Method for making a container from moldable material and a container from moldable material

Abstract

This invention is a method for the manufacture of a container made of moldable material having at least one side wall, a base and a filling opening, characterized by the fact that said container is manufactured by molding, and by the fact that at least one of its side walls comprises, near said filling opening, first means forming a hinge and second means forming a hinge located at some distance from said first means forming a hinge and making it possible to pivot a part of said side wall, thereby creating a triple wall, as well as to the containers that can be obtained by using said method.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to French Application No. 0010406 filed Aug. 7, 2000, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a container made of moldable material having at least one side wall, a base and a filling opening, and containers that have a double-wall or triple-wall extremity that can be obtained using this method.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Containers having walls such as flower pots, for example, are generally manufactured by molding a shape made of plastic material. This type of method is relatively fast and economical but can only be used to manufacture containers that have simple shapes and are relatively thin-walled.

[0006] In particular, it is not possible to manufacture hollow and closed parts when it is necessary to have an open space at a specific location on the piece, as can be the case with the edge of a pot, for example.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] This invention therefore teaches a remedy to the above mentioned disadvantages of the methods of the prior art.

[0008] For this purpose, a first object of the invention is a process for the manufacture of a container made of moldable material having at least one side wall, a base and a filling opening, characterized by the fact that said container is manufactured by molding, and by the fact that at least one of its side walls includes, in the vicinity of said filling opening, first means that form a hinge and second means that form a hinge and are located at some distance from said first means forming a hinge and making it possible to pivot a portion of said side wall, thereby creating a triple wall.

[0009] Any moldable material, such as a plastic material, for example, can be used for this purpose.

[0010] The introduction of hinges in one of the walls of the containers makes it possible to, among other things, realize closed spaces, the realization of which was not easily possible in methods of the prior art. Moreover, the manufacture of this hinge is very simple and does not require a special step, because it is performed during the molding operation itself.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the means that form the hinge consist of a line that is thinner than the rest of the side wall, or a set of lines that are connected to one another by very small walls of an appropriate shape, although it is of course possible to realize the hinge by any other means appropriate to the utilization.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the container is obtained by injection molding or by extrusion-blowing.

[0013] This latter embodiment has the additional advantage that even larger and stronger parts can be realized than with a single hinge, and the parts can also have special shapes.

[0014] A second object of the invention is a method for the manufacture of two containers made of moldable materials as claimed by the invention, characterized by the fact that said containers are manufactured simultaneously by molding a single shape that comprises at least two bases and one side wall, which is then cut in its center, parallel to the bases of said containers. This embodiment makes it possible to manufacture two containers in a single molding operation for said containers, the blanks of which are arranged head-to-foot. They can then be separated by a simple cutting operation.

[0015] A third object of the invention consists of containers that can be obtained by the different embodiments of the methods as taught by the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Other characteristics and advantages of this invention are explained in greater detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1A is a view in section of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention, during manufacture;

[0018] FIG. 1B is a view in section of the container illustrated in FIG. 1A upon completion of its manufacture;

[0019] FIG. 2A is a view in section of a second embodiment of a container according to the invention, during manufacture;

[0020] FIG. 2B is a view in section of the container illustrated in FIG. 2A upon completion of its manufacture;

[0021] FIG. 3A is a view in section of a variant of the second embodiment of a container according to the invention, during manufacture;

[0022] FIG. 3B is a view in section of the device illustrated in FIG. 3A upon completion of its manufacture;

[0023] FIG. 4A is a view in section of a third embodiment of two containers according to the invention, during manufacture; and

[0024] FIG. 4B is a view in section of a fourth embodiment of two containers according to the invention, during manufacture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] FIG. 1A shows a molded part 1 of the type that is obtained from a blow-molding, and includes among other things a base 2 that is extended by a side wall 3. This wall 3 has a horizontal peripheral groove or channel 4, the upper part of which ends in a thinner line 5 that forms a hinge. Above the hinge 5 there is a band of material 6, the height of which is slightly greater than the diameter of the groove or channel 4.

