Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Including work heating or contact with combustion products
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-11
2003-07-01
El-Arini, Zeinab (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Including work heating or contact with combustion products
C134S023000, C134S025100, C134S025500, C134S026000, C134S032000, C134S042000, C134S063000, C134S105000, C134S172000, C134S170000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06585829
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for washing a container, the method comprising charging a material to be contained into a container body; then mounting a container closure on a mouth-and-neck portion of the container body, the container closure having a top panel wall and cylindrical skirt wall extending downwardly from a peripheral edge of the top panel wall; and then jetting washing liquid at the container closure so that the washing liquid passes through a washing liquid passage formed in the container closure, and enters a space between an outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body and an inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall of the container closure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
As is well known among people skilled in the art, when a material to be contained, such as a beverage, is charged into a container body, some of the material tends to scatter and adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body. If the material that has scattered and adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion is allowed to remain untreated, this material will decay and pose a hygienic problem. Alternatively, the material solidifies in a space between the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body and an inner peripheral surface of a skirt wall of the container closure, thereby excessively increasing the unsealing torque required when unsealing the container (the torque necessary for turning the container closure). Thus, a proposal has been made to form a washing liquid passage, which may be perforating slits or holes, in an upper portion of the skirt wall of the container closure and/or the peripheral edge portion of the top panel wall of the container closure; mount the container closure on the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body to seal the mouth-and-neck portion; and then jet a washing liquid, which may be tap water, toward the container closure so that the washing liquid passes through the washing liquid passage and enters the space between the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body and the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall of the container closure, thereby washing off the material that has been scattered and adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion, and the material that has migrated from the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion to the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall of the container closure.
Generally, the container body is formed of a suitable plastic material, such as polyethylene terephthalate, or glass. Recently, as the container closure, on the other hand, a plastic container closure formed of a suitable plastic material, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, has been in wide use in place of a container closure of a thin metal plate. In the case of a plastic container closure, when the container closure is compression or injection molded, it can be formed with a plurality of perforating slits or holes in the skirt wall and/or the top panel wall so that the slits or holes will function as washing liquid passages. However, the slits or holes formed during compression or injection molding are necessarily relatively large in size because of demolding, etc. Thus, dirt is highly likely to build up in the slits or holes, or to reach the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion of the container through the slits or holes. Moreover, the slits or holes may be clearly detected visually to impair the appearance of the container closure.
In light of the foregoing problems with the conventional plastic container closure, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 208693/1999 proposes that after a container closure is compression or injection molded, a cutting blade is applied to the outer surface of the container closure to cut and perforate the container closure so that the resulting plural cuts will function as washing liquid passage means. Such cuts can be formed in so small a size that it is difficult to detect them visually. Hence, the above-described problems with the conventional plastic container closure can be solved.
The cuts formed by applying the cutting blade onto the outer surface of the container closure to cut and perforate the container closure should be as small as possible in size in connection with the aforementioned problems about dirt and appearance. However, the formation of the cuts in a sufficiently small size in regard to the problems about dirt and appearance may pose another problem: Even when a washing liquid is jetted toward the container closure for washing after mounting of the container closure on the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body, the washing liquid may fail to pass sufficiently through the washing liquid passages composed of the cuts. Hence, the washing tends to fail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a novel and excellent method for washing a container, by which a washing liquid fully passes through a washing liquid passage composed of cuts to achieve through washing, even when the cuts are formed in a sufficiently small size in order to solve the problems about dirt and appearance.
The inventors of the present invention conducted extensive studies and experiments. As a result, they found, to their surprise, that by the following measure (1) or (2)
(1) heating the washing liquid to 65° C. or higher and jetting it, or
(2) heating the container closure to 70° C. or higher, and then jetting the washing liquid heated to 45 to 70° C.,
the washing liquid can be passed through cuts constituting washing liquid passages, and admitted into the space between the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-and-neck portion of a container and the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall of the container closure to achieve the desired washing. To assist in producing washing action, the temperature of the washing liquid and/or the temperature of heating of the container closure is desirably as high as possible. However, if the material contained in the container is excessively heated, its taste may deteriorate. With care being taken for this fact, the temperature of the washing liquid and/or the heating temperature of the container closure should be set.
Because of the above measure (1) heating the washing liquid to 65° C. or higher and jetting it, or (2) heating the container closure to 70° C. or higher, and then jetting a washing liquid heated to 45 to 70° C., the washing liquid passes satisfactorily through the washing liquid passage, even when cuts constituting the washing liquid passage are sufficiently small in size. The reason for this advantage is not entirely clear, but the inventors speculate as follows: Since the temperature of the container closure is raised, the container closure is somewhat expanded, whereby the space between the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body and the skirt wall of the container closure is reduced in atmospheric pressure. Owing to this pressure reduction, the washing liquid is sucked through the washing liquid passage. Furthermore, as the temperature of the washing liquid increases, the surface tension of the washing liquid decreases, thus making it easier for the washing liquid to pass through the washing liquid passage.
Thus, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for washing a container, comprising:
charging a material to be contained into a container body having a mouth-and-neck portion;
then mounting a container closure on the mouth-and-neck portion of the container body, the container closure having a top panel wall, a cylindrical skirt wall extending downwardly from a peripheral edge of the top panel wall, and a washing liquid passage formed in at least one of an upper portion of the skirt wall and a peripheral edge portion of the top panel wall; and
then jetting a washing liquid at the container closure so that the washing liquid passes through the
Suzuki Noboru
Yoneyama Yuuki
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
El-Arini Zeinab
Japan Crown Cork Co. Ltd.
LandOfFree
Method for washing container does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method for washing container, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method for washing container will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3037784