JP2001010624A - Easily foldable cylindrical hollow container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cylindrical hollow container which can be easily squeezed when the container is disposed so that used empty hollow synthetic resin containers are efficiently collected, and compressible so that the volume of the containers is not bulky, and reinforces a container wall. SOLUTION: In a cylindrical hollow container in which a rib is formed on a wall surface of a body part of the blow-molded hollow container, a recessed groove-like rib 4 which is slightly downwardly curved and arc-shaped is provided below a shoulder part 2 of an upper part of a body wall 3 of the container, and a recessed groove-like rib 5 which is slightly upwardly curved and arc- shaped is provided above a bottom part 7 of a lower part of the body wall 3 of the container, respectively on a forward wall surface and a rear wall surface of the container, and straight short recessed groove-like ribs 6 are provided on a side wall in the middle of a body part 4 to form an easily foldable cylindrical hollow container A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container having a structure capable of easily crushing a hollow container formed by blow molding a thermoplastic synthetic resin when the container is discarded. The present invention relates to a hollow container made of a terephthalate resin, which can be easily crushed so as to reduce the volume of the cylindrical hollow container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent changes in lifestyle, soy sauce,
As oils and other seasonings, soft drinks, cosmetics, detergents, etc. are consumed in large quantities, containers made of synthetic resin, which are lighter and less fragile than conventional glass bottles, have come to be used. Was. In particular, polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
Hollow containers molded with resin can be blow-molded without adding impurities such as plasticizers, so they are widely used widely as containers suitable for filling fruit juice beverages such as juice and soft drinks such as cider. It has become.

However, in recent years, as these used containers have been disposed of in large quantities as garbage, they have been taken up as a social problem based on reasons such as waste of resources and environmental pollution. However, it has become necessary to collect empty containers and reuse them as resources.

[0004] In order to fill a hollow container with fruit juice beverages such as various juices, mineral water, sports drinks and the like, it is necessary to sterilize by heating at a high temperature in accordance with various laws and regulations. However, a hollow container formed by biaxially stretch-blow-molding a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin is suitable as a container for heating and filling a fruit juice beverage, a soft drink, or the like, but a hollow container molded by a normal molding method is not suitable. Since a residual stress is generated inside the container, the container is liable to undergo thermal deformation when subjected to high-temperature heat filling or high-temperature sterilization.

[0005] Therefore, in order to prevent thermal deformation of the container, heat set processing is performed in the process of blow molding to remove residual stress, uneven reinforcing ribs having various shapes are provided on the wall surface of the container, or the inside is formed. A deformable wall surface (panel wall) for absorbing and relaxing a change in pressure is provided to prevent the entire container from being largely deformed. However, such measures can prevent the container from being deformed.However, when discarding an empty container, compressing the waste to reduce its volume has the opposite effect. And it is difficult to compress, empty containers are easy to bulk,
It was also a factor that made it difficult to collect and recover efficiently.

At present, hollow containers generally used in large quantities are roughly divided into circular cylindrical bodies and rectangular cylindrical bodies. Each of the containers has a structure in which an empty container is easily crushed. Various ideas have been devised. For example, as a rectangular cylindrical hollow container, as seen in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 5-46717 and the like, a striated portion for folding is formed on the side wall and bottom of the body of the rectangular hollow container, and an empty space is formed. When disposing of the container, there is a container in which the container can be compressed and flattened along the fold line portion to easily reduce the volume.

However, in the case of the above-mentioned structure in which the container is folded flat, the folded container wall tries to return to its original state by the elastic restoring force, so that the air is sucked into the container and expands, so that the container is kept in the folded state. It is necessary to keep the lid closed, and the body wall is formed thin,
Since there is no reinforcing rib, there is a problem that the strength is weak, and furthermore, a fold line portion must be formed on the body wall in advance.

In view of the above, a rectangular hollow container having the above-mentioned drawbacks improved, as shown in FIG. 5, is a main wall 2a comprising front and rear side walls and left and right side walls of a prismatic container having four corners chamfered. The ribs 7a and 7b for reinforcement are formed in a pair of diagonal walls 3a of a corner wall having a chamfered middle waist portion and a corner portion of the container.
In the remaining pair of diagonal wall surfaces 3b of the corner wall obtained by chamfering the corner of the container, in the rectangular hollow container formed so that both ends of the rib-shaped groove for reinforcement become shallow and disappear. Flat surface 3a having a pair of easily deformable ribs at the set corners
And a pair of flat surfaces 3b without ribs which are not easily deformed, and as shown in FIG. 6, after the portion 3a having the ribs is easily crushed inward, the bottom portion 13 is moved toward the trunk wall side. The applicant has proposed a container which can be compressed into a folded state as Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-129641.

