Abstract:
A metal drawn and ironed bottle type container accepts a conventional glass bottle crown applied by conventional bottle crowning equipment. In alternate embodiments, inserts or outserts may be used in conjunction with metal bottle type containers to provide finish areas that are compatible with either twist-off crowns or pry-off crowns.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/708,517 filed Oct. 1, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that it discloses. 
    
    
     RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/042,439 of Evan D. Watkins and Michael Atkinson entitled METAL BOTTLE TYPE CONTAINER, filed on the same date as the present application. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is known to form drawn, or drawn and ironed, cans from aluminum and steel for use in packaging of beer, soft drinks, oil, and other liquids and also for use as aerosol containers for a variety of products. Most metal cans for beer and beverages are adapted to be closed with relatively flat lids or ends which are secured on the cans by double seaming or the like. The lids may have tear strips formed in them and have pull tabs attached to the tear strips to facilitate forming pouring openings in the lids. It is also known to provide cans with cone top ends on them as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,262,815; 4,574,975; 4,793,510 and 4,911,323. It is further known to provide an easy opening container with a reduced diameter cylindrical portion on it and angular spaced thread segments on the cylindrical portion as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,443. That patent also discloses a method for forming such a container which includes one or more forming operations such as drawing and ironing operations. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,352 discloses a lightweight, drawn and ironed aluminum bottle made from thin gauge, hard temper aluminum alloy comprising a one-piece container body having a drawn and ironed sidewall with a sidewall diameter in a range of 2.5 to 3.5 inches and metal thickness in the sidewall in a range of about 0.0045 inch to 0.0065 inch, an integral bottom end wall having a metal thickness of at least about 0.010, an integral die-necked, substantially frustoconical neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall, an integral die-necked, substantially cylindrical chimney extending upwardly from the frustoconical neck portion, a threaded sleeve around the chimney and secured thereon by an outwardly and downwardly projecting flange around the top edge of the chimney. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is cross-sectional elevation view of a metal bottle type container having a finish area that mimics the finish area of a conventional glass bottle. 
         FIG. 1A  is a detail cross-sectional view of a bottom portion of the container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional elevation view of a metal bottle type container having an insert that mimics the finish area of a conventional glass bottle. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional elevation view of a metal bottle type container having an insert that mimics a finish area of a conventional twist-off crown type glass bottle. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional detail view of the finish area of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional detail view of the finish area of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 2 , including the insert. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional detail view of the finish area of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 3 , including the insert. 
         FIG. 7  is an isometric view of the twist-off crown type insert of  FIGS. 3 and 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional elevation view of an alternate metal bottle type container having a finish area that mimics the finish area of a conventional glass bottle. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional elevation view of an alternate metal bottle type container having an insert that mimics the finish area of a conventional glass bottle. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional elevation view of an alternate metal bottle type container having an insert that mimics the finish area of a conventional twist-off crown type glass bottle. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional detail view of a metal bottle type container having an outsert that mimics the finish area of a conventional glass bottle. 
         FIG. 12  is a side elevation view of a long neck metal bottle type container having an outsert that mimics the finish area of a conventional glass bottle. 
         FIG. 13  is a cross sectional detail of the finish area of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is a top plan view of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 15  is a side elevation view of a neck portion of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 12  and a plastic ring prior to the mounting of the plastic ring on the neck portion. 
         FIG. 16  is a side elevation view of a neck portion of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 12  and a plastic ring mounted on the neck portion, prior to curling deformation of the bottle sidewall. 
         FIG. 17  is a side elevation view of a neck portion of the metal bottle type container of  FIG. 12  with a twist off type plastic outsert ring mounted thereon and with the bottle top edge portion curled over the outsert ring. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross sectional view of a filled and crowned metal bottle type container of the shape shown generally in  FIG. 3 , but which has an outsert that mimics the finish area of a conventional glass bottle. 
