Hoover Universal, Inc.

Theodore F Eberle

Dale H Behm

Thomas F Powers

Dennis L Marshall

Randall S Brown

A hot-fill PET container which includes opposed hand grip sections in the sidewall enabling the container to be grasped between the thumb and fingers of one hand to facilitate handling of the container and pouring of liquid from the container. Each hand grip section includes an outwardly bulged surface having an outside edge and an integral hinge enabling opposite bulged surfaces to invert and collapse inwardly toward each other to accommodate internal forces tending to collapse the container sidewall inwardly due to filling of the container with liquid at an elevated temperature and subsequent cooling of the liquid.

Hot fill plastic container with invertible vacuum collapse surfaces in

Container bottom

An improved base configuration for a blow molded plastic container used in hot-fill applications. The base consists of a peripheral support ring that is generally concentric with the container side walls and connected to a central dome portion. The dome extends upwardly into the body cavity of the container and terminates in a central disk region that is also concentric with the container side walls. A number of raised involute embossments radiate about the central disk in a substantially spiral fashion downward along the dome. The embossments are limited to that area of the dome where unrelaxed retractive stresses may be formed during blow molding of the container. The embossments increase the amount of material in the base which becomes sufficiently oriented so as to resist the deformation induced by the unrelaxed retractive stresses during hot filling of the container.

Involute embossment base structure for hot fill PET container

An improved base configuration for a plastic container used in hot-fill applications. The base is concentric with the side walls of the container and an outer ring of the base is connected to a central dome portion which extends upwardly into the body cavity of the container and terminates in a central disk region, which is also generally concentric with the side walls of the container. Radiating in a substantially spiral fashion, from the central disk downward along the dome to the outer ring, are a number of reinforcement ribs and slides which increases the amount of material in the base which is sufficiently oriented and able to resist the deformation induced by unrelaxed retractive stresses during filling of the container with a liquid of elevated temperature.

Spiral container base structure for hot fill pet container

A plastic container comprising a blow-molded plastic bottle with a reinforcing ring encircling the bottle base to reinforce the base against undesirable deformation. The ring encircles the lower end of the bottle base. Pressure within the container expands the base structure outwardly against the ring and creates tension in the ring to maintain the ring in assembly relation with the bottle base in which the ring reinforces the base and acts to maintain the structural integrity of the base. The container is manufactured by inserting the ring into the base portion of the blow-mold such that the ring defines a portion of the blow-mold cavity. A plastic preform is blow-molded outward, into engagement with the ring to secure the ring to the base.

Plastic bottle with reinforcing ring encircling the bottle base

A plastic container having a reinforcing ring in its base to strengthen the base. The ring reinforces the base to prevent deformation of the base which would result in an unstable container and also reduces the potential for stress cracking found in one-piece containers having reinforcing ribs in the base structure. The reinforcing ring has a weight that is less than the weight of a typical base cup used to provide a supporting surface for a two-piece composite bottle. The ring is attached to the base portion of the container by one of three methods: molding the reinforcing ring into the base; providing a ring and a base which snap fit together, or adhesively bonding the ring to the base of the container. When the contianer is filled with a carbonated beverage, the pressure within the container acts to maintain the ring in an assembly relation with the container base in which the ring reinforces the base and acts to maintain the structural integrity of the base by resisting eversion of the base.

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Saline, MI, United States of America

Theodore F Eberle