U.S. patent application number 10/595618 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-17 for container for product with less packaging material.
This patent application is currently assigned to NESTLE WATERS MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY. Invention is credited to Alain Contal, Gerard Denis, Cyrille Durand, Anne Roulin.
Application Number | 20070108156 10/595618 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34400489 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070108156 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Durand; Cyrille ; et
al. |
May 17, 2007 |
Container for product with less packaging material
Abstract
The invention concerns a container comprising a body formed by
walls and a bottom having in his greater section a dimension d1 and
a neck with an internal diameter d2, said container being made from
a semi-crystalline PET, the body of said container comprising at
its bottom at least three feet spaced from each other and being
integral with said body, wherein for the body, the ratio weight of
the walls on weight of the bottom is comprised between 3 and 4 and
wherein the ratio volume of the body of the container per gram of
PET of the body is comprised between 80 and 120.
Inventors: |
Durand; Cyrille; (Vittel,
FR) ; Denis; Gerard; (Reims, FR) ; Contal;
Alain; (Lausanne 26, CH) ; Roulin; Anne;
(Vittel, FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BELL, BOYD & LLOYD LLP
P.O. Box 1135
CHICAGO
IL
60690
US
|
Assignee: |
NESTLE WATERS MANAGEMENT &
TECHNOLOGY
20 rue Rouget de Lisle
Issy-les-Moulineaux
FR
F-92130
|
Family ID: |
34400489 |
Appl. No.: |
10/595618 |
Filed: |
October 15, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
October 15, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP04/11606 |
371 Date: |
May 1, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/375 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 1/0223 20130101;
B65D 1/023 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/375 |
International
Class: |
B65D 90/12 20060101
B65D090/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 31, 2003 |
EP |
03024855.3 |
Claims
1. A container comprising a body formed by walls and a bottom
having in its greater section a dimension d] and a neck with an
internal diameter d.sub.2, said container being made from a
semi-crystalline PET, the body of said container comprising at its
bottom at least three feet spaced from each other and being
integral with said body, the ratio weight of the walls to the
weight of the bottom is between 3 and 4 and the ratio volume of the
body of the container per gram of PET of the body is between 80 and
120.
2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the walls of the body
have a thickness of less than 100 .mu.m.
3. A container according to claim 1, wherein the neck has a wall
thickness of between 150 and 250 .mu.m.
4. A container according to claim 1, wherein each foot has a wall
thickness of between 50 and 150 .mu.m.
5. A container according to claim 1, wherein the part of the bottom
between the feet has a greater thickness than that of the
walls.
6. A packaging assembly comprising: a container comprising a body
formed by walls having in its greater section a dimension d.sub.1
and a neck with an internal diameter d.sub.2, said container being
made from a semi-crystalline PET, the body of said container
comprising at its bottom at least three feet spaced from each other
and being integral with said body, the ratio weight of the walls on
weight of the bottom is between 3 and 4 and wherein the ratio
volume of the body of the container per gram of PET of the body is
between 80 and 120; a product in the containers; and closing means
for closing off or distributing the product from the neck, the
filled container being substantially incompressible by hand when
filled with the product.
7. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the product
is selected from the group consisting of pasty, liquid,
semi-liquid, granular and powdered product.
8. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein said assembly
has a high resistance to vertical and/or transverse loads allowing
good resistance to transportation.
9. A packaging assembly according to claim 8, wherein said assembly
supports a vertical and/or transverse loading of more than about
100 kg for a container having a weight of about 4 g.
10. A packaging assembly according to claim 4, wherein the body of
the container has a form selected from the group consisting of a
three dimensional shape convenient for gripping, an ovoid,
spherical, elliptical and cylindrical shape.
11. A packaging assembly according to claim 4, wherein the wall
thickness of the body, substantially in the middle of its body is
between 30 and 70 .mu.m.
12. A packaging assembly according to claim 4, wherein the
container comprises on its outside a printing made by pad
printing.
13. A packaging assembly according to claim 4, wherein the ratio d2
on d1 is between 1:3 and 1:10.
14. A packaging assembly according to claim 4, wherein the ratio
height of the neck on the height of the body is between 1:1 and
1:4.
15. A packaging assembly according to claim 4, wherein the ratio
weight of the walls on weight of the bottom is comprised between
3.4 and 3.8.
16. A packaging assembly according to claim 4, wherein the ratio
volume of the body of the container per gram of PET of the body is
comprised between 90 and 110.
