Patent Application
20240059449
The present application and the resultant patent relate generally to plastic bottles for beverages and the like and more particularly relate to plastic bottles with a light weighted base for increased flexibility so as to reduce sidewall paneling while under a vacuum.
Generally described, thermoplastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles are ubiquitous in the beverage industry and the like. Particularly in PET bottles that are used for non-carbonated beverages, there is a continuing effort to use less and less plastic therein. Reducing the amount of plastic, however, generally means reducing the wall thickness. A reduction in wall thickness may result in an overall reduction in bottle strength such that the bottle may not be reliable during distribution and may become uncomfortable for the consumer to hold. Moreover, beverages such as water, tea, and other types of non-carbonated beverages may develop a negative internal bottle pressure therein after filing and during cold storage. Such a negative internal bottle pressure may further weaken overall bottle strength and may result in distorted bottle shapes.
Similarly, certain plastic bottles filled with water and the like may use a substantially rigid, uninterrupted base. Such a rigid base may not be able to flex when a negative internal pressure develops within the bottle. Such a negative pressure may cause the sidewalls of the bottle to develop flat spots, dents, or other types of deformations therein. Such deformation may give the overall bottle a distorted appearance to the consumer.
There is thus a desire for an improved non-carbonated beverage bottle design. Preferably, such an improved bottle design may resist deformation and the like while providing a unique visual aesthetic.
The present application and the resultant patent thus may provide a bottle. The bottle may include a sidewall and a base section. The base section includes a number of ribs extending from a center dome to a flex surface about the sidewall to resist deformation in the sidewall.
The present application and the resultant patent further may provide a polyethylene terephthalate bottle. The polyethylene terephthalate bottle may include a sidewall and a flexible base structure. The flexible base structure may include a number of ribs extending from a center dome, through a support ring, and into a flex surface about the sidewall to resist deformation in the sidewall.
These and other features and advantages of the present application and the resultant patent will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the several drawings and the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements through the several views,
Generally described, the bottle 100 may include a mouth section 110, a shoulder section 120, a body section 130, and a base section 140 in any desired size, shape, or configuration. The mouth section 110 may be of conventional design. The mouth section 110 may have one or more threads 150 and a support ring 160 thereon. The threads 150 may be sized to accommodate a closure (not shown) thereon. The closure may be of conventional design. Other components and other configurations may be used herein.
The shoulder section 120 may extend outwardly and downwardly from the from the mouth section 110 to the body section 130. The shoulder section 120 may extend in a substantially smooth, curved shape. The body section 130 may extend from the shoulder section 120 to the base section 140. In this example, the body section 130 may have a substantially smooth cylindrical sidewall 170. In other embodiments, any number of ribs or similar structures may be formed within the sidewall 170 so as to aid in displacing top load forces and increasing overall rigidity. Similarly, the sidewall 170 may have a partially curved or hourglass like shape. Other components and other configuration may be used herein.
The base section 140 may have a light weighted, flexible base structure 175. The flexible base structure 175 may have a center substantially dome-like shape 180 with the top of the dome 180 extend upward within the sidewall 170 of the body section 130. The center dome 180 curves downward from the top to a substantially flat support ring 190. The support ring 190 allows the bottle 100 as a whole to stand upright. An upward flex surface 200 extends from the support ring back upward towards the sidewall 170 of the body section 130. The lower part of the dome 180, the support ring 190, and the flex surface 200 form a substantially flat “U” like shape 210 about the perimeter of the bottle 100 when viewed in cross-section as in
The flexible base structure 175 of the base section 140 also may have a number of radially extending ribs 220 formed therein. In this example, the ribs 220 may include a number of fully extending ribs 230 and a number of partially extending ribs 240. The fully extending ribs 230 may extend from adjacent to a center boss 250 in the dome 180, across the support ring 190, and up through the flex surface 210 to the sidewall 170. (The center boss 250 may be formed as a trimming point in the blow molding process.) The partially extending ribs 230 may extend from a mid-section 260 in the dome 180 (downward and spaced apart from the center boss 250), across the support ring 190, and up through the flex surface 210 to the sidewall 170. The fully extending ribs 240 and the partially extending ribs 250 may alternate in a clockwise direction as is shown in
As described above, a negative internal bottle pressure may develop after the bottle 100 is filled and capped as the bottle 100 is kept in cold storage. The flexible base structure 175 of the base section 140 may flex in response to the negative pressure so as to prevent or delay flat spots or other types of deformation in the sidewalls 170. Specifically, the lightweight nature of the flexible base structure in combination with the ribs 220 extending through the flex surface 210 provides additional flexibility so as to accommodate the vacuum with the bottle 100. Moreover, any deformation that does develop would tend to be lower along the sidewall 170 and closer to the base section 140 where such deformation may be less visible and less likely to have an impact on a consumer's grip on the bottle 100.
The bottle 100 described herein may contain about twenty ounces of a fluid such as water. Other types of fluids may be used herein. The bottle 100 may be made from about 20.5 grams of a PET material. The bottle 100 described herein is for the purpose of example only. The bottle 100 and the dimensions thereof may be sized up or down as appropriate for the desired volume. Other components and other configurations may be used herein.
The bottle 100 described herein thus provides a package that is lightweight while maintaining stability and technical performance. Specifically, the flexible base structure 175 of the base section 140 flexes to maintain the overall shape of the bottle 100 under a vacuum. The bottle 100 thus may be maintained in cold storage for an extended period of time while avoiding deformation. Moreover, the overall bottle design makes the flexible base structure 175 as lightweight as possible. Specifically, the flexible base structure 175 uses less material thus allowing more material in the body section 130 and elsewhere.
It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the present application and the resultant patent. Numerous changes and modifications may be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims and the equivalents thereof
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2022/016078 | 2/11/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63150674 | Feb 2021 | US |
