U.S. patent application number 10/026750 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-26 for preform for making a non-refillable bottle for non-carbonated liquids.
This patent application is currently assigned to GREAT SPRING WATERS OF AMERICA, INC.. Invention is credited to Mehanna, John A..
Application Number | 20030116526 10/026750 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21833575 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030116526 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mehanna, John A. |
June 26, 2003 |
Preform for making a non-refillable bottle for non-carbonated
liquids
Abstract
A preform for use in blow molding a bottle that is
non-refillable and suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid is
provided. The preform may have a transition region, or "step," on
its inner surface. The step may strengthen the region between body
and base portions of a bottle that results from blow molding the
preform. The body portion of the bottle may be substantially
cylindrical. The base portion of the bottle may have a slight
inward concavity and may have a substantially constant wall
thickness.
Inventors: |
Mehanna, John A.; (Keller,
TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FISH & NEAVE
1251 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
50TH FLOOR
NEW YORK
NY
10020-1105
US
|
Assignee: |
GREAT SPRING WATERS OF AMERICA,
INC.
|
Family ID: |
21833575 |
Appl. No.: |
10/026750 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/379 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 2949/072 20220501;
B29C 2949/26 20220501; B65D 1/0223 20130101; B29C 2949/0773
20220501; B29C 2949/0777 20220501; B29C 2949/073 20220501; B29C
2949/24 20220501; B29C 49/071 20220501; B29C 2949/28 20220501; B29C
2949/0733 20220501; B29C 2949/0818 20220501; B29C 2949/22 20220501;
B29C 49/12 20130101; B29C 2949/0724 20220501; B29C 2949/0817
20220501 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/379 |
International
Class: |
B65D 090/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A preform for use in blow molding a bottle that is
non-refillable and suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid,
the preform comprising: a neck portion; a shoulder-forming portion
connected to the neck portion; a body-forming portion connected to
the shoulder-forming portion; a transition region connected to the
body-forming portion; a base-forming portion connected to the
transition region; and wherein each of the body-forming portion and
the transition region have a respective wall thickness; and the
wall thickness of the body-forming portion remains substantially
constant; and the wall thickness of the transition region increases
from the body-forming portion to the base-forming portion.
2. The preform of claim 1 wherein a wall thickness of the
base-forming portion remains substantially constant from the
transition region to a bottom end of the preform.
3. The preform of claim 1 wherein a wall thickness of the
base-forming portion decreases from the transition region to a
bottom end of the preform.
4. The preform of claim 1 wherein a wall thickness of the
base-forming portion decreases from the transition region to a
bottom end of the preform such that the wall thickness at the
bottom end is less than the wall thickness of the body-forming
portion.
5. The preform of claim 1 wherein the neck portion has a threaded
finish.
6. The preform of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the
base-forming portion has a substantially hemispherical shape.
7. The preform of claim 1 wherein the shoulder-forming portion has
an inner diameter and an outer diameter that both decrease from the
neck portion to the body-forming portion.
8. A method for producing a one-piece plastic bottle that is
non-refillable and suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid,
the method comprising: providing a preform comprising: a neck
portion; a shoulder-forming portion connected to the neck portion;
a body-forming portion connected to the shoulder-forming portion; a
transition region connected to the body-forming portion; a
base-forming portion connected to the transition region; and
wherein each of the body-forming portion and the transition region
have a respective wall thickness; and the wall thickness of the
body-forming portion remains substantially constant; and the wall
thickness of the transition region increases abruptly from the
body-forming portion to the base-forming portion; placing the
preform in a blow mold; extending a stretch rod through the
body-forming portion of the preform such that it makes contact with
a bottom end of the preform; stretching the preform such that the
bottom end of the preform approaches a bottom end of the blow mold,
leaving a clearance between the bottom ends of the preform and the
blow mold; and injecting pressurized gas into the preform such that
the preform expands to the shape of the blow mold.
9. A bottle that is non-refillable and suitable for holding a
non-carbonated liquid, the bottle comprising: a body portion that
is substantially cylindrical having a wall thickness in a range
from about 0.15 mm to about 0.24 mm; and a base portion having
multiple radial indentations running from a center portion of the
base portion to an outer diameter of the base portion and having a
substantially constant wall thickness of about 0.16 mm.
10. The bottle of claim 9 wherein the base portion has an inward
concavity.
