EP2316739B1

EP2316739B1 - A squeezable bottle

Info

Publication number: EP2316739B1
Application number: EP10188830A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mantas Dambrauskas
Original assignee: Dambrauskas Mantas
Current assignee: UAB "ECO-FRIENDLY BOTTLE"
Priority date: 2009-10-30
Filing date: 2010-10-26
Publication date: 2012-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 2030-10-26
Also published as: LT2009084A; LT5777B; DK2316739T3; PL2316739T3; EP2316739A1

Description

Technical Field

The proposed invention relates to plastic bottles which after their emptying and before their dumping into a waste container may be squeezed to occupy less space, and may be applicable to bottles made from PET plastic.

Background Art

Since a squeezed bottle may loose up from impact at the time of dumping into the waste container and stretch out again, usually measures are made to retain the bottle in the squeezed position. Such measures have been applied in the European patent EP1706326 , international class B65D 1/02, where a bottle made from PET plastic has a bottom, a top with an opening for pouring in and out the content, also bellow-type side walls with bellows folds parallel to the bottom which external ridge has an arched shape. The measures to retain the bottle in the squeezed position consist of embossed thickened elements arranged at intervals in a horizontal line in one wall of each bellows fold. These elements strengthen one wall of the bellows fold of the bottle. Due to difference between the strength of walls of the bellows fold, when the bottle is squeezed, if the stiffening elements are on the lower wall of the folds, the squeezed folds turn up to the top; and if these elements are on the upper wall of the folds - to the bottom, and thus the folds remain squeezed.
US 2004/0 040 972 A1 discloses a squeezable bottle according to the preamble of claim 1.

Summary of invention

The shortcoming of this decision to retain the bottle in the squeezed position is a complicated equipment for manufacturing such a bottle, because a number of recesses have to be made in the stamp form for forming the stiffening elements.
The aim of the present invention is to create such a bottle that remains squeezed under impact at the time of dumping into the waste container, and in this way to simplify the manufacturing equipment and to cut back the manufacturing costs of the bottle.
The aim may be achieved by the solution according to claim 1.

Brief description of drawings

The invention is explained by the drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical section of schematic representation of a prior art bottle.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of schematic representation of the squeezed bottle of figure 1.
Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the fold where external contour of vertical section of the rounded external ridge makes less than half of a circle;
Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the fold where external contour of vertical section of the rounded external ridge makes half of a circle;
Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the fold where external contour of vertical section of the rounded external ridge makes more than half of a circle;
Figure 6 is a vertical section of schematic representation of the fold according to the invention where the rounded external ridge has a continuation;
Figure 7 is a vertical section of schematic representation of the fold where the thickness of walls gradually reduces from the internal towards the external ridge.

