EP0346858A2 - Blow molded one-piece bottle and method for making same - Google Patents
Blow molded one-piece bottle and method for making same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0346858A2 EP0346858A2 EP89110760A EP89110760A EP0346858A2 EP 0346858 A2 EP0346858 A2 EP 0346858A2 EP 89110760 A EP89110760 A EP 89110760A EP 89110760 A EP89110760 A EP 89110760A EP 0346858 A2 EP0346858 A2 EP 0346858A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- feet
- base structure
- container
- legs
- wall portions
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D25/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D25/20—External fittings
- B65D25/24—External fittings for spacing bases of containers from supporting surfaces, e.g. legs
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
- B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
- B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
- B65D1/0261—Bottom construction
- B65D1/0284—Bottom construction having a discontinuous contact surface, e.g. discrete feet
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to one piece plastic beverage bottles and more particularly to an improved bottle of this type which has flat horizontal surfaces of increased area that firmly support the bottle in an upright position when filled.
- a major difficulty with the use of plastic bottles for carbonated beverages is the strength of the bottle base. Due to internal carbonation pressures which can exceed 75 psi, plastic bottles have a tendency to bulge outward at the base, resulting in what is referred to as a "rocker” which will rock back and forth when standing on a flat surface or possibly tip over. In addition, as the base bulges outward, the volume of the bottle increases, thereby lowering the fill line such that consumers may believe the bottle was not properly filled or sealed.
- One solution to the problem of bulging is to provide a bottle having a hemispherical base portion and attach thereto a base cup having a flat lower surface for supporting the bottle in an upright position.
- This type of bottle is commonly referred to as a composite bottle.
- Composite bottles are widely used for carbonated beverage bottles of sixteen ounces or more.
- Increasing material cost for base cups has, however, encouraged the development of one piece bottles having a self-supporting base which is reinforced to prevent bulging due to carbonation pressures.
- a bottle must be stable when empty as well as full.
- An empty bottle must be stable enough to stand upright on bottle filling machinery. If bottles fall over while being conveyed, the efficiency of the filling operation will be adversely affected.
- the diameter of the bottle engaging area which contacts a supporting horizontal surface must be maximized.
- the area of the base that is in surface-to-surface contact with the supporting surface should be maximized.
- Another evaluation factor is the strength of the base in resisting bursting upon impact when the bottle is filled. Stress cracking in the base will reduce the strength, resulting in a base which bursts easily. The amount of stress cracking is related to the base geometry. Relatively large radius curves in the base will reduce the stress cracking compared to a base with small radius curves.
- the present invention provides a base structure for a carbonated beverage container with a tubular side wall.
- the base structure includes a bottom wall extending downwardly and inwardly from the lower end of the tubular side wall.
- a plurality of legs extend downwardly from the bottom wall and terminate in planar feet having radially inner and outer edges. The outer edges of the feet form a non-continuous support surface engaging area having a diameter only slightly less than the diameter of the tubular side wall.
- the feet can be inclined radially inward and upward so that when the container is filled with a carbonated liquid, the pressure within the container forces the feet to rotate generally about their outer edges to substantially horizontal positions. In the horizontal positions, the feet provide large surface-to-surface contact areas with the horizontal surface on which the container is supported.
- the diameter of the support surface engaging areas of the container is not reduced as it is in many prior art containers when the containers are filled.
- the outer edges of the feet remain in contact with the horizontal surface, providing support surface engaging areas having a diameter equal to that of an empty container.
- the wall portions which extend downwardly from the base bottom wall taper slightly inwardly from the container tubular side wall. This taper is necessary to enable manufacture of the container. By minimizing this taper as much as possible, the radial distance from the container axis to the outer edges of the feet is maximized resulting in a relatively large diameter for the support surface engaging areas. This improves the stability of the container.
- a base with a larger diameter at its lower end enables the planar surface area of the feet to be increased over that shown in the prior art.
- the radius of curves within the base can be increased to reduce stress cracking in the base.
- Base 102 of Figure 1 has a plurality of horizontal feet 104.
- the outer edges of the feet 104, indicated at 105, define the outer edges of the container support surface engaging areas having a diameter D.
- a center portion 106 closes the base between the inner edges 107 of the feet 104.
- the center portion 106 projects inwardly into the container forming a wall with a concave outer surface.
- the pressure in the container forces the base to deflect downward such that the center portion 106 moves to the position shown in phantom line at 108. This in turn causes a rotation of the feet 104 generally about their outer edges 105 into the phantom line position at 110. In this position, the container is now supported on support surface engaging areas having a diameter d corresponding to the inner edge of the feet 110.
- the diameter d is significantly smaller that the diameter D, thus the stability of the container has been reduced upon filling of the container.
- a base from another prior art container is shown in Figure 2.