11. A bottle that is non-refillable and suitable for holding a
non-carbonated liquid, the bottle comprising: a body portion that
is substantially cylindrical; and a base portion having a
substantially constant wall thickness; wherein: the bottle is made
in a blow molding process comprising: providing a preform
comprising: a neck portion; a shoulder-forming portion connected to
the neck portion; a body-forming portion connected to the
shoulder-forming portion; a transition region connected to the
body-forming portion; a base-forming portion connected to the
transition region; and wherein each of the body-forming portion and
the transition region have a respective wall thickness; and the
wall thickness of the body-forming portion remains substantially
constant; and the wall thickness of the transition region increases
abruptly from the body-forming portion to the base-forming portion;
placing the preform in a blow mold; extending a stretch rod through
the body-forming portion of the preform such that it makes contact
with a bottom end of the preform; stretching the preform such that
the bottom end of the preform approaches a bottom end of the blow
mold, leaving a clearance between the bottom ends of the preform
and the blow mold; and injecting pressurized gas into the preform
such that the preform expands to the shape of the blow mold.
12. The bottle of claim 11 wherein the base portion has multiple
radial indentations running from a center portion of the base
portion to an outer diameter of the base portion.
13. The bottle of claim 11 wherein the base portion has an inward
concavity.
14. A method for injection molding a preform for use in blow
molding a bottle that is non-refillable and suitable for holding a
non-carbonated liquid, the method comprising: providing a neck
portion; providing a shoulder-forming portion connected to the neck
portion; providing a body-forming portion connected to the
shoulder-forming portion; providing a transition region connected
to the body-forming portion; providing a base-forming portion
connected to the transition region; and wherein each of the
body-forming portion and the transition region have a respective
wall thickness; and the wall thickness of the body-forming portion
remains substantially constant; and the wall thickness of the
transition region increases from the body-forming portion to the
base-forming portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a preform for making a
non-refillable bottle for non-carbonated liquids. In particular, it
relates to a preform having a step on its inner surface that
results in strengthening the region between body and base portions
of a bottle that is made from the preform.
[0002] The bottled water industry continues to grow as the public's
demand for the product increases. Because of the demand for bottled
water, producers of such bottles require a greater supply of
plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (i.e., PET) to meet the
demand.
[0003] Bottle producers must produce a bottle that is capable of
withstanding the wear and tear that often accompanies a bottle's
life. However, because of the strength requirements for the bottle,
bottle producers often find that they are using additional plastic,
at increased expense, to produce a stronger bottle.
[0004] Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a preform for
making a non-refillable bottle for non-carbonated liquids that
requires a minimum of material to produce the bottle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Some embodiments of the present invention may provide a
preform for use in blow molding a bottle that is non-refillable and
suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid.
[0006] The preform may have a transition region, or "step," on its
inner surface. Such a construction may save on material used to
produce the preform. For example, the step may strengthen the
region between a body portion and a base portion of a bottle that
may result from blow molding the preform. This may allow the wall
thicknesses of both body-forming and base-forming portions of the
preform to be thinner than if there were no step.
[0007] Some embodiments of the present invention may include
methods for producing a one-piece plastic bottle that is
non-refillable and suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid. To
produce the bottle, a preform having a step on its inner surface
may be provided. The preform may be placed in a blow mold. A
stretch rod may be extended through the body-forming portion of the
preform such that it contacts the bottom end of the preform. The
preform may then be stretched using the stretch rod such that a
bottom end of the preform approaches a bottom end of the blow mold,
leaving a clearance between the bottom ends of the preform and the
blow mold. Pressurized gas may be injected into the preform such
that the preform expands and conforms to the shape of the blow
mold.
[0008] Some embodiments of the present invention may provide a
bottle that is non-refillable and suitable for holding a
non-carbonated liquid. The bottle may be blow molded from a preform
using a method such as that described above. The bottle may have a
body portion and a base portion. The body portion of the bottle may
be substantially cylindrical and may have a wall thickness in a
range from about 0.15 mm to about 0.24 mm. The base portion of the
bottle, once blown, may have a slight inward concavity and may have
a substantially constant wall thickness of about 0.16 mm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The above and other objects and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following
detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts
throughout, and in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an illustrative
example of a preform in accordance with some embodiments of the
present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a
portion of the preform of FIG. 1 in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention;
[0012] FIGS. 3-5 are vertical cross-sectional views demonstrating
an illustrative method for producing a bottle from the preform of
FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention; and
[0013] FIG. 6 is an elevational view of an illustrative example of
a bottle in accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The present invention provides a preform for making a
non-refillable bottle for non-carbonated liquids that requires a
minimum of material to produce the bottle. This reduction in
material results in reduced expenses for a bottle producer. The
preform may have a transition region, or "step," on its inner
surface. Such a construction may save on material used to produce
the preform. For example, the step may strengthen the region
between a body portion and a base portion of a bottle that may
result from blow molding the preform. This may allow the wall
thicknesses of both body-forming and base-forming portions of the
preform to be thinner than if there were no step.
[0015] Some embodiments of the present invention may provide a
preform for use in blow molding a bottle that is non-refillable and
suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid. In some of these
embodiments, the preform may include a neck portion, a
shoulder-forming portion connected to the neck portion, a
body-forming portion connected to the shoulder-forming portion, a
transition region connected to the body-forming portion, and a
base-forming portion connected to the transition region.