         FIG. 19  is a side elevation view of a filled and crowned metal bottle container of the type shown in  FIG. 12 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Glass beverage bottles, including beer bottles, are conventionally filled on high speed conveyor lines and are thereafter crowned on high speed conveyor lines. Crowning a bottle with a pry-off or twist-off type crown involves attaching the crown to the bottle finish area. A pry-off crown is attached by first centering it on the bottle above the opening and then crimping it over a rounded bead at the top of a bottle. Crimping force is applied by a generally cylindrical crowning head that engages a skirt portion of a crown and deforms it radially inwardly through application of axial force to the crown during downward movement of the crowning head. A twist off crown is attached in generally the same manner as a pry-off crown, except that the skirt is urged radially inwardly over twist off pseudo threads on the finish area of a bottle. Either operation requires application of considerable axial force to the bottle, e.g., 450 lb force for application of conventional steel crowns. Some impact extruded metal bottles have been crowned using conventional bottle crowning machinery. 
     An advantage that drawn and ironed metal bottles have over impact extruded metal bottles is that the drawn and ironed bottles may be produce with thinner walls, and thus require considerably less metal for comparably sized containers. It would be economically desirable to crown drawn and ironed metal bottles using the same crowning machinery that is used to crown glass bottles, both for reasons of production speed and for minimizing capital expenditure on new equipment. However, prior to the development of the metal bottles described herein, no drawn and ironed metal bottles had been developed that were capable of being crowned with conventional crowning machinery. This failure to develop crownable drawn and ironed metal bottles was due to certain technical difficulties associated with: 1) forming a closure (“finish”) area that is of a proper form to receive a crown; 2) withstanding the axial force exerted by conventional crowning machinery applying a conventional steel crown without bottle sidewall deformation in the neck region; and 3) forming a bottom dome that can withstand the axial loading force associated with crowning and that can withstand the internal pressure associated with certain beverages, for example beer, without dome growth or inverting deformation. Applicants have overcome these problems with the drawn and ironed metal bottles described herein. Apparatus that may be used to produce such drawn and ironed metal containers are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/948,019, filed Jul. 22, 2013, of Evan D. Watkins and Michael Atkinson for Container Body Forming Apparatus and Method and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/947,972, filed Jul. 22, 2013, of Michael Atkinson, Evan D. Watkins, Donna Kelley and James Hunnel for Container Body Trimming Apparatus and Method. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/215,055 filed Aug. 22, 2011 of Evan D. Watkins and Michael Atkinson for Indexing Machine with a Plurality of Work Stations, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all that is disclosed therein. 
     It may be desirable for metal bottles to be filled to approximately the same height as comparably sized glass bottles. Due to differences in wall thickness, metal and glass bottles of the same outer dimensions have significantly different volumes and would thus fill to different heights with the same volume of fluid. In at least some of applicants&#39; metal bottle embodiments described below, the configuration of the metal bottle provides a beverage fill height comparable to that of a glass bottle of the same volume while at the same time providing a bottle capable of being crowned with conventional glass bottle crowning machinery. In the industry, container size is typically given based upon the amount of fluid filling a bottle to its fill height. That convention is used herein. Most American beverage bottles are 12 fl-oz or 16 fl-oz bottles and such bottles are described herein. Metal weight to bottle volume ratios provided herein are based upon such fill volumes (“nominal volumes”) rather than the entire internal volume of the containers. 
     The terms “top” and “bottom” as used herein do not imply any particular orientation with respect to a gravitational field, but rather are used in a relative sense for describing the spatial relationship between the various parts of containers, generally based upon the orientation of the container shown in drawing figures or the orientation of the container that is typically assumed when people are describing a container, i.e. the opening from which liquid is poured is positioned at the “top” of the container. The surface on which the container is ordinarily supported is located at the “bottom” of the container. The terms “up,” “down,” “upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” “horizontal” “lateral” and similar terms are used in the same manner. Since “top” and “bottom” are used in a relative sense, the description of the container  10  that is provided herein does not change, no matter how the container may be oriented in space, top up, top down or lying on its side. 
       FIG. 1  shows a container  10  which may, for example, take the form of a drawn and ironed metal bottle. The container  10  may be a 12 oz, long neck container having a base portion  12 , a cylindrical body portion  14 , a reduced diameter neck portion  18  and a shoulder portion  16  where the diameter transitions from the relatively larger diameter body portion  14  to the smaller diameter neck portion  18 . The container  10  may also include an opening  20  formed at the termination of the neck portion  18 . A closure area  22  (sometimes referred to in the industry and herein as the “finish area”) may be located on the neck portion  18  adjacent the opening  20 . The container  10  may be an aluminum drawn and ironed container adapted for use with carbonated beverages, such as beer and soda. 
     With further reference to  FIG. 1 , the finish area  22  of the container  10  may be adapted to facilitate attachment of a closure member, such as a conventional steel crown (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) after the container is filled, for example, with beer. In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the finish area  22  takes the form of a rolled curl  24  which may be integrally formed from the metal (e.g., aluminum) of the container  10 . Methods and apparatus for forming such curls at the opening of a metal container are known in the art and are thus not described herein.  FIG. 4  illustrates, in further detail, the upper extent of the neck portion  18 , including the opening  20 , finish area  22 , and rolled curl  24 . The rolled curl  24  is configured to accept a conventional bottle crown (i.e., a “pry-off” type of crown that is removed using a bottle opener), applied by conventional bottle crowning equipment. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the container  10  may, for example, have an overall height “A” of about 9.000 in, an outside diameter “B” of about 2.400 in and a distance “C” between opening  20  and the point where the lower extent of the shoulder portion  16  meets the constant diameter cylindrical body portion  14  of about 5.3 in. The rolled curl  24  may, for example, have an outside diameter “D 1 ” of about 1.047 in and an inside diameter “D 2 ” of about 0.849 in. A detail of the finish area  22  and rolled curl  24  of the container  10  is shown in  FIG. 4 . Referring again to  FIG. 1 , after the container  10  has been filled, e.g., with a beverage, the fill height “E” may, for example, be about 6.50 in. The container  10  in the shoulder portion  16  may have a first arcuate portion “a 1 ” having a radius of curvature “R 1 ” of about 2.000 in and a center of curvature “x 1 ” at the same height as the top of the bottle body portion  14  where the annular wall thereof changes from a straight line to an arc. The length of first arcuate portion a 1  may be about 0.936 in. The shoulder portion  16  has a second arcuate portion “a 2 ” that has a radius of curvature “R 2 ” of about 2.500 in with a center of curvature “x 2 ” at a height F of about 2.146 in above that of point x 1 . The length of arcuate portion a 2  may be about 1.232 in. The two arcuate portions a 1  and a 2  may be connected at the point where the respective arcs intersect. A third arcuate portion “a 3 ” is located in the neck portion  18  and intersects with the second curved portion a 2 . The third arcuate portion a 3  may have a radius of curvature “R 3 ” of about 16.50 in. The center of curvature of arcuate portion a 3  may be located at a height “G” measured from the bottom of the container of about 5.867 in the length of arcuate portion a 3  may be about 2.295 in. The points of intersection of the various arcs may all be points of tangency of the subject arcs. The wall thickness at the center of arc a 1  may be about 0.0082 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc a 2  may be about 0.0092 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc a 3  may be about 0.0170 in. 
       FIG. 1A  is a cross sectional detail view of one embodiment of the bottom portion  12  of container  10 . The bottom portion  12  includes a central, upwardly concave dome portion  11  having a centerline CC, a height “h 1 ” above the bottom of the container of about 0.500 in and a radius of curvature “r 1 ” of about 2.200 in. The dome portion  11  transitions into an annular dome shoulder portion  13  having a radius of curvature “r 2 ” of about 0.060 in, which is located on a circle having a center on axis CC and having a diameter “d 1 ” of about 1.762 in. The height “h 2 ” of the dome portion  11  where it transitions into the shoulder portion  13  may be about in. An annular inner wall portion  9  extends downwardly and outwardly from the dome shoulder portion  13  at an angle “α” of about 3.0° from the vertical sidewall of the container body portion  14 , which is parallel to central axis CC. Inner wall  9  intersects an inside wall portion of rounded foot portion  15 . This inside wall portion of the rounded foot portion  15  may have a radius of curvature “r 3 ” of about 0.060 in. The inside wall portion intersects an outside wall portion of rounded foot portion  15  that has a radius of curvature “r 4 ” of about 0.060 in. The two radii r 3  and r 4  intersect along a circle having a diameter “d 2 ” of about 2.220 in. An outer wall  7  that intersects the rounded foot portion  15  may slope downwardly and inwardly at an angle β of about 3° starting about 0.600 in above the bottom of foot portion  15 . Thus, a peripheral ring around the dome wall  11  is formed by the inner wall  9 , rounded foot portion  15  and outer wall  7 . The substantially vertical walls  7  and  9  connected by the rounded foot portion  15 , and particularly the substantially vertical outer wall  9 , enable the domed bottom portion  12  to withstand the axial loading of a conventional crowning machine. The more angled and/or rounded peripheral outer wall of a conventionally domed, drawn and ironed metal can, would be crushed under such an axial load. The outer wall  9  for typical axial loading of 450 lb may be angled relative to the vertical sidewall of container body  14  at an angle α of less than about 6°. As previously mentioned, in one embodiment α is about 3°. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , when the bottle is made from aluminum, the wall thickness of the aluminum may have approximately the following values at the indicated points and may vary progressively between those points. P 1 =0.0155 in, P 2 =0.0073 in, P 3 =0.020 in. P 2  may have about the minimum wall thickness and P 3  about the maximum wall thickness of the container  10 . In one embodiment of the bottle  10  of  FIG. 1 , the type of aluminum used is relatively low strength, medium gage, high recycle content aluminum and the total weight of an empty container  10  is about 32.1 g for a nominal 12 fl-oz bottle. Thus, for this container, the container weight to (nominal) volume ratio “k”=2.675 g/fl-oz. 
     When the container  10  is configured such as described in the preceding paragraphs, it can be filled and handled by a conventional glass bottle crowning line. In this regard, for example, the walls of the container are constructed having a shape and thickness designed to withstand the axial loads imposed by conventional bottle crowning equipment without crushing deformation. The aluminum in the finish area must also be sufficiently thick to withstand the significant amount of metal working forces needed to form the curl  24 . The configuration and wall thickness of the domed bottom portion  12  can withstand and internal pressure of about 95 psi without dome growth or inversion. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an alternative metal container  100 . The container  100  may, for example, be substantially identical to the previously described container  10  of  FIG. 1 , except that the finish area  122  of the container  100  may be formed differently.  FIG. 5  illustrates the finish area  122  of the container  100  in further detail. With reference now to  FIG. 5 , it can be seen that the body portion  125  of the container  100  may include an annular wall  126  having an outwardly flared portion  128  adjacent the opening  120 . A transition portion  130  of the wall  126  is formed where the diameter of the body portion  125  expands into the flared portion  128 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 5 , an insert  150  having an annular bottom edge  151  and an annular rounded top edge  123  may be attached to the body portion  125  of the container  100 , as shown. (As used herein, the term “insert” refers to a ring that is positioned at least partially inside the subject container body. “Outsert” refers to a ring positioned outside the container body.) The insert  150  may, for example, be formed from plastic and may include a head portion  152  and an integrally formed tail portion  154 , The head portion  152  may be configured to mimic the finish area found on a conventional glass bottle and may, for example, have substantially the same outer size and shape as the rolled curl  24  described previously herein with respect to the bottle  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 4 . In this manner, the head portion  152  with a step transition  153  to the tail portion  154  is adapted to sealingly accept a conventional bottle crown, (i.e., the type of crown that is removed using a bottle opener), applied by conventional bottle crowning equipment. Contact between the upper surface of the head portion  152  and the crown forms a seal. 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 5 , the tail portion  154  of the insert  150  may have a reduced outer diameter relative to the head portion  152  and may extend into the container flared portion  128 , as shown. The insert  150  may be held in place relative to the container body portion  125 , for example, by a suitable adhesive. Alternatively, the insert  150  may be attached by first heating the container body portion  125  to a temperature equal to or greater than the melting temperature of the plastic from which the insert  150  is formed. After heating, the tail portion  154  of the insert  150  may be inserted into the flared portion  128  of the body portion  125 . The heat of the body portion  125  causes the plastic insert  150  to partially melt. As the body portion  125  cools, the plastic solidifies, thus bonding the insert  150  to the body portion  125 . Also, upon cooling, the metal (e.g., aluminum) forming the body portion  125  will contract, thereby gripping the insert  150  to further strengthen the attachment. 
     Use of the insert  150 , as described above, is advantageous relative to the rolled curl  24  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , because it allows less metal to be used in the neck portion of the bottle  100 . Specifically, to form the rolled curl  24  of  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the wall of the container  10  must be formed having a substantial thickness in order to withstand the significant amount of metal working forces needed to form the curl. Further, the container  10  may have to be formed from a more ductile metal in order to withstand the stresses and work hardening involved. Since the insert  150  eliminates the need to form a curl from the metal of the container, a significant amount of metal can be eliminated from the container  100 , relative to the container  10 . In one embodiment, for a 12 oz long neck aluminum bottle the wall thickness in the finish area may be about 0.012 in and the total aluminum weight of the container  100  may be about 26.0 g and the ratio k may be about 2.167 g/fl-oz. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates another alternative metal container  200 . The container  200  may, for example, be substantially identical to the previously described containers  10  or  100 , except that the finish area  222  of the container  200  may be differently configured.  FIG. 6  illustrates the finish area  222  of the container  200  in further detail. With reference now to  FIG. 6 , it can be seen that the body portion  225  of the container  200  may include a wall  226  having an outwardly flared portion  228  adjacent the opening  220 . A transition portion  230  of the wall  226  is formed where the diameter of the container  200  expands into the flared portion  228 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 6 , an insert  250  may be attached to the body portion  225  of the container  200 , as shown. The insert  250  may, for example, be formed from plastic and may include a head portion  252  and an integrally formed tail portion  254 . The head portion  252  may include an external profile  256  that is configured to mimic the finish area found on a conventional “twist-off” type glass bottle. In this manner, the insert  250  is configured to accept a conventional twist-off bottle crown, applied by conventional bottle crowning equipment. 
     The tail portion  254  of the insert  250  may have a reduced diameter relative to the head portion  252  and may extend into the container flared portion  228 , as shown. The insert  250  may be held in place relative to the container body portion  225 , for example, by a suitable adhesive. Alternatively, in a manner similar to the insert  150  described previously, the insert  250  may be attached by first heating the container body portion  225 . After heating, the tail portion  254  of the insert  250  may be inserted into the flared portion  228  of the body portion. The heat of the body portion  225  causes the plastic insert  250  to partially melt. As the body portion  225  cools, the plastic solidifies, thus bonding the insert  250  to the body portion  225 . Further, upon cooling, the metal (e.g., aluminum) forming the body portion  225  will contract, thereby gripping the insert  250  to further strengthen the attachment 
     Again, use of the insert  250 , as described above, is advantageous in that it allows less metal (and a less expensive material) to be used relative to that required for a metal container having an integrally-formed twist-off crown type profile. In one embodiment, for a 12 oz long neck aluminum bottle the wall thickness in the finish area may be about 0.012 in and the total aluminum weight of the container  100  may be about 26.0 g and the ratio k may be about 2.167 g/fl-oz. 
       FIG. 7  is a three dimensional rendering of the plastic insert of  FIG. 6 , showing the configuration that mimics the finish area of a conventional twist-off type glass bottle. The insert  250  has a conventional twist off type thread pattern  253 . 
       FIG. 8  shows an alternative metal bottle type container  300 , which is similar to the container  10  described previously herein, except that it is provided in a short neck configuration instead of a long neck configuration. The container  300  may have a base portion  312 , a cylindrical body portion  314 , a reduced diameter neck portion  318  and a shoulder portion  316  where the diameter transitions from the relatively larger diameter body portion  314  to the smaller diameter neck portion  318 . The container  300  may also include an opening  320  formed at the termination of the neck portion  318 . A closure area  322  (sometimes referred to in the industry and herein as the “finish”) may be located on the neck portion  318  adjacent the opening  320 . In one embodiment, the container  300  may be a 12 oz, short neck aluminum drawn and ironed container adapted for use with carbonated beverages. 
     With further reference to  FIG. 8 , the finish area  322  of the container  300  may be provided to facilitate attachment of a closure member, not shown, after the container is filled, for example, with a beverage. In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the finish area  322  takes the form of a rolled curl  324  which may be integrally formed from the metal (e.g., aluminum) forming the container  10 . The rolled curl  324  of the container  300  may be substantially identical to the rolled curl  24  of the previously described container  10  ( FIGS. 1 and 4 ). 
     As can be seen from a comparison of  FIGS. 1 and 8 , the container  300  has a different profile relative to the previously described container  10 . With reference to  FIG. 8 , the container  300  may, for example, have an overall height “K” of about 7.400 in, an outside diameter “I” of about 2.400 in and a distance “H” between opening  320  and the lower extent of the shoulder portion  316  of about 3.3 in. The rolled curl  24  may, for example, have an outside diameter “L” of about 1.047 in. After the container has been filled, e.g., with a beverage, the fill height “J” may, for example, be about 5.56 in. The container The neck portion  318  may comprise annular arcuate portions b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , with corresponding radii of curvature y 1 , y 2 , y 3 . The arc b 1  may have a radius of curvature Y 1  of about 2.000 in and an arc length of about 0.984 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc b 1  may be about 0.0082 in. The arc b 2  may have a radius of curvature Y 2  of about 2.500 in and an arc length of about 0.656 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc b 2  may be about 0.0092 in. The arc b 3  may have a radius of curvature Y 3  of about 10.000 in and an arc length of about 0.792 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc b 3  may be about 0.0170 in. In the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , where the bottle is made from aluminum, the wall thickness of the aluminum may have approximately the following values at the indicated points and may vary progressively between those points. Q 1 =0.0155; Q 2 =0072 in; Q 3 =0.020 in. In one embodiment of the bottle  300  of  FIG. 8 , the total weight of an empty container  300  is about 27.5 g for a nominal 12 fl-oz bottle. Thus, for this container, the container weight to volume ratio k=2.29 g/fl-oz. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an alternative metal container  400 . The shape of the container  400  may, for example, be substantially identical to the previously described container  300 , except that wall thicknesses may be less and the finish area  422  of the container  400  may be formed differently. Specifically, an insert  450  may be attached to the container  400 , as shown. The insert  450  may, for example, be substantially identical to the insert  150  previously described with respect to  FIGS. 3 and 6  and the container body portion  425  may include a flared portion similar to the flared portion  128 ,  FIG. 5 , to facilitate attachment of the insert  450 . The insert  450  may be secured to the body member  425 , for example, by the same methods described previously with respect to the container  100  and insert  150 , i.e., by the use of an adhesive or by heating the container body portion  425 . In one embodiment, the wall thicknesses of container  400  of  FIG. 9 , with reference to the regions identified in  FIG. 8 , for an aluminum bottle may be as follows. The arc b 1  may have a radius of curvature Y 1  of about 2.000 in and an arc length of about 0.984 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc b 1  may be about 0.0078 in. The arc b 2  may have a radius of curvature Y 2  of about of about 2.500 in and an arc length of about 0.656 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc b 2  may be about 0.0088 in. The arc b 3  may have a radius of curvature Y 3  of about 10.000 in and an arc length of about 0.792 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc b 3  may be about 0.0130 in. In one embodiment of the bottle  400  of  FIG. 9 , the total weight of an empty container  400  is about 27.5 g for a nominal 12 fl-oz bottle. Thus, for this container  400 , the container weight to volume ratio k=2.29 g/fl-oz. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a further alternative metal container  500 . The container  500  may, for example, be substantially identical to the previously described containers  300  and  400  ( FIGS. 8 and 9 , respectively), except that the finish area  522  of the container  500  may be formed differently. Specifically, an insert  550  may be attached to the container  500 , as shown. The insert  550  may, for example, be substantially identical to the insert  250  previously described with respect to  FIGS. 3 and 6  and the container body portion  525  may include a flared portion similar to the flared portion  228 ,  FIG. 6 , to facilitate attachment of the insert  550 . The insert  550  may be secured to the body member  525 , for example, by the same methods described previously with respect to the container  200  and insert  250 , i.e., by the use of an adhesive or by heating the container body portion  525 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates an “outsert”  650  attached to the body portion  625  of a metal body type container  600 . The outsert  650  may be similar to the insert  150  (previously described with respect to  FIGS. 3 and 6 ) in that the outsert  650  may be formed of plastic and includes an outer profile  670  that mimics the finish area found on a conventional glass bottle. The outer profile  670  of the outsert  650  may, for example, have substantially the same outer size and shape as the rolled curl  24  described previously herein with respect to the bottle  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 4 . In this manner, the outsert  650  is configured to accept a conventional bottle crown (i.e., the type of crown that is removed using a bottle opener), applied by conventional bottle crowning equipment. In one embodiment, the type of aluminum used and the wall thicknesses and weight to volume ratio may be substantially the same as for the container  400  of  FIG. 9 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 11 , the outsert  650  may include a head portion  652  and an integrally formed tail portion  654 . The tail portion  654  may attach to the outer diameter of the container body portion  625  adjacent the opening  620 , as shown in  FIG. 11 . The outsert  650  may further include an overhang portion  660  which abuts the upper edge  623  of the container body  625  serving to accurately locate the outsert  650  relative to the container body portion  625 . The outsert  650  may be held in place relative to the container body portion  625 , for example, by the same methods described previously with respect to the insert  150 , i.e., by the use of an adhesive or by heating the container body portion  625 . In one embodiment of a bottle using this outsert  650 , the bottle configuration and the type of aluminum used and the wall thicknesses and weight to volume ratio may be about the same as for the container  400  of  FIG. 9 . 
       FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional elevation view of another metal bottle type container  710  having a finish area that mimics the curl area of a conventional glass bottle.  FIG. 12  shows a container  710  which may, for example, take the form of a drawn and ironed metal bottle. The container  710  may have a base portion  712 , a cylindrical body portion  14 , a reduced diameter neck portion  18  and a shoulder portion  16  where the diameter transitions from the relatively larger diameter body portion  14  to the smaller diameter neck portion  18 . The container  10  may also include an opening  20  formed at the termination of the neck portion  18 . A closure area  22  (sometimes referred to in the industry and herein as the “finish area”) may be located on the neck portion  18  adjacent the opening  20 . The container  10  may be an aluminum drawn and ironed container adapted for use with beverages. The various bottle dimensions and, curvature, except in the finish area  722  and except for wall thickness, may be the same or substantially the same as for container  10 . The wall thicknesses of the container  710 , with reference to the same regions as shown in  FIG. 1 , may be as follows: The wall thickness at the center of arc a 1  may be about 0.0078 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc a 2  may be about 0.0088 in. The wall thickness at the center of arc a 3  may be about 0.0130 in. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 12-14 , an outsert ring  740  may encompass a portion of the metal bottle finish area  722 . As best shown by  FIGS. 13-15 , the outsert ring  740  comprises a rounded upper surface portion  742 ; a flat sided outer middle surface portion  744 ; an arcuate outer lower portion  746 ; a generally flat, slightly downwardly and outwardly tapering inner wall surface portion  448 ; and a thin bottom edge  750 . 
     As best shown in  FIG. 13-16 , the metal container  710  may have a curled metal portion  760  with a generally candy cane shaped cross section. The curled metal portion  760  comprises an upper curved portion  762  conforming to the shape of upper surface portion  744  of the outsert ring  740 . It includes a terminal end  764  that if radially flush with ring surface portion  744 , and a lower generally straight portion that conforms with ring surface  748 . There is an outer surface bulge  768  in the neck portion  718  immediately below candy cane shaped curled metal portion  760 , which begins at transition region  770 . The outer diameter “Z” of the container neck portion  718  at the transition region  770  may be approximately the same as the maximum inner diameter of the ring. The outer diameter “Y” thereof is measured at a point alighted with top of the ring inner flat surface portion  748  and may be approximately the same as the minimum inner diameter of the ring  740 . 
     As shown by  FIG. 15 , to mount the ring  740  on the container  710  the ring  740  is initially positioned axially opposite an uncurled circular top edge portion  716  of the container body. The ring  740  is mounted around the container neck portion by moving it in axial direction  741 , as by use of a pick and place machine. As shown by  FIG. 16 , after the ring  740  has been initially mounted on the container  710  and moved into proper axial position with the bottom edge  750  of the ring located approximately at  770 , a small axial length “X” of the neck portion extends above the top edge of the ring  740 . This axially upwardly extending portion of the neck positioned above the ring  740  is then curled over by a conventional curling apparatus to place it in the position shown in  FIG. 13 . The inner diameter Y of the ring  740  at its upper most point of contact with the container  710  may be about equal to the outer diameter of the opening of the container  710  and the inner diameter Z of the ring  740  at its lower most point of contact with the container  710  may be about the same as the inner diameter of the container sidewall at an axial position  770  about midway down the flared portion. The metal curl  760  and the enlarged diameter of  768  maintained the ring  740  in a fixed axial position on the neck portion  718 . 
     In the embodiment of the container  710  of  FIGS. 12-14 , when the bottle is made from aluminum, the bottle curvature and length and diameter dimensions may be the same as in  FIG. 1  except in the finish area  722 , as previously described. As previously mentioned, the wall thickness of the aluminum may be substantially less in container  710  than in the container  10  of  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment of the bottle  710  of  FIG. 12 , the total weight of an empty container  710  is about 26.0 g as opposed to about 32.1 g for container  10 . Thus, as a result of using outsert  750  rather than relying entirely on a curled metal portion such as  24  in  FIG. 1  to provide the structure for receiving a pry-off crown, less aluminum could be used without adverse consequences. 
