BOTTLE HAVING ONE OR MORE INTERNAL PROJECTIONS
A bottle comprising a neck that includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, a neck finish, and a radially-facing interior surface. The neck further includes one or more internal projections projecting in a radially-inwardly direction from the interior surface of the neck and axially overlapping at least a portion of the neck finish.
The present disclosure is directed to containers and, more particularly, to bottles.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREBottles typically include a base, a shoulder, a body extending between the base and the shoulder, and a neck extending from the shoulder and having a neck finish. Bottles of this type of construction may be used for packaging of liquid products including, for example without limitation, beer, soda, juice, wine, etc., among potentially other beverage and non-beverage products. Depending on the particular contents of the bottle (e.g., the particular beverage), the flavor of the contents may be enhanced by introducing a piece of fruit, for example, a slice or wedge of citrus (e.g., a lime, an orange, or another type of citrus), into the bottle. More specifically, a consumer may introduce a piece of fruit into the bottle through an opening or mouth of the neck finish.
A general object of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, is to provide a bottle that maximizes the amount of juice that is squeezed from the fruit as it is introduced into the bottle and moves through the neck finish and neck of the bottle.
The present disclosure embodies a number of aspects that can be implemented separately from, or in combination with, each other.
A bottle, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, comprises a neck that includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, a neck finish, and a radially-facing interior surface. The neck further includes one or more internal projections projecting in a radially-inwardly direction from the interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of the neck finish.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a bottle comprising a neck that includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, a neck finish, an axially-facing sealing surface, and a radially-facing interior surface. The neck further includes a plurality of internal projections projecting in a radially-inwardly direction from the interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of the neck finish. At least one of the plurality of projections terminates at a point that is a predetermined distance below the sealing surface of the neck and that is axially-aligned with at least a portion of the neck finish.
In accordance with a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a bottle comprising a neck that includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, a neck finish, and a radially-facing interior surface. The neck further includes a plurality of internal projections projecting in a radially-inwardly direction from the interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of the neck finish. The neck still further includes a plurality of internal grooves extending in a radially-outwardly direction and axially along the interior surface of the neck and axially overlapping at least a portion of the neck finish. Each of the plurality of grooves is disposed adjacent to at least one of the plurality of projections.
The disclosure, together with additional objects, features, advantages and aspects thereof, will be best understood from the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings, in which:
The bottle 20 may be a longneck bottle having an overall height 34, and the neck 28 (including neck finish 32) having a neck height 36. For purposes of the present disclosure, the term “longneck bottle” is defined as a bottle in which the height 36 of the bottle neck is at least 25% of the overall bottle height 34. In illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure, the neck height 36 is in the range of 33% to 40% of bottle height 34. The heights 34, 36 may be measured to the sealing surface 38 that axially terminates the neck 28 and neck finish 32. Also, the bottle 20 may be a narrow neck bottle, having a thread diameter (so-called “T” dimension) or a crown diameter (so-called “A” dimension) not more than 38 mm. The neck 28 and neck finish 32 may have external surfaces that are circular in cross section. In an embodiment, and as will be described in greater detail below, the bottle 20 may also be a wide-mouth bottle wherein the insider diameter of the neck finish 32 proximate the mouth 39 is greater than, for example, 26 mm. In such an embodiment, the inside diameter of the neck finish 32 may become progressively narrower as the neck finish 32 extends from the mouth 39 in an axial direction away from the sealing surface 38 such that at least a portion of the neck 28 and/or neck finish 32 has a funnel or conical shape.
The bottle 20 is of one-piece integrally formed construction, preferably glass, metal, or plastic construction. (The term “integrally formed construction” does not exclude one-piece integrally molded layered glass constructions of the type disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,401, or one-piece glass or metal bottles to which other structure is added after the bottle-forming operation.) Longneck glass bottles can be fabricated by press-and-blow and/or blow-and-blow manufacturing operations, or by any other suitable technique(s).