[0026] From this molded shape, the container 7 illustrated in FIG. 1B is illustrated by cutting the upper portion of the molded shape 1 at the level of the band 6, so that the height of this band 6 then has a size that is close to the diameter of the groove or channel 4. This band is then folded by pivoting it around the hinge 5, and the edge of the band 6 can also be welded to the wall of the container. The figure shows that it is also possible to quickly and easily manufacture a container made of moldable material that has a large but hollow edge and a double wall.

[0027] FIG. 2B illustrates an additional embodiment of a container that has two hinges and not just one, like the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0028] In the same manner as above, blow-molding or injection molding is used to produce a molded shape 8 that has a base 9 which is extended by a side wall 10 that has a horizontal peripheral shoulder 11. This shoulder 11, along its upper part, has a thinner line 12 that forms a first hinge. The wall 10 is then extended by a band of material 13, the height of which is equal to the height of the diagonal of the shoulder 11. The upper part of the band of material 13 is delimited by a second thinner line 14 which forms a second hinge, which is itself extended by a second band of material 15.

[0029] This band of material 15 is curved and has a shape that is essentially symmetrical to the shape of the shoulder 11 when the band 13 is folded. After this shape is molded, the container 16 illustrated in FIG. 2B can be obtained by pivoting the band 13 around the hinge 12 until it touches the wall 10, and then by pivoting the band 15 around the hinge 14 until it touches the band 13. The band 13 can then be welded to the wall 10 and the band 15 to the band 13 if desired. The container 16 that results has an edge that is even more voluminous than the edge of the container 7, although it requires very little material.

[0030] FIGS. 3A and 3B show a molded shape 17 that also has two hinges that are not described in any further detail because they are identical to the molded shape 8 with the exception of the shape of the shoulder and of the second band of material, which in this case are more rounded, which when the manufacturing process is completed gives a container 18 with an edge that has an oval cross section. It is thereby apparent that by varying the shape of these two parts of the wall, it is possible to obtain different types of edges that are more or less voluminous and more or less inclined, depending on the intended use of this container.

[0031] It should also be noted that if a multi-layer wall is used for the realization of the containers 16 and 18, the inside of the edge can have an appearance that differs from that of the outside of the edge, either in terms of color and/or in terms of texture, which further increases the number of possible variants.

[0032] FIGS. 4A and 4B show molded shapes 19 and 20, respectively. FIG. 4A indicates that shape 19 includes shape 1 and 1′. Shape 1′ is the mirror-image of shape 1 and extends from shape 1. The shapes 1 and 1′ are manufactured simultaneously by molding the single shape 19 that comprises at least two bases 2 and 2′ and one side wall 3, which is then cut in its center along line IVA-IVA, parallel to the bases 2 and 2′ of said shapes 1 and 1′.

[0033] FIG. 4B, likewise, indicates that shape 20 includes shape 8 and 8′. Shape 8′is the mirror-image of shape 8 and extends from shape 8. The shapes 8 and 8′ are manufactured simultaneously by molding the single shape 20 that comprises at least two bases 9 and 9′ and one side wall 10, which is then cut in its center along line IVB-IVB, parallel to the bases 9 and 9′of said shapes 8 and 8′.

[0034] It goes without saying that the embodiments of the invention that have been described above are presented here exclusively for purposes of illustration and are in no way intended to be restrictive, and that numerous modifications can easily be made by a technician skilled in the art without thereby going beyond the context of the invention.