- the base 112 has horizontal feet 114 and ribs 116 extending from the inner edges 118 of feet 114 transversely to the opposite side wall of the bottle and joining the side wall at 120.
- the support surface engaging areas of the base 112 have a diameter extending to the outer edges 122 of the feet 114 when the container is empty.
- the pressure in the container deflects the base 112 downward such that the previously straight ribs 116 are now bowed downward as shown by phantom line 124.
- the diameter of the support surface engaging areas of the base now extends only to the inner edges 128 of the feet 126 in the deflected position, thus reducing the stability of the filled container from that of the empty container.
- the plastic container of this invention includes a base in which, when the container is filled, the diameter of the support surface engaging areas is not reduced.
- a plastic beverage container, indicated generally at 130, having a base structure of this invention is shown in Figure 3.
- the container is blow molded from a biaxially oriented saturated polyester, preferably polyethylene terephtalate (PET) and includes an integral tapered top portion 132 which includes a flange 134 and threaded neck 136. Extending downward from the tapered top portion 132 is a hollow body having a tubular side wall 138.
- the side wall 138 is generally cylindrical having an upright longitudinal axis 139 through the center thereof.
- a base 140 extends downwardly from the lower end of the side wall 138 and closes the bottom of the container 130.
- the base 140 has a downwardly extending bottom wall 142, best viewed in cross section in Figure 5.
- Bottom wall 142 is curved radially inwardly from the lower end of the tubular side wall 138. As shown in Figure 5, the bottom wall 142 is of a constant radius curve having a radius greater than the radius of the tubular side wall 138.
- a relatively small radius fillet section 144 is used to merge the upper end of the bottom wall 142 to the lower end of the side wall 138.
- the bottom wall 142 terminates at the lower end in a center section 146 that is substantially centrally of the base 140 and intersects the axis 139.
- the center section is generally horizontal at the center of said base although it may be slightly concave or convex.
- the bottom wall is interrupted by a plurality of downwardly projecting wall portions defining hollow legs radially spaced from the center section 146 and extending below the bottom wall 142.
- These wall portions include leg side wall portions 148 and leg outer wall portions 150 as illustrated in Figure 3.
- Leg outer wall portions 150 form radially outer surfaces of the hollow legs. As shown, in Figures 3 and 5, the leg outer wall portions 150 are of a constant radius curve curving radially inwardly in a downward direction.
- Leg side wall portions 148 extend downwardly from the bottom wall and radially inwardly from the leg outer wall portions. The legs terminate in feet 152.
- Figure 5A is an enlarged view of the foot portion of Figure 10.
- Each foot 152 is planar and generally trapezoidal in shape ( Figure 4) having an outer edge 154 which is generally parallel with inner edge 156.
- the side edges 155 of feet 152 taper toward one another, radially inwardly.
- the bottom wall circumferentially between the hollow legs forms inverted V-shaped ribs to separate the hollow legs.
- Each foot 152 defines a planar surface which is inclined radially inwardly and upwardly such that the outer edge 154 of each foot is lower than the inner edge 156 of each foot.
- the outer edges 154 of the feet are adjacent the lower edges of the outer leg wall portions 150 and are merged thereto by a relatively small radius fillet section 158.
- the outer edges 154 of the feet 152 form support surface engaging areas for the container 130 having a diameter only slightly less than the diameter of the side wall 138.
- the angle 157 which the feet 152 are inclined from the horizontal support surface 163 depends upon the size of the container and the material wall thickness of the base. These two factors will determine the amount of deflection of the base caused by internal pressure. It has been found that an angle of approximately 9° is sufficient for most two liter and sixteen ounce containers.
- the surface area contact of the feet 162 with the surface 163 reduces wobbling of the container.
- An upright container, when bumped, will tend to wobble back and forth if it is not bumped hard enough to tip over. This wobble will eventually dampen out and the container will come to rest.
- the dampening of wobble is greater than when the bottle is empty and supported along the outer edges 154 of inclined feet 152.
- the container 10 includes an integral tapered top portion 13 having a flange 12 and a threaded neck 18.
- the container 10 also has a hollow tubular side wall 14 and an integral base 16.
- the base 16 as shown in Figure 10, includes a bottom wall extending downwardly from the side wall 14 having an upper portion 20 and a lower portion 30 which is arcuate radially inwardly in a downward direction.
- the bottom wall terminates in a center section 28 substantially centrally of the base 16.
- the bottom wall is interrupted by a plurality of downwardly projecting wall portions defining hollow legs 26 extending below the bottom wall. These wall portions include leg side wall portions 32 and leg outer wall portions 33. Leg outer wall portions 33 form radially outer surfaces of the hollow legs 26. As shown in Figure 10, leg outer wall portions 33 uniformly taper radially inwardly in a downward direction. The legs terminate in planar feet 25 ( Figure 10) which merge with the center section 28. Feet 25 are inclined radially inwardly and upwardly as shown in the broken lines indicating the position of the feet when the container is empty. The solid lines, showing the feet at 27, illustrate the position of the feet when the container is filled with a carbonated beverage. When the container is filled, the feet 25 rotate generally about their outer edges 24 to the position shown at 27 in which the feet are in surface-to-surface contact with a horizontal surface 29.