In accordance with the present disclosure, and as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/709,288, filed on Dec. 10, 2012 (Assignee's Docket No. 19145), assigned to the assignee hereof, and hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, the bottle neck 28 may include one or more non-circular, circumferentially-spaced, radially-facing internal or interior surfaces 29 (shown in
In the embodiment of
In an embodiment, the axial feature may additionally or alternatively include or comprise one or more projections 46 that extend axially along the axis A of the bottle 20. The projections 46 may be referred by a number of different names and/or take any number of forms, for example, corrugations, protrusions, fillets, lobes, ribs, flutes, etc. The projections 46 may be formed in or onto the interior surface 29 of the bottle 20, and the neck 28 thereof, in particular, so as to project radially-inwardly into the neck interior 30. Each projection 46 has a radially-innermost end portion that may be radiused or rounded, or alternatively, may be pointed or have a sharp edge (i.e., the lateral, radially-projecting sides of the projection 46 meet or terminate at a point to form a pointed end of the projection 46). Further, in one embodiment, each of the projections 46 may have a constant width and depth throughout its length; while in other embodiments, the width and/or depth of one or more projections 46 may vary from one end of the projection 46 to the other (e.g., the width and/or depth may progressively increase or decrease).
In an instance wherein the axial feature includes both one or more grooves 40 and one or more projections 46, the groove(s) 40 and the projection(s) 46 may be arranged such that each groove 40 is adjacent to at least one projection 46, and vice versa. Where there is a plurality of grooves 40, each pair of adjacent grooves 40 may have an intervening projection 46 disposed between the grooves 40. As with the grooves 40 described above, the projections 46 may be substantially identical in size and/or shape and at uniform angular circumferential spacing from each other. Alternatively, the projections 46 may not be identical in either size or shape, and/or may be non-uniformly spaced. In any instance, as a piece of fruit is introduced into the bottle 20 and moves through the neck finish 32 and neck 28, the projections 46 serve to ream or abrade the fruit, thereby maximizing the amount of juice that is squeezed therefrom and guiding it through the neck interior 30.
In an embodiment, the configuration of the grooves 40 and/or the projections 46 is such that the surface area of the opening of the neck interior 30 is substantially the same as it would be for a conventional bottle that is otherwise identical to the bottle 20 except for the grooves 40 and/or the projections 46. Conventional longneck bottles have necks and neck interiors that are typically cylindrical or conical and, in any event, circular in cross-section. Bottle necks are specified by a so-called “I” dimension that is a major inside diameter of the neck interior and a so-called “E” and “T” dimensions that are major outside diameters of the neck finish and the threads, respectively. As used herein, the terminology circular neck interior means circle-shaped in cross-section perpendicular to the bottle axis A, and uninterrupted over a full circumference.
As illustrated in
Referring now to
In an embodiment, the neck 328 further or alternatively may include one or more projections 346 that project radially-inwardly into the neck interior 330 from the interior surface of the neck. As with the grooves 340, the projections 346 may extend all the way to the lip or surface 338, or alternatively, may extend axially toward the lip or surface 338 but stop short thereof. Further, one or more of the projections 346 may extend axially along the interior surface of the neck 328 and axially overlap at least a portion of the neck finish 332 such that at least a portion of one or more of the projections 346 may be axially-aligned with at least a portion of the neck finish 332. In such an embodiment, one or more of the projections 346 may terminate at a point that is a predetermined axial distance below the lip or sealing surface 338 and that may be axially-aligned with at least a portion of the neck finish 332. For example, the projections 346 may terminate at a point that is located between the sealing surface 338 and the capping flange 331, and in one illustrative embodiment, at a point located between the capping flange 331 and the crown 333 (as shown in
In any event, in an embodiment wherein the projections 346 stop short of the lip or surface 338, an axial gap may be created or provided between the sealing surface 338 and the axial ends of the projections 346. As with the embodiment described above, a stepdown or step 339 may be provided axially and radially between the lip or surface 338 and the axial ends of the projections 346. Likewise, a cylindrical portion 341 may be provided axially between the axial ends of the projections 346 and the step 339. In any instance, the axial gap formed between the lip or surface 338 and the axial ends of the projections 346 provides both a lead-in for the introduction of a piece of fruit to the bottle 320, and an area within the bottle neck 328 where juice from an introduced piece of fruit may accumulate so that it can drain into the neck interior 330 rather than run over the lip or surface 338, and therefore, the outside of the bottle 320, as may occur with conventional bottles.
In one illustrative embodiment, and with reference to
Also in this embodiment, and also with reference to
In another illustrative embodiment, and with reference to
Also in this embodiment, and with reference to
In either embodiment, the presently disclosed tooling and method can produce the internal axial features taller or longer than would be possible with embossments or debossments in a blank mold, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0264107.
As briefly described above, in an embodiment, the bottle may comprise a wide-mouth bottle wherein the inside diameter of the neck, and the neck finish thereof, in particular, is at its greatest proximate the mouth and then progressively narrows as the neck finish extends in an axial direction away from the sealing surface. As a result, at least a portion of the neck and/or neck finish has a funnel or conical shape (i.e., the interior surface 29 of the neck 28 tapers radially-inwardly from the mouth 39 to a point axially beneath the mouth).
For example,
It will be appreciated that the aforementioned dimensions and interior neck geometries are provided for illustrative purposes only and that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular dimensions or geometries. In any event, one advantage of at least a portion of the neck 3628 having a funnel or conical shape is that the larger diameter neck portion allows for the relatively easy introduction of a piece of fruit into the bottle, while the smaller diameter portion(s) help to squeeze the fruit as it progresses or moves through the neck interior 3630.
As shown in
More specifically,
In any of the embodiments described above, the bottle may include one or more axially-extending projections formed in or onto an interior surface of the bottle, and the neck thereof, in particular, so as to project radially-inwardly into the neck interior.
For example, and with reference to
It will be appreciated that bottles such as bottles 3620 and 3920 illustrated in
While the description above has been primarily with respect to an illustrative embodiment wherein the bottle includes axially-extending projections formed in or onto the interior surface of the bottle, and the neck thereof, in particular, in other embodiments, the projections may take a number of different forms.
For example, in addition to, or instead of, the projections comprising the axially-extending projections described above, the projections may comprise one or more (e.g., an array) of bumps or embossments formed in or onto an interior surface of the bottle, and the neck thereof, in particular, so as to project radially-inwardly into the neck interior. More particularly, and as illustrated in
In an embodiment wherein at least a portion of the neck finish 4032 has a conical or funnel shape, as it does in
As with the projections described elsewhere above, each projection 4046 has a radially-innermost end portion that may be radiused or rounded, or alternatively, may be pointed or have a shape edge. Additionally, each of the projections 4046 may be substantially identical in shape and/or size and at uniform circumferential spacing from each other. Alternatively, the projections 4046 may not be identical in size and/or shape, and/or may be non-uniformly spaced. Regardless, as a piece of fruit is introduced into the bottle 4020 and moves through the neck finish 4032 and neck 4028, the projections 4046 serve to ream or abrade the fruit, thereby maximizing the amount of juice that is squeezed therefrom and guiding through the neck interior 4030.
In another embodiment, in addition to or instead of the projections comprising either one or both of the axially-extending projections and an array of bumps or projections described above, the projections may comprise one or more circumferentially-extending projections formed in or onto an interior surface of the bottle, and the neck thereof, in particular, so as to project radially-inwardly into the neck interior. More particularly, and as illustrated in
In an embodiment wherein at least a portion of the neck finish 4132 has a conical or funnel shape, as it does in
As with the projections described elsewhere above, each projection 4146 has a radially-innermost end portion that may be radiused or rounded, or alternatively, may be pointed or have a shape edge. Additionally, each of the projections 4146 may be substantially identical in shape and/or size. Alternatively, the projections 4146 may not be identical in size and/or shape. Regardless, as a piece of fruit is introduced into the bottle 4120 and moves through the neck finish 4132 and neck 4128, the projections 4146 serve to ream or abrade the fruit, thereby maximizing the amount of juice that is squeezed therefrom and guiding through the neck interior 4130.
In an instance wherein a bottle includes a neck having radially-inwardly extending projections in the form of either an array of bumps or one or more circumferentially-extending projections, any number of manufacturing processes may be utilized to form the bottle and the internal projections thereof. One example of such a process, though certainly not the only example, is the internal embossing process described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0084799 filed on Sep. 27, 2007, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,333,287 issued on Dec. 18, 2012, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In any event, and in view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the internal projections of the neck of a bottle may take any number of forms, including, but certainly not limited to, those described herein, and the bottles and projections thereof may be formed in any number of ways. Therefore, the present disclosure is not meant to be limited to any particular type or form of projections or method of manufacturing, but rather any suitable projections and/or manufacturing processes may be utilized.
