EP2726378B1

EP2726378B1 - High strength bottle

Info

Publication number: EP2726378B1
Application number: EP12724471.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: William Joseph Burgess; Thomas Joseph Pecorini; Cedric Perben; Calvin James BECKER
Original assignee: Eastman Chemical Co
Current assignee: Eastman Chemical Co
Priority date: 2011-06-01
Filing date: 2012-05-17
Publication date: 2017-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 2032-05-17
Also published as: WO2012166376A1; CN103562076B; US20120305575A1; KR20140034873A; CN105857815A; JP2014519454A; EP2726378A1; CN103562076A

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to bottles having handles. More particularly, the present invention is directed to large capacity bottles having handles and being suitable for use in liquid dispensers, such as water coolers.

2. Description of the Related Art

BPA-based polycarbonates have long been used to produce various types of food and beverage containers. However, due to some reports that BPA-based polycarbonates may have negative health effects, an emphasis has recently been placed on producing containers that are "BPA-free." In particular, the container industry has focused on the production of beverage bottles, where leaching of BPA into the beverage has been a concern due to the prolonged exposure of the beverage to the BPA-based polycarbonate. However, most of the bottle industry's BPA-free focus has been on smaller bottles with a capacity of less than one liter.
Despite the desire to produce beverage bottles that are BPA-free, many materials that could potentially replace BPA-based polycarbonates exhibit deficiencies in one or more important characteristics, such as strength, toughness, chemical resistance, clarity, heat resistance, and/or processability. Currently, there are no BPA-free bottles having a large capacity (e.g., at least 9.46 litres (2.5 gallons)) that are sufficiently designed to exhibit the desired characteristics (e.g., strength, toughness, chemical resistance, heat resistance, and/or clarity) sought in large capacity bottles.
Accordingly, there is a need for a large capacity bottle that can be formed of a BPA-free material, yet still exhibit the desired characteristics.
WO2011/017481 A2 , FIG.5, discloses all features of the preamble of claim 1. US3845884 discloses a bottle with a handle within a substantially cylindrical side wall.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of this invention is directed to a bottle comprising an outlet at a first end of the bottle, a base at a second end of the bottle, and a main body located between the outlet and base. A central longitudinal axis extends in a longitudinal direction between the first and second ends of the bottle. The main body of the bottle comprises a well panel and an integrally-formed handle. The well panel at least partly defines a recessed well and the handle spans at least a portion of the recessed well. The outer surface of the well panel defines a concave longitudinal panel curve along a longitudinal reference plane, which contains the longitudinal axis and extends through the centroid of the well panel. The outer surface of the well panel defines a convex transverse panel curve along a transverse reference plane that extends through the centroid of the well panel and is oriented such that the longitudinal axis is normal to the transverse reference plane, wherein a handle orientation line is defined between said first and second handle end points, wherein said handle orientation line is either parallel to said central longitudinal axis or skewed relative to said central longitudinal axis by an angle of less than 20 degrees, wherein said main body further comprises a substantially cylindrical sidewall to which said well panel is coupled, wherein said handle orientation line is spaced inwardly from the outer circumference of said sidewall by a distance of at least 2.54 mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the following drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bottle configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, particularly illustrating the bottle as including a well and a handle spanning the well;
FIG. 2 is a back view of the bottle rotated 90° from the view depicted in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an isometric bottom view of the bottle depicted in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the bottle of FIG. 1, with the handle being removed to more clearly show the well panel of the bottle;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 1, particularly illustrating the transverse (horizontal) curvature of the well panel;
FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the handle and well panel of the bottle, particularly illustrating the longitudinal (vertical) curvatures of the well panel and the handle;
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the base of the bottle;
FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the base of the bottle, particularly illustrating the radii of curvature of the chime and push-up;
FIG. 9 is partial, top, isometric view of the base of the bottle, particularly illustrating recessed tunnels and a weld; and
FIG. 10 is a partial, bottom, isometric view of the base of the bottle, particularly illustrating the recessed tunnels and the weld.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a large bottle having enhanced strength properties such as, for example, drop impact resistance. Such bottles may be suitable for use in liquid dispensers such as water coolers.
