WO1992016412A2 - Stackable plastic bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention consists in reducing the space occupied by empty plastic bottles by fitting separate parts of the same bottle and the bottles themselves into each other, after cutting or removal of a tab. The stackable plastic bottle is characterized by a specific shape, by a judiciously located cutting line represented by a detachable tab (14) or by a moulding (1) and a cavity (2) and by cutting tools specially adapted to its shape. Application especially in the wrapping, packaging and recycling industries.

Description

 The invention relates to a form of plastic bottle, a cutting tool, or else a system with detachable tab allowing the separation into two parts of the empty container in order to fit them one inside the other and, at the same time following, to fit other shared bottles in order to obtain an appreciable reduction in volume.

 At the end of this century, waste management, particularly household waste, is becoming a major problem.

 Europe is gradually moving towards a selective sorting of waste at the base. The individual will soon have "two bins to take out". Each consumer will therefore be interested in reducing the volume of packaging for the second bin, that intended for recycling.

On the other hand, public authorities which have adopted the collection of plastic bottles by containers all face the same problem: the large volume (useless and bulky) of empty containers.

 All the studies done, all the solutions recommended so far to improve this thorny problem of collection have always been placed downstream of the consumer. They all start from the bottle as it is, placed on the market by the manufacturer.

 The present invention is placed upstream of the consumer by proposing to manufacturers of packaging to market a plastic bottle specially adapted to the problem of collection.

 The present invention aims to remedy the problem of volume, bulky and unnecessary empty containers and especially plastic bottles, both at home and at the stage of public collection by allowing the nesting between them of these containers.

The series of figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 shows eloquently, how does this volume reduction work.

 In order not to load the drawing, Figure 5 shows only 3 nested bottles but the number is not limited.

 The specially studied shape of the bottle is inscribed in two trunks of cones.

 To divide the container into two parts, two solutions were chosen. One uses a tool called a "cutter"; the other, a detachable tab system, is incorporated into the container.

 In the first case, the location (1) of the cut, judiciously located at the junction of the two trunks of cones, is characterized by a circular molding, hollow on the external face of the container, and in relief on the internal face.

 The circular recessed molding on the external face of the container is itself characterized by a cavity (2), turned towards the inside of the container located at any point of the circle, and intended to receive the cutting head of a cutting tool. cutting.

 Figure 6 shows the top view of a bottle cut made on the molding in order to highlight the cavity (2). The bottle can be cut with a simple pocket or kitchen knife but, for the occasion, a tool has been designed, called a cutter, offered here in three models.

Figure 7 shows how a cutter is placed in the molding and in the bottle cavity.

These three cutters are all characterized by:

 -A shape and dimensions adapted to the molding of the nestable plastic bottle.

 -A sharp head adapted to the cavity of the bottle.

 - A protected sharp part in order to make it harmless for the user.

-A sharp part (3) at the diagonal cutting line to facilitate the beginning of cutting. -A very thin cutting part in order to offer the least resistance possible to the cutting work.

 -A bumper (4)

 The stopper (4), common part of each cutter, is

 characterized by a conical shape (5) and a flat spout (6).

 -The conical shape has a double function:

 -Provide the party with protection of the game

 sharp.

 -Maintain the cutting part of the cutter in the bottom of the molding by preventing the tool from moving, horizontally, from the inside to the outside.

 -The flattened spout (6) promotes the separation of the two parts of the container at the start of the cutting work.

The general purpose cutter shown in Figure 8, by design, adapts to any finger size.

 The more elaborate cutter, represented on figure n ° 10, has a guide (7) which supports the maintenance of the device in the molding by preventing the tool from evolving on the vertical plane from bottom to top of the bottle or Conversely.

The cutter shown in Figure 1 1 has a guide (δ) surmounted by a wheelbase (9), intended to serve as a seat for the thumb of the performer.

According to particular embodiments:

The open hook-shaped ring used to operate the cutter in Figure 8 can serve as a model for the cutter ring in Figure 10. Similarly, the wheelbase of the cutter in Figure 1 1 can be mounted on the cutter in Figure 10.

