HIGH STRENGTH BOTTLE

Abstract

A bottle with improved strength is provided. The bottle can have a liquid holding capacity of at least 2.5 gallons and can exhibit a drop impact resistance of at least 3 feet as measured by ASTMD 2463-95. The bottle can be formed from a substantially BPA-free material. The bottle can be used in liquid dispensers, such as water coolers.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to bottles having handles. More particularly, the present invention is directed to large capacity bottles having handles and being suitable for use in liquid dispensers, such as water coolers.

2. Description of the Related Art

BPA-based polycarbonates have long been used to produce various types of food and beverage containers. However, due to some reports that BPA-based polycarbonates may have negative health effects, an emphasis has recently been placed on producing containers that are “BPA-free.” In particular, the container industry has focused on the production of beverage bottles, where leaching of BPA into the beverage has been a concern due to the prolonged exposure of the beverage to the BPA-based polycarbonate. However, most of the bottle industry's BPA-free focus has been on smaller bottles with a capacity of less than one liter.

Despite the desire to produce beverage bottles that are BPA-free, many materials that could potentially replace BPA-based polycarbonates exhibit deficiencies in one or more important characteristics, such as strength, toughness, chemical resistance, clarity, heat resistance, and/or processability. Currently, there are no BPA-free bottles having a large capacity (e.g., at least 2.5 gallons) that are sufficiently designed to exhibit the desired characteristics (e.g., strength, toughness, chemical resistance, heat resistance, and/or clarity) sought in large capacity bottles.

Accordingly, there is a need for a large capacity bottle that can be formed of a BPA-free material, yet still exhibit the desired characteristics.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of this invention is directed to a bottle comprising an outlet at a first end of the bottle, a base at a second end of the bottle, and a main body located between the outlet and base. A central longitudinal axis extends in a longitudinal direction between the first and second ends of the bottle. The main body of the bottle comprises a well panel and an integrally-formed handle. The well panel at least partly defines a recessed well and the handle spans at least a portion of the recessed well. The outer surface of the well panel defines a concave longitudinal panel curve along a longitudinal reference plane, which contains the longitudinal axis and extends through the centroid of the well panel. The outer surface of the well panel defines a convex transverse panel curve along a transverse reference plane that extends through the centroid of the well panel and is oriented such that the longitudinal axis is normal to the transverse reference plane.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a substantially BPA-free bottle comprising an outlet at a first end of the bottle, a base at a second end of the bottle, and a main body located between the outlet and base. The bottle defines a central longitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction between the first and second ends of the bottle. Furthermore, the main body comprises a well panel and a handle, wherein the well panel at least partly defines a recessed well and the handle spans at least a portion of the recessed well. The bottle comprises a synthetic polymeric material that makes up at least 90 percent of the total weight of the bottle, Additionally, the synthetic polymeric material comprises less than 1 weight percent of bisphenol A polycarbonate. Moreover, the bottle has a liquid holding capacity of at least 2.5 gallons and a weight of at least 600 grams and not more than 900 grams. Finally, the bottle has a drop impact resistance of at least 3 feet as measured by ASTMD 2463-95.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the following drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bottle configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, particularly illustrating the bottle as including a well and a handle spanning the well;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the bottle rotated 90° from the view depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric bottom view of the bottle depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the bottle of FIG. 1, with the handle being removed to more clearly show the well panel of the bottle;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 1, particularly illustrating the transverse (horizontal) curvature of the well panel;

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the handle and well panel of the bottle, particularly illustrating the longitudinal (vertical) curvatures of the well panel and the handle;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the base of the bottle;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the base of the bottle, particularly illustrating the radii of curvature of the chime and push-up;

FIG. 9 is partial, top, isometric view of the base of the bottle, particularly illustrating the recessed tunnels and the weld; and

FIG. 10 is a partial, bottom, isometric view of the base of the bottle, particularly illustrating the recessed tunnels and the weld.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a large bottle having enhanced strength properties such as, for example, drop impact resistance. Such bottles may be suitable for use in liquid dispensers such as water coolers.

The bottle can have a liquid holding capacity of at least 2.5, 4.0, 4.5, or 4.75 gallons and/or not more than 10, 8, 6, or 5.5 gallons. In one embodiment, the bottle can have a liquid holding capacity of about 5 gallons. Furthermore, the bottle can have a weight of at least 600, 650, 700, or 725 grams and/or not more than 900, 850, 800, or 775 grams. To ensure that the bottle can fit into a standard liquid dispenser, the bottle can have a maximum diameter of at least 6, 8, or 10 inches and/or not more than 18, 14, or 12 inches.

