Intermediate article of manufacture for a plastic container

#This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in plastic containers, and more particularly to a plastic container wherein the container is formed of a plastic material which is biaxially oriented and wherein the entire container has a degree of biaxial orientation.

#Most particularly, this invention relates to a container which includes a bottom and side walls and normally a peripheral sealing flange and wherein a plurality of such containers are simultaneously formed in a blow mold from a conventional type of preform. While the preferred plastic material is PET, it is to be understood that other biaxially orientable plastic materials may be utilized depending upon the approval of that material for use as containers for foods or the particular use of such container.

#In accordance with this invention, there is provided a multi-sided blow mold cavity in which a tubular preform is positioned and thereafter blow molded so as to form a hollow member with a plurality of sides and wherein each side, when separated from the bottom and top of the hollow member forms a container having a peripheral flange.

#In the drawings:

#FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a hollow blown article formed in accordance with this invention wherein each side of the article is in the form of a container.

#FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through a conventional blow mold and shows the article of FIG. 1 in the blow mold.

#In accordance with this invention, there is provided a tubular preform 10 of the conventional type. The preform 10 may be of circular cross-section or it may be a specially formed preform. In any event, it has a tubular portion 12 which includes a lower shoulder 14 for engagement with the top of a mold, such as mold 16, and an upper shoulder 18 to facilitate handling of the preform and the presentation thereof into the mold 16.

#The mold 16 is of a split construction including halves 20, 22 and is provided with a cavity 24 which includes a tubular upper portion 26 which generally fits the tubular upper portion of the preform 10. The cavity of the mold 16 is generally triangular in cross-section so as to form a blow molded member, such as that shown in FIG. 1, the blow molded member being generally identified by the numeral 28.

#The blow molded member 28, depending upon the product to which it is to be packaged in results in containers, may be formed of PET or similar biaxially orientable plastic materials. The hollow member 28 includes a top wall 30 having extending upwardly therefrom the preform tubular neck 12 from which the shoulders 14 and 18 project. The hollow member 28 also includes a bottom wall 32. The top wall 30 and the bottom wall 32 in the illustrated member 28 are triangular in outline. As a result, the member 28 is provided with three sides 34.