Constar International, Inc.

Crown Cork & Seal Technologies Corporation

Donald Deubel

Philip G Kraft

Richard G Kraft

Satya Kamineni

Min Miles Wan

Aron F Wark

Valentin Hierzer

Emanuel Shenkar

Satya Kamenini

Manuel J Mueller

Beverage bottle neck

Grippable beverage bottle

A container is disclosed having an outwardly protruding bulge in its neck that expands in response to an increase in internal container pressure, thereby partially relieving the internal pressure increase, which benefits the label appearance and adherence characteristics, and enables the base to be reduced in weight.

Container having expandable neck

A retortable all-plastic closure having a generally circular top portion and a generally cylindrical downwardly depending skirt. The top portion has upper and lower surfaces. The lower surface of the top portion forms a circumferentially extending ridge that projects downwardly. The ridge forms a first structural wall. A second structural wall is formed in the top portion adjacent the first wall. A flexible liner made from a thermoplastic elastomer is bonded to the lower surface. The portion of the liner covering the first structural wall forms a downwardly extending liner wall. The portion of the liner covering the second structural wall forms a top liner wall. The diameter of the downwardly extending liner wall is greater than the diameter of the top of the container neck inner wall to which the closure is applied so that the container neck compresses substantially the entirety of the downwardly projecting liner wall. In addition, the diameter of top liner wall is greater than the uppermost portion of the container neck so that the top liner wall is also compressed. Grooves are formed in the closure top portion opposite the ridge so as to minimize the thickness gradient in the top portion. A network of ribs are formed in the grooves.

Plastic retorable container system having a closure with an improved conformable liner

A blow-molded plastic container is provided suitable for hot-filling under pressurize-fill conditions, and under gravity-fill conditions. The container includes opposing handgrips within panels, which lack hinges and thus do not function as conventional vacuum panels as the inward deformation is spread beyond the panels. The hand grip includes a distal, relatively stiffened portion formed by a sidewall that forms a thumb piece and a proximal, relatively un-stiffened portion the smooth merges into a cylindrical sidewall of the container.

Hot-fillable container with grip

Beverage bottle with hand grip

Beverage bottle

A closure having a tamper-evident band secured to a container neck by a retaining band. The tamper-evident band is attached to the retaining band by a hinge so that the retaining band rotates upward about the hinge when the closure is applied to the neck of a container, causing the inner wall of the retaining band and the inner wall of the tamper-evident band to form a cavity therebetween. A number of rectangular openings are spaced around the circumference of the retaining band. The upper edge of each opening extends beyond the hinge and into the tamper-evident band. A recess in the inner wall of the tamper-evident band is located above each opening so that the lower edge of the recess intersects with the rear wall of the opening. The openings and recesses cooperate to ensure that any liquid that spills or splashes from the container neck into the cavity during capping will drain out.

Tamper-evident closure having improved drainage

Growing community of inventors

New Lenox, IL, United States of America

Donald Deubel