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Claim 1

A CONTAINER, PARTICULARLY A BARREL FOR STORAGE OF CARBONATED LIQUIDS, COMPRISING A TUBULAR SIDE WALL AT LEAST THE MAJOR PART OF WHICH CONSISTS OF SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIAL AND WHICH HAS A TENDENCY TO EXPAND AND CONTACT RADIALLY IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE, SAID SIDE WALL COMPRISING TWO CHIMES AT THE AXIAL ENDS THEREOF; FIRST REINFORCING MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE ANNULAR REINFORCING HOOP SURROUNDING SAID SIDE WALL AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE SAID CHIMES AND HAVING A TENDENCY TO EXPAND AND CONTRACT LESS THAN SAID SIDE WALL IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE SO THAT SAID HOOP MEANS LIMITS THE EXPANSION OF THE SIDE WALL IN RESPONSE TO HEATING; STOP MEANS PROVIDED ON SAID SIDE WALL AND COMPRISING AN ANNULAR GROOVE PROVIDED IN THE OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL, SAID HOOP BEING RECEIVED IN SSAID GROOVE FOR PREVENTING AXIAL SHIFTING OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISTRIBUTED INCREMENTS OF SAID HOOP IN DIRECTION TOWARD BOTH ENDS OF SAID SIDE WALL WHEN SAID SIDE WALL CONTRACTS MORE THAN SAID HOOP IN RESPONSE TO COOLING; AND SECOND REINFORCING MEANS COMPRISING AN ANNULAR REINFORCING ELEMENT EMBEDDED IN ONE OF SAID CHIMES.