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US20120000921A1 - Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel - Google Patents

Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel Download PDF

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Publication number
US20120000921A1
US20120000921A1 US13/171,826 US201113171826A US2012000921A1 US 20120000921 A1 US20120000921 A1 US 20120000921A1 US 201113171826 A US201113171826 A US 201113171826A US 2012000921 A1 US2012000921 A1 US 2012000921A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
container
rib members
horizontally disposed
sidewall portion
container according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US13/171,826
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Luke A. Mast
Bradley S. Philip
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to PCT/US2011/042393 priority Critical patent/WO2012012182A2/en
Priority to BR112012032779A priority patent/BR112012032779A2/pt
Priority to MX2012014891A priority patent/MX2012014891A/es
Priority to CA2803363A priority patent/CA2803363A1/en
Priority to US13/171,826 priority patent/US20120000921A1/en
Assigned to AMCOR LIMITED reassignment AMCOR LIMITED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MAST, LUKE A., PHILIP, BRADLEY S.
Publication of US20120000921A1 publication Critical patent/US20120000921A1/en
Priority to US14/602,680 priority patent/US9415894B2/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D1/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
    • B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D1/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/40—Details of walls
    • B65D1/42—Reinforcing or strengthening parts or members
    • B65D1/44—Corrugations
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D79/00—Kinds or details of packages, not otherwise provided for
    • B65D79/005—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting
    • B65D79/008—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting the deformable part being located in a rigid or semi-rigid container, e.g. in bottles or jars
    • B65D79/0084—Packages having deformable parts for indicating or neutralizing internal pressure-variations by other means than venting the deformable part being located in a rigid or semi-rigid container, e.g. in bottles or jars in the sidewall or shoulder part thereof

