Abstract: Apparatus and method of gauging the "saddle" of a container finish in which a test rig supports a bottle or container at an elevated position so the container can be rotated about the axis of its finish. The container is threaded into a finish ring. The finish ring is accurately supported for rotation in a horizontal plane with the feeler of an indicator engaging the top rim of the container during rotation. 360.degree. rotation in both directions gives maximum and minimum readings that are registered and used to determine the differential or saddle of the container.

Abstract: A dispensing package for dispensing liquid comprising an injection blow molded container having a flexible body and a neck comprising an outer wall and an inner wall. The inner wall defines a dispensing opening. A closure has a transverse wall, a peripheral skirt and a peripheral foot for engaging a flat surface. Threads between the closure and the outer wall hold the transverse wall in sealing engagement with the inner wall of the neck for closing the dispensing opening. The closure is movable axially relative to the container between a first position sealingly engaging the neck of the container and a second position wherein fluid is permitted to flow to an outlet in the skirt so that when the wall of the container is flexed a portion of the contents is dispensed.

Abstract: A plastic drum comprising a side wall, a bottom wall and a top wall having an opening therein and a plastic stem fusion bonded to the inner surface of the base wall in general alignment with the opening such that a dispensing tube can be inserted through the opening with the lower end of the tube engaging the stem to hold the dispensing tube in position adjacent the bottom wall. The plastic drum is made by heating the base of the plastic stem at an elevated temperature and inserting the heated stem into contact with the inner surface of the base of the drum as the hot drum is removed from the plastic forming machine where it has been blown outwardly from a hollow parison in conformity with a mold.

Abstract: In the forming of an article by blow molding parisons into conformity with cavities of an array of mold sections wherein parisons in the form of tubes are extruded from an extruder into an array of neck molds on a head, the head is moved axially away from the extruder to define the parisons, mold sections are closed about the parisons, and the parisons are blown outwardly, an apparatus for application of labels to the hollow blown plastic articles which comprises an array of vacuum cups mounted on the head and movable with the head and a mechanism operable to move the vacuum cups outwardly to engage labels on magazines and move the labels inwardly toward the head and to thereafter move the labels outwardly and deposit them in the mold cavities when the head moves adjacent the mold cavities.

Abstract: A container package comprising an array of cans, each of which has a body portion, an annular bead on the upper end thereof having a smaller diameter than the body portion and an inclined portion extending from the body portion to the bead, and a carrier. The carrier comprises a sheet of flexible plastic material having a plurality of openings forming an array for receiving the ends of the cans. The cans are inserted upwardly into the openings and retained by the carrier by flexing of the periphery of each opening upwardly against the bead of each can. The modulus of elasticity, the thickness of the sheet and the spacing and size of the openings are such that the cans are maintained in abutting relationship. The upper ends of the cans are substantially in a single plane when the package is lifted through finger openings in the sheet.

Abstract: In an apparatus of making a hollow plastic article wherein a label is positioned in each of a plurality of spaced partible molds in a predetermined array, a preform is positioned in each set of partible molds and the molds are closed and the preform is blown outwardly to the confines of the mold to apply the label to the resultant hollow plastic article, the apparatus which comprises providing labels on a roll of labels, successively engaging the free end of the web of the roll of labels by a first endless vacuum conveyor, tensioning the portion of the web between a point upstream and the free end by the first endless vacuum conveyor, successively cutting a label on the free end from the remaining tensioned portion, transferring each label successively by moving the first endless conveyor adjacent a second endless vacuum conveyor which is transverse to the first conveyor, indexing the second endless conveyor to provide an array of labels on the second endless conveyor which corresponds in spacing to the spaci

Abstract: A container package comprising an array of cans, each of which has an annular bead on the upper end thereof and a carrier. The carrier includes a sheet of flexible plastic material having a plurality of openings forming an array for receiving the ends of the cans a film of plastic material coextensive with the sheet and bonded to the periphery of the sheet so that it is flat and taut on the sheet. The cans are inserted upwardly into the openings and retained by the carrier by flexing of the periphery of each opening upwardly against the chime or bead of each can. As the cans are inserted, the film is stretched so that it is taut about the upper ends of the cans. The film is stretched substantially flat and taut from one peripheral edge to an opposite peripheral edge. The carrier thus protects the cans from contaminants. The carrier supports the array of the cans so that the upper ends of the cans are in a single plane when the package is lifted through finger openings in the film and sheet.

Abstract: A plastic container having a multilayer label applied by in-mold labeling during the blow molding of the plastic container. The label includes a non-cellular inner layer, an intermediate cellular layer compatible with the inner layer and heat bonded to the inner layer, and an outer non-cellular plastic layer compatible with the intermediate cellular layer and heat bonded thereto. The label is positioned in a mold cavity with the outer layer in contact with the mold. When a hot plastic parison at molding temperature is expanded by fluid pressure against the walls of the mold to form a container, the non-cellular inner layer becomes bonded to the outer surface of the container by heat from the container.

Abstract: A can package comprising a plurality of cans, preferably twelve, including a flat carrier in the form of a sheet having openings stretched over the upper ends of the cans and a tubular banding strap of plastic material stretched about the periphery of the group of cans and bonded along one edge to the periphery of the carrier. The band includes an integral handle.

Abstract: A method for making a partially crystalline, biaxially oriented heat set hollow polyethylene terephthalate free standing container from a hollow parison having an open end and a closed end including engaging the open end of a plastic parison which is at a temperature within its molecular orientation temperature range, positioning a mold base in axial alignment with said engaged hot parison, enclosing a hot mold about the mold base, the mold being at heat setting temperature and the mold base being at a temperature preferably significantly lower than the mold, expanding the plastic parison within the hot mold and mold base by internal pressurization to induce biaxial orientation of the plastic parison and force the plastic parison into intimate contact and conformance with the hot mold and to maintain contact by such internal pressurization between the mold and mold base and the biaxially oriented container for a time sufficient to induce partial crystallization in the side wall and base of the biaxially orien

Abstract: A self draining container is disclosed. The container has a body and an upper integral pouring spout. The upper part of the container body and the spout define a generally funnel shaped section. A ring member is attached to and surrounds the pouring spout. The ring member and the pouring spout define a flow back chamber. An opening extends between the flow back chamber and the container body. A separable cap is removably mounted over the pouring spout.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a partially crystalline, biaxially oriented heat set hollow plastic container from a hollow parison having an open end and a closed end including engaging the open end of a plastic parison which is at a temperature within its molecular orientation temperature range, enclosing the hot parison in a hot mold, which is at heat setting temperature, expanding the plastic parison within the hot mold by internal pressurization to induce biaxial orientation of the plastic parison and to induce partial crystallization in the biaxially oriented container, exhausting the blow molding fluid while continuously introducing a cooling fluid such as liquid carbon dioxide into the biaxially oriented container and continuously removing the cooling fluid while the hot mold is closed for a period of time, opening the hot mold while continuing to introduce, circulate and remove coolant fluid for a predetermined period of time until the container is cooled sufficiently to prevent significant shrinka

Abstract: A method including engaging the open end of a first plastic parison which is at a temperature within its molecular orientation temperature range, enclosing a hot mold which is at heat setting temperature about the parison at a first position, simultaneously enclosing a cold mold at a second position about a container previously blown in the hot mold to cool the previously blown container, expanding the plastic parison within the hot mold by internal pressurization through the open end to induce biaxial orientation of the plastic parison and force the plastic parison into intimate contact and conformance with the hot mold and to maintain contact by such internal pressurization between the mold and biaxially oriented container for a time sufficient to induce partial crystallization in the biaxially oriented container, moving the hot mold and the cold mold in unison to bring the hot mold to the second position and the cold mold to a third position during the expanding of the parison within the hot mold and durin

Abstract: In the method of making hollow plastic articles wherein a label is positioned in each of a plurality of spaced partible molds in a predetermined array, preforms are positioned in each set of partible molds and the molds are closed and the preforms are blown outwardly to the confines of the molds to apply the label to the resultant hollow plastic article, and apparatus for providing labels on a web of a roll of labels, successively die cutting the labels from the web of the roll of labels and simultaneously delivering each label directly to an endless vacuum conveyor, indexing the endless vacuum conveyor to provide an array of labels on the conveyor which corresponds in spacing to the spacing of the array of molds, engaging the array of labels on the conveyor and removing them from the conveyor and depositing the array of labels in the array of molds.

Abstract: An improved single piece plastic carrier for a plurality of filled and capped bottles in which the neck of each bottle to be carried by the carrier is received in an aperture in the top panel of the carrier and is supported by spaced apart tabs which extend radially inwardly from the aperture. Each such tab has a substantially greater arcuate extent than the tabs utilized in prior art carriers, and each such tab, therefore, is substantially less yieldable than such prior art tabs. The substantially reduced tab yieldability is particularly advantageous when the carrier is used in conjunction with bottles that are capped with tamper-indicating molded plastic closures, especially closures with a tamper-indicating band of the heat shrinkable type, because it will help to prevent the tab from being deflected upwardly under the tamper-indicating band, which could lead to the fracture of the band prior to any attempt to open the band.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of forming a hollow partially crystalline heat set biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate container having a hemispherical base comprising blowing a heated parison at orientation temperature outwardly against the confines of a mold which is at heat setting temperature wherein the side wall and the major portion of the base of the container are subjected to a heat setting temperature and the center of the base of the container is subjected to a temperature not greater than 150.degree. C. so that the central portion is crystallized a substantially lesser amount than the side wall and the major portion of the base. The container is then quenched. The resultant container can be formed at a rapid cycle and has good drop impact properties and obviates the problems of sticking to the hot mold or blow out when the hot mold is opened.

Abstract: A plastic container and package having a self-draining feature is provided. The container includes a bottle with a dispensing spout which has a thread or other closure retention device molded therein and an annular sleeve encircling the spout and cooperating therewith to form a channel for capturing excess liquid flowing down the outside of the spout following dispensing of such liquids. An aperture is provided for draining liquid from the channel to the body portion of the container. A closure having thread or other retention device engages the closure retention device of the spout to form the remainder of the package.