U.S. patent application number 13/767134 was filed with the patent office on 2013-06-20 for blow-molded plastic bottle and method of manufacture.
This patent application is currently assigned to SMART BOTTLE, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Smart Bottle, Inc.. Invention is credited to Kenneth R. Wilkes.
Application Number | 20130153576 13/767134 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45095404 |
Filed Date | 2013-06-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130153576 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wilkes; Kenneth R. |
June 20, 2013 |
Blow-Molded Plastic Bottle and Method of Manufacture
Abstract
A plastic bottle includes an expanded blow-molding preform of
plastic film. The expanded preform has a base configured to support
the bottle in a free-standing upright position, a neck containing a
fitment, and seams including only a single full-height seam
extending from the base to the neck.
Inventors: |
Wilkes; Kenneth R.;
(Asheville, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Smart Bottle, Inc.; |
Asheville |
NC |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
SMART BOTTLE, INC.
Asheville
NC
|
Family ID: |
45095404 |
Appl. No.: |
13/767134 |
Filed: |
February 14, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12813216 |
Jun 10, 2010 |
8388886 |
|
|
13767134 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/288 ;
220/601; 220/675; 220/677 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 66/244 20130101;
B29C 2049/2026 20130101; B29C 66/1122 20130101; B29C 49/20
20130101; B29C 65/74 20130101; B29C 66/1162 20130101; B29C 49/0047
20130101; B65D 1/0246 20130101; B29C 2049/0068 20130101; B29C
2049/2404 20130101; B29C 2793/0081 20130101; B29C 66/83221
20130101; B29C 66/4312 20130101; B29C 66/4322 20130101; B65D 1/0223
20130101; B65D 1/44 20130101; B29C 66/53262 20130101; B29C 2049/021
20130101; B29C 49/02 20130101; B29C 2049/0052 20130101; B29C
65/7838 20130101; B29C 2049/2008 20130101; B29C 66/8322 20130101;
B29C 65/02 20130101; B65D 41/04 20130101; B29L 2031/7158
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/288 ;
220/601; 220/675; 220/677 |
International
Class: |
B65D 1/02 20060101
B65D001/02; B65D 41/04 20060101 B65D041/04; B65D 1/44 20060101
B65D001/44 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a fitment; and an expanded blow-molding
preform of plastic film having a base configured to support the
expanded preform in a free-standing upright position, a neck
containing the fitment, and seams including only a single
full-height seam extending from the base to the neck.
2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the single
full-height seam includes bonded layers of plastic film that are
folded inward to lie flat against an adjacent outer surface of the
expanded preform.
3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the expanded preform
has front and back panels that face oppositely outward and are
joined at the single full-height seam.
4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the expanded preform
has a noncircular convex edge at which the single full-height seam
defines a juncture between the front and back panels.
5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the expanded preform
has an additional edge with an undulating contour defining a
handgrip.
6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the neck is
off-center.
7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the expanded preform
has a cross-section with an oval periphery, and the single
full-height seam is located at a vertex of the oval periphery.
8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein the expanded preform
further has a handgrip portion with an undulating contour at an
opposite vertex of the oval periphery.
9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising a cap for
closing the fitment and a laundry product contained in the expanded
preform.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/813,216 filed Jun. 10, 2010, which is incorporated by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This technology includes a plastic bottle that is formed by
blow-molding a preform of plastic film into the shape of a
bottle.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Plastic bottles can be formed from plastic film. One or more
elongated webs of the plastic film are unrolled from spools, and
are severed into panels that are folded and seamed together to form
structures known as a preforms. Each preform corresponds to an
individual bottle. A fitment may be installed in the neck of a
preform to provide a spout, but the preform has a generally flat
shape defined by the flat panels of plastic film. The preform is
then placed inside a blow-molding cavity that has the shape of the
bottle, and is expanded under fluid pressure inside the cavity.
This deflects the flat sections of plastic film into the shape of
the bottle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A plastic bottle includes an expanded blow-molding preform
of plastic film. The expanded preform has a base configured to
support the bottle in a free-standing upright position, a neck
containing a fitment, and seams including only a single full height
seam extending from the base to the neck.
[0005] In a method of manufacturing the bottle, an elongated web of
plastic film is folded and sealed into a four panel configuration
that enables the finished bottle to have only the single full
height seam. Specifically, the four panel configuration includes a
front panel with right and left side edges, a back panel with right
and left side edges, and a pair of gusset panels extending
transversely inward from the front and back panels. A pair of
folded corners join the gusset panels to the front and back panels
along the right side edges. Another folded corner joins the gusset
panels together. The left side edges of the front and back panels
are joined together by a longitudinally extending seam. With folded
corners instead of seams at each other longitudinal juncture of
panels, the seam at the left side edges is the only longitudinal
seam extending the full length of the four panel configuration.