17. A process for manufacturing the container comprising a body
formed by walls and a bottom having in its greater section a
dimension d.sub.1 and a neck with an internal diameter d.sub.2,
said container being made from a semi-crystalline PET, the body of
said container comprising at its bottom at least three feet spaced
from each other and being integral with said body, the ratio weight
of the walls to the weight of the bottom is between 3 and 4 and the
ratio volume of the body of the container per gram of PET of the
body is between 80 and 120 wherein said container is obtained by
stretch blow forming of a PET preform with high stretch index in
comparison with the classical stretching of a preform.
18. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the body of
the container has a form selected from the group consisting of a
three dimensional shape convenient for gripping, an ovoid,
spherical, elliptical and cylindrical shape.
19. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the wall
thickness of the body, substantially in the middle of its body is
between 30 and 70 .mu.m.
20. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the
container comprises on its outside a printing made by pad
printing.
21. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the ratio d2
on d1 is between 1:3 and 1:10.
22. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the ratio
height of the neck on the height of the body is between 1:1 and
1:4.
23. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the ratio
weight of the walls on weight of the bottom is comprised between
3.4 and 3.8.
24. A packaging assembly according to claim 6, wherein the ratio
volume of the body of the container per gram of PET of the body is
comprised between 90 and 110.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of the packaging
of flowable products such as liquids or pasty products,
particularly that of containers intended to contain beverages and
more especially mineral-water.
[0002] One topic in the packaging area, especially for water is to
reduce the weight of the plastic material used, and more
particularly to reduce the weight of the bottom of the container.
By reducing the weight of the bottom, the first danger is that said
bottom is less resistant because of the fact that the bottom is
really the part of the container, which is the more submitted to
constraints, due to the contact of said bottom with the place where
it is disposed. There are already some solutions to that problem,
like the container with petaloid bottom: the FR Patent No. 2772720
concerns such a container, wherein the bottom is thinner. Although
this patent brings a solution for the bottom, it remains a
container with a too high amount of plastic material for the volume
of the product filled in said container.
[0003] The objective of the present invention is to have a
container for a flowable product with a bottom allowing said
container to stand and which for the same volume requires less
plastic-than a standard container while at the same time having
comparable or higher mechanical properties.
[0004] The subject of the present invention is a container
comprising a body formed by walls and a bottom having in his
greater section a dimension d, and a neck with an internal diameter
d.sub.2 , said container being made from a semi-crystalline PET,
the body of said container comprising at its bottom at least three
feet spaced from each other and being integral with said body,
wherein for the body, the ratio weight of the walls on weight of
the bottom is comprised between 3 and 4 and wherein the ratio
volume of the body of the container per gram of PET of the body is
comprised between 80 and 120. The volume is given in ml.
[0005] Under bottom in the present description, we understand all
the part of the body comprising the space of said body outside the
feet, said feet being taken from their most external position.
Under body, we understand the container without the neck.
Concerning the ratio weight of the walls on weight of the bottom,
for bottles on the market, like a 150 cl bottle, the ratio is 31.5
g:10.5 g (3), for a 50 cl bottle, the ratio is 12.2:3.3 (3.5) and
finally-for a 1 l bottle, the ratio is 25.70:6.80 (3.78).
[0006] Semi-crystalline PET means in the present specification a
PET having a crystallinity comprised between 10 and 60%. More
preferably, the crystallinity is comprised between 20 and 40%.
[0007] One specificity of the invention is that the container has
feet at the bottom, which are integral with said body. The presence
of three feet is a good solution, but for greater volume a presence
of 4 or 5 feet is preferred. The geometry of said feet is not
critical. Preferably, these feet have a spherical geometry.
Concerning the bottom of the container, it has preferably a non
flat form. The bottom has a convex form, like a semi-spherical
form.
[0008] It is possible for the container of the invention, either to
have a neck with a small height, like a couple of millimeters, or
to have a neck with a greater height. In this case, the ratio
height of the neck on the height of the body is comprised between
1:1 and 1:4. This allows for the consumer a better gripping of said
container.
[0009] Preferably, the walls of the body have a thickness of less
than 100 .mu.m. The neck of the container has preferably a wall
thickness comprised between 150 and 250 .mu.m. Each foot of the
bottom of the body has a thickness comprised between 50 and 150
.mu.m.
[0010] In the container of the invention, the part of the bottom
between the feet has a greater thickness of that of the walls, for
example around 100-200 .mu.m.
