JP2024056558A - Composite containers, composite container combinations, and composite container combinations containing contents - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a composite container, a composite container assembly, and a composite container assembly containing contents, which enable compact storage of a composite container. [Solution] A composite container 10A comprises a container body 10 made of a plastic material, and a plastic member 90 provided in close contact so as to surround the outside of the container body 10. The container body 10 has a mouth portion 11, a shoulder portion 20, a body portion 13, and a bottom portion 30. The shoulder portion 20 is configured to be freely expandable and contractable along the central axis CL1 direction of the container body 10. The height H2 of the shoulder portion 20 in a contracted state is 40% or more and 98% or less of the height H1 of the shoulder portion 20 in an expanded state. [Selected Figure] Figure 4

Description

This disclosure relates to composite containers, composite container assemblies, and composite container assemblies containing contents.

Conventionally, plastic bottles have been produced by, for example, biaxially stretching and blow molding a polyethylene terephthalate preform produced by injection molding. Polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate are widely used in the manufacture of containers for filling beverages and the like, as they are inexpensive and have excellent mechanical properties, chemical stability, heat resistance, gas barrier properties, and transparency.

JP 2016-13664 A

Such plastic bottles are transported and stored, for example, with multiple plastic bottles packed in a cardboard box or the like. For this reason, for example, in order to reduce costs for transportation, etc., it is required to store the plastic bottles compactly. In addition, for example, in order to save space in the storage area where the plastic bottles are stored, it is required to store the plastic bottles compactly.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a composite container, a composite container assembly, and a composite container assembly containing contents, which allows the composite container to be stored compactly.

The first aspect of the present disclosure is a composite container comprising a container body made of a plastic material and a plastic member that is tightly attached so as to surround the outside of the container body, the container body having a mouth, a shoulder, a body, and a bottom, the shoulder being configured to be freely stretchable along the central axial direction of the container body, and the height of the shoulder in a contracted state being 40% or more and 98% or less of the height of the shoulder in an extended state.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, in the composite container according to the first aspect described above, the shoulder may include a first shoulder located on the mouth side and expanding in diameter from the mouth side toward the body side, a second shoulder located on the body side and expanding in diameter from the mouth side toward the body side, and an annular portion located between the first shoulder and the second shoulder, and the shoulder may expand and contract by deformation of the annular portion.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is a composite container according to the second aspect described above, in which, in the extended state, the upper end of the plastic member may be located on the first shoulder portion or on the annular portion, and, in the contracted state, the upper end of the plastic member may be raised above the container body.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in a composite container according to each of the first to third aspects described above, the width of the body may be 150 mm or more and 280 mm or less.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in a composite container according to each of the first to fourth aspects described above, the thickness of the bottom may be greater than the thickness of the shoulder portion, and the thickness of the body may be greater than the thickness of the bottom.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in a composite container according to each of the first to fifth aspects described above, the bottom may include a recess and a grounding portion provided around the recess, and the depth of the recess may be 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

The seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a composite container assembly including a plurality of composite containers, the composite container including a container body made of a plastic material and a plastic member provided in close contact so as to surround the outside of the container body, the container body having a mouth, a shoulder, a body, and a bottom, the shoulder being configured to be freely stretchable along the central axis direction of the container body, the height of the shoulder in a contracted state being 40% to 98% of the height of the shoulder in an extended state, the bottom including a recess and a grounding portion provided around the recess, one of the composite containers being stacked on top of another of the composite containers, the shoulder of the other of the composite containers being in the contracted state, and the mouth of the other of the composite containers being housed in the recess of the one of the composite containers.

In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in the composite container assembly according to the seventh aspect described above, the depth of the recess may be 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

The ninth aspect of the present disclosure is a composite container assembly with contents including a plurality of composite containers with contents, the composite container with contents being a container body made of a plastic material, having a mouth, a shoulder, a body, and a bottom, the container body filled with contents, a plastic member provided in close contact with the outside of the container body so as to surround it, and a cap attached to the mouth, the shoulder is configured to be freely stretchable along the central axis direction of the container body, the height of the shoulder in the contracted state is 40% to 98% of the height of the shoulder in the extended state, the bottom includes a recess and a grounding portion provided around the recess, one of the composite containers is stacked on top of another of the composite containers, the shoulder of the other of the composite containers is in the contracted state, and the mouth of the other of the composite containers and the cap attached to the mouth are stored in the recess of the one of the composite containers.

In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, in the content-containing composite container assembly according to the ninth aspect described above, the depth of the recess may be 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

According to this disclosure, the composite container can be stored compactly.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a composite container according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view (view taken along the arrow II direction in FIG. 1) showing a composite container according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2) showing a composite container according to one embodiment, illustrating a state in which a shoulder portion of the composite container is extended. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view (corresponding to FIG. 3) showing a composite container according to one embodiment, and shows a state in which the shoulder portion of the composite container is contracted. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 2) showing a composite container according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing a container body according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a composite container assembly according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a content-containing composite container assembly according to one embodiment. FIG. 9 is a front view showing a composite preform according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in FIG. 9) showing a composite preform according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 9) showing a composite preform according to one embodiment. 12(a) to 12(d) are perspective views showing various plastic members. 13(a)-(f) are diagrams showing a method for manufacturing a composite container according to one embodiment. FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view for explaining the operation of the composite container according to one embodiment. FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view for explaining the operation of the composite container according to one embodiment. FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view showing a modified example of the composite container according to the embodiment, in which the shoulder portion of the composite container is extended. FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional view showing a modified example of the composite container according to the embodiment, in which the shoulder portion of the composite container is in a contracted state.

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 15 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the present disclosure. Each of the figures shown below is a schematic diagram. Therefore, the size and shape of each part are appropriately exaggerated to facilitate understanding. In addition, appropriate modifications can be made within the scope of the technical concept. In each of the figures shown below, the same parts are given the same reference numerals, and some detailed explanations may be omitted. In addition, the numerical values such as dimensions of each member and the material names described in this specification are examples of an embodiment, and can be appropriately selected and used without being limited thereto. In this specification, terms that specify shapes or geometric conditions, such as parallel, orthogonal, and perpendicular, are interpreted to include substantially the same state in addition to their strict meaning.

(Configuration of composite container)
First, the composite container 10A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. In this specification, "upper" and "lower" refer to the upper and lower sides of the composite container 10A in an upright position (Figs. 1 to 4), respectively. In this specification, the "center axis CL1" of the container body 10 refers to the center axis of a cylinder that constitutes the inner surface of the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10. In addition, in this specification, the "center axis CL2" of the preform 40 refers to the center axis of a cylinder that constitutes the inner surface of the mouth portion 41 of the preform 40. In addition, the center axis CL1 of the container body 10 is a straight line that is perpendicular to a plane that becomes the ground surface when the composite container 10A is placed on the ground in an upright position.

In addition, in this specification, the "height direction" refers to the direction along the central axis CL1 of the container body 10 or the central axis CL2 of the preform 40, and the "radial direction" refers to the direction perpendicular to the central axis CL1 of the container body 10 or the central axis CL2 of the preform 40. In addition, the "circumferential direction" refers to the circumferential direction of a circle centered on the central axis CL1 of the container body 10 or the central axis CL2 of the preform 40.

The composite container 10A shown in Figures 1 to 5 is a container obtained by blow molding a composite preform 40A (see Figures 9 to 11) that includes a preform 40 and a plastic member 90a, thereby expanding the preform 40 and the plastic member 90a as a single unit.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the composite container 10A comprises a container body 10 made of a plastic material, and a plastic member 90 that is tightly attached so as to surround the outside of the container body 10. The plastic member 90 is thinly stretched and tightly attached to the outer surface of the container body 10, and is attached in such a way that it does not easily move or rotate relative to the container body 10.

