JPH10157737A - Bellows container controlling contraction of bellows - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive bellows container which can naturally retain the contents while keeping the volume of the using container to become substantially almost the same with the volume of the rest of the contents. SOLUTION: The contraction action of a bellows is freely controlled in a bellows container which can retain the contracted shape and which is provided with a circular dint 7 at the upper wall part 4 or the lower wall part 5 of the bellows 8. The dint 7 reduces the deforming resistance of the wall and concentratively absorbs the compressive energy or the suction energy against the container 10 to differentially start to lead it in the bellows or lead it out of the bellows and closely stick the wall to the other wall side. By this action, a necessary compressive force or a suction force is lessened in comparison with the conventional cases and further, the wall of contraction side can be selected. And the folding direction of the bellows can be standardized by the selectivity. Moreover, a selective control of the contractive order of the bellows can be realized by the selective control of the size of respective dents.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an elastic bellows container or bellows container, and more particularly to a bellows container having a controlled shrinking action and shape.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a bellows container made of plastic or synthetic resin, a side wall of a container body, which is generally in the shape of a bottle, is formed into a bellows shape, and contents such as a viscous liquid, a paste, and a gel are generally formed. Its main purpose is to push it out efficiently. The individual bellows (bellows body) of a conventional bellows container generally have a simple abacus outer ring shape and bulge or bulge from the container body in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container.

[0003]

However, the conventional bellows container having such a shape has a repulsive force and a shape restoring force which act on the upper and lower walls of each bellows of the bellows to prevent compression (or suction). The compression (or suction) required an extra external compression force (suction external force) which was originally undesirable.

[0004] In addition, as the thickness of the bellows is thicker or the material thereof is harder, it is more difficult to fold the bellows. Furthermore, the contracted shape of each bellow was apt to be irregular, and the entire shape of the shrinking container including the contents was distorted, the center of gravity was off the vertical axis, and the standing container became unstable. These disadvantages were likewise disadvantageous when filling the contents.

[0005] Furthermore, the bellows once contracted naturally returned to the original shape when the external compression force (external suction force) was removed. For this reason, inconvenient outside air is also sucked in the process of using the container, which raises a problem of deterioration of the contents.

Further, when discarding or collecting used containers or reusing them as resources, the volume of a bellows container whose shape has been restored or a rigid container such as a PET bottle has become a major problem.

Various improvements have been made to date to improve the disadvantages of such conventional bellows containers.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-156032 discloses a "bellows container" (applicant: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.) in which the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of each bellow have different inclination angles (one is 39). From {30 'to 40}, the other from 49 \ 30' to 5
1 ゜) Or, the height ratio between the upper wall and the lower wall is set to 5: 7 or 7: 5, or the thickness of the bellows portion is made relatively thin so that the bellows can be opened and closed and folded smoothly. A "straight" bellows configuration intended to be performed is disclosed. However, the bellows container according to the present invention still has a problem of repulsion against the compression (suction) force due to the "straight" shape of the bellows, and does not solve the problem of restoring the shape of the bellows. Furthermore, since the lengths of the upper and lower wall portions of each bellows are substantially different, a substantially intimate contact state between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of each bellows cannot be obtained, or the "valley portions" of each bellows are not connected. As a result, the bellows are not completely shrunk.

[0009] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-19253, "Foldable hollow article having improved tightening and dispensing shape"
(Applicant: William Touzani) has designed an improved "fold ring" at the hinge inside the container, mainly to prevent material deterioration of the valley (hinge) of each bellow and to facilitate folding of the bellow. providing. The fold ring is provided across the upper wall and the lower wall of each bellow at the inner hinge portion (that is, it is provided equally on both the upper and lower walls).

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, in blow molding, which is a general method of manufacturing a bellows container, the fold ring becomes thick, and a considerable effect can be expected in reducing the compression (suction) force of each bellows. It does not address the problem of shape restoring force, nor does it intend to substantially adhere to the upper wall and the lower wall. Furthermore, since the lengths of the upper and lower wall portions are substantially different, the upper and lower wall portions of each bellow do not substantially adhere to each other, or the valley portions do not overlap each other, and the completely contracted state of each bellow is substantially reduced. Not achieved.