[0035] Therefore, although the examples described above relate in particular to the field of flower pots, it is altogether possible to use the method taught by the invention in other areas in which the same type of problem is to be solved.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a container made of moldable material having at least one side wall, a base, and a filling opening, comprising the steps of:

molding said container such that at least one of said side walls includes, near said filling opening, a first means forming a hinge and a second means forming a hinge located at some distance from said first means forming the hinge; and

pivoting a part of said at least one of said side walls around said hinges to create a triple wall.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container is molded by injection molding or by extrusion-blowing.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first means forming the hinge and second means forming the hinge include two lines that are thinner than the rest of said one of said side walls or two sets of lines connected to one another by very small walls in an appropriate shape.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said side walls also has a horizontal peripheral groove or channel, said groove or channel includes along an upper part a thinner line forming a hinge extended by a band of material,

further including the step of, if necessary, cutting off a portion of said container above said band before pivoting said part around said hinge, thereby closing said groove or channel in whole or in part.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, further including the step of welding said band to an inside wall of said container after pivoting said part.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein two containers are molded simultaneously, and

further including the steps of:

molding a second container extending from said container to form a single shape such that said at least one of said side walls of said second container extends from said at least one of said side walls of said container, said base of said second container being opposed said base of said container; and

cutting said shape at approximately a middle and parallel to said bases to form said container and said second container.

7. A container made from moldable material, comprising:

a base;

at least one side wall extending from said base, and

a filling opening opposed said base,

wherein at least one of said side walls includes, near said filling opening, a first means forming a first hinge such that a part of said at least one of said side walls is pivotable around said first hinge to create a wall.

8. The container as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least one of said side walls further includes a second means forming a second hinge located at some distance from said first means forming said first hinge such that said part of said at least one of said side walls is pivotable around said first hinge and said second hinge.

9. The container as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first means forming the hinge and said second means forming the hinge include two lines that are thinner than the rest of said at least one of said side walls or two sets of lines connected to one another by very small walls in an appropriate shape.

10. The container as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said at least one of said side walls of said container includes a horizontal peripheral groove or channel, said groove or channel includes along an upper part a thinner line forming said first hinge extended by a band of material, and

if necessary, a portion of said container above said band is cut off before pivoting said part around said hinge, thereby closing said groove or channel in whole or in part.

11. The container as claimed in claim 10, wherein said band is attached to an inside wall of said container after said band has been pivoted to close said groove or channel.

12. The container as claimed in claim 7, further including:

a second container including

at least one second side wall extending from said at least one side wall of said container, said at least one second side wall including, near said filling opening, a first means forming a hinge;

a second base extending from said at least one second side wall and being opposed said base of said container;

a second filling opening opposed said second base,

wherein two containers are formed when said second container is separated from said container at an approximate mid-point between said base and said second base.

13. The container as claimed in claim 8, further including:

a second container including

at least one second side wall extending from said at least one side wall of said container, said at least one second side wall including, near said filling opening, a first means forming a hinge and a second means forming a second hinge located at some distance from said first means forming said first hinge;

a second base extending from said at least one second side wall and being opposed said base of said container;

a second filling opening opposed said second base,

wherein two containers are formed when said second container is separated from said container at an approximate mid-point between said base and said second base.

14. A method for manufacturing a container made of moldable material having at least one side wall, a base, and a filling opening, comprising the steps of:

molding said container such that at least one of said side walls includes, near said filling opening, a first means forming a first hinge; and

pivoting a part of said at least one of said side walls around said first hinge to create a wall.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said at least one of said side walls also has a horizontal peripheral groove or channel, said groove or channel includes along an upper part a thinner line forming said first hinge extended by a band of material,

further including the step of, if necessary, cutting off a portion of said container above said band before pivoting said part around said first hinge, thereby closing said groove or channel in whole or in part.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further including the step of welding said band to an inside wall of said container after pivoting said part.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

the step of molding said container further includes molding said at least one of said side walls to further include a second means forming a second hinge located at some distance from said first means forming said first hinge, and

said step of pivoting said part also includes pivoting said part around said second hinge.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said container is molded by injection molding or by extrusion-blowing.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein two containers are molded simultaneously, and

further including the steps of:

molding a second container extending from said container to form a single shape such that said at least one of said side walls of said second container extends from said at least one of said side walls of said container, said base of said second container being opposed said base of said container; and

cutting said shape at approximately a middle and parallel to said bases to form said container and said second container.