Heat sterilizable plastic can bodies

Abstract

A plastic can body includes a bottom portion and a main body portion having a plastic sidewall that is connected to the bottom portion. The main body portion is shaped to define an upper rim that is adapted to be secured to a lid. The sidewall includes a plurality of first sidewall portions that have a substantially flat circumferentially extending outer surface and a plurality of second sidewall portions. Each of the second sidewall portions are interposed between two adjacent first sidewall portions. Each of the second sidewall portions are shaped to define a plurality of circumferentially spaced indentations. Each of the second sidewall portions includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertical columns. Adjacent ones of the second sidewall portions may be rotationally staggered with respect to each other so that the vertical columns on one second sidewall portion are not aligned with the vertical columns of an adjacent second sidewall portion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.