A bellows container proposed by Japanese Patent Publication No. 64-58660, "two-way stable container" (applicant: The Procter End Gamble) has a bellows having upper and lower walls having an arc-shaped cross section. The bellows are used, and it is assumed that the vertical cross section of each bellows is substantially semicircular. Although this container is intended to be stretched upward and expanded, even if applied to compression (suction), the external force of compression (suction) is almost evenly distributed to the upper and lower walls of each bellow, and the compression energy is reduced. Is consumed as expansion energy in the outward direction of the bellows in general or strain energy acting in the inward direction of the bellows, and furthermore, the two walls near the top of the bellows repel each other almost uniformly in the vertical direction. It is consumed as energy and does not concentrate on the energy-saving and efficient pushing action of bellows contents.

The reason for this is that the upper and lower wall portions are formed in substantially the same shape, and there is no substantial difference between the respective repulsion actions. On the annular top of each bellow,
Annular small protrusions are provided horizontally or outside the straddle over the upper and lower walls, and although "resulting" the repulsion of the bellows is somewhat reduced, the annular small protrusions are provided. Are equally provided on the upper and lower walls, and no difference in the retraction of the upper and lower walls is intended. In addition, the folding directions of the bellows are not logically unified, and there is a strong possibility that a collision repulsion acts between the contracted and curved bellows.

When applied as a container for compression (suction), the essential feature of this bellows shape (semicircle)
Although the problem of the shape restoring force of each bellow is dealt with "consequently", the bellows have a semicircular cross-sectional shape even if one of the walls shrinks as a result of the external force of compression (absorption). Therefore, it takes a long time for the wall to turn over, and the shape restoring force of the shrinking wall does not disappear until the final stage of bellows shrinkage. That is, when a container having such a bellows shape is used as a compression (shrinkage) container, it is general that the shape restoring action of the bellows still functions during the use process.

The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-192 is attached to the inner hinge portion.
A generally ring shape similar to that of No. 53 is provided, but not for the upper and lower walls of the bellows. When a container having such a bellows shape is used as a normal bellows container, the presence of the ring body hinders the substantial close contact between the upper and lower walls of each bellow when the bellows is contracted. , Making it difficult to substantially completely discharge the contents of the bellows.

The present invention has been devised in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to control a vertical repulsive force inherent in the upper and lower walls of each bellows of the bellows. To provide a bellows container capable of facilitating the compression work.

Another object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate the restoring force of the bellows once substantially fully contracted or semi-contracted, so that the volume of the container in use is substantially the same as the volume of the residual contents. An object of the present invention is to provide a bellows container that can be naturally held as it is. Yet another object of the invention is to provide
It is to provide a bellows shape embodying the features of the present invention on the side wall of a relatively hard container such as a so-called PET bottle, and to provide a bellows container attaining the above object at low cost. That is.

[0017] Another object of the present invention pertains essentially to the bellows container of the present invention.

[0018]

The gist of the present invention is as set forth in the appended claims.

According to the bellows container of the present invention, one of the upper wall portion 4 and the lower wall portion 5 of each bellows of the bellows container has an annular concave band portion or an annular dint deformed inside the bellows 8. : Dent: simply Dint) 7
Is provided adjacent to the top 2 or adjacent to an annular valley 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as a valley) 3 located in the container body portion. 7, 7 can be provided. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the dent 7 is a continuous band provided substantially parallel to the top 2 or the valley 3 of the bellows (generally annular) 8, "Inward deformation" means that in a vertical cross section when the bellows 8 are arranged horizontally, a vertical inward depression occurs.
It is doing.