The bottle can have a liquid holding capacity of at least 9.46, 15.14, 17.03 or 17.98 litres (2.5, 4.0, 4.5, or 4.75 gallons) and/or not more than 37.85, 30.28, 22.71 or 20.82 litres (10, 8, 6, or 5.5 gallons). In one embodiment, the bottle can have a liquid holding capacity of about 19 litres (5 gallons). Furthermore, the bottle can have a weight of at least 600, 650, 700, or 725 grams and/or not more than 900, 850, 800, or 775 grams. To ensure that the bottle can fit into a standard liquid dispenser, the bottle can have a maximum diameter of at least 152, 203 or 254 mm (6, 8, or 10 inches) and/or not more than 457, 356, or 305 mm (18, 14, or 12 inches).
The strength of the bottle can be measured in terms of drop impact resistance. In one embodiment, the bottle can have a drop impact resistance of at least 0.91, 1.22 or 1.52 metres (3, 4, or 5 feet) as measured by ASTM D 2463-95. The enhanced strength of the bottle can be at least partly derived from its physical design. To further illustrate the physical design of the bottle, various features of the bottle are described in detail below with reference to the drawing figures.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the bottle 20 comprises an outlet 22 at a first end 24 of the bottle 20, a base 26 at a second end 28 of the bottle 20, and a main body 30 located between the outlet 22 and the base 26. The main body 30 comprises a well panel 32 and an integrally-formed handle 34. The well panel 32 at least partly defines a recessed well 36 and the handle 34 at least partially spans this recessed well 36. Additionally, the main body 30 may also include a first rib 38, a second rib 40, and a substantially cylindrical sidewall 42 disposed between the first rib 38 and second rib 40. The main body 30 can also include a panel fillet 44 for joining the well panel 32 with the sidewall 42, as well as handle fillets 46 for joining the handle 34 to the well panel 32. As perhaps best illustrated in FIG. 2, the panel fillet 44 can circumscribe the entire well panel 32.
The bottle 20 depicted in FIGS. 1-3 also includes a neck 52, an expansion section 54, and a shoulder 56. The neck 52 is located adjacent to the outlet 22, the shoulder 56 is located adjacent to the main body 30, and the expansion section 54 is located between the neck 52 and shoulder 56. The expansion section 54 can have, for example, a generally frusto-conical shape.
FIG. 3 illustrates the central longitudinal axis 58 of the bottle 20. The central longitudinal axis 58 extends in a longitudinal direction between the first end 24 and second end 28 of the bottle 20 and through the geometric center of the outlet 22 and the geometric center of the base 26. The sidewall 42 can be centered on and can extend substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis 58.
FIG. 4 depicts a side view of the bottle 20 (not showing the handle) focusing on the well panel 32 and showing reference planes (dashed lines) used to help describe the shape of the well panel 32. FIG. 4 also shows that the expansion section 54 can form an angle (A1) of at least 20, 25, or 27.5 degrees and/or not more than 40, 35, or 30 degrees from a plane oriented such that the central longitudinal axis 58 is normal thereto.
FIG. 4 illustrates a longitudinal (vertical) reference plane 60 that contains the central longitudinal axis 58 and extends through a centroid 50 of the well panel 32. Further, FIG. 4 shows a transverse (horizontal) reference plane 61 that extends through the centroid 50 of the well panel 32 and is oriented such that the central longitudinal axis 58 is normal (perpendicular) to the transverse reference plane 61. The longitudinal and transverse reference planes 60, 61 will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 5-10.
FIG. 5 shows that the handle 34 of the bottle 20 can be substantially hollow and in fluid communication with the interior of the bottle 20. In one embodiment, the handle 34 defines an open internal passageway 66 sized to permit a sphere having a diameter of at least 13, 19, 25 or 32 mm (0.5, 0.75, 1, or 1.25 inches) to pass entirely therethrough.
