US3767496A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of making a plastic-covered glass container
Assignee: Graham Packaging Plastic Products Inc
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Filing: 1971-06-30
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Granted: 1973-10-23
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Expires: 1991-06-30
Abstract
Abstract The disclosure relates to a method of making a container comprised of a glass bottle and a plastic covering thereon. The plastic is processed into sheet form and highly oriented for shrink property along one dimension. A minor orientation (onehalf or less) is provided in the other dimension. The sheet is pre-printed and formed into strips fed to a mandrel-type machine for making individual, lap-seamed, cylindrical sleeves of the plastic, the major shrink orientation being oriented circumferentially of the sleeve. The sleeves are telescopically located to a predetermined height on a rigid base article a bottle that has been preheated to around 220*F and the sleeve and bottle carried into an oven for shrinking the plastic onto the bottle. Differential surface skin is provided in the plastic, the greater depth skin being placed next to the bottle. Bottle heat is furnished either: (1) by an auxiliary pre-heat oven, or (2) by heat of formation of the container in its manufacture, such as obtained in the annealing lehr. The initial placement of the sleeve allows a bottom end overlap of the sleeve on the bottle and shrinking the plastic results in covering the bottle at least along its body, bottom corner and onto the bottom end at an annular bearing surface thereon.
Inventors
- 👤 J Karabedian
- 👤 C Heyne
- 👤 S Amberg
- 👤 T Doherty
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 08:15
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D23/00; B65D23/08; B65D23/0842; B65D23/0878; B29; B29C; B29C53/00; B29C53/36; B29C53/38; B29C53/40; B29C53/42; B29C63/00; B29C63/38; B29C63/42; B29C63/423; B29C63/426; B29C69/00; B31; B31F; B31F1/00; B31F1/0003; B31F1/0045; B31F1/0048; B31F1/0051; B31F1/0054; B31F1/0058; B41; B41F; B41F17/00; B65C; B65C3/00; B65C3/06; B65C3/065; B29C2793/00; B29C2793/0063; B29C2793/0081; B29C48/00; B29C48/001; B29C48/0018; B29C48/0019; B29C48/0022; B29C48/0023; B29C48/03; B29C48/09; B29C48/10; B29C65/00; B29C65/02; B29C65/18; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/712; B29L2031/7158; B29L2031/744
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
200 words
The method comprising forming a sheet of thermoplastic material, highly orienting said plastic in the longitudinal dimension of said sheet, printing a decoration on one surface of said sheet, cutting the printed sheet into blanks having width and length dimensions, the length dimension being along the highly oriented longitudinal dimension of said sheet, placing the blank around a mandrel having a central axis such that the length of the blank is wrapped peripherally thereof and opposite longitudinal ends of the blank overlap, seaming the overlapped ends of the blank on the mandrel to form an endless sleeve thereon, bringing a base article having a shape that is different from said sleeve and including top end, body and bottom end portions and a central axis into alignment with said mandrel and sleeve, the bottom end portion of said article being disposed adjacent said mandrel, transferring the sleeve axially from the mandrel and telescopically over the bottom end portion of the base article onto the latter and free of the mandrel, and applying sufficient heat to the sleeve to shrink it into snug fitting, conforming relationship on the adjacent underlying surface of the body and bottom end portions of said base article.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
200 words
The method comprising forming a sheet of thermoplastic material, highly orienting said plastic in the longitudinal dimension of said sheet, printing a decoration on one surface of said sheet, cutting the printed sheet into blanks having width and length dimensions, the length dimension being along the highly oriented longitudinal dimension of said sheet, placing the blank around a mandrel having a central axis such that the length of the blank is wrapped peripherally thereof and opposite longitudinal ends of the blank overlap, seaming the overlapped ends of the blank on the mandrel to form an endless sleeve thereon, bringing a base article having a shape that is different from said sleeve and including top end, body and bottom end portions and a central axis into alignment with said mandrel and sleeve, the bottom end portion of said article being disposed adjacent said mandrel, transferring the sleeve axially from the mandrel and telescopically over the bottom end portion of the base article onto the latter and free of the mandrel, and applying sufficient heat to the sleeve to shrink it into snug fitting, conforming relationship on the adjacent underlying surface of the body and bottom end portions of said base article.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the said base article is at elevated temperature at the time said thermoplastic sleeve is transferred over the article.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method defined in claim 1, said said base article comprises a preheated glass bottle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
86 words
In the method defined in claim 3, the glass bottle having a mouth opening at the top end thereof, an adjacent neck, body and bottom end wall, and wherein the sleeve is telescopically transferred and placed over at least a portion of the neck, the body, and extends axially beyond said bottom end wall a predetermined amount, said sleeve, upon application of said heat, shrinking into surface contact with said neck portion, body and an annular portion of said bottom end wall of the glass bottle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method defined in claim 4, including the step of pressing the bottom annular area of the shrunken plastic sleeve against a flat surface and thereby provide a stable bottom bearing surface for upright support of the bottle.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein said formed sheet of thermoplastic is a foamed plastic material of 0.01 inch or greater thickness.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method defined in claim 6, wherein said sheet of thermoplastic is a polystyrene material.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
212 words