Definitions

  • This disclosure generally relates to containers for retaining a commodity, such as a solid or liquid commodity. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a container having optimized horizontal ribs at an optimum perimeter length to act as a belt/strap to maintain container shape.
  • PET containers are now being used more than ever to package numerous commodities previously supplied in glass containers.
  • PET is a crystallizable polymer, meaning that it is available in an amorphous form or a semi-crystalline form.
  • the ability of a PET container to maintain its material integrity relates to the percentage of the PET container in crystalline form, also known as the “crystallinity” of the PET container.
  • the following equation defines the percentage of crystallinity as a volume fraction:
  • ⁇ is the density of the PET material
  • ⁇ a is the density of pure amorphous PET material (1.333 g/cc)
  • ⁇ c is the density of pure crystalline material (1.455 g/cc).
  • Container manufacturers use mechanical processing and thermal processing to increase the PET polymer crystallinity of a container.
  • Mechanical processing involves orienting the amorphous material to achieve strain hardening. This processing commonly involves stretching an injection molded PET preform along a longitudinal axis and expanding the PET preform along a transverse or radial axis to form a PET container. The combination promotes what manufacturers define as biaxial orientation of the molecular structure in the container.
  • Manufacturers of PET containers currently use mechanical processing to produce PET containers having approximately 20% crystallinity in the container's sidewall.
  • Thermal processing involves heating the material (either amorphous or semi-crystalline) to promote crystal growth.
  • thermal processing of PET material results in a spherulitic morphology that interferes with the transmission of light. In other words, the resulting crystalline material is opaque, and thus, generally undesirable.
  • thermal processing results in higher crystallinity and excellent clarity for those portions of the container having biaxial molecular orientation.
  • the thermal processing of an oriented PET container which is known as heat setting, typically includes blow molding a PET preform against a mold heated to a temperature of approximately 250° F.-350° F.
  • PET juice bottles which must be hot-filled at approximately 185° F. (85° C.), currently use heat setting to produce PET bottles having an overall crystallinity in the range of approximately 25%-35%.
  • the problem of expansion under the pressure caused by the hot fill process is improved by creating unique vacuum/label panel geometry that resists expansion, maintains shape, and shrinks back to approximately the original starting volume due to vacuum generated during the product cooling phase.
  • the present teachings further improve top loading functionality through the use of arches and column corners in some embodiments.
  • FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary container incorporating the features of the present teachings
  • FIG. 2 is a side view of an exemplary container incorporating the features of the present teachings
  • FIG. 3 is a plan view of an exemplary container incorporating the features of the present teachings
  • FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an exemplary container incorporating the features of the present teachings
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary container incorporating the features of the present teachings taken along line 5 - 5 of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of an exemplary container incorporating the features of the present teachings.
  • FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the finish of an exemplary container incorporating the features of the present teachings.
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating the first perimeter length and the second perimeter length.
  • Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.
  • first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
  • Spatially relative terms such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
  • This disclosure provides for a container being made of PET and incorporating a series of horizontal rib features having an optimized size and shape that resists container expansion caused by hot fill pressure and acts as a belt/strap to help maintain container shape.
  • the size and specific configuration of the container may not be particularly limiting and, thus, the principles of the present teachings can be applicable to a wide variety of PET container shapes. Therefore, it should be recognized that variations can exist in the present embodiments. That is, it should be appreciated that the teachings of the present disclosure can be used in a wide variety of containers, including reusable/disposable packages including resealable plastic bags (e.g., ZipLock® bags), resealable containers (e.g., TupperWare® containers), dried food containers (e.g., dried milk), drug containers, chemical packaging, squeezable containers, recyclable containers, and the like.
  • resealable plastic bags e.g., ZipLock® bags
  • resealable containers e.g., TupperWare® containers
  • dried food containers e.g., dried milk
  • drug containers e.g., chemical packaging, squeezable containers, recyclable containers, and the like.
  • the present teachings provide a plastic, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate (PET), container generally indicated at 10 .
  • the exemplary container 10 can be substantially elongated when viewed from a side and rectangular when viewed from above.
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • the exemplary container 10 can be substantially elongated when viewed from a side and rectangular when viewed from above.
  • Those of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the following teachings of the present disclosure are applicable to other containers, such as rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, polygonal, or square shaped containers, which may have different dimensions and volume capacities. It is also contemplated that other modifications can be made depending on the specific application and environmental requirements.
  • container 10 has been designed to retain a commodity.
  • the commodity may be in any form such as a solid or semi-solid product.
  • a commodity may be introduced into the container during a thermal process, typically a hot-fill process.
  • 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 before cooling.
  • the plastic container 10 may be suitable for other high-temperature pasteurization or retort filling processes or other thermal processes as well.
  • the commodity may be introduced into the container under ambient temperatures.
  • the exemplary plastic container 10 defines a body 12 , and includes an upper portion 14 having a cylindrical sidewall 18 forming a finish 20 . Integrally formed with the finish 20 and extending downward therefrom is a shoulder portion 22 .
  • the shoulder portion 22 merges into and provides a transition between the finish 20 and a sidewall portion 24 .
  • the sidewall portion 24 extends downward from the shoulder portion 22 to a base portion 28 having a base 30 .
  • sidewall portion 24 can extend down and nearly abut base 30 , thereby minimizing the overall area of base portion 28 such that there is not a discernable base portion 28 when exemplary container 10 is uprightly-placed on a surface.
  • the exemplary container 10 may also have a neck 23 .
  • the neck 23 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 portion 22 .
  • the upper portion 14 can define an opening for filling and dispensing of a commodity stored therein.
  • the container is shown as a beverage container, it should be appreciated that containers having different shapes, such as sidewalls and openings, can be made according to the principles of the present teachings.
  • the finish 20 of the exemplary plastic container 10 may include a threaded region 46 having threads 48 , a lower sealing ridge 50 , and a support ring 51 .
  • the threaded region provides a means for attachment of a similarly threaded closure or cap (not shown).
  • Alternatives may include other suitable devices that engage the finish 20 of the exemplary plastic container 10 , such as a press-fit or snap-fit cap for example.
  • the closure or cap engages the finish 20 to preferably provide a hermetical seal of the exemplary plastic container 10 .
  • the closure or cap is preferably of a plastic or metal material conventional to the closure industry and suitable for subsequent thermal processing.
  • the container 10 can comprise a label/vacuum panel area 100 generally disposed along sidewall portion 24 .
  • panel 100 can be disposed in other areas of the container 10 , including the base portion 28 and/or shoulder portion 22 .
  • Panel area 100 can comprise a series or plurality of rib members 102 generally disposed horizontally about container 10 .
  • Rib members 102 can be formed to have minimum curves and radii for improved structural integrity, and less perimeter length compared to the perimeter of adjacent surfaces, such as lands 104 . Through their structure, rib members 102 are capable of resisting the force of internal pressure by acting as a “belt” that limits the “unfolding” of the cosmetic geometry of the container that makes up the exterior design.
  • the rib members 102 can be formed to have a generally consistent and uniform shape throughout its circumferential track about container 10 .
  • rib members 102 can specifically comprise a generally narrow central portion 106 extending horizontally about container 10 defining a first perimeter length 110 a (see FIG. 8 ).
  • Central portion 106 can transition to adjacent lands 104 via a continuous, inclined portion or surface 112 (see FIGS. 1-3 ).
  • Surface 112 can provide a transition surface between central portion 106 and the varying shape of lands 104 , which can itself include various features and contours.
  • Adjacent lands 104 can similarly define a second perimeter length 110 b (see FIG. 8 ).
  • Second perimeter length 110 b of adjacent lands 104 is greater than first perimeter length 110 a of central portion 106 .
  • rib members 102 can define a groove or other inwardly-directed rib feature. Rib members 102 can further extend around corners formed in the container to thereby strengthen the container.
  • the optimum perimeter length of rib members 102 should be approximately 3-5% less than the adjacent perimeter geometry, specifically second perimeter length 110 b. That is, in some embodiments, the first perimeter length 110 a can be 348.84 mm and the second perimeter length 110 b can be 360.96 mm. Moreover, in some embodiments, that depth of rib member 102 compared to adjacent lands 104 can be approximately equal to about one half of the on-center distance between adjacent rib members 102 . Still further, in some embodiments, the overall height of rib members 102 (when viewed from the front) can be approximately equal to the on-center distance between adjacent rib members 102 . Still further, in some embodiments, the overall height of panel area 100 can generally equal about 50% (e.g. 40-60%) of the overall height of the container 10 (when viewed from the front).
  • rib members 102 can be disposed parallel and equally spaced along sidewall portion 24 and/or panel area 100 . That is, in some embodiments, performance was optimized by using five (5) rib members 102 equally spaced within a 4.2′′ high label panel (i.e. panel area 100 ), or about one rib every 0.7′′ vertically. Rib members 102 can be generally located at a central portion of sidewall portion 24 , where expansion and contraction forces are most extreme.
  • the expansion under fill pressure of 2.3 psi was reduced from 111 cc to 83 cc compared to current panel design. This is an improvement of about 25% over typical or conventional panel design.
  • the principles of the present teachings further provide a container that is particularly well-suited to resist ovalization and thus maintain a rectangular shape (or other desired shape) during filling compared to similar designs not using the rib members of the present teachings.
  • the container of the present teachings is often under a vacuum due to cooling and thus exhibits a shrinking response.
  • the present container is unique in that is expands during initial filling an amount that is generally equal to the amount of shrinkage that occurs during cooling, thereby resulting in a final, post-filled and cooled shape that closely conforms to an initial, pre-filled shape. It should thus be understood that the container of the present teachings is capable of maintaining an intended shape pre-versus post-filling.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
  • Aiming, Guidance, Guns With A Light Source, Armor, Camouflage, And Targets (AREA)
  • Pressure Vessels And Lids Thereof (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
US13/171,826 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel Abandoned US20120000921A1 (en)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US2011/042393 WO2012012182A2 (en) 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel
BR112012032779A BR112012032779A2 (pt) 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 painel de vácuorótulo resistente á pressão
MX2012014891A MX2012014891A (es) 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 Panel de etiquetado/vacio, resistente a presion.
CA2803363A CA2803363A1 (en) 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel
US13/171,826 US20120000921A1 (en) 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel
US14/602,680 US9415894B2 (en) 2010-06-30 2015-01-22 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US36008410P 2010-06-30 2010-06-30
US13/171,826 US20120000921A1 (en) 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US14/602,680 Continuation-In-Part US9415894B2 (en) 2010-06-30 2015-01-22 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20120000921A1 true US20120000921A1 (en) 2012-01-05

