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
  • B65D1/0292—Foldable bottles

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an improved, progressively-collapsible disposable container.
• the invention relates to a container of this type in which improvements to the way of collapsing have been introduced, so as to make collapsing easier and more even, as well as to the stability of the container when it finds itself in a partly or fully collapsed configuration.
• Variable-volume containers, and in particular bottles are known in the art, formed by a circular-section or polygonal- section cylindrical container, the walls of which consist of a bellows-structure which is in an extended configuration when the bottle is full.
• the inner volume of the container may be changed, through progressive folding of the bellows structure (operation simply referred to as "bottle collapsing" in the following) , to adjust to the content reduction and keep the air volume at the top of the container to a minimum. Since of course during collapsing the container outer volume decreases accordingly too, the above-described collapsible container also has the advantage of allowing the taking up of space, in the location where it is stored, which is always proportional to its contents. Finally, when the contents are completely used up and folding of the bellows structure is complete, the container has reached its minimum volume and can hence be directly discarded in the recyclable waste, i.e. without any further compactation operation, as is instead normally required for traditional empty containers, in order to reduce their bulk.
• Containers of this type are particularly suitable for storing perishable goods, such as for example food products, and drinks in particular. Keeping a low volume of air above such products, in fact, allows to reduce the oxidation speed of the same and hence to maintain their organoleptic properties longer.
• EP 1 150 889 in the name of the same Applicants a container of this type is disclosed which, unlike previously- known containers, is characterised by a very stable collapsed configuration. The container itself is hence not subject to any returning-back-to-its-original-shape phenomena, even when it is subject to forces acting in such sense, as occurs for example while pouring the liquid contents of a bottle or keeping a bottle containing fizzy liquid closed.
• the present invention has been defined on the basis of the results of such studies and experiments and relates to a disposable, progressively-collapsible container, of the type in which at least part of the lateral surface of the container consists of a bellows structure comprising a plurality of adjacent folds, each fold being formed by two opposite surfaces of different width, characterised in that the larger-width surface has a greater stiffness than the smaller-width surface.
• fig. 1 is a front view of a bottle according to the present invention with a downturned bellows, in an unfolded configuration
• fig. 2 is a front view of the bottle of fig. 1, in a collapsed configuration
• fig. 3 is a front view of a bottle according to the present invention with an upturned bellows, in an unfolded configuration
• fig. 1 is a front view of a bottle according to the present invention with a downturned bellows, in an unfolded configuration
• fig. 2 is a front view of the bottle of fig. 1, in a collapsed configuration
• fig. 3 is a front view of a bottle according to the present invention with an upturned bellows, in an unfolded configuration
• fig. 4 is a front view of the bottle of fig. 3, in a collapsed configuration
• fig. 5 is a highly enlarged section view of the side wall of the bottles of figs. 1 to 2 (or, upside down, of figs. 3 and 4) , in an unfolded configuration
• fig. 6 is a highly enlarged section view of the side wall of the bottles of figs. 1 to 2 (or, upside down, of figs. 3 and 4) , in a collapsed configuration.
• the larger surface of each fold of the bellows side wall of the container - that is the one against and into which the smaller surface folds up during collapsing - is stiffer than said smaller surface.
• Said smaller surfaces with a lower stiffness are thereby subjected to forces acting in opposite directions, in correspondence of their inner and outer edges, respectively, evenly distributed over the entire bottle circumference, so that collapsing of said surfaces occurs in a perfectly even and homogeneous manner, avoiding phenomena of localised deflections or of bottle ovalisations which may easily occur when the two surfaces of the bellows are of an inverted stiffness level in respect of those defined in the present invention, as indeed happens in the prior art.
• figs. 1 to 4 is illustrated a bottle manufactured according to the teachings of the present invention.
• the bottle 1 comprises bellows side walls 2, a top portion 3 with a neck 4 onto which a cap is screwed on, and a bottom portion 5.
• the bellows side walls 2 are at least partly formed by a certain number of bellows elements 6 - which in the present description will be simply referred to as "folds" - each formed by two opposing surfaces, and precisely by a larger surface 7 and by a smaller surface 8.
• the folds 6 have the larger surface 7 on top and the smaller one 8 on the bottom, so that the bottle collapsing (fig. 2) occurs “downwards”.
