US2611481A - Inspection means for sealed packages - Google Patents

Description

P 1952 J. A. SARGEANT EIAL INSPECTION MEANS FOR SEALED PACKAGES Filed June 9, 1950 Jc'imes A. Sarjeani Jack; 3 Made, Jr,

Patented Sept. 23, 1952 INSPECTION MEANS FOR SEALED PACKAGES James A.

Sargeant, Fort Belvoir, and Jack R. Wade, J r., Alexandria, Va.

Application June 9, 1950, Serial No. 167,242 3 Claims. (01. 206 -46) ct of March 3, 1883, as 1928; 370 O. G. 757i" (Granted under the a amended April 30,

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without payment to us of any royalty thereon.

Hermetically sealed and desiccated packages are used widely'for highly diversified purposes, for example, for the shipment and preservation of dried or concentrated foodstuffs such as emergency rations for military purposes, for the packaging of medicaments or other commodities adversely aifected by the presence of air or moisture, and for a wide variety of other applications where it is desired to protect the contents of the package from such access of air and moisture; and it i highly desirable to provide means whereby the interior of the package may be inspected without necessitating the disturbance of the wrappings or other coverings of the container, it being a convenient provision to install in the package adjacent to the container or to the contents of the package some mechanical means for indicating the maintenance of desired moistureor airtight conditions within the package itself.

An object of the present invention is to provide inspection means for a hermetically sealed package which will enable the preservation of the contents of the package in their original condition, and which will enable the checking of the conditions of hermetic sealing of a package without disturbance to the barrier, wrapping, or sealing means applied thereto.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a readily applied construction which itself will maintain a hermetic seal with the wrapper of the package and the contents thereof, and which will enable a readily visual inspection on the part of an observer of the conditions existent on the interior of the wrapping or package.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of improved mounting or supporting means for a moisture indicator which by a change of color, or otherwise, would designate to an observer an unwanted condition of humidity, air, or the presence of moisture inside of the wrapping or package.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, and the features of novelty will be pointed out in particularity in the appended claims.

The invention will be understood more particularly by reference to the accompanying drawings which show an illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hermetically sealed package provided with the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view taken on the line II-II'of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and."

Fig. 3 is an expanded perspective view showing parts of the construction'in disassembled relation.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference character A represents a hermetically sealed package provided with-a moistureand vapor-proof wrappingB, and a seal C. The illustrated embodiment of the invention embraces an inspection window or port which is indicated at E, and which can be installed in any flexible either at the time" of the or rigid barrier material initial packaging or any has been completed. I