[0006] When the web has been folded into the four panel
configuration, a fitment is installed between forward ends of the
panels. Rear ends of the panels are sealed together across the
folded web. The web is then severed to obtain a blow-molding
preform in the four panel configuration with a closed rear end, the
fitment at a forward end, the gusset panels extending transversely
inward along a right side of the preform, and the single full
length seam at left side of the preform.
[0007] The preform is expanded under fluid pressure in a
blow-molding cavity. The fluid pressure turns the gusset panels
outward, and deflects the rear end into a base configured to
support the expanded preform in a free-standing upright
position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a front view of a blow-molded plastic bottle.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a left side view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a right side view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a bottom view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a top view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 7 is schematic view showing a web of plastic film with
an apparatus for manufacturing blow-molding preforms.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.
[0016] FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 7.
[0017] FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing another part of
the apparatus.
[0018] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the web of plastic film in a
condition taken during the manufacturing process.
[0019] FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on line 12-12 of FIG.
11.
[0020] FIG. 13 is a side view taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 11.
[0021] FIG. 14 is an end view taken on line 14-14 of FIG. 11.
[0022] FIGS. 15-17 are views similar to FIG. 11 showing steps taken
to insert a fitment into the web of plastic film.
[0023] FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 15 showing another part of
the apparatus.
[0024] FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the web of
plastic film in a subsequent condition taken during the
manufacturing process.
[0025] FIG. 20 is a front view of a blow-molding preform with a
fitment.
[0026] FIG. 21 is a partially sectional view showing the preform of
FIG. 20 inside a blow-molding cavity.
[0027] FIG. 22 is a schematic view of another apparatus for
manufacturing blow-molding preforms.
[0028] FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken on line 23-23 of FIG.
22.
[0029] FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken online 24-24 of FIG.
22.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] A plastic bottle 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The bottle 10 is
especially suitable for contents 11 such as a liquid, granular or
powder laundry product. The parts of the bottle 10 include a
blow-molded plastic body 12, a fitment 14, and a closure cap 16.
The body 12 is vertically elongated, and has a generally flat base
18 configured to support the bottle 10 in a free-standing upright
position, as shown in FIG. 1. A handgrip portion 20 of the body 12
is located at the right hand side 22, as viewed from the front in
FIG. 1. The fitment 14 is installed in a neck 24 at the upper end
of the body 12, and is offset toward the left hand side 26.
[0031] As further shown in FIGS. 2-3, the body 12 has front and
back faces 40 and 42 extending fully throughout the height of the
body 12 from the base 18 to the neck 24. As shown in FIG. 4, a
horizontal cross-section of the body 12 has an oval periphery. The
front and back faces 40 and 42 extend across the width of the body
12 between right and left vertices 43 and 45 of the oval
periphery.
[0032] The base 18 of the body 12, as shown in FIG. 5, likewise has
an oval periphery, and has a central axis 47. The fitment 14 and
the neck 24 are centered on an axis 49 (FIG. 6) that is parallel
but spaced to the left from the axis 47 of the base 18 such that
the fitment 14 is offset to left hand side 26 of the bottle 10, as
noted above. With the fitment 14 in this off-center arrangement, a
user gripping the bottle 10 from the right hand side 22 can pour a
stream that projects downward and outward from the fitment 14
without crossing any substantial width portion of the bottle 10. A
seam 50 also is located at the left hand side 26 of the body 12.
This seam 50 is located at the left vertex 45 of the oval
periphery, and extends the full height of the body 12 from the base
18 to the neck 24. Top seams 52 extend downward from the neck 24,
and bottom seams 56 extend across the base 18. However, the seam 50
at the left hand side 26 is the only full height seam on the body
12 of the bottle 10. This location of the single full height seam
50 maximizes the unobstructed areas of the front and back faces 40
and 42 for printed text and images to appear across the width of
the bottle 10. This location of the single full height seam 50 also
provides the handgrip 20 with a smooth, seamless surface.
[0033] The body 12 of the bottle 10 is formed of plastic film. As
shown in FIG. 7, an elongated web 100 of plastic film is withdrawn
from a spool 102 and conveyed lengthwise through a folding station
104. In the preferred embodiment, lengths of the web 100 are
incrementally pulled downward through the folding station 104. As
shown in FIG. 8, the folding station 104 is configured to fold the
web 100 across longitudinally extending fold lines 105 to place the
web 100 in a four panel configuration.
