outwardly of said outer cap and to reach said non-sealing position so that said inner cap moves away from said mid cap;   wherein said outer cap has an outer cap top wall, a middle hole extending through said outer cap top wall to receive said release button, and an annular receiving space formed around said middle hole to receive said sealing button, said sealing button having an annular top wall that is substantially flush with said outer cap top wall when said sealing button is at said sealing position, two engaging arms extending downward from said annular top wall, and a plurality of annularly spaced apart hooks at a bottom end of said sealing button, said engaging arms engaging said outer cap when said sealing button is at said sealing position, said release button pushing said engaging arms to disengage from said outer cap when said release button is pressed, said hooks engaging said outer cap after said sealing button disengages from said outer cap, thereby placing said sealing button at said non-sealing position;   wherein said outer cap further has an outer tubular wall that extends downwardly from said outer cap top wall and that has a bottom end flange projecting transversely and inwardly, an inner tubular wall that has an upper part extending upward and into said outer tubular wall, and a lower part extending downward and outward of said outer tubular wall, said inner tubular wall being connected to and supported by said bottom end flange between said upper and lower parts, said inner tubular wall confining said middle hole, said upper part of said inner tubular wall and said outer tubular wall confining said annular receiving space therebetween, said engaging arms being engageable with said inner tubular wall, said hooks being engageable with said outer tubular wall;   wherein said inner tubular wall has two diametrically opposite axial apertures, and two stop pieces each of which is formed on an edge of said inner tubular wall bounding one of said axial apertures, said outer tubular wall having two opposite first axial openings which are aligned respectively with said axial apertures and each of which extend from a top end of said outer tubular wall to an end of said bottom end flange, and two second axial openings which are diametrically opposite and which extends from a top end of said outer tubular wall to an end of said bottom end flange and spaced apart from said first axial openings, said hooks being movable within and along said first and second axial openings, respectively, said engaging arms being in alignment with two of said hooks movable within said first axial openings and being respectively engageable with said stop pieces, said sealing button further having two press arms extending downwardly from said annular top wall in alignment with the other two of said hooks movable within said second axial openings, wherein, when said sealing button is at said sealing position, said hooks move away respectively from top ends of said first and second axial openings, said engaging arms extend out of said annular receiving space through respective ones of said first axial openings and engage bottom ends of respective ones of said stop pieces, and said press arms extend out of said annular receiving space through respective ones of said second axial openings and press said lever unit;   wherein, when said sealing button is at said non-sealing position, said press arms are pushed into said receiving space by said lever unit, said hooks engage said outer tubular wall respectively at said top ends of said first and second axial openings, and said engaging arms move into said receiving space and engage top ends of respective ones of said stop pieces; and   wherein each of said engaging arms has an engaging element that engages a bottom end of one of said stop pieces when said sealing button is at said sealing position and that engages a top end of said one of said stop pieces when said sealing button is at said non-sealing position.   
     
     
         2 . The hermetic container of  claim 1 , wherein said engaging element of each of said engaging arms has an inclined guide face releasably engageable with and slidable over said top end of one of said stop pieces. 
     
     
         3 . The hermetic container of  claim 1 , wherein said sealing button further has an axial surrounding wall extending downwardly from an outer periphery of said annular top wall and received in said receiving space, and a plurality of annularly spaced apart axial wall segments extending downwardly from an inner periphery of said annular top wall and over an inner surface of said inner tubular wall of said outer cap, said axial wall segments defining a plurality of limit grooves therebetween, two of said limit grooves being aligned with said axial apertures of said inner tubular wall, said hooks being disposed at a bottom edge of said axial surrounding wall. 
     
     
         4 . The hermetic container of  claim 3 , wherein each of said engaging arms further has a pushed part movable within and along one of said axial apertures and projecting into said receiving space, said release button having a first button body surrounded by said axial wall segments, a plurality of annularly spaced apart first tongues projecting from an outer periphery of said first button body, a second button body disposed beneath said first button body, a plurality of annularly spaced apart second tongues projecting from an outer periphery of said second button body and aligned respectively with said first tongues, and two diametrically opposite push blocks disposed on said outer periphery of said second button body, said push blocks being inserted slidably and respectively into two of said limit grooves aligned with said axial apertures, said first and second tongues being inserted slidably and respectively into two other ones of said limit grooves, wherein, when said sealing button is at said sealing position and when said release button is pressed, said first and second button bodies move downward, said push blocks respectively press said pushed parts of said engaging arms so that said engaging elements disengage from bottom ends of said stop pieces and said lever unit pushes said press arms upward, thereby causing said sealing button to move to said non-sealing position. 
     
     
         5 . The hermetic container of  claim 4 , wherein said control unit further includes a release-button-biasing spring disposed between said second button body and said mid cap to bias said release button to move upward. 
     
     
         6 . The hermetic container of  claim 1 , wherein said mid cap has a mid cap bottom wall opposite to said outer cap top wall, and a mid cap surrounding wall that extends upward from said mid cap bottom wall, said inner cap having an inner cap bottom wall extending below said mid cap bottom wall, an inner cap surrounding wall that extends upward from said inner cap bottom wall, at least one pivot seat mounted to said inner cap and extending through said mid cap bottom wall, and an inner-cap-biasing spring disposed between and having top and bottom ends connected respectively to said mid cap and inner cap bottom walls, said sealing ring being fixed to said inner cap surrounding wall, said lever unit being mounted to said pivot seat above said mid cap bottom wall, wherein, when said sealing button is at said sealing position, said sealing button presses said lever unit so that said inner cap moves towards said mid cap and said sealing ring extends around and is pushed by said mid cap surrounding wall to abut against said mouth, and wherein, when said release button is pressed, said pivot seat is moved downward together with said inner cap bottom wall by the action of said inner cap-biasing spring so that said lever unit pushes said sealing button upwards to said non-sealing position and so that said sealing ring moves downward from said mid cap surrounding wall. 
     
     
         7 . The hermetic container of  claim 6 , wherein said mid cap surrounding wall is stepped to form an upper enlarged wall portion connected to said outer cap, and a lower narrow wall portion connected between said mid cap bottom wall and said upper enlarged wall portion, said inner cap surrounding wall having a top portion extending around said lower narrow wall portion and having said sealing ring fixed thereto. 
     
     
         8 . The hermetic container of  claim 6 , wherein said inner cap has two of said pivot seats each of which is composed of a pair of posts mounted to said inner cap, said lever unit including two levers disposed above said mid cap bottom wall, each of said levers having a spindle portion provided with two ends respectively pivoted to said posts, a press member connected transversely to said spindle portion and having an abutment end, and a lever arm portion connected transversely to said spindle portion, wherein, when said sealing button is at said sealing position, said lever arm portion is pressed by said sealing button so that said lever arm portion is placed substantially in parallel to said mid cap bottom wall, and so that said press member is turned to incline upward from a turning point where said abutment end abuts against said mid cap bottom wall, thereby lifting respective ones of said pivot seats together with said inner cap bottom wall, and wherein, when said release button is pressed, said press member turns downward and lies substantially in parallel to said mid cap bottom wall, and said lever arm portion inclines upward and pushes said sealing button upward to said non-sealing position. 
     
     
         9 . The hermetic container of  claim 4 , wherein said inner cap further has a lining plate disposed on said inner cap bottom wall and having an outer periphery engaging threadedly an inner surface of said inner cap surrounding wall, a plurality of annularly spaced apart retaining members protruding upward from said inner cap bottom wall and respectively having retention recesses, and a plurality of retention elements projecting downward from said lining plate for engaging said retention recesses, said pivot seats being mounted to said lining plate.