US-20260125199-A1 - VACUUM SEALABLE CONTAINER

US20260125199A1US 20260125199 A1US20260125199 A1US 20260125199A1US-20260125199-A1

Abstract

A vacuum sealable container for securing and transporting extraterrestrial samples includes a container body and a lid detachably coupled to the container body, the lid selectively hermetically sealing the container body. The lid is threadedly coupled to the container body and includes at least one grip feature and at least one seal positioned between the lid and the container body when the lid is attached to the container body.

Inventors

Leo Stolov
Maria Fountas
Philip CHU
Kris Zacny

Assignees

HONEYBEE ROBOTICS, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251027

Claims (10)

1 . A vacuum sealable container assembly for securing and transporting extraterrestrial samples, the vacuum sealable container assembly defining an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction, the vacuum sealable container assembly comprising: a container body, the container body defining a first threaded portion; a lid detachably coupled to the container body, the lid defining a second threaded portion configured to threadedly couple with the first threaded portion, wherein the lid defines at least one grip feature formed therein, the at least one grip feature comprising a plurality of indents recessed into the lid along the radial direction, and wherein the plurality of indents are spaced apart from each other about the circumferential direction; and a sealing member positioned at one of the first threaded portion or the second threaded portion, the sealing member configured to seal the lid with respect to the container body when the lid is screwed onto the container body.
2 . A vacuum sealable container assembly for securing and transporting extraterrestrial samples, the vacuum sealable container assembly defining an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction, the vacuum sealable container assembly comprising: a container body; and a lid detachably coupled to the container body, wherein the lid is coupled with the container body via a threaded connection, and wherein the lid defines at least one grip feature formed therein.
3 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 2 , wherein the threaded connection defines a first thread diameter and a first thread pitch.
4 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 3 , wherein a ratio of the first thread diameter to the first thread pitch is between 60 and 80.
5 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 2 , wherein the threaded connection comprises an external thread at one of the container body or the lid and an internal thread at the other of the container body or the lid.
6 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 2 , further comprising: a sealing member positioned at the threaded connection.
7 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 6 , wherein the sealing member comprises a compressible gasket.
8 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 7 , wherein the compressible gasket comprises a compressible O-ring.
9 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 2 , wherein the at least one grip feature comprises: a plurality of grip features spaced apart from each other about the circumferential direction.
10 . The vacuum sealable container of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of grip features comprises an indent recessed into the lid along the radial direction.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 19/328,435, filed on Sep. 15, 2025, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/694,415, filed on Sep. 13, 2024 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/694,426, filed on Sep. 13, 2024. The entire contents of the aforementioned application is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND The subject matter disclosed herein relates in general to a vacuum sealable container for transporting an extraterrestrial sample. Conventional vacuum sealable containers have been designed for robotic missions. A manually operable vacuum sealable container was employed in the Apollo missions with limited capabilities. For example, the container employed in the Apollo missions did not include a mechanism for extracting gas from the container after it was returned to Earth. Accordingly, while existing vacuum sealable containers are suitable for their intended purposes the need for improvement remains, particularly in providing a vacuum sealable container having the features described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION According to one aspect of the disclosure, a vacuum sealable container is provided. The vacuum sealable container may include a container body, the container body defining a first threaded portion, and a lid detachably coupled to the container body. The lid may define a second threaded portion configured to threadedly couple with the first threaded portion. The lid may further define at least one grip feature formed therein, the at least one grip feature including a plurality of indents recessed into the lid along the radial direction. The plurality of indents may be spaced apart from each other about the circumferential direction. The vacuum sealable container may further include a sealing member positioned at one of the first threaded portion or the second threaded portion. The sealing member may be configured to seal the lid with respect to the container body when the lid is screwed onto the container body. According to another aspect of the disclosure, a vacuum sealable container is provided. The vacuum sealable container may include a container body and a lid detachably coupled to the container body. The lid may be coupled with the container body via a threaded connection. The lid may define at least one grip feature formed therein. These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The subject matter, which is regarded as the disclosure, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum sealable container in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a sectional perspective view of the top and bottom portions of a vacuum sealable container in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 3A is a perspective sectional view of a container body in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 3B is an enlarged sectional view of a top portion of a container body in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a sectional perspective view of a lid assembly for a vacuum sealable container in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 5 is sectional view of a lid assembly in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a lid assembly in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 6B is an alternative perspective view of the lid assembly of FIG. 6A in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a vacuum sealable container in accordance with an embodiment; and FIG. 8 is another sectional view of a sample tube for use with the vacuum sealable container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a lid assembly of a vacuum sealable container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the exemplary lid assembly of FIG. 9 showing a handle assembly. FIG. 10B is a top schematic view of a harmonic drive assembly according to exemplary aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a vacuum sealable container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the exemplary lid assembly of FIG. 9. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the exemplary vacuum sealable container of FIG. 11 showing a bracket. FIG. 14 is a perspective schematic view of an interior of a container body of a vacuum sealable container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a perspective schematic view of an interior of a container body of a vacuum sealable container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a top schematic view