EP3218271B1

EP3218271B1 - Container mouth for carbonated soft drink container

Info

Publication number: EP3218271B1
Application number: EP15859648.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jay Clarke Hanan
Original assignee: Niagara Bottling LLC
Current assignee: Niagara Bottling LLC
Priority date: 2014-11-13
Filing date: 2015-11-12
Publication date: 2020-01-01
Anticipated expiration: 2035-11-12
Also published as: JP2017533871A; CO2017004855A2; EP3666676A1; AU2015346342A1; AU2015346342B2; WO2016077517A3; EP3218271A2; WO2016077517A2; MX2017006210A; EP3218271A4; US20160137331A1

Description

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 14/938,596 filed on November 11, 2015 and U.S. Provisional Application, entitled "Carbonated Soft Drink Finish Modification," filed on November 13, 2014 and having application serial number 62/079,431 .

FIELD

The field of the present invention generally relates to plastic containers. More particularly, the field of the invention relates to an apparatus and method for reducing foaming occurring with carbonated soft drink containers.

BACKGROUND

Plastic containers have been used as a replacement for glass or metal containers in the packaging of beverages for several decades. The most common plastic used in making beverage containers today is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Containers made of PET are transparent, thin-walled, and have the ability to maintain their shape by withstanding the force exerted on the walls of the container by their contents. PET resins are also reasonably priced and easy to process. PET bottles are generally made by a process that includes blow-molding of plastic pre-forms which have been made by injection molding of the PET resin.
A drawback to plastic containers is that those that contain carbonated contents may allow foaming of the contents onto a consumer upon initially opening the container. In some cases, the foaming may be great enough to spill the contents of the container onto the lap of a consumer, or onto nearby furniture. Another drawback to plastic containers is that carbon-dioxide content within the containers must be limited so as to accommodate the foaming tendency of carbonated liquids. Limiting the carbon-dioxide content effectively decreases the shelf-life of the contents. What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus and method for decreasing the foaming tendency of bottled carbonated contents, such that the carbon-dioxide content may be increased, thereby increasing the shelf-life of the bottled carbonated contents.
Containers are taught in US 2004/045967 and US 6,102,225 . The former discloses a finish and a method according to the preambles of claims 1 and 8, respectively. The latter discloses a series of venting notches spaced in a radial array in a finish portion of a container mouth, to facilitate controlled venting.

SUMMARY

An apparatus and method are provided for a finish configured to define an opening to an interior of a container and to substantially reduce foaming of contents when the container is opened. The finish comprises a cylindrical body comprising a peripheral portion with a first edge and a second edge disposed at opposite ends. The first edge defines a first opening and is configured to receive a container cap. Generally, the first edge is configured to receive a seal of the container cap. The second edge defines a second opening and is configured to receive a neck of the container. The first and second openings are in fluid communication. A plurality of threads on an exterior of the peripheral portion are configured to rotatably engage with one or more threads of the container cap, the container cap having a seal. A plurality of half-circle notches is disposed at the first edge, peripheral to the first opening, to substantially reduce foaming of the contents. In one embodiment, the first edge comprises two notches, disposed on opposite sides of the first opening, wherein the cross-sectional shape of each of the notches comprises a half-circle configured to substantially reduce foaming of the contents.
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In an exemplary embodiment, the first edge is configured to receive the seal of the container cap. In another exemplary embodiment, the first edge comprises two notches disposed on opposite sides of the first opening.
In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus comprises a container as defined in claim 4.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a lower perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a container in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates an upper perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a finish, according to the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a finish with a container cap installed, according to the present disclosure;
Figure 4A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a Carbonated Soft Drink container cap in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 4B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a Hot Fill container cap, according to the present disclosure; and

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While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The invention should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed; the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific numeric references such as "first notch," may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should not be interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted that the "first notch" is different than a "second notch." Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims. The term "coupled" is defined as meaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to the component through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms "about," "approximately," or "substantially" for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein.
In general, the present invention describes an apparatus and a method for a finish configured to define an opening to an interior of a container and to substantially reduce foaming of contents when the container is opened. The finish comprises a cylindrical body including a peripheral portion with a first edge and a second edge disposed at opposite ends. The first edge defines a first opening and is configured to receive a container cap. Generally, the first edge is configured to receive a seal of the container cap. The second edge defines a second opening and is configured to receive a neck of the container. The first and second openings are in fluid communication. A plurality of threads on an exterior of the peripheral portion are configured to rotatably engage with one or more threads of the container cap. A plurality of half-circle notches are disposed at the first edge, peripheral and on opposite sides of the first opening, and comprises a cross-sectional shape suitably formed to substantially reduce foaming of the contents. In one embodiment, the first edge comprises two notches, disposed on opposite sides of the first opening, wherein the cross-sectional shape of each of the notches comprises a half-circle configured to substantially reduce foaming of the contents.
Figure 1 illustrates a lower perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a container 100 in accordance with the present invention. The container 100 comprises a base 104 that extends up to a grip portion 108. The grip portion 108 comprises a plurality of grip portion ribs 112 (i.e., sidewall ribs). As illustrated in Fig. 1, the plurality of grip portion ribs 112 generally may vary in depth, and may swirl or angulate around the grip portion 108. A label portion 116 is connected to the grip portion 108 and comprises one or more label panel ribs 120 (i.e., sidewall ribs). The label panel portion 116 transitions into a shoulder 124, which connects to a bell 128. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the bell 128 comprises a plurality of scallops 132. In other embodiments, however, the bell 128 may include design features, or may be smooth and generally unornamented. The bell 128 connects to a neck 136, which connects to a finish 140. As shown in Fig. 1, the bell 128 comprises a diameter that generally decreases as the bell 128 extends upward from the shoulder 124 to the neck 136 and the finish 140. The finish 140 can be adapted to receive a closure to seal contents in the container 100, such as by way of non-limiting example, a container cap or bottle cap. The finish 140 generally defines an opening 144 that leads to an interior of the container 100 for containing a beverage, or other contents.
Figure 2 illustrates an upper perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the finish 140 that is configured to substantially reduce foaming of contents, particularly carbonated contents, during opening of the container 100. The finish 140 comprises a cylindrical body 148 that includes a peripheral portion with a first edge 152 and a second edge 156 disposed at opposite ends. The first edge 152 defines a first opening 160 and is configured to receive a container cap 164, or bottle cap, as shown in Fig. 3. The second edge 156 defines a second opening 168 and is configured to receive the neck 136 of the container 100, as shown in Fig. 1. It will be appreciated that the first and second openings 152, 156 are in fluid communication so as to define the opening 144 into the interior of the container 100 once the finish 140 is installed thereon.
As illustrated in Fig 2, an exterior of the cylindrical body 148 comprises one or more threads 172 that are configured to rotatably engage with one or more threads 176 of the container cap 164. An engagement of the threads 172 of the finish 140 with the threads 176 of the container cap 164 is best shown in Fig. 3. It should be borne in mind, however, that the bottle cap need not be limited to the container cap 164 and thus bottle caps other than the cap 164 may be coupled with the finish 140, without limitation. As such, Fig. 4A is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a Carbonated Soft Drink (CSD) container cap 180 which may be used to seal pressurized contents within the container 100. The CSD container cap 180 comprises a multiplicity of threads 176 suitable for rotatably engaging with the threads 172 of the finish 140. During tightening of the container cap 180, a seal 188 within the cap enters into the opening 144 and is placed into a pressed relationship with the first edge 152. Further, Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a Hot Fill container cap 184. The container cap 184 is substantially similar to the container cap 180, with the exception that the container cap 184 comprises a seal 192 which is taller than the seal 188. Thus, during tightening of the container cap 184 onto the finish 140, the seal 192 enters more deeply into the opening 144 than the seal 188. It will be appreciated that the first edge 152 is configured to tightly receive the seals 188, 192 into the opening 144 so as to retain the contents within the container 100 without leaking.
In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, the first edge 152 comprises two notches 196 disposed on opposite sides of the first opening 160. Each of the two notches 196 comprises a cross-sectional shape suitably formed so as to substantially reduce foaming of the contents when the container cap 164 is removed from the container 100. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the notches 196 may be specifically designed so as to produce an audible tone or sound as pressurized gas exits the container 100 through the notches 196 when the container cap 164 is twisted. Moreover, it is to be understood that although the finish 140 is described herein specifically in connection with the container cap 164, the finish 140 is not limited to being coupled solely with the container cap 164, but rather any container cap that is suitably configured to engage with the finish 140, such that contents are sealed within the container 100, including but not limited to the CSD container cap 180 and the Hot Fill container cap 184, may be coupled with the finish 140 without detracting from the scope of the present invention.
It will be appreciated that when the container cap 164 is tightly engaged with the finish 140, as shown in Fig. 3, the seal within the cap, such as the seal 188, and the first edge 152 cooperate so as to prevent pressurized contents within the container 100 from leaking out of the container. When the container cap 164 is loosened, generally by twisting so as to loosen the engagement between the threads 172 and 176, the seal 188 is withdrawn from the first edge 152. In absence of the two notches 196, withdrawing the seal 188 from the first edge 152 causes an abrupt drop in pressure within the container 100 to the ambient atmospheric pressure. Such a drop in pressure may cause the contents within the container 100 to foam and potentially force the contents between the seal 188 and the first edge 152, and out of the container 100. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, however, as the seal 188 is withdrawn from the finish 140, the seal disengages from the two notches 196 before withdrawing from the rest of the first edge 152, thereby slowing down the pressure release occurring within the container 100. As will be appreciated, more slowly releasing pressure within the container 100 substantially reduces the likelihood that the contents will foam and push out of the container. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that slowly reducing internal pressure within the container 100 permits the use of additional carbon-dioxide content within the container, thereby increasing the shelf-life of the contents.
The cross-sectional shape of the notches 196 is half-circle. Further, the number and positions of the notches 196 on the first edge 152 need not be limited to the number and positions illustrated in Fig. 2. Thus, in some embodiments, the first edge 152 may comprise more than two notches 196. In some embodiments, multiple notches 196 may be uniformly distributed around the circumference of the first edge 152. In some embodiments, multiple notches 196 may be positioned around the circumference of the first edge 152 with a nonuniform spacing between the notches.

