The present invention relates generally to a container and, more particularly, to a fracturable container for opening.
Containers are made from various materials, including glass, metal and plastic. Recently, plastic containers have been favored for their light weight construction and low cost. In particular, plastic containers can be made by known molding and thermoforming processes. In order to withstand shipping, handling and storage, the plastic should be robust. Preferred plastics today include PET and high-impact polystyrene. In particular, the plastics are selected so as to resist fracturing upon the application of expected and unexpected forces.
Many of the known sealed containers include a body defining a cavity for receiving material and a lid or cover for sealing the cavity. In some containers, the cover is connected to the body by a mechanical interconnection, such as a snap-fit connection or threaded connection. In other containers, the cover can be connected to the body by adhesives and heat sealing. In some of these containers, the cover can be easily removed from the body to allow for access to the stored material. With small containers, however, removal of the cover can be difficult.
Other containers can be configured so that cover remains connected to the body, and the body can be fractured upon the application of force. To provide a fracturable opening while maintaining the general strength of a container made from PET or high-impact polystyrene, one of the walls of the container will have a weakened section, such as a thinned wall section or perforations of the wall.
Plastic containers, including a weakened section, are often made by a basic molding process, as the wall thickness can be varied during the molding process. Other plastic containers with a weakened section are thermoformed, where the weakened section is a result of cutting or perforating. Due to the reduced wall thickness associated with thermoformed containers, the weakened section is produced on generally flat sections of the containers so that a minimum wall thickness can be maintained, thereby providing a measure of structural stability, while weakening a section sufficiently to be fracturable.
The weakened section allows the package to maintain a desired structural integrity inherent in the PET or high-impact polystyrene along the majority of the container body. However, by weakening a section of the container body, the container can be undesirably compromised by the application of force on the container body or as a result of internal pressure within the container, resulting in an unsealed container.
To reduce the impact of employing a weakened section, known thermoformed containers position the weakened section to extend along a corner or otherwise smaller section of the container. The resulting small opening from this minimized weakened section does not provide for free flow of product stored in the cavity under the influence of gravity. While this aids in reducing unintended dispensation from the cavity, a user must squeeze or otherwise deform the container rather than simply tilting the container to dispense the contents.
Many containers include an inner coating or layer to provide further protection for the contents. Although these coatings are effective for particular materials to be stored in the container or for particular environments, they are not intended to accommodate for the compromised integrity of the container body resulting from the weakened wall section.
In
As shown in
As shown in
In particular, as shown in
The bend 34 of the body 4 is provided by the thermoforming process. A similar bend could be provided by bending a preformed body to provide a crease. Bending, however, may not be preferred because it may produce stress along the bend, which may reduce the overall strength of the body 4 and may lead to undesired fracturing. In contrast, the thermoformed bend 34 does not result in additional stress to the body 4.
The bend 34 of the body 4 provides additional stress on the base surface 32 of the bend 34 along the outer surface 33 of the body 4 as force is applied to the engageable surface 30 of the distal portion 28. As shown in
The bend 34 includes an angle ∝ defined by wall portions 42 and 44 of the body 4 located on either side of the bend 34. The angle ∝ is configured to promote fracturing along the bend 34. In particular, a larger angle ∝ provides increased stress along the bend 34 as the bend 34 is straightened. To provide the desired increased stress, the angle ∝ is at least about 70 degrees. In some cases, the angle ∝ ranges from about 70 to about 90 degrees.
As indicated above, the body 4 includes other features to increase the amount of stress on the base surface 32 of the bend 34. The stress at the base surface 32 of the bend 34 can be characterized by the Bernoulli-Euler beam stress equation:
σ—Average stress on the beam component.
M—The moment about a neutral axis 58 provided by the force applied at surface 30.
y—The perpendicular distance from the neutral axis 58 to the failure point, represented by the base surface 32 of the bend 34 in an unfractured container 2.
Ix—The second moment of area about the neutral axis 58.
The body 4 includes features to both increase the distance y between the neutral axis 58 and the base surface 32 of the bend 34 and decrease the second moment of area (Ix), specifically at the desired rupture or break path 16. The tapered profile 36 of the body 4 about the break path 16 reduces the amount of material located away from the neutral axis 58. Further, the height of the body 4 is reduced at the break path 16 to specifically reduce the second moment of area (Ix).
