Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D23/00—Details of bottles or jars not otherwise provided for
  • B65D23/10—Handles
  • B65D23/104—Handles formed separately

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an improved handle for the production of containers by blow molding process of preforms, and which incorporate at least one pre-inserted handle therein and, more specifically, to an improved handle for containers that incorporate at least one pre-inserted handle during the forming of the container.
• the present invention finds particular application in the field of PET blow- molded containers and/or polypropylene containers.
• the document WO 0107233 describes an apparatus for blow molding of containers starting from a "preform'' (i.e., the item which has been obtained by injection molding, and that will be subsequently blown into a mold to obtain a container).
• the apparatus that carries out the molding of the container consists of two half-molds to be subsequently coupled in order to form the container and inside of which are previously inserted both the preform and the handle thereof.
• the handles may have different shapes but all have mating ends designed to be inserted through respective mating interlocking regions formed in the container, and during the forming process of the same.
• the handle With regard to the sizing of the handle and in order to ensure the best functionajity thereof, it is necessary that the same must satisfy certain requirements of shape, strength, and functional coupling associated with the container. For example, the handle must never be uncoupled from the container during the handling of the latter.
• the thickness of the body of the container must be adequate for the encapsulation of the handle and at the same time for giving the necessary structural strength;
• the thickness of the body of the container must be designed and be suitable for transportation of material
• the geometry of the coupling between the container and the handle corresponding to the regions of encapsulation must be such as not to interfere with the blowing process, and in order to guarantee the perfect shaping of the container, and at the same time, such as to cause the inclusion of the handle parts within the body of the container;
• the geometry of coupling between the container and handle shall be such as to maintain proper distance between the handle and the container to ensure proper gripping, and minimizing the flexibility of the handle itself.
• the problems listed above are even worst when the container is a large container to be formed, such as for example containers for mineral water, and the like and which reach large volumes and heavy weights.
• the present invention aims to solve the problems outlined above by providing an improved handle for a container, and the blown container that includes at least one of such pre-inserted handle during the forming of the former.
• One object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and disadvantages by providing an improved handle for the production of containers that incorporate at least one pre-inserted handle therein, which provides a minimum handle diameter and a high rigidity of the same, while ensuring functionality and reliability.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a handle for an improved production of containers that incorporate at least one pre'-inserted handle within the former, which is of a suitable size for the use for which it is intended, and which provides coupling regions with the container that are of extreme rationalization, and in order to guarantee the perfect shaping of the respective coupling regions of the associated container.
• a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved handle for the production of containers that incorporate at least one pre-inserted handle within the former, which shows both small size and extreme rigidity, and provides a proper distance between the handle and container to allow for proper gripping, and minimizing the flexibility of the handle itself.
• the present invention relates to an improved handle for the production of blown containers that incorporate at least one pre-inserted handle within them according to the annexed claims.
• the improved handle includes:
• - elongated part having two ends, the elongated part being suitable for gripping by a user for the handling of the container to which it is associated;
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a generic container that incorporates a pre- inserted handle during the shaping thereof;
• Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the container with the handle inserted, and according to Figure 1 ;
• Figures 3 to 5 are a respectively perspective views from one side, from another side, and side elevation view of the improved handle according to the present invention.
• Figure 6 is a partial longitudinal section view showing the coupling arrangement between the container and the improved handle according to the present invention, and when the latter is inserted into the container.
• FIG. 1 With reference now to figures 1 and 2, there is shown a container 1 obtained from a blowing process of a preform, and which incorporates an improved handle 2 according to the present invention.
• the handle 2 is housed in a fixed manner in a region 10 of the container, the region 10 being shaped to cooperate with the handle 2 in order to create a region of gripping and handling of the container 1 by the user.
• the handle 2 has an elongated central portion 21 which ends with two end portions 20 such that when the handle is placed in the container 1 , the end portions are substantially in contact with respective edge regions 11 of the region 10 of the container 1.
• the arrangement of the handle 2 on the region 10 has a profile which is very ergonomic, and a proper distance is maintained between the handle 2 and the container 1 in order to allow for proper gripping while minimizing the flexibility of the handle itself.
• the handle cross section 2 has a substantially double T shape. Thanks to this construction of the handle 2, it can be maximized the stiffness of the structure of the handle 2 itself.
• the side walls of the handle 2 are "open". In this way, can be achieved maximum penetration of cleansing liquid over the entire surface of the handle 2 , and at the same time, minimizing the drying times of the same.
• sections thickness, and sizes of the handle may vary depending on the intended use.
• the handle has a pair of 22 stem parts at the end regions of the same.
• the length of each stem part 22 is defined by the compromise between the need to ensure easy of accessibility of the hand for grasping thereof in the region 10 of the container (the latter not shown in the figures), and the need to minimize the overall dimensions and radial stresses onto the "bridge" (i.e., the central region 21 of the handle 2) both during transportation and during the blowing step.
• the length of the two stems 22 must be such as to guarantee a proper space between the region of the container 10 and the bridge 21 , which is usually within the range comprised between 20 and 35 mm.
• each stem part 22 ends with a coupling region 23 obtained on the end of the same, and shaped to cooperate when fitted within a respective complementary region 12 obtained on region 10 of the container 1 (not shown in figure and best illustrated here below).
• the geometry of the coupling regions 23 must guarantee the possibility to the material of the container 1 to surround these ends 23 during the forming step of the former, and to ensure that uncoupling is prevented during handling of the container 1.
• the geometry of the regions 23 must allow non-deformability of the same during the production step of the container 1.
• These coupling regions 23 may be trapezoidal, hammer headed, square, rectangular with rounded corners or edges, or round, or “mushroom” upside down.
• the transverse dimension of the end 23 should preferably be within the range of values between 20 and 30 mm.
• the structure of the handle includes a mesh 24 arrangement. This provision has proved that it is good to increase the rigidity of the handle 2 and also to avoid the deformation of the cross section of the handle 2 (that is, the "wings" of the double T cross section of the handle 2).
• the mesh structure improves the discharging of water during the washing cycles to which the container 1 is subjected when the same it is "refillable" type.
• each stem part 22 of the handle 2 is completely housed within the region 10 of the container 1 , each coupling region 23 is inserted into the respective undercut region 12, the latter being complementary shaped after the resulting blow molding process of the preform inside the relevant mold (not shown in the figures).
• the handle 2 is positioned in the container 1 in a condition in which the same it is fully seated in the region 10 of container 1 , and in such a way that the end regions 20 of the handle 2 are abutting on edge regions 1 1 of the region 10 of the container 1.
• the geometry of the coupling between regions 23 and regions 12 is such that it is guaranteed a perfect molding of the latter during the blow molding process, allowing the material of the container 1 to completely enclose the end regions 23. In this way, it is guaranteed to be prevented uncoupling of the regions 23 from regions 12.
• the handle 2 of the present invention can be produced with different materials depending on the use thereof, and the type of container 1 to which is intended for. Typically, among the preferred materials are indicated PET, Polypropylene, High Density Polyethylene.
• the handle 2 of the present invention is particularly suitable for container applications with "one way” and / or “refillable” PET.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (3)

Citations (7)

• 2010
  • 2010-10-21 IT ITRM2010A000563A patent/IT1403125B1/it active
• 2011
  • 2011-10-21 WO PCT/IB2011/002523 patent/WO2012052837A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (7)

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