Next, according to the bellows container of the present invention,
Deformation force (rotational moment and / or second moment of area) acting on the dent provided to promote concentrated absorption of stress (moment) due to external compression or suction force, and the shape of the other wall (bulging shape) Or, due to the combined action of the deformation resistance force (repulsive force and shape restoring force) due to the flat shape), the shrinkage of the wall portion including the dent inward of the bellows is further facilitated and the wall portion intended to shrink is reduced. The side (upper wall or lower wall) can be selected. That is, when the bellows container of the present invention is compressed (suctioned) in the vertical axis direction or the vertical direction, the wall portion including the dent of each bellows intensively absorbs the external compression force (external suction force) and preferentially absorbs the inside of the bellows. To the other wall portion, which keeps almost the entire current shape, and closes inside each bellows, and finally can be substantially adhered. In the bellows shrinking process, each bellows has a shape whose top is curved toward the wall including the dent.

Next, according to the bellows container of the present invention,
If the dent is provided on the same side wall (upper wall or lower wall) of each bellows, the bellows in the shrinking process will always bend and bend in the same direction (upward or downward) and be overlapped. It will be folded. By unifying the bending directions of the bellows in this way, it is possible to prevent the bellows that are adjacently curved from colliding with each other and obstructing the contraction action of the container.

Further, the size, design, etc. of the dents are adjusted for each bellow, and the contraction order of the bellows is controlled by providing a difference in the stress absorbing action of each dent, and the external compression force (external suction force) is temporally reduced. It is possible to concentrate substantially on one bellows, and by controlling the size of the dent, the required temporal compression force (suction force) can be reduced.

According to the bellows container of the present invention described above, the operation of compressing (suctioning) even a relatively hard container such as a PET bottle can be facilitated.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The bellows container of the present invention is manufactured and provided by so-called blow molding. Since this molding method is suitable for mass production, the final product can be provided at low cost.

One of the essential features of the blow molding is that
The thickness of the container wall becomes relatively thinner as the distance from the central longitudinal axis of the molded container increases, and the thickness of the container wall near the central longitudinal axis becomes relatively thicker. A blow molded bellows container that does not take this feature into account is not practical.
Also, it is not practical to ignore the limit of the shape that can be formed by blow molding. The bellows container of the present invention has a shape that fully takes into account these and other blow molding features and limitations.

However, not only blow molding but also other molding methods well known in the art may be used to manufacture the bellows container of the present invention. The invention is not intended to limit the materials used. Natural or synthetic resins including plastic materials or rubber commonly used in the art can be used.

Each bellows 8 of the bellows container 10 of the present invention
Basically utilizes the form of an outer annular portion of a disk having a thickness in the center. Such a "basic" of the present invention
Each of the bellows 8 having a shape includes an annular upper wall (hereinafter simply referred to as an upper wall) 4 and an annular lower wall (hereinafter simply referred to as a lower wall) 5 of each bellow 8 when the container 10 is arranged in the vertical direction. It is slightly rounded upward and downward and swells. When the container 10 is compressed (or sucked) in the vertical direction, only one of the walls (the upper wall 4 or the lower wall 5) of the bellows 8 of this shape contracts with inversion inside. When retreating to a position just before a horizontal plane passing through the annular outer edge top portion (hereinafter simply referred to as the top portion) 2 to which both walls are joined, it completely reverses and tries to adhere (closely contact) to the other bellows wall side which substantially retains the original shape as a whole. The mechanical action that works.

That is, each bellows 8 whose one wall portion is completely inverted or "sufficiently" loses its shape restoring action. In the process of shrinking, each bellows 8 has its tip end, that is, the top 2 curved and warped toward the shrunken wall side,
The bellows 8 are stacked in a state of being substantially in close contact with each other. The gist of the present invention includes controlling such a contraction action of each bellows 8 as intended.

The bellows container 10 is supposed to have a circular horizontal cross section cut along a plane (horizontal plane) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 1 of the container 10, but the bellows container of the present invention is circular. It is not limited to a cross section. The horizontal cross section may be elliptical, elliptical, rectangular, etc., and non-limiting variations thereof. So here we use
The term "annular" does not mean only a true annular band or an annular band, but also includes a deformed ring shape.