The method comprising feeding a rolled length of shrinkable thermoplastic material having a predetermined width equal to the height dimension of said sleeve member onto a rotating feed drum, holding the strip on said drum by vacuum, cutting successive sleeve blank lengths of the strip on said feed drum, moving the leading edge of each cut length on the drum into engagement with a mandrel, holding the leading edge of the blank length on the mandrel by vacuum and releasing the vacuum hold on the cut strip by said feed drum, wrapping the blank length on the mandrel by rotating the latter one revolution, the mandrel being of lesser circumference than the length of said blank, thereby overlapping the opposite ends of said blank, connecting the overlapped ends to each other to form a seamed sleeve, stripping the sleeve axially from the mandrel, the stripped sleeve being moved free of the mandrel and axially over the bottom end of a bottle to a predetermined axial position along the length of the bottle and thereafter moving the bottle and sleeve into a heated chamber, applying heat thereto in said chamber sufficient to shrink the sleeve over the adjacent surface areas of the bottle, and removing the bottle and sleeve assembly from said chamber.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
212 words
The method comprising feeding a rolled length of shrinkable thermoplastic material having a predetermined width equal to the height dimension of said sleeve member onto a rotating feed drum, holding the strip on said drum by vacuum, cutting successive sleeve blank lengths of the strip on said feed drum, moving the leading edge of each cut length on the drum into engagement with a mandrel, holding the leading edge of the blank length on the mandrel by vacuum and releasing the vacuum hold on the cut strip by said feed drum, wrapping the blank length on the mandrel by rotating the latter one revolution, the mandrel being of lesser circumference than the length of said blank, thereby overlapping the opposite ends of said blank, connecting the overlapped ends to each other to form a seamed sleeve, stripping the sleeve axially from the mandrel, the stripped sleeve being moved free of the mandrel and axially over the bottom end of a bottle to a predetermined axial position along the length of the bottle and thereafter moving the bottle and sleeve into a heated chamber, applying heat thereto in said chamber sufficient to shrink the sleeve over the adjacent surface areas of the bottle, and removing the bottle and sleeve assembly from said chamber.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method defined in claim 8, wherein the sleeve is placed over the bottom end of the bottle and the top end of the sleeve positioned at a predetermined height on the bottle with the lower end of the sleeve overhanging said bottom end of the bottle, the sleeve being shrunken into surface covering relationship with the sides of the bottle and an annular bearing support portion of the bottom end of the bottle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method defined in claim 9, wherein subsequent to removal of the covered bottle from the heated chamber, the bottom end covering thereon is pressed onto a firm surface that is normal to the axis of the bottle while the plastic sleeve covering on the bottom end of the bottle is at elevated temperature to smooth the bottom end annular ring portion of the plastic covering and assure a stable bottom bearing surface thereon.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 8, wherein the bottle at the time the sleeve is placed thereon is at a temperature of at least 175*F.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method defined in claim 11, wherein said bottle temperature is in the range of 175*-300*F.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
248 words
The method of making a plastic coated glass bottle comprising conveying bottles supported in an upright position by neck engaging chucks at spaced intervals on a conveyance driven in a path that includes an arcuate end-turn portion, moving a plurality of mandrels at spacings corresponding to said bottle spacings and in a circular path whose radius equals the radius of said end-turn portion of the conveyor path, said circular path being spaced beneath the bottles in the end-turn portion of said conveyor path, feeding flat discrete strips of shrinkable thermoplastic material onto said mandrels in succession as they move past a feeding station adjacent said circular path, winding said strips about the periphery of the mandrels as they advance through a winding station beyond said feeding station, connecting the opposite end portions of said wound strips to form an endless sleeve as the mandrels advance through a sealing station, synchronizing the movement of the bottles and mandrels to advance the mandrels in registry with the bottles through an ejection station, axially moving the sleeves relative to the mandrels and telescoping them over the lower ends of the bottles on the overhead conveyor in said ejection station, thereby transferring the sleeves to the bottles, moving the bottles with sleeves thereon away from said end-turn portion and through a heat chamber along the conveyor path, said chamber being at elevated temperature sufficient to shrink the thermoplastic sleeves snugly onto the bottles, and releasing the sleeve-covered bottles from said conveyor chucks.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
248 words
The method of making a plastic coated glass bottle comprising conveying bottles supported in an upright position by neck engaging chucks at spaced intervals on a conveyance driven in a path that includes an arcuate end-turn portion, moving a plurality of mandrels at spacings corresponding to said bottle spacings and in a circular path whose radius equals the radius of said end-turn portion of the conveyor path, said circular path being spaced beneath the bottles in the end-turn portion of said conveyor path, feeding flat discrete strips of shrinkable thermoplastic material onto said mandrels in succession as they move past a feeding station adjacent said circular path, winding said strips about the periphery of the mandrels as they advance through a winding station beyond said feeding station, connecting the opposite end portions of said wound strips to form an endless sleeve as the mandrels advance through a sealing station, synchronizing the movement of the bottles and mandrels to advance the mandrels in registry with the bottles through an ejection station, axially moving the sleeves relative to the mandrels and telescoping them over the lower ends of the bottles on the overhead conveyor in said ejection station, thereby transferring the sleeves to the bottles, moving the bottles with sleeves thereon away from said end-turn portion and through a heat chamber along the conveyor path, said chamber being at elevated temperature sufficient to shrink the thermoplastic sleeves snugly onto the bottles, and releasing the sleeve-covered bottles from said conveyor chucks.