     When an aluminum drawn and ironed container  710  is configured such as described in the above paragraph, it can be filled and handled by a conventional glass bottle filling line. In this regard, for example, the walls of the container are constructed having a shape and thickness designed to withstand the axial loads imposed by conventional bottle crowning equipment. Also the material from which the container  710  is constructed may be a thinner material than the material needed for the metal container  10  of  FIG. 1 . One reason for this is that with the plastic outsert mounted on the container  710  provides part of the crown mounting structure (curl) and thus less metal is needed to form the crown mounting structure. Also, the outsert ring adds support to the sidewall of the container  720  in the finish area  722 . Thus, in the finish area of container  710 , the metal may be thinner and slightly shorter in axial length than in a container  10  with a curl formed entirely from the metal of the container wall. A further advantage is that a crown mounted on the container  710  makes sealing contact with the metal of the container  710  rather than the plastic outsert. 
     An alternative ring  780  for use with a twist-off crown is illustrated in  FIG. 17 . The configuration of ring  780  is essentially identical to ring  740 , except that rather than a straight outer middle wall surface a twist off pseudo thread surface is provided. The advantage of the container  710  on which outsert  780  is mounted are the same as described in the preceding paragraph. 
       FIG. 18  is a cross sectional elevation view of a 12 oz, short neck filled container package  800 . The container package includes a container  810  that may have the same size and shape as container  300  of  FIG. 8 , except for differences in container wall thickness and the configuration of the finish area  822 , which may be as described in  FIGS. 9-11 . In one embodiment the finish area  822  may be identical to the finish area described in  FIGS. 12-14  for pry-off crowns or the finish area may be identical to the finish area described in  FIG. 17  for twist-off crowns. The finish area may be provided with a ring outsert  840  which may be identical to outsert  740  described above with reference to  FIGS. 12-16  for pry-off crowns. In another embodiment the ring outsert may be identical to outsert  780  described above with reference to  FIG. 17  for twist-off crowns. The container  810  shown in  FIG. 18  is filled with liquid  801  to fill line  803  and is crowned, such as described generally with reference to  FIG. 19  below. The crown  811  is shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 19 . 
       FIG. 19  illustrates a beverage filled container package  900 . The package includes a container  910 , which may be identical to container  710  shown in  FIG. 12 . The metal container body  910  may have having a body portion  914  with a first diameter and a reduced diameter neck portion  918  terminating in an opening (not visible in  FIG. 18 ). A plastic ring (not visible in  FIG. 18 , which may be identical to ring  740  or  780 ,  FIGS. 13 and 17 , is attached to the neck portion  918  in the finish are  922  adjacent the opening. An appropriate (pry-off or twist-off) crown  911  engages the plastic ring and sealingly covers the opening. A liquid  940 , such as beer or soda, fills a portion of the container  910  up to fill line  942 , which in one embodiment leaves a conventional amount of “head space” between the fill line  942  and the crown  911 . 
     Metal container bodies in a 16 fl-oz size may be provided by using the same configuration and metal thicknesses as the bottles described with reference to  FIGS. 9-11 , except that the length of the cylindrical body portion, is greater. Such 16 oz containers without an insert/outsert may each have a total aluminum weight of about 32.1 g such that k=2.006 g/fl-oz. In a light weighted version of the 16 fl-oz container having an outsert ring, such as outsert ring  740  described below for container  710 , is used to facilitate crowning. The outsert ring enables the wall thickness of the 16 fl-oz container to be reduced in the same manner described in  FIG. 18 . The weight of the light weighted 16 fl-oz container may be reduced to about 26.0 g. The value k of the light weighted 16 fl-oz aluminum container may then be reduced to 2.006 g/fl-oz. 
     The foregoing description of specific embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The specific embodiments described are not intended to be exhaustive or to suggest a constraint to the precise forms disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. For example, the various plastic insert and outsert rings described herein could be constructed from material other than plastic, such as for example, another nonmetallic material like carbon fiber or a metal, such as steel. The sizes and shapes of the metal bottles could also be different than those specifically described herein. Also, rather than crowning the metal container bottles with a standard steel crown and standard crowning machinery, different types of crowns having different axial forces applied during crowning could be used. When the axial crowning force is reduced, the bottle wall thickness may, up to a point, also be correspondingly reduced. The illustrated embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain principles and practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined only by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents, except as limited by the prior art.