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AssigneeContinental PET Technologies, Inc.
InventorWayne N. Collette
Estimating the term…
This relates to a preform which is injection molded and which is especially intended for use in the blow molding of a container suitable for receiving a hot fill product. Most particularly, the neck finish of the preform, which becomes the neck finish of the resultant blow molded container, is reinforced against axial compression or foreshortening as may occur when the neck finish is heated to a temperature approaching the glass transition temperature of the polyester from which the neck finish is formed. So as to resist deformation of the neck finish, the neck finish is provided on the interior surface (mouth) thereof with a plurality of axially extending, radially inwardly projecting, circumferentially spaced ribs. If the thread means of the neck finish for receiving a closure is of the interrupted type, there will be at least one rib for each thread element.
A preform for use in blow molding a polyester container subjected to hot filling and closed by a rotatable closure, said preform having an as formed container neck finish and a tubular body to be subjected to both axial and hoop direction stretching, said neck finish including external thread means for receiving a closure, said preform being improved by said neck finish defining a container mouth having an internal diameter greater than said tubular body internal diameter, said mouth being joined to said tubular body interior by an inverted generally conical surface, and said neck finish being reinforced by internal axially extending structural shape maintaining ribs projecting radially inwardly from said mouth, said ribs forming means for preventing axial collapse of said neck finish.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.