Patent EP0123233A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0247566B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Refillable polyester beverage bottle
Assignee: Graham Packaging Pet Technologies Inc
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Filing: 1987-05-25
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Granted: 1993-03-24
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Expires: 2007-05-25
Abstract
Abstract A method of blow moulding a returnable/refillable container in the form of a polyester biaxially oriented bottle having a physical and structural relationship providing for the maintenance of aesthetic and functional viability over a minimum of five trips wherein each trip comprises (1) an empty state caustic wash followed by (2) contaminant inspection and product filling/capping, (3) warehouse storage, (4) distribution to wholesale and retail locations, and (5) purchase, use and empty storage by the consumer followed by return to a bottler. The container is obtained utilizing a specific preform configuration and reheat blow process wherein the sidewall of the resultant container has a percent crystallinity of 24-30 at a total preform draw ratio of 7-9/1. The container is formed utilizing recently developed process techniques to optimize strain induced sidewall crystallization.
Inventors
- 👤 Wayne N. Collette
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 14:40
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D1/00; B65D1/02; B65D1/0223; B65D1/0261; B65D1/0276; B29; B29C; B29C49/00; B29C49/071; B29C49/08; B29C49/085; B29C49/42; B29C49/64; B29C49/6409; B29C49/6418; B29C49/78; B29C2049/7879; B29C2949/00; B29C2949/07; B29C2949/0715; B29C2949/072; B29C2949/0723; B29C2949/0724; B29C2949/0725; B29C2949/073; B29C2949/0732; B29C2949/0733; B29C2949/076; B29C2949/0768; B29C2949/077; B29C2949/0772; B29C2949/0773; B29C2949/0777; B29C2949/078; B29C2949/0781; B29C2949/081; B29C2949/0811; B29C2949/0817; B29C2949/082; B29C2949/0826; B29C2949/0829; B29C2949/0835; B29C2949/0861; B29C2949/0862; B29C2949/0872; B29C2949/20; B29C2949/22; B29C2949/24; B29C2949/26; B29C2949/28; B29C2949/30; B29C2949/3008; B29C2949/3012; B29C2949/3016; B29C2949/302; B29C2949/3024; B29C2949/3026; B29C2949/3028; B29C2949/3032; B29C2949/3034; B29C2949/3036; B29C49/02; B29C49/06; B29C49/087; B29C49/42394; B29K; B29K2067/00; B29K2667/00; B29K2995/00; B29K2995/0037; B29K2995/004; B29K2995/0041; B29K2995/0043; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/13; Y10T428/1352; Y10T428/1397
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
223 words
A returnable transparent refillable container (30) having stress crack resistance, the container (30) being blow molded from a preform (10), biaxially oriented and composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the container (30) having a container body comprising a transparent, biaxially oriented sidewall, a rigid integral bottom wall (34) and a neck finish (12) for receiving a closure, characterised by the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having a moderate intrinsic viscosity (IV) on the order of 0.72 to 0.84, the container sidewall being flexible and having up to 30% crystallisation, the container body thickness being on the order of 7 to 9 times less than the preform body wall thickness, the bottom wall (34) having a low orientation and a thickness greater than the thickness of the sidewall and an oriented extended tapered portion (36) in the area adjacent said neck finish (12), whereby the container (30) is capable of at least five re-use cycles with an absence of crack failure and dimensional stability during each washing and filling cycle whereby the maximum volume deviation over the at least five re-use cycles is +/- 1.5%, in each cycle the container (30) having been subjected to a hot caustic wash at a temperature of about 60 ° C (1400 F) and product filling and capping at a pressure of about 4.05 x 10 5 Nm- 2 (4 Atmospheres).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
223 words
A returnable transparent refillable container (30) having stress crack resistance, the container (30) being blow molded from a preform (10), biaxially oriented and composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the container (30) having a container body comprising a transparent, biaxially oriented sidewall, a rigid integral bottom wall (34) and a neck finish (12) for receiving a closure, characterised by the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having a moderate intrinsic viscosity (IV) on the order of 0.72 to 0.84, the container sidewall being flexible and having up to 30% crystallisation, the container body thickness being on the order of 7 to 9 times less than the preform body wall thickness, the bottom wall (34) having a low orientation and a thickness greater than the thickness of the sidewall and an oriented extended tapered portion (36) in the area adjacent said neck finish (12), whereby the container (30) is capable of at least five re-use cycles with an absence of crack failure and dimensional stability during each washing and filling cycle whereby the maximum volume deviation over the at least five re-use cycles is +/- 1.5%, in each cycle the container (30) having been subjected to a hot caustic wash at a temperature of about 60 ° C (1400 F) and product filling and capping at a pressure of about 4.05 x 10 5 Nm- 2 (4 Atmospheres).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A container according to claim 1, wherein said container body is capable of being filled with a carbonated liquid at a pressure of about 4 atmospheres or higher.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein said container body is a bottle (30) having a neck finish (12) for receiving a screw threaded closure.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein said container body is primarily cylindrical having a sidewall thickness of from 0.7 to 0.9% of its diameter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein said container bottom (34) has a champagne type base (34) including a peripheral contact radius (32) and an unoriented recessed central portion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
A container according to claim 5, wherein said peripheral contact radius is at least about 3.81 mm (0.150 inch).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein said container (30) has an injection molded threaded neck finish (12) and said oriented extended tapered portion (36) has biaxial orientation to within about 6.35 mm (0.250 inch) of said neck finish (12).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
A container according to claim 7, wherein the oriented extended tapered portion (36) has biaxial orientation to within about 2.54 mm (0.100 inch) of said neck finish (12).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the average perpendicularity after said five cycles is 3.81 mm (0.150 inch) or less.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the container bottom wall (34) has a thickness about seven times that of the container side wall.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
A container according to any preceding claim wherein the container body thickness is on the order of 9 times less than the preform body wall thickness.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the bottom wall (34) is rib-free and continuously reinforced.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
A container according to any preceding claim wherein the minimum thickness of a chime area (32) of the bottom wall (34) is on the order of three times the average thickness of the container side wall.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
A container accordingly to any preceding claim, wherein the container body thickness is on the order of 0.635 mm (0.025 inch).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the sidewall has from 24 to 30% crystallisation.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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