GB2560028A

GB2560028A - Stackable hollow plastic container

Info

Publication number: GB2560028A
Application number: GB1703164.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sideris Constantinos
Original assignee: Ipet Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Ipet Tech Ltd
Priority date: 2017-02-28
Filing date: 2017-02-28
Publication date: 2018-08-29
Also published as: GB201703164D0

Abstract

A self-standing, plastic, stackable container has a neck area 3 and a body portion 2 with a petaloid-shaped base 1. An integral handle 5 is located around the neck area and an integral chime 6 engages the base of another container when stacked. The container may have two spaced apart handles 5 and the handles and chime may be integrally formed. The chime may be annular and provide a handle. The container may be formed form PET and the base may be spherical or elliptical and have three or more protrusions or feet 11. The container may be a single piece and be formed in a two-step moulding process. The handles and chime may be formed in an initial injection moulding process and the body portion in a subsequent blow moulding process. A preform of the container may comprise a neck area (3a, fig.2), with a handle (5a, fig. 2) and chime (6a, fig. 2), and a body preform portion (2a fig. 2). Blow moulding the body portion may involve placing the preform in a blow mould at a predetermined temperature and stretching and blowing the preform such that the neck area does not change during stretch blowing the container.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: Stackable hollow plastic container

Abstract Title: Stackable Hollow Plastic Container with Integral Handle and Chime (57) A self-standing, plastic, stackable container has a neck area 3 and a body portion 2 with a petaloid-shaped base 1. An integral handle 5 is located around the neck area and an integral chime 6 engages the base of another container when stacked.

The container may have two spaced apart handles 5 and the handles and chime may be integrally formed. The chime may be annular and provide a handle. The container may be formed form PET and the base may be spherical or elliptical and have three or more protrusions or feet 11. The container may be a single piece and be formed in a two-step moulding process. The handles and chime may be formed in an initial injection moulding process and the body portion in a subsequent blow moulding process. A preform of the container may comprise a neck area (3a, fig.2), with a handle (5a, fig. 2) and chime (6a, fig. 2), and a body preform portion (2a fig. 2). Blow moulding the body portion may involve placing the preform in a blow mould at a predetermined temperature and stretching and blowing the preform such that the neck area does not change during stretch blowing the container.

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STACKABLE HOLLOW PLASTIC CONTAINER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hollow plastic containers for packing, storage and transport of fluids, with integrated handles for carrying and handling, as well as integrated chimes for stackability.

BACKGROUND

Stackable hollow plastic containers like jerry cans, are available with integrated handles for carrying and handling, and have shapes that allow them to be stackable one on top of each other for easier storage and transport. Such containers are widely used for packing liquids such as water, edible oils, and cleaning chemicals, which are not stored under pressure. For the cases where a product is packed under pressure, like carbonated beverages (eg beer), these available containers are not suitable, because their shape that provides stackability (usually cuboid or cylindrical with flat ends) is not suitable to withstand internal pressure.

For a plastic container to withstand the necessary internal pressure, its shape is restricted to being spherical or cylindrical with rounded ends, which does not allow for stackability. Furthermore, containers for packing products under pressure must be made from strong plastics like PET, otherwise they must be very heavy and, therefore, uneconomical. As a result, most plastic containers for pressurised packaging like beer kegs, are made from PET and have cylindrical shapes with rounded ends. Such containers are not stackable due to their shape, so in order to make them stackable for ease of storage and transport, they are either placed inside other containers like carton boxes or they are fitted with separately moulded parts (chimes and handles). The chimes are separate plastic parts that fit on the top of the containers and many times also at the bottom, and have shapes that allow the containers to be stacked on top of each other. Chimes usually include hollow parts that can be used as handles for carrying and handling the containers.

An example of prior art is DE102009044314A1 (KRONES AG), where the plastic container is fitted with two separately moulded parts, one at the base and one near the neck of the container, enabling stackability. Alternatively, to achieve stackability the container is placed inside another container, which is cylindrical and has a lid. The solution of having a top chime and a bottom chime is also offered by US2013206762A1 (Andrew Smith et al). Prior art with containers having petaloid-shaped bases (self-standing) and fitted with separately moulded chimes and handles around the neck area for handling and transport, can be found in GB2485555A (Silvia Romana Marabini) and US2016039570A1 (KRONES AG).

