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
  • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
  • B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
  • B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
• • 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
  • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
  • B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
  • B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
  • B65D1/023—Neck construction
• • 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
  • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
  • B65D1/12—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums
  • B65D1/20—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums characterised by location or arrangement of filling or discharge apertures
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C2949/00—Indexing scheme relating to blow-moulding
  • B29C2949/07—Preforms or parisons characterised by their configuration
  • B29C2949/0715—Preforms or parisons characterised by their configuration the preform having one end closed
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C49/02—Combined blow-moulding and manufacture of the preform or the parison
  • B29C49/04—Extrusion blow-moulding
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C49/02—Combined blow-moulding and manufacture of the preform or the parison
  • B29C49/06—Injection blow-moulding
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C49/42—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
  • B29C49/4273—Auxiliary operations after the blow-moulding operation not otherwise provided for
  • B29C49/428—Joining
  • B29C49/42806—Joining auxiliary parts to the article, e.g. handle
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
  • B29L2031/56—Stoppers or lids for bottles, jars, or the like, e.g. closures
  • B29L2031/565—Stoppers or lids for bottles, jars, or the like, e.g. closures for containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
  • B29L2031/712—Containers; Packaging elements or accessories, Packages
  • B29L2031/7158—Bottles
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
  • Y02W90/10—Bio-packaging, e.g. packing containers made from renewable resources or bio-plastics

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an array of products comprising a plurality of different containers having a similar container to closure interface across at least one brand and different volumetric sizes wherein at least one of said containers comprises more than one undercut.
• the plurality of containers is coupled with a plurality of different closures comprising at least one common component.
• Containers that have a pleasing aesthetic look to consumers have a closure design that is fully integrated with the design of the container. This conveys the message that the integration of the two components was well thought of. This is important to make closure functioning intuitive to consumers.
• An example of a well integrated container/closure system is one where the container's geometry wraps around the closure to create shoulders. This geometry can also be referred to as a container with a recessed neck. This recess geometry serves different purposes: overall integrated look to the container and closure, stability to container in inverted orientation, and makes functioning of closure more intuitive to consumers.
• the size of the closure is minimized thereby providing several benefits.
• One of the benefits is reducing the weight of the closure to the minimum amount of resin needed to enable the required closure functionality. This is a benefit for the environment as industry currently does not have a well established polypropylene recycling stream. By having a closure that has a reduced weight from the overall package, this allows a container to have improved recyclability. It also reduces the overall costs of the closure including costs associated with resin, processing, tooling, injection mold (IM) press selection, and others.
• IM injection mold
• closure becomes a less focal point of the design making it more inductive to use the same closure for different container designs within one brand and even enable the use of the same closure across different brands/shaped families. This drives optimization and efficiency and in return reduces further costs. This further enables the silhouette of the shape to be scaled proportionally without the use of additional features such as steps, larger radii or other geometric alterations and angles to accommodate the closure.
• Another benefit for minimizing the closure size is that it can be integrated in the container shape.
• an integrated design allows the use of the container top surface to add stability vs. requiring a larger closure. It also aids in creating differentiation between the forms (such as shampoo and conditioner), helping consumers identify the product that they are looking for. This drives scale in the container design and development and therefore is an advantage.
• a further advantage is that having a recessed closure provides a higher level of protection from damage due to the recessed closure being protected by the recess geometry.
• Another benefit of having a recessed neck where the container wraps around the closure is that it enables using the same closure across different sizes while still having an integrated look between the container and the closure.
• a further benefit of the present invention is the enablement of using the same closure across containers made by different molding technologies.
• molding technologies include extrusion blow molding (EBM), injection blow molding (IBM), and injection stretch blow molding (ISBM). This drives scale and further reduces costs.
• larger containers also use larger closures, therefore further increasing the costs from raw materials, processing, tooling selection and others.
• some companies are using the same closure across different container brands or across different volumetric sizes, however these containers need to have very similar geometries where the containers meet the closure to enable achieving an integrated look.
