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WO2002032778A1 - Bouteille en plastique pour distributeurs automatiques - Google Patents

Bouteille en plastique pour distributeurs automatiques Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2002032778A1
WO2002032778A1 PCT/US2001/022482 US0122482W WO0232778A1 WO 2002032778 A1 WO2002032778 A1 WO 2002032778A1 US 0122482 W US0122482 W US 0122482W WO 0232778 A1 WO0232778 A1 WO 0232778A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
bottle
cap
plastic
neck portion
sidewall
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/US2001/022482
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Mark J. Eisenbarth
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to AU2002244342A priority Critical patent/AU2002244342A1/en
Publication of WO2002032778A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002032778A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D1/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
    • B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D1/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material or by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/40—Details of walls
    • B65D1/42—Reinforcing or strengthening parts or members
    • B65D1/46—Local reinforcements, e.g. adjacent closures
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D55/00—Accessories for container closures not otherwise provided for
    • B65D55/02—Locking devices; Means for discouraging or indicating unauthorised opening or removal of closure
    • B65D55/06—Deformable or tearable wires, strings or strips; Use of seals

Definitions

  • the invention relates generally to cap-sealed containers for consumables, such as beverages or candy, or other relatively small items. More specifically, the invention pertains to a plastic bottle having a special size, configuration, wall thickness, and rolling characteristics which allow it to be used in can vending machines, without damage or jamming.
  • beverage vending machines were designed for use with glass bottled beverages . As many of the bottled beverages had different, and even branded physical characteristics, dedicated beverage machines were common. That is to say, only a particular brand of beverage was available in a vending machine, and only that brand would work in that dedicated machine. Thus, these early vending machines were designed to accommodate, store, and vend only a bottle of a certain size and configuration. Later, when tin cans and aluminum cans became available, the beverage industry eventually standardized the size and configuration of the cans, so a single vending machine would have the capability of vending many different brands of beverages.
  • PET containers for example, have become particularly popular for containing the relatively large 2 and 3 liter quantities of soft drinks. These containers are recyclable, easy to label, and convenient for the consuming public to handle and use.
  • Other plastic bottles, such as 10 or 12 oz. containers have also come into widespread use, especially in six-packs. Although some of these smaller containers are sold individually, they are marketed in store refrigerators, or on store shelves.
  • the need also exists for a plastic bottle which does not jam within the container storage and transport channels of a vending machine.
  • the need also exists for a plastic bottle which may contain quantities of articles or food items needing a chilled environment, and which will store and transport successfully in a vending machine.
  • the plastic bottle of the present invention includes structurally reinforced upper and lower ends, providing additional strength to resist to laterally imposed stacking and crushing forces. Strategic reinforcement is provided by internally thickening the plastic in the neck and the shoulder portion, and in the base and the lower sidewall portion. Proportionally, the plastic in the reinforced ends is four times as thick the standard bottle wall thickness, found in an intermediate sidewall portion of the bottle.
  • the reinforcement makes the plastic bottle sufficiently strong to withstand the forces generated by vertical stacking of containers in a vending machine, no circumferential sidewall ribs are necessary. Having a smooth sidewall surface with no convolutions or discontinuities, the plastic bottle of the present invention is less likely to rotate sideways, or jam, within the container feeding system of a vending machine.
  • a low profile cap is threadably installed over an externally threaded neck on the upper end of the cap.
  • the shoulder portion of the bottle includes a sharply curved outer edge, which bends outwardly and downwardly to transition to the bottle's intermediate sidewall portion.
  • the configuration of this curved outer edge more closely approximates the shape of a metal can, so that the plastic bottle will roll more freely and predictably in the container feeding system in a vending machine.