There remains desire for containers including a handles and chimes, rendering them easy to carry, handle and stack but without adding substantially to the material cost and/or manufacturing complexity of the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a selfstanding and stackable plastic container comprising a neck area, a body portion comprising a petaloid-shaped base; an integral handle part located around the neck area of the container, in which the handle part comprises one or more handles for carrying and handling the container; and an integral chime configured to receive and/or cooperatively engage the base of an identical container.

Embodiments of the invention, therefore, may provide a plastic container which is produced with ready incorporated handles and chimes, rendering it easy to carry, handle and stack. Advantageously such a container may be provided without resorting to separately manufacturing additional parts and assembling them onto the container. Embodiments of the invention remove the need for separate chimes, handles, or other outer containers like cartons. A further advantge of embodiments of the invention may be in providing a container which is more easily recycled.

The container may comprise two spaced apart handles.

The chime may be substantially annular in shape. For example, the chime may be substantially ovaloid or circular in shape.

The or each handle(s) and chime may be integrally moulded.

The or each handle and chime may be located at or adjacent the neck area of the container.

The container may be formed from PET raw material.

The container may have any suitable number of handles. The or each handle may have any suitable shape, for example an oblong handle.

The container may comprise a single integrated moulding. The container 10 may be formed in a two-step moulding process. For example, the container may be formed by injection moulding and stretch blow moulding. The or each handle(s) and chime may be formed during an initial injection moulding step. The body portion may be formed into its final profile in a subsequent blow moulding process.

The handle(s) and the chime may be integrally moulded. For example, the handle(s) and chime may be provided by a single component of the container.

The chime may be configured to provide one or more handle.

The term “petaloid-shaped base” is used herein to refer to a base having a substantially spherical or elliptical shape with three or more outwardly extending protrusions. Preferably, the base comprises five outwardly extending protrustions. The shapes and dimensions of the protrusions are designed to enable the container to withstand internal pressure.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a preform for a container as herein described, in which the preform comprises a neck area and a main preform body portion, in which the neck area comprises at least one handle and a chime.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a self-standing and stackable plastic container as herein described, comprising the steps of:

providing a preform comprising a neck area and a main preform body portion, in which the neck area includes at least one handle and a chime, and blow moulding the main preform body portion to form the final container profile.

The step of providing a preform may for example comprise injection moulding a preform.

The step of blow moulding the preform body portion may comprise placing the preform within a blow mould at a predetermined temperature; and stretching and blowing the preform inside the blow mould into a container such that the neck area does not change during stretch blowing, while the main preform body portion is stretched and blown into the shape the container.

The container of embodiment of the invention is formed with at least one integral handle and at least one integral chime incorporated as integral part so that the container is produced as one piece. As a result, there is no requirement for additional processing steps to separately produce handles, chimes or other outer containers and to attach such handles, chimes and outer containers to the container, thus saving resources and production costs.

The containers according to embodiments of the invention have the advantage that the handles and chimes on the produced containers can be very rigid for secure handling and stacking of bigger sized containers that are heavy when filled.

The containers of embodiments of the invention are economical because the weight of the container can be less than the corresponding weight of 15 containers with separately moulded handles and chimes, thus saving raw material costs.

A further economic advantage of embodiments of the invention is the simplified manufacturing process, which eliminates separate production of several parts and the assembly of such parts.

Another advantage of the containers in accordance with embodiments of the invention is that unlike the containers with separate parts, usually made from different materials, the main container, the handles and the chimes are made as one piece from the same raw material, thus making them very easily recyclable.

In contrast to separately moulded handles and chimes, the integrally formed handle(s) and chimes of the containers of embodiments of the invention cannot detach from the container, adding to the safety of the container in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be implemented in various ways and, by way of example only, specific embodiments thereof will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 a and 1 b is a schematic illustration of the container according to one embodiment of the present invention in which the container comprises a petaloid-shaped base area, a main body and a neck area with integral handles and integral chime;

Figures 2a and 2b is a schematic illustration of the preform according to one embodiment of the present invention which can be used to stretch blow mould the container of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the integral handles and integral chime of the container according to Figure 1; and

Figures 4a and 4b is a schematic illustration of a stacked arrangement of two containers according to the embodiment of Figure 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the arrangements described below by way of example, a container consists of a petaloid-shaped base area 1, a body portion 2 and a neck area 3. The corresponding preform has a main preform body portion 2a and a neck area

3a, which is the same as the neck area 3 of the container.

