Patent ID: 7412979

Claim:
A method for selectively removing a coating from a plurality of containers, each container of the plurality thereof having a dome portion on a first end and a neck portion on a second end, comprising: providing an etchant tank that contains a solution known to remove a coating from the plurality of containers; providing a plurality of upwardly oriented nozzles in said etchant tank, each of said nozzles having a discharge port positioned below a liquid level of said solution; maintaining said solution at a substantially consistent height, wherein said nozzles are submerged below the liquid level of said solution at a substantially consistent depth; providing a pump which circulates said solution to said nozzles; inverting each container and passing each container of the plurality of containers above said etchant tank and above the liquid level of said solution, and above said nozzles at a predetermined distance; and discharging said solution through said discharge ports toward the plurality of containers while said plurality of containers are positioned above said nozzles and above said liquid level of said solution, wherein only the neck portion of each container is contacted by said solution to selectively remove the coating from the neck portion of the second end of each container while retaining the coating on the dome portion of each of said containers.