Receptacles – Sidewall structure – Contoured sidewall
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-10
2002-10-01
Pollard, Steven (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Sidewall structure
Contoured sidewall
C220S675000, C215S382000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06457602
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plastic container having a so-called bottle-shaped configuration and, in particular, to a plastic container whose space is used efficiency, has self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and is friendly to the environment in that it is easy for the container to be crushed. Further, the present invention relates to a plastic container which has excellent chemical resistance and dimensional accuracy and is especially useful as a container for photographic processing chemicals.
Further, the present invention relates to a method of and a device for supplying photographic processing chemicals using the plastic container having these characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a plastic container is used as a container for keeping chemicals, food, or the like from the viewpoints of weight reduction, impact resistance, chemical resistance, or the like.
Because a material of the plastic container is flexible, the thickness of the container is increased to some extent so as to maintain the strength thereof. Due to this strengthening, it is difficult for the plastic container to be crushed and, when the plastic container is used and disposed of thereafter (In the present invention, the concept of “disposal” includes a case in which the plastic container is temporarily collected, stored, or the like for recycling.), there is a drawback in that the plastic container is bulky due to the existence of a wasteful volume of a hollow portion.
If the plastic container is made too thin in consideration of the easiness of crushing at the time of disposal, self-sustainability and configuration maintainability of the entire container are lowered.
In particular, when a container having a certain amount of height is used for its original purpose, i.e., to contain a content such as a liquid or the like, the lower portion of the container expands and the container becomes unstable so that it falls down from a simple impact.
Further, when a lid, a seal portion, or the like is opened as occasion demands in order to remove the contents from the plastic container and then the plastic container is turned upside down, there is a case in which internal pressure of the container is lowered due to the outflow of the liquid or the like, the plastic container is crushed, and thereby the configuration thereof is deformed. Because of this configuration deformation, it is less convenient to wash or carry out other treatments on the container thereafter, and there is a drawback in that the container cannot be reused.
On the other hand, it has been desired by various industries that the volume of the container, e.g., the volume of a container for photographic processing chemicals which supplies photographic processing chemicals, be increased. (In the present invention, “container for photographic processing chemicals” refers to a container used for the purpose of containing photographic processing chemicals.) From the viewpoint of space efficiency, the increase in volume is preferably effected by making the surface area of a bottom surface of the container as small as possible and increasing the height thereof, i.e., by forming an elongated container.
In order to make the elongated plastic container as thin as possible and secure self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, first, the configuration of the entire container should be cylindrical. When the container is cylindrical and contains contents such as a liquid, a force is not concentrated on one point of the side surface of the container and can be supported by the entire side surface thereof. Thus, it is preferable from the point of securing self-sustainability.
However, when, for example, the cylindrical plastic containers are packed in a case, there are large dead spaces between the containers such that the space efficiency is extremely poor. Moreover, since there is no vertex portion serving as a pillar on the side surface of the cylindrical plastic container, configuration maintainability thereof easily lowers, i.e., it is easy for the container to be crushed due to a decrease in the internal pressure thereof when, for example, the contents flow out. Thus, the configuration of the container can be deformed.
If the entire container is simply rectangular pipe-shaped so as to improve space efficiency, when the container is filled with contents such as a liquid, a force is concentrated on the particular portions of side surfaces of the container. Accordingly, it is easy for the entire container to be twisted and self-sustainability and configuration maintainability of the container are low.
In order to reinforce the rectangular pipe-shaped container against twisting, a slit-shaped thick portion, i.e., a so-called rib, may be provided on the planar portion of each of the side surfaces of the container. However, contrary to the original request for thinning, disposability of the container is reduced in the end. Further, when the ribs are provided inside the container, washability of the inner portion of the container is lowered at the time of disposal, and when the ribs are provided outside the container, the space efficiency is lowered due to projection of the ribs.
Consequently, a configuration of the elongated plastic container which satisfies all of the following characteristics, i.e., reducing the thickness, having self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and having high space efficiency, is not yet obtained.
The above-described requests for the plastic container are especially strong for the container for photographic processing chemicals which supplies photographic processing chemicals to an automatic processor such as a film processor, a printer processor, or the like. The desirable plastic container is elongated, has a certain amount of volume, has high space efficiency, has self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and is friendly to the environment so that it is easy for the container to be crushed. Further, the container for photographic processing chemicals has to be chemical resistant since the liquid to be contained therein, e.g., a development processing solution, is a strong alkali or the like. Moreover, the dimensions of the container which is loaded onto the automatic processor for supplying the photographic processing chemicals have to be accurate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the aforementioned in view, an object of the present invention is to provide a plastic container which has a certain amount of volume, has high space efficiency, has self-sustainability and configuration maintainability, and is friendly to the environment so that it is easy for the container to be crushed.
Further, another purpose of the present invention is to provide a plastic container which has excellent chemical resistance and dimensional accuracy, and which is particularly useful as a container for photographic processing chemicals.
Moreover, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of and a device for supplying photographic processing chemicals using the plastic container having these characteristics.
The above-described objects are achieved in accordance with the following aspects.
Namely, a first aspect of the present invention is a plastic container comprising a bottom portion which has a substantially rectangular bottom surface, a trunk portion which is formed by four planes which rise up vertically from respective sides of the bottom surface and which is substantially rectangular pipe-shaped, a mouth portion whose cross-sectional area of a portion surrounded by a horizontal cross section is smaller than the horizontal cross-sectional area of the trunk portion, and a shoulder portion which is narrowed down from the trunk portion to the mouth portion, wherein: the amount of the contents of the plastic container is 800 to 3000 ml; the average thickness of the trunk portion is 0.2 to 0.7 mm; the ratio of a length H of the trunk portion to a length L of a diagonal line of a rectangle form
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Pollard Steven
LandOfFree
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