- the feet spaced radially outwardly as much as possible enables the feet to have relatively large planar surfaces to form support surface engaging areas.
- the leg outer wall portions taper or curve inwardly in a downward direction to facilitate removal of the container from a mold. This taper or curve is minimized as much as possible so that the diameter of the non-continuous support surface engaging area, formed by the outer edges of the feet, is only slightly less than the diameter of the tubular side wall of the container.
- this spacing allows the radii of the curved portions in the base to be relatively large when compared with many prior art containers, thus reducing or eliminating the possibilities for stress cracking in the base. It has been found for both two liter and sixteen ounce containers that five feet is optimal to provide larger feet and larger radii curved portions in the base.
- the containers 10 and 130 are blow molded from an injection molded plastic preform in a conventional manner.
- the preform is heated to the temperature at which it can be blow molded and then placed into a mold cavity having an interior surface of the desired configuration of the container.
- Pressurized air is introduced into the preform to expand the preform outwardly into contact with the mold cavity interior surface.
- the air within the cavity is exhausted through vent openings in the lower end of the mold cavity to enable the plastic to be completely blown into the feet portions of the mold cavity base portion.
- vent openings are in the form of narrow slots in the mold cavity which forms small but noticeable lines in the bottle surface indicated by lines 172 in Figure 4, lines 34 in Figure 9 and lines 36 in Figures 6 and 7.
- the hollow legs are formed by blowing the plastic material of the bottom wall downward from the bottom wall.
- the legs terminate in substantially flat support surface engaging areas which are ballooned out of the bottom wall.
- the inclined engaging areas rotate by internal pressure in the container to form coplanar areas for engagement with a horizontal surface for supporting the container thereon.
- the invention provides a one piece blow molded plastic container which has a self supporting base.
- the base has a bottom wall extending from the lower end of the side wall of the container.
- a plurality of legs extend downward from the bottom wall forming hollow legs with planar feet that are inclined upwardly and inwardly from the outer edges of the legs.
- the internal pressure in the container forces the bottom of the base downward, rotating the feet into a horizontal position defining co-planar support surface engaging areas for supporting the container. This deflection does not result in a decrease in the diameter of the container support surface engaging areas, thereby not decreasing the stability of the container when filled.
- the container base is formed with relatively large radius curved portions to reduce the amount of stress cracking in the base, thereby increasing the strength of the base and reducing the possibility of bursting.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
- Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
- Blow-Moulding Or Thermoforming Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
- Closures For Containers (AREA)
- Moulds For Moulding Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
- Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This invention relates generally to one piece plastic beverage bottles and more particularly to an improved bottle of this type which has flat horizontal surfaces of increased area that firmly support the bottle in an upright position when filled.
- A major difficulty with the use of plastic bottles for carbonated beverages is the strength of the bottle base. Due to internal carbonation pressures which can exceed 75 psi, plastic bottles have a tendency to bulge outward at the base, resulting in what is referred to as a "rocker" which will rock back and forth when standing on a flat surface or possibly tip over. In addition, as the base bulges outward, the volume of the bottle increases, thereby lowering the fill line such that consumers may believe the bottle was not properly filled or sealed.
- One solution to the problem of bulging is to provide a bottle having a hemispherical base portion and attach thereto a base cup having a flat lower surface for supporting the bottle in an upright position. This type of bottle is commonly referred to as a composite bottle. Composite bottles are widely used for carbonated beverage bottles of sixteen ounces or more. Increasing material cost for base cups has, however, encouraged the development of one piece bottles having a self-supporting base which is reinforced to prevent bulging due to carbonation pressures.
- Several factors must be taken into consideration in the evaluation of a bottle base. Stability is one of the most important factors. A bottle must be stable when empty as well as full. An empty bottle must be stable enough to stand upright on bottle filling machinery. If bottles fall over while being conveyed, the efficiency of the filling operation will be adversely affected. To provide a stable bottle, the diameter of the bottle engaging area which contacts a supporting horizontal surface must be maximized. In addition, the area of the base that is in surface-to-surface contact with the supporting surface should be maximized.
- Another evaluation factor is the strength of the base in resisting bursting upon impact when the bottle is filled. Stress cracking in the base will reduce the strength, resulting in a base which bursts easily. The amount of stress cracking is related to the base geometry. Relatively large radius curves in the base will reduce the stress cracking compared to a base with small radius curves.
- Yet another evaluation factor to consider is the ability to properly vent the mold cavity when blow molding the bottle. Sufficient venting must be provided to ensure that the plastic material will be blown completely into each leg of the base to form feet at the lower ends of the legs which define the support surface engaging areas of the bottle.