• This means that the volumetric sizes of the containers need to be very similar across the containers using the same closure, posing a limitation to the range of container sizes that can share a common closure.
• features on the containers such as steps, larger radii, changes in dimensional proportions or other geometric alterations are needed to force a container to match a closure's geometry.
• the width and depth of the container may need to be altered which leads to different container/closure interface as well as container dimensional proportions. This is not desired, as it forces the container's overall shape to move beyond the original design equity. As previously discussed, being able to use the same closure across a wide range of different volumetric sized containers and across different brands without affecting their design equity and while allowing to create a fully integrated silhouette is not only desirable, but also not observed in the market.
• Closures may comprise of one, two, three, or even more components.
• the present invention describes an array of products comprising different containers that share a similar container to closure interface and can be used across at least one brand and across different volumetric sizes coupled with different closures that share at least one common closure component. At least one of said containers comprises more than one undercut in its geometry.
• Figure 1A is an isometric view of containers across a wide range of volumetric sizes wherein a same closure is shared;
• Figure IB is a top view of containers across a wide range of volumetric sizes wherein a same closure is shared
• Figure 1C is a side view of containers across a wide range of volumetric sizes wherein a same closure is shared;
• Figure ID is an exploded view of the closure of Figures 1A-1C depicting a closure component being shared across Figures 2C and 2D;
• Figure 2A is an isometric view of a container having a different shape than the shape of container(s) in Figures 1A-1C, wherein this container shares at least one closure component with those shown in Figures 1A-1C;
• Figure 2B is a side view of the container shown in Figure 2A;
• Figure 2C is an exploded overview of the closure of Figures 2A and 2B, depicting a closure component being shared across Figures 1A-1C;
• Figure 2D is an exploded underview of the closure of Figures 2A and 2B, depicting a closure component being shared across Figures 1A-1C.
• suitable recesses are those that permit a portion of the article to wrap around at least part of a closure, when said closure is coupled with said article. Such recess may allow the closure, when coupled to said article, to remain substantially flush to the apex of the outermost surface of said article.
• at least part of a closure it is herein intended that said portion extends around the perimeter of the closure to form an angle of at least 45°, preferably at least 60°, more preferable between 60° and 360°, taken from the centre of the closure and in the x-y plane, when said closure is coupled to said article.
• integral intends that: (i) at least part of said closure remains substantially flush with at least one surface of the article, preferably the outer surface of said shoulder; and (ii) that at least one shoulder of said article wraps around at least part of said closure, preferably forming at least one concave surface.
• undercut as used herein a physical geometry that hinders article removal from a mold when said mold is opened in a linear direction which intersects at least a portion of said geometry.
• non-functional, different, separable graphics refers to labels used to convey information to the consumer and to differentiate products between different brands.
• non-functional is used to indicate that the label does not perform any other function other than that of conveying a message to the consumer.
• separable indicates that the container and the label were separate at some point prior to the final assembly being completed and does not pose a limitation to only containers where the label can be removed after being assembled.
• scale refers to an economic benefit obtained by reducing the design and development time and resources, as well as capital investment obtained by direct reapplication without negative implications on consumer acceptance, design aesthetics, etc.
• an array (300) of products comprises a plurality of different containers having a commom or similar container (306) to closure (307) interface (308). These containers encompass a range of different volumetric sizes and can be used across different brands.
• the array (300) of products comprises at least one container (306) comprising more than one undercut in its geometry. These undercuts may be located proximal to the neck geometry of the container (306).
• the array (300) of products may also comprise a plurality of closures and each comprises at least one component (301 or 302) that is shared or common across the array (300). When assembled, the closures seal the containers' orifice.
• the product inside the containers can be a liquid or a solid and can be the same or different across the different containers.
• the range of volumetric sizes can cover a range of at least 300mL. In a further embodiment, the range may be extended to at least lOOOmL and even in a further embodiment extended to cover volumetric sizes in a range of at least 1200mL.
• the containers in the array may be of the same or different colors and may be used across a single brand, two brands, or a higher number of brands.
