Patent Application
20150129536
The present disclosure generally relates to containers. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to lightweight containers having improved vacuum resistance capacities and improved aesthetics.
Currently, the market comprises many different shapes and sizes of containers capable of housing fluids. The shape and size of fluid containers can depend, among other things, on the amount of fluid to be housed, the type of fluid to be housed, consumer demands and desired aesthetics. For example, toxic fluids may be required to be housed in containers that have thicker walls and a more rigid structure. More often than not, the market for these types of fluids is determined by safety of the containers more so than that container's aesthetics. On the contrary, consumable fluids such as water may be housed in containers that generally have thinner walls and a less rigid structure. Indeed, the market for consumable fluids may be determined by the aesthetics desired by the consumer instead of safety requirements.
Regardless of the specific size and shape of a container, the container should be able to withstand different environmental factors encountered during, for example, manufacturing, shipping and retail shelf stocking or storage. One example of such an environmental factor includes oxygen absorption into the product housed in the container. In this regard, certain liquid consumer products are susceptible to absorption of oxygen that is present in the headspace of the container and/or oxygen that ingresses from the outside environment. This oxygen absorption can create a vacuum inside the container that can attribute to deformation of the bottle, resulting in poor overall aesthetics. Accordingly, a need exists for a lightweight fluid container having improved structural features as well as desirable aesthetic characteristics.
The present disclosure relates to lightweight, vacuum-resistant containers for housing liquid products. In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides a container including a body having at least first and second interrupted, horizontal ribs. The first interrupted, horizontal rib may be located in a horizontal plane that is different from the horizontal plane occupied by the second, interrupted, horizontal rib. The first and second interrupted, horizontal ribs may also be offset from each other.
In an embodiment, the body has a shape selected from the group consisting of cylindrical, square, rectangular, ovoid, round, or combinations thereof.
In an embodiment, the body is substantially rectangular. The first interrupted, horizontal rib may be located on a side of the container and the second, interrupted, horizontal rib may be located on a corner of the container.
In an embodiment, the body includes a plurality of first and second interrupted, horizontal ribs, wherein each of the plurality of first interrupted, horizontal ribs occupies the same vertical portion of the container in a different horizontal plane, and wherein each of the plurality of second interrupted, horizontal ribs occupies the same vertical portion of the container in a different horizontal plane.
In an embodiment, the each of the plurality of first interrupted, horizontal ribs alternates with each of the plurality of second interrupted, horizontal ribs.
In an embodiment, the body is substantially round. The first interrupted, horizontal rib may be located on an opposing side of the container as the second interrupted, horizontal rib.
In an embodiment, the body further includes a plurality of first and second interrupted, horizontal ribs. Each of the plurality of first interrupted, horizontal ribs may occupy the same vertical portion of the container in a different horizontal plane, and each of the plurality of second interrupted, horizontal ribs may occupy the same vertical portion of the container in a different horizontal plane.
In an embodiment, each of the plurality of first interrupted, horizontal ribs alternates with each of the plurality of second interrupted, horizontal ribs.
In an embodiment, each of the plurality of first and second interrupted, horizontal ribs has a height ranging from about 1.5 mm to about 2.5 mm.
In another embodiment, a container is provided and includes a substantially round body having a first set of interrupted, horizontal indentations extending along a circumference of the body, and a second set of interrupted, horizontal indentations extending along the circumference of the body. The first and second sets of interrupted, horizontal indentations may be located on radially opposing sides of the body, and each of the first and second interrupted, horizontal indentations in the first and second sets of interrupted, horizontal indentations may be located on different horizontal planes.
In an embodiment, each of the first interrupted, horizontal indentations in the first set of interrupted, horizontal indentations alternates with each of the second interrupted, horizontal indentations in the second set of interrupted, horizontal indentations.
In an embodiment, each of the first interrupted, horizontal indentations in the first set of interrupted, horizontal indentations at least partially overlaps with each of the second interrupted, horizontal indentations in the second set of interrupted, horizontal indentations along a vertical portion of the container.
In an embodiment, each of the first and second interrupted, horizontal indentations has an amplitude from about 180° to about 210°.
In an embodiment, each of the first and second interrupted, horizontal indentations has a height of about 2.5 mm.