FIG. 5 also shows that the outer surface 62 of the well panel 32 can define a convex transverse panel curve 64 at the location where the well panel 32 is cut by the transverse reference plane 61. As shown in FIG. 5, the transverse panel curve 64 has a radius of curvature (R2) that is greater than the radius of curvature (R3) of the sidewall 42, measured at the location where the transverse reference plane 61 cuts through the bottle 20. Moreover, the ratio of the radius of curvature (R2) of the transverse panel curve 64 to the radius of curvature (R3) of the sidewall 42, as measured along the transverse reference plane 61, can be at least 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, or 5:1 and/or not more than 20:1, 15:1, 10:1, or 8:1. The radius of curvature (R2) of the transverse panel curve 64 can be at least 254, 508 or 635 mm (10, 20, or 25 inches) and/or not more than 1524, 1270 or 1016 mm (60, 50, or 40 inches). Additionally or alternatively, the radius of curvature (R3) of the sidewall 42, as measured along the transverse reference plane 61, can be at least 2, 3.5, or 4.5 and/or not more than 254, 203 or 152 mm (10, 8, or 6 inches).
As depicted in FIG. 5, the transverse panel curve 64 can extend circumferentially through an angle (A2) of least 15, 25, or 30 degrees and/or not more than 90, 80, or 70 degrees. Additionally or alternatively, the transverse panel curve 64 can extend circumferentially through an angle (A3) of at least 90, 100, 110, or 120 degrees and not more than 180, 160, or 140 degrees, as measured relative to the central longitudinal axis 58.
As shown in FIG. 6, the outer surface 62 of the well panel 32 can define a concave longitudinal panel curve 72 at the location where the well panel 32 is cut by the longitudinal reference plane 60. The radius of curvature (R4) of the longitudinal panel curve 72 can be at least 25, 51 or 76 mm (1, 2, or 3 inches) and/or not more than 254, 152 or 102 mm (10, 6, or 4 inches). Additionally or alternatively, the longitudinal panel curve 72 can extend longitudinally through an angle (A4) of at least 100, 115, or 125 degrees and/or not more than 180, 160, or 145 degrees. The concave longitudinal panel curve 72 and the convex transverse panel curve 64 can provide the outer surface 62 of the well panel 32 with the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid.
As depicted in FIG. 6, the handle 34 can define first and second handle end points 68 and 69 located on the outermost opposite terminal ends of the handle 34. Furthermore, a handle orientation line 70 can be defined between the first and second handle end points 68. The handle orientation line 70 can be either parallel to the central longitudinal axis 58 or skewed relative to the central longitudinal axis 58 by an angle of less than 20, 10, 5, or 1 degrees. Further, the handle orientation line 70 can be spaced inwardly (toward the central longitudinal axis 58) from the outer circumference 71 of the sidewall 42 by a distance of at least 3, 6 or 13 mm (0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 inches).
In addition, FIG. 6 shows that the handle 34 can have a curved outer profile 74 extending between the first and second handle end points 68, 69. The curved outer profile 74 of the handle 34 can have a radius of curvature (R5) of at least 102, 203, 305 mm (4, 8, or 12 inches) and/or not more than 762, 610 or 457 mm (30, 24, or 18 inches). Additionally or alternatively, the curved outer profile 74 of the handle 34 can extend longitudinally through an angle (A5) of at least 5, 10, 15 degrees and/or not more than 50, 40, 30 degrees.
As illustrated in FIGS. 7-10, the base 26 of the bottle 20 can comprise a pair of concave tunnel recesses 76. Additionally, the base 26 can comprise a weld 78 that extends along the transverse reference plane 61 and through the tunnel recesses 76 so as to prevent contact between the weld 78 and a planar supporting surface (not showns) on which the base 26 of the bottle 20 rests. The base 26 can also include a footprint 80 for supporting the bottle 20 on a planar surface and a concave push-up 82 positioned radially inward from the footprint 80. As shown in FIG. 7, the push-up 82 can have a substantially circular outer perimeter 84 having a radius (R6) of at least 25, 38 or 44 mm (1, 1.5, or 1.75 inches) and/or not more than 127, 76 or 64 mm (5, 3, or 2.5 inches).
FIG. 8 clearly shows the concave nature of the push-up 82. The push-up 82 can have a radius of curvature (R7) of at least 51, 102 or 152 mm (2, 4, or 6 inches) and/or not more than 457, 305 or 203 mm (18, 12, or 8 inches). Additionally or alternatively, the push-up 82 can extend through an angle (A7) of at least 15, 20, or 27.5 degrees and/or not more than 50, 40, or 35 degrees. In one embodiment, the push-up 82 can have the general shape of a partial sphere (i.e., the top portion of a sphere). As depicted in FIG. 8, the base 26 can further comprise a chime 86. The chime 86 can have a radius of curvature (R8) of at least 25, 38 or 44 mm (1, 1.5, or 1.75 inches) and/or not more than 102, 76 or 51 mm (4, 3, or 2 inches).
