Patent Description:
Polymeric containers are used to store various types of liquid food and beverages. Such containers are typically formed from a preform using various processes. One such process involves simultaneously forming the container from a preform and filling the container with any suitable product. This process is commonly referred to as Liquiform®. To simultaneously form and fill the container, a forming/filling head is placed into cooperation with a finish of the preform, and the preform is stretched into a mold of the container in response to the liquid product being injected under pressure into the container.

While existing preforms are suitable for their intended use, issues sometimes arise with preforms having relatively larger finishes, such as <NUM> in diameter, and formed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is less rigid than other materials, such as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET).

Finishes of a preforms and a containers formed from the preforms are for example disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>. <CIT> discloses:
A finish of a preform and a container formed from the preform, the finish comprising: a brim defining an opening of the finish, the brim configured to provide a sealing surface with a forming and filling head for forming the container from the preform and filling the container with a product; and a support flange extending from an outer side surface of the finish, the support flange including an undersurface having an inner portion that is directly opposite to the brim; wherein the inner portion of the undersurface of the support flange is closer to an axial center of the finish than an innermost portion of the outer side surface.

With such finishes, a support flange thereof has been observed to deflect into the mold that the preform is stretched and blown into. Deflection of the support flange results in leakage between a sealing surface at a brim of the preform and the forming/filling head during forming and filling. The inability to establish a consistent and lasting seal between the sealing surface at the brim of the finish and the forming/filling head may result in an inability to hold pressure on the container during forming and decreased "definition" in the container post-forming. The present disclosure advantageously includes an improved finish of a preform and a container formed from the preform that overcomes the issues described above, and provides numerous additional advantages and unexpected results as explained herein and as one skilled in the art will appreciate.

The invention relates to a finish and the invention is defined by the features of claim <NUM>.

The present disclosure includes a finish of a preform and a container formed from the preform. The finish has a brim defining an opening of the finish. The brim is configured to provide a sealing surface with a forming and filling head for forming the container from the preform and filling the container with a product. A support flange extends from an outer side surface of the finish. The support flange includes an undersurface having an inner portion that is directly opposite to the brim.

The present disclosure also includes a finish of a preform and a container formed from the preform. The finish has a brim defining an opening of the finish. The brim is configured to provide a sealing surface with a forming and filling head for forming the container from the preform and filling the container with a product. A support flange extends from an outer side surface of the preform. The support flange includes an undersurface and an upper surface opposite to the under surface. The undersurface has a larger radial area than the upper surface.

<FIG> illustrates a preform <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure. The preform <NUM> is configured to be formed into a container for storing any suitable product by way of any suitable forming process. One such process is known as Liquiform®, whereby the preform <NUM> is simultaneously stretched into a blow mold <NUM> (see <FIG>) and filled with any suitable product. Suitable products include, but are not limited to, water, sports drinks, juices, sauces, any suitable foodstuffs, etc. The preform <NUM> and resulting container may be formed of any suitable polymeric material, such as polyethylene terephthalate, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, for example.

The preform <NUM> generally includes a finish <NUM>, a body <NUM>, and a base <NUM>. The finish <NUM> remains the same, or substantially the same, throughout the forming and filling process. The body <NUM> is blown into the blow mold <NUM> to form a body of the container. The base <NUM> forms a base of the container.

The finish <NUM> includes a brim <NUM>, which is an annular brim defining an opening <NUM> of the finish <NUM>, which is ultimately an opening of the container formed from the preform <NUM>. At the brim <NUM>, the finish <NUM> may have any suitable diameter, such as <NUM>, about <NUM> or at least <NUM>. The brim <NUM> provides a sealing surface against which any suitable forming and filling head of a Liquiform® forming and filling machine can seal against. With the forming and filling head sealed to the brim <NUM>, any suitable product can be injected into the preform <NUM> at high pressure to expand the body <NUM> and the base <NUM> into the blow mold <NUM> to form and fill the container.

The finish <NUM> includes an outer surface <NUM>. At the outer surface <NUM> are threads <NUM>. The threads <NUM> may extend from the outer surface <NUM> as illustrated, or be recessed within the outer surface <NUM>. The threads <NUM> are configured to cooperate with any suitable closure for closing the opening <NUM>.

The finish <NUM> further includes a support flange <NUM>. The support flange <NUM> is configured to support the preform <NUM> against the blow mold <NUM> during the forming and filling process, as illustrated in <FIG>. The support flange <NUM> includes an undersurface <NUM>, which is opposite to an upper surface <NUM>. The undersurface <NUM> includes an inner portion <NUM> and an outer portion <NUM>. The inner portion <NUM> is inboard relative to the outer portion <NUM>. Thus relative to an axial center of the finish <NUM> and the overall preform <NUM>, through which a longitudinal axis A extends, the inner portion <NUM> is closer to the axial center than the outer portion <NUM>.

The inner portion <NUM> is directly opposite to the brim <NUM>, such that the inner surface <NUM> is linearly and vertically aligned with the brim <NUM>. The outer portion <NUM> is vertically offset from the brim <NUM>, and is thus outboard of the brim <NUM> relative to the axial center of the finish <NUM>. The support flange <NUM> is an annular flange with the undersurface <NUM> having a larger radial area as compared to the upper surface <NUM>. The undersurface <NUM> is radially longer than the upper surface <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> include a linear line B extending parallel to the longitudinal axis A along an innermost portion of the outer surface <NUM>. Line B is also aligned with an outermost portion of the brim <NUM>. Thus line B extends along a minimum outer diameter of the finish <NUM>. At a portion of the body <NUM> directly adjacent to the finish <NUM>, the preform body <NUM> has a maximum outer diameter that is less than the minimum outer diameter of the finish <NUM> along which line B extends. Thus where the body <NUM> meets the finish <NUM>, a maximum outer diameter of the body <NUM> is less than a minimum outer diameter of the finish <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, when the preform <NUM> is seated in the blow mold <NUM>, such that the support flange <NUM> sits on an exterior surface of the blow mold <NUM>, the blow mold <NUM> (and specifically a striker plate thereof) is aligned with the brim <NUM>, and is directly opposite to the brim <NUM>. This configuration reinforces the finish <NUM>. Thus, when the filling and forming head seals against the brim <NUM> and applies force against the brim <NUM>, the support flange <NUM> will not deform. This is in contrast to prior art preforms, such as the preform <NUM>' of <FIG>, which may experience deformation at the finish <NUM>'.

The prior art preform <NUM>' is illustrated in prior art <FIG> with portions thereof that are similar to the preform <NUM> identified in <FIG> using the same reference numbers of the preform <NUM>, but with the prime (') designation. Unlike the support flange <NUM> of the preform <NUM>, no portion of the prior art support flange <NUM>' is opposite to the brim <NUM>'. The undersurface <NUM>' and upper surface <NUM>' of the support flange <NUM>' have the same radial area and the same radial length. Furthermore, where the body <NUM>' is adjacent to the finish <NUM>', the body <NUM>' has a maximum outer diameter that is the same as a minimum outer diameter of the finish <NUM>'. With respect to line B', which extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the preform <NUM>', the minimum outer diameter of the finish outer surface <NUM>' is aligned with the maximum outer diameter of the body <NUM>' where the body <NUM>' is adjacent to the finish <NUM>'. Thus the prior art support flange <NUM> is not reinforced, and is subject to being deformed to position <NUM>" when a forming and filling head applies pressure to the brim <NUM>. The present disclosure thus advantageously eliminates, or greatly reduces, the possibility of the failure condition illustrated in prior art <FIG> by configuring the support flange <NUM> as described above.

Maintaining the support flange <NUM> intact advantageously allows for a consistent and lasting seal between the brim <NUM> and the forming/filling head, which advantageously results in the ability to hold pressure on the finish <NUM> during forming and increased definition in the formed container. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure provides numerous additional advantages and unexpected results as well.

Claim 1:
A finish (<NUM>) of a preform (<NUM>) and a container formed from the preform (<NUM>), the finish (<NUM>) comprising:
a brim (<NUM>) defining an opening (<NUM>) of the finish (<NUM>), the brim (<NUM>) configured to provide a sealing surface with a forming and filling head for forming the container from the preform (<NUM>) and filling the container with a product; and
a support flange (<NUM>) extending from an outer side surface (<NUM>) of the finish (<NUM>), the support flange (<NUM>) including an undersurface (<NUM>) having an inner portion (<NUM>) that is directly opposite to the brim (<NUM>);
wherein the inner portion (<NUM>) of the undersurface (<NUM>) of the support flange (<NUM>) is closer to an axial center of the finish (<NUM>) than an innermost portion of the outer side surface (<NUM>),
characterized in that essentially the whole inner portion (<NUM>) of the undersurface (<NUM>) of the support flange (<NUM>) is linearly aligned with essentially the whole sealing surface of the brim (<NUM>), and the inner portion (<NUM>) of the undersurface (<NUM>) of the support flange (<NUM>) is inboard of an outer portion (<NUM>) of the undersurface (<NUM>) of the support flange (<NUM>) relative to the axial center of the finish (<NUM>); and
the outer portion (<NUM>) is outboard of the brim (<NUM>) relative to the axial center of the finish (<NUM>).