(Container body)
Next, the container body 10 will be described in detail. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the container body 10 has a mouth 11, a neck 12 located below the mouth 11, a shoulder 20 located below the neck 12, a body 13 located below the shoulder 20, and a bottom 30 located below the body 13.

The mouth portion 11 includes a threaded portion 14 that is screwed into the cap 80 (see FIG. 8) and a flange portion 15 located below the threaded portion 14. Such a container body 10 is filled with contents such as liquid, and the cap 80 is attached to the mouth portion 11 to obtain a composite container 10B (see FIG. 8) containing the contents. In addition to beverages, the contents may be seasonings such as soy sauce, powdered foods such as salt, solids such as coffee beans, or non-food items such as liquid detergent. Note that the mouth portion 11 does not need to be provided with a threaded portion 14. In other words, the container body 10 may be a so-called stoppered plastic bottle.

The neck portion 12 is located between the flange portion 15 and the shoulder portion 20 and has a generally cylindrical shape with a generally uniform diameter.

The shoulder portion 20 is located between the neck portion 12 and the body portion 13, and has a shape in which the diameter gradually increases from the neck portion 12 side toward the body portion 13 side. The shoulder portion 20 has a polygonal shape in a cross section parallel to the horizontal plane on which the composite container 10A is grounded (hereinafter also referred to as a horizontal cross section). In this embodiment, the shoulder portion 20 has a quadrilateral shape (square shape) in a horizontal cross section. In this specification, the term "polygonal shape" also includes a shape in which the corners of a polygon are rounded.

The shoulder portion 20 includes a first shoulder portion 21, an annular portion 22, and a second shoulder portion 23. Of these, the first shoulder portion 21 is located on the mouth portion 11 side, and expands in diameter from the mouth portion 11 side toward the body portion 13 side. In other words, the first shoulder portion 21 has a shape in which the diameter gradually expands from the neck portion 12 side toward the body portion 13 side.

The annular portion 22 is located between the first shoulder portion 21 and the second shoulder portion 23. Details of the annular portion 22 will be described later.

The second shoulder 23 is located on the body 13 side and expands in diameter from the mouth 11 side toward the body 13 side. In other words, the second shoulder 23 has a shape in which the diameter gradually expands from the neck 12 side toward the body 13 side.

Here, the shoulder portion 20 is configured to be freely expandable and contractable along the central axis CL1 direction (vertical direction) of the container body 10. In this case, the shoulder portion 20 is configured to expand and contract as the annular portion 22 of the shoulder portion 20 deforms. Specifically, the annular portion 22 takes a first position (see FIG. 3) where the upper surface is parallel to the horizontal plane, and a second position (see FIG. 4) where the upper surface slopes downward as it moves radially inward.

When the annular portion 22 is in the first position, the shoulder portion 20 is in an extended state, as shown in FIG. 3.

On the other hand, when the annular portion 22 is in the second position, the shoulder portion 20 is in a contracted state as shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the annular portion 22 has a cylindrical shape with a gradually increasing diameter as it extends upward. Also, when the annular portion 22 is in the second position, the annular portion 22 extends upward from the radially outer periphery of the first shoulder portion 21. Here, when the annular portion 22 deforms, the second shoulder portion 23 is configured not to deform significantly. Therefore, even if the shoulder portion 20 expands or contracts, the body portion 13 is less likely to deform. Therefore, the shoulder portion 20 can go from an extended state to a contracted state without deforming the body portion 13.

When the shoulder portion 20 is in a contracted state, the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 is positioned lower than when the shoulder portion 20 is in an extended state. In other words, when the annular portion 22 is in the second position, the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 is positioned lower than when the annular portion 22 is in the first position. This allows the composite container 10A to be made compact.

The height H1 of the shoulder portion 20 in the extended state (see FIG. 3) is preferably, for example, 30 mm or more and 50 mm or less. Also, the height H2 of the shoulder portion 20 in the contracted state (see FIG. 4) is preferably, for example, 15 mm or more and 45 mm or less.

The height H2 of the shoulder portion 20 in the contracted state may be 40% to 98% of the height H1 of the shoulder portion 20 in the extended state, or 50% to 90% or 60% to 70%. By making the height H2 40% or more of the height H1, the shoulder portion 20 of the container body 10 can be easily contracted from the extended state to the contracted state even when the cap 80 is screwed onto the mouth portion 11. Furthermore, by making the height H2 98% or less of the height H1, the composite container 10A can be made more compact.

The thickness T1 of the shoulder portion 20 (see FIG. 3) may be approximately constant overall. That is, the thickness T1 may be approximately constant in the first shoulder portion 21, the annular portion 22, and the second shoulder portion 23. The thickness T1 of the shoulder portion 20 is preferably, for example, 6.5 mm or more and 9.5 mm or less. By making the thickness T1 of the shoulder portion 20 6.5 mm or more, the rigidity of the shoulder portion 20 can be increased. Furthermore, by making the thickness T1 of the shoulder portion 20 9.5 mm or less, the weight of the container body 10 can be reduced.

The body 13 has a polygonal shape in a horizontal cross section. As shown in FIG. 5, the body 13 has a quadrangular shape (square shape) in a horizontal cross section. That is, the body 13 has a quadrangular cylindrical shape. In this case, the body 13 includes a flat surface 13a and a curved surface 13b. The flat surfaces 13a and the curved surfaces 13b are alternately provided along the circumferential direction. Four flat surfaces 13a and four curved surfaces 13b are provided. Of these, the flat surfaces 13a are provided at positions corresponding to the sides of the quadrangle in the horizontal cross section, and have a linear shape in the horizontal cross section. The curved surfaces 13b are provided at positions corresponding to the corners of the quadrangle in the horizontal cross section, and have an arc shape in the horizontal cross section. The body 13 may have a polygonal cylindrical shape such as an octagonal cylindrical shape.

The height H3 of the body 13 (see FIG. 2) is preferably, for example, 200 mm or more and 350 mm or less. By making the height H3 of the body 13 200 mm or more, the capacity of the container body 10 can be sufficiently ensured. In addition, by making the height H3 of the body 13 350 mm or less, the composite container 10A can be attached to a general beverage dispenser instead of a so-called bag-in-box.

The width W of the body 13 (see FIG. 2) is preferably 150 mm or more and 280 mm or less. By making the width W of the body 13 150 mm or more, the capacity of the container body 10 can be sufficiently ensured. In addition, by making the width W of the body 13 280 mm or less, the composite container 10A can be attached to a general beverage dispenser instead of a so-called bag-in-box.

The thickness T2 of the body 13 (see FIG. 3) may be generally constant overall. The thickness T2 of the body 13 is preferably thicker than the thickness T3 of the bottom 30 (see FIG. 3) (T3<T2). As described below, the thickness T3 of the bottom 30 may be thicker than the thickness T1 of the shoulder 20 (T1<T3). In this case, the thickness T2 of the body 13 may be thicker than the thickness T1 of the shoulder 20 (T1<T3<T2). This can suppress deformation of the body 13 when the shoulder 20 expands and contracts. Therefore, the shoulder 20 can be firmly deformed (expanded and contracted). The thickness T2 of the body 13 is preferably, for example, 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less. By having the thickness T2 of the body 13 be 1 mm or more, the rigidity of the body 13 can be increased. In addition, by having the thickness T2 of the body 13 be 10 mm or less, the weight of the container body 10 can be reduced.

Next, the bottom 30 will be described. As shown in Figures 1 to 4 and 6, the bottom 30 includes a recess 31 and a grounding portion 32 provided around the recess 31. The bottom 30 also includes a peripheral portion 33 provided around the grounding portion 32. Of these, the recess 31 is located in the center of the bottom 30. This recess 31 has a trapezoidal shape in vertical cross section.