Below is a table illustrating observational data acquired during experimental testing of various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Title: Notch Half Circle
Modification	Half Circle Notched into top edge of Bottle neck
Note:
Trial:	Label:	Special Note:	Obsservation:
1	C1	Single Notch	No leak: Less fizzover than baseline: will retest to confirm
2	C1-1	Single Notch	Same as baseline
3	C1-2	Single Notch	Same as baseline Confirmed no positive results
4	C-2	Two Notch	Very little fizz over
5	C-2-1	Two Notch	Very little fizz over Similar results
6	C-2-2	Two Notch	Side by side of Control: within 0.01 gram of alka noticably less fizz
7	C-2-3	Two Notch	Repeated results of C-2-2

Circle Notch Shape
	Bottle ID and Trial #	Depth (mm)	Width (mm)	Alkaseltzer (9)	Time to open (min)	Observation (0-4) Vs Specified	Notes
2 Notches Evenly Spaced	TwC1-1	0.6	2.3	1.6	2.25	2;Baseline
	TwC2-1	0.5	2	1.58	2.25	0;Baseline
	TwC2-2	0.5	1	1.55	2.25	3;Baseline
	TwC3-1	0.7	2.5	1.56	2.25	3;Baseline
3 Notches Evenly Spaced	ThC1-1	0.7	2.5	1.65	2.25	3;Baseline	Viable, compare with 0.6 and 0.5 mm depth
3 Notches Evenly Spaced	ThC2-1	0.5	2	1.57	2.25	3;Baseline
4 Notches Evenly Spaced	FoC1-1	0.7	2.5	1.55	2.25	N/A	Leaky Bottle; Will try 0.6 mm and 0.5 depth
4 Notches Evenly Spaced	FoC2-1	0.5	2	1.51	2.25	3;Baseline

While the invention has been described in terms of particular variations and illustrative figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the variations or figures described. In addition, where methods and steps described above indicate certain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the ordering of certain steps may be modified and that such modifications are in accordance with the variations of the invention. Additionally, certain of the steps may be performed concurrently in a parallel process when possible, as well as performed sequentially as described above. To the extent there are variations of the invention, which are within the scope of the claims, it is the intent that this patent will cover those variations as well. Therefore, the present disclosure is to be understood as not limited by the specific embodiments described herein, but only by scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A finish (140) configured to define an opening (144) to an interior of a container (100), the finish (140) comprising:
a cylindrical body (148) comprising a peripheral portion with a first edge (152) and a second edge (156) disposed at opposite ends, the first edge (152) defining a first opening (160) and configured to receive a container cap (164; 180; 184) comprising a seal (188; 192), the second edge (156) defining a second opening (168) and configured to receive a neck (136) of the container (100), wherein the first and second openings (160, 168) are in fluid communication;

a plurality of threads (172) on an exterior of the peripheral portion, the threads (172) configured to rotatably engage with one or more threads (176) of the container cap (164; 180; 184) the container cap (164; 180; 184) comprising a seal (188; 192) characterised by a plurality of half-circle notches (196) disposed at the first edge (152), peripheral to and on opposite sides of the first opening (160), the plurality of half-circle notches (196) formed to substantially reduce foaming of contents when the container (100) is opened.
The finish (140) of claim 1, wherein the first edge (152) is configured to receive the seal (188; 192) of the container cap (164; 180; 184).
The finish of claim 1, wherein the first edge (152) comprises two notches (196).
A container (100) comprising a finish (140) as claimed in any preceding claim, connected to a neck (136) of the container (100), the container comprising:
a base (104) which extends upward to a sidewall of the container (100);

a shoulder (124) connected between the sidewall and a bell (128), a diameter of the bell decreasing as the bell extends upward to the neck (136) of the container (100).
The container (100) of claim 4, wherein the sidewall comprises a grip portion (108) connected to the base and a label portion (116) connected between the grip portion and the shoulder (124).
The container (100) of claim 5, wherein the grip portion (108) comprises a plurality of circumferentially disposed grip portion ribs (112), and the label portion (116) comprises a plurality of circumferentially disposed label portion ribs (120).
The container (100) of claim 5, wherein the grip portion (108) and the label portion (116) comprise a smooth continuous surface extending from the base (104) to the shoulder (124).
A method for forming a container (100), the method comprising:
extending a base (104) upward to a sidewall of the container (100);

connecting a shoulder (124) between the sidewall and a bell (128);

extending the bell (128) from the shoulder (124) to a neck (136) of the container (100), such that a diameter of the bell (128) decreases as the bell extends to a neck (136);

connecting a finish (140) to the neck (136), such that the finish (140) defines an opening (144) to the interior of the container (100);

configuring the finish (140) to receive a container cap (164; 180; 184), the container cap having a seal (188; 192); and

characterized by

forming a plurality of half-circle notches (196) at the top of the finish (140) on opposite sides of the top of the finish (140), to substantially reduce foaming of contents when the container is opened.
The method of claim 8, wherein configuring the finish (140) further comprises forming a cylindrical body (148) comprising a peripheral portion with a first opening (160) and second opening (168) disposed at opposite ends, such that the first opening is configured to receive the container cap (164; 180; 184) and the second opening is configured to receive the neck (136), and forming one or more threads (172) on an exterior of the peripheral portion, the threads configured to rotatably engage with one or more threads (176) of the container cap.