Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
BOTTLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present application is directed to plastic bottles, typically blow
molded from PET material. In particular, the present application is directed
to such
plastic bottles that include gripping sections for round bottles of relatively
large capacity,
e.g., 60oz, 64oz, 96oz, 128oz., etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many 96 oz. bottles are commercially available and prevalent in
consumer
settings, such as grocery stores. See, e.g., US patent nos. 6,273,282,
6,796,450,
6,257,433, 6,044,997 and 5,762,221. In addition, so-called pinch grip
containers are
prevalent in the field, especially in regard to 64 ounce bottles, see, e.g.,
U.S. Patent No.
5,165,557. However, there is an ever growing need to improve bottles in terms
of
gripability, pourability, labeling, reducing weight, decreased weight/material
and/or
increased strength, etc.
[0003] Thus, a need has developed in the bottling art to provide address one
or
more of these challenges.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] One aspect of the present invention relates to an improved bottle
design
having a gripping section located above the bottle label panel to enable
labeling with a
wrap around label using a wrap around labeling machine.
[0005] Another aspect is to allow for material reduction, while maintaining
the
bottle's strength and load capacity, as well as the bottle's ability to
accommodate for or
otherwise resist vacuum deformation.
1
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
[0006) Another aspect is to provide improved gripping and/or pourability,
e.g., by
providing one or more raised beads in the grip area of each gripping portion,
and/or
positioning and/or dimensioning the gripping section relative to the remainder
of the
bottle.
[0007] Another aspect is to provide an improved and/or coordinated logo
scheme,
by providing relatively large logo areas on the upper and lower portions of
the bottle that
are aligned and/or coordinated with one another.
[0008] Another aspect is to provide for vacuum deformation flex panels in the
base, upper and/or lower portions of the bottle to accommodate for any forces
introduced
during the pasteurization process during a filling operation.
[0009] Another aspect is directed to a bottle having a reinforced upper
portion of
the dome portion thereof, e.g., on a generally round bottle.
[0010] The bottle described herein may be a hot-fillable or cold-fillable
plastic
bottle. In one form, the bottle is made from blow-molded plastic (e.g., PET or
another
suitable plastic).
[0011] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a plastic
bottle
comprising a main body defining an upper portion and a lower portion, the
lower portion
including a plurality of vacuum flex panels, said lower portion including
upper and lower
label bumpers to receive a wrap around label; and a circumferential, recessed
waist
portion defining a transition between the upper and lower portions of the main
body,
wherein the upper portion includes a dome with a gripping section having a
pair of
opposed grip portions positioned above the waist and recessed into the upper
portion.
[0012] One or more reinforcing or strengthening members, e.g., ribs, may be
provided about or' within the grip portions. For example, one or more
laterally extending
ribs (e.g., 1-4 or more) may be provided between the grip portions on the rear
side of the
bottle. An arch body and/or ribs may be provided about the perimeter or in the
vicinity of
the grip portion. The terms "vertical" and "lateral" or horizontal are taken
when the
bottle is resting upright on its base.
2
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
[0013] These and other aspects will be described in or apparent from the
following description of preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a bottle according to one example
of
the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a front reverse perspective view thereof;
[0016] FIG. 3 is the rear view thereof;
[0017] FIG. 4 is the front view thereof;
[0018] FIG. 5 is the top view thereof;
[0019] FIG. 6 is the bottom view thereof;
[0020] FIG. 7 is the side view thereof;
[0021] FIG. 8 is a simplified cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of
FIG. 3;
and
[0022] FIG. 9 is a simplified cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of
FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES
[0023] The following description is provided in relation to several examples
that
may share common characteristics and/or features. It is to be understood that
one or
more features of any one example may be combinable with one or more features
of the
other examples. In addition, any single feature or combination of features in
any of the
examples may constitute an additional aspect of the invention.
