U.S. patent application number 11/785142 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-08 for bottle made of plastic material having a gripping portion.
This patent application is currently assigned to SA DES EAUX MINERALES D'EVIAN SAEME. Invention is credited to Alain Colloud.
Application Number | 20070257003 11/785142 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38660272 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070257003 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Colloud; Alain |
November 8, 2007 |
Bottle made of plastic material having a gripping portion
Abstract
A bottle made of plastic material having a body extending along
a central axis which comprises: a lower portion having a cross
section with an essentially constant profile, followed by a
gripping portion, and ending in an upper portion having a section
with an essentially constant profile arranged in alignment with the
profile of the section of the lower portion. The gripping portion
comprises two globally plane gripping panels arranged parallel to
one another and in relation to the central axis at a distance which
is adapted for a hand taking. These panels have at least one
reinforcing relief which extends in a transverse plane and are
interconnected by connecting panels extending in continuation of
the lower and upper portions by means of rounded corners located at
the circumferential ends of the panels.
Inventors: |
Colloud; Alain; (Reyvroz,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YOUNG & THOMPSON
745 SOUTH 23RD STREET, 2ND FLOOR
ARLINGTON
VA
22202
US
|
Assignee: |
SA DES EAUX MINERALES D'EVIAN
SAEME
EVIAN-LES-BAINS
FR
|
Family ID: |
38660272 |
Appl. No.: |
11/785142 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60794855 |
Apr 26, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/382 ;
215/370 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 1/0223 20130101;
B65D 23/102 20130101; B65D 2501/0036 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/382 ;
215/370 |
International
Class: |
B65D 90/02 20060101
B65D090/02 |
Claims
1. A bottle made of plastic material having a bottom from which a
body extends along a central axis to a neck which ends in a ring
forming a pouring opening and is adapted to receive a closing
element, said body comprising from the bottom to the neck: a lower
portion having a cross section with an essentially constant
profile, followed by a gripping portion, and ending in an upper
portion having a section with an essentially constant profile
arranged in alignment with said profile of the section of the lower
portion, wherein said gripping portion comprises at least two
globally plane gripping panels arranged parallel to one another and
in relation to said central axis at a distance from one another
which is adapted for a hand taking, said panels having at least one
reinforcing relief which extends globally in a transverse plane of
the body and being interconnected by connecting panels extending in
continuation of said lower and upper portions of the body by means
of rounded corners located at the circumferential ends of said
panels.
2. The bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one
relief of the gripping panels extends through the corners.
3. The bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one
relief of the gripping panels is formed by a flute.
4. The bottle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said flute has a depth
at the corners which is appreciably smaller than the depth in the
central zone of said gripping panels.
5. The bottle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said gripping panels
have a plurality of flutes, the flute passing through the central
zone having a larger section than the flute located close to a
longitudinal end of said gripping panel.
6. The bottle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said gripping panels
have a plurality of flutes which are shaped and arranged so as to
form a zone free from relief in the central zone of said gripping
panels.
7. The bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gripping panels
have in their central zone a slight recessed depression.
8. The bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gripping panels
have an elongate rectangular shape which is oriented in a
transverse plane of the body.
9. The bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum height of
said gripping panels in their central zone is between 2 and 4 cm,
and wherein said gripping zone is located at between half and three
quarters of the height of the bottle measured from the bottom.
10. The bottle as claimed claim 1, wherein said gripping panels are
connected longitudinally to the lower and upper portions of the
body by surfaces which are inclined in relation to the central axis
and form between them an opening angle of between 100 and
150.degree..
11. The bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the profile of the
cross section of said lower and upper portions of the body has a
given major dimension, and the distance separating the gripping
panels is between 75 and 90% of said given distance, and is
preferably approximately equal to 82% of this distance.
12. The bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the profile of the
sections of said lower and upper portions is on the whole
rectangular, and the gripping panels extend parallel to the
opposite long sides of this rectangular profile.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a bottle made of plastic
material having a gripping zone intended in particular but not
exclusively for containing a large quantity of drink.
[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a bottle having
a bottom from which a body extends longitudinally along a central
axis to a neck which ends in a ring forming a pouring opening and
is adapted to receive a closing element, said body comprising from
the bottom to the neck: [0003] a lower portion having a cross
section with an essentially constant profile, followed by [0004] a
gripping portion, and ending in [0005] an upper portion having a
section with an essentially constant profile arranged in alignment
with the profile of the section of the lower portion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Bottles of this type have to satisfy various constraints
associated with their transport and the pouring convenience for the
user while having to be as light as possible in order to reduce
costs associated with the quantity of plastic material used and to
reduce the impact on the environment.
[0007] Gripping bottles for pouring their contents poses problems
for some users when the capacity reaches 1.5 l, and for the
majority of them as of a capacity of 2 l, on account of the
transverse dimensions of the body of the bottle, given that the
height of the bottle cannot be increased excessively for fear of
causing awkward tipping as a result of displacement of the liquid
during pouring.
[0008] The diameter of the bottles has therefore been reduced in
the gripping zone by forming a deep annular groove at the gripping
zone as described, for example, in document U.S. Pat. No.
5,385,250. However, such a solution poses problems of resistance to
the vertical load to which the bottle is subjected during
transport.
[0009] Ergonomic hollows have also been formed in the wall of the
gripping zone, and document EP-A-0 837 006 may be cited by way of
example. Nevertheless, in order to obtain a handle shape which is
sufficiently small for the hand of the majority of users, the
hollows have to be deep, which results in a large amount of plastic
material being used and may pose problems of resistance to large
increases in internal pressure which arise during transport.
[0010] Moreover, a certain rigidity of the gripping portion is
necessary for gripping comfort and in order to avoid liquid being
projected as may happen when the user grips an open almost full
bottle firmly.
[0011] During transport, under the effect of the load of stacked
bottles and other factors, the bottles inevitably undergo increases
in internal pressure. If a portion of the wall of the body is
deformed excessively, the volume of the bottle increases, the
internal pressure decreases and the bottle is crushed vertically,
which may result in a stack of pallets of bottles tipping. The
structural strength could of course be increased by increasing the
thickness of the wall, but this runs counter to the requirement of
economy of plastic material.
[0012] The vertical load supported by the bottle is transmitted
from the closing element to the bottom by means of the neck and the
body of the bottle where the plastic material is of minimum
thickness. The resistance to vertical compression must be
accompanied by a certain vertical elasticity which allows the
internal pressure of the full bottle to be increased and
consequently better resistance to compression provided that the
wall of the body, including the gripping portion, is not
appreciably radially deformed.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] It is therefore an object of the present invention to meet
these requirements while providing a gripping portion which is
comfortable for the majority of users.
[0014] To this end, the present invention relates to a bottle of
the type mentioned above wherein the gripping portion comprises at
least two globally plane gripping panels arranged parallel to one
another and in relation to the central axis of the bottle at a
distance from one another which is adapted for taking in a hand,
said panels having at least one reinforcing relief which extends
globally in a transverse plane of the body and being interconnected
by connecting panels extending in continuation of the lower and
upper portions of the body by means of rounded corners located at
the circumferential ends of said panels.
[0015] By virtue of these arrangements, a gripping portion of
particularly simple shape, which is therefore sparing in terms of
plastic material, is obtained, with gripping panels which are flat
but resistant to pressure by virtue of the reinforcing relief.
Moreover, the vertical stresses are of course transmitted by the
connecting portions but above all by the corners connecting the
connecting panels which, because of their radius of curvature which
is much smaller than that of the panels of the gripping zone,
behave structurally like girders. Applying these arrangements has
made it possible to produce 1.5 l and 2 l bottles which satisfy the
tests of transport strength and user convenience while having a
lower weight than bottles of the same capacity which are currently
sold and are less easy to take in the hand.
[0016] In preferred embodiments of the invention, use is
furthermore made of one or other of the following arrangements:
[0017] said at least one relief of the gripping panels extends
through the corners; [0018] said at least one relief of the
gripping panels is formed by a flute; [0019] the flute has a depth
at the corners which is appreciably smaller than the depth in the
central zone of the gripping panels, which makes it possible to
favor the transmission of vertical stresses in the zone of the
corners whereas, in the central zone of the gripping panels, the
resistance to radial deformation is favored; [0020] the gripping
panels have a plurality of flutes, the flute passing through the
central zone having a larger section than the flute located close
to a longitudinal end of said gripping panel; [0021] the gripping
panels have a plurality of flutes which are shaped and arranged so
as to form a zone free from relief in the central zone of said
gripping panels; [0022] the gripping panels have in their central
zone a slight recessed depression, which makes it possible to
distribute the pressure exerted by a thumb, for example, and thus
to avoid folding of the flute by localized concentration of force;
[0023] the gripping panels have an elongate rectangular shape which
is oriented in a transverse plane of the body; [0024] the maximum
height of the gripping panels in their central zone is between 2
and 4 cm, and the gripping zone is located at between half and two
thirds of the height of the bottle measured from the bottom; [0025]
the gripping panels are connected longitudinally to the lower and
upper portions of the body by surfaces which are inclined in
relation to the central axis and form between them an opening angle
of between 100 and 150.degree.; [0026] the profile of the cross
section of the lower and upper portions of the body has a given
major dimension, and the distance separating the gripping panels is
between 75 and 90% of said given distance, and is preferably
approximately equal to 82% of this distance; [0027] the profile of
the sections of the lower and upper portions is on the whole
rectangular, and the gripping panels extend parallel to the long
sides of this rectangular profile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Other features and advantages will emerge from the
description below which is given by way of non-limiting example
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0029] FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a bottle
according to the invention;
[0030] FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1;
[0031] FIG. 3 is a view in section along the line III-III in FIG.