Certain aspects of the above-described bottle design enable the bottle to be produced from a substantially BPA-free material, while still maintaining the desired strength for the bottle. Thus, in one embodiment, the bottle of the present invention can be made from materials other than BPA-based polycarbonates. As used herein, "substantially BPA-free" refers to an article or material that contains less than 1, 0.5, 0.1, 0.05, or 0.01 weight percent of BPA-based polycarbonate.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottle can be at least partly formed from a substantially BPA-free synthetic polymeric material. The synthetic polymeric material can make up at least 50, 75, 90, 95, or 100 percent of the total weight of the bottle. In one embodiment, the bottle of the present invention can be formed by blow molding the synthetic polymeric material into the desired configuration discussed in detail above.
The synthetic polymeric material used to make the bottle can have a flexural modulus of at least 689, 1034, 1379 or 1482 MPa (100,000, 150,000, 200,000, or 215,000 psi) and/or not more than 2431, 2068, 1724 or 1586 MPa (350,000, 300,000, 250,000, or 230,000 psi) as measured by ASTM D790. The synthetic polymeric material can have a flexural yield strength of at least 34, 48 or 59 MPa (5,000, 7,000, or 8,500 psi) and/or not more than 83, 69, 66 MPa (12,000, 10,000, or 9,500 psi) as measured by ASTM D790. The synthetic polymeric material can have a tensile strength at yield of at least 28, 34, 41, 45 or 50 MPa (4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 6,500, or 7,250 psi) and/or not more than 69, 62, 55 or 48 MPa (10,000, 9,000, 8000, or 7,000 psi) as measured by ASTM D638. The synthetic polymeric material can have a glass transition temperature of at least 90, 100, or 110 and/or not more than 140, 130, or 120°C as measured by ASTM E1640-09. The synthetic polymeric material can have a melt viscosity of at least 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 poise and/or not more than 20,000, 15,000, 12,000, 10,000, 8,000, or 6,000 poise as measured at 1 radian per second on a rotary melt rheometer at 290°C. The synthetic polymeric material can have an inherent viscosity of at least 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.65, or 0.7 and/or not more than 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, or 0.75, as determined in 60/40 (wt/wt) phenol/tetrachloroethane at a concentration of 0.5 grams per 100 milliliters at 25°C. The synthetic polymeric material can have a transmittance of at least 75, 85, or 88 percent as measured by ASTM D1003. The synthetic polymeric material can have a haze of less than 5, 3, or 1.5 percent as measured by ASTM D1003.
According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the synthetic polymeric material can be a polyester or copolyester. In one embodiment, the synthetic polymeric material can comprise glycol units derived from 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol and/or 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol. In a more specific example, the synthetic polymeric material can be a polyester having a dicarboxylic acid component and a glycol component, where the dicarboxylic component comprises at least 70, 80, 90, 95, or 100 mole percent of residues of terephthalic acid or an ester thereof (dimethyl terephthalate) and the glycol component comprises at least 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and at least 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65 or 60 mole percent 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues. In one embodiment, the dicarboxylic acid component of the polyesters useful in the invention comprises 70 to 100 mole % terephthalic acid residues and/or dimethyl terephthalate residues. In other aspects of the invention, the glycol component for the polyesters useful in the bottle of the invention include but are not limited to at least one of the following combinations of ranges: 10 to 40 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 60 to 90 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 10 to 35 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 65 to 90 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; and 10 to 30 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 70 to 90 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 15 to 40 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 60 to 85 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues ; 15 to 35 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 65 to 85 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 15 to 30 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 70 to 85 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 15 to 25 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 75 to 85 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 20 to 40 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 60 to 80 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 20 to 35 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 65 to 80 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 20 to 30 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 70 to 80 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 25 to 40 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 60 to 75 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues; 25 to 35 mole % 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 75 to 65 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues.
