Patent Application
20070289933
The following description is merely exemplary in nature, and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure or its application or uses.
As shown in
The exemplary container 10 may also have a neck (not shown). The neck may have an extremely short height, that is, becoming a short extension from the finish 20, or an elongated height, extending between the finish 20 and the shoulder region 22. The plastic container 10 has been designed to retain a commodity. The commodity may be in any form such as a solid or semi-solid product. In one example, a commodity may be introduced into the container during a thermal process, typically a hot-fill process. For hot-fill bottling applications, bottlers generally fill the container 10 with a product at an elevated temperature between approximately 155° F. to 205° F. (approximately 68° C. to 96° C.) and seal the container 10 with a closure (not illustrated) before cooling. In addition, the plastic container 10 may be suitable for other high-temperature pasteurization or retort filling processes or other thermal processes as well. In another example, the commodity may be introduced into the container under ambient temperatures.
The plastic container 10 of the present disclosure is a blow molded, biaxially oriented container with a unitary construction from a single or multi-layer material. A well-known stretch-molding, heat-setting process for making the one-piece plastic container 10 generally involves the manufacture of a preform 40 (
Returning now to
The finish 20 of the plastic container 10 may include a threaded region 46 having threads 48, and a lower sealing ridge 50. The threaded region 46 provides a means for attachment of a similarly threaded closure or cap (not illustrated). Alternatives may include other suitable devices that engage the finish 20 of the plastic container 10, such as a press-fit or snap-fit cap for example. Accordingly, the closure or cap (not illustrated) engages the finish 20 to preferably provide a hermetical seal of the plastic container 10. The closure or cap (not illustrated) is preferably of a plastic or metal material conventional to the closure industry and suitable for subsequent thermal processing, including high temperature pasteurization and retort.
With specific reference to
In one example, the linear sidewall 60 may be used to scrape excess or an unused portion of the commodity back into the container 10. In this way, a utensil, such as a knife (not shown) for example, may be slidably advanced along the linear sidewall 60 whereby the excess or an unused portion of the commodity may be transferred from the utensil back into the container 10 at the linear sidewall 60. The geometry of the opening 42 at the linear sidewall 60 is particularly advantageous because a substantially linear engagement surface 62 is defined thereat. The linear engagement surface 62 may cooperate with a planar portion of a utensil, such as a knife, such that mutual contact between the linear engagement surface 62 and the planar portion of the knife may be easily maintained while slidably advancing the knife along the linear engagement surface 62.
In one example, the linear sidewall 60 may define a length of about 25.40 mm (1 inch). In this way, a typical household knife may be accommodated across its entire width along the linear sidewall 60. Other lengths are contemplated. The opening 42 may define a diameter D, of about 63.6 mm (2.5 inch). The opening 42 (assuming a uniform diameter around the opening) may define a circumference C of about 199.81 mm (7.83 inch). The circumference C referenced utilizes the dashed line through the inset portion 56. As a result, it is appreciated that the actual realized circumference is slightly smaller. Notably, the exemplary dimensions provide a container 10 having an opening 42 that is approximately defined by 14% linear sidewall 60 and 86% radial sidewall 54. Again, these dimensions are exemplary.
With continued reference now to
Turning now to
In one example, a machine (not illustrated) places the preform 40 heated to a temperature between approximately 190° F. to 250° F. (approximately 88° C. to 121° C.) into the mold cavity 80. The mold cavity 80 may be heated to a temperature between approximately 250° F. to 350° F. (approximately 121° C. to 177° C.). A stretch rod apparatus (not illustrated) stretches or extends the heated preform 40 within the mold cavity 80 to a length approximately that of the intermediate container 88 thereby molecularly orienting the polyester material in an axial direction generally corresponding with the central longitudinal axis 44 of the container 10. While the stretch rod extends the preform 40, air having a pressure between 300 PSI to 600 PSI (2.07 MPa to 4.14 MPa) assists in extending the preform 40 in the axial direction and in expanding the preform 40 in a circumferential or hoop direction thereby substantially conforming the polyester material to the shape of the mold cavity 80 and further molecularly orienting the polyester material in a direction generally perpendicular to the axial direction, thus establishing the biaxial molecular orientation of the polyester material in most of the intermediate container 88. The pressurized air holds the mostly biaxial molecularly oriented polyester material against the mold cavity 80 for a period of approximately two (2) to five (5) seconds before removal of the intermediate container 88 from the mold cavity 80. This process is known as heat setting and results in a heat-resistant container suitable for filling with a product at high temperatures.
In another example, a machine (not illustrated) places the preform 40 heated to a temperature between approximately 185° F. to 239° F. (approximately 85° C. to 115° C.) into the mold cavity 80. The mold cavity 80 may be chilled to a temperature between approximately 32° F. to 75° F. (approximately 0° C. to 24° C.). A stretch rod apparatus (not illustrated) stretches or extends the heated preform 40 within the mold cavity 80 to a length approximately that of the intermediate container 88 thereby molecularly orienting the polyester material in an axial direction generally corresponding with the central longitudinal axis 44 of the container 10. While the stretch rod extends the preform 40, air having a pressure between 300 PSI to 600 PSI (2.07 MPa to 4.14 MPa) assists in extending the preform 40 in the axial direction and in expanding the preform 40 in a circumferential or hoop direction thereby substantially conforming the polyester material to the shape of the mold cavity 80 and further molecularly orienting the polyester material in a direction generally perpendicular to the axial direction, thus establishing the biaxial molecular orientation of the polyester material in most of the intermediate container 88. The pressurized air holds the mostly biaxial molecularly oriented polyester material against the mold cavity 80 for a period of approximately two (2) to five (5) seconds before removal of the intermediate container 88 from the mold cavity 80. This process is utilized to produce containers suitable for filling with product under ambient conditions or cold temperatures.
Alternatively, other manufacturing methods, such as for example, extrusion blow molding, one step injection stretch blow molding and injection blow molding, using other conventional materials including, for example, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), a PET/PEN blend or copolymer, and various multilayer structures may be suitable for the manufacture of plastic container 10. Those having ordinary skill in the art will readily know and understand plastic container manufacturing method alternatives.
With reference now to
While the above description constitutes the present disclosure, it will be appreciated that the disclosure is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.