2;
[0032] FIG. 4 is a front view of a second embodiment of a bottle
according to the invention, and
[0033] FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] In the various figures, the same reference signs have been
used to designate identical or similar elements.
[0035] FIGS. 1 and 2 show from the front and the side a bottle 1
made of plastic material intended to contain roughly 2 liters of
still water.
[0036] The bottle 1 extends longitudinally along a vertical central
axis Z. It has, from its base to its top, a bottom 2, a lower
portion 3, a gripping portion 4, an upper portion 5, a neck 6 and a
ring 7 defining a pouring opening 71. The lower, gripping and upper
portions 3, 4 and 5 constitute a body 9 of the bottle.
[0037] For comfortable pouring of the liquid with a bottle of this
capacity, it is preferable if the gripping portion 4 is located
above half-height of the bottle but below three quarters of its
total height.
[0038] The bottle 1 is formed from a single piece of plastic
material, PET in the embodiment shown, which is shaped by heat
blow-molding a preform in a mold. Heat blow-molding makes it
possible to stretch the plastic material biaxially and to provide
it with rigidity. Heat blow-molding also makes it possible to
reduce the thickness of the wall of the body 9 considerably in
relation to the thickness of the wall of the preform. This small
thickness of the walls of the body of the bottle, which may be of
the order of 150 to 300 micrometers depending on the zone
considered, is important for achieving a saving in material and
therefore in weight.
[0039] The bottom 2 rises over a relatively great height from the
support plane of the bottle. It comprises ribs 21 and its average
thickness is a little greater in order to reinforce this part which
has to transmit the weight of the bottle and of any bottles stacked
above it on a surface which may be more or less plane and regular.
Other more or less complex shapes for the bottom 2 are of course
possible, in particular if the bottle is for a carbonated drink and
has to withstand great internal pressures, even when it is not
resting on its bottom.
[0040] The lower portion 3 of the body 9 has reinforcing reliefs
31, 32, here recessed in relation to the external profile 33, which
can be seen in FIG. 3, of the cross section of this portion. These
reinforcing reliefs can take various forms, such as for example
undulating grooves 31 or annular flutes 32 arranged horizontally,
that is to say located in transverse planes in relation to the
central axis Z of the bottle.
[0041] The reliefs 31, 32 must make it possible to support the
internal pressure of the bottle but also provide longitudinal
elasticity in order to allow an increase in the internal pressure
of the liquid and therefore resistance to vertical crushing.
[0042] The profile 33 of the cross section of this lower portion 3
is circular and constant over the length of this portion in the
embodiment shown, this portion being considered outside the reliefs
31, 32. The walls of the lower portion 3 are thus vertical and
adapted for supporting a load in this direction. It is conceivable
to make a slight variation in the profile of the section along the
lower portion 3, for example by using a slightly frustoconical
shape, but major and/or geometrically important variations are to
be avoided in order to retain good crushing resistance.
[0043] In a similar way to the lower portion 3, the upper portion 5
comprises more or less pronounced reliefs 51, 52, either for
increasing resistance to deformation as in the case of the
undulating grooves 51 or for purely aesthetic reasons as in the
case of the light reliefs 52.
[0044] The profile of the upper portion 5 is likewise circular and
constant in the embodiment shown. The profile of the section of
this portion is coaxial with the profile 33 of the lower portion 3,
given that these lower and upper portions 3, 5 extend
longitudinally along the same central axis Z. The circular profile
has the same diameter as that of the lower portion 3. The profiles
of the lower and upper portions 3, 5 are therefore in alignment and
are well-adapted for transmitting vertical stresses from the neck 6
toward the bottom 2. In the same way as for the lower portion 3,
however, the upper portion 5 can have a certain variation in
section while retaining a capacity for transmitting vertical
stresses and taking account of the overall shape of these two
portions in relation to one another.
[0045] The profile of the section of the lower and upper portions
3, 5 can be other than circular, for example polygonal with rounded
corners, while providing sufficient resistance to the internal
pressures exerted radially and to the stresses exerted vertically
on these portions.