[0034] When the web 100 has the four panel configuration, as shown
separately in FIG. 9, it has a front panel 110, a back panel 112,
and two gusset panels 114, all of which are elongated lengthwise of
the web 110. The front and back panels 110 and 112 both have right
and left side edges 116 and 118. The gusset panels 114 extend
transversely inward from the front and back panels 110 and 112. A
pair of folded corners 126 join the gusset panels 114 to the front
and back panels 110 and 112 at the right side edges 116. Another
folded corner 128 joins the gusset panels 114 together. At this
stage of the process, the front and back panels 110 and 112 are
unattached at the left side edges 118.
[0035] In the next step of the process, a seaming press 140 (shown
schematically in FIG. 10) engages the web 100 in the four panel
configuration. The seaming press 140 severs a section 142 from the
web 100 to separate a leading section 144 from a trailing section
146. At the trailing section 146 of the web 100, the seaming press
140 seals the front and back panels 100 and 112 together along
their left side edges 118 to form a short section of the side seam
50. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, this section of the partially
formed seam 50 has a length extending longitudinally along the web
100, and has a width projecting transversely outward from
unattached portions of the front and back panels 110 and 112. An
inner surface 148 (FIG. 7) of the web 110 is treated beforehand to
ensure that only inner surfaces of the four-panel configuration are
bonded together by the seaming press 140. Alternatively, the seams
could be formed ultrasonically, in which case the surface treatment
would not be necessary.
[0036] The seaming press 140 also forms top seams 52 on the
trailing section 146 of the web 100. As shown in FIGS. 11, 13 and
14, the top seams 52 extend across the ends of the gusset panels
14. This provides an open neck 24 at the forward end of the
trailing section 146.
[0037] The fitment 14 is inserted in the trailing section 146 of
the web 100 as shown in FIGS. 15-17. Specifically, the fitment 14
is inserted between the front and back panels 110 and 112 from the
side, and is moved downward into the neck 24. The relatively short
length of the partially formed side seam 50 provides clearance for
a fitment insertion tool 150 to move downward within the trailing
section 146 of the web 110 to reach the neck 24. Heat-sealing
clamps 160 (FIG. 18) are moved into engagement with the neck 24 to
seal the fitment 14 in its installed position in the neck 24. The
clamps 160 also fold the seams 50 and 52 inward against the neck 24
so that the seams 50 and 52 no longer project transversely outward
at the neck 24.
[0038] In the following step, the clamps 160 pull the web 100
downward so that the prior trailing section 146 becomes the next
leading section 144, as shown in FIG. 19. The next cycle of the
seaming press 140 seals the front and back panels 110 and 112
together to form the remainder of the side seam 50 at the leading
section 144. The seaming press 140 also the panels 100, 112 and 114
of the leading section 146 together at their rear ends by forming
bottom seams 56 across the web 110. This repeats each time the web
100 is pulled downward so that each successive cycle of the seaming
press 140 yields a blow-molding preform 170 with a fitment 14 and
only a single full length seam 50, as shown separately in FIG.
20.
[0039] The bottle 10 of FIG. 1 is formed by expanding the preform
170 in a mold cavity 175 (FIG. 21) having the shape of the body 12.
Grippers 176 press the fitment 14 into pressure-tight engagement
with a filler 178 that communicates with a source pressurized
fluid. The pressurized fluid is then directed into the preform 170
to deflect the panels 110, 112 and 114 into the shape of the cavity
175.
[0040] The fluid pressure turns the gusset panels 114 outward, and
presses them against an opposed inner surface 180 of the mold
cavity 175. The inner surface 180 has an undulating vertical
profile for the handgrip 20 at the right hand side 22 of the body
12. The inner surface 180 also has a non-circular, concave
horizontal profile for the right vertex 43 (FIG. 4) of the oval
periphery. An opposite inner surface 182 of the mold cavity 175 has
a non-circular, concave horizontal profile for the left vertex 45,
but has a more linear vertical profile. When the preform 170 is
inserted in the mold cavity 175, the panels 110, 112 and 114 are
registered with the mold cavity 175 such that the side seam 50 is
centered on the concave inner surface 182. This ensures that the
side seam 50 is centered at the left-hand side 26 of the body 12,
as described above.
[0041] Deflection of the panels 110, 112 and 114 outward within the
mold cavity 175 draws the lower end portions of the panels 110, 112
and 114 upward to form the base 18 of the body 12. Importantly, the
fluid pressure also presses the projecting sections of the side and
top seams 50 and 52 outward against the opposed mold cavity
surfaces. This folds those seams 50 and 52 inward to lie flat
against an adjoining outer surface of the body 12.
[0042] The schematic view of FIG. 22 shows parts of another
apparatus for manufacturing a preform to be blow-molded into a
bottle with only a single full height seam. This apparatus 200
includes a tube 202 with a bar sealer 204. The tube 202 is a
cylinder with a circular cross-section centered on a vertical axis
205. The bar sealer 204 extends vertically alongside the tube 202.
A fitment insertion tool 208 is arranged above the tube 202 for
vertical movement through the tube 202.
[0043] A pair of rollers 210, one of which is shown in FIG. 22, are
arranged beside each other beneath the tube 202. The rollers 210
are alike and are rotatable about parallel horizontal axes 211. A
first gusset finger 216 is located above the rollers 210, and a
second gusset finger 216 is located below the rollers 210. A neck
sealer clamp 220 has a range of movement vertically and
horizontally beneath the rollers 210, as indicated by the arrows
shown in FIG. 22.
[0044] A web 224 of plastic film extends from a spool 226 to the
tube 202. The web 224 is guided over the outside of the tube 202 so
that a section 228 of the web 224 is wrapped around, and extends
downward over, the tube 202. That section of the web 224 is thus
shaped as a cylinder with a circular cross-section centered on the
vertical axis 205, as shown in FIG. 23. Also shown in FIG. 23 are
unattached edge portions 230 of the web 224 at the cylindrical
section 228. The unattached edge portions 230 overlap
circumferentially, and extend axially alongside the bar sealer
204.
[0045] The web 224 extends downward from the tube 202 past the
first gusset finger 216, and through a nip between the rollers 210.
Also shown schematically in FIG. 22 is a seaming press 240 beneath
the rollers 210. The web 224 extends further downward past the
seaming press 240 and the second gusset finger 216. The lower end
of the web 224 contains a fitment 244 when the web 224 has the
condition shown in FIG. 22.
[0046] In operation of the apparatus 200, the bar sealer 204 moves
radially inward against the overlapping edge portions 230 of the
web 224 to form a longitudinally extending seam at which the
overlapping edge portions 230 are joined together. The seaming
press 240 then acts upon the web 224 to sever a section 246 from
the web 224, and also to form seams extending across the web 224.
As in the method described above, this step yields a completed
blow-molding preform 248 at the leading section of the web 224.
This step also forms top seams and a neck 250 at the trailing
section of the web 224.
[0047] In the next step, the fitment insertion tool 208 is advanced
downward through the tube 202 and into the newly formed neck 250 to
install the next fitment 244. The rollers 210 are moved apart from
each other, and the first gusset finger 216 is retracted, to
provide clearance for the fitment insertion tool 208 to be inserted
and retracted. Like the fitment 14 described above, the fitment 244
is off-center. Accordingly, the fitment insertion tool 208 is
advanced and retracted through the cylindrical tube 202 along a
linear path that is radially offset from the central axis 205.
[0048] When the next fitment 244 has been inserted, the neck sealer
clamp 220 grasps the neck 250 containing the fitment 244, and pulls
the web 224 downward so that the web 224 again takes the condition
shown in FIG. 22. The second gusset finger 216 can be retracted as
needed for the passage of the fitment 244. This step draws the
cylindrical section 228 of the web 224 downward from the tube 202.
The gusset fingers 216 impart the longitudinally extending fold
lines about which the moving web 224 is folded into the four panel
configuration shown in FIG. 24. Unlike the four panel configuration
of the web 100 shown in FIG. 12, which has a partially formed side
seam 50, the four panel configuration of the web 224 has a fully
formed side seam 252. This is because the entire length of the side
seam 252 is provided by a single cycle of the bar sealer 204 at the
tube 202. The next cycle of the seaming press 240 then yields the
next blow-molding preform 248 with an installed fitment 244 and a
single full length seam 252.
[0049] This written description sets forth the best mode of
carrying out the invention, and describes the invention so as to
enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention,
by presenting examples of the elements recited in the claims. The
patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may
include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such
other examples, which may be available either before or after the
application filing date, are intended to be within the scope of the
claims if they have elements that do not differ from the literal
language of the claims, or if they have equivalent elements with
insubstantial differences from the literal language of the
claims.
* * * * *