[0011] The present invention concerns further a packaging assembly
comprising [0012] a container comprising a body formed by walls
having in his greater section a dimension d.sub.1 and a neck with
an internal diameter d.sub.2, said container being made from a
semi-crystalline PET, the body of said container comprising at its
bottom at least three feet spaced from each other and being
integral with said body, wherein for the body, the ratio weight of
the walls on weight of the bottom is comprised between 3 and 4 and
wherein the ratio volume of the body of the container per gram of
PET of the body is comprised between 80 and 120, [0013] a product
in the container and [0014] closing means for closing off or
distributing the product from the neck, the filled container being
substantially incompressible by hand when filled with the
product.
[0015] This incompressibility applies for all types of products,
even for a still product. In the present specification,
incompressible means that when squeezed the filled container only
deforms very slightly and then will recover its original shape. In
contrast, a standard bottle will buckle and deform. It is also
possible according to the invention to have a gasing of the head
space, for example at a relative pressure comprised between 0.2 and
1.5 bar. Preferably, the head space is gassed at a relative
pressure comprised between 0.4 and 0.7 bar. The gas used is
nitrogen or carbon dioxide.
[0016] According to a feature of the invention, the container
comprises on its outside a printing made by pad printing. The
advantage of this solution, is that it suppresses the need of
having a paper stuck around the container.
[0017] The volume of the container used according to the invention
can have all type of capacity, comprised between 5 cl and 20 l
capacity. The container is intended to contain all type of product,
like pasty, liquid, semi-liquid, granular or powdered product.
Under liquid product, we understand water or a still liquid
beverage, particularly still mineral waters, carbonated water or a
carbonated liquid beverage, particularly sparkling mineral water.
Other types of liquid products are also possible, like chemical
products, oil, essence, perfumes, pharmaceutical products. Under
pasty products, we understand food and non food products, like
mayonnaise, cosmetic compounds and others.
[0018] The means of closing are either a cap, or sealed membrane.
The caps can be used for any diameter of opening of the neck. On
the contrary, the sealed membranes are preferred with smaller
diameter of the neck, for example in the area of 10 mm. In this
case, the container can support high compressions, for example by
the storage and by the transportation. For diameters of around 10
mm, the container can support an internal pressure of the order of
5 bar. It is also possible to close the container by sealing or
welding the neck, wherein a cutting object or similar is provided
for the opening.
[0019] As a preference, the container has an ovoid or substantially
ovoid overall shape. This natural shape derived from an egg
represents a structure whose resistance to vertical and/or
transversal loads is optimized, thus making it possible, for a
given volume and a given amount of material, to achieve mechanical
properties which are equivalent to or even better than the
cylindrical or roughly cylindrical shapes customarily encountered
in this domain.
[0020] In another embodiment, the container according to the
invention has a three dimensional shape convenient for gripping, a
spherical, substantially spherical or cylindrical overall
shape.
[0021] This is because the geometry with symmetry of revolution is
particularly easy and therefore economical to manufacture and has
the advantage of allowing the container to be filled with products
which can emit gaseous substances, such as carbonated beverages
(sparkling waters, sodas, etc.) in particular, which are widely
consumed worldwide these days. Such a shape is therefore
particularly well suited to these liquids in that the release of
carbon dioxide or other gas has a tendency to deform the bodies of
bottles which do not have symmetry of revolution, having a negative
impact on their stability, grasp and ease of handling, appearance,
etc.
[0022] In a preferred feature of the invention, the ratio d2 on d1
of the container is comprised between 1:3 and 1:10. According to a
preferred embodiment of the packaging assembly, the ratio weight of
the walls on weight of the bottom is comprised between 3.4 and 3.8.
According to a further preferred feature of the invention, the
ratio volume of the body of the container per gram of PET of the
body is comprised between 90 and 110.
[0023] According to another feature, the plastic used to form the
wall or walls is a semicrystalline plastic with a slow rate of
crystallization, the glass transition temperature (T.sub.g) of
which is 70.degree. C. or higher and the crystallization
temperature Tc is around 140.degree. C. A slow rate of
crystallization is to be understood as meaning a rate which makes
it possible to have an amorphous state by quick cooling.