Description of embodiments

The proposed bottle has the bottom 1, the top 2 with the opening 3 for pouring in and out the content. Side walls of the bottle have a bellow-type shape and are made of the folds 4 with an external 5 and an internal 6 ridge and with the walls 7 and 8.
The external ridge 5 of each fold is rounded (Fig. 1; 3 - 7). The length I of the axis of the rounded external ridge 5 in the horizontal direction makes 0.1-0.5 part of the total central axis length L of a fold. The thickness d of the wall of the bellows fold 4 at the tip of the external ridge 5 is 1.2 - 5 times smaller than the biggest thickness D of the walls 7 and 8 of the bellows fold 4. The thickness D of the walls 7 and 8 of the bellows fold 4 may be constant from the internal ridge 6 of the fold 4 to the rounded external ridge 5 and pass to the smallest thickness d in the rounded external ridge 5 (see Fig. 3 - 6). Also, as it is shown in Figures 1 and 7, the thickness D of the walls 7 and 8 may gradually reduce from the biggest thickness D at the internal ridge 6 of the fold 4 to the smallest thickness d in the rounded external ridge 5.
The external contour of vertical section of the rounded external ridge 5 of the fold 4 may make less than half of a circle (Fig. 3), half of a circle (Fig. 4), or more than half of a circle (Fig. 5). Also, the external ridge 5 may be formed of the rounded part having any of the forms shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 with the continuation 9 formed of two parts of the walls (7, 8) which are parallel. The length I1 of the continuation 9 in the horizontal direction does not exceed 3 lengths I of the central axis of the rounded external ridge 5.
Examples of embodiment
Example 1.
The thickness of the walls 7 and 8 of the bellow-type side wall folds 4 of 0.1 litre volume bottle is gradually decreasing from the internal ridge 6 towards the external ridge 5, and the biggest thickness D at the internal ridge 6 is 0.10 mm, while the smallest wall thickness d at the tip of the external ridge 5 is 0.08 mm, i.e. 1.25 times smaller than the biggest thickness D of the walls 7 and 8 at the internal ridge 6. The axis length of the external ridge 5 in the horizontal direction is 5.00 mm and makes 0.5 part of the axis length L of the fold 4 in the horizontal direction. L is equal to 10 mm.
Example 2.
The thickness D of the walls 7 and 8 of the bellow-type side wall folds 4 of 0.4 litre volume bottle is gradually decreasing from the internal ridge 6 towards the external ridge 5, and the biggest thickness D at the internal ridge 6 is 0.23 mm, while wall thickness d at the tip of the external ridge 5 is 0.07 mm, i.e. 3.28 times smaller than the biggest thickness D of the walls 7 and 8. The axis length I of the external ridge 5 in the horizontal direction is 3.5 mm and makes 0.26 part of the axis length L of fold 4 in the horizontal direction. L is equal to 13.3 mm.
Example 3.
The thickness D of the walls 7 and 8 of the bellow-type side wall folds 4 of 10 litres volume bottle from the internal ridge 6 to the external ridge 5 is the same and is 4.6 mm, while the thickness d of the rounded ridge 5 is 0.92 mm, i.e. 5 times smaller than the thickness D of the walls 7 and 8. The axis length I of the external ridge 5 in the horizontal direction is 8 mm and makes 0.1 part of the axis length L of the fold 4 in the horizontal direction. L is equal to 80 mm.
When the bottle is squeezed (Fig. 2), the walls 7 and 8 of the bellows fold 4 close up, whereas one side of the external ridges 5 of the bellows folds 4 is bent into the other side of the ridge 5 due to its thinned wall d and its rounded shape, and in this way remains squeezed and reliably maintains the bottle squeezed when it is dumped into the container.
The equipment for forming the proposed bottle from PET plastic by blowing is cheaper compared to the background art, since there is no need to make a number recesses in stamp form for forming the stiffening elements of the walls.

Claims

A squeezable bottle, having a bottom (1), a top (2) with an opening (3) for pouring in and out the content, bellow-type side walls with horizontal bellow-type folds (4), with internal (6) and external (5) ridges, where the external ridge (5) of each fold is rounded, and the means in the bellow-type folds to retain the bottle in the squeezed position, where the wall thickness (d) of the bellows fold (4) at the tip of the external ridge (5) of the fold (4) is 1.2 - 5 times smaller than the biggest thickness (D) of the walls (7; 8) of the bellows fold (4); or the thickness (D) of the walls (7; 8) of the bellows fold (4) is constant from the internal ridge (6) of the fold (4) to the rounded external ridge (5) and passes to the smallest thickness (d) in the rounded external ridge (5); or the thickness of the walls (7; 8) gradually decreases, starting with the biggest thickness (D) at the internal ridge (6) of the fold to the smallest thickness (d) in the external ridge (5); and wherein the central axis length (I) of the rounded external ridge of the fold in the horizontal direction makes 0.1 - 0.5 part of the total central axis length (L) of the fold, where the external contour of the vertical section of the external ridge (5) of the fold forms less than half of a circle, or half of a circle, or more than half of a circle, characterised in that both ends of any of the said parts of a circle of the vertical section of the external ridge (5) have continuations (9) consisting of parts of the walls (7; 8), are parallel, and in that the length (I₁) of the said continuations (9) in the horizontal direction does not exceed 3 lengths (I) of the central axis of the rounded external ridge (5).