In yet another embodiment, a container is provided and includes a substantially square body having four sides and four corners, at least one of the four sides including a plurality of interrupted, horizontal indentations having a first length, and at least one of the four corners including a plurality of interrupted, horizontal indentations having a second length that is shorter than the first length. Each of the plurality of interrupted, horizontal indentations on the side may be located on horizontal planes that are different from the horizontal planes occupied by each of the plurality of interrupted, horizontal indentations on the corner.
In an embodiment, each of the first interrupted, horizontal indentations in the first set of interrupted, horizontal indentations alternates with each of the second interrupted, horizontal indentations in the second set of interrupted, horizontal indentations.
In an embodiment, each of the first interrupted, horizontal indentations in the first set of interrupted, horizontal indentations at least partially overlaps with each of the second interrupted, horizontal indentations in the second set of interrupted, horizontal indentations along a vertical portion of the container.
In an embodiment, each of the first and second interrupted, horizontal indentations has a height of about 2.5 mm.
An advantage of the present disclosure is to provide an improved container.
Another advantage of the present disclosure is to provide a lightweight container that resists vacuum deformation.
Still another advantage of the present disclosure is to provide a container having improved vacuum-resistance features.
Yet another advantage of the present disclosure is to provide a container having improved aesthetics.
Another advantage of the present disclosure is to provide a container that is constructed and arranged for easy handling by a consumer.
Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will be apparent from the following Detailed Description and the figures.
The present disclosure relates to lightweight, vacuum-resistant bottles and/or containers for providing consumable products and other fluids. The bottles are constructed and arranged to be vacuum resistant to provide a lightweight bottle having not only improved structural features, but also improved aesthetics.
It is known that many liquid consumable products are oxygen sensitive. This becomes increasing relevant, for example, when the liquid consumable products are shelf-stable and may spend an amount of time sitting on a retail shelf. During the shelf-life of a product, oxygen may be absorbed by the product from the headspace in the container or from the outside environment that permeates through the container walls. Such oxygen absorption can induce a vacuum inside the bottle that causes the bottle to deform. Similarly, during packaging, distribution and retail stocking, bottles can be exposed to widely varying temperature and pressure changes (e.g., bottle contraction in the refrigerator), liquid losses, and external forces that jostle and shake the bottle. If, for example, the bottles contain carbonated fluids, these types of environmental factors can contribute to internal pressures or vacuums that affect the overall quality of the product purchased by the consumer. For example, existing types of vacuum panels, or thin plastic labels, can occupy large areas of the exterior of the bottle to which they are added and tend to have great visual impacts. When an internal vacuum is created within the bottle, the shrink sleeve labels do not always follow the slightly inverted shape of the bottle created by the vacuum, thereby accounting for poor aesthetics of the bottle.
Applicants do not believe that any product currently exists on the market that provides a lightweight plastic container (e.g., polyethylene terepthalate) having an improved product sleeve appearance as a result of increased vacuum resistance from modified ribs or indentations in the container. Indeed, containers with fully circumferential, horizontal ribs must increase the rib dimensions to create a lightweight container. As such, the ribs are more visible to the consumer, which provides for less than optimal aesthetic properties. Further, providing panels on the containers provides a more visually appealing container, but require more plastic material, which creates a heavier container.
In contrast, Applicants have surprisingly discovered how to provide a lightweight container that resists internal vacuums. In this regard, containers of the present disclosure include features that help to avoid bottle deformation that would cause loss of stability of the container and the potential perception of the consumer that the container has a defect and is not suitable for purchase. For example, containers of the present disclosure may include horizontal ribs, or indentations, having increased dimensions that are more visible and have a greater impact on the visual appearance of any thin films (e.g., container sleeves) applied to the container. Increasing the horizontal rib dimensions almost doubles the straight surface of a container, thereby providing a greater surface area for contacting any sleeves applied to the container, and improving vacuum resistance within the container. Additionally, the ribs of the present disclosure may also be interrupted, located in different horizontal planes, and offset with respect to each other along a vertical line extending along a body of the containers.
As mentioned previously, containers of the present disclosure may be used to house carbonated liquids, or may be exposed to temperature and/or pressure changes during packaging, shipping, storage and/or retail display. Any of the above-described factors (e.g., carbonation, temperature changes, pressure changes, etc.) can contribute to the presence of an internal vacuum within a sealed container when the container houses a liquid. This is problematic for aesthetic reasons because internal vacuums created within the sealed container can cause deformation of the container that can pull the walls of the container away from any exterior label (e.g., sleeve), creating an undesirable aesthetic. Applicants have surprisingly found, however, that certain structural features can help to improve a container's vacuum resistance to avoid undesired container deformation.