[0046] The neck 6 has a frustoconical shape connected by a rounded
bend to the upper portion 5. However, other well-known shapes for
the neck can be used. The top of the neck 6 is connected to the
ring 7 by quite a pronounced angle, but the greater thickness of
the wall in this region affords great resistance to
deformation.
[0047] The ring 7 is a well-known triple-thread ring. The ring 7 is
intended to receive a screwable top (not shown in the figures).
However, any type of stoppering element may of course be used.
[0048] The gripping portion 4 comprises two gripping panels 41, one
of which can be seen from the front in FIG. 2, and two connecting
panels 42, one of which can be seen from the front in FIG. 1. Each
gripping panel 41 is connected directly at each of its
circumferential ends by a corner 43 to the circumferential ends of
each of the connecting panels 42, as can best be seen in FIG.
3.
[0049] The gripping panels 41 are on the whole plane, when
considering their transverse dimension, but can, as in the
embodiment shown, comprise slight curvatures which will be
explained in detail below. The gripping panels 41 are arranged
parallel to one another at a distance L from one another which is
adapted for taking in the hand. By way of illustration, the bottle
shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has lower and upper portions 3, 5 of roughly
100 mm in diameter, which does not allow easy taking in the hand
for the majority of adults, whereas the distance L separating the
two gripping panels 41 is roughly 81 mm, which distinctly
facilitates taking the bottle in the hand for the majority of
users.
[0050] The connecting panels 42 extend in continuation of the lower
and upper portions 3, 5 of the body 9. Considered over the
circumferential portion comprising the connecting panels 42, the
body of the bottle thus has a continuous surface which is
advantageous for transmitting the vertical loads between the neck 6
and the bottom 2.
[0051] The corners 43 are located in the circumferential connection
zone of the gripping panels 41 with the connecting panels 42. The
corners 43 are formed by a portion extending vertically from the
lower portion 3 to the upper portion 5 and circumferentially over
an angular sector originating from central axis Z limited to a few
degrees. The transverse profile of the corners 43 is a circular arc
with a radius which is considerably smaller than that of the body,
so that it has a rounded shape. The corners 43 play an important
role in the transmission of the vertical stresses because of this
rounded profile which constitutes structurally a vertical girder
and make it possible to compensate for the reduction in vertical
strength due to the gripping panels 41. The corners 43 also have an
effect on the quality of taking hold of the bottle. Corners with
too marked an angular shape which gives rise to a ridge are to be
avoided in order to prevent a concentration of stresses which are
detrimental to the load resistance, in particular when impacts take
place.
[0052] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the gripping panel 41 comprises
reinforcing reliefs 44, 45 which extend along the gripping zone in
a transverse plane, that is to say along the greatest length of the
panel. In fact, it is necessary to avoid the gripping panels 41
adopting an arched shape around the central axis, either toward the
outside when the pressure inside the bottle increases, or toward
the inside when the user exerts pressure on these panels. More
specifically, the reinforcing reliefs comprise a central relief 44
which is in the form of an annular flute and consequently likewise
extends on the connecting panels 42. Two lateral reliefs 45 of
similar shape are arranged close to the upper and lower
longitudinal ends of the gripping panel 41.
[0053] A good compromise between improving the gripping comfort and
retaining the structural strength of the bottle can be achieved
with a distance L separating the gripping panels 41 which is
between 75 and 90% of the greatest dimension of the cross section
of the lower or upper portions 3, 5, here, that is, the diameter of
these sections. For a 1.5 l to 2 l bottle intended to contain a
non-carbonated drink, a distance L roughly equal to 80% of the
major dimension proves to be particularly appropriate. However,
this ratio can vary markedly depending on the volume of the bottle
or the shape of the section and, for example, in the case of
bottles which have a much smaller capacity but the gripping portion
of which has to be adapted to the shape of the hand of a child.
[0054] It will be observed that the flutes 44, 45 of the gripping
panels 41 extend to the connecting panels 42 and pass through the
corners 43 connecting these panels. It has been established that
this reinforced the resistance to bulging of the gripping panels 41
and can be explained by the fact that these reinforcements 44, 45
form undulations at the corners 43 and limit the flexion
possibilities of the gripping panels around these corners.
[0055] Moreover, the annular flutes 44, 45 of this portion 4 have a
depth which varies according to the circumferential zone considered
in order to optimize according to zones the resistance to bulging
of the gripping panels 41 or of the connecting panels 42 and the
resistance to vertical stresses of the gripping portion 4. More
specifically, in the central part of the gripping panels, the
flutes 44, 45 have a zone 44a, 45a of a depth which is greater than
in the zone 44b, 45b located at the corners 43.