Further, the bellows shape of the present invention is the same as the above "
Not only the "basic shape", but also if one wall of the bellows is substantially flat (vertical cross-sectional shape is straight), or
Even the entire bulge (bulged inside the bellows) provides the effect of the present invention described below.

One of the upper wall 4 and the lower wall 5 of each bellows 8 of the bellows container 10 of the present invention has an annular concave band or an annular dent (di) deformed inside the bellows 8.
nt: dent (hereinafter simply referred to as dent) 7 is provided adjacent its top or adjacent to an annular valley (hereinafter simply valley) 3 located in the container body. It is also possible to provide this dint in the two places on one wall. Other forms are introduced below.

As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the dent 7 is a continuous band provided substantially parallel to the top 2 or valley 3 of the bellows (generally annular) 8, "Inward deformation" means that the bellows 8 are depressed inward in the vertical direction in a vertical cross section when the bellows 8 are arranged horizontally.

The deformation force (rotational moment and / or second moment of area) acting on the dent provided to promote the concentrated absorption of the stress (moment) due to the external force of compression or suction, and the shape of the other wall ( By the combined action of the deformation resistance (repulsive force and shape restoring force) due to the bulging shape or the planar shape, the indentation of the wall including the dent inward of the bellows is further facilitated, and the intention is to reduce the indentation. It is possible to select the side of the wall (upper wall or lower wall) to be used. That is, the bellows container 10 of the present invention
Is compressed (sucked) in the vertical or vertical direction,
The wall portion including the dent 7 of each bellows 8 absorbs the external compressive force (external suction force) in a concentrated manner, preferentially contracts to the inside of the bellows, and further reverses to keep the almost current overall shape of the other wall. Portion and within each bellows, and eventually substantially adhered. In the bellows shrinking process, each bellows 8 has a shape whose top is curved toward the wall including the dent 7.

If the dents 7 are provided on the same wall (upper wall 4 or lower wall 5) of each bellows 8, the bellows in the shrinking process are always curved in the same direction (upward or downward). Then, it will be bent back and folded. By unifying the bending directions of the bellows in this way, it is possible to prevent the bellows that are adjacently curved from colliding with each other and obstructing the contraction action of the container.

Further, the size, design, etc. of the dents are adjusted for each bellow, the contraction order of the bellows is controlled by providing a difference in the stress absorbing action of each dent, and the external compression force (external suction force) is temporally reduced. It is possible to concentrate substantially on one bellows. By controlling the size of the dent, the required temporal compression force (suction force) can be reduced, and even a relatively hard container such as a PET bottle can be easily compressed (suctioned). Can be

[0036]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a bellows shape according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upper wall portion 4 and the lower wall portion 5 of each bellow 8 have a shape which is slightly rounded upward and downward and bulges, respectively, as a whole. As used herein, the term “bulge” refers to the outward direction (generally upward or downward) of the bellows 8 as shown
It is the shape that bulges out. This swelling degree is
It is appropriately determined according to various factors such as the intended use of the bellows container 10 (the type of contents to be stored, etc.), the material, the size, and the like. In this case (and in all the embodiments described below), the compression or suction direction is the vertical axis, that is, the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the dent 7 is provided on the lower wall 5 of the bellows 8 adjacent to the top 2. As described above, the “dint” is a generally annular continuous concave band, and the same applies to each of the embodiments described below. The tip of the dent 7 adjacent to the top 2 is generally shaped substantially horizontally. Dint 7 top (deepest)
Generally does not cross a central horizontal plane passing through the bellows top 2. The overall shape, depth, overall length, etc. of this dinto are appropriately determined by various factors such as the overall shape and size of the bellows, the material of the container, the use, and the shrinkage characteristics desired for the bellows. It is.