The depth De of the recess 31 (see FIG. 3) is preferably 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less. By having the depth De of the recess 31 be 20 mm or more, when the composite containers 10A are stacked vertically, the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 of one composite container 10A can be stored in the recess 31 of the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 of the other composite container 10A (see FIG. 14). In addition, the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 of one composite container 10A and the cap 80 attached to the mouth portion 11 can be stored in the recess 31 of the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 of the other composite container 10A (see FIG. 15). This allows multiple composite containers 10A to be stored compactly. In addition, by having the depth De of the recess 31 be 50 mm or less, the moldability of the composite container 10A can be suppressed from decreasing.

The grounding portion 32 is a ring-shaped flat portion located between the recess 31 and the peripheral portion 33. This grounding portion 32 is the portion that contacts or faces the ground surface when the composite container 10A is upright. In this embodiment, the grounding portion 32 is covered with a plastic member 90. Therefore, when the composite container 10A is upright, the grounding portion 32 faces the ground surface, and the portion of the plastic member 90 that corresponds to the grounding portion 32 contacts the ground surface.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, the bottom 30 is provided with a plurality of first ribs 34 extending along the radial direction and a plurality of second ribs 35 extending along the radial direction. The first ribs 34 are formed so as to straddle the recess 31, the grounding portion 32 and the peripheral portion 33. The second ribs 35 are formed only on the peripheral portion 33. Therefore, the length of the first ribs 34 is longer than the length of the second ribs 35. The first ribs 34 and the second ribs 35 are each provided radially and alternately provided along the circumferential direction. Specifically, the first ribs 34 and the second ribs 35 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, eight each. The number of the first ribs 34 and the number of the second ribs 35 are not limited to this.

The height H4 of the bottom 30 (see Figure 2) is preferably, for example, 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

The thickness T3 of the bottom 30 (see FIG. 3) may be generally constant overall. The thickness T3 of the bottom 30 is preferably thicker than the thickness T1 of the shoulder 20. As described above, the thickness T2 of the body 13 may be thicker than the thickness T3 of the bottom 30. In this case, the thickness T2 of the body 13 may be thicker than the thickness T1 of the shoulder 20. This can suppress deformation of the body 13 when the shoulder 20 expands and contracts. Therefore, the shoulder 20 can be deformed (expanded and contracted) firmly. The thickness T3 of the bottom 30 is preferably, for example, 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less. By making the thickness T3 of the bottom 30 1 mm or more, it is possible to prevent the bottom 30 from popping out and becoming permanently deformed when the composite container 10A is dropped. In addition, by making the thickness T3 of the bottom 30 10 mm or less, it is possible to reduce the weight of the container body 10.

Furthermore, the size of the container body 10 is not limited. For example, the full capacity of the container body 10 may be 1000 ml or more and 40000 ml or less, preferably 5000 ml or more and 20000 ml or less, and more preferably 7500 ml or more and 15000 ml or less. As an example, the full capacity of the container body 10 may be 11000 ml.

When the shoulder portion 20 is in an extended state, the height H5 (see FIG. 3) of the container body 10 is preferably, for example, 250 mm or more and 500 mm or less. When the shoulder portion 20 is in a contracted state, the height H6 (see FIG. 4) of the container body 10 is preferably, for example, 200 mm or more and 450 mm or less.

Furthermore, the weight of the container body 10 is not limited to this, but when the full capacity is 15,000 ml or less, it may be 100 g or more and 250 g or less, and preferably 150 g or more and 230 g or less.

The main material of the container body 10 can be a thermoplastic resin, particularly polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polylactic acid (PLA), polycarbonate (PC), etc. The container body 10 can also have a multi-layer structure in which a barrier material layer is sandwiched between two polyethylene terephthalate layers. For example, a preform with a multi-layer structure of PET/MXD6/PET can be made, and the multi-layer container body 10 can be made by biaxially stretching and blow molding it. The material of the container body 10 can also be recycled plastic made by sorting, crushing, and washing used plastic products.

The container body 10 may also contain virgin polyester or chemically recycled polyester (hereinafter simply referred to as virgin polyester, etc.). In this specification, "virgin polyester" refers to polyester that has not been subjected to a recycling process, i.e., unused polyester. In addition, in this specification, "chemically recycled polyester" refers to polyester obtained by breaking down a polyester container to the monomer level and repolymerizing it.

When the container body 10 contains virgin polyester, the content of virgin polyester is preferably 20 parts by mass or more and 100 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 60 parts by mass or more and 90 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the resin material contained in the container body 10.

When the container body 10 contains virgin polyester, the virgin polyester may be selected from antimony-catalyzed polyester, manganese-catalyzed polyester, titanium-catalyzed polyester, aluminum-catalyzed polyester, lithium-catalyzed polyester, and germanium-catalyzed polyester. In this specification, for example, antimony-catalyzed polyester means polyester in which an antimony catalyst was used as a polymerization catalyst during the production of the polyester. Therefore, the polyesters listed above mean polyesters in which each catalyst was used as a polymerization catalyst.

Examples of antimony catalysts include antimony trioxide, antimony pentoxide, antimony acetate, triphenylantimony, and antimony glycol.

Examples of manganese catalysts include fatty acid manganese salts such as manganese acetate, manganese carbonate, manganese chloride, manganese acetylacetonate salts, and manganese hydroxide.

Examples of titanium catalysts include titanium alkoxides such as tetra-n-propyl titanate, tetra-i-propyl titanate, tetra-n-butyl titanate, tetra-n-butyl titanate tetramer, tetra-t-butyl titanate, tetracyclohexyl titanate, tetraphenyl titanate, and tetrabenzyl titanate, titanium oxides obtained by hydrolysis of titanium alkoxides, titanium acetate, titanium oxalate, potassium titanium oxalate, sodium titanium oxalate, potassium titanate, sodium titanate, titanic acid-aluminum hydroxide mixture, titanium chloride, titanium chloride-aluminum chloride mixture, titanium bromide, titanium fluoride, potassium hexafluorotitanate, cobalt hexafluorotitanate, manganese hexafluorotitanate, ammonium hexafluorotitanate, and titanium acetylacetonate.

Examples of aluminum catalysts include aluminum tris(acetylacetate), aluminum monoacetylacetonate bis(ethylacetoacetate), and ethylacetoacetate aluminum diisopropylate.

Examples of lithium catalysts include ethyllithium, propyllithium, n-butyllithium, sec-butyllithium, tert-butyllithium, and phenyllithium.

Examples of germanium catalysts include germanium dioxide, germanium tetroxide, germanium tetramethoxide, germanium tetraethoxide, germanium tetrapropoxide, germanium tetrabutoxide, germanium tetrapentoxide, and germanium tetrahexoxide.

In this embodiment, "polyester" means a copolymer of a dicarboxylic acid compound and a diol compound.

Examples of dicarboxylic acid compounds include malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid, dodecanedioic acid, eicosanedioic acid, pimelic acid, azelaic acid, methylmalonic acid, ethylmalonic acid, adamantanedicarboxylic acid, norbornenedicarboxylic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, decalindicarboxylic acid, terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, phthalic acid, 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 1,5-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 1,8-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 4,4'-diphenyldicarboxylic acid, 4,4'-diphenyletherdicarboxylic acid, 5-sodiumsulfoisophthalic acid, phenylendanedicarboxylic acid, anthracenedicarboxylic acid, phenanthrenedicarboxylic acid, 9,9'-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)fluorene acid, and ester derivatives thereof.