- Several one piece bottles have been developed. However, these bottles have one or more disadvantages associated with their base structures. The base structure of a plastic bottle will deflect downwardly when the bottle is filled with a carbonated liquid. When this occurs in several of the existing one piece bottles, the diameters and sizes of the support surface engaging areas are decreased, resulting in bottles of reduced stability when full.
- Several prior bottles also have base geometries with small feet and relatively small radius curves. This results in support instability and stress cracks which reduce the strength of the base causing the base to burst upon impact.
- With these short comings in the prior art in mind, it is an object of this invention to provide a bottle with flat support surface engaging areas of increased size and increased diameter relative to the bottle diameter to thereby improve stability of the filled bottle.
- It is a further object of this invention to provide a bottle wherein deflection of the base due to filling does not decrease the support surface engaging area.
- Accordingly it is a further object if the invention to provide a container with larger radius bends and curves to reduce the possibilities for stress cracking.
- The present invention provides a base structure for a carbonated beverage container with a tubular side wall. The base structure includes a bottom wall extending downwardly and inwardly from the lower end of the tubular side wall. A plurality of legs extend downwardly from the bottom wall and terminate in planar feet having radially inner and outer edges. The outer edges of the feet form a non-continuous support surface engaging area having a diameter only slightly less than the diameter of the tubular side wall.
- As a further improvement, the feet can be inclined radially inward and upward so that when the container is filled with a carbonated liquid, the pressure within the container forces the feet to rotate generally about their outer edges to substantially horizontal positions. In the horizontal positions, the feet provide large surface-to-surface contact areas with the horizontal surface on which the container is supported. When the container is filled, the diameter of the support surface engaging areas of the container is not reduced as it is in many prior art containers when the containers are filled. When the container is filled, the outer edges of the feet remain in contact with the horizontal surface, providing support surface engaging areas having a diameter equal to that of an empty container.
- The wall portions which extend downwardly from the base bottom wall taper slightly inwardly from the container tubular side wall. This taper is necessary to enable manufacture of the container. By minimizing this taper as much as possible, the radial distance from the container axis to the outer edges of the feet is maximized resulting in a relatively large diameter for the support surface engaging areas. This improves the stability of the container. In addition, a base with a larger diameter at its lower end enables the planar surface area of the feet to be increased over that shown in the prior art.
- Furthermore, by increasing the diameter of the support surface engaging area, the radius of curves within the base can be increased to reduce stress cracking in the base.
- Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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- Figure 1 is a sectional view of the base of a prior art container;
- Figure 2 is a sectional view of the base of another prior art container;
- Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a container of the present invention;
- Figure 4 is a bottom view of the container of Figure 3;
- Figure 5 is a sectional view as seen from substantially the line 5-5 of Figure 4;
- Figure 5A is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 5;
- Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the container of this invention;
- Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the container of Figure 6 showing a different view of the base structure of the container from that shown in Figure 6;
- Figure 8 is a top plan view of the container of Figures 6 and 7;
- Figure 9 is a bottom view of the container of Figures 6 and 7; and
- Figure 10 is a sectional view as seen from substantially the line 10-10 in Figure 9.
- Prior art plastic container bases are shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Base 102 of Figure 1 has a plurality ofhorizontal feet 104. The outer edges of thefeet 104, indicated at 105, define the outer edges of the container support surface engaging areas having a diameter D. Acenter portion 106 closes the base between theinner edges 107 of thefeet 104. Thecenter portion 106 projects inwardly into the container forming a wall with a concave outer surface. - When the container having the
base 102 is filled with a carbonated liquid, the pressure in the container forces the base to deflect downward such that thecenter portion 106 moves to the position shown in phantom line at 108. This in turn causes a rotation of thefeet 104 generally about theirouter edges 105 into the phantom line position at 110. In this position, the container is now supported on support surface engaging areas having a diameter d corresponding to the inner edge of thefeet 110. The diameter d is significantly smaller that the diameter D, thus the stability of the container has been reduced upon filling of the container. - A base from another prior art container is shown in Figure 2. The