Generally, the longer the width (w) of the dent 7 itself, the faster the compressive stress is absorbed, and the shrinkage of the wall into the bellows starts easily. Also, in general, as the vertical width or depth (d) of the dent 7 increases, the in-bellow contraction of the wall portion starts easily. The degree of local inclination of the dent 7 also contributes to this effect. That is, the shrinking action of the wall is related to the overall design of the bellows container 10 and the dent 7. The vertical cross-sectional shape of the dent may be a combination of curves of other shapes, a combination of straight lines, a combination of straight lines and curves, or the like, in addition to the example shown in FIG. Also, the degree of inclination (angle) of the curve (straight line) is appropriately determined based on comprehensive judgment such as the purpose of use.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in blow molding, this dent 7 is characterized by its deformation characteristics.
The overall thickness is smaller than the corresponding portion of the upper wall portion 4. This is because the entire length (extended state) of the dent 7 is substantially longer than the corresponding portion of the upper wall. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that Dint 7
Is molded with substantially less material than the corresponding portion of the upper wall. For these reasons, the entire dent 7 is substantially more flexible than the corresponding portion of the upper wall. Accordingly, additional advantages are provided to the mechanical effects of the dints of the present invention, which are described in detail below.

When the bellows container 10 is compressed in the up and down direction (the function is also applied to the case of suction from the opening), firstly, stress is applied to the valleys 3 on both the upper and lower sides of the bellows 8 in the downward and upward directions, respectively. In essence, the upper wall 4 and the lower wall 5 are converted to a mechanical action of rotating the upper wall 4 and the lower wall 5 downward and upward, respectively, with the top 2 as a mechanical fulcrum (rotation moment). At this time, the dent 7 provided in contact with the top portion 2 of the lower wall portion 5 transfers this rotational moment to the upper wall portion due to the characteristic of its shape (the deformation resistance force in the upward direction is relatively weakened). Concentrated absorption in priority to the corresponding part of 4,
Start retreating inward (upward) of the bellows (convert the rotational moment into a secondary moment of area with a dent and absorb it)
(FIG. 1a).

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, this phenomenon (action) is also assisted by the action of the deformation resistance inward of the bellows due to the bulging shape of the upper wall portion 4 outside (upward). . Dispersion of the compressive force on the upper wall 4 is substantially avoided,
The compression force required to start the retreat is substantially smaller than when the dent 7 does not exist. That is, the resilience of the entire bellows is substantially reduced.

When the rotational moment due to the compression is continuously provided, the dent 7 becomes the valley 3 continuous with the dent 7.
The remaining lower wall portion 5 on the side is gradually inverted and deformed, and the entire lower wall portion 5 gradually contracts toward the inside of the bellows. Most of the compression energy acting up and down is absorbed and consumed as deformation energy into the lower wall 5 of each bellows 8, and the bellows 8
The upper wall 4 essentially does not change its overall shape.

As described above, when the entire bellows contracts, that is, the lower wall part further degenerates, the entire lower wall part starts to turn over. After this inversion, the lower wall degenerates into the bellows, that is, approaches the upper wall, obtains an upward mechanical moment, and the lower wall loses its shape restoring force (FIG. 1b). .

That is, the repulsive force of the lower wall portion 5 in the outer (lower) direction of the bellows changes its direction to the inner (upper) direction of the bellows after the lower wall portion 5 is completely inverted, and the bellows 8 change its contracted shape. Substantially maintained. Contents inside bellows (not shown)
When the bellows 8 is completely extruded, the upper wall portion 4 and the lower wall portion 5 of the bellows 8 are substantially in close contact with each other and maintain the close contact state (FIG.
c). The bellows 8 in which the substantially adhered state is achieved has a flat shape, and the deformation resistance is substantially eliminated.

Preferably, the overall length of the upper wall 4 and the lower wall 5 including the dent 7 are substantially the same. That is, when the upper wall portion 4 and the lower wall portion 5 are substantially in close contact with each other, it is advantageous that substantially no strain is generated in any of them. This is essentially a matter of the overall design of the dent 7 and the other parts of the lower wall 5 and of the upper wall 4.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which a dent 7 is provided adjacent a valley in the lower wall of the bellows. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the dent in this case also provides an action similar to that of the above-described example. When the bellows container receives vertical pressure, the lower wall portion starts to contract into the bellows in preference to the upper wall portion.