Family

ID=45398920

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US13/171,826 Abandoned US20120000921A1 (en) 2010-06-30 2011-06-29 Pressure resistant vacuum/label panel

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US20120000921A1 (es)
BR (1) BR112012032779A2 (es)
CA (1) CA2803363A1 (es)
MX (1) MX2012014891A (es)
WO (1) WO2012012182A2 (es)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20110090693A1 (en) * 2009-10-16 2011-04-21 Tzu-Wei Liu Building material and built-up building material structure
USD741187S1 (en) * 2014-04-24 2015-10-20 Societe Des Produits Nestle, Sa Plastic container
JP2017039514A (ja) * 2015-08-20 2017-02-23 東洋製罐株式会社 合成樹脂製容器
EP3216710A4 (en) * 2014-11-05 2018-05-30 Suntory Holdings Limited Resin-made container
JP7489942B2 (ja) 2021-05-31 2024-05-24 株式会社吉野工業所 四角ボトル
US20240208687A1 (en) * 2020-03-27 2024-06-27 Amcor Rigid Packaging Usa, Llc Multi-serve container with oval cross-section

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA2368491C (en) * 2001-01-22 2008-03-18 Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. Container with integrated grip portions
US7455189B2 (en) * 2005-08-22 2008-11-25 Amcor Limited Rectangular hot-filled container
US7874442B2 (en) * 2006-10-06 2011-01-25 Amcor Limited Hot-fill plastic container with ribs and grip
US8496130B2 (en) * 2008-05-14 2013-07-30 Amcor Limited Hot-fill container having movable ribs for accommodating vacuum forces

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20110090693A1 (en) * 2009-10-16 2011-04-21 Tzu-Wei Liu Building material and built-up building material structure
US8764235B2 (en) * 2009-10-16 2014-07-01 Miniwiz S.E.D. Co., Ltd. Building material and built-up building material structure
USD741187S1 (en) * 2014-04-24 2015-10-20 Societe Des Produits Nestle, Sa Plastic container
EP3216710A4 (en) * 2014-11-05 2018-05-30 Suntory Holdings Limited Resin-made container
JP2017039514A (ja) * 2015-08-20 2017-02-23 東洋製罐株式会社 合成樹脂製容器
US20240208687A1 (en) * 2020-03-27 2024-06-27 Amcor Rigid Packaging Usa, Llc Multi-serve container with oval cross-section
US12139296B2 (en) * 2020-03-27 2024-11-12 Amcor Rigid Packaging Usa, Llc Multi-serve container with oval cross-section
JP7489942B2 (ja) 2021-05-31 2024-05-24 株式会社吉野工業所 四角ボトル

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2012012182A3 (en) 2012-03-29
MX2012014891A (es) 2013-03-25
BR112012032779A2 (pt) 2016-12-20
WO2012012182A2 (en) 2012-01-26
WO2012012182A9 (en) 2012-06-07
CA2803363A1 (en) 2012-01-26

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Legal Events

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AS Assignment

Owner name: AMCOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIA

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MAST, LUKE A.;PHILIP, BRADLEY S.;SIGNING DATES FROM 20110725 TO 20110816;REEL/FRAME:026826/0110

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION