Patent ID: 7416089

Claim:
A plastic hot-fill type container, comprising: a finish portion; a main body portion; a base portion, said base portion defining a push-up area and a chime oriented about said pushup area for supporting said container on a horizontal surface, said base portion comprising a convex heel portion positioned between said chime and said main body portion, and said heel portion comprising a first zone having a first sidewall thickness and a second zone having a second sidewall thickness that is less than said first sidewall thickness, and said first zone including a lower end of said heel portion that is proximate to said chime, wherein said convex heel portion further comprises a first radiused lower portion having a first radius of curvature and a second radiused upper portion having a second radius of curvature that is greater than said first radius of curvature, such that the radius of curvature of said heel portion decreases monotonically along said heel portion from the main body portion to the chime, and further comprises a transition area where said first radiused lower portion intersects said second radiused upper portion, and wherein a line intersecting said heel portion at said transition area and intersecting an outermost edge of said chime forms an angle Φ with respect to a longitudinal axis of said container, and wherein said angle Φ is within a range of about 30° to about 42.5°.