[0016] The body-forming portion and the transition region may each
have a respective wall thickness. In some embodiments, the wall
thickness of the body-forming portion may remain substantially
constant and the wall thickness of the transition region may
increase from the body-forming portion to the base-forming
portion.
[0017] In some embodiments, a wall thickness of the base-forming
portion may decrease from the transition region to a bottom end of
the preform. Preferably, the wall thickness at the bottom end of
the base-forming portion is less than the wall thickness of the
body-forming portion.
[0018] The preform may be constructed using an injection molding
process. Any suitable material, such as polyethylene terephthalate
(i.e., PET), may be used to injection mold the preform.
[0019] In some embodiments, the neck portion of the preform may
have a threaded finish suitable for receiving a threaded cap.
[0020] In some embodiments, the shoulder-forming portion of the
preform may have inner and outer diameters that both decrease from
the neck portion to the body-forming portion.
[0021] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the base-forming
portion of the preform may be substantially hemispherical in shape.
For example, both the inner and outer surfaces of the portion may
be hemispherical. The wall thickness of the base-forming portion
may decrease through the base-forming portion from the transition
region to the bottom end of the preform. In some of these
embodiments, the wall thickness of at least a portion of the
hemispherical portion may be less than the wall thickness of the
body-forming region.
[0022] Some embodiments of the present invention may include
methods for producing a one-piece plastic bottle that is
non-refillable and suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid. To
produce the bottle, a preform may be provided. In some embodiments,
the preform may have a neck portion, a shoulder-forming portion
connected to the neck portion, a body-forming portion connected to
the shoulder-forming portion, a transition region connected to the
body-forming portion, and a base-forming portion connected to the
transition region. The preform may be softened by heating such that
it is malleable enough to expand to the proportions of a blow mold.
The preform may be placed in a blow mold. A stretch rod may be
extended through the body-forming portion of the preform such that
it contacts the bottom end of the preform. The preform may then be
stretched using the stretch rod such that the bottom end of the
preform approaches a bottom end of the blow mold, leaving a
clearance between the bottom ends of the preform and the blow mold.
Pressurized gas may be injected into the preform such that the
preform expands and conforms to the shape of the blow mold.
[0023] Some embodiments of the present invention may provide, after
blow molding of the preform, a bottle that is non-refillable and
suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid. The bottle may have a
body portion and a base portion. The body portion of the bottle may
be substantially cylindrical and may have a wall thickness in a
range from about 0.15 mm to about 0.24 mm. The base portion of the
bottle may have a slight inward concavity. The base portion may
have multiple radial indentations running from a center portion of
the base portion to an outer diameter of the base portion. The base
portion may have a substantially constant wall thickness of about
0.16 mm.
[0024] Some embodiments of the invention may provide a bottle that
is produced from a preform in a blow molding process and that is
non-refillable and suitable for holding a non-carbonated liquid.
The bottle may have a body portion and a base portion. The body
portion may be substantially cylindrical. The base portion may have
a substantially constant wall thickness. In some embodiments, the
base portion may have a slight inward concavity.
[0025] The bottle may be produced by providing a preform. The
preform may have a neck portion, a shoulder-forming portion
connected to the neck portion, a body-forming portion connected to
the shoulder-forming portion, a transition region connected to the
body-forming portion, and a base-forming portion connected to the
transition region.
[0026] The preform may be softened by heating. The preform may be
placed in a blow mold. A stretch rod may be inserted through the
body-forming portion of the preform such that it makes contact with
a bottom end of the preform, and the preform may be stretched such
that it approaches a bottom end of the blow mold, leaving a
clearance between the bottom ends of the preform and the blow mold.
Pressurized gas may be injected into the preform such that the
preform expands and conforms to the shape of the blow mold.
[0027] The preform of the present invention may be used in blow
molding a bottle that is non-refillable and suitable for holding a
non-carbonated liquid.
[0028] The invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
1-6.
[0029] FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example of a preform 100 for
producing a bottle that is non-refillable and suitable for holding
a non-carbonated liquid. Preform 100 may include a neck portion
102, a shoulder-forming portion 104, a body-forming portion 106, a
transition region 108, and a base-forming portion 110. Preform 100
may have a top end 112 and a bottom end 114. Top end 112 may have a
circular opening.
[0030] Neck portion 102 of preform 100 may have threads 116.
Threads 116 may facilitate application of a threaded cap, for
example, after preform 100 has been formed into a bottle.
