The Coca-cola Company

Ardagh Mp Group Netherlands B.v.

The Cola-cola Company

The Coca-cola Corporation

John E Adams

Gopalaswamy Rajesh

H Brock Kolls

Scott C Biondich

Alejandro Jose Santamaria

Katherine W Allen

Ruth Karina Espinel

Rajesh Gopalaswamy

Darryl J Dawson, Sr

Yuping Lin

Wen Zeng

Simon Shi

Philippe Niec

Marc Lemiale

Kris Tomasson

Jae Ho Cha

Darryl C Dawson

Karina Espinel

Frances Elizabeth Gorski

Giancarlo Tosini

The principles of the present invention further provide both a shaped metal container and its preforms that exhibit a rounded grain structure characteristic created by an annealing process and a method for making a shaped metal container. The process of making said metal container results in a quicker process time and uses less metals (at least 10% metal weight savings), thus allowing for a decrease in the costs of making such shaped metal containers. A shaped metal container may include work hardened rolled sheet-metal defining a sidewall, an opening, and a base, where at least one section along the sidewall has grains with an average aspect ratio less than about 4 to 1.

Shaped metal container, microstructure, a method for making a shaped metal container

A method of forming a shaped container may include providing a metallic preform. A first pressure may be applied to the metallic preform within a mold of a shaped container to produce a container part with a partially formed container shape. The container part with the partially formed container shape may then be at least partially annealed. A second pressure may be applied to the container part within the mold to produce a container part with a fully formed container shape.

Multi blow molded metallic container

A system and method of manufacturing a metal vessel may include providing a preform being formed of work hardened aluminum. The preform may have an open portion, a closed portion, and body portion. A multiple segment mold may be closed around the preform. The multiple segment mold may include at least one projecting portion operative to partially deform the preform while closing the mold. The preform may be blow molded by causing a step-like change in pressure within the preform to cause the preform to take a shape defined by the mold when the mold is in the closed position. The molded preform may be removed from the mold.

System and method for forming a metal beverage container using blow molding

A system and method of manufacturing a metal vessel may include inserting a preform into a mold that includes multiple segments, the preform being a work hardened metal. A pre-pressure may be applied to the preform at a first pressure level. The multiple segments of the mold may be closed, and the pressure being applied to the preform may be increased using a step function to a second pressure level after the mold is closed to cause the preform to take a shape defined by the mold.

System and method for forming a metal beverage container using pressure molding

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a metal vessel by way of stamping of vertical halves from a metal sheet, and in particular to a method comprising: stamping at least a first vessel half and a second vessel half from a metal sheet; adhering at least the first vessel half with the second vessel half forming a vessel, the vessel being a single piece article having an opening on one end for ingress and egress of a liquid or a gas and having a seam along two of the vessel vertical walls and along the bottom of the vessel where the first vessel half and the second vessel half make contact; and applying a top finish at the opening of the vessel allowing for a closure to be used to seal and selectively reseal the vessel.

Method of manufacturing a metal vessel

Bottle

Bottle neck

A system and method of forming a metal container with a featured sidewall may include providing a blow molded metal container. The metal container may be positioned into a mold inclusive of at least one sidewall feature. The metal container may be blow molded again to cause the at least one sidewall feature to be created in the sidewall of the container as defined by the mold. In one embodiment, a sidewall of the metal container may be at least partially annealed. The sidewall feature may include a portion of a profile of a sporting good, such as a baseball, embossed feature (e.g., word), logo, or otherwise. The metal container may be a shaped metal container.

Multiple blow molded metallic container sidewalls

A system and method of manufacturing a metal vessel may include providing a preform being formed of a work hardened metal. The preform may have an open portion, a closed end portion, and body portion. A multiple segment mold may be closed around the preform. The preform may be blow molded by causing a step-like change in pressure within the preform to cause the preform to take a shape defined by the mold. The molded preform may be removed from the mold.

A method of configuring a production line to mass customize shaped vessels includes receiving a plurality of consumer or event data. Further, the method includes configuring a plurality of vessel forming stations based in part on the received consumer or event data. Once the vessel forming stations are configured, a plurality of vessels are shaped by indexing the plurality of vessels through the vessel forming stations. The shaping operation can include shaping by contouring a length of each of the plurality of vessels, selecting a decoration style to be applied to the plurality of vessels based in part on the consumer or event data, and configuring a top-forming station based in part on the consumer or event data.

Method of configuring a production line to mass customize shaped vessels

An embodiment of the present invention is a method of remotely managing a vessel forming production line, the method comprising communicating from a remote data processing resource a plurality of consumer or event data to a controller, the controller controls a plurality of vessel forming stations having a plurality of shape forming operations and a plurality of non-shape forming operations, configuring each of the plurality of shape forming operations and the plurality of non-shape forming operations based in part on the plurality of consumer or event data to manufacture the shaped vessel, and manufacturing the shaped vessel. Other embodiments include completing a sales transaction resulting in generation of the plurality of consumer or event data, generating the plurality of consumer or event data based in part on the current status of an event, and decorating the shaped vessel based in part on the plurality of consumer or event data.

Remote control and management of a vessel forming production line

A system and method of manufacturing a metal vessel may include providing a preform formed of a work hardened metal that includes an open portion, a closed end portion, and body portion. The body portion of the preform may be preheated in a manner that limits heat being applied to the open portion and closed end portion of the preform. The preheated preform may be blow molded.

A system and method of forming a vessel may include providing multiple operation wheels configured in opposing facing pairs. Each operation wheel may include multiple work zones, each work zone of an operation wheel being configured in an opposing facing pair with a work zone of another operation wheel to engage the vessel and perform a forming operation on the vessel. Opposing facing pairs of the operation wheels may be linearly pushed to a closed position to engage the vessel, and pulled to an open position. The work zone(s) may perform least one forming operation on the vessel. The vessel may be indexed through the operations at a rotational timing coordinated to index the vessel when opposing facing pairs of the operation wheels are in the open position, the indexing may be clockwise or counterclockwise based on whether a decoration operation is to be performed on the vessel.

Growing community of inventors

Alpharetta, GA, United States of America

John E Adams