[0056] The central reinforcing flute 44 has a slightly greater
depth and height than the lateral flutes 45 in order to limit the
flexion of the central zone of the gripping panels 41 which is
likely to be subjected to a greater localized force exerted
radially toward the inside when the user grips this zone with his
thumb.
[0057] To limit localized shaping by the thumb of the user,
provision is likewise made for the profile of the gripping panels
41 to depart from a straight line and adopt the shape of a double
undulation, as can be seen in FIG. 3, with a slight depression 41a
in the central zone. By virtue of this, this zone follows the
rounded shape of the thumb more closely and the force exerted by it
is distributed over a larger surface, which significantly reduces
the risk of sudden deformation of the central flute 44 (flute
breaking).
[0058] The gripping panels 41 have a length, measured in a
transverse plane, which is greater than their height. The gripping
panels therefore have a transversely oriented elongate rectangular
shape. In this first embodiment, the gripping portion extends over
a height of roughly 3 cm, which proves to be sufficient for good
taking in the hand and for locating a number of reinforcing flutes,
possibly with sections of different shape. For these reasons,
however, it is preferable if the gripping panels 41 have at least
in a central zone a height greater than 2 cm. However, the gripping
panels are not to have a maximum height greater than 5 cm because,
with such a large dimension, it is more difficult to meet the
requirements of rigidity of these panels and reduced weight of the
bottle.
[0059] The gripping panels 41 are connected at their lower
longitudinal end to the lower portion 3 by inclined surfaces 34,
here of an on the whole triangular shape owing to the circular
section of the body 9. In the same way, the upper longitudinal end
of the gripping panels 41 is connected to the upper portion 5 by
similar inclined surfaces 54. It appears preferable for these
inclined surfaces to form between them an opening angle .alpha.,
indicated in FIG. 4, of between 100 and 150.degree. in order to
increase the height of the zone over which the user can place his
fingers while keeping an angle which is sufficiently pronounced
that each upper inclined surface 54 forms a point for retaining the
hand.
[0060] By virtue of the gripping panels 41 thus arranged, a
gripping portion 4 is obtained of which the cross section has an
essentially rectangular profile, here with circular-arc-shaped
short sides owing to the cylindrical shape of the body 9. This
gripping portion proves comfortable for the user and can be used in
two opposed directions. Furthermore, the structural strength of the
bottle can be retained without any additional use of plastic
material in relation to an optimum cylindrical shape.
[0061] Moreover, in the case of a bottle body having a rectangular
or square section with rounded corners, the gripping panels 41
preferably extend parallel to opposite sides of this section, and
parallel to the long sides of this section if the profile thereof
is a non-square rectangle.
[0062] It is conceivable to form more than a pair of gripping
panels as long as these are separated circumferentially by
connecting panels. In this case, however, the quantity of plastic
material necessary would be greater in order to retain similar
strength.
[0063] A second embodiment of the gripping panels applied here to a
1.5 l capacity bottle 1 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The majority of
the component elements of this bottle are similar in all respects
to those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and will not be
described in detail again. The profile of the cross section of the
upper and lower portions 3, 5 (not shown for this embodiment) is
likewise circular but of a smaller diameter of roughly 88 mm, which
makes it possible to space the gripping panels at a slightly
smaller distance L, namely roughly 72 mm, which likewise represents
around 82% of the major dimension.
[0064] Here, the gripping panels 41 comprise only two reinforcing
flutes 45 arranged at the longitudinal ends of these panels. These
upper and lower flutes each constitute an undulation, directed
upward and downward respectively, in the central zone of the
gripping panels 41. The maximum height of these panels is
therefore, as in the preceding embodiment, of the order of 2 cm in
order to provide a good grip but smaller toward the circumferential
ends. This makes it possible to optimize the volume and weight of
the bottle.
[0065] For this reason, the central zone of the gripping panels 41,
on which the thumb of the user is likely to exert great pressure,
is without reinforcing reliefs. The increase in flexibility of the
wall in this zone therefore has the advantage of better
distributing the stresses exerted by the user.
[0066] In the same way as in the first embodiment for which it is
possible to achieve a weight of the order of 40 grams, the 1.5 l
bottle in this second embodiment makes it possible to obtain a
light bottle of the order of 32 grams with comfortable gripping and
satisfactory resistance to deformation.
[0067] These embodiments are of course in no way limiting. As
indicated above, the bottles could be bottles having a body of on
the whole polygonal section with rounded tops, and, although the
invention is particularly useful for large capacity bottles, it can
also be applied to bottles of small capacity, of 33 or 50 cl for
example, intended for children.
* * * * *