Blow molded plastic containers including a handgrip and method for obtaining same
AssigneePepsiCo, Inc.
InventorEmery I. Valyi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A blow molded plastic container including a supporting member in the hollow space of the container extending completely across the hollow space and integral with the inside wall face of the body portion of the container at two spaced locations thereof to support the inside wall face. The body portion defines regions that comprise at least two adjoining lobes which form a handgrip. The method injection molds a preform containing an inner wall, blow molds the preform into the shape of a precursor having adjoining lobes separated by depressions, removes the precursor from the blow mold, and applies internal pressure into the precursor to form the precursor into its final shape including lobes.
Claims11
A blow molded plastic container which comprises:
- a neck portion defining an opening, a bottom portion and a body portion interconnecting the neck and bottom portions;
- wherein said neck, body and bottom portions define a hollow space closed at the bottom portion and open at the neck portion;
- said neck, body and bottom portions having an inside wall face and an outside wall face;
- at least one supporting member within the hollow space extending completely across the hollow space and integral with the inside wall face of the body portion at two spaced locations thereof to support said inside wall face;
- wherein the body portion defines regions that comprise at least two adjoining lobes, and with said lobes having two spaced depressions and a wall portion extending from one spaced depression to the other to form a wall portion having a shape of a handgrip, wherein at least one of said at least one supporting member in the hollow space extends from one of said spaced depressions to the other to support said spaced depressions, and wherein the spaced depressions have a base portion and the supporting member extends within the hollow space from said depression base of one of said spaced depressions to said depression base of the other of said spaced depressions;
- and wherein said wall portion of at least one of said lobes is blown in a mold to include segments releasable from said mold and deformed under internal pressure into the configuration of said handgrip.
A method for providing a blow molded plastic container, which comprises:
- injection molding a preform with a body portion having a hollow space therein and an inside wall face and containing an inner wall within its body portion extending completely across said hollow space and integral with the inside wall face at two spaced locations thereof to support the inside wall face;
- blow molding the preform in a blow mold into the shape of a precursor comprising at least two adjoining lobes separated by two spaced depressions, wherein the inner wall extends from one depression to the other, and wherein the spaced depressions have a base portion and the supporting member extends within the hollow space from said depression base of one of said spaced depressions to said depression base of the other of said spaced depressions;
- and wherein the lobes clear the parting surfaces of the blow mold;
- and
- removing the precursor from the blow mold and applying internal pressure into said precursor to deform at least one of said lobes to provide a curved handgrip therefrom.
A method for providing a blow molded plastic container having lobes separated by depressions, which comprises:
- injection molding a preform with a body portion having a hollow space therein and an inside wall face and containing an inner wall within its body portion extending completely across said hollow space and integral with the inside wall face at two spaced locations thereof to support the inside wall face;
- blow molding the preform in a blow mold into the shape of a precursor comprising at least two adjoining lobes with wall portions thereof separated by two spaced depressions, wherein the inner wall extends from one depression to the other, and wherein the spaced depressions have a base portion and the supporting member extends within the hollow space from said depression base of one of said spaced depressions to said depression base of the other of said spaced depressions;
- and wherein the lobes clear the parting surfaces of the blow mold;
- and
- removing the precursor from the blow mold and applying internal pressure into said precursor to deform said precursor into the final shape of said container including at least one of said lobes to provide the wall portion of the deformed lobe with the shape of a handgrip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.