The strength of the bottle can be measured in terms of drop impact resistance. In one embodiment, the bottle can have a drop impact resistance of at least 3, 4, or 5 feet as measured by ASTM D 2463-95. The enhanced strength of the bottle can be at least partly derived from its physical design. To further illustrate the physical design of the bottle, various features of the bottle are described in detail below with reference to the drawing figures.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the bottle 20 comprises an outlet 22 at a first end 24 of the bottle 20, a base 26 at a second end 28 of the bottle 20, and a main body 30 located between the outlet 22 and the base 26. The main body 30 comprises a well panel 32 and an integrally-formed handle 34. The well panel 32 at least partly defines a recessed well 36 and the handle 34 at least partially spans this recessed well 36. Additionally, the main body 30 may also include a first rib 38, a second rib 40, and a substantially cylindrical sidewall 42 disposed between the first rib 38 and second rib 40. The main body 30 can also include a panel fillet 44 for joining the well panel 32 with the sidewall 42, as well as handle fillets 46 for joining the handle 34 to the well panel 32. As perhaps best illustrated in FIG. 2, the panel fillet 44 can circumscribe the entire well panel 32.

The bottle 20 depicted in FIGS. 1-3 also includes a neck 52, an expansion section 54, and a shoulder 56. The neck 52 is located adjacent to the outlet 22, the shoulder 56 is located adjacent to the main body 30, and the expansion section 54 is located between the neck 52 and shoulder 56. The expansion section 54 can have, for example, a generally frusta-conical shape.

FIG. 3 illustrates the central longitudinal axis 58 of the bottle 20. The central longitudinal axis 58 extends in a longitudinal direction between the first end 24 and second end 28 of the bottle 20 and through the geometric center of the outlet 22 and the geometric center of the base 26. The sidewall 42 can be centered on and can extend substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis 58.

FIG. 4 depicts a side view of the bottle 20 (not showing the handle) focusing on the well panel 32 and showing reference planes (dashed lines) used to help describe the shape of the well panel 32. FIG. 4 also shows that the expansion section 54 can form an angle (A1) of at least 20, 25, or 27.5 degrees and/or not more than 40, 35, or 30 degrees from a plane oriented such that the central longitudinal axis 58 is normal thereto.

FIG. 4 illustrates a longitudinal (vertical) reference plane 60 that contains the central longitudinal axis 58 and extends through a centroid 50 of the well panel 32. Further, FIG. 4 shows a transverse (horizontal) reference plane 61 that extends through the centroid 50 of the well panel 32 and is oriented such that the central longitudinal axis 58 is normal (perpendicular) to the transverse reference plane 61. The longitudinal and transverse reference planes 60, 61 will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 5-10.

FIG. 5 shows that the handle 34 of the bottle 20 can be substantially hollow and in fluid communication with the interior of the bottle 20. In one embodiment, the handle 34 defines an open internal passageway 66 sized to permit a sphere having a diameter of at least 0.5, 0.75, 1, or 1.25 inches to pass entirely therethrough.

FIG. 5 also shows that the outer surface 62 of the well panel 32 can define a convex transverse panel curve 64 at the location where the well panel 32 is cut by the transverse reference plane 61. As shown in FIG. 5, the transverse panel curve 64 can have a radius of curvature (R2) that is greater than the radius of curvature (R3) of the sidewall 42, measured at the location where the transverse reference plane 61 cuts through the bottle 20. Moreover, the ratio of the radius of curvature (R2) of the transverse panel curve 64 to the radius of curvature (R3) of the sidewall 42, as measured along the transverse reference plane 61, can be at least 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, or 5:1 and/or not more than 20:1, 15:1, 10:1, or 8:1, The radius of curvature (R2) of the transverse panel curve 64 can be at least 10, 20, or 25 inches and/or not more than 60, 50, or 40 inches. Additionally or alternatively, the radius of curvature (R3) of the sidewall 42, as measured along the transverse reference plane 61, can be at least 2, 3.5, or 4.5 and/or not more than 10, 8, or 6 inches.

As depicted in FIG. 5, the transverse panel curve 64 can extend circumferentially through an angle (A2) of least 15, 25, or 30 degrees and/or not more than 90, 80, or 70 degrees. Additionally or alternatively, the transverse panel curve 64 can extend circumferentially through an angle (A3) of at least 90, 100, 110, or 120 degrees and not more than 180, 160, or 140 degrees, as measured relative to the central longitudinal axis 58.

As shown in FIG. 6, the outer surface 62 of the well panel 32 can define a concave longitudinal panel curve 72 at the location where the well panel 32 is cut by the longitudinal reference plane 60. The radius of curvature (R4) of the longitudinal panel curve 72 can be at least 1, 2, or 3 inches and/or not more than 10, 6, or 4 inches. Additionally or alternatively, the longitudinal panel curve 72 can extend longitudinally through an angle (A4) of at least 100, 115, or 125 degrees and/or not more than 180, 160, or 145 degrees. The concave longitudinal panel curve 72 and the convex transverse panel curve 64 can provide the outer surface 62 of the well panel 32 with the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid.

As depicted in FIG. 6, the handle 34 can define first and second handle end points 68 and 69 located on the outermost opposite terminal ends of the handle 34. Furthermore, a handle orientation line 70 can be defined between the first and second handle end points 68. The handle orientation line 70 can be either parallel to the central longitudinal axis 58 or skewed relative to the central longitudinal axis 58 by an angle of less than 20, 10, 5, or 1 degrees. Further, the handle orientation line 70 can be spaced inwardly (toward the central longitudinal axis 58) from the outer circumference 71 of the sidewall 42 by a distance of at least 0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 inches.

In addition, FIG. 6 shows that the handle 34 can have a curved outer profile 74 extending between the first and second handle end points 68, 69. The curved outer profile 74 of the handle 34 can have a radius of curvature (R5) of at least 4, 8, or 12 inches and/or not more than 30, 24, or 18 inches. Additionally or alternatively, the curved outer profile 74 of the handle 34 can extend longitudinally through an angle (A5) of at least 5, 10, 15 degrees and/or not more than 50, 40, 30 degrees.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7-10, the base 26 of the bottle 20 can comprise a pair of concave tunnel recesses 76. Additionally, the base 26 can comprise a weld 78 that extends along the transverse reference plane 61 and through the tunnel recesses 76 so as to prevent contact between the weld 78 and a planar supporting surface (not shown) on which the base 26 of the bottle 20 rests. The base 26 can also include a footprint 80 for supporting the bottle 20 on a planar surface and a concave push-up 82 positioned radially inward from the footprint 80. As shown in FIG. 7, the push-up 82 can have a substantially circular outer perimeter 84 having a radius (R6) of at least 1, 1.5, or 1.75 inches and/or not more than 5, 3, or 2.5 inches.

FIG. 8 clearly shows the concave nature of the push-up 82. The push-up 82 can have a radius of curvature (R7) of at least 2, 4, or 6 inches and/or not more than 18, 12, or 8 inches. Additionally or alternatively, the push-up 82 can extend through an angle (A7) of at least 15, 20, or 27.5 degrees and/or not more than 50, 40, or 35 degrees. In one embodiment, the push-up 82 can have the general shape of a partial sphere (i.e., the top portion of a sphere). As depicted in FIG. 8, the base 26 can further comprise a chime 86. The chime 86 can have a radius of curvature (R8) of at least 1, 1.5, or 1.75 inches and/or not more than 4, 3, or 2 inches.

Certain aspects of the above-described bottle design enable the bottle to be produced from a substantially BPA-free material, while still maintaining the desired strength for the bottle. Thus, in one embodiment, the bottle of the present invention can be made from materials other than BPA-based polycarbonates. As used herein, “substantially BPA-free” refers to an article or material that contains less than 1, 0.5, 0.1, 0.05, or 0.01 weight percent of BPA-based polycarbonate.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottle can be at least partly formed from a substantially BRA-free synthetic polymeric material. The synthetic polymeric material can make up at least 50, 75, 90, 95, or 100 percent of the total weight of the bottle. In one embodiment, the bottle of the present invention can be formed by blow molding the synthetic polymeric material into the desired configuration discussed in detail above.

The synthetic polymeric material used to make the bottle can have a flexural modulus of at least 100,000, 150, 000, 200,000, or 215,000 psi and/or not more than 350,000, 300, 000, 250,000, or 230,000 psi as measured by ASTM D790. The synthetic polymeric material can have a flexural yield strength of at least 5,000, 7,000, or 8,500 psi and/or not more than 12,000, 10,000, or 9,500 psi as measured by ASTM D790. The synthetic polymeric material can have a tensile strength at yield of at least 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 6,500, or 7,250 psi and/or not more than 10,000, 9,000, 8000, or 7,000 psi as measured by ASTM D638. The synthetic polymeric material can have an impact strength of at least 8, 12, 14, or 15 ft-lb/in as measured by ASTM D256. The synthetic polymeric material can have a glass transition temperature of at least 90, 100, or 110 and/or not more than 140, 130, or 120° C. as measured by ASTM E1640-09. The synthetic polymeric material can have a melt viscosity of at least 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 poise and/or not more than 20,000, 15,000, 12,000, 10,000, 8,000, or 6,000 poise as measured at 1 radian per second on a rotary melt rheometer at 290° C. The synthetic polymeric material can have an inherent viscosity of at least 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.65, or 0.7 and/or not more than 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, or 0.75, as determined in 60/40 (wt/wt) phenol/tetrachloroethane at a concentration of 0.5 grams per 100 milliliters at 25° C. The synthetic polymeric material can have a transmittance of at least 75, 85, or 88 percent as measured by ASTM D1003. The synthetic polymeric material can have a haze of less than 5, 3, or 1.5 percent as measured by ASTM D1003.

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the synthetic polymeric material can be a polyester or copolyester. In one embodiment, the synthetic polymeric material can comprise glycol units derived from 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol and/or 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol. In a more specific example, the synthetic polymeric material can be a polyester having a dicarboxylic acid component and a glycol component, where the dicarboxylic component comprises at least 70, 80, 90, 95, or 100 mole percent of terephthalic acid residues and the glycol component comprises at least 10, 15, 20, or 25 mole percent and/or not more than 80, 60, 40, 35, or 30 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol and at least 20, 40, 60, 65, or 70 mole percent and/or not more than 90, 85, 80, or 75 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol.

In one embodiment, the synthetic polymeric material can comprise TRITAN WX500 or TRITAN WX510, available from Eastman Chemical Company of Kingsport, Tenn.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as it pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A bottle comprising an outlet at a first end of said bottle, a base at a second end of said bottle, and a main body located between said outlet and said base, wherein said bottle defines a central longitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction between said first and second ends of said bottle, wherein said main body comprises a well panel and an integrally-formed handle, wherein said well panel at least partly defines a recessed well and said handle spans at least a portion of said recessed well, wherein the outer surface of said well panel defines a concave longitudinal panel curve along a longitudinal reference plane containing said central longitudinal axis and extending through the centroid of said well panel, wherein the outer surface of said well panel defines a convex transverse panel curve along a transverse reference plane that extends through the centroid of said well panel and is oriented such that said central longitudinal axis is normal to said transverse reference plane.

2. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of said well panel has the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid.

3. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said transverse panel curve has a radius of curvature (R2) of at least 10 inches and not more than 60 inches, wherein said transverse panel curve extends circumferentially through an angle (A3) of at least 90 degrees and not more than 180 degrees, measured relative to said central longitudinal axis.

4. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said longitudinal panel curve has a radius of curvature (R4) of at least 1 inch and not more than 10 inches, wherein said longitudinal panel curve extends longitudinally through an angle (A4) of at least 100 degrees and not more than 180 degrees.

5. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said main body further comprises at least one sidewall extending substantially parallel to said central longitudinal axis, wherein said sidewall has a substantially cylindrical shape and is centered around said central longitudinal axis, wherein the ratio of the radius of curvature of said transverse panel curve (R2) to the radius of curvature of said sidewall (R3), measured along said transverse reference plane, is at least 2:1 and not more than 20:1.

6. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said handle defines an open internal passageway sized to permit a sphere having a diameter of at least 0.5 inches to pass entirely therethrough.

7. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said handle presents a curved outer profile, wherein said curved outer profile has a radius of curvature (R5) of at least 4 inches and not more than 30 inches, wherein said curved outer profile extends longitudinally through an angle (A5) of at least 5 degrees and not more than 50 degrees.

8. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said handle defines first and second handle end points located on the outermost opposite terminal ends of said handle, wherein a handle orientation line is defined between said first and second handle end points, wherein said handle orientation line is either parallel to said central longitudinal axis or skewed relative to said central longitudinal axis by an angle of less than 20 degrees.

9. The bottle of claim 8, wherein said main body further comprises a substantially cylindrical sidewall to which said well panel is coupled, wherein said handle orientation line is spaced inwardly from the outer circumference of said sidewall by a distance of at least 0.1 inches.

10. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said base comprises a chime and a concave push-up.

11. The bottle of claim 10, wherein said push-up has a radius of curvature (R5) of at least 2 inches and not more than 18 inches.

12. The bottle of claim 10, wherein said push-up has a substantially circular outer perimeter having a radius (R6) of at least 1.5 inches and not more than 5 inches.

13. The bottle of claim 10, wherein said bottle comprises a weld extending along said transverse reference plane, wherein said base further comprises a pair of concave tunnel recesses, wherein said weld extends through said tunnel recesses.

