Containers with gas vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11868083-B2
Application number	US-201816967013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2018
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

An example of a container is disclosed. The example disclosed herein comprises an impermeable container wall, a container releasing valve, and a gas vessel. The impermeable container wall defines the boundaries of an inner volume of the container. The container releasing valve is installed in the container wall to release gas from the inner volume of the container to the outside of the container. The gas vessel is installed in the inner volume of the container. The gas vessel comprises a gas vessel wall, a pressurized vessel gas, and a gas vessel releasing system. The gas vessel wall defines the boundaries of an inner volume of the gas vessel, wherein the gas vessel wall is impermeable and allows for a pressure difference between the inner volume of the gas vessel and an outer volume of the gas vessel. A pressurized vessel gas is enclosed within the inner volume of the gas vessel. And a gas releasing system is to release a certain quantity of the vessel gas to the inner volume of the gas container.

First claim

What it is claimed is:

1. A container comprising:
an impermeable container wall defining the boundaries of an inner volume of the container;
a container releasing valve installed in the container wall to release gas from the inner volume of the container to the outside of the container; and
a gas vessel installed in the inner volume of the container, wherein the gas vessel comprises:
a gas vessel wall defining the boundaries of an inner volume of the gas vessel, wherein the gas vessel wall is impermeable and allows for a pressure difference between the inner volume of the gas vessel and an outer volume of the gas vessel;
a pressurized vessel gas enclosed within the inner volume of the gas vessel; and
a gas vessel releasing system to release a certain quantity of the vessel gas to the inner volume of the container;

a vessel releasing valve to release the vessel gas to the outside of the gas vessel and to the inner volume of the container;
a container sensor in the container to measure a parameter of gas in the inner volume of the container; and
a controller coupled to the vessel releasing valve and the container sensor, the controller is to:
instruct the container sensor to measure the parameter of the gas in the inner volume of the container,
receive the measured parameter of the gas in the inner volume of the container,
determine whether the measured parameter meets a predetermined parameter threshold, and
instruct to release the certain quantity of the vessel gas to the inner volume of the container.

2. The container of claim 1 , comprising a product within the boundaries of the inner volume of the container.

3. The container of claim 2 , wherein the product is a printing component.

4. The container of claim 1 , wherein the container releasing valve is to allow for a substantially zero pressure difference between the gas in the inner volume of the container and ambient gas outside of the container.

5. The container of claim 1 , wherein the gas vessel releasing system is to release the certain quantity of the vessel gas to the inner volume of the container so that the vessel gas occupies substantially all the inner volume of the container.

6. The container of claim 1 , wherein the vessel gas in the container and outside of the gas vessel is heavier than ambient gas outside of the container, the container releasing valve being installed in a top part of the container wall.

7. The container of claim 1 , wherein the vessel gas in the container and outside of the gas vessel is lighter than ambient gas outside of the container, the container releasing valve being installed in a bottom part of the container wall.

8. The container of claim 1 , wherein the container sensor is installed in the inner volume of the container in the vicinity of the container releasing valve.

9. The container of claim 1 , wherein the measured parameter is an indicator of the presence of vessel gas in the inner volume of the container.

10. The container of claim 1 , wherein the controller is wirelessly coupled to the vessel releasing valve.

11. The container of claim 1 , further comprising:
a vessel sensor installed in the inner volume of the gas vessel to determine the presence of the vessel gas within the inner volume of the gas vessel; and
a user indicator to announce to a user that no vessel gas is present in the gas vessel;
wherein the controller is coupled to the vessel sensor and the user indicator, the controller is to:
instruct the vessel sensor to determine the presence of the vessel gas within the inner volume of the gas vessel, and
instruct the user indicator to announce the user that no vessel gas is present in the gas vessel when the sensor determines that there is no vessel gas present in the gas vessel.

12. A method of extending the shelf life of a printing component, the method comprising:
placing the printing component inside an impermeable container comprising an impermeable container wall;
disposing a gas vessel comprising pressurized vessel gas inside the container, wherein the gas vessel comprises a gas vessel releasing system;
releasing a certain quantity of the vessel gas into an inner volume of the container and outside the gas vessel through the gas vessel releasing system;
measuring, by a container sensor, a parameter of a gas in the inner volume of the container;
determining whether the measured parameter meets a predetermined parameter threshold; and
releasing the certain quantity of the vessel gas to the inner volume of the container based on whether the measured parameter met the predetermined parameter threshold.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the printing component comprises a packaging.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the certain quantity of the vessel gas occupies substantially all of the inner volume of the container.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
determining, by a vessel sensor, the presence of the vessel gas within the inner volume of the gas vessel; and
announcing, by a user indicator, that no vessel gas is present in the gas vessel.

16. A container comprising:
an impermeable container wall defining the boundaries of an inner volume of the container;
a container releasing valve installed in the container wall to release gas from the inner volume of the container to the outside of the container;
a gas vessel installed in the inner volume of the container, wherein the gas vessel comprises:
a gas vessel wall defining the boundaries of an inner volume of the gas vessel, wherein the gas vessel wall is impermeable and allows for a pressure difference between the inner volume of the gas vessel and an outer volume of the gas vessel;
a pressurized vessel gas enclosed within the inner volume of the gas vessel; and
a gas vessel releasing system to release a certain quantity of the vessel gas to the inner volume of the container;

a vessel sensor installed in the inner volume of the gas vessel to determine the presence of the vessel gas within the inner volume of the gas vessel;
a user indicator to announce a user that no vessel gas is present in the gas vessel; and
a controller coupled to the vessel sensor and the user indicator, the controller is to:
instruct the vessel sensor to determine the presence of the vessel gas within the inner volume of the gas vessel, and
instruct the user indicator to announce the user that no vessel gas is present in the gas vessel when the sensor determines that there is no vessel gas present in the gas vessel.

17. A method of extending the shelf life of a printing component, the method comprising:
placing the printing component inside an impermeable container comprising an impermeable container wall;
disposing a gas vessel comprising pressurized vessel gas inside the container, wherein the gas vessel comprises a gas vessel releasing system;
releasing a certain quantity of the vessel gas into an inner volume of the container and outside the gas vessel through the gas vessel releasing system;
determining, by a vessel sensor, the presence of the vessel gas within the inner volume of the gas vessel; and
announcing, by a user indicator, that no vessel gas is present in the gas vessel.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Mcdaniel Gabriel
• Luke Jeff
• Pettingill Justin

Classifications

• G03G21/181 Primary

  Manufacturing or assembling, recycling, reuse, transportation, packaging or storage · CPC title

• F17C13/04

  Arrangement or mounting of valves (valves per se F16K {; snap-coupling of nipples F16L37/00}) · CPC title

• F17C2205/0323

  Valves · CPC title

• F17C2250/0478

  Position or presence · CPC title

• F17C2250/0636

  Flow or movement of content · CPC title