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method defined in claim 13, wherein the glass bottles being advanced by the conveyance are at an elevated temperature in excess of 175*F as they reach the said end-turn portion of the conveyor path.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method defined in claim 14, wherein the glass bottles are moved through a pre-heat chamber prior to said end-turn portion of the conveyor path and therein conditioned to said elevated temperature.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method defined in claim 14, wherein the glass bottles are delivered to the conveyance directly from a bottle manufacturing process at a sufficient temperature to provide glass bottles in the range of 175*-300*F at delivery to said end-turn portion of the conveyance.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method defined in claim 13, which includes a bottle infeed conveyor advancing bottles in single file in vertical alignment with the bottle conveyor chucks, timing the movement of the bottles on the infeed conveyor to register them with the chucks, lowering the chucks to grasp the bottles by their neck end portion, thereby supporting bottles in their upright position, and moving them on said conveyance.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method defined in claim 13, wherein the discrete strips fed to the mandrel have a lengthwise dimension in excess of the peripheral dimension of the mandrel, and upon winding said strips thereon, the strip assumes an end-to-end overlap.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method defined in claim 18, wherein the overlapped end portions of the strips are connected to each other by heat and pressure applied to said end portions of the strips on the mandrel.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method defined in claim 19, wherein the thermoplastic strips are comprised of a foamed, cellular material.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method defined in claim 13, wherein the feeding of thermoplastic strips to the mandrels in said feeding stations includes supplying the strip of thermoplastic material from a roll to a feeding drum adjacent the feeding station, holding the forward end of each strip on said drum, cutting the trailing edge of each strip while on the feeding drum, and transferring the leading edge of each cut strip to one of said mandrels.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method defined in claim 13, wherein the sleeves are moved upwardly of the mandrels and over the bottom end of the bottles to a height such that the lower end of the sleeve extends below the bottom end of the bottle, whereupon the sleeves shrink over the side surface of the bottle and an annular bearing surface on the bottom end of the bottles.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method defined in claim 22, wherein the sleeve-covered bottles prior to their release from said conveyor chucks, are moved downwardly and into firm, pressing contact with an underlying horizontal surface, said contact ironing the bottom end annular bearing surface of the plastic covering on the bottle to form a stable bottom end support surface for the bottle.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
208 words
The method of making a glass container covered with a thermoplastic material extending over a portion of the surface area of the glass container, comprising conveying glass containers in line in an upright position along a first path, feeding a predetermined width of strip of longitudinally highly oriented thermoplastic material onto a feeding drum, moving a series of mandrels along a second path adjacent said feed drum and underlying a portion of said first path, cutting said strip material successively into individual lengths while on said feed drum, transferring each of said individual lengths from said feed drum to a mandrel, wrapping said length around the mandrel, connecting the opposite ends of the wrapped length while on the mandrel thereby forming a sleeve, moving the mandrel in said second path and in underlying axial registry with containers being conveyed along said first path, raising the sleeve from the mandrel and over the lower end of the container to transfer said sleeve to the container as the container and mandrel are moving in registry in their said first and second paths, respectively, and thereafter moving the container and sleeve in said first path through a chamber at elevated temperature sufficient to shrink the sleeve snugly over the container surface.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
208 words
The method of making a glass container covered with a thermoplastic material extending over a portion of the surface area of the glass container, comprising conveying glass containers in line in an upright position along a first path, feeding a predetermined width of strip of longitudinally highly oriented thermoplastic material onto a feeding drum, moving a series of mandrels along a second path adjacent said feed drum and underlying a portion of said first path, cutting said strip material successively into individual lengths while on said feed drum, transferring each of said individual lengths from said feed drum to a mandrel, wrapping said length around the mandrel, connecting the opposite ends of the wrapped length while on the mandrel thereby forming a sleeve, moving the mandrel in said second path and in underlying axial registry with containers being conveyed along said first path, raising the sleeve from the mandrel and over the lower end of the container to transfer said sleeve to the container as the container and mandrel are moving in registry in their said first and second paths, respectively, and thereafter moving the container and sleeve in said first path through a chamber at elevated temperature sufficient to shrink the sleeve snugly over the container surface.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method defined in claim 2, wherein the base article is at elevated temperature in the range of 175*-300*F.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method defined in claim 3, wherein the glass bottle is at a temperature in the range of 175*-300*F at the time said thermoplastic sleeve is placed over the bottle.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-22 | 1977-04-23 | 1977-10-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-22 | 1981-04-23 | 1981-10-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-22 | 1985-04-23 | 1985-10-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |