Patent Publication Number: US-7581654-B2

Title: Round hour-glass hot-fillable bottle

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to blow-molded plastic bottles useful in containing hot-filled beverages. The present invention relates particularly to single serve hot-fill containers that are readily grippable by one hand placed about the container sidewall. 
     Plastic blow molded containers have previously been provided with an inwardly extending grip that facilitates handling of the container during dispensing of its contents. The inwardly extending construction of the grip also provides a more rigid construction after the container is opened so that the gripping of the container can be maintained with less flexing. For example, Young, U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,838, discloses a plastic container having an inwardly extending lower annular grip section having depressions spaced about a central axis of the container. Each depression has a lower blunt end, an upper generally pointed end, and an intermediate portion having sides that taper toward each other in an upward direction. The lower location of the annular grip section facilitates manual grasping of the bottle when initially grasped from a horizontal support surface while the tapering configuration of the depressions facilitates manual fingertip gripping of the container by varying hand sizes. Young does not disclose any structure designed to accommodate the vacuum that typically develops in a container subsequent to capping the container that has been filled with a hot liquid. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,497,855; 5,971,184; and 6,044,996 are representative of patents disclosing containers specifically designed for hot fill applications. The containers typically have a plurality of panels spaced around the sidewall of the container that are designed to flex inward in response to the vacuum that typically develops in a container subsequent to a hot filling and capping operation. The vacuum responsive panels are separated by vertical supporting structures such as posts or lands that generally define the maximum sidewall radius measured from the axis of the container. The vacuum responsive panels are generally initially positioned at a non-protruding position as compared with the vertical posts or lands. The vacuum responsive panels move inwardly in response to, and to compensate for, an increasing vacuum within the container. While the inward movement is intended to be the same for all panels around the perimeter of the container, even small differences in wall thickness or geometry can cause one or more of the posts or lands of the container to buckle. Special geometries for the posts or lands have been adopted to inhibit such buckling as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,046. Still, the buckling problem persists. 
     Despite the various features and benefits of the structures of the forgoing disclosures, there remains a need for a container that can be hot filled and have a geometry that is readily grippable by one hand placed about the container sidewall. There further remains a need for such a container having a sidewall that effectively resists that buckling tendency of the vertical supporting elements. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These several needs are satisfied by a blow-molded container having a base, a body portion extending upward from the base including an upper margin, a shoulder portion extending upward and axially inward above the upper margin of the side wall to a finish defining a opening adapted to accept a closure. The body portion has a plurality of horizontal linear segments defining a waist of the container. The plurality of horizontal linear segments defining the waist can be joined end to end so as to substantially form, in horizontal cross-section, a polygon. Each linear segment joins a pair of vertically diverging surfaces, the surfaces having lateral edges. A panel is situated between the lateral edges of each horizontally adjacent pair of diverging surfaces that can be vacuum responsive. 
     The panels are initially generally convex, particularly adjacent the lateral edges of the adjacent diverging surfaces, and can protrude outward from the adjacent diverging surfaces. Each panel preferably has a concave dimple that can be positioned on the lateral midline of the panel that can act as a deflection initiation point when the container is hot filled, capped and cooled. The panels can extend from a point on the waist of the container toward the upper and lower margins of the body portion, the panels becoming laterally wider with increasing distance from the waist of the container. 
     The vertically diverging surfaces can be planar, with the width of the surfaces diminishing from the waist to mere points generally symmetrically spaced above and below the waist. The vertically diverging surfaces intersect at the waist at a vertical angle that can vary from 120° to 160°. By way of example, in a container intended to contain 600 ml., the vertically diverging surfaces can define a waist that is substantially square in horizontal cross-section and intersect at a vertical angle of about 142°. 
     One feature of the present invention is the use of panels that can respond to a vacuum within the container to define the majority of the surface area of the body portion of the container. The panels are separated from each other by comparatively smaller structural elements formed by the vertically diverging surfaces that resist the compressive forces presented by any cooling liquid within the container. 
     Other features of the present invention and the corresponding advantages of those features will be come apparent from the following discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, exemplifying the best mode of practicing the present invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a container embodying the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the container shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a vertical sectional view of the container shown in  FIG. 2  taken along line  3 - 3 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view from the upper right of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a horizontal sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  from  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a horizontal sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  from  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A blow-molded container  10  is shown in  FIG. 1  generally to have a base  12 . A body portion  14  extends upward from the base  12  from a lower margin  15  to an upper margin  16 . A shoulder portion  18  extends upward and radially inward above the upper margin  16  to a finish  20  defining an opening  22  leading to the interior of the container  10 , the finish  20  being adapted to accept a closure, not shown. One or more radial protrusions  24  and/or indentations  26  can surround the base  12  and/or lower margin  15 . The shoulder portion  18  can also include one or more indented or protruding rings  28  generally adjacent the upper margin  16 . The shoulder portion  18  can be coupled to the upper margin  16  by an inwardly extending hoop ring  23 . The upwardly domed portion  18  can join a neck  25  leading to the finish  20  that surrounds the opening  22  leading to the interior of the container  10 . The finish  20  can include bands and/or rings  30  to cooperate with tamper evident features of the closure. 
     The base  12  is shown in  FIG. 2  to be circular and can have a generally planar support ring  13  on which the container  10  stands on any underlying support surface. The base  12  can also include a central portion  17  that is upwardly off-set above the support ring  13  as shown  FIG. 3 . The central portion  17  of the base  12  can include a plurality upwardly domed segments  19  and angular ribs  21  that are interspersed with each other. Other base designs can also be used with the present container  10 , which may include pressure or vacuum compensation areas. 
     The body portion  14  has a plurality of horizontal linear segments  32  that define the waist  34  of the container  10 . The plurality of horizontal linear segments  32  defining the waist  34  can be joined end to end by corner elements  33  so as to substantially form, in horizontal cross-section, a polygon as seen in  FIG. 5 . While  FIG. 5  illustrates a container  10  having a generally square waist  34 , it will be appreciated that the waist  34  could take the form of other polygons such as a triangle, pentagon, hexagon, etc. Each linear segment  32  joins a pair of vertically diverging surfaces  36 ,  38 . Each of the diverging surfaces  36  and  38  has lateral edges  40 ,  42 . The vertically diverging surfaces  36 ,  38  can be planar. The lateral edges  40 ,  42  are such that the width of the surfaces  36 ,  38  diminishes from the waist  34  to mere points  44  generally symmetrically spaced above and below the waist  34 , and preferably in the immediate vicinity of indented or protruding rings  28 . The vertically diverging surfaces  36 ,  38  intersect at the waist  34  at a vertical angle α, shown best in  FIG. 3 , which can vary from 120° to 160°. By way of example, in a container  10  intended to contain 600 ml., the vertically diverging surfaces  36 ,  38  intersect at a vertical angle of about 142° to define a waist  34  that is substantially square in horizontal cross-section. 
     A panel  46  is situated between the lateral edges  40 ,  42  of each horizontally adjacent pair of diverging surfaces  36  and/or  38 . The panels  46  are shown to be generally convex, particularly adjacent the lateral edges  40 ,  42  of the adjacent diverging surfaces as shown in  FIG. 6 . The panels  46  can protrude outward from the adjacent diverging surfaces  36  and/or  38 . Each panel  46  can have a concave dimple  48  that can be positioned on the lateral midline of the panel  46  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The panels  46  can extend from a point  50  on the waist  34  of the container  10  toward the upper and lower margins  16 ,  15  of the body portion  14 . The panels  46  can generally become laterally wider with increasing distance from the waist  34  of the container  10 . 
     In operation, when the container is hot filled, capped and cooled, the concave dimple  48  in each panel  46  can act as a deflection initiation point, with any vacuum induced deflection progressively expanding laterally and axially in response to increasing vacuum within the container  10 , thereby providing a controlled, measured response to the thermally induced vacuum. The controlled, measured response of the panels  46  to the increasing vacuum effectively resists any buckling tendency of the vertical supporting elements provided by diverging surfaces  36  and  38 . At the same time, the linear segments  32  defining the waist  34  resist any significant radial movement, both under the influence of the thermally induced vacuum and any gripping pressure applied by a consumer. 
     While these features have been disclosed in connection with the illustrated preferred embodiment, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art that come within the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.