One such preferred arrangement is illustrated in Figure 1, which illustrates in side (Figure 1a) and isometric (Figure 1b) views the overall shape of a container of the present invention, with a self-standing and stacking base area 1. The base area 1 is petaloid in shape. In particular, the base area 1 is substantially circular in shape with five outwardly extending protrusions 11. The container further comprises a body portion 2 in communication with a neck area

3. The neck area 3 provides an integral chime 6 and a pair of spaced apart integral handles 5. It can be seen from Figures 1a and 1b that the handles 5 and chime 6 are formed as a single integral component. The handles 5 are provided on opposite surfaces of the chime 6.

Figure 2 illustrates in side (Figure 2a) and isometric (Figure 2b) views a shape of a preform that can be used to be stretch blow moulded to the container illustrated in Figure 1. The neck area 3a of such a preform, including the integral handles 5a and integral chime 6a, will be the same as the corresponding neck area 3 of the container in Figure 1, considering that the stretch blow moulding process does not affect the neck area of the preform. The main preform body 2a will be stretch blow moulded during the production of the containers, to form the base area 1 with the protrusions 11 and the body portion 2 of the container.

With reference to Figure 3, it can be seen that in a preferred embodiment the neck area 3 of the container incorporates a screw threaded portion 8 for screw-type closures or dispensing valves. It is however to be understood that the neck area 3 may be designed with rings for push-on type closures or dispensing valves.

It can be seen from the Figures that the container and preform comprise two handles 5 with wide, curved surfaces 9 for comfort when carrying. It can also be seen that the container and preform comprise a substantially circular ring-shaped chime 6. The chime 6 is shaped to receive and cooperate with the base of an identically shaped container in such a way that one container can stack on another. The chime 6 on a first container is configured to support the protrusions 11 on the base of a second container positioned above the first container. It may be noted that the chime 6 has a generally concave upper surface profile which may help align the stacked containers. The handles and chime are each integrally connected at or adjacent to the neck opening 7 of the container, by supporting elements 10, which are designed to provide the required strength for carrying the weight of the containers stacked on top.

Figure 4a is a side view of two containers stacked on top of each other, illustrating how the base area 1 of the container on top, co-operates with the chime 6 of the bottom container, to allow for stacking of the containers. Figure 2a is a close-up sectional view, illustrating in more detail the features of the integrated chime 6 and handles 5 around the neck area 3 and neck opening 7 of the container, including the supporting elements 10 and the handle surfaces 9. This figure also illustrates the co-operation between the protrusions 11 of the base area 1, with the chime 6 of the container below.

Claims

1. A self-standing and stackable plastic container comprising a neck area;

a body portion comprising a petaloid-shaped base;

an integral handle part located around the neck area of the container, in which the handle part comprises one or more handles for carrying and handling the container; and an integral chime configured to receive and/or cooperatively engage the base of an identical container.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which the container comprises two spaced apart handles.

3. A container as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, in which the chime is substantially annular in shape.

4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the or each handle(s) and chime are integrally formed.

5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the or each handle and chime are located at or adjacent the neck area of the container.

6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the chime is configured to provide one or more handle.

7. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the container is formed from PET raw material.

8. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the base is substantially spherical or elliptical in shape with three or more outwardly extending protrusions.

9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the container comprises a single integrated moulding.

10. A container as claimed in claim 9, in which the container is formed in a two-step moulding process.

11. A container as claimed in claim 10, wherein the or each handle(s) and chime are formed during an initial injection moulding step and wherein the body portion is formed into its final profile in a subsequent blow moulding process.

12. A preform for a container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, in which the preform comprises a neck area and a main preform body portion, in which the neck area comprises at least one handle and a chime.

13. A method for producing a self-standing and stackable plastic container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising the steps of:

providing a preform comprising a neck area and a main preform body portion, in which the neck area includes at least one handle and a chime;

and blow moulding the main preform body portion to form the final container profile.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step of providing a preform may for example comprise injection moulding a preform.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein the step of blow moulding the preform body portion comprises placing the preform within a blow mould at a predetermined temperature; and stretching and blowing the preform inside the blow mould into a container such that the neck area does not change during stretch blowing while the main preform body portion is stretched and blown into the shape the container.

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Application No: GB1703164.2