Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONTAINER DEFINING A SPIRAL SHAPED PANEL
[01] The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.
Application No.
61/102,671, filed on October 3, 2008, which application is incorporated herein
by
reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[02] The present invention relates generally to containers and, more
particularly, to a
beverage or food container defining a spiral shaped expansion panel and spiral
shaped
reinforcement rib that improves the top load and hoop strength of the
container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[03] It is known that beverages and food products are marketed, delivered and
sold in a
variety of different types of containers. The type of container utilized may
depend on
several factors, including, for example, the consumer to whom the container is
being
marketed, the distribution channel(s), and/or the quantity of beverage or food
product
being sold. In this regard, and by way of example, beverages, such as soft
drinks and
sports beverages, are marketed towards individual consumers and are often
distributed in
plastic bottle containers or aluminum cans.
[04] It is also known that containers must be structurally sound to withstand
various forces
encountered during the filling, storage and transportation of the container.
By way of
illustration, for a plastic beverage container that may be filled through a
hot-fill process,
a product is first added to the plastic container at an elevated temperature.
The container
is then capped and the contents are cooled. During the cooling process, the
gaseous
head space with the container contracts leading to a volumetric change within
the
container. This volumetric change creates a partial vacuum within the
container.
Without adequate structural support, the wall of the container may deform, for
example,
it may ovalize, resulting in a defective, non-aesthetically pleasing
container. A method
of preventing container ovalization is to provide the container wall with an
expansion
panel. The expansion panel may be configured to flex outwardly during the hot-
fill
process and may flex inwardly to occupy the interior space created by the
vacuum
formed during the beverage cooling process. Various types of expansion panels
are
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known that are useful in preventing the container from ovalizing during the
filling
process and during the shelf life of the product. Additionally, a horizontally
extending
reinforcing rib may be configured in the container wall to improve the hoop
strength of
the container wall and to provide added structural integrity to the container
at that
location. There is, however, room for improvement in the known container art
to ensure
the container's integrity during the filling process.
[05] As mentioned above, in addition to accommodating the internal pressure
changes,
containers must also be able to withstand top load forces that are exerted on
the
containers during storage and shipment of the containers. Typically, ribs are
included in
the container wall to improve the container's top load, or vertical, strength
to prevent the
container from buckling under loaded conditions. Again, there is still room
for
improvement in the art to increase the top load strength of the container
without adding
extra material which has the undesirable effect of increasing the complexity
of the
container construction and resulting costs to manufacture.
[06] Additionally, while it is desirable to include various structural
elements to the container
to improve the integrity of the container, without adding extra costs, it is
also desirable
for the containers to be aesthetically pleasing to the ultimate consumer to
improve the
merchandising of the product contained within the containers. Aesthetic
designs that
improve the appearance of the container without sacrificing the structural
soundness and
integrity of the container are very desirable. It is also desirable to provide
a container
that is easily handled by the consumer.
[07] The present invention is directed at overcoming these and other known
drawbacks with
existing containers that are used to contain food products or beverages.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[08] The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention in
order to provide
a basic understanding of the invention and various features of it. This
summary is not
intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, but it simply
provides a general
overview and context for the more detailed description that follows.
[09] Aspects of the invention relate to containers. In one aspect, the
container may be
configured to contain a beverage or a food product. The container may include
a
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container body that may define opposing ends. The container body may further
define a
shoulder portion that extends away from one of the ends and toward the other
end. The
container body may also include one or more vacuum panels that define a spiral
shape.
A spiral reinforcement rib may be positioned adjacent to the one or more
vacuum panels.
The spiral reinforcement rib serves to improve the top load strength and hoop
strength of
the container body.
[10] Additional aspects of the invention may include the spiral reinforcement
rib extending
continuously from the shoulder portion to the second end. The spiral
reinforcement rib
may spiral at an angle in the range of between 30 to 60 degrees and may spiral
continuously at least one revolution around the periphery of the container
body. The
spiral-shaped vacuum panel may also define an outward curvature while the
spiral
reinforcement rib may define an elongated recess. The spiral reinforcement rib
may also
be shaped to resemble any type of desired object to create an aesthetically-
pleasing,
attention-getting container.
[11] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to
those skilled in
the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings
in which
like numerals are used to designate like features.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[12] FIG. 1 depicts a front view of an exemplary container according to
embodiments of the
present invention.
[13] FIG. 2 depicts a front view of an alternative embodiment of the
invention.
[14] FIG. 3 depicts a front view of another alternative embodiment of the
invention.
[15] FIG. 4 depicts a front view of yet another alternative embodiment of the
invention.
[16] FIG. 5 depicts a front view of still another alternative embodiment of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[17] The present invention may be embodied in many forms. Referring to FIG. I
there is
depicted an exemplary container 100 according to aspects of the invention. The
container 100 may be used to contain a wide variety of liquid or solid
products including,
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for example, soft drinks, juices, sports and energy drinks and other
beverages, and many
food products. The container 100 may define a one-piece construction and may
be
prepared from a plastic material, such as a polyamide, for example, nylon, or
a polyolefin
such as polyethylene, or from a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate
(PET), or
any other suitable material which may also include additives to vary the
physical or
chemical properties of the material. For example, some plastic resins may be
modified
to improve the oxygen permeability. Alternatively, the container 100 may be
prepared
from a multilayer plastic material that may include any plastic material,
including
recycled material, and may include plastics or other materials with additives
to improve
physical properties of the container. Additionally, a coating may be applied
over the
monolayer or multilayer material, for example to introduce oxygen barrier
properties. In
an exemplary embodiment, the container 100 is prepared from PET.
[18] The exemplary container 100 can withstand the rigors of hot-fill
processing. In a hot-fill
process, a product is added to the container at an elevated temperature and
the container
is capped. As the container and its contents cool, the contents tend to
contract and this
volumetric change creates a partial vacuum within the container. In the
absence of some
means for accommodating these internal volumetric changes, such as the
techniques
described herein, containers tend to deform and/or collapse. For example, a
round
container may undergo ovalization, or tend to distort and become out of round.
Containers of other shapes may become similarly distorted. In addition to
these changes
that may adversely affect the appearance of container 100, distortion or
deformation may
cause the container to lean or become unstable. The exemplary container 100
may also
withstand the rigors of other filling and/or packaging processes, including
aseptic, cold-
fill and pasteurization processes, to name a few.
[19] The container 100 may be made by conventional molding processes such as
blow
molding, stretch blow molding and injection blow molding. In the exemplary
embodiment, the container 100 may define a container body 102 defining a first
end 104
and a second end 106. The first end may define an opening 108 and typically
includes a
threaded end portion 110 on which may be threaded or snap-fitted a closure or
cap. The
second end 106 may be a closed end and may be configured to define a container
base
112 that serves to support the container in an upright position. The base 112
may define
one or more reinforcing legs formed by one or more valleys defined in the
base. The
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reinforcing legs provide additional support to the base to allow the base to
support the
contents of the container, while permitting the container to stand in an
upright position.
[20] The container body may further include container wall 114 that may be
substantially
tubular or may have any cross-sectional shape. Exemplary cross-sectional
shapes may
include, for example, a generally circular transverse cross section, an oval
transverse
cross section, a substantially square transverse cross-section, or other
substantially
polygonal transverse cross-sectional shapes such as triangular, pentagonal,
and the like.
As will be understood, when the container 100 has a substantially polygonal
transverse
cross-sectional shape, the corners of the polygon may be rounded or chamfered.
[21] The container body may include a shoulder 120 configured near the first
end 104 of the
container body. In an exemplary embodiment, the shoulder 120 may be positioned
adjacent to the threaded end portion 110. The shoulder may define numerous
configurations including, for example, the bell-shaped configuration depicted
in FIG. 1.
As understood by those skilled in the art, the shoulder 120 provides support
for the
threaded end portion 110 and provides a certain amount of top load and hoop
strength.
[22] Positioned near the shoulder 120 may be one or more reinforcing ribs 122
that may
extend around the periphery of the container body. The reinforcing rib 122 is
formed
into the wall of the container body and defines a recess extending around the
periphery
of the container body. Alternatively, the reinforcing rib may define an
outwardly
extending lip or ring. The reinforcing rib 122 provides hoop strength to the
container
wall at the location of the rib 122. The reinforcing rib 122 may be a
continuous rib or a
discontinuous rib, such as one or more rib segments spaced apart around the
periphery of
the container body. In one exemplary embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, the
reinforcing rib
122 extends horizontally around the periphery of the container body and forms
a
continuous rib. In another exemplary embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, the
reinforcing rib
123 spirals around the periphery of the container body.
[23] Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the shoulder 120 and portions of the container
wall on one or
both sides of the reinforcing rib may define a wall structure having surface
features 130.
The surface features 130 may take the likeness of an animal's scales, such as
a lizard's
scales, or the surface features may define other shapes, configurations or
likenesses. The
surface features may be located across the entirety of the shoulder or wall,
or only across
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a portion of the shoulder or wall. The surface features provide localized
reinforcement
of the container body and also an aesthetically pleasing design on the
container that will
assist in merchandising the product contained within the container. The
surface features
130 and the spiral reinforcement rib that may have the likeness of an animal's
tail, as
described below, provide a unique, aesthetically pleasing container design
that also
serves to add structural integrity to the container.