In one embodiment, the polyester useful in the invention can have 70 to 100 mole percent terephthalic residues, 15 to 40 mole percent 2,2,4,4-tetra methyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 60 to 85 mole percent 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues. In this embodiment, the polyester may contain residues of a branching agent.
All mole percentages of diacid residues or diol residues in the polyester useful in the invention are based on a total of 100 mole percent diacid residues and a total of 100 mole percent diol residues.
For certain embodiments of the invention, the polyesters useful in the invention may exhibit at least one of the following inherent viscosities as determined in 60/40 (wt/wt) phenol/ tetrachloroethane at a concentration of 0.5 g/100 ml at 25ºC: 0.50 to 1.0 dL/g; 0.50 to 0.75 dL/g; 0.50 to 0.68 dL/g; 0.60 to 0.75 dL/g; 0.60 to 0.68 dL/g; 0.65 to 1.2 dUg; 0.65 to 1 dL/g; or 0.65 to 0.75 dUg.
In one embodiment, the polyester useful in the invention can have 70 to 100 mole percent terephthalic residues, 15 to 40 mole percent 2,2,4,4-tetra methyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues and 60 to 85 mole percent 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues. In this embodiment, the polyester may contain residues of a branching agent.
Modifying glycols useful in the polyesters useful in the invention refer to diols other than 2,2,4,4,-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol and may contain 2 to 16 carbon atoms. Examples of suitable modifying glycols include, but are not limited to, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, neopentyl glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, p-xylene glycol or mixtures thereof. In one embodiment, the modifying glycol is ethylene glycol. In another embodiment, ethylene glycol is excluded as a modifying diol. The polyesters useful in the polyesters compositions of the invention can comprise from 0 to 10 mole percent, for example, from 0.01 to 5 mole percent, from 0.01 to 1 mole percent, from 0.05 to 5 mole percent, from 0.05 to 1 mole percent, or from 0.1 to 0.7 mole percent, or 0.1 to 0.5 mole percent, based the total mole percentages of either the diol or diacid residues; respectively, of one or more residues of a branching monomer, also referred to herein as a branching agent, having 3 or more carboxyl substituents, hydroxyl substituents, or a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the branching monomer or agent may be added prior to and/or during and/or after the polymerization of the polyester. The polyester(s) useful in the invention can thus be linear or branched.
Examples of branching monomers include, but are not limited to, multifunctional acids or multifunctional alcohols such as trimellitic acid, trimellitic anhydride, pyromellitic dianhydride, trimethylolpropane, glycerol, pentaerythritol, citric acid, tartaric acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid and the like. In one embodiment, the branching monomer residues can comprise 0.1 to 0.7 mole percent of one or more residues chosen from at least one of the following: trimellitic anhydride, pyromellitic dianhydride, glycerol, sorbitol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, pentaerythritol, trimethylolethane, and/or trimesic acid.
In one embodiment, the synthetic polymeric material can comprise TRITAN™ WX500 or TRITAN™ WX510, commercially available from Eastman Chemical Company of Kingsport, TN.

Claims

A bottle (20) comprising an outlet (22) at a first end (24) of said bottle (20), a base (26) at a second end (28) of said bottle (20), and a main body (30) located between said outlet (22) and said base (26), wherein said bottle (20) defines a central longitudinal axis (58) extending in a longitudinal direction between said first and second ends (24, 28) of said bottle (20), wherein said main body (30) comprises a well panel (32) and an integrally-formed handle (34), wherein said well panel (32) at least partly defines a recessed well (36) and said handle (34) spans at least a portion of said recessed well (36), wherein the outer surface of said well panel (32) defines a concave longitudinal panel curve (72) along a longitudinal reference plane (60) containing said central longitudinal axis (58) and extending through the centroid (50) of said well panel (32), wherein the outer surface of said well panel (32) defines a convex longitudinal panel curve (64) along a transverse reference plane (61) that extends through the centroid (50) of said well panel (32) and is oriented such that said central longitudinal axis (58) is normal to said transverse reference plane (61), wherein said handle (34) defines first and second handle end points (68, 69) located on the outermost opposite terminal ends of said handle (34), wherein a handle orientation line (70) is defined between said first and second handle end points (68, 69), wherein said handle orientation line (70) is either parallel to said central longitudinal axis (58) or skewed relative to said central longitudinal axis (58) by an angle of less than 20 degrees, characterized in that said main body (30) further comprises a substantially cylindrical sidewall (42) to which said well panel (32) is coupled, wherein said handle orientation line (70) is spaced inwardly from the outer circumference (71) of said sidewall (42) by a distance of at least 2.54 mm (0.1 inches).