In the second case, instead of using an external sharp object to separate the bottle into two distinct parts, it was designed to incorporate into the latter, a detachable tab whose purpose is to keep them together, and so waterproof, the two parts of the bottle made separately. Figure 13 shows, in section, a device specially designed for PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) containers. According to this device, a double tongue, partly made of semi-rigid plastic (10), partly of flexible plastic (1 1), keeps the two container components together. By pulling on the semi-rigid central tongue (10), there is a vacuum inside the flexible tongue (1 1). This vacuum gives sufficient clearance to allow the extraction of the entire flexible tongue which results in the separation of the two elements of the bottle (12 and 13). Figure 14 shows in section a device specially designed for PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) containers. According to this device, the detachable tab is in fact a flexible plastic strap (14) which is forcefully inserted and then held captive in two housings (15 and 16) provided for this purpose in the walls (17 and 18) of the two interlocking parts from the plastic bottle.

 To extract the bracelet from its upper housing (15), it is necessary to press fingers on an external surface of the bottle and indicated for this purpose by fingerprints (19) in the plastic material making up the container.

 For the proper functioning of this device, advantage has been taken of the relative elasticity of polyvinyl chloride.

 Figure 15 shows a variant of the device in Figure 14 and can be applied to both PET and PVC containers.

 According to this device, the flexible plastic strap (20) only serves to reinforce and consolidate the cohesion between the upper element (21) and the lower element (22) of the bottle, already assembled and held together by the system. clips from the special form of molding of these elements.

Figure 16 shows the ultimate evolution of the nestable bottle. This form of container is the least expensive to produce and the easiest for the consumer to stack in order to save space on empty packaging. This "bottle" is fitted with a retractable neck (23), a system which has already been used for many years.

 The innovation in this ultimate form consists of a pair of flexible plastic handles (24) held against the walls of the container by detachable contact points (25). Figure 17 shows the container with its handles deployed in a position of use.

 Figure 18 shows a rational use of this ultimate form of bottle. The innovation is characterized by a plastic pitcher (26) specially designed to accept the bottle (27) which has become a simple refill. This pitcher, of permanent use, makes it possible to present, in table service, a plastic bottle of rational shape for a maximum of use and a minimum of size but with doubtful aesthetics.

Claims

1) Nestable plastic bottle (PVC, PET, or other) characterized by a shape specially designed to allow, after a cut in a judiciously located location or after the extraction of a detachable tab, the separation into two parts of the container so to fit them one inside the other and to be able, as a result, to fit the bottles into each other in order to obtain an appreciable reduction in volume.  2) Nestable plastic bottle according to claim 1 characterized by a circular molding, hollow on the outer face of the container, and in relief on the inner face.  3) Nestable plastic bottle according to claim 1 and 2 characterized by a cavity (2), facing the inside of the container located in any location of the circle, and intended to receive the cutting head of a cutting tool.  4) nestable plastic bottle according to claim 1, 2 and 3 characterized by a cutting tool called a cutter with shapes and dimensions adapted to the molding and the cavity of the container.  5) Nestable plastic bottle according to claim 4 characterized by a cutter having a very thin cutting part, a diagonal cutting line, a conical stopper with a flattened spout, a cutting guide, a wheelbase and a ring or an operating hook suitable for the fingers of the hand. 6) Nestable plastic bottle according to claim l characterized by a detachable tab ensuring sealing, applying to PET plastic bottles and formed by a double tab in semi-rigid plastic (10) and flexible plastic (1 1) allowing, after the removal of the first tab (10) to obtain sufficient clearance to facilitate the release of the second tab (1 1) in order to be able to separate the two separate parts (12 and 13) of the bottle emboi table.  7) Nestable plastic bottle according to claim 1 characterized by a detachable tongue device ensuring sealing, applying to PVC plastic bottles and formed by a flexible plastic strap (14) inserted prisoner in housings (15 and 16) provided for this purpose in each of the nestable parts (17 and 18) of the plastic bottle.  δ) Nestable plastic bottle according to claim 1 characterized by a device where the extraction of the "strap-tab" of flexible plastic (14), from the housings (15 and 16) where it is held captive is caused by a movement of finger pressure on a defined and indicated part (19) for this purpose on the external face of the bottle and not by a backward movement as is usually done.  9) Nestable plastic bottle according to claim l characterized by a detachable tab device formed by a "strap tab" (20) only serving to reinforce the cohesion of the two parts (21 and 22) of the bottle already assembled and held together by a system of clips due to the special shape of the molding of each part.