[0031] FIG. 2 shows a region 118 of preform 100 (enclosed by the
broken circle in FIG. 1). Region 118 shows in detail some of the
interrelationships among body-forming portion 106, transition
region 108, and base-forming portion 110. Body-forming portion 106
may have a substantially constant wall thickness. Preferably, the
wall thickness of body-forming portion 106 is about 2.2 mm. A wall
thickness of transition region 108 may increase abruptly from
body-forming portion 106 to base-forming portion 110. Due to this
increase, transition region 108 may be referred to as a "step" on
the inner surface of preform 100. Preferably, the step has a
maximum wall thickness of about 2.6 mm. A wall thickness of
base-forming portion 110 may decrease from transition region 108 to
bottom end 114 (as shown in FIG. 1) of preform 100. Preferably, the
wall thickness at bottom end 114--i.e., below transition region
108--may be less than the wall thickness of body-forming portion
106. In such preferred embodiments, the wall thickness of bottom
end 114 is about 2.0 mm. In other embodiments, the wall thickness
of the hemispherical portion of base-forming portion 110 (as shown
in FIG. 1) may be less than the wall thickness of body-forming
portion 106. In yet other embodiments, the wall thickness of
base-forming portion 110 may be substantially constant from
transition region 108 to bottom end 114.
[0032] As described above, transition region 108 may be referred to
as a "step" on the inner surface of preform 100. Such a
construction of preform 100 may save on material used to produce
the preform. For example, the step is located at the transition
between body-forming portion 106 and base-forming portion 110
(i.e., at transition region 108) to strengthen the region between a
body portion and a base portion of a bottle that may result from
blow molding preform 100. Therefore, the presence of the step
between body-forming portion 106 and base-forming portion 110 of
preform 100 may allow the wall thicknesses of the body-forming
portion and the base-forming portion to be thinner than if there
were no step.
[0033] FIGS. 3-5 show an illustrative method for blow molding a
bottle that is non-refillable and holds non-carbonated liquids in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The blow
molding method shown in FIGS. 3-5 may use, for example, preform 100
of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, preform 100 may be placed in a blow
mold 200. For simplicity, only a portion of blow mold 200 is shown.
A stretch rod 300 may be extended from open end 112 of preform 100
through the preform such that it makes contact with bottom end 114
of the preform. In some embodiments, preform 100 may be heated
prior to insertion into blow mold 200. For example, preform 100 may
be heated using infrared light. Heating preform 100 makes it
malleable so that it may stretch to the length of blow mold 200 and
expand to the shape of the blow mold.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, preform 100 may be stretched such that
bottom end 114 of the preform approaches bottom end 210 of blow
mold 200, leaving a clearance between the bottom end of the preform
and the blow mold. In some embodiments, the clearance between
bottom end 114 of preform 100 and bottom end 210 of blow mold 200
may be a distance of about the wall thickness of the bottom end of
the preform.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, pressurized gas (as shown by the arrows)
may be injected into preform 100 such that the preform expands and
conforms to the shape of blow mold 200. Neck portion 102 of preform
100 may remain unchanged during blow molding, while the remaining
portions of the preform (i.e., shoulder-forming portion 104,
body-forming portion 106, transition region 108, and base-forming
portion 110 as shown in FIG. 1), may stretch and expand due to the
action of stretch rod 300 and the pressurized air,
respectively.
[0036] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative example of a bottle 400 in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. Bottle
400 may include a neck portion 402, a shoulder portion 404
connected to the neck portion, a body portion 406 connected to the
shoulder portion, and a base portion 410 connected to the body
portion.
[0037] Neck portion 402 may have threads 403 to facilitate
application of a threaded cap used to seal bottle 400.
[0038] Body portion 406 may be substantially cylindrical. In some
embodiments, the wall thickness of body portion 406 may be in a
range from about 0.15 mm to about 0.24 mm.
[0039] Base portion 410 may have a wall thickness that is
substantially constant. In some embodiments, the wall thickness of
base portion 410 may be about 0.16 mm. Base portion 410 may have
multiple radial indentations 412 running from a center portion 414
to an outer diameter of the base portion. The type of base
resulting from the presence of the radial indentations may be
referred to as a "star" type base. Base portion 410 may have a
slight inward concavity.
[0040] In some embodiments, bottle 400 may be produced by blow
molding preform 100 of FIG. 1 using a method such as that of FIGS.
3-5. In such embodiments, neck portion 102, shoulder-forming
portion 104, body-forming portion 106, and base-forming portion 110
(as shown in FIG. 1) may result in forming neck portion 402,
shoulder portion 404, body portion 406, and base portion 410,
respectively. Transition region 108 of preform 100 may result in
strengthening the region between body portion 406 and base portion
410 of bottle 400.
[0041] Thus it is seen that a preform having a step on its inner
surface is provided that results in a reduction of material
required to produce a non-refillable bottle for non-carbonated
liquids from the preform. It will be understood that the foregoing
is only illustrative of the principles of the invention, and that
various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art
without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
* * * * *