Graham Packaging Company, L.p.

Tropicana Products, Inc.

Stokely-van Camp, Inc.

Graham Packaging, L.p.

Welch Foods Inc., a Cooperative

Raymond A Pritchett, Jr

Sheldon E Yourist

Matthew T Gill

Travis A Hunter

Michael T Kelly

Willie F Hatcher

Richard K Ogg

Justin A Howell

Eric B Ungrady, Iii

Larry M Taylor

Scott E Bysick

William W Brecheisen

John Philip Dinkel

Matthew A Russell

Edward J Roubal, Iii

Jeffrey Snyder

Mark P Sprenkle

David Murray Melrose

Jim F Warner

Stuart M Leslie

Jason C Billig

David B Heisner

Anthony J Schlies

Machelle D Stockwell

Bryan J Lembke

Christopher D Rowe

Angie C Noll

Mark D Schneider

Michael R Mooney

Mark O Borger

Robert D Weick

Daniel T Kim

George Harrell

Jana M Zeigler

Lori J Lovens

Michael C Lajiness

Stratos Dimas

Karen Mitchell

Plastic container comprises a container body having a bottom portion, a sidewall portion and an upper portion, with a chamber defined therein. The bottom portion includes a support surface and a variable dynamic base portion. The sidewall portion includes a lower circumferential groove ring, an upper circumferential groove ring, and a pair of longitudinal grooves extending longitudinally therebetween to define a front sidewall segment and a rear sidewall segment. The rear sidewall segment comprises a waist groove extending circumferentially between the pair of longitudinal grooves to define an upper rear sidewall segment and a lower rear sidewall segment, wherein one of the upper rear sidewall segment or the lower rear sidewall segment includes two vacuum panels with a rigid longitudinal support therebetween.

Hot-fillable plastic container

Grooved container

Hot-fillable plastic bottle including a finished portion, a body portion with at least one circumferential rib configured to resist radial distortion, and a base portion. The base portion comprises a base sidewall, a bottom support surface extending radially inward from the base sidewall and defining a reference plane, an inner support wall extending upwardly from the bottom support surface, and a diaphragm extending radially inward from the inner support wall. The diaphragm comprises an inner wall having an arcuate shape with a radius rand a central conical structure, where the diaphragm is in an initial as-formed position with the conical structure above the reference place. The diaphragm is configured to move from an initial as-formed position toward a second position when an internal pressure relative an external pressure exceeds a threshold value.

Variable displacement base and container and method of using the same

Container includes a top portion, a body portion and a bottom portion. The body portion includes a front wall, a rear wall and first and second side walls, the first side wall disposed opposite the second side wall, opposing grip areas formed in the first and second side walls, a first circumferential rib disposed above the opposing grip areas and extending horizontally about an entire outer circumferential perimeter of the body portion, a second circumferential rib disposed below the opposing grip areas and extending horizontally about the entire outer circumferential perimeter of the body portion, at least one horizontal body rib disposed between and spaced circumferentially from the opposing grip areas, a first vertical strut formed in the first side wall and a second vertical strut formed in the second side wall, each strut disposed between the first and second circumferential ribs and spaced a distance from each grip area.

Container with grip structure

Bottle

Plastic container has a container body having an outer surface and defining a longitudinal axis, at least one recessed panel defined in the container body having an outer perimeter and recessed relative to the outer surface of the container body, the perimeter including opposing longitudinal sides and transverse ends, a transition region defined along the perimeter of the recessed panel, the transition region extending between the recessed panel and the outer surface, and at least one indentation formed in the transition region proximate at least one transverse end of the outer perimeter, the indentation having a height, a width, and a depth, the height of the indentation extending beyond the transition region. The indentation can prevent or reduce container failure due to external forces, such as side loading during a hot-fill process.

Deformation-resistant container with panel indentations

A hot-fillable container that is cylindrical in shape. The container may have two ribs. A top rib is located in the top bumper and a bottom rib is located in the bottom bumper. Both the top and the bottom ribs have depth that is deep enough so that the container may withstand the hot-fill process and increase its top load ability.

Vacuum resistant ribs for lightweight base technology containers

A round, hot fillable plastic container includes an upper portion defining an opening; a bottom portion; and a main body portion having a plastic sidewall that has a plurality of vacuum panels defined therein. The main body portion has a generally hourglass shape with a central portion that is narrower than upper and lower portions thereof. The hourglass shape optimizes grippability of the container. Grippability is optimized further by the presence of indentations that are formed between columns that define the hourglass shape and pillow portions that are provided for finger support. The indentations permit a consumer to gain finger traction and purchase with respect to the container body, even when a label is positioned between the container body and the user's fingers. The main body portion further has a first groove defined in the upper portion thereof, a second groove defined in the lower portion thereof and a third groove that is defined in the central portion thereof. The grooves provide dimensional stability during handling and when the main body portion is gripped by a consumer.

Multi-serve hot fill type container having improved grippability

An extrusion blow molded plastic container includes a main body portion, a finish portion, and a continuous ledge. The finish portion defines an opening, and includes an upper surface and an outer surface that defines a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners when viewed in transverse cross-section. The shape of the finish portion when viewed in transverse cross-section is smaller than the shape of the main body portion. The continuous ledge is defined between the outer surface of the main body portion and the outer surface of the finish portion. The ledge has a first width, adjacent to one of the rounded corners of the finish portion, that is greater than a second width that is not adjacent to one of the rounded corners of the finish portion.

Blow molded rectangular container

A bottle includes a neck portion having an opening configured to permit filling and emptying of the bottle, a shoulder portion connected to a lower end of the neck portion, a sidewall connected to a lower end of the shoulder portion and extending vertically downward from the shoulder portion, and a base connected to a lower end of the sidewall and forming a bottom surface of the bottle. The sidewall has a plurality of annular ribs extending around a periphery of the sidewall. Each of the annular ribs includes a plurality of sequential enlarged portions interconnected by bridges, with each of the enlarged portions having a vertical width that is greater than a vertical width of each of the bridges.

A volumetrically efficient plastic hot fill container at least one vacuum panel defined by a vacuum panel area of a sidewall that is constructed and arranged to flex inwardly in order to accommodate volumetric shrinkage that may occur within the container as a result of the conventionally known hot fill process. Advantageously, at least a portion of the vacuum panel area of the sidewall is formed as a plurality of undulations. The undulations preferably have a horizontal component and provide an increased surface area to the vacuum panel area relative to what a flat surface would provide. As a result, the amount of volumetric shrinkage that may be accommodated through inward deflection of said vacuum panel area of said sidewall is increased relative to a flat surface would provide.

Volumetrically efficient hot-fill type container

A hot fill type plastic container includes a finish, a bottom and a main body that is generally rectangular in transverse cross-section. The main body has an upper dome portion, a lower label portion and a waist groove defined between the upper dome portion and the lower label portion. Both the upper dome portion and the lower label portion have front and rear surfaces as well as opposing side surfaces that are narrower than the front and rear surfaces. The opposing side surfaces of the upper dome portion have a substantially vertically oriented reinforcing element defined therein that is recessed with respect to the surrounding sidewall of the upper dome portion. The reinforcing element extends into the waist groove, which increases the flexibility of the dome portion above the waist groove and protects the dome portion against damage as a result of contact with other containers during the filling and packaging processes.

Container with bend resistant grippable dome

Growing community of inventors

Manchester, PA, United States of America

Raymond A Pritchett, Jr