  • the neck portion of the bottle is shorter than prior art designs, which use a longer neck to accommodate a lock ring to evidence tampering with the bottle. Use of a shorter neck provides more fluid containment in the body of the bottle.
  • the present invention uses a small dot of frangible adhesive extending between a lower edge of the cap and an exterior surface of the neck. When the user unscrews the cap, the adhesive breaks off, evidencing that the bottle cap has been unscrewed.
  • Figure 1 is an exploded, perspective view of the plastic bottle and cap of the present invention
  • Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 2 - 2, in Figure 1;
  • Figure 3 is a top plan view of the plastic bottle, with the cap removed;
  • Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the plastic bottle;
  • Figure 5 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the upper end of the plastic bottle including a 28mm cap, a portion of the cap being broken away to show the neck portion of the bottle;
  • Figure 6 is a view as in Figure 5, but showing a 45mm cap
  • Figure 7 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of a "front load” vending machine, showing the plastic bottles in vertically stacked relation;
  • Figure 8 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view, taken to an expanded scale, showing the upper and lower ends of the bottle.
  • Bottle 11 of the present invention has an upper end 12, an intermediate sidewall portion 13, and a lower end 14.
  • Bottle 11 has an overall height of 121mm (approximately 43/4") and an overall width of 68mm (approximately 2 11/16"). These overall dimensions are selected generally to correspond to the exterior dimensions of the aluminum cans dispensed by the standard American can vending machine. However, there is nothing critical as such with these dimensions, and they could be changed as required, in the event that a plastic bottle was required for a vending machine having different dimensions for its container storage and feeding channels.
  • upper end 12 includes a right-circular cylindrical neck portion 16 and a shoulder portion 17.
  • Neck portion 16 has external threads 18, and includes an open upper end 19.
  • Shoulder portion 17 has a substantially planar, annular section 21, and a curved transition section 22.
  • a lower end of the neck portion 16 extends in perpendicular fashion from an inner periphery of the annular section 21.
  • the curved transition section 22 extends outwardly and downwardly from an outer periphery of the annular section 21.
  • a low-profile cap 20a including its own internal threads, is threadably attached to the bottle 11 over external threads 18.
  • Cap 20a is not a conventional beverage container cap.
  • Cap 20a is termed a 38- 400 finish cap, in the industry, and is manufactured by Alcoa and/or Topseal. Although cap 20a is 38mm in diameter, other diameters may be used in conjunction of course with different diameters for neck portion 16. Other popular sizes which may be used with the bottle 11 would be the 28mm cap 20b and the 45mm cap 20c, shown respectively in Figures 5 and 6.
  • the bottle 11 of the present invention has a contained volume of approximately 11.5 ounces, while meeting the height and width standard of a beverage can. This is primarily accomplished by not using a locking ring and by configuring the curved transition section 22 so that it closely resembles the corner of a can.
  • an adhesive dot 25 shown in Figure 5 and 6, is employed for tamper-evidence.
  • Adhesive dot 25 is applied between a lower edge of cap 20a-20c, and an adjacent surface of neck portion 16. It may also be desirable to apply two or more dots, in spaced relation around the cap to provide even more indicators.
  • dot 25 is a hot-melt adhesive and/or wax, ejection-applied between the cap and the neck following the bottling operation. Hot-melt adhesive and/or wax is an effective material evidencing tampering, as it initially provides rotational resistance to cap opening.
  • Hot-melt is also very cost effective and easy to implement, as tamper-evidence, when compared to the locking ring method, or the shrink wrap method.
  • the curved transition section 22 has an unusually small radius of curvature. As a consequence, it closely resembles the upper corner of a beverage can. This feature provides additional container volume, over the prior art which displays gradually rounded shoulders in this region. This feature also provides a container configuration which functions more like a can in a vending machine, owing to its shape and the weight distribution of the contained liquid.
  • the upper end 12 has a first wall thickness 23, generally extending throughout neck portion 16 and shoulder portion 17. Thickness 23 is approximately 3.2mm ( 1/8") in the preferred embodiment, but this dimension may be increased or decreased depending upon the size of the plastic bottle and its application.