base 112 has horizontal feet 114 andribs 116 extending from theinner edges 118 of feet 114 transversely to the opposite side wall of the bottle and joining the side wall at 120. The support surface engaging areas of the base 112 have a diameter extending to theouter edges 122 of the feet 114 when the container is empty. However, when the container is filled with a carbonated beverage, the pressure in the container deflects the base 112 downward such that the previouslystraight ribs 116 are now bowed downward as shown byphantom line 124. This results in a rotation of the feet 114 generally about theirouter edges 122 into the position shown in the phantom line at 126. In this position, the diameter of the support surface engaging areas of the base now extends only to theinner edges 128 of the feet 126 in the deflected position, thus reducing the stability of the filled container from that of the empty container. - The plastic container of this invention includes a base in which, when the container is filled, the diameter of the support surface engaging areas is not reduced. A plastic beverage container, indicated generally at 130, having a base structure of this invention is shown in Figure 3. The container is blow molded from a biaxially oriented saturated polyester, preferably polyethylene terephtalate (PET) and includes an integral tapered
top portion 132 which includes aflange 134 and threadedneck 136. Extending downward from the taperedtop portion 132 is a hollow body having atubular side wall 138. Theside wall 138 is generally cylindrical having an uprightlongitudinal axis 139 through the center thereof. Abase 140 extends downwardly from the lower end of theside wall 138 and closes the bottom of thecontainer 130. - The
base 140 has a downwardly extendingbottom wall 142, best viewed in cross section in Figure 5.Bottom wall 142 is curved radially inwardly from the lower end of thetubular side wall 138. As shown in Figure 5, thebottom wall 142 is of a constant radius curve having a radius greater than the radius of thetubular side wall 138. A relatively smallradius fillet section 144, is used to merge the upper end of thebottom wall 142 to the lower end of theside wall 138. Thebottom wall 142 terminates at the lower end in acenter section 146 that is substantially centrally of thebase 140 and intersects theaxis 139. The center section is generally horizontal at the center of said base although it may be slightly concave or convex. - The bottom wall is interrupted by a plurality of downwardly projecting wall portions defining hollow legs radially spaced from the
center section 146 and extending below thebottom wall 142. These wall portions include legside wall portions 148 and legouter wall portions 150 as illustrated in Figure 3. Legouter wall portions 150 form radially outer surfaces of the hollow legs. As shown, in Figures 3 and 5, the legouter wall portions 150 are of a constant radius curve curving radially inwardly in a downward direction. Legside wall portions 148 extend downwardly from the bottom wall and radially inwardly from the leg outer wall portions. The legs terminate infeet 152. Figure 5A is an enlarged view of the foot portion of Figure 10. Eachfoot 152 is planar and generally trapezoidal in shape (Figure 4) having anouter edge 154 which is generally parallel withinner edge 156. The side edges 155 offeet 152 taper toward one another, radially inwardly. The bottom wall circumferentially between the hollow legs forms inverted V-shaped ribs to separate the hollow legs. - Each
foot 152 defines a planar surface which is inclined radially inwardly and upwardly such that theouter edge 154 of each foot is lower than theinner edge 156 of each foot. Theouter edges 154 of the feet are adjacent the lower edges of the outerleg wall portions 150 and are merged thereto by a relatively smallradius fillet section 158. Theouter edges 154 of thefeet 152 form support surface engaging areas for thecontainer 130 having a diameter only slightly less than the diameter of theside wall 138. By locating the outer edges of the feet radially outward as much as possible, the stability of the bottle is improved. - When the
container 130 is filled with a carbonated beverage, the pressure within the container forces thecenter section 146 to deflect downward to the position indicated in Figure 5 inbroken lines 160. As a result of this downward motion of thecenter section 146, thefeet 152 also move downward, rotating generally about theouter edges 154 to a horizontal position shown at 162. In this rotated position, the feet are now in surface-to-surface contact with thehorizontal surface 163 upon which the container is supported. The outer edge of the engaging surfaces remains at 154 such that diameter of the support surface engaging areas is not reduced as a result of the deflection of the of thecenter section 146. Thus the stability of the bottle is not reduced when the bottle is filled. - The
angle 157 which thefeet 152 are inclined from thehorizontal support surface 163 depends upon the size of the container and the material wall thickness of the base. These two factors will determine the amount of deflection of the base caused by internal pressure. It has been found that an angle of approximately 9° is sufficient for most two liter and sixteen ounce containers. - In addition to maintaining the stability of the base when the base is deflected, the surface area contact of the
feet 162 with thesurface 163 reduces wobbling of the container. An upright container, when bumped, will tend to wobble back and forth if it is not bumped hard enough to tip over. This wobble will eventually dampen out and the container will come to rest. When thefeet 162 are in surface-to-surface contact with a support surface, the dampening of wobble is greater than when the bottle is empty and supported along theouter edges 154 ofinclined feet 152. - Another embodiment of this invention is illustrated with the blow molded plastic container designated generally at 10 in Figures 6-10. The
container 10 includes an integral taperedtop portion 13 having aflange 12 and a threadedneck 18. Thecontainer 10 also has a hollowtubular side wall 14 and anintegral base 16. - The
base 16, as shown in Figure 10, includes a bottom wall extending downwardly from theside wall 14 having anupper portion 20 and alower portion 30 which is arcuate radially inwardly in a downward direction. The bottom wall terminates in acenter section 28 substantially centrally of thebase 16. - The bottom wall is interrupted by a plurality of downwardly projecting wall portions defining
hollow legs 26 extending below the bottom wall. These wall portions include legside wall portions 32 and leg outer wall portions 33. Leg outer wall portions 33 form radially outer surfaces of thehollow legs 26. As shown in Figure 10, leg outer wall portions 33 uniformly taper radially inwardly in a downward direction. The legs terminate in planar feet 25 (Figure 10) which merge with thecenter section 28.Feet 25 are inclined radially inwardly and upwardly as shown in the broken lines indicating the position of the feet when the container is empty. The solid lines, showing the feet at 27, illustrate the position of the feet when the container is filled with a carbonated beverage. When the container is filled, thefeet 25 rotate generally about theirouter edges 24 to the position shown at 27 in which the feet are in surface-to-surface contact with ahorizontal surface 29. - In both embodiments of the invention, having the feet spaced radially outwardly as much as possible enables the feet to have relatively large planar surfaces to form support surface engaging areas. The leg outer wall portions taper or curve inwardly in a downward direction to facilitate removal of the container from a mold. This taper or curve is minimized as much as possible so that the diameter of the non-continuous support surface engaging area, formed by the outer edges of the feet, is only slightly less than the diameter of the tubular side wall of the container. In addition, this spacing allows the radii of the curved portions in the base to be relatively large when compared with many prior art containers, thus reducing or eliminating the possibilities for stress cracking in the base. It has been found for both two liter and sixteen ounce containers that five feet is optimal to provide larger feet and larger radii curved portions in the base.
- The
containers lines 172 in Figure 4,lines 34 in Figure 9 andlines 36 in Figures 6 and 7. - The hollow legs are formed by blowing the plastic material of the bottom wall downward from the bottom wall. The legs terminate in substantially flat support surface engaging areas which are ballooned out of the bottom wall. The inclined engaging areas rotate by internal pressure in the container to form coplanar areas for engagement with a horizontal surface for supporting the container thereon.
- The invention provides a one piece blow molded plastic container which has a self supporting base. The base has a bottom wall extending from the lower end of the side wall of the container. A plurality of legs extend downward from the bottom wall forming hollow legs with planar feet that are inclined upwardly and inwardly from the outer edges of the legs. When filled with a carbonated beverage, the internal pressure in the container forces the bottom of the base downward, rotating the feet into a horizontal position defining co-planar support surface engaging areas for supporting the container. This deflection does not result in a decrease in the diameter of the container support surface engaging areas, thereby not decreasing the stability of the container when filled. In addition, the container base is formed with relatively large radius curved portions to reduce the amount of stress cracking in the base, thereby increasing the strength of the base and reducing the possibility of bursting.
- It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction or method illustrated and described above, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims (10)
a bottom wall extending downwardly and radially inward from said side wall; and