• the closure (307) to container (306) interface (308) may be similar across the array such that the closure attaches securely to the container while looking like it belongs in the container/closure assembly, however this does not pose a limitation where the interface across the packages need be exactly identical across the array.
• an array (300) of products comprises a plurality of closures wherein the closures comprise at least two common components (301, 302). These components can be either functional and necessary to enable the operation of the closure, as well as some of them being only for decorative and aesthetic purposes.
• an array (300) of products comprises a plurality of different closures wherein the closure comprises at least one common component (301 or 302) selected from the group consisting of a shroud and an engine.
• an array (300) of products comprises a plurality of closures wherein the closures comprise at least two common components (301,302) and these common components can be referred to as a shroud and an engine.
• the engine can be referred to as the component of the closure that attaches to the container, whilst the shroud can be referred to as the component of the closure that connects to the engine and provides the outermost aesthetic shape to the complete closure.
• the closure is comprised of only a shroud and engine component, however this invention is not limited to only two components and more components that need not be identical across the entire array.
• an array of products wherein two or more of the containers comprise non-functional, different, separable graphics. As previously defined, these graphics are used only to convey information to the consumer on the product housed within the container and its recommended use, as well as to provide differentiation between forms and between different brands.
• the array (300) of products comprises a plurality of containers wherein the containers comprise different container shapes. Using different container shapes allows the containers to be used across different volumetric sizes and brands whilst maintaining their design brand equity.
• one embodiment of the present invention comprises containers wherein the containers have different absolute dimensions and their overall shapes are not related such that they can be used across different brands.
• an embodiment of the present invention comprises containers wherein the containers have different absolute dimensions whilst maintaining their overall aspect ratios, such that they can be used across the same brand.
• the array of products comprises a plurality of containers wherein the containers comprise the same container shape and wherein the absolute dimensions are identical across the entire array.
• the containers within the array may share the same colors, resins, graphics, and additives or have variations within these.
• the closures within the array of products can comprise different actuation mechanisms.
• Non-limiting examples are selected from the group consisting of flip to open, twist to open , disc top/toggle to open, push-pull, screw top, slide, threaded caps and mixtures thereof.
• the specific actuation mechanism can be selected based on the brand equity and desired consumer experience.
• An example of an embodiment would be a container (305) coupled with a closure (304) that operates by rotating one component (303) of the closure relative to another component (302) of the closure.
• one or more containers in the array of products comprises a geometry where the interface between the closure and the container's geometry about the neck of the container can be selected from the group consisting of concave, convex, linear, non-linear, mixtures of linear and non-linear, or mixtures thereof.
• the specific shape of the interface geometry can be defined to match the shape of the closure, allowing therefore the creation of an integrated look between the closure and the container.
• a container (305) made by the present invention comprises a non-linear geometry about a neck of the container and closure (304) interface (308) of the container.
• the curvature of the interface (308) allows having the container (305) wrap around the closure (304) to enable a fully integrated desired design aesthetic.
• the portion of the container (305) that wraps around the closure (304) can be referred to as the container's shoulder (309).
• a container (305) made by the present invention comprises a shoulder (309) geometry wherein the side of the shoulder wall having an interface (308) with the closure (308) has a positive draft angle of less than 10 degrees and in a further embodiment, there may be further reduction of the draft angle to less than 8 degrees and preferably even a further reduction of the draft angle to 5 degrees or less.
• This shoulder (309) surface creates the interface (308) between the container (305) and the closure (304), once the closure (304) is assembled. Having a positive draft angle of less than 10 degrees is important for two main reasons:
• closures Potential re-application of closure across multiple container sizes - having a low draft angle on the container's vertical shoulder wall enables using a closure (307) with a straight or low vertical draft angle. If the closure has a low vertical draft angle, it can then be used not only with containers that have a shoulder that cover this side of the closure, but also with containers that have a different shoulder design or even those that do not have a shoulder (310), where the closure's periphery is partially or fully exposed. Having the flexibility to use the same closure across different container designs creates scale, which typically reduces costs and logistic complexity.
