The present disclosure generally relates to the field of plastic containers, including plastic containers, which may be lightweighted, and employ features to accommodate pressurization and/or hot-fill conditions.
Currently a significant number of plastic containers are filled with liquids and other contents at elevated temperatures. However, as the product or contents within the container cools, the volume taken up by the product or contents decreases, which can lead to the creation of vacuum forces within the container. Containers that are intended to be filled by a “hot-fill” process are commonly referred to as hot-fill containers. The design of hot-fill containers is influenced by, among other things, a desire to account for anticipated product or content cooling/shrinkage and associated forces. There is also an active interest in the industry to lightweight such containers without sacrificing desired function.
A plastic container is disclosed that includes a sidewall portion and a base portion. Plastic containers in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure may be made of comparatively lighter weights (or “lightweighted”), and further may be configured to address internal vacuum forces in a desired manner. In embodiments, the container may be configured to create a greater/expanded differential to provide increased vacuum absorption.
Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the disclosure and appended claims.
The container 10 may be comprised of one or more various polymers including, without limitation, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and/or various other polymers commonly utilized with hot-fill-type plastic containers. In embodiments the container may also be biaxially oriented, which may be the result of, for example, a stretch blow-molding process. The invention is not, however, limited to the type or style of container shown, and various other sizes and configurations may come within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
An embodiment of a base 30 is generally illustrated in
With further reference to
As generally illustrated in connection with the shift or transition of positions (i.e., from first position 42 to second position 44, and then to third position 46), the base portion 40 initially goes down. That is, following filling, the base portion 40 generally decreases in height above the support surface from first position 42 to second position 44. This movement or shift may be due, for instance, to the temperature of filled contents (such as a hot-filled liquid) and the associated hydrostatic pressure. Notably, this initial shift downward of the base portion 40 (e.g., to second position 44) can create or provide a greater “differential” (e.g., the internal spacial or volumetric difference between the second position and the third position). Such an increased or expanded differential can, for example, allow for greater vacuum absorption than if the base portion 40 were to remain in the first position 42 during/through hot-filling. With embodiments, the point P may generally remain essentially disposed in substantially the same position whether the base portion 40 is in a first position 42, a second position 44, or a third position 46.
With further reference to
In embodiments, the volumetric displacement between the second position and the third position may be at least twice the volumetric displacement between the first and third position. Moreover, for some embodiments, the volumetric displacement between the second position and the third position may be at least three times the volumetric displacement between the first and third position. For example and without limitation, the differential between the first position 42 and third position 46 for a 20 fl. oz. container may be about 5 ml of potential volumetric displacement. However, by configuring the base portion 40 to shift to a second position 44 before vacuum absorption, the potential volumetric displacement (between the second position and the third position) may increase to about 17 ml.
Moreover, in contrast to some prior art containers, the base flexibility does not require additional mechanical assistance. Rather, the base portion 40 may be configured for movement from a first position 42 down to a second position 44 and then up to a third position 46 based entirely upon reaction to internal fill temperature and cooling effects. With such embodiments, no additional external equipment may be necessary to mechanically facilitate the movement of the base portion as such.
The base portion 40 may employ base configuration teachings such as those included in the teachings of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/648,647, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, and may include portions configured to, among other things, move or flex in response to internal vacuum pressure/forces. In embodiments, the base 30 can be configured to accommodate nearly all or substantially all of the internal vacuum pressure or forces (particularly as compared to the sidewall portions of the container) that may be occasioned by or associated with the cooling of a hot-fill product or contents.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and various modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/648,647, filed Dec. 29, 2009, currently pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/141,812, filed Dec. 31, 2008. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/702,370, filed Feb. 9, 2010 currently pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/151,363, filed Feb. 10, 2009. This application additionally claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/665,441, filed Jun. 28, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/716,932, filed Oct. 22, 2012. The entire contents of all of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61141812 | Dec 2008 | US | |
61151363 | Feb 2009 | US | |
61665441 | Jun 2012 | US | |
61716932 | Oct 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12648647 | Dec 2009 | US |
Child | 13841363 | US | |
Parent | 12702370 | Feb 2010 | US |
Child | 12648647 | US |