[0024] Advantageously, the plastic used to form the wall or walls
is chosen from the group formed by PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PEN (polyethylene naphthalate). It has been noted that the
drawing of the PET has no negative influence on the water barrier
properties of the obtained container and that also a thickness of
around 50 .mu.m and less guarantees a good safety of the container
itself and of the storage. In order to guarantee both the
flexibility needed for the aforementioned deformation and
sufficient mechanical strength, the container according to the
invention is further characterized in that the thickness of the
wall or walls forming the body of the container is between 30 .mu.m
and 100 .mu.m, preferably between 50 .mu.m and 70 .mu.m. As already
mentioned, small thicker areas or portions of walls may also be
provided on the body of the said container, particularly in close
proximity to the neck and/or the bottom, so as to reinforce these
parts locally. Such reinforcements may in particular be useful to
facilitate the filling of the said containers or to increase their
stability during storage. As a preference, the container is further
characterized in that the body and the neck of the container are
made as a single piece. This makes it possible to avoid any join or
weld which may constitute a region of greater weakness.
[0025] Indeed, according to another feature, the container
according to the invention is characterized in that, it has a high
resistance to vertical and/or transverse loads allowing good
resistance to transportation. For example, for a working volume of
5 liters, the amount of PET used to produce the said container is
about 30 g. for resistance to a vertical load of about 65 kg. This
represents a significant saving in plastic, the few 5-liter
containers that are currently on the market requiring an amount of
polymer which, for comparable mechanical strength, is over two
times greater than the amount needed to manufacture a container
according-to the present invention. When containers of lower
volumes are used, for example of the order of 33 cl, the quantity
of plastic material is of the order of 3-4 g, in comparison with a
bottle of the same volume, wherein the amount of plastic is of the
order of at least 12 g. This type of container supports a vertical
loading of more than about 100 kg. That the container supports a
vertical or transverse loading means that the weight given does not
deteriorate the package integrity, that is does not lead to a risk
of breaking said container.
[0026] These simple shapes also allow the container according to
the invention to be used as a refill or recharge for water coolers,
for which a flat bottom is not necessary, these refills generally
being used by inserting the container, head (neck) downmost, into
the accomodation device of the said water cooler. In addition, this
type of surface geometry also makes it possible to increase the
area of heat exchange between the said container and the chilling
device usually present in the said water coolers.
[0027] According to another alternative form, the container
according to the invention is characterized in that the neck is
fitted with a closure and/or distribution means produced in the
form of a distribution tap which can be operated with one hand.
[0028] Such distribution taps, which are known per se,
advantageously allow the distribution of the flowable product
contained in the container to be regulated in a particularly
convenient way, for example when this container is stored
horizontally on the shelves of a refrigerator, the other hand
holding the container into which the said flowable product is to be
transferred, for example with a view to consuming it.
[0029] Because of its flexible nature, the geometry of the
container can also adapt more readily to that of the storage place,
as opposed to the rigid cans currently available which need to
observe very specified dimensions in order to be able to be stored
in restricted spaces such as the internal compartments of
refrigerators. In addition, the space freed as a container
according to the invention is emptied can also be put to use for
storing objects the size or shape of which can vary, which is not
the case with rigid containers in which the volume of liquid
removed is systematically replaced with air. In this type of
container, the volume initially occupied remains so until the empty
container is removed from the refrigerator.
[0030] Another subject of the present invention is the use of the
container by way of large-capacity, at least 5-liter capacity,
container intended to contain water or a still liquid beverage,
particularly still mineral water. Another subject of the present
invention is the use of the container according to the invention by
way of large-capacity, at least 5-liter capacity, container
intended to contain carbonated water or a carbonated liquid
beverage, particularly sparkling mineral water. Of course, the
containers of the present invention are not in any way limited to
flat or sparkling mineral waters but can be intended to contain all
sorts of flowable products, edible or inedible liquids of greater
or lesser fluidity such as, for example, fruit juices, milk-based
beverages, etc., and also sauces or condiments (ketchup, mustard,
dressing, etc.) or non-food liquids (deionized water, cleaning
products, detergents, etc.).
[0031] The packaging assembly according to the invention can also
contain a functional component. The functional component is taken
from the group consisting of a fiber, plant extract, fruit
extracts, vitamins and flavors. The assembly is pasteurised or
sterilised at a temperature in excess of 60.degree. C.
[0032] Finally, another subject of the present invention is a
method for manufacturing a body of a container according to the
invention, characterized in that the said body is obtained by
stretch blow forming of a PET preform with high stretch index in
comparison with the classical stretching of a preform. The blow
forming can be also a blow molding. Compared with the blowing of
plastic bottles, wherein the blowing pressure is comprised between
30 and 40 bar, according to the process of the invention, it is
sufficient to blow at a pressure of around 2 times less. This
reduces the cost of the process and also of the machine which is
used. Concerning the stretch index, it is depending of the volume
of the final container. For example, in the case of a container
having a volume of less than 100 cl, the stretch index is between
100 and 300 cm. In the case of a container having a volume of 500
to 1000 cl, the stretch index is comprised between 500 and 700 cm.