That is, the vertical compressive force acting on the upper and lower valleys is essentially converted into a rotational moment of the upper and lower walls with the top as a mechanical fulcrum. Here, a temporary conflict of the rotational moment in the vertical direction occurs near the top, but this conflict is easily resolved by the action of the dent in the valley. The lower wall intensively absorbs the dent while converting the rotational moment into a second moment of area. The overall shape change of the lower wall portion and the upper wall portion and the operation thereof substantially correspond to those of the above-described embodiment (FIGS.
c).

FIG. 3 shows still another embodiment of the present invention in which both features of the two embodiments are simultaneously adopted. Although the operation and effect of this embodiment are substantially the same as those of the above-described two embodiments, the lower wall portion of the bellow in this embodiment more easily starts to contract toward the inside of the bellow by the operation of both dents 7. There will be.

Although not shown, it is of course possible to provide the dents of each of the above three examples not to the lower wall but to the upper wall of each bellow. In that case, all the above-mentioned actions and effects of the dent occur in the upper wall of the bellows. That is, the upper wall portion of the bellows approaches and substantially adheres to the lower wall portion.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which a dent 7 is provided adjacent to the top of the upper wall of each bellows that are connected vertically. In this embodiment, the bellows adjacent to each other are prevented from colliding with each other when they contract, and the contraction and folding of the bellows container proceeds more smoothly. FIG. 5 shows the state when the contraction and folding are completed.

FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.
Since a so-called PET bottle is hard, simply using a conventional bellows shape on its side limits the effective use of the bellows due to problems such as repulsive force and shape restoring force. Although the bellows shape of each of the above embodiments can be applied to a hard container such as a PET bottle, the present embodiment is particularly suitable for use in a relatively hard container. However, it is equally suitable to apply the features of this embodiment to a relatively soft bellows container.

The three bellows shown are part of the bellows of the bellows container, and have different sizes of dents 7 at the tip of the lower wall of each bellows. Say here "
"Size" is a concept that includes the degree of deformation, and generally includes the concept of the length and depth of a dent. In general, it may be convenient to express the area by the vertical cross-sectional shape of the dent. It does not exclude the concept of angle and the like.
Therefore, the one having a large effect of the dent according to the concept of the present invention is defined as a “large” size, and the small one is defined as a “small” size.

In this embodiment, the dimming of the uppermost bellows in this embodiment is larger than that of the central bellows by this "size".
Is larger and the center bellows dent is larger than the bottom bellows dent. Due to the characteristics of the dent function described above with respect to dent, in this case, the lower wall of the uppermost bellow first absorbs the compressive force in the vertical direction, and starts to contract and reverse first. The lowermost bellow finally begins to contract.

By intentionally shifting the start of contraction of each bellow in this way, the required temporal compressive force is reduced, and even if the container is a rigid container such as a PET bottle, the bellows can be compressed relatively easily. Becomes possible. Due to the above-mentioned features of the present invention, each bellow loses its shape restoring force as described above and maintains its contracted shape even in a hard bellows container.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which dents 7 of different sizes are provided on the valley side of the lower wall of the bellows as described above. In this example, the size of the dent increases as it goes down. In this case, the lowermost bellows will begin to contract first.

If the features of the present invention (size control of Dint 7) described in the above two examples are applied to the entire bellows of the bellows container, when the bellows start contracting, that is, the order of the bellows to start contracting is intentionally determined. It becomes possible to control.
This order is a matter of choice. There is no need to gradually change the size according to the order of the bellows. It would be possible to start contracting in both directions from near the center.

Further, as mentioned above, this feature may be provided on both the top side and the valley side. It is of course possible to provide such a dirt on the upper wall of the bellows.

By applying this feature of the present invention, it is possible to contract the bellows substantially in units of bellows (each bellow). Therefore, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, not only the effective use of the compression energy but also the process up to the reversal of one side wall of each bellows that has started to be compressed, all the bellows start contracting substantially simultaneously. The bellows will be substantially shorter than before, and the individual shape-restoring action of the individual bellows will also be eliminated earlier, and the maintenance of the contracted shape at each stage of use of the bellows container will be further ensured.

As a specific example of use, in the case of a hard plastic bottle containing a carbonated beverage, the contents (carbonated beverage)
In essence, the bottles shrink gently for each bellow to minimize air entry into the bottles and minimize the release of carbonic acid during the preservation process. It will be easy and secure.

FIG. 8 shows an application embodiment of the present invention. This application example is a bellows shape that uses the mechanical characteristics of the dent described above from a different perspective. The dent 7 is adjacent to the top at the lower wall of the bellow, and the valley is adjacent to the valley at the upper wall. Dint 7 '. As described above, when the container is subjected to the vertical compression force, the dent 7 on the lower wall adjacent to the top starts to contract preferentially inward (upward) of the bellows, and the dent 7 on the upper wall adjacent to the valley starts. Dint 7 'also starts shrinking inward (downward) of the bellows. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the deformation energy of the wall due to the rotational moment with the top as the mechanical fulcrum is essentially more relative to the dent 7 adjacent to the top than to the dent 7 'adjacent to the valley. Absorbed with priority. Thus, as shown in FIG.
As a whole, the lower wall contracts toward the upper wall.

Dint 7 'on the upper wall promotes the overall deformation of the bellows from above. What is important is that these upper and lower dents 7, 7 'do not overlap in the vertical direction, so that no mutual obstructive repulsion occurs between them, and therefore they do not interfere with the contraction of the entire bellows. It is. 8b and 8c show the bellows contraction process following FIG. 8a.

However, the dent 7 'provided adjacent to the valley may be substantially larger in size than the dent 7 provided adjacent to the top, or, depending on the overall design of the bellows, vice versa. The upper wall may be substantially adhered to the lower wall.

Although not shown, it is also possible to provide a dent adjacent to the top of the upper wall and the valley of the lower wall, contrary to this example. In this case, the action of the upper and lower walls of the bellows is opposite to that of the present example.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view showing a bellows shape according to a special embodiment of the present invention. In this special example, the lower wall portion of the bellows has a shape which swells entirely into the bellows. This shape is the case where the dent 7 is provided as a single ring from the top of the lower wall to the entire length of the valley. Even such a bellows shape provides the aforementioned bellows action of the present invention. That is, this Dint is
Dint provides the same effect as in the previous embodiment where the dent was provided adjacent the top.

The bellows of this shape are used to store the contents (not shown).
When filled, the lower wall portion may bulge outward (downward) due to the weight of the contents, and may have the above-described basic bellows shape as a whole, but as will be easily understood by those skilled in the art, Also in this case, due to the characteristics of the molding, the portion of the lower wall adjacent to the bellows top and the portion adjacent to the bellows valley substantially retain the above-mentioned dent shape. Due to these "dints" and the action of the lower wall portion from its original shape, the lower wall portion easily begins to shrink inward of the bellows in preference to the upper wall portion. Providing such an "elongated" dent on the upper wall is substantially the same, except that the effect is upside down.

FIG. 10 shows a bellows shape according to another special embodiment of the present invention. The top wall of the bellows of this particular example is substantially straight in vertical cross-section, and the dents are provided adjacent the top of the bellows on the bottom wall. As described above, the straight wall portion is formed to be substantially thicker than the curved wall portion. Thus, the aforementioned inward deformation resistance provided by the bulging shape is partially compensated for by the relative and additional deformation resistance provided by the thickness.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, even in this case, the lower wall provided with a "valid" dent adjacent the top will preferentially retract into the bellows.
It is also possible to provide an effective dent adjacent the valley of the lower wall. The vertical cross section of the lower wall may be substantially straight and the upper wall may be provided with such a dent.

Although not shown, if desired, the bellows container of the present invention may be formed in a bellows shape utilizing only the features of the present invention described above in part. In addition, the overall shape of the bellows container (vertical cross-sectional shape)
May have a substantially cylindrical shape, a substantially truncated cone shape, a substantially inverted truncated cone shape, a combination thereof, or a non-limiting deformation thereof.