[0024] FIGS. 1-9 show examples of bottles made according to the present
invention. In the figures, reference number 10 designates a plastic bottle or
container, e.g.
a polyethylene terephthalate (PET), hot-fillable or cold-fillable beverage
bottle.
Typically, a hot fillable bottle will include one or more (e.g., 4-6) vacuum
flex panels for
deformation portions 55, while it is not necessary for cold fill bottles to
include such
vacuum panels. However, a hot fillable bottle can be used for cold fill
applications. The
3
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
bottle may have a filling capacity of 64 oz., 60 oz., 96 oz., or smaller than
60 oz. or larger
than 96 oz., e.g., 128 oz., etc. Also, while described in conjunction with
round bottles,
the features described herein may also have application to other types of
bottles, e.g.,
rectangular bottles, etc.
[0025] The bottle 10 includes a finish or neck 30 and a main body 40 that
extends
away from the neck 30. The neck 30 may be crystallized to have a substantially
opaque
or white appearance, as is well known in the art. However, it is not necessary
to provide
a crystallized neck. The body portion 40 includes an upper portion 45 and a
lower
portion 50, which in the exemplary embodiment has the vacuum flex panels or
deformation portions 55, which may be in the form of panel sections recessed
into the
lower portion, e.g., 1-5 mm or more. The vacuum deformation portions 55
accommodate
internal forces tending to collapse the bottle inwardly due to filling the
container 10 with
a liquid at an elevated temperature, e.g., a pasteurization temperature. After
the container
is hot-filled and capped, cooling of the liquid tends to collapse the vacuum
deformation portions 55. Each vacuum deformation portion 55 may include at
least one,
e.g., 2-3, stiffening structures 56, e.g., truncated pyramids, to add
rigidity, e.g., to prevent
more than a certain amount of deformation of the vacuum deformation portions
55.
Upper portion 45 is shorter than the lower portion 50 in the illustrated
embodiment,
although they could have the same height or the lower portion 50 could be
shorter than
the upper portion 45. A base or heel portion 25 is provided below the lower
portion 50.
[0026} The bottle 10 is manufactured, for example, using a blow-molding
process
which is well known. During blow-molding, a preform (not shown) is expanded
and
assumes the shape of an interior molding surface, i.e., a mold (not shown), to
form a
substantially transparent, biaxially-oriented bottle. The neck 30 of the
preform is not
expanded and remains as the neck 30 of the bottle 10. The neck 30 includes
threads and
an open mouth 35 for receiving a screw-on cap (not shown). The lower portion
of the
preform is expanded to form the body portion 40 of the bottle 10, including
the upper
portion 45 and the lower portion 50.
4
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
[0027] While this example relates to hot-fill applications, it is also
contemplated
that the bottle 10 can be used in cold-fill applications. For example, the
bottle can be
made using an aseptic cold-fill line.
[0028] Further, the lower portion 50 of the bottle 10 is adapted to receive a
label
61 (FIG. 4) which is wrapped, e.g., shrink-wrapped, around the lower portion
50 and the
vacuum deformation portions 55. For example, the label 61 (only a portion is
shown)
wraps about the entire perimeter of the bottle 10. The upper limit of label 61
is positioned
below an upper transition shoulder 54 between the top and bottom portions 45,
50 of the
body portion 40. A lower transition shoulder 54.1 defines a lowermost boundary
of the
label 61. The label 61 could include one or more separate parts to be
individually applied
to the label area.
[0029] A front side 45F (Figure 4) of the upper portion includes a logo
portion 53
positioned opposite to a rear side 45R. The lower portion 50 includes the wrap
around
label 61 having a logo 61.1 that aligns or is coordinated (e.g., size wise)
with the logo
portion 53 provided on the upper portion 45 of the main body 10. The logo
portion 53
may possess a degree of vacuum deformation capacity. Logo portion 53 may be
embossed or debossed into the upper portion 45. In addition, or in the
alternative, logo
portion 53 may also take the form of an adhesive label.
