Faceted container

Abstract

A container having a faceted region, the container having a local aspect ratio between about 1.3 and about 5 mid-way along the longitudinal axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A container comprising:
 an open end circumscribing a longitudinal axis; and   a peripheral wall extending from said open end about said longitudinal axis to a closed end;   wherein said peripheral wall and said closed end comprise a thermoplastic substrate;   wherein said peripheral wall comprises a faceted region comprising a plurality of facets arranged edge to edge with at least one adjacent facet, at least a portion of said faceted region being located nearer to said closed end than to said open end;   wherein said peripheral wall has a peripheral wall exterior surface oriented away from said longitudinal axis, said peripheral wall exterior surface having a peripheral wall exterior surface area;   wherein each of said plurality of facets has a facet exterior surface area oriented away from said longitudinal axis and each of said facets has an exterior surface area that is less between about 0.0001% and about 4% of said peripheral wall exterior surface area;   wherein at local positions along said longitudinal axis said container has a local maximum internal dimension orthogonal to said longitudinal axis, a local major axis coincident with said local maximum internal dimension, a local minor axis orthogonal to said local major axis and said longitudinal axis, a local minor internal dimension coincident with said local minor axis, and a local aspect ratio defined as a ratio of said local maximum internal dimension to said local minor internal dimension;   wherein said container has a local aspect ratio between about 1.3 and about 5 mid-way along said longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         2 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein along more than about 20% of said longitudinal axis, said container has a local aspect ratio between about 1.3 and about 5. 
     
     
         3 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein individual said facets have a radius of curvature of the principal curvatures at a centroid of said facets greater than about 60 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The container according to  claim 3 , wherein said peripheral wall in said faceted region comprises an outer skin layer. 
     
     
         5 . The container according to  claim 4 , wherein said skin layer is a label selected from the group consisting of a shrink-sleeve label, a stretch-sleeve label, an in-mold label, heat transfer label, and an adhesive label. 
     
     
         6 . The container according to  claim 5 , wherein said skin layer is a metallic ink printed shrink-sleeve label or a metallic ink printed stretch-sleeve label. 
     
     
         7 . The container according to  claim 6 , wherein said peripheral wall has a peripheral wall exterior surface area, wherein said faceted region comprises between about 30% and about 100% of said peripheral wall exterior surface area. 
     
     
         8 . The container according to  claim 7 , wherein said container comprises a plug seal closure. 
     
     
         9 . The container according to  claim 5 , wherein said faceted region comprises between about 30% and about 100% of the peripheral wall exterior surface area. 
     
     
         10 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said adjacent facets have a facet area within about 20% of one another. 
     
     
         11 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein said faceted region extends around said peripheral wall. 
     
     
         12 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said facets has an exterior surface oriented away from said longitudinal axis and said exterior surfaces of said plurality of facets are positioned convexly relative to said longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         13 . The container according to  claim 12 , wherein said exterior surfaces of said plurality of facets are positioned convexly relative to said longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         14 . The container according to  claim 12 , wherein said exterior surfaces of said plurality of facets are positioned convexly relative to said longitudinal axis about said longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         15 . The container according to  claim 2 , wherein said facets have a shape selected from the group consisting of substantially polygonal, substantially triangular, substantially quadrilateral, substantially rhomboidal, substantially hexagonal, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein individual said facets have a radius of curvature of the principal curvatures at the centroid of said facets greater than about 60 mm. 
     
     
         17 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein said peripheral wall has an outer surface oriented away from said longitudinal axis and wherein each of said facets has a centroid, wherein said centroids of adjacent facets are aligned with one another on said outer surface at positions along said longitudinal axis L. 
     
     
         18 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein said peripheral wall has an outer surface oriented away from said longitudinal axis and wherein each of said facets has a centroid, wherein said centroids of adjacent facets are aligned with one another on said outer surface of said container at positions about the longitudinal axis L. 
     
     
         19 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of facets has a facet exterior surface area oriented away from said longitudinal axis and each of said facets has an exterior surface area that is between about 0.0001% and about 1% of said peripheral wall exterior surface area.