[24] Referring to FIG. 1, positioned between the first and second ends of the
container is a
vacuum panel 150 that defines a spiral configuration on the container body.
Positioned
adjacent the vacuum panel 150 is a reinforcement rib 152 that also defines a
spiral
configuration. The vacuum panel 150 and reinforcement rib 152 spiral or twist
about the
longitudinal axis of the container body in order to provide an aesthetically
pleasing
container structure that resembles a number of likenesses. For example, the
reinforcement rib 152 of FIG. 1 resembles an animal's tail, such as a lizard's
tail. Other
likenesses can be observed in the reinforcement rib 152 and vacuum panel 150.
This
unique design creates a strongly branded appearance and will catch the
consumer's
attention when the product is merchandised. The vacuum panel 150 and
reinforcement
rib 152 may start near the longitudinal midpoint of the container body, or
from the
shoulder, and may transition smoothly from the container wall at location 154
to the
respective vacuum panel and reinforcement rib configurations depicted in FIG.
1.
Similarly, the vacuum panel 150 and reinforcement rib 152 may transition
smoothly back
to the container wall at location 156 (FIG. 2) and therefore blend into the
shape of the
container wall. The vacuum panel 150 and reinforcement rib 152 may spiral,
twist or
extend across the container body to form numerous other potential design
configurations,
images or likenesses that still provide the desired structural strength to the
container.
[25] In an exemplary embodiment, the vacuum panel and reinforcement rib spiral
at least one
revolution about the container body and more preferably at least two
revolutions. It
should be understood that the vacuum panel and reinforcement rib may extend
more than
two revolutions or less than one revolution depending on the desired design.
[26] As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum panel defines an outward curve 160, as
further
described below, and the reinforcement rib defines an elongated recess 162.
The recess
162 forms into the container wall and define a channel that is sufficiently
wide so as to
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provide a gripping surface for the consumer. That is, the recess 162 is
sufficiently sized
to permit a consumer's fingers to easily wrap along the recess 162 allowing
the
consumer to more easily grip and handle the container.
[27] The vacuum panel and reinforcement rib may spiral at numerous potential
angles as
measured from a plane extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the
container.
Exemplary spiral angles may be within the range of one degree up to eight-nine
degrees.
More preferably, the vacuum panel and reinforcement rib may extend at an angle
between approximately ten and eighty degrees, and even more preferably between
an
angle between approximately thirty and sixty degrees. It should be understood
that the
exemplary spiral angle of the vacuum panel and reinforcement rib is simply
representative of the numerous possible spiral angles.
[28] The reinforcement rib 152 is configured to provide additional top load
strength to the
container. Additionally, the reinforcement rib 152 provides hoop strength to
the
container wall at the location of the rib. Consequently, the reinforcement rib
152 not
only provides an aesthetically pleasing design to the container, it further
provides added
structural integrity to the container wall.
[29] The vacuum panel 150 is configured to expand and contract during a hot-
fill process, for
example. In other words, as the container containing a hot liquid cools, the
vacuum
panel contracts to occupy the space or vacuum formed within the container. In
the
exemplary embodiment, the vacuum panel is a single panel that extends
continuously
around the periphery of the container body. In an alternative embodiment, the
vacuum
panel may be multiple panels that extend around the periphery of the container
body.
The multiple vacuum panels may spiral or twist at the same angle or at
different angles.
[30] As stated above, and unlike conventional vacuum panels, the spiral shaped
vacuum panel
150 may be curved radially outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis.
The radius of
curvature of the vacuum panel may be generally uniform as the vacuum panel
progresses
toward the second end 106 of the container body. Alternatively, the radius of
curvature
of the vacuum panel may increase or decrease as the vacuum panel progresses
toward the
second end 106. As the vacuum panel transitions into the container wall at the
locations
154, 156, the radius of curvature of the vacuum panel transitions into a
substantially
infinite radius of curvature.
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[31] Referring to FIGS. 2-5, there are depicted alternative containers of the
invention. Like
elements among these embodiments have been identified with like numerals. As
can be
appreciated from these figures, various aspects of the invention may be
combined to
create multiple configurations. Referring to FIG. 2, the container 200 may be
configured
to contain a beverage or a food product. The container may include a container
body 102
that may define opposing ends 104, 106, with end 104 further defining a
threaded
opening 110. The container body may further define a shoulder portion 120 that
extends
away from end 104 and toward end 106. The container body may also include a
base
112 for supporting the container and permitting the container to stand in an
upright
position. Positioned adjacent the shoulder 120 may be a horizontally extending
reinforcement rib 122 that may define a continuous recess or recess segments.