• an array (300) of products comprises a plurality of closures wherein when assembled, the closures are integrated with the bodies of the containers to complete the silhouettes of the bodies of their respective containers.
• an array (300) of products comprises a plurality of closures wherein when assembled, the closures are integrated with the shoulder (311) portion of the geometry of the containers in the array (300). This enables completing the silhouettes of the bodies of their respective containers.
• an array (300) of products comprises a plurality of containers wherein the containers comprise bottles. These bottles can be used in a variety of fields.
• Non-limiting examples of such fields are; beauty care products, such as containers for body wash, shampoos and conditioners; domestic and/or household products, such as containers for detergents or other cleaning preparations for cleaning and/or conditioning fabric and/or hard surfaces; oral care products, such as containers for mouth wash; and so on.
• an array (300) of products is marketed under a common brand name wherein the volumetric sizes of the plurality of containers may vary, whilst still pertaining to the same brand.
• the array may comprise containers placed in an upward, inverted, or mixtures of orientations. The products inside the containers may vary from one container to another.
• an array of products wherein three or more of the plurality of containers comprise non-functional, different, separable graphics.
• the different graphics represent different brands and different products housed within the containers.
• At least one of the containers in the array may have a physical geometry that creates at least one non-linear or more than one linear undercut.
• a linear undercut may have a portion of the surface geometry such that the surface is within the same plane.
• a nonlinear undercut can be defined by a portion of the surface geometry such that the surface exists in multiple planes.
• a plurality of closures is comprised of a sustainable material.
• the closures may be manufactured completely with sustainable materials or selected components only. This may allow for a more recyclable closure.
• Some of the materials that could be used are: PCR, HDPE, LDPE, bamboo, renewable resins include PLA (polylactic acid), PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), and bio-polyolefins (bio-PE, bio-PP, bio-PET), where starting materials are plants or biomass instead of oil; recycled and recyclable resins include PP PCR (post consumer regrind) and PIR (post industrial regrind), which are resins diverted from trash to be reprocessed and/or reused instead; Natural fillers include minerals (e.g.
• renewable resins include PLA (polylactic acid), PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), and bio-polyolefins (bio-PE, bio-PP, bio-PET), where starting materials are plants or biomass instead of oil; recycled and recyclable resins include PP PCR (post consumer regrind) and PIR (post industrial regrind), which are resins diverted from trash to be reprocessed and/or reused instead; Natural fillers including minerals (e.g.
• the sustainable materials may include biopolymers made from non-petroleum sources, biodegradable polymers, recycled resins and mixtures thereof. Some of the potential biopolymers that could be used for this application are: bamboo, paper, grass, etc.
• a non- petroleum source may be selected from the group consisting of bio-derived polyethylene, bio derived polypropylene, bio derived polyesters and mixtures thereof. Some or all of the sustainable material may contain colorants, antistatics, UV inhibitors, or other small quantity additives to change the appearance or performance.
• closures may comprise materials which may improve functional performance selected from the group of sealing, ergonomics, stability on storage surfaces, visual aid for user, container durability, customized the tactile and audible signals to the user and mixtures thereof.
• a closure may be partially molded with a soft material. Such soft materials may provide tactile features, as well as improve sealing performance of a closure.
• TPE including styrenic (SEBS and SBS) based and olefin (TPO PP Elastomer) based
• Thermoplastic eurothanes TPU Melt Processable Rubber MPR
• Thermoplastic Vulcanizate TPV Thermoplastic Vulcanizate TPV
• Poly vinyl chloride PVC Poly vinyl chloride

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (13)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=46940659

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (8)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2012
  • 2012-01-13 JP JP2013539012A patent/JP2014501668A/ja active Pending
  • 2012-01-13 US US13/350,320 patent/US20120181272A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2012-01-13 WO PCT/US2012/021241 patent/WO2012097251A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2012-01-13 CN CN201280003620XA patent/CN103201180A/zh active Pending
  • 2012-01-13 EP EP12708065.3A patent/EP2663500A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2012-01-13 MX MX2013005284A patent/MX2013005284A/es not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (6)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events