Examples of diol compounds include ethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, butanediol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, cyclohexanedimethanol, cyclohexanediethanol, decahydronaphthalenedimethanol, decahydronaphthalenediethanol, norbornanedimethanol, norbornanediethanol, tricyclodecanedimethanol, tricyclodecaneethanol, tetracyclododecanedimethanol, tetracyclododecanediethanol, decalindimethanol, decalindiethanol, 5-cyclohexane ... -Methylol-5-ethyl-2-(1,1-dimethyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-1,3-dioxane, cyclohexanediol, bicyclohexyl-4,4'-diol, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxycyclohexylpropane), 2,2-bis(4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)cyclohexyl)propane, cyclopentanediol, 3-methyl-1,2-cyclopentadiol, 4-cyclopentene-1,3-diol, adamantanediol, paraxylene glycol, bisphenol A, bisphenol S, styrene glycol, trimethylolpropane, and pentaerythritol.

Among polyesters, polyethylene terephthalate, which is a copolymer of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, or modified polyethylene terephthalate, which is a copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate and a copolymerization monomer, is preferred.

The polyester may be polyethylene terephthalate derived from biomass, or may be polyethylene terephthalate derived from fossil fuels. The biomass-derived polyethylene terephthalate may be polyethylene terephthalate in which the dicarboxylic acid compound is terephthalic acid derived from fossil fuels and the diol compound is ethylene glycol derived from biomass. In this way, by the container body 10 containing polyethylene terephthalate derived from biomass, the environmental load reduction properties of the composite container 10A can be improved.

As long as the characteristics of this embodiment are not impaired, the polyester may contain monomers other than the dicarboxylic acid compound and the diol compound, but the content of such monomers is preferably 10 mol % or less, more preferably 5 mol % or less, and even more preferably 3 mol % or less, based on the total constituent units.

The container body 10 may also contain mechanically recycled polyester. In this case, the environmental load reduction of the composite container 10A can be improved. In this specification, "mechanically recycled polyester" refers to polyester obtained by sorting, crushing, and washing a polyester container to remove contaminants and foreign matter, obtaining flakes, and further treating the flakes at high temperature and reduced pressure for a certain period of time to remove contaminants inside the resin. The mechanically recycled polyester may contain two or more types of catalysts. In this case, the mechanically recycled polyester may contain two or more types of antimony catalyzed polyester, manganese catalyzed polyester, titanium catalyzed polyester, aluminum catalyzed polyester, lithium catalyzed polyester, and germanium catalyzed polyester, for example.

When the container body 10 contains mechanically recycled polyester, the content of the mechanically recycled polyester is preferably 20 parts by mass or more and 100 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 60 parts by mass or more and 90 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the resin material contained in the container body 10.

To the extent that the characteristics of this embodiment are not impaired, the container body 10 may contain additives, such as oxygen absorbers, gas barrier resins (polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 6,6, and polymetaxylylene adipamide (MXD6)), plasticizers, UV stabilizers, antioxidants, color inhibitors, matting agents, deodorants, flame retardants, weather resistance agents, antistatic agents, thread friction reducers, slip agents, mold release agents, antioxidants, ion exchange agents, acetaldehyde absorbers (e.g., AA Scavengers manufactured by Color Matrix), and colorants.

(Plastic parts)
Next, the plastic member 90 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The plastic member 90 is a member obtained by closely contacting a plastic member 90a (described later) with the outside of the preform 40, and then performing biaxial stretch blow molding together with the preform 40.

The plastic member 90 is attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 without being glued, and is in close contact with the container body 10 so that it does not move or rotate relative to the container body 10. This plastic member 90 is thinly stretched over the outer surface of the container body 10 and covers the container body 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the plastic member 90 is provided over the entire circumferential area so as to surround the container body 10, and has a horizontal cross section that is approximately quadrilateral (square).

In this case, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the plastic member 90 is provided to cover a portion of the first shoulder 21 of the shoulder 20, the annular portion 22 and the second shoulder 23 of the shoulder 20, the body 13, and the bottom 30 of the container body 10. This allows the shoulder 20, body 13, and bottom 30 of the container body 10 to be given the desired functions and characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, in the extended state, the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90 is located on the first shoulder 21. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, in the contracted state, the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90 floats up from the container body 10. Specifically, the plastic member 90 floats up from the first shoulder 21 and the annular portion 22 of the shoulder portion 20. Therefore, as described below, when separating and removing the plastic member 90 from the container body 10, by putting the shoulder portion 20 into a contracted state, it becomes easier for the user to grasp the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90. This makes it easier for the user to remove the plastic member 90 from the container body 10.

The plastic member 90 may be provided on the entire or partial area of the container body 10 except for the mouth 11. For example, the plastic member 90 may be provided so as to cover the entire shoulder 20, body 13, and bottom 30 of the container body 10 except for the mouth 11. Alternatively, the plastic member 90 may be provided so as to cover the shoulder 20, body 13, and bottom 30 of the container body 10 except for the central parts of the mouth 11 and bottom 30.

The plastic member 90 is not welded or bonded to the container body 10, and can therefore be peeled off and removed from the container body 10. Specifically, the plastic member 90 can be cut off using a blade or the like, or a cutting line (not shown) can be provided in advance on the plastic member 90, and the plastic member 90 can be peeled off and removed along this cutting line. This allows the plastic member 90 to be separated and removed from the container body 10.

Such a plastic member 90 (plastic member 90a, described later) may be one that does not have a shrinking effect on the preform 40, or may be one that has a shrinking effect.

When the plastic member 90 (plastic member 90a described later) has the effect of shrinking relative to the preform 40, the plastic member 90a described later is provided on the outside of the preform 40 and is heated together with the preform 40. Then, the plastic member 90a described later and the preform 40 are subjected to biaxial stretch blow molding to obtain the plastic member 90.

Examples of the plastic member 90 include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, poly-4-methylpentene-1, polystyrene, AS resin, ABS resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl butyral, diallyl phthalate resin, fluorine-based resin, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylic acid, polymethyl acrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylamide, polybutadiene, polybutene-1, polyisoprene, polychloroprene, ethylene propylene rubber, butyl rubber, and nitrile. Examples of the resin include rubber, acrylic rubber, silicone rubber, fluororubber, nylon 6, nylon 6,6, aromatic polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate ethylene, polyethylene butylene terephthalate, polynaphthalene ethylene, U polymer, liquid crystal polymer, modified polyphenylene ether, polyether ketone, polyether ether ketone, unsaturated polyester, alkyd resin, polyimide, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyether sulfone, silicone resin, polyurethane, phenolic resin, urea resin, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polyacetal, epoxy resin, etc. Among these, it is preferable to use thermoplastic non-elastic resins such as polyethylene (PE) such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), etc. In addition, the plastic member 90 may be made of a blend of these materials, and may have a multi-layer structure or a partial multi-layer structure. Furthermore, various additives may be added to the material of the plastic member 90 in addition to the main component resin, as long as the characteristics are not impaired. Examples of additives include plasticizers, UV stabilizers, color inhibitors, matting agents, deodorants, flame retardants, weather resistance agents, antistatic agents, thread friction reducers, slip agents, mold release agents, antioxidants, ion exchange agents, and color pigments.

The plastic member 90 may be made of a material that has light barrier properties that block invisible light such as ultraviolet light. In this case, the light barrier properties of the composite container 10A can be improved and deterioration of the content liquid due to ultraviolet light or the like can be suppressed without using a multi-layer preform or a preform containing a blended material as the preform 40. Such materials include blended materials, or materials in which a light-shielding resin is added to PET, PE, or PP. In addition, a foamed member with a foam cell diameter of 0.5 μm to 100 μm, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a molten thermoplastic resin, may be used as the material for the plastic member 90.