14. The bottle of claim 1, wherein bottle further comprises a neck, an expansion section, and a shoulder, wherein said neck is located adjacent said outlet, said shoulder is located adjacent said main body, and said expansion section is located between said neck and said shoulder, wherein said expansion section has a generally frusto-conical shape, wherein said expansion section forms an angle (A1) of at least 25 degrees and not more than 40 degrees from a plane normal to said central longitudinal axis.

15. The bottle of claim 1, wherein said bottle has a weight of at least 600 grams and not more than 900 grams, wherein said bottle has a liquid holding capacity of at least 2.5 gallons and not more than 10 gallons.

16. The bottle of claim 15, wherein said bottle has a drop impact resistance of at least 3 feet as measure by ASTM D 2463-95.

17. The bottle of claim 15, wherein said bottle is at least partly formed of a synthetic polymeric material, wherein said synthetic polymeric material makes up at least 50 percent of the total weight of said bottle.

18. The bottle of claim 17, wherein said synthetic polymeric material comprises less than 1 weight percent of bisphenol A polycarbonate.

19. The bottle of claim 17, wherein said polymeric material has a flexural modulus of at least 100,000 psi and not more than 300,000 psi as measured by ASTM D790.

20. The bottle of claim 17, wherein said polymeric material comprises a dicarboxylic acid component and a glycol component, wherein said dicarboxylic acid component comprises at least 70 mole percent of terephthalic acid residues, wherein said glycol component comprises at least 10 mole percent and not more than 80 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol, wherein said glycol component comprises at least 20 mole percent and not more than 90 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol.

21. A substantially BPA-free bottle comprising an outlet at a first end of said bottle, a base at a second end of said bottle, and a main body located between said outlet and said base, wherein said bottle defines a central longitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction between said first and second ends of said bottle, wherein said main body comprises a well panel and a handle, wherein said well panel at least partly defines a recessed well and said handle spans at least a portion of said recessed well, wherein said bottle comprises a synthetic polymeric material that makes up at least 90 percent of the total weight of said bottle, wherein said synthetic polymeric material comprises less than 1 weight percent of bisphenol A polycarbonate, wherein said bottle has a liquid holding capacity of at least 2.5 gallons, wherein said bottle has a weight of at least 600 grams and not more than 900 grams, wherein said bottle has a drop impact resistance of at least 3 feet as measured by ASTMD 2463-95.

22. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said polymeric material has a flexural modulus of at least 100,000 psi and not more than 300,000 psi as measured by ASTM D790.

23. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said polymeric material has a transmittance of at least 85 percent as measured by ASTM D1003, wherein said polymeric material has a haze of less than 3 percent as measured by ASTM D1003.

24. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said polymeric material is a polyester or copolyester.

25. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said polymeric material comprises a dicarboxylic acid component and a glycol component, wherein said dicarboxylic acid component comprises at least 70 mole percent of terephthalic acid residues, wherein said glycol component comprises at least 10 mole percent and not more than 80 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol, wherein said glycol component comprises at least 20 mole percent and not more than 90 mole percent of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol.

26. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said polymeric material is TRITAN WX500 or TRITAN WX510.

27. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said well panel has the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid.

28. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said main body further comprises at least one sidewall extending substantially parallel to said central longitudinal axis, wherein said sidewall has a substantially cylindrical shape and is centered around said central longitudinal axis, wherein the outer surface of said well panel defines a convex transverse panel curve along a transverse reference plane extending normal to said central longitudinal axis and through the centroid of said well panel, wherein the ratio of the radius of curvature of said transverse panel curve (R2) to the radius of curvature of said sidewall (R3), measured along said transverse reference plane, is at least 2:1 and not more than 20:1.

29. The bottle of claim 21, wherein the outer surface of said well panel defines a convex transverse panel curve along a transverse reference plane that extends through the centroid of said well panel and is oriented such that said central longitudinal axis is normal to said transverse reference plane, wherein a radius of curvature of said transverse panel curve (R2) is at least 10 inches and not more than 60 inches, wherein said transverse panel curve extends circumferentially through an angle (A3) of at least 90 degrees and not more than 180 degrees as measured relative to said central longitudinal axis, wherein the outer surface of said well panel defines a concave longitudinal panel curve along a longitudinal reference plane containing said central longitudinal axis and extending through the centroid of said well panel, wherein a radius of curvature of said longitudinal panel curve (R4) is at least 1 inch and not more than 10 inches, wherein said longitudinal panel curve extends longitudinally through an angle (A4) of at least 100 degrees and not more than 180 degrees.

30. The bottle of claim 21, wherein said handle is substantially hollow and is in fluid communication with the interior of said bottle.