[0030] Bottle 10 includes a shoulder or dome portion 60 and a gripping section
64
provided below shoulder 60. As shown in Figure 8, gripping section 64 includes
a pair of
grip portions 65 and a rear wall 65.1 that connects the grip portions 65. Each
grip portion
65 is inwardly recessed into the body portion 40. For example, the grip
portions 65 on
opposite sides of the bottle 10 are spaced a distance that is less than the
width of the
upper portion of the bottle. Preferably, each grip portion 65 in particular a
grip area 65.2
thereof, is recessed to a depth that progressively increases when moving from
the rear
side 65R to the front side 65F of the grip area 65.2. For example, the depth
d12 at or near
the rear side 65R is about 2-10 mm, e.g., about 3-5, and the depth dl 1 at or
near the front
side 65F of the grip area 65.2 is about 5-25 mm, e.g., about 15-20 mm, as
shown in FIG.
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
8. In embodiments, the depth may be only a few millimeters, e.g., 1-5 mm, of a
generally
constant depth.
[0031] Main body 40 includes a recessed or pinched waist portion 57 that
divides
the upper and lower portions 45, 50. As seen in FIG 9, in cross section, the
waist portion
57 has a generally round shape with generally flat portions 57.1 positioned
just below or
aligned with the grip portions 65. This flattened section may influence the
shape of the
lower part of the grip portions as seen in the top view of FIG. 5.
[0032] Although not shown, the border of each grip portion 65 may include a
ledge that improves gripability. Such a ledge if provided would substantially
surrounds
the entire grip portion 65, although it is possible that less than the entire
perimeter of the
grip portion 65 includes the ledge. Further, although the grip portion 65 is
shown as
generally square or slightly trapezoidal with rounded corners, it can take the
form of
other shapes such as circles, diamonds, rectangles or other geometric shapes.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 8, in cross section, each gripping section 64 has
three
sides defining a generally U-shape, made up from the generally parallel grip
areas 65.2
and the wall 65.1 connecting the grip areas 65.2. The upper ends of the
generally U-
shape grip section 64 are flared outwards to connect to the curved or
cylindrical front
surface 45F of the upper portion 45.
[0034] Each grip area 65.2 that extends from an imaginary plane P, running
parallel to and adjacent a longitudinal axis A of the main body 10, to the
rear wall 65.1 of
the upper portion. As such, the grip portions 65 are oriented asymmetrically
on the upper
portion. A front wall 65.3 of the grip portion 65 transitions or flares into
the front side
45F of the upper portion 45 which is generally cylindrical and corresponds to
a maximum
diameter of the upper portion 45 at that point. The grip portions 65 include
upper and
lower side walls 65U, 65L (FIG. 7) that, together with front wall 65.3,
transition the grip
area 65.2 to surrounding portions of the upper portion 45 that are not
recessed.
[0035] Each grip area 65.2 has at least one raised bead 90 (e.g., 1-5mm)
extending generally vertically. The at least one bead 90 may include at least
three beads
having the same or different heights. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the
middle bead
6
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
has a length which is longer than the adjacent beads. At least one of the
beads is
positioned along a transition between the grip area 65.2 and the front wall
65.3 of the grip
portion 65.
[0036] Each bead 90 may be angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the main
body. The upper part of each bead has an upper portion angled at an angle a
towards a
front side of the upper portion. The angle a is about 1-15 degrees, e.g.,
about 3-5 degrees
or about 5-10 degrees.
[0037] The rear wall 65.1 is dimensioned to engage a user's palm, with the
user's
fingers and thumb engage the opposed grip portions 65 or grip or areas 65.2.
The rear
wall 65.1 includes at least one lateral rib 75 extending between the opposed
grip portions
65, for strength and grippability. The at least one lateral rib 75 may
comprise at least 2-4
or more lateral ribs that are parallel to one another and the waist portion
57. The lateral
rib 75 is recessed into the rear portion (e.g., 1-5mm), but it may protrude as
well.