As used herein, and as would be immediately appreciated by the skilled artisan, a container “sleeve” is a thin, plastic film that may include indicia thereon and is typically used in the marketplace for product identification and for displaying product information.
As illustrated in
As disclosed above, containers of the present disclosure are lightweight containers. In this regard, the containers of the present disclosure may require from about 10% to about 25% less material to manufacture than similar containers not having the features described herein. The containers of the present disclosure may have a weight ranging from about 10 g to about 40 g, or from about 15 g to about 35 g, or from about 20 g to about 30 g, or about 25 g or 27 g.
Containers of the present disclosure may be configured to house any type of liquid therein. In an embodiment, the containers are configured to house a consumable liquid such as, for example, water, an energy drink, a carbonated drink, tea, coffee, etc. In an embodiment, the containers are sized and configured to house a carbonated beverage.
Suitable materials for manufacturing containers of the present disclosure can include, for example, polymeric materials. Specifically, materials for manufacturing bottles of the present disclosure can include, but are not limited to, polyethylene (“PE”), low density polyethylene (“LDPE”), high density polyethylene (“HDPE”), polypropylene (“PP”) or polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”). Further, the containers of the present disclosure can be manufactured using any suitable manufacturing process such as, for example, conventional extrusion blow molding, stretch blow molding, injection stretch blow molding, and the like.
Mouth 12 may be any size and shape known in the art so long as liquid may be introduced into container 10 and may be poured or otherwise removed from container 10. In an embodiment, mouth 12 may be substantially circular in shape and have a diameter ranging from about 10 mm to about 50 mm, or about 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, or the like. In an embodiment, mouth 12 has a diameter that is about 33 mm.
Neck 14 may also have any size and shape known in the art so long as liquid may be introduced into container 10 and may be poured or otherwise removed from container 10. In an embodiment, neck 14 is substantially cylindrical in shape having a diameter that corresponds to a diameter of mouth 12. Alternatively, neck 14 may have a tapered geometry such that neck 14 is substantially conical in shape and tapers up to mouth 12. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the shape and size of neck 14 are not limited to the shape and size of mouth 12. Neck 14 may have a height (from mouth 12 to shoulder 16) from about 5 mm to about 45 mm, or about 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, or the like. In an embodiment, neck 14 has a height of about 25 mm.
Container 10 can further include an air tight cap 22 attached to neck 14, as shown in
Shoulder 16 of container 10 in
Shoulder 16 may have a height (from a bottom of neck 14 to a top of body 18) ranging from about 15 mm to about 50 mm, or about 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, or the like. In an embodiment, shoulder 16 has a height that is about 35 mm. At a bottom portion (e.g., before body 18), shoulder 16 may have a width and a length ranging from about 40 mm to about 80 mm, or about 45 mm, 50 mm, 55 mm, 60 mm, 65 mm, 70 mm, 75 mm, or the like. In an embodiment, the width and the length of a bottom portion of shoulder 16 are the same and are about 60 mm. Alternatively, the width and the length of a bottom portion of shoulder 16 may be different.
Immediately below shoulder 16 is body 18 of container 10. Body 18 may have any size and shape known in the art and is not limited to a substantially square or substantially rectangular shape, despite the square pyramid frustum shape of shoulder 16. For example, body 18 may have a shape selected from the group consisting of round, cylindrical, square, rectangular, ovoid, etc. In an embodiment, however, body 18 has a shape that is substantially square or substantially rectangular. In another embodiment, body 18 has a shape that is substantially round, as is illustrated in
Similar to shoulder 16, body 18 of
Body 18 may have any length, width or height known in the art. In this regard, body 18 may have a height ranging from about 50 mm to about 110 mm, or about 55 mm, 60 mm, 65 mm, 70 mm, 75 mm, 80 mm, 85 mm, 90 mm, 95 mm, 100 mm, 105 mm, or the like. In an embodiment, body 18 has a height of about 80 mm. If body 18 is substantially square-shaped or substantially rectangular-shaped with a specific length and width, the length and width may be the same. Alternatively, the width of body 18 may be different from the length of body 18. Even further, the length and width of body 18 may change with respect to the height of body 18. For example, and as shown in
As shown in
Circumferential rib 38 may have a height that ranges from about 0.5 to about 5 mm, or 1 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, or the like. Circumferential rib 40 may also extend a certain amount into interior of container 10. For example, rib 38 may have a height in the vertical direction along body 18 of container 10 of about 0.5 to about 5 mm, or 1 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, or the like. In an embodiment, rib 38 has a height of about 1.5 mm. Applicants have found that rib 38 can help to maintain an intended shape of container 10. For example, if container 10 has a substantially square-shape or a substantially-rectangular shape, rib 38 can help to limit container 10 from forming an oval shape during use. Rib 38 also enables even contraction of container 10 vertically, thereby allowing internal pressure to build within and enabling greater top-loading.
In addition to circumferential rib 38, body 18 may also include any number of interrupted side ribs 40 located on a side 42 of container 10. Side ribs 40 are described as “interrupted” because they do not extend all the way around container 10 but are, instead, interrupted around container 10. Body 18 may have any number of interrupted side ribs 40 ranging, for example, from about 1 to about 10, or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or the like. Each side rib 40 is supported on its ends by the corners 32 of body 18, forming a bridge across body 18. By interrupting side ribs 40 at the corners 32 of body 18, limited visual impact can be attained for any applied labels or shrink sleeves.
Container 10 may also include any number of interrupted corner ribs 44 located on a corner 32 of container 10. Corner ribs 44 are similarly described as “interrupted” because they do not extend all the way around container 10 but are, instead, interrupted around container 10. Body 18 may have any number of interrupted corner ribs 44 ranging, for example, from about 1 to about 10, or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or the like. Each corner rib 44 is supported on its ends by the sides 42 of body 18, forming a bridge across body 18. By interrupting corner ribs 44 at the sides 42 of body 18, limited visual impact can be attained for any applied labels or shrink sleeves.
In an embodiment, interrupted side ribs 40 and interrupted corner ribs 44 have an increased height when compared to, for example, known ribs, or circumferential rib 38. Interrupted side ribs 40 and interrupted corner ribs 44 may have a height in the vertical direction along body 18 from about 0.5 to about 5 mm, or 1 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, or the like. In an embodiment, interrupted side ribs 40 and interrupted corner ribs 44 have a height of about 2.5 mm. In this regard, interrupted side ribs 40 and interrupted corner ribs 44 may have an increased rib height that is about 0.25 mm to about 2 mm greater than known ribs or circumferential rib 38. Alternatively, interrupted side ribs 40 and interrupted corner ribs 44 may have an increased rib height from about 0.5 to about 1.75 mm, or 0.75 to about 1.5 mm, or 1.0 to about 1.25 mm greater than known ribs or circumferential rib 38. The increased length and/or radius of the ribs can aid in preventing vacuum deformation. In fact, Applicants surprisingly found that full ribs (i.e., circumferential ribs) were not necessary to help prevent vacuum deformation and may even contribute to poor aesthetics with respect to a label or shrink-wrap applied to container 10.
Additionally, and as is clearly illustrated in
Similarly, interrupted corner ribs 44 are each located in a different horizontal plane with respect to one corner 32 of container 10. In this regard, a first corner 32 of container 10 may have any number of interrupted corner ribs 44 in different horizontal planes. However, a second corner 32 of container 10 may also have any number of interrupted corner ribs 44 in different horizontal planes; these planes, however, may or may not correspond to the same planes occupied by interrupted corner ribs 44 of the first corner 32 of container 10.
As used herein, “offset” ribs are interrupted ribs that are in different horizontal planes and do not substantially overlap along a vertical portion of body 18. For example, and as illustrated in
In an embodiment, and as shown in
Container 10 can have a broad base 20 so as to be able to stand up when the container is completely filled, partially filled or empty. Base 20 can have any size or shape known in the art. However, in an embodiment, base 20 includes a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of body 18. In this regard, if body 18 is substantially square-shaped with a specific length and width, base 20 may also be substantially square-shaped with the same length and width. Alternatively, the skilled artisan will appreciate that base 20 is not limited to the size and shape of body 18 and may have a different size and shape than body 18. Base 20 may have a height ranging from about 5 mm to about 45 mm, or about 10 mm, or 15 mm, or 20 mm, or 25 mm, or 30 mm, or 35 mm, or 40 mm, or the like. Base 20 may be substantially vertical in arrangement, or may be shaped (e.g., semi-circular), or may taper inward in an upward direction from a bottom surface 48 of container 10. Base 20 is shaped and configured to contract under vertical load, absorbing and distributing loads over a greater area.