  • the additional plastic material which results in this thickness is formed during the molding of the bottle, and extends inwardly, into the bottle volume. In other words, the enhanced thickness of the plastic material is not reflected in the outer surface of the bottle. Thus, neither the appearance nor the rolling surface of the bottle 11 is adversely affected by the addition of this plastic reinforcement material.
  • the wall thickness quickly tapers down, first to 1.6mm (1/16"), and then to .8mm (1/32"), where an upper end of intermediate sidewall portion 13 begins.
  • the .8mm wall thickness at this upper end characterizes a second wall thickness 24. From the top to the bottom of right-circular cylindrical sidewall portion 13 , the thickness 24 remains substantially uniform.
  • the outside configuration of sidewall portion 13 includes no rib indentations, label panels, or other surface anomalies which may interfere with smooth rolling of the bottle.
  • the numerical ratio between the first and second wall thicknesses is approximately 4 to 1. However, there is no particular criticality to this ratio.
  • the first wall thickness is substantially greater than the second wall thickness, so that the former will provide a reinforcement function. If the ratio is too low, the overall strength of the bottle will not be sufficient. If the ratio is too high, molding difficulties may arise, bottle cost will rise, and the loss of contained volume will become a factor.
  • the second sidewall thickness of .8mm is generally in conformance with the existing industry standard. Providing the bottles are stored and transported in such a way that forces which are laterally, or transversely imposed upon the bottles are minimal, the sidewalls for the entire bottle may be .8mm thick. However, if these forces are more than minimal, such as those encountered in the storage and delivery mechanisms of vending machines, the bottle sidewalls may crack or crush.
  • Lower end 14 of the bottle is provided with strategic reinforcement as well.
  • Lower end 14 includes a lower, curved sidewall portion 26 and a base 27.
  • Curved sidewall portion 26 begins at a bottom edge of intermediate sidewall portion 13, and continues until it reaches the outer edge of base 27.
  • sidewall portion 26 quickly increases in thickness from the second wall thickness 24, to a substantially greater first wall thickness 23.
  • the first wall thickness 23 continues for the full extent of base 27.
  • Base 27 is circular, and includes a convex central region, protruding inwardly within the bottle, and an outer edge connected to a lower edge of said curved sidewall portion 26.
  • both the upper and lower ends of the bottle 11 are provided with reinforced regions which are particularly resistive to transversely applied, compressive forces. Owing to the substantially increased thickness of the plastic in these strategic regions of the bottle, the ability of the bottle 11 to withstand forces which are encountered in vertical stacking of bottles is significantly enhanced.
  • a portion of a container delivery channel 31 in a typical front-loading vending machine is shown.
  • the channel 31 includes a plurality of bars 32, defining the transverse dimensions of the channel.
  • a rotatable gate 33 is provided at the bottom of the channel, for allowing individual ones of containers to be released into a container delivery chute (not shown) of the machine.
  • a plurality of containers 11 is arranged within the channel in stacked, vertical relation. With the axes of the bottles horizontal, the compressive forces of the bottles are transmitted transversely, through the sidewall and ends of the bottle, to the bottle below. Thus, the cumulative weight of four bottles, represented by FI, is impressed upon the bottom bottle. And, the cumulative weight of five bottles, represented by F2, is supported by gate 33.
  • the bottom bottles might distend or break under the cumulative weight of the upper bottles, unless additional reinforcement is provided.
  • the bottles 11 of the present invention have first and second reinforcement means, provided by the thickened plastic precisely in the regions where FI and F2 show the application of compressive forces, bottles 11 are able to withstand the rigors of the vending machine bottle storage and delivery system. It will be appreciated, then, that I have disclosed an improved plastic bottle including structural reinforcement in critical regions of the bottle which resist crushing or damage to the bottle, owing to the application of compressive, transversely applied forces. I have also disclosed a unique tamper- indicator, which is inexpensive, easy to apply, and allows full utilization of available container space to enhance the containment volume of a plastic bottle.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
  • Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)