[0038] Bottle 10 may include an arch body 70 for each grip portion 65
positioned
at least along a portion of a rear wall 65.1 of the grip portion 65. The arch
body 70 may
be recessed or protruding, e.g., 1-5 mm, and is positioned between the rear
side 65R of
each grip area 65.2 and the at least one lateral rib 75 that extends between
the grip
portions 65. Each arch body 70 may also extend adjacent a top border 65T of
the grip
portion 65, as seen in FIG. 7.
[0039] Bottle 10 may include at least one rib 80 (1-5 ribs) positioned on a
front
side 45F of the upper portion 45, adjacent each said grip portion 65. The at
least one rib
80 extends between the neck 30 to the waist portion 57. One of the ribs 80 may
extend
past arch body 70, as seen in Figure 7. The combination of ribs 75 and 80
along with
arch body 70 (and even the logo portion 53) cooperates to provide improved
strength
(e.g., top loading strength), and/or resistance to squeezing and vacuum
deformation
forces, while at the same time requiring less material usage.
[0040] The bottle may also include a vacuum array, e.g., including one or more
vacuum deformation portions positioned on the top portion 45 of the main body.
For
7
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
example, grip portion 65 and/or logo portion 53 may possess vacuum deformation
capacity.
[0041] In this particular embodiment, bottle 10 has a volume capacity of about
96
oz. Exemplary dimensions d 1-d 12 of the bottle are shown in the various
drawings, for
example:
d l is about 290-310 mm or about 300 mm;
d2 is about 120-130 mm or about 125 mm;
d3 is about 40-50 mm or about 45 mm;
d4 is about 70-80 mm or about 75 mm;
d5 is about 70-80 mm or about 75 mm;
d6 is about 15-25 mm or about 20 mm;
d7 is about 125-135 mm or about 120 mm;
d8 is about 140-150 mm or about 145 mm;
d9 is about 70-90 mm or about 75-80 mm;
d 10 is about 40-50 mm or about 45 mm;
d 11 is about 5-25 mm or about 15-20 mm;
d12 is about 2-10 mm or about 3-5 mm;
d13 is about 130-135 mm or about 135 mm; and
d 14 is about 60-70 mm or about 65 mm.
Those of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that aspects of the
present invention
are applicable to other containers, such as round or polygon shaped, e.g.,
square,
pentagon, hexagon, septagon, octagon, etc., bottles, which may have different
dimensions
and volume capacities (+/- 10-20% or more).
[0042] The grip portion 65 is adapted to be grasped by the fingers and thumb
of a
person of average size, for example, an average woman having a size 7 hand.
For
example, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance d9 between the grip portions 65 is
about 70-90
mm, e.g., about 75-80 mm, although the distance can range lower than 70 and
higher than
90. However, the grip portion 65 is not limited for use by a person having
average size
hands.
8
1520082
CA 02676941 2009-08-28
[0043] As seen in the cross-sectional view of FIG.8, at least a portion the
grip
area 65.2 of the grip portion 65 is provided near or at the longitudinal axis
A of the main
body of the bottle to facilitate holding of and pouring liquid contents from
the container
10. However, as seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 7, the grip portions 65 are above the
waist
portion 57 and therefore above the center of gravity.
[0044] While the invention has been described in connection with what are
presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is
to be
understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed
embodiments, but on
the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent
arrangements
included within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while an
exemplary
hot-fillable container has been described, the disclosure is not limited to
such and non-
hot-fillable containers are also possible in which event vacuum panels would
not be
required. In addition, while PET containers made using a blow-molding process
have
been described, other materials and manufacturing processes are also possible.
For
example, the container can be made using extrusion molding or other stretch
molding
techniques, and the container could be made from materials such as, for
example,
polypropylene, high density polypropylene, polyolefin, styrene and other
similar plastic
materials.
9
1520082