In general, it is known that a prismatic container is easier to crush than a cylindrical container in order to crush an empty hollow container in a flat shape. However, as a hollow container,
The surface area becomes smaller if it is made cylindrical from the structure,
In addition to saving raw material costs, it is easy to mold and has excellent strength, so a cylindrical shape is more often used than a prismatic shape. There is a problem that the original state is easily restored even after being crushed, and particularly, the tendency is remarkably strong in a container made of PET resin.

[0010] Therefore, as a cylindrical hollow container which is easily crushed into a flat shape, there is Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 30192.
As seen in No. 90 and the like, an empty container is formed by forming a stretchable bellows-shaped body wall in which a large number of circumferential grooves and convex ribs are alternately provided on a cylindrical body wall. What can be easily compressed by pressing in the up and down direction, furthermore, while forming an engagement concave groove at the lower end inside the mouth and neck of the container, forming an engagement projection on the bottom inner surface, There is known a hollow container in which a compressed container is held in a state in which the volume of the container is reduced by engaging an engaging projection with the engaging recess.

However, in order to blow-mold a cylindrical hollow container having the above-described structure, a molding die is required to be more complicated than a conventional one, and the body wall is made to be stretchable. Manufacturing requires high care because it requires careful attention. In addition, there is a limit in reducing the thickness of the body wall from the viewpoint of the structure, and such a container is formed using PET resin. Not suitable for.

In order to solve such a problem and to obtain a cylindrical hollow container suitable for a PET resin container, as shown in FIG.
On the front and back sides of B, upwardly curved ribs 3b and downwardly curved ribs 3a are formed symmetrically so as to draw an arc within a range of 180 ° in the circumferential direction, and both end portions 3e of the ribs are formed on side surfaces. The ribs are formed so as to be connected to each other at the curved central portion 3f so as to be vertically connected so as to protrude outward from the lower portion of the container shoulder portion 2B to the upper portion of the bottom wall 4B. Applicant has disclosed a hollow container B formed by blow molding using a PET resin.
No. is proposed.

The cylindrical hollow container B formed as described above does not easily buckle in the vertical direction, but laterally connects the both ends 3e or the central portion 3f in the vertical direction. Becomes a broken line part, and the body wall is formed thin so that it can be easily crushed flat.
When the container is discarded, it can be folded to reduce its volume. However, in order to mold the hollow container B as described above, the structure of the molding die has to be somewhat complicated, so that the product cost is somewhat high. There is a demand for a hollow cylindrical container that can be easily crushed to reduce the volume of the container and has a structure that can be manufactured at a lower cost than conventional products.

[0014]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for efficiently recovering a used empty hollow container made of a synthetic resin, particularly a PET resin, when disposing of the container. For the purpose of providing a cylindrical hollow container having a structure that can be easily crushed and compressed so that the volume is not increased, for folding provided on a body wall portion of the cylindrical hollow container The specially structured ribs of the above structure act to reinforce the container walls when the contents are stored in the container, and to function as folding lines when discarding empty containers, and It is formed in a structure having an action of suppressing the container wall from being restored when crushed.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when a rib is provided on a body wall of a cylindrical hollow container formed by blow molding, particularly a PET resin container, a rib is provided below a shoulder at an upper part of a body wall and a lower part of a body wall. Above the bottom, a rib is provided that acts as a reinforcing line during filling and as a fold line during disposal, and in the middle of the body wall, it does not recover when crushed and flattened. A rib having such a structure is provided. And the ribs provided below the shoulder and above the bottom,
The central portion is formed in a concave groove shape curved so that the center portion is slightly inward so as to be symmetrically divided into the front surface and the rear surface with the side line portion of the trunk wall interposed therebetween, and is continuously provided in the circumferential direction. The ribs provided at the right and left sides are formed in a short, one-letter groove on both sides of the body wall.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A cylindrical hollow container is formed by blow molding using a PET resin, and at the same time, a rib is formed on the body wall of the container. On the semicircle of the front surface and the semicircle of the rear surface of the subordinate, ribs of a concave groove which is slightly curved downward and have an arc shape are formed so that the front surface and the rear surface are symmetrical, and both ends of the rib are containers. Are formed so as to be joined on the side line of the container, and similarly, a half of the front surface and a half of the rear surface on the bottom wall of the lower body wall of the container,
The ribs of the concave groove having a slightly curved upward and arcuate shape are formed so that the front and rear surfaces are symmetrical, and are formed such that both ends of the rib are joined on the side line of the container. Furthermore,
One or more ribs of a short concave groove having a one-character shape are formed symmetrically about the side line on both side wall surfaces in the middle of the body wall portion of the container to form a cylindrical hollow container.

The arc-shaped concave groove rib acts as a reinforcing line when the container is filled with contents and acts as a flattening line when the empty container is discarded. In addition, the short rib of the one-shaped concave groove formed in the middle of the body wall of the container is used to restore the body wall portion of the container crushed flat when discarded. This is provided so as to prevent the occurrence of such a situation.

When the hollow container molded as described above is emptied and discarded, the mouth and neck at the upper end and the bottom wall at the lower end of the container are placed on the front side or the rear side of the container. When folded inward on the side, the container can be easily folded along the arcuate concave rib, and the container bent in this manner can be bent with a fingertip so that the entire body wall of the container is flat. , The volume is reduced by being squashed flat.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The hollow container of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings based on one optimal embodiment. In the present invention, a preform formed by injection molding using a PET resin is formed into a hollow container as shown in FIG. 1 by a well-known blow molding method. The hollow container A is formed integrally by biaxial stretch blow molding so as to have a body portion 3 and a bottom portion 7 which are continuously formed via a shoulder portion 2 following the mouth and neck portion 1. The cross-sectional shape is a substantially hollow cylindrical hollow container.

The body wall of the tubular hollow container has
When the contents are filled in the lower part of the shoulder and the upper part of the bottom, it works as a reinforcement so that the container does not collapse, and it is easy to fold flat when discarding an empty container The concave ribs 4 and 5 functioning as bending lines are formed as described above, and the concave ribs functioning to prevent the body wall from being restored to its original state when the empty container is crushed flat in the middle of the body. 6
Are formed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the concave ribs 4 and 5 functioning as the reinforcing and folding lines are provided with side lines L at the portions where the front and rear sides of the container wall, which become folding lines in the vertical direction, are in contact with each other.
Are formed symmetrically on the front surface and the rear surface of the container, respectively.
An arc-shaped upper concave groove rib 4 slightly curved downward is formed, and the rib 4a on the front surface and the rib 4b on the rear surface of the rib are
Both ends are formed in a circumferential shape connected in a mountain shape at the portion of the folding side line L. Similarly, the upper portion of the bottom wall 7 at the lower part of the container has an arc-shaped lower groove rib 5 slightly curved upward. Are formed, and the rib 5a on the front surface and the rib 5b on the rear surface of the rib are formed in a circumferential shape in which both end portions thereof are connected to each other on the side line L in a mountain shape. In addition, the concave rib that functions to suppress the crushed trunk wall from being restored to its original state,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a short groove rib 6 having a single character centering on a vertical side line L of the container is attached to the body 3 of the container.
One or more appropriate numbers are formed on the left and right side walls in the middle.

Each of the ribs 4, 5, 6 having the above structure
The hollow cylindrical container A according to the present invention, which is provided at the upper, lower and middle portions of the body 3, has ribs 4 and 5 that are exposed to external force when an external force is applied when the contents are filled in the container. On the other hand, when the contents are emptied and are to be disposed of, as shown in FIG. 4, when the contents are emptied and the contents are emptied, as shown in FIG. When the portion 2 and the lower bottom wall portion 7 are bent inward in the same direction, the mouth and neck portion and the bottom portion can be easily folded along the upper and lower arc-shaped concave groove ribs 4 and 5, respectively. Subsequently, the middle part of the body part 3 of the folded container is grasped with both hands, and then the body wall part is squeezed flat by pushing the body wall to both sides with fingertips, thereby forming a one-shaped concave groove rib. 6 is simply folded into two flat shapes, and the hollow container A having a cylindrical shape is folded so as to have a small volume.

The hollow container A thus folded
Are arc-shaped concave ribs 4 provided on the upper and lower parts of the trunk,
If 5 has a curvature that matches the cylindrical diameter of the container, the rib portion can be easily folded as a folding line,
Furthermore, the rib 6 can be easily crushed along the side line portion, and the one-character-shaped rib 6 provided in the middle portion of the body of the container is crushed in two at the side line L portion, and is flattened in the vertical direction. In this state, the straight rib portion suppresses the restoring force of the body wall trying to return to its original state, so that the hollow container that is folded small and crushed flat restores to its original state. No more.

As described above, the hollow container according to the present invention has arc-shaped concave groove ribs on the front and rear surfaces of the upper and lower body walls of the cylindrical hollow container. When the empty container is disposed around, when the container is disposed of, the mouth and neck at the upper part of the container and the bottom wall at the lower part of the container are formed so as to form a folding line that can be easily bent. On the side wall of the torso is provided a rib with a concave groove in the shape of a letter,
Since the flattened container is formed so as to prevent the container from being restored to its original state, the empty container can be easily folded into a small size even if it is a cylindrical hollow container molded using PET resin. Therefore, the discarded container can be efficiently collected.

[0025]

According to the present invention, ribs of inwardly arcuate concave grooves are provided on the upper and lower portions of the body wall of a cylindrical hollow container so as to be symmetrical in the front and rear surfaces of the container, and both ends of the ribs are provided. Since the recessed ribs are formed around the container wall by connecting the parts, the empty container can be easily folded inward at the upper and lower ends along the recessed ribs. Also, in the middle of the body wall of the cylindrical hollow container, a short groove rib in a straight line is provided on the side line portion where both ends of the arc-shaped groove rib are connected.
What reduced the volume by crushing the folded container flat along the side line suppresses an attempt to restore the container to its original state, and does not expand to the original shape to increase the volume.
Therefore, the used container can be folded and discarded, and the empty container can be efficiently collected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a hollow container of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the hollow container shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hollow container shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view in which an empty container of the present invention is folded and flattened.

FIG. 5 shows a rectangular hollow container whose bottom can be folded, which is a prior example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the folding of the wall of the rectangular hollow container of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a round hollow container capable of crushing a body flat, which is a prior example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. Mouth and neck 2. Shoulder 3. 3. torso Upper concave rib 4a. Front rib 4b. Rear rib 5. Lower concave rib 5a. Front rib 5b. Rear rib 6. 6. Side concave rib Bottom A. Hollow container L. Bending side line

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical hollow container obtained by forming a rib on a body wall surface of a hollow container formed by blow molding, wherein the cylindrical container has a slightly downward curved portion under a shoulder at an upper portion of the body wall. A concave groove-shaped rib having a circular arc shape, and a concave groove-shaped rib having a slightly curved upward curved circular shape on the bottom of the lower part of the body wall of the container, respectively, are provided on the front wall surface of the container. An easily foldable cylindrical hollow container characterized by being provided with a short groove-like rib having a single-character shape on the side wall in the middle of the trunk portion, in addition to the ribs provided on the rear wall surface. 2. An arc-shaped concave groove-shaped rib provided below a shoulder portion and on a bottom portion of the container is formed in an arc shape corresponding to a curvature of a peripheral wall of the container. The easily foldable cylindrical hollow container according to claim 1. 3. An arc-shaped concave groove-shaped rib provided under a shoulder portion and on a bottom portion of the container, and is provided so as to be symmetrical with respect to a front wall surface and a rear wall surface of the container. The easily foldable cylindrical hollow container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 4. An arc-shaped concave groove-shaped rib provided under a shoulder portion and on a bottom portion of the container is provided so that both ends are connected to form a circumferential groove shape. An easily foldable cylindrical hollow container according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: 5. The one-shaped groove-shaped rib provided on the side wall in the middle of the body has a groove formed in a lateral direction including a side line separating a front wall surface and a rear wall surface of the container. The easily foldable cylindrical hollow container according to claim 1, wherein the hollow container is easily foldable. 6. A straight groove-shaped rib provided on a side wall in the middle of the body portion, wherein an arc-shaped groove-shaped rib provided under a shoulder portion and on a bottom portion of the container. 2. The easily foldable cylindrical hollow container according to claim 1, wherein a groove-like rib is formed in a lateral direction about a side line of the container to which both ends of the container are connected. 7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the at least one rib is formed on the side wall on both sides of the container. 7. The easily foldable cylindrical hollow container according to 5 or 6. 8. The easily foldable cylindrical hollow container according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical hollow container is formed using a polyethylene terephthalate resin.