a plurality of legs extending downwardly from said bottom wall and terminating in large planar feet having inner and outer radial edges, said feet forming a non-continuous support surface engaging area having an outer diameter only slightly less than said first diameter.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AT89110760T ATE91262T1 (en) | 1988-06-17 | 1989-06-14 | BLOWN ONE-PIECE BOTTLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME. |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US20908488A | 1988-06-17 | 1988-06-17 | |
US209084 | 1988-06-17 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0346858A2 true EP0346858A2 (en) | 1989-12-20 |
EP0346858A3 EP0346858A3 (en) | 1990-05-16 |
EP0346858B1 EP0346858B1 (en) | 1993-07-07 |
Family
ID=22777256
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP89110760A Expired - Lifetime EP0346858B1 (en) | 1988-06-17 | 1989-06-14 | Blow molded one-piece bottle and method for making same |
Country Status (30)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0346858B1 (en) |
JP (2) | JPH0257545A (en) |
KR (1) | KR910000483A (en) |
CN (1) | CN1019179B (en) |
AR (1) | AR246720A1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE91262T1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU607110B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR8903093A (en) |
CA (1) | CA1330959C (en) |
CS (1) | CS276423B6 (en) |
DD (1) | DD283977A5 (en) |
DE (1) | DE68907447T2 (en) |
DK (1) | DK298789A (en) |
ES (1) | ES2041896T3 (en) |
FI (1) | FI892965A (en) |
HU (1) | HU204011B (en) |
ID (1) | ID992B (en) |
IE (1) | IE62278B1 (en) |
IL (1) | IL90509A0 (en) |
IN (1) | IN171066B (en) |
JO (1) | JO1582B1 (en) |
MA (1) | MA21577A1 (en) |
MX (1) | MX172186B (en) |
NO (1) | NO892524L (en) |
NZ (1) | NZ229582A (en) |
PL (1) | PL162818B1 (en) |
PT (2) | PT90862A (en) |
RU (1) | RU1813058C (en) |
YU (1) | YU47714B (en) |
ZA (1) | ZA893987B (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0413924A1 (en) * | 1989-08-24 | 1991-02-27 | Herbert Strassheimer | Self-stabilizing base for pressurized bottle |
EP0479695A1 (en) * | 1990-10-04 | 1992-04-08 | Constar Plastics Inc. | Wide stance footed bottle |
EP0703152A1 (en) * | 1994-09-09 | 1996-03-27 | Hoover Universal,Inc. | One-piece plastic container for carbonated beverages |
CN1056813C (en) * | 1992-04-09 | 2000-09-27 | 大陆Pet技术有限公司 | Freestanding container with improved combination of properties |
FR2897292A1 (en) * | 2006-02-16 | 2007-08-17 | Sidel Participations | MOLD BOTTOM FOR MOLD FOR MANUFACTURING THERMOPLASTIC CONTAINERS, AND MOLDING DEVICE EQUIPPED WITH AT LEAST ONE MOLD EQUIPPED WITH SUCH A BOTTOM |
WO2007140855A1 (en) * | 2006-06-09 | 2007-12-13 | Merck Patent Gmbh | Chemical bottle for pressure-building filler materials |
Families Citing this family (18)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH0444943A (en) * | 1990-06-04 | 1992-02-14 | Toyo Seikan Kaisha Ltd | Pressure-resistant plastic bottle having resistance to stress-cracking and resistance to rocking |
JPH06501225A (en) * | 1990-07-09 | 1994-02-10 | ジェイ ガズデン ピーティーワイ リミテッド | improved container |
US5287978A (en) * | 1990-11-15 | 1994-02-22 | Plastipak Packaging, Inc. | Plastic blow molded freestanding container |
US5064080A (en) * | 1990-11-15 | 1991-11-12 | Plastipak Packaging, Inc. | Plastic blow molded freestanding container |
US5133468A (en) * | 1991-06-14 | 1992-07-28 | Constar Plastics Inc. | Footed hot-fill container |
JP2704184B2 (en) * | 1991-09-24 | 1998-01-26 | 東洋製罐 株式会社 | Pressure-resistant self-standing container formed by biaxial stretching |
JP2663370B2 (en) * | 1991-11-14 | 1997-10-15 | 東洋製罐 株式会社 | Pressure-resistant self-standing container formed by biaxial stretching |
JPH0648433A (en) * | 1992-07-20 | 1994-02-22 | Toyo Seikan Kaisha Ltd | Self-standing hollow container |
KR20010111839A (en) * | 2000-06-13 | 2001-12-20 | 이영재 | Plastic bottle for pressurized fluids |
JP4826379B2 (en) * | 2006-07-31 | 2011-11-30 | 東洋製罐株式会社 | Plastic container |
MY156895A (en) * | 2009-07-13 | 2016-04-15 | Dainippon Printing Co Ltd | Plastic bottle |
JP5424100B2 (en) * | 2009-07-13 | 2014-02-26 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Pressure resistant bottle |
JP5370835B2 (en) * | 2009-07-13 | 2013-12-18 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Pressure resistant bottle |
JP5428604B2 (en) * | 2009-07-13 | 2014-02-26 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Plastic bottle |
MY170973A (en) * | 2012-02-28 | 2019-09-23 | Dainippon Printing Co Ltd | Plastic bottle |
DE102013109716A1 (en) * | 2013-09-05 | 2015-03-05 | Krones Ag | Blow mold, blow molding machine and process for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers with air discharge |
DE102013226906A1 (en) * | 2013-12-20 | 2015-07-09 | P & L Gmbh & Co. Kg | Multi-part blow mold for the production of blown, plastic workpieces, as well as processes for their production |
JP7101545B2 (en) * | 2018-06-22 | 2022-07-15 | サントリーホールディングス株式会社 | Plastic bottles and carbonated drink products using them |
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GB2044211A (en) * | 1979-01-10 | 1980-10-15 | Yoshino Kogyosho Co Ltd | A thin-walled synthetic resin bottle |
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GB2098167A (en) * | 1981-05-08 | 1982-11-17 | Owens Illinois Inc | Free-standing plastics containers |
WO1986005462A1 (en) * | 1985-03-21 | 1986-09-25 | Meri-Mate Limited | Improvements in or relating to plastics containers |
