Classifications

• • 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—Rigid or semi-rigid 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 or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
  • B65D1/12—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums
  • B65D1/14—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums characterised by shape
  • B65D1/16—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums characterised by shape of curved cross-section, e.g. cylindrical
  • B65D1/165—Cylindrical cans
• • 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—Rigid or semi-rigid 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 or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
  • B65D1/40—Details of walls
  • B65D1/42—Reinforcing or strengthening parts or members
  • B65D1/44—Corrugations
• • 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—Rigid or semi-rigid 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 or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
  • B65D1/40—Details of walls
  • B65D1/42—Reinforcing or strengthening parts or members
  • B65D1/46—Local reinforcements, e.g. adjacent closures
• • 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
  • B65D79/00—Kinds or details of packages, not otherwise provided for
  • B65D79/005—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting
  • B65D79/008—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting the deformable part being located in a rigid or semi-rigid container, e.g. in bottles or jars
  • B65D79/0084—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting the deformable part being located in a rigid or semi-rigid container, e.g. in bottles or jars in the sidewall or shoulder part thereof

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to containers for storing fragile food products, and more particularly, to a blow molded container for storing potato chips, corn based chips, cookies and the like which is capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions while maintaining its visual aesthetic appearance.
• Dry food products e.g., snack foods, baked goods and cereals
• Dry food products contain significantly larger amounts of entrapped gas, both within their structure as well as in their surrounding packaging, than do liquid products.
• the effect environmental changes impart on this larger volume of entrapped gas profoundly affects the packaging requirements of dry food products.
• thermo-plastic technology offers two basic alternatives for manufacturing plastic containers that adapt to or compensate for changing environmental conditions.
• thermo-plastic container may be fashioned which is strong enough to resist forces induced by changing environmental conditions.
• such containers are generally undersirable in that they are expensive, in terms of materials, to manufacture and their weight is relatively high.
• the thickness of a container's sidewall may be reduced so as to fashion a thermo-plastic container capable of adjusting its shape to changes in environmental conditions like a flexible package, but being sufficiently rigid to offer some protection from outside physical forces.
• such containers have significant commercial drawbacks. While it is currently possible to fashion a relatively thin walled thermo-plastic container that is capable of withstanding expansion forces resulting when the container's interior pressure is greater than the ambient pressure; such thin walled thermo-plastic containers tend to buckle, deform, or implode in a generally unpredictable manner when the interior pressure is less than the ambient pressure (e.g., the vacuum inducing manufacturing process discussed previously). Such deformation or implosion tends to detract from the commercial presentation of the container and often is interpreted as a damaged or defective product by purchasing consumers.
• U.S. Patent No. 6,074,677 to Croft discloses a composite food container comprised of a vacuum packed inner flexible bag 60 and a rigid plastic tubular outer container 20. While the rigid plastic outer container 20 protects the container's contents, the differential between the vacuum in the inner flexible bag 60 and the vacuum in the region R between the inner bag and the outer container is sufficiently maintained so as to prevent the spoilage of the food product within the inner bag 60.
• a container is both complicated and relatively expensive to manufacture.
• U.S. Patent No. 5,921,429 to Graenbacher et al. discloses a substantially rectangular plastic container for multiple, side-by-side stacks of fragile food articles comprised of a single blow molded body.
• Key to the Graenbacher et al. '429 's design is the inclusion of an internal partition 16 having two spaced apart walls 26 and 28 which are adapted to deform in the presence of vacuum and pressure in the compartments such that the outer perimeter dimension of the container remains substantially the same and the wrap around labeling retains its fit.
• the Graenbacher et al. '429 design is not suited to packaging a single stack of fragile food articles.
• the present invention overcomes many of the shortcomings inherent in previous containers for packaging potato chips, corn based chips, cookies and the like.
• the improved implosion-resistant container of the present invention utilizes a collection of stress dissipating mechanisms that counteract the forces causing thermoplastic container deformation, implosion and loss of seal integrity.
• This collection of stress dissipating mechanisms employed collectively or separately, allows a container for storing fragile food products to be fashioned as a relatively lightweight, thin- walled blow molded thermo-plastic container that is capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions while maintaining its visual aesthetic appearance
• structural rigidity mechanisms comprising molded ribs and "C" beams in a corrugated pattern traversing the longitudinal axis of the container are utilized to strengthen the structural integrity of the container.
• structural rigidity mechanisms comprising molded ribs and "C" beams in a corrugated pattern traversing the longitudinal axis of the container are utilized to strengthen the structural integrity of the container.
• randomly spaced three-dimensional figures formed into the sidewall of the thermo- plastic container may also be employed as structural rigidity mechanisms.
• a floating panel mechanism which allows the internal gas volume to be accommodated without detracting from the commercial presentation of the container.
• the floating panel mechanism comprises a stable panel area defined by a flexible corrugated suspension ring formed within the confines of a planar surface fashioned in the curved sidewall of the container.
• the flexible corrugated suspension ring surrounding the stable panel area allows the entire stable panel area to move uniformly without randomly distorting or buckling the container.
• a morphing geometries mechanism is employed whereby an annular bellows means is formed in the tubular body of a container allowing the container to repeatedly increase or decrease its internal volume to counteract changing environmental conditions.
• a flowing geometries mechanism is employed which allows a container to smoothly change its geometry to counteract changes in environmental conditions thereby avoiding the random buckling and deformation inherent in current packaging techniques which detracts from the commercial presentation of the container.
• thermoplastic, blow-molded containers that are capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions while maintaining their visual aesthetic appearance.
• FIGS, la, lb, la, and 2b are perspective views of alternative embodiments of container of the present invention illustrating the employment of corrugated sides to induce structural rigidity;
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container of the present invention illustrating the employment of three-dimensional shape molding to induce structural rigidity;
• FIG. 4a is a perspective view of the container of the present invention illustrating the employment of a floating panel mechanism
• FIG. 4b is a cross-sectional view of the container of the present invention illustrating the employment of a floating panel mechanism
• FIGS. 5a and 5b are perspective views of the container of the present mvention illustrating the employment of a morphing geometries mechanism
• FIG. 6a is a perspective view of the container of the present invention illustrating the employment of a flowing geometries mechanism
• FIG. 6b is a cut-away perspective view of the container of the present invention illustrating the employment of a flowing geometries mechanism
• FIGS. 6c and 6d are cross-sectional views of the container of the present invention illustrating the employment of a morphing geometries mechanism.
• the same numerals designate the same or similar parts.
• the terms “top,” “bottom,” “first,” “second,” “upper,” “lower,” “height,” “width,” “length,” “end,” “side,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawing and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention.
• the container of the present invention utilizes a collection of stress dissipating mechanisms that counteract the forces which cause container deformation, implosion and loss of seal integrity.
• This collection of stress dissipating mechanisms allows a container for storing fragile food products to be fashioned as a relatively lightweight, thin-walled blow molded thermo-plastic container that is capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions while maintaining its visual aesthetic appearance.
• the stress dissipating mechanisms employed are adaptable to container designs generally well known in the art.
• the various embodiments of the container of the present invention all have a generally tubular body comprising a sidewall permanently closed at one end comprising the container's base and having a sealable cap or lid. While employed collectively and/or separately, depending upon the circumstances of a specific product and its packaging requirements, the collection of stress dissipating mechanisms utilized in containers of the present invention may best be understood by examining each stress dissipating mechanism in isolation.
• the use of molded ribs and "C" beams in a corrugated pattern traversing the longitudinal axis of the container may be employed to provide added strength throughout the container. Compressive and expansive forces are distributed over a larger area thereby resulting in a more structurally rigid container.
• the molded ribs and corrugated "C” beams may be either annular or non-annular.
• the corrugated "C" beams 10 are generally annular and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container.
• non-annular ribs 40 may be formed into selected areas of a container.
• the container may also include a smooth surface area between corrugated sections.
• a smooth section 14 that is suitable for attaching a label 16.
• a smooth section 24 that is suitable for attaching a label 26 separates the upper wavy corragated section 22a and the lower wavy corragated section 22J .
• randomly spaced three-dimensional figures 30a-/ formed into the sidewall of a thermo-plastic container may be employed to provide added strength throughout the container.
• the randomly spaced three-dimensional figures 30a-y distribute compressive and expansive forces over a larger area thereby resulting in a more structurally rigid container.
• the geometric three-dimensional figures 30a-y illustrated in FIG. 3 are shown to merely illustrate the concept and not to limit it.
• any three-dimensional figure design formed into the sidewall of a thermo-plastic container may be suitable in the appropriate circumstance.
• the three-dimensional figures may also be evenly spaced for aesthetic purposes.
• the floating panel mechanism comprises a stable panel area 42 defined by an encompassing flexible corragated suspension ring 44 formed within the confines of a planar surface 46 fashioned in the curved sidewall 48 of the container.
• the flexible corragated suspension ring 44 surrounding the stable panel area 42 allows the entire stable panel area 42 to move uniformly (i.e., springs in and out) without randomly distorting or buckling the container.
• Other portions of the container may be sufficiently reinforced (e.g., using corragated ribs 40) so that all container expansion and contraction is accomplished by the floating panel mechanism.
• the stable panel area 42 springs out and retracts in a direction perpendicular to the planar surface 46.
• changes in the internal gas volume may be accommodated without detracting from the commercial presentation of the container.
• FIGS. 5a and 5b an embodiment of the present invention is shown which illustrates the utilization of a morphing geometries mechanism.
• the structure of a morphing geometries mechanism comprises an annular bellows means 54 formed in the tubular body 50 of the container.
• the annular bellows means 54 expands (shown in FIG. 5a) and contracts (shown in FIG. 5b) along the container's longitudinal axis allowing the container to repeatedly increase or decrease its internal volume to counteract changing environmental conditions. While the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5a and 56 positions the annular bellows means 54 near the top of the container's tubular body, it is understood that in appropriate circumstances, the annular bellows means 54 may be positioned anywhere along the entire longitudinal length of the container's tubular body.
• FIGS. 6a and 6b an embodiment of the present invention is shown which illustrates the utilization of a flowing geometries mechanism.
• Flowing geometries mechanism are designed allow a container to smoothly change its geometry to counteract changes in environmental conditions thereby avoiding the random buckling and deformation inherent in current packaging techniques which detracts from the commercial presentation of the container.
• the flowing geometries mechanism comprises one or more lateral flexible hinge areas (e.g., 62 and 64) formed in the sidewall of the container 60 and defining a weakened panel area 68 there between.
• the lateral flexible hinge areas 62 and 64 effectively control the deformation of the container in response to changes in environmental conditions by allowing the container to contract and expand the weakened area 68 in a smooth and uniform manner. While the container's geometry or shape is allowed to smoothly adjust to changes in environmental conditions, the deformation is controlled such that the commercial presentation of the container is not detracted from.
• the container in one embodiment of a container utilizing a flowing geometries mechanism, is designed so that a small annular space exists between the outer periphery of the enclosed product stack 66 and the weakened panel area 68 of the container 60 so as to aid in the manufacturing and packaging process.
• the size of the container may be designed such that the inner wall of the weakened panel area 68 contacts the outer periphery of the enclosed product stack 66 when the container contracts, thereby limiting the amount of controlled deformation.
• the enclosed product stack 66 may actually provide some measure of lateral structural support to the sidewall of the container when the internal pressure of the container is less than the ambient atmospheric pressure.
• alternative embodiments of the container of the present invention may have a traverse cross section which is generally oval in shape.
• the terms and expressions employed herein have been used as terms of description and not of limitation; and thus, there is no intent of excluding equivalents, but on the contrary it is intended to cover any and all equivalents that may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
• Packaging Frangible Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=21866085

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (18)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 2001
  • 2001-10-29 US US10/032,654 patent/US20030080135A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2002
  • 2002-10-25 CA CA2667770A patent/CA2667770C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-10-25 WO PCT/US2002/034343 patent/WO2003037724A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-10-25 CN CNA028213629A patent/CN1701031A/zh active Pending
  • 2002-10-25 JP JP2003540024A patent/JP2006503758A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-10-25 CA CA2667769A patent/CA2667769C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-10-25 EP EP02784294A patent/EP1458615A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-10-25 CA CA002463876A patent/CA2463876C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-10-25 CA CA2667762A patent/CA2667762C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-10-25 BR BR0213923-5A patent/BR0213923A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-10-25 MX MXPA04004087A patent/MXPA04004087A/es unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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