Heat and Pressure Resistant Bottle With Increased Oxygen Barrier and Method of Production

Abstract

A bottle exhibiting thick walls, constant material thickness, a hemispherical-shaped base-forming portion and a polygonal-shaped flange. The thick walls increase the bottle's resistance to pressure, oxygen permeation and heat, over that of traditional bottles. The hemispherical-shaped base increases the bottle's resistance to pressure, over that of traditional bottles. The polygonal-shaped flange enables processing equipment, including bottle fillers and bottle cappers, to handle the bottle.

1 . A hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle body consisting of: 
 an open-ended mouth-forming portion;    an intermediate body-forming portion; and    a closed, hemispherical-shaped base-forming portion; wherein    said body-forming portion has essentially constant outer and constant inner diameters; and    said bottom-forming portion has a relatively constant wall thickness and includes a small indention at its center.    
     
     
         2 . A bottle as defined in  claim 1  wherein 
 said body-forming, base-forming and mouth forming portions have a minimum wall thickness of 1.5 mm and maximum wall thickness of 4 mm.    
     
     
         3 . A bottle as defined in  claim 2  wherein 
 said mouth-forming portion comprises a polygonal-shaped flange perpendicular to the plane of the body-forming portion and where each isometric outside surface of the flange is substantially straight and used for holding and stabilizing said bottle during processing; and    said polygonal-shaped flange having six straight sides.    
     
     
         4 . A bottle as defined in  claim 2  wherein said polygonal-shaped flange has eight or more even numbered straight sides.  
     
     
         5 . A system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds comprising: 
 a bottle consisting of: 
 an open-ended mouth-forming portion;  
 said mouth-forming portion further comprising a polygonal-shaped flange perpendicular to the plane of the body-forming portion and where each isometric outside surface of the flange is substantially straight and used for holding and stabilizing said bottle during processing;  
 said polygonal-shaped flange having six straight sides;  
 an intermediate body-forming portion;  
 said body-forming portion having a constant outer and constant inner diameters;  
 a closed, hemispherical-shaped base-forming portion; wherein  
 said bottle secured in a tray or puck during the processing, filling, and capping in such a manner that it is securely standing upright and stable as it moves along a processing line;  
   said polygonal-shaped stabilizes the bottle and permits machinery to grasp and hold the bottle in place during filling and capping while in the tray.    
     
     
         6 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 5  further comprising a jig whose perimeter is partially recessed to substantially matches more than half of the sides of the polygonal-shaped flange and is placed against the flange of the bottle to hold it in place and prevent rotation. 
 while fixed in the jig, the row of bottles may be capped simultaneously;    said bottles are then placed directly into a shipping carton without being removed from the tray.    
     
     
         7 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 6  wherein the jig can be fashioned with any number of flange-shaped openings to hold several resistant bottles in a single row to be filled simultaneously.  
     
     
         8 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 5  wherein the flange has an even number of at least six isometric, substantially straight outer surfaces.  
     
     
         9 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 5  wherein the flange opening has one-half the number of isometric, substantially straight outer surfaces of a bottle flange, plus one.  
     
     
         10 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 5  further consisting of applying a shrink sleeve to a bottle after it has been filled and cooled when filling said bottle with a high temperature liquid product.  
     
     
         11 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 5  further consisting of applying a shrink sleeve to the body-forming portion of the bottle prior to filling.  
     
     
         12 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 11  wherein the sleeve shrinks as a result of radiant heat emanating outwardly from the high temperature liquid product, without the aid of an external heat source.  
     
     
         13 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 11  wherein 
 the shrink sleeve is applied to only the body-forming portion of the bottle, which extends from the bottom of the open-ended mouth-forming portion to the top of the hemispherical-shaped base-forming portion;    the shrink sleeve is sized so that its inner diameter is only slightly large than the outer diameter of the bottle's body-forming portion.    
     
     
         14 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 11  wherein the relatively constant wall thickness of the invention allows for even heat distribution across the entire surface area of the shrink sleeve.  
     
     
         15 . The system for processing, filling and capping a hollow, cylindrical-shaped bottle at high speeds of  claim 14  wherein at 170 degrees Fahrenheit, the liquid product induces complete sleeve shrinkage.  
     
     
         16 . A consumer bottle containing a consumable and having been molded from a preform, the bottle consisting of: 
 an open-ended mouth-forming portion;    an intermediate body-forming portion extending from the open-ended mouth-forming portion; and    the intermediate body-forming portion terminating with an at least peripherally curved base-forming portion,    wherein, the intermediate body-forming portion and the base-forming portion have substantially constant outer and constant inner diameters and exhibits a balanced heat distribution during consumable insertion.    
     
     
         17 . The bottle as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 a polygonal-shaped flange perpendicular to the plane of the body-forming portion and wherein each isometric outside surface of the flange is substantially straight and used for holding and stabilizing the bottle during processing.    
     
     
         18 . A consumer bottle containing a hot-filled consumable and having been molded from a preform, the bottle consisting of: 
 an open-ended mouth-forming portion;    an intermediate body-forming portion extending from the open-ended mouth-forming portion; and    the intermediate body-forming portion terminating with an at least peripherally curved base-forming portion,    wherein, the intermediate body-forming portion and the base-forming portion have a sufficiently identical thickness to exhibit a substantially balanced heat distribution prior to consumable cooling.    
     
     
         19 . The bottle as claimed in  claim 18 , further comprising: 
 a polygonal-shaped flange perpendicular to the plane of the body-forming portion and wherein each isometric outside surface of the flange is substantially straight and used for holding and stabilizing the bottle during processing.    
     
     
         20 . A commercial bottle containing a consumable and having been molded from a preform, the bottle consisting of: 
 an open-ended mouth-forming portion;    an intermediate body-forming portion extending from the open-ended mouth-forming portion; and    the intermediate body-forming portion terminating with an at least peripherally curved base-forming portion,    wherein the intermediate body-forming portion and the base-forming portion have substantially constant outer and constant inner diameters and exhibits a balanced heat distribution during consumable insertion.    
     
     
         21 . A commercial bottle containing a hot-filled consumable and having been molded from a preform, the bottle consisting of: 
 an open-ended mouth-forming portion;    an intermediate body-forming portion extending from the open-ended mouth-forming portion; and    the intermediate body-forming portion terminating with an at least peripherally curved base-forming portion,    wherein, the intermediate body-forming portion and the base-forming portion have a sufficiently identical thickness to exhibit a substantially balanced heat distribution prior to consumable cooling.