In the case of container having volume of 2000 cl or more, the
stretch index is around and more than 1000 cm.
[0033] The stretch index is defined as follows: Stretch .times.
.times. index = .times. internal .times. .times. volume .times.
.times. of .times. .times. the .times. .times. stretched .times.
.times. container * internal .times. .times. volume .times. .times.
of .times. .times. the .times. .times. preform .times. .times.
before .times. .times. stretching * .times. 1 f f = .times.
internal .times. .times. surface .times. .times. of .times. .times.
the .times. .times. container * internal .times. .times. volume
.times. .times. of .times. .times. the .times. .times. stretched
.times. .times. container * .times. ( cm - 1 ) * .times. with
.times. .times. the .times. .times. exclusion .times. .times. of
.times. .times. the .times. .times. neck .times. ##EQU1##
[0034] In the embodiments of the containers according to the
invention, for volumes of 33 cl, 1 liter, 5 l, 10 l and 20 l, the
different ratios S2 on S1 are comprised between 1:4.5 and 1:15.
[0035] Because of the substantial incompressibility of the filled
container of the invention, there is no need to have reinforcing
structures. The consequence is that it is possible to have simple
shapes, which have the advantage of providing transparency and
purity. This is particularly important for the consumer in the case
of a container for drinking water. Another advantage of this
container is that it can be emptied without air coming in and this
reduces the risk of contamination or odors entering the product
that may cause taste changes or degradation.
[0036] The measure of the crystallinity is made on a density column
from Lloyd-Davenport, according to following procedure. The column
is filled with a salted solution (calcium nitrate) having a density
gradient. The column is calibrated with balls having known density
between 1.335 and 1.455. Then small pieces of the container of the
invention are immerged in the column and after a certain time, they
stay at a certain height of the column corresponding to a certain
density. The measures are made at 23.degree. C. The following
correspondence table with .rho..sub.c of 1.455 gives the
crystallinity TABLE-US-00001 Crystallialty (%) Density (g/cm.sup.3)
(o.sub.c 1.515) (o.sub.c 1.453) ##STR1## ##STR2##
[0037] Other features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the description which follows, given by way of
example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:
[0038] FIG. 1 is a lateral perspective view of the container
according to the invention,
[0039] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the container of the
invention, seen from the bottom and
[0040] FIG 3 is a graph comparing the invention with the state of
the art.
[0041] In the embodiment described and depicted on FIGS. 1 and 2,
the container for a flowable product, particularly for a beverage
and, in particular, for mineral water, essentially consists of a
body 1, formed by walls 2 and a bottom 3 and a neck 4. The body is
made of a semi-crystalline PET. The neck presents a screw 5 for
receiving a cap (not shown). The bottom 3 presents three feet 6
integral with the body. The volume of the container is of 1000 ml.
In this specific example the ratio weight of the walls on weight of
the bottom is of 3.5 and the ratio volume of the body of the
container per gram of PET is of 100. This means that for the volume
of 1000 ml, there is 10 g of PET for the body (neck excluded). The
thickness of the walls is around 70 .mu.m. The neck has a height
which is minimized and said neck has a wall thickness of around 200
.mu.m. In the area 7 of the feet, that means around the middle of
said feet, the wall thickness is around 150 .mu.m. The feet have a
semi-spherical shape. Concerning now the limits of the wall and
bottom for calculating the ratio weight of the walls on weight of
the bottom, it is outside and inside of the circle 8 of FIG. 2.
[0042] Concerning now the graph of FIG. 3, the x axis represents
the volume of the container in ml and the y axis represents the
ratio volume of the container in ml per g of the plastic material
of said container. The graph 1 shows a bottle used on the market
for sparkling water. The graph 2 shows a bottle used on the market
for still water and the graph 3 shows a container according to the
invention. This graph shows very clearly one of the specificity of
the invention, which is that less plastic material is needed for
conditioning the same volume of product. Taking an example of the
graph : according to the invention
[0043] 1 g of plastic material is needed for 100 ml of product,
whereas for products now on the market 1 g of plastic material is
needed for only around 40 to 60 ml of product. That means that
according to the invention, the need of plastic material is divided
by 2.
* * * * *