Further, the bellows container of the present invention can be effectively implemented by appropriately combining the features of the above several embodiments. For example, although not shown, dints could be provided alternately adjacent to the top or valley for each bellows. Alternatively, the bellows may be turned upside down from the center of the bellows.

The bellows container of the present invention has been described based on several embodiments, application examples and special examples. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these further modifications, improvements and other applications are possible. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is described in the claims.

[0072]

As described above, according to the bellows container of the present invention, the vertical repulsive force inherent in the upper and lower walls of each bellows of the bellows is controlled to be weakened, thereby facilitating the compression work. And the restoring force of the bellows that has been substantially completely contracted or semi-contracted can be substantially eliminated. Even a relatively hard container such as a so-called PET bottle can provide a bellows shape embodying the features of the present invention on the side wall. The bellows container after use maintains a substantially fully contracted shape, allowing for dumping / recovery with minimal volume.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a bellows container according to one embodiment of the present invention, and a part of the bellows container is enlarged for the purpose of explaining the shape of the bellows. In addition, (a)-in a figure
(C) is the fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view shown for demonstrating the contraction process of a bellows.

FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a bellows shape according to another embodiment of the present invention. (A) to (c) in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view shown for explaining a contraction process of the bellows.

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a bellows shape according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a part of a bellows form of the bellows container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a contraction completed shape of the bellows form of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a part of a bellows form according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a part of a bellows form according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a bellows shape according to an application example of the present invention. (A) to (c) in the figure are
FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view shown for explaining a contraction process of the bellows.

FIG. 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a bellows shape according to a special example of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a bellows shape according to still another special example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vertical axis 2 ... Top part 3 ... Valley part 4 ... Upper wall part 5 ... Lower wall part 7 ... Dint 7 '... Dint 8 ... Bellow 10 ... Bellows container d ... Vertical width or depth of Dint w ... Width of Dint itself

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A bellows container including a plurality of bellows each having an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, wherein at least a part of each of the plurality of bellows is one of an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion. Comprises a dent that is substantially deformed inwardly of the bellows. 2. The bellows container of claim 1, wherein said dent is provided adjacent to a bellows top. 3. The bellows container according to claim 1, wherein the dent is provided adjacent to a bellows valley. 4. The bellows container according to claim 1, wherein the dents are provided adjacent to two points, that is, a bellows top and a bellows valley. 5. The bellows container according to claim 1, wherein the dent is provided integrally from the top of one wall to the entire length of the valley. 6. The bellows container according to claim 1, wherein the cross section of the wall not provided with the dent is substantially straight along the longitudinal axis of the container. 7. At least a portion of the at least one bellows provided with the dent has one wall portion not provided with the dent bulging substantially in a bellows outward direction, and 2. The bellows container according to claim 1, wherein the other wall portion provided also has a wall portion other than the dent bulging substantially in a bellows outward direction. 8. The dent of each of a plurality of bellows of at least a part of the plurality of bellows is provided integrally on an upper wall portion or a lower wall portion, and the contraction and folding directions of the bellows are unified. The bellows container according to claim 1, wherein 9. A bellows container including a plurality of bellows each having an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, wherein at least a part of the plurality of bellows promotes deformation of one wall portion inward of the bellows. A bellows container, comprising a dent substantially deformed inwardly of the bellows adjacent to a bellows top of one of the walls and a bellows valley of the other wall. 10. The bellows provided with the dent has at least a part of at least a part of the bellows, and the entire shape of both the wall portions is substantially bulged outward in the bellows direction. Bellows container. 11. The bellows of at least a part of the plurality of bellows are provided in the bellows in the same form so as to unify the contraction and folding direction of the bellows. The bellows container according to claim 9, wherein 12. The size of each of the dents is selectively controlled so as to selectively control the start of contraction of at least some of the plurality of bellows. Claim 1 or 9
The bellows container as described.