The plastic member 90 may be made of a material with higher cold retention or heat retention (material with lower thermal conductivity) than the plastic material constituting the container body 10 (preform 40). In this case, it is possible to make it difficult for the temperature of the content liquid to be transmitted to the surface of the composite container 10A without increasing the thickness of the container body 10. This improves the cold retention or heat retention of the composite container 10A. In addition, when a user lifts up the composite container 10A, it is prevented from becoming difficult to hold the composite container 10A due to it being too cold or too hot. Such materials include foamed polyurethane, polystyrene, PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), phenolic resin, polyvinyl chloride, urea resin, silicone, polyimide, melamine resin, etc. In this case, it is preferable that hollow particles are mixed into the resin material containing these resins. The average particle diameter of the hollow particles is preferably 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or more and 80 μm or less. The term "average particle size" means the volume average particle size, and can be measured using a particle size distribution/particle size distribution measuring device (Nanotrack particle size distribution measuring device, manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.). The hollow particles may be organic hollow particles made of resin or inorganic hollow particles made of glass, but organic hollow particles are preferred because of their excellent dispersibility. Examples of resins constituting organic hollow particles include styrene resins such as crosslinked styrene-acrylic resins, (meth)acrylic resins such as acrylonitrile-acrylic resins, phenolic resins, fluorine resins, polyamide resins, polyimide resins, polycarbonate resins, polyether resins, and the like. Commercially available hollow particles such as Ropeake HP-1055, Ropeake HP-91, Ropeake OP-84J, Ropeake Ultra, Ropeake SE, and Ropeake ST (manufactured by Rohm and Haas Co., Ltd.), Nipol MH-5055 (manufactured by Zeon Corporation), SX8782, and SX866 (manufactured by JSR Corporation) can also be used. The content of the hollow particles is preferably 0.01 parts by mass or more and 50 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 1 part by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less, relative to 100 parts by mass of the resin material contained in the plastic member 90.

The plastic member 90 may be made of a material that is less slippery than the plastic material that constitutes the container body 10 (preform 40). In this case, it becomes easier for the user to hold the composite container 10A without changing the material of the container body 10.

The plastic member 90 may be colored in a color such as red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, or white, and may be transparent or opaque.

The thickness of the plastic member 90 is not limited to this, but can be, for example, 5 μm or more and 500 μm or less when attached to the container body 10.

Here, such composite containers 10A may be required to be transported and stored in a vertically stacked state. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, four composite containers 10A may be stacked vertically. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, four content-containing composite containers 10B may be stacked vertically. The number of composite containers 10A stacked vertically is not limited to this, and may be three or less. In this embodiment, a composite container assembly 1A including a plurality of such composite containers 10A is also provided. Similarly, the number of content-containing composite containers 10B stacked vertically is not limited to this, and may be three or less. In this embodiment, a content-containing composite container assembly 1B including a plurality of such content-containing composite containers 10B is also provided.

(Configuration of composite preform)
Next, a composite preform 40A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9 to Fig. 12. The composite preform 40A is a member used for manufacturing the above-mentioned composite container 10A. As shown in Fig. 9 to Fig. 11, the composite preform 40A includes a preform 40 made of a plastic material and a plastic member 90a provided in close contact with the preform 40 so as to surround the outside of the preform 40.

(preform)
Next, the preform 40 will be described in detail. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the preform 40 has a mouth portion 41, a body portion 50 connected to the mouth portion 41, and a bottom portion 60 connected to the body portion 50.

Of these, the mouth portion 41 corresponds to the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 described above, and has approximately the same shape as the mouth portion 11. That is, the mouth portion 41 includes a threaded portion 42 and a flange portion 43 provided below the threaded portion 42. The threaded portion 42 and the flange portion 43 of the preform 40 correspond to the threaded portion 14 and the flange portion 15 of the container body 10, respectively, and have approximately the same shape as the threaded portion 14 and the flange portion 15.

As shown in FIG. 10, the thickness t1 of the mouth portion 41 may be, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The thickness t1 of the mouth portion 41 refers to the thickness of the area of the mouth portion 41 where the threaded portion 42 is not formed. The thickness t1 of the mouth portion 41 may be approximately uniform throughout the entire height direction of the mouth portion 41.

The height h1 of the mouth 41 is preferably, for example, 7 mm or more and 60 mm or less. The outer diameter D1 of the mouth 41 is preferably 20 mm or more and 90 mm or less. The inner diameter D2 of the mouth 41 is preferably 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less. The inner diameter D2 of the mouth 41 may be approximately uniform throughout the entire height direction of the mouth 41.

The body 50 corresponds to the neck 12, shoulder 20, and body 13 of the container body 10 described above. The body 50 is connected to the mouth 41 and extends downward from the mouth 41. The horizontal cross section of the body 50 is circular at any point from its upper end to its lower end. However, this is not limited to this, and the body 50 may have a cylindrical shape such as an elliptical cylindrical shape or a polygonal cylindrical shape such as a rectangular cylindrical shape.

The body 50 includes a small diameter section 51, an enlarged diameter section 52, and a large diameter section 53. The small diameter section 51 is located on the mouth 41 side. The enlarged diameter section 52 is located between the small diameter section 51 and the large diameter section 53. The large diameter section 53 is located on the bottom 60 side.

The small diameter portion 51 is connected to the lower part of the flange portion 43. The small diameter portion 51 is the part of the body portion 50 with the smallest outer diameter, and has a cylindrical shape with a substantially uniform outer diameter. The thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51 is substantially constant overall.

It is preferable that the thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51 is thicker than the thickness t1 of the mouth portion 41 (t1<t2). This allows the stretch ratio of the small diameter portion 51 to be increased. Therefore, the container body 10 can be made larger. It is preferable that the thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51 is, for example, 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. By making the thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51 1 mm or more, the stretch ratio of the small diameter portion 51 can be made larger, and the container body 10 can be made even larger. In addition, by making the thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51 1 mm or more, the difference between the thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51 and the thickness t4 of the large diameter portion 53 can be made smaller. This makes it possible to suppress the flow of the injected resin from becoming poor when the preform 40 is produced by injection molding. Therefore, the fluidity of the injected resin can be kept high, and the moldability of the preform 40 can be improved. In addition, by setting the thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51 to 5 mm or less, the neck portion 12 of the container body 10 produced from the preform 40 can be prevented from becoming too thick. This improves the moldability of the blow molding.

The height h2 of the small diameter portion 51 is preferably, for example, 2 mm or more and 30 mm or less. The outer diameter D3 of the small diameter portion 51 is preferably 20 mm or more and 90 mm or less. The inner diameter D4 of the small diameter portion 51 is preferably 15 mm or more and 85 mm or less. The inner diameter D4 of the small diameter portion 51 may be approximately the same as the inner diameter D2 of the mouth portion 41 described above. The inner diameter D4 of the small diameter portion 51 may be approximately uniform throughout the entire height direction of the small diameter portion 51.

The enlarged diameter portion 52 is connected to the lower part of the small diameter portion 51, and is enlarged from the small diameter portion 51 side to the large diameter portion 53 side. The horizontal cross section of the enlarged diameter portion 52 is circular at any point from its upper end to its lower end. The thickness t3 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 gradually becomes thicker from the small diameter portion 51 side to the large diameter portion 53 side. This allows the stretch ratio of the portion of the enlarged diameter portion 52 where the stretch ratio can be large to be increased. Here, in the enlarged diameter portion 52, the stretch ratio can be increased from the small diameter portion 51 side to the large diameter portion 53 side. Therefore, by gradually increasing the thickness t3 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 from the small diameter portion 51 side to the large diameter portion 53 side, the stretch ratio of the enlarged diameter portion 52 can be increased from the small diameter portion 51 side to the large diameter portion 53 side. As a result, a large container body 10 can be easily obtained. At any position of the enlarged diameter portion 52, the thickness t3 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 is preferably 2 mm or more and 11 mm or less. By making the thickness t3 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 2 mm or more, the stretch ratio of the enlarged diameter portion 52 can be increased, and the container body 10 can be further enlarged. In addition, by making the thickness t3 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 11 mm or less, the shoulder portion 20 and the body portion 13 of the container body 10 made from the preform 40 can be prevented from becoming too thick. This improves the moldability of the blow molding.

The height h3 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 is preferably, for example, 30 mm or more and 70 mm or less. The outer diameter D5 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 varies along the height direction. At any position of the enlarged diameter portion 52, the outer diameter D5 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 is preferably 20 mm or more and 100 mm or less. The inner diameter D6 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 is preferably 15 mm or more and 95 mm or less. The inner diameter D6 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 may be substantially the same as the inner diameter D2 of the opening portion 41 described above. The inner diameter D6 of the enlarged diameter portion 52 may be substantially uniform throughout the entire height direction of the enlarged diameter portion 52.

The outer surface of the enlarged diameter section 52 is inclined with respect to the central axis CL2 of the preform 40. In the vertical cross section, the angle θ at which the outer surface of the enlarged diameter section 52 is inclined with respect to the central axis CL2 may be 0.1° or more and 7° or less, and preferably 1° or more and 5° or less. When the angle θ is 0.1° or more, the preform 40 is easily released from a mold (not shown) when the preform 40 is produced by injection molding. Furthermore, when the angle θ is 7° or less, the flow of the injected resin is prevented from becoming poor when the preform 40 is produced by injection molding. This allows the fluidity of the injected resin to be kept high, improving the moldability of the preform 40.

The large diameter portion 53 is connected to the lower part of the expanded diameter portion 52. The large diameter portion 53 is the part of the body portion 50 that has the largest outer diameter, and has a cylindrical shape with a substantially uniform outer diameter. The thickness t4 of the large diameter portion 53 is substantially constant overall.

It is preferable that the thickness t4 of the large diameter portion 53 is thicker than the thickness t2 of the small diameter portion 51. This allows the stretch ratio of the large diameter portion 53 to be large. Here, the large diameter portion 53 is a portion where the stretch ratio can be larger than the small diameter portion 51 and the expanded diameter portion 52. Therefore, by being able to increase the stretch ratio of the large diameter portion 53, a large container body 10 can be easily obtained. It is preferable that the thickness t4 of the large diameter portion 53 is, for example, 3 mm or more and 11 mm or less. By having the thickness t4 of the large diameter portion 53 be 3 mm or more, a large container body 10 can be more easily obtained. In addition, by having the thickness t4 of the large diameter portion 53 be 11 mm or less, it is possible to prevent the body portion 13 from becoming too thick in the container body 10 produced from the preform 40. This improves the moldability of the blow molding.

The height h4 of the large diameter portion 53 is preferably, for example, 20 mm or more and 70 mm or less. The outer diameter D7 of the large diameter portion 53 is preferably 35 mm or more and 100 mm or less. The inner diameter D8 of the large diameter portion 53 is preferably 30 mm or more and 95 mm or less. The inner diameter D8 of the large diameter portion 53 may be approximately the same as the inner diameter D2 of the opening portion 41 described above. The inner diameter D8 of the large diameter portion 53 may be approximately uniform throughout the entire height direction of the large diameter portion 53.

The bottom 60 is connected to the lower part of the large diameter portion 53. The bottom 60 corresponds to the bottom 30 of the container body 10 described above and has a generally hemispherical shape. The horizontal cross section of the bottom 60 is circular throughout the entire height direction. In the vertical cross section, the outer surface of the bottom 60 has a semicircular shape as a whole. However, this is not limited to this, and at least a portion of the outer surface of the bottom 60 may have a curved shape that includes a non-arc portion. In the vertical cross section, the center O1 of the semicircle that constitutes the outer surface of the bottom 60 exists on the central axis CL2.

In a vertical cross section, at least a portion of the inner surface of the bottom 60 has a curved shape that includes a non-circular portion. In the illustrated example, in a vertical cross section, the inner surface of the bottom 60 has a generally V-shape with a rounded tip.

The thickness t5 of the bottom 60 gradually becomes thinner from the body 50 side toward the lowest part 61 of the bottom 60. This can prevent the center of the bottom 60 from becoming too thick, and can also reduce the weight of the container body 10. In addition, the ratio (t5b/t5a) of the thickness t5 (hereinafter also referred to as t5b) at the lowest part 61 to the thickness t5 (hereinafter also referred to as t5a) at the part of the bottom 60 where the thickness t5 is the thickest may be 0.6 or more and 0.95 or less, and is preferably 0.7 or more and 0.85 or less. By making the ratio (t5b/t5a) 0.6 or more, the stretch ratio of the bottom 60 can be made larger and the moldability of the blow molding can be prevented from decreasing. In addition, by making the ratio 0.95 or less, it is possible to effectively prevent the center of the bottom 60 from becoming too thick, and also to further reduce the weight of the container body 10.

At any position of the bottom 60, the thickness t5 of the bottom 60 is preferably 1.5 mm or more and 5 mm or less. By making the thickness t5 of the bottom 60 1.5 mm or more, the stretching ratio of the bottom 60 can be increased, and the container body 10 can be further enlarged. In addition, by making the thickness t5 of the bottom 60 5 mm or less, the bottom 30 can be prevented from becoming too thick in the container body 10 produced from the preform 40. This improves the moldability of the blow molding. In addition, the thickness t5a of the bottom 60 at the part where the thickness t5 is the thickest may be, for example, 1.5 mm or more and 5 mm or less. Furthermore, the thickness t5b at the lowest part 61 may be, for example, 1.5 mm or more and 4.75 mm or less.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the height h5 of the bottom 60 is, for example, 7 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

The mouth 41, body 50, and bottom 60 of such a preform 40 are integrally formed with one another. The total height h6 of the body 50 and bottom 60 (the height direction length of the part below the flange 43) is preferably 59 mm or more and 190 mm or less.

In summary, the shapes of the mouth portion 41, the body portion 50, and the bottom portion of the preform 40 may be, for example, as shown in Tables 1 and 2 below.

(Plastic parts)
Next, the plastic member 90a will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12. The plastic member 90a is attached to the outer surface of the preform 40 without being bonded, and is in close contact with the preform 40 so as not to move or rotate therewith, or to such an extent that it will not fall under its own weight. As shown in Figure 11, the plastic member 90a is provided over the entire circumferential area so as to surround the preform 40, and has a circular horizontal cross section.

In this case, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the plastic member 90a is provided to cover a part of the enlarged diameter portion 52 of the body portion 50, the entire large diameter portion 53 of the body portion 50, and the entire bottom portion 60 of the preform 40. The plastic member 90a may be provided in a partial area other than the mouth portion 41. For example, the plastic member 90a may be provided to cover the body portion 50 excluding the bottom portion 60.

Such a plastic member 90a may be one that does not have a shrinking effect on the preform 40, or it may be one that has a shrinking effect.

When the plastic member 90a has a contracting effect, the plastic member 90a may be one that contracts (e.g., thermally contracts) relative to the preform 40 when an external action (e.g., heat) is applied to it. Alternatively, the plastic member 90a may itself have contractibility or elasticity and be capable of contracting without the application of an external action.

If the plastic member 90a has a thermal contraction effect, after fitting the cylindrical plastic member 90a into the preform 40, the margin formed at the lower end of the plastic member 90a (the end opposite the mouth portion 41) may be thermally compressed.

The plastic member 90a may be, for example, a direct blow tube made by direct blow molding, a sheet molded tube made by sheet molding, an extrusion tube made by extrusion molding, an injection molded tube made by injection molding, or an inflation molded tube made by inflation molding. Note that the plastic member 90a is not limited to this, and may be a tube made by a molding method other than the above.

The plastic member 90a may be colored in a color such as red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, or white, and may be transparent or opaque.

Next, we will explain the shape of the plastic member 90a.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), the plastic member 90a may be cylindrical with a bottom as a whole, and may have a cylindrical body 91 and a bottom 92 connected to the body 91. In this case, the bottom 92 of the plastic member 90a covers the bottom 60 of the preform 40, so that various functions and characteristics such as barrier properties can be imparted to the area of the composite container 10A corresponding to the body 13 of the container body 10 as well as the area corresponding to the bottom 30. The plastic member 90a may also be cylindrical with no seams around the entire circumference. Such a plastic member 90a may be, for example, the above-mentioned direct blow tube, sheet molding tube, or injection molding tube.

As shown in FIG. 12(b), the plastic member 90a may be generally tubular (bottomless cylindrical) and have a cylindrical body 91. The plastic member 90a may also be seamless along its entire circumference. In this case, the plastic member 90a may be, for example, the blown tube, extruded tube, inflation tube, or sheet tube described above.

Also, as shown in Fig. 12(c) and Fig. 12(d), the plastic member 90a may be produced by forming a film into a cylindrical shape and bonding the ends together. In this case, as shown in Fig. 12(c), the plastic member 90a may be configured in a tubular shape (bottomless cylindrical shape) having a body 91, or as shown in Fig. 12(d), it may be configured in a bottomed cylindrical shape by bonding a bottom 92 together.

(Manufacturing method of composite container)
Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration (a method for manufacturing a composite container) will be described.

First, the preform 40 is prepared (FIG. 13(a)). In this case, thermoplastic resin pellets such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) are placed in an injection molding machine (not shown), which heats, melts, and pressurizes the pellets. The pellets then become pressurized molten plastic, which is injected into an injection mold having an internal shape corresponding to the preform 40. After a predetermined time has passed, the molten plastic hardens in the injection mold, forming the preform 40. The injection mold is then separated, and the preform 40 is removed from the injection mold. Note that the preform 40 may be produced by various molding methods, such as compression molding, in addition to injection molding.

Next, a plastic member 90a is provided on the outside of the preform 40 to produce a composite preform 40A including the preform 40 and the plastic member 90a attached to the outside of the preform 40 (see FIG. 13(b)). In this case, the plastic member 90a has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and has a tubular body 91 and a bottom 92 connected to the body 91.

At this time, a plastic member 90a having an inner diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the preform 40 may be pressed against the preform 40 to adhere to the outer surface of the preform 40. Alternatively, a heat-shrinkable plastic member 90 may be provided on the outer surface of the preform 40, and the plastic member 90a may be heated to 50°C to 100°C to cause heat shrinkage and adhere to the outer surface of the preform 40.

In this way, by first attaching the plastic member 90a to the outside of the preform 40 and producing the composite preform 40A, it becomes possible to carry out the series of steps for producing the composite preform 40A (FIG. 13(a)-(b)) and the series of steps for blow molding (FIG. 13(c)-(f)) in separate locations (factories, etc.).

Then, the preform 40 and the plastic member 90a are subjected to biaxial stretch blow molding to expand the preform 40 and the plastic member 90a as a unit (see Figures 13(c)-(f)). At this time, the composite preform 40A is first heated by the heating device 71 (Figure 13(c)). At this time, the composite preform 40A is heated evenly in the circumferential direction by the heating device 71 while rotating with the mouth portion 41 of the preform 40 facing downward. The heating temperature of the composite preform 40A in this heating process may be, for example, 90°C to 130°C.

Next, the composite preform 40A heated by the heating device 71 is sent to the blow molding die 70 (Figure 13 (d)).

The composite container 10A is molded using this blow molding die 70. In this case, the blow molding die 70 is composed of a pair of body dies 70a, 70b, which are separated from each other, and a bottom die 70c (FIG. 13(d)). The body dies 70a, 70b and the bottom die 70c have shapes corresponding to the shoulder 20, body 13, and bottom 30 of the container body 10, respectively. In FIG. 13(d), the pair of body dies 70a, 70b are open from each other, and the bottom die 70c is raised upward. In this state, the composite preform 40A is inserted between the pair of body dies 70a, 70b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13(e), the pair of body dies 70a, 70b are closed after the bottom die 70c is lowered, and the pair of body dies 70a, 70b and the bottom die 70c form a sealed blow molding die 70. Next, air is forced into the composite preform 40A, and the composite preform 40A is subjected to biaxial stretch blow molding.

In this way, the composite container 10A is obtained from the composite preform 40A in the blow molding die 70. During this time, the body dies 70a, 70b are heated to 30°C to 80°C, and the bottom die 70c is cooled to 5°C to 25°C. At this time, the preform 40 and the plastic member 90a of the composite preform 40A are expanded as a unit in the blow molding die 70. As a result, the preform 40 and the plastic member 90a are integrally shaped into a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the blow molding die 70. In this way, the composite container 10A is obtained, which includes the container body 10 and the plastic member 90 provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13(f), the pair of body molds 70a, 70b and the bottom mold 70c are separated from each other, and the composite container 10A is removed from the blow molding mold 70. In this way, the composite container 10A shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 is obtained.

Then, the composite container 10A is filled with the contents. A cap 80 is attached to the mouth 11 of the composite container 10A filled with the contents. In this way, a composite container 10B containing the contents is obtained.

However, as described above, such composite containers 10A may be required to be transported and stored in a state in which the composite containers 10A are stacked vertically. In particular, large composite containers 10A may be required to be transported and stored in a state in which the composite containers 10A are stacked vertically.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the shoulder 20 of the container body 10 is configured to be expandable and contractable along the central axis CL1 direction (vertical direction) of the container body 10. In this case, the shoulder 20 is in a contracted state, so that the composite container 10A can be made compact. In particular, as shown in FIG. 14, when the composite containers 10A are stacked vertically, the shoulder 20 is in a contracted state, so that the mouth 11 of the container body 10 of one composite container 10Ab can be stored in the recess 31 of the bottom 30 of the container body 10 of the other composite container 10Aa. Also, as shown in FIG. 15, when the composite containers 10B containing contents are stacked vertically, the shoulder 20 is in a contracted state, so that the mouth 11 of the container body 10 of one content-containing composite container 10Bb and the cap 80 attached to the mouth 11 can be stored in the recess 31 of the bottom 30 of the container body 10 of the other content-containing composite container 10Ba. This allows multiple composite containers 10A (content-containing composite containers 10B) to be stored compactly. In this case, the portion of the plastic member 90 of the other composite container 10Aa that covers the grounding portion 32 may contact the portion of the plastic member 90 of one composite container 10Ab that corresponds to the first shoulder portion 21 and the portion that corresponds to the vicinity of the boundary between the annular portion 22 and the second shoulder portion 23. This allows the other composite container 10Aa to be supported by the one composite container 10Ab.

As described above, this embodiment also provides a composite container assembly 1A that includes a plurality of such composite containers 10A. That is, this embodiment also provides a composite container assembly 1A in which a composite container (one composite container) 10Aa is stacked on a composite container (another composite container) 10Ab, the shoulder portion 20 of the container body 10 of the composite container 10Ab is in a contracted state, and the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 of the composite container 10Ab is housed in the recess 31 of the container body 10 of the composite container 10Aa.

Similarly, this embodiment also provides a content-containing composite container assembly 1B that includes a plurality of such content-containing composite containers 10B. That is, this embodiment also provides a content-containing composite container assembly 1B in which a composite container (one composite container) 10Ba is stacked on a composite container (another composite container) 10Bb, the shoulder portion 20 of the container body 10 of the composite container 10Bb is in a contracted state, and the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 of the composite container 10Bb and the cap 80 attached to the mouth portion 11 are stored in the recess 31 of the container body 10 of the composite container 10Ba.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the shoulder portion 20 of the container body 10 is configured to be expandable and contractible along the central axis CL1 direction of the container body 10. Furthermore, the height H2 of the shoulder portion 20 in the contracted state is 40% to 98% of the height H1 of the shoulder portion 20 in the extended state. In this way, since the height H2 is 40% or more of the height H1, the shoulder portion 20 of the container body 10 can be easily contracted from the extended state to the contracted state even when the cap 80 is screwed onto the mouth portion 11. Furthermore, since the height H2 is 98% or less of the height H1, the shoulder portion 20 can be contracted to a contracted state, thereby making the composite container 10A compact. Therefore, multiple composite containers 10A can be stored compactly in a cardboard box or the like.