Configured on the container body at the location of the shoulder 120 may be a
plurality
of surface features 130, such as an animal's scales, or any other desired
design feature.
The surface features are configured to provide aesthetics to the container
body as well as
additional strength to the container at the location of the surface features.
As shown in
FIG. 2, the container body also may include one or more vacuum panels 150 and
one or
more reinforcement ribs 152 both of which define a spiral shape. The spiral
reinforcement rib serves to improve the top load strength and hoop strength of
the
container body. The reinforcement rib also serves as finger grips for the
consumer to
more easily handle and hold the container. Consequently, the surface features,
spiral
shaped vacuum panels and reinforcement ribs not only provide additional
strength and
integrity to the container, they create a strongly branded container giving a
visually
aesthetic and eye-catching impression.
[32] Referring to FIG. 3, the container 300 may be configured similar to the
container 200.
That is, the container may include a container body 102 defining opposing ends
104,
106, and a threaded opening 110. The container body may also define a shoulder
portion
120 and a base 112 which supports the container and permits the container to
stand in an
upright position. Unlike the container 200, container 300 does not require a
horizontally
extending reinforcement rib. Rather, the container 300 includes a plurality of
surface
features 130 or any other desired design. The surface features provide
aesthetics to the
container body as well as added strength to the container at the location of
the surface
features. Similar to the container 200, the container body may also include
one or more
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vacuum panels 150 and one or more reinforcement ribs 152 both of which define
a spiral
shape, such as the shape of an animal's tail. As stated above, the spiral
reinforcement rib
improves the top load and hoop strength of the container body. Again, like
with
container 200, container 300 forms a container that is easy to handle,
provides added
strength and integrity to the container, and creates a strongly branded
container giving a
visually aesthetic and eye-catching impression.
[33] Referring to FIG. 4, the container 400 may also be configured similar to
the container
200. That is, the container may include a container body 102 defining opposing
ends
104, 106, and a threaded opening 110. The container body may also define a
shoulder
portion 120 and a base 112 which supports the container and permits the
container to
stand in an upright position. Similar to the container 200, container 400
includes
multiple horizontally extending reinforcement ribs 122. Additionally, the
container 400
includes a plurality of surface features 130 to provide the container body
with added
strength at the location of the surface features. Similar to the container
200, the
container 400 also may include one or more vacuum panels 150 and one or more
reinforcement ribs 152 both of which define a spiral shape, such as the shape
of an
animal's tail. Again, like with container 200, container 400 forms a container
that is
easy to handle, provides added strength and integrity to the container, and
creates a
strongly branded container giving a visually aesthetic and eye-catching
impression.
[34] Referring to FIG. 5, the container 500 may also be configured similar to
the container
100. That is, the container 500 may include a container body 102 defining
opposing
ends 104, 106, and a threaded opening 110. The container body may also define
a
shoulder portion 120 and a base 112 which supports the container and permits
the
container to stand in an upright position. In contrast to the container 200,
container 500
includes a spiral-shaped reinforcement rib 123 that spirals around the
periphery of the
container body. This rib configuration provides added top load and hoop
strength at the
location of the rib 123. The rib 123 may spiral at any desired angle between
approximately one degree and eighty-nine degrees. It should be understood that
other rib
shapes are possible and that the rib 123 may define one or more spiral ribs or
rib
segments. Additionally, and similar to the container 100, the container 500
may also
include one or more vacuum panels 150 and one or more reinforcement ribs 152
both of
which define a spiral shape, such as the shape of an animal's tail. Again,
like with
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container 100, container 500 forms a container that is easy to handle,
provides added
strength and integrity to the container, and provides a strongly branded
container creating
a visually aesthetic impression that will improve the merchandising of the
product
contained within the container.
[35] As can be appreciated by the various embodiments depicted in the figures,
multiple
combinations of the features of the container are possible. Consequently, it
will be
understood by those skilled in the art that the combinations depicted in the
figures are
merely exemplary of the numerous possible combinations, all of which are
within the
scope of the invention.
[36] Additionally, the container, according to the teachings of invention and
as depicted in the
numerous exemplary embodiments, resists deformation and collapse.
Additionally, the
container 100 does not undergo any substantial ovalization, nor does it
distort and
become out of round. The container 100 has improved top load strength and
added hoop
strength at the location of the reinforcement rib, while providing an
aesthetically pleasing
container body that creates a strongly branded container which improves the
merchandising of the contents within the container.
[37] Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the
present
invention. It should be understood that the invention disclosed and defined
herein
extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual
features
mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different
combinations
constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The
embodiments
described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and
will
enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention.