EP0225155A2 (en) * | 1985-11-27 | 1987-06-10 | Embee Limited | Bottle |
EP0244128A2 (en) * | 1986-04-21 | 1987-11-04 | Fibrenyle Limited | Blow moulded containers |
US4785949A (en) * | 1987-12-11 | 1988-11-22 | Continental Pet Technologies, Inc. | Base configuration for an internally pressurized container |
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GB1508574A (en) * | 1974-06-29 | 1978-04-26 | Plastona Waddington Ltd John | Containers thermo-formed in plastics material |
JPS57194939A (en) * | 1981-05-20 | 1982-11-30 | Owens Illinois Inc | Self-erecting type plastic bottle |
JPS6160432A (en) * | 1984-08-15 | 1986-03-28 | 株式会社吉野工業所 | Bottle body made of synthetic resin and method of positioning said bottle body |
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1989
- 1989-05-25 ZA ZA893987A patent/ZA893987B/en unknown
- 1989-05-25 CA CA000600662A patent/CA1330959C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1989-05-26 IN IN406/CAL/89A patent/IN171066B/en unknown
- 1989-06-01 JO JO19891582A patent/JO1582B1/en active
- 1989-06-02 AU AU35995/89A patent/AU607110B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1989-06-02 IL IL90509A patent/IL90509A0/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-06-12 MX MX016422A patent/MX172186B/en unknown
- 1989-06-12 AR AR89314140A patent/AR246720A1/en active
- 1989-06-14 PT PT90862A patent/PT90862A/en active IP Right Grant
- 1989-06-14 YU YU121589A patent/YU47714B/en unknown
- 1989-06-14 IE IE192189A patent/IE62278B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-06-14 AT AT89110760T patent/ATE91262T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-06-14 DE DE89110760T patent/DE68907447T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1989-06-14 ES ES198989110760T patent/ES2041896T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1989-06-14 CS CS893605A patent/CS276423B6/en unknown
- 1989-06-14 MA MA21830A patent/MA21577A1/en unknown
- 1989-06-14 EP EP89110760A patent/EP0346858B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1989-06-15 NZ NZ229582A patent/NZ229582A/en unknown
- 1989-06-15 JP JP1150697A patent/JPH0257545A/en active Pending
- 1989-06-15 BR BR898903093A patent/BR8903093A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-06-16 HU HU893125A patent/HU204011B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-06-16 CN CN89104261A patent/CN1019179B/en not_active Expired
- 1989-06-16 NO NO89892524A patent/NO892524L/en unknown
- 1989-06-16 DK DK298789A patent/DK298789A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1989-06-16 FI FI892965A patent/FI892965A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1989-06-16 PL PL28007089A patent/PL162818B1/en unknown
- 1989-06-16 DD DD89329692A patent/DD283977A5/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-06-16 KR KR1019890008350A patent/KR910000483A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1989-06-16 RU SU894614276A patent/RU1813058C/en active
- 1989-06-17 ID IDP63089A patent/ID992B/en unknown
-
1994
- 1994-03-01 JP JP1994001391U patent/JP2551699Y2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1994-05-26 PT PT9035U patent/PT9035T/en not_active Application Discontinuation
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GB2044211A (en) * | 1979-01-10 | 1980-10-15 | Yoshino Kogyosho Co Ltd | A thin-walled synthetic resin bottle |
US4249667A (en) * | 1979-10-25 | 1981-02-10 | The Continental Group, Inc. | Plastic container with a generally hemispherical bottom wall having hollow legs projecting therefrom |
GB2098167A (en) * | 1981-05-08 | 1982-11-17 | Owens Illinois Inc | Free-standing plastics containers |
WO1986005462A1 (en) * | 1985-03-21 | 1986-09-25 | Meri-Mate Limited | Improvements in or relating to plastics containers |
EP0225155A2 (en) * | 1985-11-27 | 1987-06-10 | Embee Limited | Bottle |
EP0244128A2 (en) * | 1986-04-21 | 1987-11-04 | Fibrenyle Limited | Blow moulded containers |
US4785949A (en) * | 1987-12-11 | 1988-11-22 | Continental Pet Technologies, Inc. | Base configuration for an internally pressurized container |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0413924A1 (en) * | 1989-08-24 | 1991-02-27 | Herbert Strassheimer | Self-stabilizing base for pressurized bottle |
EP0479695A1 (en) * | 1990-10-04 | 1992-04-08 | Constar Plastics Inc. | Wide stance footed bottle |
CN1056813C (en) * | 1992-04-09 | 2000-09-27 | 大陆Pet技术有限公司 | Freestanding container with improved combination of properties |
EP0703152A1 (en) * | 1994-09-09 | 1996-03-27 | Hoover Universal,Inc. | One-piece plastic container for carbonated beverages |
FR2897292A1 (en) * | 2006-02-16 | 2007-08-17 | Sidel Participations | MOLD BOTTOM FOR MOLD FOR MANUFACTURING THERMOPLASTIC CONTAINERS, AND MOLDING DEVICE EQUIPPED WITH AT LEAST ONE MOLD EQUIPPED WITH SUCH A BOTTOM |
WO2007093686A1 (en) * | 2006-02-16 | 2007-08-23 | Sidel Participations | Mould base for moulds that are used to produce thermoplastic containers and moulding device including at least one mould provided with one such base |
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WO2007140855A1 (en) * | 2006-06-09 | 2007-12-13 | Merck Patent Gmbh | Chemical bottle for pressure-building filler materials |
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