In addition, such a composite container 10A may be attached to a general beverage dispenser instead of a so-called bag-in-box. According to this embodiment, the shoulder portion 20 of the container body 10 is configured to be stretchable, and the height H2 of the shoulder portion 20 in the contracted state is 98% or less of the height H1 of the shoulder portion 20 in the extended state. Therefore, by attaching the composite container 10A to the beverage dispenser with the shoulder portion 20 in the contracted state, it is possible to save space required for installing the beverage dispenser.

The composite container 10A also includes a container body 10 made of a plastic material and a plastic member 90 that is tightly attached to surround the outside of the container body 10. This allows the composite container 10A to be endowed with various functions or characteristics, such as gas barrier properties.

In addition, since the plastic member 90 can be separated and removed from the container body 10, when recycling the colorless and transparent container body 10, the container body 10 can be recycled in the same manner as in the conventional method.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the shoulder portion 20 has a first shoulder portion 21 located on the mouth portion 11 side and expanding in diameter from the mouth portion 11 side toward the body portion 13 side, a second shoulder portion 23 located on the body portion 13 side and expanding in diameter from the mouth portion 11 side toward the body portion 13 side, and an annular portion 22 located between the first shoulder portion 21 and the second shoulder portion 23. Then, the annular portion 22 is deformed, and the shoulder portion 20 expands and contracts. Thus, in this embodiment, when the shoulder portion 20 expands and contracts, the annular portion 22 located between the first shoulder portion 21 and the second shoulder portion 23 is deformed. In this case, even if the shoulder portion 20 expands and contracts, the body portion 13 is less likely to deform. Therefore, the shoulder portion 20 can be expanded and contracted without deforming the body portion 13. As a result, when the shoulder portion 20 changes from an expanded state to a contracted state, the width W of the body portion 13 of the container body 10 can be suppressed from expanding. Therefore, even when the shoulder portion 20 is in a contracted state, the composite container 10A can be prevented from becoming bulky. As a result, for example, it is possible to save space in the storage area for storing the composite container 10A.

In addition, according to this embodiment, in the extended state, the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90 is located on the first shoulder portion 21. In the contracted state, the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90 is raised above the container body 10. As a result, when separating and removing the plastic member 90 from the container body 10, the shoulder portion 20 is put into the contracted state, making it easier for the user to grasp the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90. This allows the user to easily remove the plastic member 90 from the container body 10.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the thickness T3 of the bottom portion 30 is thicker than the thickness T1 of the shoulder portion 20, and the thickness T2 of the body portion 13 is thicker than the thickness T3 of the bottom portion 30. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the body portion 13 when the shoulder portion 20 expands and contracts. This allows the shoulder portion 20 to deform (expand and contract) firmly.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the bottom 30 has a recess 31 and a grounding portion 32 provided around the recess 31, and the depth De of the recess 31 is 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less. As a result, when the composite containers 10A are stacked vertically, the mouth 11 of one composite container 10A can be stored in the recess 31 of the bottom 30 of the other composite container 10A. This allows multiple composite containers 10A to be stored compactly.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90 is located on the first shoulder 21 in the extended state. However, this is not limited thereto, and for example, as shown in FIG. 16, the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90 may be located on the annular portion 22 in the extended state. Even in this case, as shown in FIG. 17, the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90 floats up from the container body 10 in the contracted state. Specifically, the plastic member 90 floats up from the annular portion 22 of the shoulder 20. Therefore, when separating and removing the plastic member 90 from the container body 10, the shoulder 20 is put into a contracted state, making it easier for the user to grasp the upper end 95 of the plastic member 90. Therefore, the user can easily remove the plastic member 90 from the container body 10.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a composite container 10A is produced from the composite preform 40A shown in Figures 9 to 11. However, it goes without saying that the shape of the preform for producing the above-described composite container 10A is not limited to this.

The components disclosed in the above embodiments and modifications may be combined as needed. Alternatively, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above embodiments and modifications.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1A Composite container assembly 1B Composite container assembly containing contents 10 Container body 10A Composite container 10B Composite container containing contents 10Aa Composite container 10Ab Composite container 10Ba Composite container containing contents 10Bb Composite container containing contents 11 Mouth 13 Body 20 Shoulder 21 First shoulder 22 Annular portion 23 Second shoulder 30 Bottom 31 Recess 32 Grounding portion 80 Cap 90 Plastic member 95 Upper end CL1 Central axis

Claims (10)

A composite container comprising:
A container body made of a plastic material;
a plastic member provided in close contact with and surrounding the outside of the container body;
The container body includes:
A container having a mouth, a shoulder, a body, and a bottom;
The shoulder portion is configured to be expandable and contractible along the central axis direction of the container body,
A composite container, wherein the height of the shoulder portion in a contracted state is 40% or more and 98% or less of the height of the shoulder portion in an extended state. The shoulder portion is
A first shoulder portion is located on the mouth portion side and expands in diameter from the mouth portion side toward the body portion side;
A second shoulder portion located on the body portion side and expanding in diameter from the mouth portion side toward the body portion side;
an annular portion located between the first shoulder and the second shoulder,
The composite container according to claim 1 , wherein the shoulder portion expands or contracts as a result of the deformation of the annular portion. In the extended state, an upper end of the plastic member is located on the first shoulder portion or the annular portion,
The composite container according to claim 2 , wherein in the contracted state, the upper end of the plastic member floats above the container body. The composite container according to claim 1, wherein the width of the body is 150 mm or more and 280 mm or less. The thickness of the bottom portion is greater than the thickness of the shoulder portion,
The composite container according to claim 1 , wherein the body portion has a thickness greater than a thickness of the bottom portion. The composite container according to claim 1, wherein the bottom portion includes a recess and a ground portion provided around the recess, and the depth of the recess is 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less. A composite container assembly having a plurality of composite containers,
The composite container comprises:
A container body made of a plastic material;
a plastic member provided in close contact with and surrounding the outside of the container body;
The container body includes:
A container having a mouth, a shoulder, a body, and a bottom,
The shoulder portion is configured to be expandable and contractible along the central axis of the container body,
The height of the shoulder portion in the contracted state is 40% or more and 98% or less of the height of the shoulder portion in the extended state,
The bottom portion includes a recess and a ground portion provided around the recess,
one of the composite containers is stacked on top of another of the composite containers;
the shoulder of the other composite container is in the contracted state,
A composite container assembly, wherein a mouth portion of the other composite container is housed in the recess portion of the first composite container. The composite container assembly according to claim 7, wherein the depth of the recess is 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less. A content-containing composite container combination including a plurality of content-containing composite containers,
The composite container containing the content is
A container body made of a plastic material, the container body having a mouth, a shoulder, a body, and a bottom, and filled with a content;
a plastic member provided in close contact with and surrounding the outside of the container body;
A cap attached to the mouth portion,
The shoulder portion is configured to be expandable and contractible along the central axis of the container body,
The height of the shoulder portion in the contracted state is 40% or more and 98% or less of the height of the shoulder portion in the extended state,
the bottom portion includes a recess and a ground portion provided around the recess,
one of the composite containers is stacked on top of another of the composite containers;
the shoulder of the other composite container is in the contracted state,
A composite container assembly containing contents, wherein the mouth of the other composite container and the cap attached to the mouth are housed within the recess of the first composite container. The composite container assembly containing the contents according to claim 9, wherein the depth of the recess is 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

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