# US 10,870,540 B2 · Conveying of plastic bottles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,540 B2 - Document ID: US10870540B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/699,927 - Filed: 2019-12-02 - Published: 2020-04-02 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-14 - Assignees: Rexnord Flattop Europe B.V. - Applicants: Rexnord Flattop Europe B.V. - Inventors: Cornelis Hendrik Mijndert Menke; Leonardus Adrianus Catharinus Cornelissen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870540B2 ## CPC - B65G 17/08: the surface being formed by the traction element - B65D 1/0207: {characterised by material, e.g. composition, physical features} - B65D 1/0284: {having a discontinuous contact surface, e.g. discrete feet} - B65D 1/40: Details of walls (other container details B65D23/00, B65D25/00) - B65G 15/62: Guides for sliding belts - B29C 2049/4879: {characterised by mould configurations} - B29L 2031/7158: {Bottles} - B65G 2201/0244: Bottles - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES ## Abstract A conveying system, comprising a modular conveyor belt supported on a conveyor track so that top surfaces of the modules of the conveyor belt present a conveying face that in use moves along the track in a conveying direction, and at least one plastic bottle supported at its bottom on the conveying face via one or more textured surfaces at a bottom of the bottle. The disclosure also includes a method of conveying bottles, wherein plastic bottles are supported with their bottoms on a moving conveying face of a conveyor, and wherein the conveying face and the bottom of the bottle are conveyed via one or more textured surfaces at a bottom of the bottle. The disclosure further includes use of at least one textured bottom surface of a plastic bottle for conveying, and a blow mold for blow molding a plastic bottle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A conveying system, said conveying system comprising: a plurality of modules forming a modular conveyor belt supported on a conveyor track so that top surfaces of the modules of the conveyor belt present a conveying face that in use moves along the conveyor track in a conveying direction; and at least one plastic bottle, said at least one plastic bottle having at least one textured surface defining projections configured to reduce friction, the at least one textured surface is provided at an end of a support foot projecting downward at a bottom of the at least one plastic bottle, and said at least one plastic bottle being supported on the conveying face via the projections of said at least one textured surface at the bottom of the bottle, the at least one textured surface being rough compared to an adjacent surface portion of the plastic bottle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The conveying system of claim 1, wherein the at least one plastic bottle is supported on the conveying face via the at least one textured surface free of external lubrication between the at least one plastic bottle and the conveying face. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The conveying system of claim 1, wherein the projections project from one or more base surfaces at the bottom of the at least one plastic bottle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The conveying system of claim 3, wherein the projections engage the conveying face to form together a combined contact area that is smaller than a base area of the engaged projections. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The conveying system of claim 3, wherein the one or more base surfaces are part of a bottom wall of the at least one plastic bottle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The conveying system of claim 1, wherein the at least one textured surface is a plurality of textured surfaces provided at ends of support feet projecting downward at the bottom of the at least one plastic bottle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The conveying system of claim 1, wherein the top surfaces of the modules are provided with a smooth, nontextured surface. ### Claim 8 A conveying system, comprising: a conveyor having a conveying face that in use moves in a conveying direction; and a plastic bottle having a support foot projecting downward from a bottom of the plastic bottle and a textured surface at an end of the support foot, wherein the textured surface is configured to support the plastic bottle on the conveying face and is configured to reduce friction between the textured surface and the conveying face. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The conveying system of claim 8, wherein the textured surface comprises microstructures. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The conveying system of claim 8, wherein the textured surface comprises projections that project from a base surface at the bottom of the plastic bottle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The conveying system of claim 10, wherein the projections are configured to engage the conveying face to together form a combined contact area that is smaller than a base area of the base surface from which the projections project. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The conveying system of claim 10, wherein the projections are configured to engage the conveying face to define a contact area of each of the projections that is less than 1 mm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The conveying system of claim 10, wherein the projections are spaced center-to-center less than 1 mm. ### Claim 14 A conveying system, comprising: a conveyor having a conveying face; and a plastic bottle having a lowermost outer boundary: a support foot projecting downward in the lowermost outer boundary; and a base surface located at an end of the support foot to support the plastic bottle on the conveying face; wherein the base surface includes a textured surface defining a textured surface area at an interface between the plastic bottle and the conveying face; and wherein the textured surface includes projections defining a combined contact area that is smaller than the textured surface area to support the plastic bottle on the conveying face and configured to reduce friction between the textured surface and the conveying face. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The conveying system of claim 14, wherein the combined contact area is less than half of the textured surface area. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The conveying system of claim 14, wherein the projections include microstructures. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The conveying system of claim 14, wherein the base surface is a bottom wall of the plastic bottle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The conveying system of claim 17, wherein the textured surface is defined by the bottom wall of the plastic bottle.