US 6,554,602 B2 · Machine for making a carbonated soft drink bottle with an internal web and hand-grip feature

Abstract

A machine and method for blow molding a polyester bottle for carbonated beverages with an internal web structure positioned between two hand-grip depressions. The machine and method uses an injection-molded preform having a web feature and maintains the web of the preform in a precise position during heat-treatment and eventual blow molding into the bottle. Heat-treatment involves an oven capable of heating and cooling selected regions of the preform by using a combination of shields, heat energy reflective surfaces, and cooling airflows. Bottle blow molding involves precise placement of the preform relative to hand-grip surfaces in a blow mold cavity and cooling airflow of the internal web structure before bottle removal.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A machine for blow molding a bottle with an internal web structure positioned between two handgrip depressions utilizing a preform having a neck portion with an open end, a body portion depending from said neck portion, a bottom portion depending from said body portion and forming a closed end, the neck portion, body portion, and bottom portion defining a hollow space and having a common longitudinal axis extending therethrough, and an internal web portion extending completely across said hollow space between opposing sides of at least a portion of the body portion, said machine comprising:

a) an in-feeder, said in-feeder feeding the preform into said machine;
b) a heating station including at least one heating source and at least one reflector positioned to selectively impart heat to the internal web portion while preventing over-heating of the body portion of the preform as the preform is conveyed therethrough;
c) an inflating station having a blow mold, said blow mold including surfaces defining a cavity of a bottle shape with handgrip depressions;
and
d) means for enhancing cooling of the internal web portion after inflating the preform in said inflating station into the shape of a bottle having handgrip portions and before removal from said blow mold.

2 more elements

A machine for blow molding a bottle with an internal web structure positioned between two handgrip depressions utilizing a preform having a neck portion with an open end, a body portion depending from said neck portion, a bottom portion depending from said body portion and forming a closed end, said neck portion, body portion, and bottom portion defining a hollow space with a common axis and a circular cross-sectional shape, an internal web portion extending completely across said hollow space from said bottom portion and terminating within said body portion, and said neck portion includes a handling ring with a notch in alignment with said web portion, said machine comprising:

a) a preform in-feed and alignment device that positions said preform utilizing said notch in said handling ring;
b) an oven unit with a series of heating units, each said heating unit contains an energy source and an energy reflector surface for heating said body portion, bottom portion, and internal web portion;
said preform rotates about said common axis while simultaneously moving through said oven unit and said internal web portion is kept in a controlled relationship with said oven unit as said preform rotates;
c) means for inflating said preform in a bottle blow mold cavity defining said handgrip depressions;
and
d) means for cooling said internal web structure of said bottle before removal from said bottle blow mold cavity.

3 more elements

A blow molding station of a machine for heat treating and blow molding a bottle with an internal web structure positioned between two handgrip depressions utilizing a preform having a neck portion with an open end, a body portion depending from said neck portion, a bottom portion depending from said body portion and forming a closed end, said neck portion, body portion, and bottom portion defining a hollow space with a common axis and a circular cross-sectional shape, an internal web portion extending completely across said hollow space from said bottom portion and terminating within said body portion, and said neck portion includes a handling ring with a notch in alignment with said web portion, said machine comprising:

a) a preform in-feed and alignment device that positions said preform utilizing said notch in said handling ring;
b) an oven unit with a series of heating units, each said heating unit contains an energy source and an energy reflector surface for heating said body portion, bottom portion, and internal web portion;
said preform rotates about said common axis while simultaneously moving through said oven unit and said internal web portion is kept in a controlled relationship with said oven unit as said preform rotates;
c) a preform transfer that places said preform in a bottle blow mold cavity and aligns said web portion between a first molding surface of said handgrip depressions and a second molding surface of said handgrip depressions in said blow mold cavity;
d) a hollow stretch rod with two tongs at one end, said tongs defining a clearance slot for straddling said web portion and for engaging an interior surface of said bottom portion;
e) a supply of preform preblow air entering through an air nozzle in contact with said neck portion;
f) a supply of high pressure air entering through said air nozzle to inflate said preform and form said bottle;
g) a flow of cooling air within said bottle from said air nozzle to an opening facing said internal web structure within each of said tongs of said hollow stretch rod and exhausting said flow of cooling air out of said bottle through said hollow stretch rod;
and
h) a bottle transfer from said bottle blow mold cavity that places said bottle in a bottle output device.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Machine for making a carbonated soft drink bottle with an internal web and hand-grip feature

Life of this patent

Machine for making a carbonated soft drink bottle with an internal web and hand-grip feature

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32