Graham Packaging Company, L.p.

Thomas J Atkinson

John E Denner

Kevin D Himes

David B Clements

Lawrence Korpanty

Robert D Stoolmaker

A plastic container and closure, and system and method of making the same. Container can include a solid bottom end, an outer sidewall extending from solid bottom end, a shoulder portion extending from outer sidewall, and neck portion extending from shoulder portion, forming an open end of container. Solid bottom end includes a circumferential heel portion having a plurality of radially asymmetrical projections and recesses disposed on an outer periphery of the heel portion, the plurality being configured to increase heel portion rigidity while maintaining substantially uniform material thickness. Shoulder portion forms an angle with a plane perpendicular to the container central axis. At an angle of 50&#xb0; a desirable failure mode may be achieved where the yield strength of the shoulder portion is balanced against that of the heel portion and the outer sidewall to maximize the top load strength of the container.

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Phoenix, MD, United States of America

Thomas J Atkinson