Abstract

Bouteille en plastique (11) présentant des dimensions et une configuration particulièrement adaptées à une utilisation dans des distributeurs automatiques classiques. Cette bouteille comprend des parties supérieure et inférieure renforcées structuralement (12, 14), ce qui améliore la tenue et la résistance à des forces d'empilement et d'écrasement appliquées transversalement. Le renforcement est obtenu par épaississement interne du plastique au niveau du col (16) et de la partie d'épaule supérieure (17), ainsi qu'au niveau de la base (27) et de la partie de paroi latérale inférieure (26). La surface extérieure de la paroi latérale (13) de la bouteille présente une cylindricité parfaitement circulaire, sans aucune discontinuité, telle que des nervures ou des faces pour étiquettes, qui pourrait gêner le passage à travers les canaux d'amenée des canettes du distributeur automatique. L'épaule (17) de la bouteille comprend une partie (21) horizontale et sensiblement plane et une partie (22) incurvée. Cette partie incurvée (22) est particulièrement abrupte, ce qui augmente la contenance et fait que cette partie s'apparente davantage à la partie correspondante d'une canette. Un bouchon plat de 'finition' (20a) permet d'augmenter le volume de la bouteille et présente une surface destinée à être en contact avec le canal du distributeur automatique qui est sensiblement étendue. Un point d'adhésif (25) est appliqué par éjection entre un bord inférieur du bouchon et le col (16) de la bouteille pour fournir un indicateur d'effraction.
PCT/US2001/022482 2000-10-16 2001-07-17 Bouteille en plastique pour distributeurs automatiques Ceased WO2002032778A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2002244342A AU2002244342A1 (en) 2000-10-16 2001-07-17 Plastic bottle for vending machines

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US69026100A 2000-10-16 2000-10-16
US09/690,261 2000-10-16

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2002032778A1 true WO2002032778A1 (fr) 2002-04-25

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ID=24771765

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2001/022482 Ceased WO2002032778A1 (fr) 2000-10-16 2001-07-17 Bouteille en plastique pour distributeurs automatiques

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU2002244342A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2002032778A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1486424A1 (fr) * 2003-05-16 2004-12-15 Rundpack AG Récipient d'emballage en plastique
AT500046A1 (de) * 2002-10-17 2005-10-15 Teich Ag Aktive blisterpackung für feuchtigkeitsempfindliches und/oder hygroskopisches packungsgut

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2169869A (en) * 1937-11-05 1939-08-15 Royden A Blunt Vending machine bottle
US2482564A (en) * 1945-07-14 1949-09-20 Roy C Townsend Guide wheel suspension for roadrail vehicles
DE29600051U1 (de) * 1996-01-03 1996-02-29 Thielen, Hans Jürgen, 45307 Essen Mehreckige Flasche zur Aufnahme von Flüssigkeiten o.dgl. fließfähigen Materialien

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2169869A (en) * 1937-11-05 1939-08-15 Royden A Blunt Vending machine bottle
US2482564A (en) * 1945-07-14 1949-09-20 Roy C Townsend Guide wheel suspension for roadrail vehicles
DE29600051U1 (de) * 1996-01-03 1996-02-29 Thielen, Hans Jürgen, 45307 Essen Mehreckige Flasche zur Aufnahme von Flüssigkeiten o.dgl. fließfähigen Materialien

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AT500046A1 (de) * 2002-10-17 2005-10-15 Teich Ag Aktive blisterpackung für feuchtigkeitsempfindliches und/oder hygroskopisches packungsgut
EP1486424A1 (fr) * 2003-05-16 2004-12-15 Rundpack AG Récipient d'emballage en plastique
AT500064A1 (de) * 2003-05-16 2005-10-15 Rundpack Ag Verpackungsbehälter aus kunststoff
AT500064B1 (de) * 2003-05-16 2006-09-15 Rundpack Ag Verpackungsbehälter aus kunststoff

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2002244342A1 (en) 2002-04-29

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