• This arrangement of the side wall of the bottle 1 has been referred to as “downturned bellows”.
• the bottle illustrated in fig. 3 is upturned, so that collapsing of the folds (fig. 4) occurs “upwards ".
• This arrangement of the bottle side wall has been referred to as "upturned bellows”.
• the two arrangements are of course entirely equivalent, so that in the following detailed description no distinction will be made between the two cases .
• the highest stiffness level of the larger surface of each fold of the bellows is obtained, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as a shape stiffness.
• FIG. 5 shows, in a highly enlarged scale and in cross-section, a portion of the side wall 2 of the collapsible bottle 1 according to the present invention.
• fig. 5 shows, in a highly enlarged scale and in cross-section, a portion of the side wall 2 of the collapsible bottle 1 according to the present invention.
• the larger surface 7 instead of having the plane or arched pattern known from the prior art (shown by the partly discontinued line AD) , comprises a large step-rib 9 projecting outwards from the bottle so that, in cross-section, the surface 7 is represented by a rounded-corner broken line ABCD comprising a step-portion ABC followed by a plane portion CD aligned to the directrix AD.
• the maximum height h of the step-rib 9 in respect of the directrix AD, measured in correspondence of the elbow bend B of said rib, is preferably comprised between 20 and 50% of the overall dimensions of the surface 7, that is of the length of segment AD.
• the extension of said step-area 9, measured along the directrix AD, is then preferably comprised between 60 and 80% of the length BE.
• the smaller surface 8 of the fold 6 has a planar arrangement or, preferably, the arched arrangement claimed in EP-1.150.889 and shown in fig. 5 (portion DE), with the convexity of the curvature facing towards the larger surface 7 against which it collapses.
• the surfaces 7 and 8 are connected to each other through a rounded-off edge at location D, which represents the hinging point of the bellows 6 during bottle collapsing .
• the folds 6 are mutually separated, in correspondence of the bottom of the folds themselves, by anular sections 10 having a shell -shaped profile.
• the anular sections 10 have such a shape as to aid collapsing of the bottle 1 and to make the bottle even more stable in its collapsed configuration.
• the anular stiffening sections of the known type in fact simply consist of a vertical, sub-vertical or arched wall, directly connected to the surfaces of the two adjacent folds.
• each anular section as is well-visible in a cross-section in fig.
• the lateral surfaces 7 and 8 of the folds 6 - or, more precisely, the circular angular areas DEF and BAG - are subject to a temporary deformation, heightening their curvature to a greater degree over the initial and final condition of said areas.
• the deformation of the lateral surfaces 7 and 8 may determine circumferential dissymmetries, i.e.
• this problem may be avoided providing, in correspondence of the connecting areas between the lateral surfaces of the folds 6, and in particular in correspondence of the crests D of said folds, a plurality of micro-incisions circumferentially arranged in a symmetrical manner.
• said microincisions may be in the shape of 8 semi-spherical micro-depressions, symmetrically provided every 45° along the bottle circumference.
• micro-incisions The function of these micro-incisions is to create unhomogeneity points in the stress distribution during collapse, so that the deformation of the folds lateral surfaces is in a sort of wavy pattern, having the same symmetrical arrangement as the above-mentioned micro-incisions.
• the bottle collapsing is consequently much more even and formation of ovalised areas or of vertical deflection is prevented.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
• Table Devices Or Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=30131196

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Families Citing this family (11)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 2003
  • 2003-06-12 IT IT001185A patent/ITMI20031185A1/it unknown
• 2004
  • 2004-06-10 CN CNA2004800162053A patent/CN1839070A/zh active Pending
  • 2004-06-10 CA CA002528387A patent/CA2528387A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-06-10 WO PCT/IB2004/001956 patent/WO2004110878A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2004-06-10 BR BRPI0411254-7A patent/BRPI0411254A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2004-06-10 US US10/559,938 patent/US20070000859A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-06-10 AU AU2004247489A patent/AU2004247489A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-06-10 RU RU2006101058/12A patent/RU2006101058A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2004-06-10 JP JP2006516542A patent/JP2006527146A/ja active Pending
  • 2004-06-10 EP EP04736538A patent/EP1644251A1/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2005
  • 2005-11-30 IL IL172293A patent/IL172293A0/en unknown
• 2006
  • 2006-01-11 NO NO20060175A patent/NO20060175L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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