The invention ccmprises'a frame ass'embly'ineluding a short tubular member 5 thatis threaded externally, as is indicated at I, and that is provided with an end flange 9'which is'design'ed'to be received behind a moistureand vapor-proof barrier material I i which maybe either the wrapping B ora waxed or otherwise wateror moisture-proofed container forarticles to be protected. A sealing washer l3 fits over the threads 1 against the end flange 9 of the threaded cylinder 5, this end flange forming a backing ring for the assembly; and the said barrier material ll "engages the sealing Washer 13; It will be understood that the end flange!) and the washer I3 are inserted in the barrier materialby cutting a hole' in'the latter sufiiciently large to permit insertion of the flange 9 and retainingwasher 13 while leaving enough of the saidbarrier material peripherally of this opening to overliethe washer l3. Preferably, the outside surface ofthe flange 9 and the inside and outside of the barrier material ll adjacent to the hole are coated with a quick-drying, waterand moisture-proof adhesive cement, and a retaining gasket I5 then is slipped over the threads 1 and brought tightly against the outside of the barrier material l l and locked tightly thereagainst by a locking ring H, which clamps the barrier material II between the ash'ers l3 and i5. The locking ring ll preferably has its inner surface adhesively coated with the said quick-drying, moisture-and air-proof adhesive cement. v The locking ring 11 maybe either round,'as shown, and provided with peripherahdiametrically disposed holes [9 for the reception offa spanner wrench for tightening it on the threads 1 against the washer l5; orthe locking ringfli'l may be hexagonal for gripping with a usual type of jaw wrench for tightening: the ring I! against the washer 15. Another sealing gasket 2lthn is slipped over the" threads-1; and when astime after the packaging interrupted viewing of the interior and present invention provides means for the ready visual inspection of the condition and moisture content of the atmosphere and contents, in dehydrated moistureand vapor-proof packages,- and permits access to the interior of the package for application or replacement of desiccant, relative humidity indicators, instruments, and other inspections and related operation, and the construction is so designed that it can be installed either at the time the package is constructed, or it may be applied to packages already completed; and the invention provides, also, means of securing indicators, thermometers, or other instruments adjacent to a window or port within the interior of the package for convenient viewing from the exterior thereof; and the invention contemplates the inclusion within its scope of such modifications and changes in structural details as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions and uses, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Inspection apparatus for viewing the interior oi hermetically sealed packages including a hermetically sealed waterand vapor-proof barrier material and provided with an observation window in the said material, which comprises, in combination, an externally threaded, tubular cylindrical retaining member inserted in the said observation window and having an annular backing flange thereon adapted to receive the :periphery of the said window, yieldable means on the retaining member for hermetically sealing the periphery of the said window against the backing flange, locking means received on the said retaining member for locking the sealing means against the periphery of the said window in hermetically sealed relation therewith, a viewing member including a transparent cover also mounted on the said tubular retaining member in alignment with the window and approximately coextensive in area therewith and hermetically sealed against the locking means and adapted to permit continuous visual inspection of the interior of the hermetically sealed package through the said window, and means carried by the said tubular retaining member for mounting in the said package adjacent to the said window and in line of vision with the said transparent cover, continuously indicating means for indicating to an observer atmospheric conditions within the said container while enabling substantially uncontents of the container.

2. Inspection apparatus for viewing the interior of hermetically sealed packages including a hermetically sealed waterand vapor-proof barrier material and provided with an observation window in the said material, which comprises, in combination, an externally threaded, tubular cylindrical retaining member inserted in the said observation window and having an annular backing flange thereon adapted to receive the periphery of the said window, sealing means mounted on the retaining member for hermetically sealing the periphery of the said window against the backing flange, locking means threadedly received on the said retaining member for locking the sealing means against the periphery of the said window in hermetically sealed relation therewith, a viewing member including a transparent cover also mounted on the said tubular retaining member and hermetically sealed against the locking means with the transparent cover in alignment with the said window and substantially coextensive in area therewith, and tensioned spring clip means mounted in the retaining member for mounting in the package adjacent to the said window and in line of vision with the transparent cover, indicating means for indicating to an observeratmospheric conditions within the said container while enabling continuous substantially uninterrupted viewing of the interior of the container and contents thereof, the inspection apparatus being adapted to be disassembled without impairment of the hermetic seals of the package.

3. Inspection apparatus for viewing the interior of hermetically sealed desiccated packages including a hermetically sealed waterand vaporproof barrier material provided with an observation window therethrough for enabling viewing of the interior of the package, which comprises, in combination, a tubular, externally threaded retaining member mounted in the observation window and having an annular backing flange thereon adapted to receive the periphery of the said window, the said retaining member being provided interiorly with spaced oppositely disposed pairs of longitudinally extending grooves, a tensionedspring Clip member mounted in oppositely disposed pairs of the said grooves, means mounted on the spring clip member for indicating to an observer atmospheric conditions within the sealed and desiccated package, a resilient washer mounted on the retaining member and positioned against the retaining flange, the said resilient washer receiving the periphery of the said window, a second yieldable washer mounted on the retaining member and engaging the 'periphery of the said window in hermetically sealing engagement therewith and with the said resilient washer, a locking ring threadedly mounted on the retaining member and snugly engaging the said second washer for maintaining the gasket hermetically sealed against the periphery of the window, a third resilient washer mounted on the retaining member in engagement with the locking ring, and a cap member threadedly mounted on the retainin member and hermetically sealed against the said third washer, the cap member including a transparent cover plate disposed in alignment with the window and having an area approximately commensurate with that of the window for enabling continuous viewing of the window and interior of the package to be observed and the atmosphere-indicating means carried by the retaining means.

JAMES A. SARGEAN'I'. JACK R. WADE, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain July 12, 1923

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