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of said well panel (32) has the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid.
The bottle of claim 1, wherein said transverse panel curve (62) has a radius of curvature (R2) of at least 254 mm (10 inches) and not more than 1524 mm (60 inches), wherein said transverse panel curve (62) extends circumferentially through an angle (A3) of at least 90 degrees and not more than 180 degrees, measured relative to said central longitudinal axis (58).
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein said longitudinal panel curve (72) has a radius of curvature (R4) of at least 25.4 mm (1 inch) and not more than 254 mm (10 inches), wherein said longitudinal panel curve (72) extends longitudinally through an angle (A4) of at least 100 degrees and not more than 180 degrees.
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein the sidewall (42) extends substantially parallel to said central longitudinal axis (58), wherein said sidewall (42) is centered around said central longitudinal axis (58), wherein the ratio of the radius of curvature (R2) of said transverse panel curve (64) to the radius of curvature (R3) of said sidewall (42), measured along said transverse reference plane (61), is at least 2:1 and not more than 20:1.
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein said handle (34) defines an open internal passageway (66) sized to permit a sphere having a diameter of at least 12.7 mm (0.5 inches) to pass entirely therethrough.
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein said handle (34) presents a convex curved outer profile (74), wherein said curved outer profile (74) has a radius of curvature (R5) of at least 101.6 mm (4 inches) and not more than 762 mm (30 inches), wherein said curved outer profile (74) extends longitudinally through an angle (A5) of at least 5 degrees and not more than 50 degrees.
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein said base (26) comprises a chime (86) and a concave push-up (82).
The bottle (20) of claim 8, wherein said push-up (82) has a radius of curvature (R7) of at least 50.8 mm (2 inches) and not more than 457.2 mm (18 inches).
The bottle (20) of claim 8, wherein said push-up (82) has a substantially circular outer perimeter (84) having a radius (R6) of at least 38.1 mm (1.5 inches) and not more than 127 mm (5 inches).
The bottle (20) of claim 8, wherein said bottle (20) comprises a weld (78) extending along said transverse reference plane (61), wherein said base (26) further comprises a pair of concave tunnel recesses (76), wherein said weld (78) extends through said tunnel recesses (76).
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein said bottle (20) further comprises a neck (52), an expansion section (54), and a shoulder (56), wherein said neck is located adjacent said outlet (22), said shoulder is located adjacent said main body (30), and said expansion section (54) is located between said neck and said shoulder, wherein said expansion section has a generally frusto-conical shape, wherein said expansion section (54) forms an angle (A1) of at least 25 degrees and not more than 40 degrees from a plane normal to said central longitudinal axis (58).
The bottle (20) of claim 1, wherein said bottle (20) has a weight of at least 600 grams and not more than 900 grams, wherein said bottle (20) has a liquid holding capacity of at least 9.46 litres (2.5 gallons) and not more than 37.9 litres (10 gallons).
The bottle (20) of claim 13, wherein said bottle (20) is at least partly formed of a synthetic polymeric material, wherein said synthetic polymeric material makes up at least 50 percent of the total weight of said bottle (20).
The bottle (20) of claim 14, wherein said synthetic polymeric material comprises less than 1 weight percent of bisphenol A polycarbonate.
The bottle (20) of claim 14, wherein said polymeric material has a flexural modulus of at least 689.5 MPa (100,000 psi) and not more than 2068 MPa (300,000 psi) as measured by ASTM D790.
The bottle (20) of claim 14, wherein said polymeric material comprises 70 mole percent to 100 mole percent of terephthalic acid residues and 0 to 30 mole percent of modifying acid residues, 15 mole percent to 40 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol residues, and 60 mole percent to 85 mole percent 1,4- cyclohexanedimethanol residues, based on a total of 100 mole percent diacid residues and 100 mole percent diol residues.