As shown in
To guide the fracturing of the body 4 along the break path 16, the flange 8 of container 2 includes enlarged flange portions 38 along the intermediate portion 24 adjoining the break path 16. The enlarged flange portions 38 increase the mass of the flange 8 adjoining the break path 16 relative to the body 4. The increase of mass along the flange 8 shifts the neutral axis 58 within the intermediate portion 24 of the container 2 toward the flange 8 and away from the base surface 32 of the bend 34, as shown in
As the base surface 32 fractures and the body 4 breaks, the neutral axis 58 shifts toward the flange 8 until the break reaches the flange 8. In particular, the neutral axis 58 shifts toward the enlarged flange portions 38 due to the increased mass associated with the enlarged flange portions 38. The movement of the neutral axis 58 guides the tearing along the break path 16.
As shown in
Alternatively, other configurations providing the enlarged flange portion 38 are contemplated, including altering the thickness of the flange 8 adjacent the break path 16 or extending the flange 8 further outward. Further, it is contemplated that the flange 8 could extend inwardly or a combination of inwardly or outwardly from the upper edge 6 of the body 4.
To further concentrate the stress along the break path 16, the body 4 includes the tapered profile 36, as shown in
The tapered profile 36 includes a peak 48 of the base surface 32 along the break path 16. The peak 48 can include an angular configuration 49, as shown in
In addition to reducing the width 46 of the base surface 32 of the body 4, the tapered profile 36 also affects the position of the neutral axis 58 due to the reduced material utilized to provide a tapered profile 36 as compared to a more squared-off profile. As a result, the neutral axis 58 shifts toward the flange 8 and away from the base surface 32, thereby further increasing the stress along the base surface 32 as force is applied to the engageable surface 30.
The peak 48 can further include a nipple 52 on the rounded configuration 48 of the body 4. As best shown in
As shown in
In the absence of the ribs 64, the stress at individual locations along the body 4 is generally directly proportional to the distance y from the neutral axis 58, as shown in
As shown in
The ribs 64 further provide structural strength to the container 2 to resist collapse of the container 2.
The body 4 and flange 8 are preferably formed as a single member, as shown in
The body 4 has a wall thickness 18 selected to provide a robust container which can withstand the rigors of filling, distribution and handling. As indicated above, the wall thickness 18 remains generally constant about the break path 16. In some instances, the wall thickness 18 may range from about 0.3 mm to about 6 mm. In other instances, the wall thickness 18 may range from about 0.6 mm to about 1 mm. Further, in some cases it may be desirable to have a generally constant wall thickness along the entire body 4 to provide a constant level of protection along the container 2.
To accommodate specific materials being stored in the container 2, or to provide an additional level of protection, a functional inner coating or layer can be applied to an inner surface 74 of the body 4. The inner coating provides additional safeguards, such as acting as a sealant or an oxygen barrier. The addition of coatings to the inner surface 74 of the body 4 does not affect the fracturing processes as the fracturing occurs and is initiated on the outer surface 33 of the body 4. As such, the coating is applied in an amount to provide functional properties, not to provide structural support.
The outer cover 12 is made of a pliable material. The outer cover 12 may be affixed to the body 4 after the cavity is filled by a permanent adhesive seal, heat welding, or ultrasonic bonding. The outer cover material is selected to be able to act as a hinge between the handle portion 26 and the distal portion 28 once the bend 34 has been fractured. As such, the outer cover 12 is selected so as to not fracture or otherwise break as the body 4 is fractured. The outer cover 12 may be the same or different material than the body 4. For example, the cover 12 may be made from a single layer of polymer sheet, such as polypropylene, or from a laminate material containing, for example, a combination of polymer, paper or aluminum foil layers. The cover 12 can be printed to identify the product or the contents stored in the container 2.
The flange 8 can be configured to remain intact when the body is fractured and, with the cover 12, acts as a hinge between the handle portion 26 and the distal portion 28. In some cases, the body 4 is configured to be reclosable as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/771,372 filed Jun. 29, 2007, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein.
For example, the wall portions 42 and 44 can be configured to provide a friction fit therebetween after the body 4 has been fractured. In particular, as shown in
While the invention has been particularly described with specific reference to particular method and product embodiments, it will be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and adaptations may be based on the present disclosure, and are intended to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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