Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Hollow or container type article – Polymer or resin containing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-17
2001-08-07
Dye, Rena L. (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Hollow or container type article
Polymer or resin containing
C428S034700, C428S542800, C215S012100, C220S062120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270868
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed to an improved plastic container, and more particularly, to a composite plastic container formed by an open top base and a plastic body blow molded from a parison extending into the base.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of plastic containers continues to grow in the consumer market at a rapid rate and promises to continue in years to come. In many marketing areas, such as for liquid or semi-liquid (viscous) cosmetics and related products, the plastic container, such as a bottle or jar, is by far the container of choice. A plastic container is not only non-breakable, but can be molded so as to be very attractive, as well as functional. Surface textures and embossed designs can easily be included as the container is being formed. In addition, from a cost standpoint, plastic is very competitive with the other materials used for containers, such as glass.
One of the most popular containers for the marketing of cosmetics, as well as other liquid and semi-liquid products, is the blow molded bottle or jar of a clear, translucent or opaque plastic. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with additives for varying light transmission and/or color is a good choice, but of course others can also be chosen. The most common approach for forming such containers is by straight blow molding of a parison in a mold, such as shown in the Nishikawa et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,298, issued Aug. 14, 1979. As illustrated in this patent and others like it, one of the big advantages is being able to provide a container with a variety of geometric shapes and designs that are attractive to the consumer. The entire container is formed from a single tubular parison (see FIG. 4 of the '298 patent). While this type of container is acceptable for many liquids/semi-liquid products, including some cosmetics and related health and body care products, there is a need driven by consumer preference for a stronger and more stable container for marketing such products.
One approach in this direction is represented by the U.S. Pat. No. to Aoki 4,298,567, issued Nov. 3, 1981. In this approach, a separate injection molded base is provided in the mold but cooperates with only the bottom one-fourth of the container. The container body is blow molded and mates in the mold with the short base. As a consequence three-fourths of the container is formed by a single wall thicknesses. This leaves the strength and stability of the bottom improved, but overall there is little improvement.
Also in the past, there has been some effort to increase the strength by simply making the entire container including the neck, shoulder, side walls and bottom as a double wall, such as shown in the Valyi U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,030, issued Nov. 26, 1974. However, this approach greatly increases the overall cost of the container and increases the weight without significantly increasing the strength in the areas where needed. Thus, in the instance where a double wall is to be used for any purpose, there is a need for a simpler, and a more cost effective approach than the '030 patent teaches.
Furthermore, in the area of double wall containers, others have attempted to provide the improvements needed by placement of a blow molded container inside a box, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,349, issued to McCullough et al. on Sep. 17, 1991. Such a container is bulky, expensive and generally unattractive, especially with regard to cosmetics and related products, and thus is an unsuitable solution.
Accordingly, of the above approaches, the general type of container shown in the '567 patent could be interpreted as being the best overall for marketing liquid and semi-liquid products, such as cosmetics. The container has a body with a double wall base for some increased strength and rigidity. However, the body, that forms three-fourths of the container, has relatively thin side walls that inherently results in decreased strength. Furthermore, the height of the container provides an inherent stability problem. Thin-walled containers such as this are more susceptible to the possibility of puncture, especially if there is a weak point in the side wall where the container is picked up for use. Perhaps most importantly, such a thin wall container gives an impression to the consumer of being flimsy and inexpensive. While being suitable for soft drink containers, this is a substantial drawback for many products, especially in the cosmetics field. Thus, a need is identified for an improved container, such as a bottle or jar, especially for a liquid or semi-liquid cosmetics product, that is easy and inexpensive to form, but has improved functional strength and stability in the side wall and bottom areas. At the same time, the container should have the look and feel of being upscale and relatively expensive, commensurate with the cosmetic or other like product being marketed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved composite container that is fabricated of a molded base and a blow molded plastic body that has the above characteristics so as to overcome the identified shortcomings of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a container, such as a bottle or jar for cosmetic liquid or semi-liquid products; said container having a body molded from a plastic parison that is positioned through the open top of a base in a mold.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a container where the base and container body form substantially full depth double side walls and bottom for strength and stability, and a relatively thin shoulder defining the upper portion of the body and mating with the upper annular edge of the base.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a composite container formed by a base, and a body inside the base; the body having a peripheral shoulder defining the upper portion of the body with a peripheral lip mating and substantially covering the annular edge and forming a smooth, rounded interface.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a composite container as described, and further including an annular corner on the bottom with sufficient thickness to form a solid rim for enhancing the stability.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing a composite container from a base having an open top; namely (1) placing the base in a mold, (2) extending a plastic parison through the open top, (3) blow molding the parison to form the body of the container, and (4) controlling the blow molding to form a peripheral shoulder mating with the upper annular edge of the base, thus providing a container with relatively thick, substantially full depth side walls, and a relatively thick bottom for strength and stability.
Additional objects, advantages, and other novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention as described herein, the present invention envisions a composite plastic container that is formed from a base having a bottom, side walls and an open top forming an annular edge, and a blow molded container body extending into the base through the open top. The body extends in juxtaposition to substantially the full extent of the side walls of the base in the preferred embodiment, and a peripheral shoulder is formed on the body defining the upper portion and having a peripheral lip mating with the annular edge of the base. Such a composite container exhibits the functional advantages, as well as the look and feel that have been determined to be important in
Dye Rena L.
Inoac Packaging Group Inc.
King and Schickli PLLC
Miggins Michael E.
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