In an embodiment, the bottle may additionally or alternatively include a pocket or trap formed in the neck and/or neck finish thereof that is configured and intended to hold therein a piece of fruit of a predetermined size that is introduced into the bottle as described elsewhere above.
More particularly, and with reference to
In an embodiment, the bottle 4220 may include further one or more axially-extending projections 4246 formed in or on the interior surface 4229 of the neck 4228 as described elsewhere above. In such an embodiment, the projections 4246 may extend axially into the pocket P, or alternatively, may terminate at a point that is axially above the top portion of the pocket P. In any event, the inclusion of the pocket P allows for the piece of fruit introduced into the bottle 4220 to be held in the flow path of the product contained within the bottle 4220, thereby further enhancing, for example, the flavor of the product. In other words, when a piece of fruit is held in the pocket P and the product contained within the bottle is poured therefrom, the product flows over the piece of fruit which thereby enhances or influences every drink or pour from the bottle.
There thus has been disclosed a bottle that fully satisfies all of the objects and aims previously set forth. The disclosure has been presented in conjunction with several illustrative embodiments, and additional modifications and variations have been discussed. Other modifications and variations readily will suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoing discussion. The disclosure is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A bottle comprising a neck that includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, said neck having:
- a neck finish;
- a radially-facing interior surface; and
- one or more internal projections projecting in a radially-inwardly direction from said interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish.
2. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein said neck includes an axially-facing sealing surface and at least one of said one or more projections terminates at a point that is a predetermined distance below said sealing surface and that is axially-aligned with at least a portion of said neck finish.
3. The bottle set forth in claim 2 wherein said predetermined distance comprises 0.25-0.50 inches.
4. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein said one or more projections comprises a plurality of projections.
5. The bottle set forth in claim 4 wherein said projections of said plurality of projections are uniformly spaced about the internal circumference of said neck.
6. The bottle set forth in claim 4 wherein said projections of said plurality of projections are non-uniformly spaced about the internal circumference of said neck.
7. The bottle set forth in claim 4 wherein at least a portion of said neck having said projections has at least one of an undulating circumferential profile, a clamshell-shaped profile, a cog or spline-shaped profile, a keyway-shaped profile, a sawtooth-shaped profile, a sun-shaped profile, a badge-shaped profile, and a lantern-shaped profile.
8. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said one or more projections has a radially-innermost end, and further wherein said radially-innermost end of at least one of said one or more projections is radiused.
9. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said one or more projections has a radially-innermost end, and said radially-innermost end of at least one of said one or more projections is pointed.
10. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein said neck further includes one or more internal grooves extending in a radially-outwardly direction and axially along, said interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish, each of said one or more grooves being disposed adjacent to at least one of said one or more projections.
11. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein said neck finish includes an axially-facing sealing surface and a mouth adjacent thereto, and at least a portion of said neck finish has an inside diameter that progressively narrows as the neck finish extends from said mouth in an axial direction away from said sealing surface such that at least a portion of said neck finish has a conical shape;
- and further wherein at least a portion of at least one of said one or more projections is disposed in said conically-shaped portion of said neck finish.
12. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of said one or more projections extends axially along said interior surface of said neck.
13. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein said one or more projections comprises an array of bumps, at least a portion of the array axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish.
14. The bottle set forth in claim 1 wherein said one or more projections extends circumferentially along said interior surface of said neck.
15. The bottle set forth in claim 14, wherein said one or more circumferentially-extending projections comprises one or more circumferentially-extending rings.
16. The bottle set forth in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said radially-facing interior surface is contoured to form a pocket in said neck, said pocket being configured to hold a piece of fruit therein and within the flow path of product contained within said bottle.
17. A bottle comprising a neck that includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, said neck having:
- a neck finish;
- an axially-facing sealing surface;
- a radially-facing interior surface; and
- a plurality of internal projections projecting in a radially-inwardly direction from said interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish, wherein at least one of said plurality of projections terminates at a point that is a predetermined axial distance below said sealing surface and that is axially-aligned with at least a portion of said neck finish.
18. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein said predetermined distance comprises 0.25-0.50 inches.
19. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein said projections of said plurality of projections are uniformly spaced about the internal circumference of said neck.
20. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein said projections of said plurality of projections are non-uniformly spaced about the internal circumference of said neck.
21. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein at least a portion of said neck having said projections has at least one of an undulating circumferential profile, a clamshell-shaped profile, a cog or spline-shaped profile, a keyway-shaped profile, a sawtooth-shaped profile, a sun-shaped profile, a badge-shaped profile, and a lantern-shaped profile.
22. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein said neck further includes one or more internal grooves extending in a radially-outwardly direction and axially along said interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish, each of said one or more grooves being disposed adjacent to at least one of said one or more projections.
23. The bottle set forth in claim 17:
- wherein said neck finish includes an axially-facing sealing surface and a mouth adjacent thereto, and at least a portion of said neck finish has an inside diameter that progressively narrows as the neck finish extends from said mouth in an axial direction away from said sealing surface such that at least a portion of said neck finish has a conical shape;
- and further wherein at least a portion of at least one of said one or more projections is disposed in said conically-shaped portion of said neck finish.
24. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein at least one of said one or more projections extends axially along said interior surface of said neck.
25. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein said one or more projections comprises an array of bumps, at least a portion of said array axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish.
26. The bottle set forth in claim 17 wherein said one or more projections extends circumferentially along said interior surface of said neck.
27. The bottle set forth in claim 26 wherein said one or more circumferentially-extending projections comprises one or more circumferentially-extending rings.
28. The bottle set forth in claim 17, wherein at least a portion of said radially-facing interior surface is contoured to form a pocket in said neck, said pocket being configured to hold a piece of fruit therein and within the flow path of product contained within said bottle.
29. A bottle comprising a neck that includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, said neck having:
- a neck finish;
- a radially-facing interior surface; and
- a plurality of internal projections projecting in a radially-inwardly direction from said interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish; and
- a plurality of internal grooves extending in a radially-outwardly direction and axially along said interior surface and axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish, each of said plurality of grooves being disposed adjacent to at least one of said plurality of projections.
30. The bottle set forth in claim 29 wherein said neck includes an axially-facing sealing surface and at least one of said one or more projections terminates at a point that is a predetermined axial distance below said sealing surface and that is axially-aligned with at least a portion of said neck finish.
31. The bottle set forth in claim 30 wherein said predetermined axial distance comprises 0.25-0.50 inches.
32. The bottle set forth in claim 29 wherein at least a portion of said neck having said projections has at least one of an undulating circumferential profile, a clamshell-shaped profile, a cog or spline-shaped profile, a keyway-shaped profile, a sawtooth-shaped profile, a sun-shaped profile, a badge-shaped profile, and a lantern-shaped profile.
33. The bottle set forth in claim 29 wherein each of said one or more projections has a radially-innermost end, and further wherein said radially-innermost end of at least one of said one or more projections is radiused.
34. The bottle set forth in claim 29 wherein each of said one or more projections has a radially-innermost end, and said radially-innermost end of at least one of said one or more projections is pointed.
35. The bottle set forth in claim 29:
- wherein said neck finish includes an axially-facing sealing surface and a mouth adjacent thereto, and at least a portion of said neck finish has an inside diameters that progressively narrows as the neck finish extends from said mouth in an axial direction away from said sealing surface such that at least a portion of said neck finish has a conical shape;
- and further wherein at least a portion of at least one of said one or more projections is disposed in said conically-shaped portion of said neck finish.
36. The bottle set forth in claim 29 wherein at least one of said one or more projections extends axially along said interior surface of said neck.
37. The bottle set forth in claim 29 wherein said one or more projections comprises an array of bumps, at least a portion of the array axially overlapping at least a portion of said neck finish.
38. The bottle set forth in claim 29 wherein said one or more projections extends circumferentially along said interior surface of said neck.
39. The bottle set forth in claim 38, wherein said one or more circumferentially-extending projections comprises one or more circumferentially-extending rings.
40. The bottle set forth in claim 29, wherein at least a portion of said radially-facing interior surface is contoured to form a pocket in said neck, said pocket being configured to hold a piece of fruit therein and within the flow path of product contained within said bottle.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 6, 2014
Publication Date: Jul 23, 2015
Inventors: Douglas Laib (Perrysburg, OH), Raul M. Paredes (Perrysburg, OH), Megan Herman (Toledo, OH), Karl A. Reisig (Maumee, OH), Brian J. Chisholm (Sylvania, OH), Jessica R. Bryant (Toledo, OH)
Application Number: 14/297,791