Similar to body 18, base 20 may also include one or more interrupted side ribs 40, or one or more interrupted corner ribs 44 that may or may not have the same size and shape as the side and corner ribs provided on body 18. Further, bottom surface 48 of container 10 may also include a punt 50 formed therein. Punt 50 may provide additional structural integrity to container 10 and may aid in stacking containers 10 one on top of another.
The skilled artisan will appreciate that the features (e.g., volume, material, amount of material, vacuum resistance, height of ribs, etc.) described herein with respect to the square-shaped container of
The skilled artisan will appreciate that ribs 52, 54 may extend different amounts around the circumference of container 10. For example, ribs 52, 54 may cover from about 30% to about 75%, or from about 35% to about 70%, or from about 40% to about 65%, or from about 45% to about 60%, or from about 50% to about 55% of the circumference of container 10. In another embodiment, ribs 52, 54 may have an amplitude ranging from about 90° to about 270°, or from about 135° to about 225°, or from about 180° to about 210°. Again, ribs 52, 54 may be located on opposite radial sides from each other (e.g., about 180° apart).
The structural features (e.g., increased dimensions of ribs; offset, horizontal ribs; etc.) of the present containers described herein advantageously allow for a preform of less mass to be used. The reduced use of resin in the containers provides the advantage of a lower cost per unit and increased sustainability when compared to a bottle without such structural features. In this regard, the containers of the present disclosure are able to be manufactured using a raw material reduction from about 10% to about 25%, if not greater. Further, by manufacturing the containers of the present disclosure using lower amounts of raw materials, the bottles can provide lower environmental and waste impact. Along the same lines, the bottles can be constructed to use less disposal volume than other plastic bottles designed for similar uses.
Additionally, the containers of the present disclosure can also improve vacuum resistance and the ease of use and handling by manufacturers, retails and consumers. In this regard, the structural features described herein provide for reduced vacuum deformation to help achieve a pre-set shape of the containers that is desirable by consumers.
It should also be mentioned that such ribs configuration has double the straight surface (with no rib) compared with a bottle having full horizontal ribs.
The foregoing may be better understood by reference to the following examples, which are presented for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Applicants manufactured several different bottles at different weights for both square and round shapes and measured the vacuum resistance compared to a reference bottle with the same shape and weight to demonstrate that offset, horizontal ribs having increased heights are able to provide the same resistance as fully circumferential ribs.
A square reference bottle was prepared having a weight of 27.5 g, a volume of 900 ml, and four fully circumferential, horizontal ribs on a top portion of the bottle. The vacuum resistance of the reference bottle was measured to be 65 mbar.
A square bottle in accordance with the present disclosure was also tested. The square bottle was prepared having a weight of 27.5 g, a volume of 900 ml, and four interrupted, offset, horizontal ribs on a top portion of the bottle. The vacuum resistance of the reference bottle was measured to be 60 mbar.
Since the vacuum resistance measurements were so close, and since an increase in rib dimension has been shown to increase vacuum resistance, Applicants have clearly demonstrated that the same or similar vacuum resistance measurements can be obtained with bottles having interrupted, offset, horizontal ribs when compared to reference bottles having fully circumferential ribs.
A round reference bottle was prepared having a weight of 15 g, a volume of 330 ml, and five fully circumferential, horizontal ribs along the body of the bottle. The vacuum resistance of the reference bottle was measured to be 90 mbar.
A round bottle in accordance with the present disclosure was also tested. The round bottle was prepared having a weight of 15 g, a volume of 330 ml, and six interrupted, offset, horizontal ribs along the body of the bottle. The vacuum resistance of the reference bottle was measured to be 100 mbar.
Since the vacuum resistance measurements were so close, and since an increase in rib dimension has been shown to increase vacuum resistance, Applicants have clearly demonstrated that the same or similar vacuum resistance measurements can be obtained with bottles having interrupted, offset, horizontal ribs when compared to reference bottles having fully circumferential ribs.
Accordingly, Applicants have surprisingly shown that providing interrupted, offset, horizontal ribs and/or increasing the rib dimensions can improve the vacuum resistance and aesthetics of a bottle. In this regard, the containers of the present disclosure may have improved visual appearance when a thin, plastic film or sleeve is included on an exterior of the container.
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2013/057550 | 4/11/2013 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61640072 | Apr 2012 | US |
