Abstract: Plastic containers are described herein that are injection molded with an high density polyethylene (HDPE) blow molding grade resin having a density of about 0.960 to about 0.965 g/cc, and a melt index of about 0.7 to about 1.0 g/10 min., at injection temperatures of about 570° F. to about 670° F., and mold cavity pressures of about 20,000 psig to about 27,000 psig. Relatively thin walled, rigid, containers, such as livestock feed containers, may be manufactured as described using about 20% to 50% less material while retaining strength and durability comparable to containers molded of HDPE injection molding grade resins.

Abstract: A method for creating a blow molded article includes providing a first mold portion and a second mold portion, each having an inner molding surface against which a wall of the blow molded article is blown, positioning a first cutting device moveably disposed in the first mold portion and a second cutting device moveably disposed in the second mold portion into an activated position, whereby the first and second cutting devices extend beyond the molding surface by a predetermined amount, disposing a parison of molten material between the first and second mold portions, positioning the first and second mold portions adjacent each other along a seam to enclose a mold cavity, introducing pressurized fluid into parison to expand it against the molding surface, thereby forming a final shape of the article, and displacing the first and second cutting devices to create a cut in the blow molded article.

Abstract: A flexible structure is provided that includes multiple members and a hinge set providing a connection between adjacent members. The hinge set includes at least one living hinge where multiple living hinges are separated by segment portions that collapse on each other when the hinge set is in a closed position.

Abstract: A plastic container that is fabricated from an extrudable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using an extrusion blow molding process includes a neck portion, a bottom portion and a main body portion. The main body portion has a central opening that extends completely through the main body portion and may have generally toroidal area surrounding the central opening. The bottom portion includes a plurality of support feet and a substantially smooth central raised portion that has substantially no discontinuities such as the gate well that is commonly found on PET containers fabricated using the conventional stretch blow molding process. The neck portion may be offset from a longitudinal axis of the container so as to facilitate pouring by a consumer.

Abstract: A method of making a plastic container that has a tethered closure using an extrusion blow molding process includes steps of extruding a parison, capturing the parison within a mold and inflating the parison against the mold to form a container blank having a container portion, a closure portion and a tether portion for connecting the container portion to the closure portion. The tether portion, which is preferably elongated and string like, may be formed out of flash material that is created during the molding process. The resulting container is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and facilitates the plastic recycling process.

Abstract: Extrusion blow mold assemblies, extrusion blow molded articles exhibiting increased strength and enhanced processability, and processes for making said articles. In some aspects, the articles produced herein can include relatively rigid bottles and other containers that exhibit high drop impact performance, while still being relatively easy to deflash. Such containers can be efficiently produced on a commercial scale and are widely usable in a variety of applications, including those in the food, beverage, cosmetic, and medical industries.

Abstract: A process for producing thermoplastic containers (13) extrudes a plastic tube into opened movable mold parts (5, 7, 9). The main mold parts (7) form the container main part (18). The bottom parts are closed to close and weld the tube bottom end. The tube (3) is widened by a pressure gradient acting on it, forcing the tube against the wall of the mold parts (7, 9) to form the container. The mold parts are then moved into the position to open the mold for removal of the formed container (13). The container bottom is made in the form of a cup-like bottom part (19) axially extending into the container main part (18) by the bottom part being everted into the interior of the container (13) to form a bottom elevation (31).

Abstract: A method and a device for the manufacture of plastic packagings, the same being manufactured by stretch blowing a bottle-like preliminary packaging which is, after completion, treated by means of a laser and thus reshaped to the final packaging. Also, a plastic container manufactured according to this method and with this device.

Abstract: A method is provided for a ablating dilation beads on a balloon with a laser. The laser removes integral dilation beads from the neck regions and/or the tapered regions of a blow molded balloon. Part of the neck portions of the dilation beads may remain on the body of the balloon after the dilation beads have been removed.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a venturi tube 10? having a certain fluid flow direction is provided. The method provides a first core member 11 in a mold. The first core member has a periphery and an end 21 of a certain size. A second core member 17 is provided in the mold upstream of the first core member. The second core member has a periphery and an end 22 with a size that is less than the certain size. At least a portion of the end of the second core member is disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the end of the first core member such that a step is defined between the first and second core members. Material is molded about the peripheries of the first and second core members such that the peripheries define a stepped fluid flow surface of a venturi tube, and so that any resulting flash occurs only in the certain flow direction.

Abstract: Strips containers are formed using two continuous webs in thermoformable and heat-sealable material facing each other. The webs are indexed along a feed line through different operating stations that transform the webs into a continuous strip of containers, each one of which is provided with a mouth. The containers are arranged according to two parallel rows that are opposed to a longitudinal median zone. The mouths of the containers of the upper row are arranged on the upper longitudinal edge of the strip and face upwards, whilst the mouths of the containers of the lower row are arranged on the lower longitudinal edge and face downwards. The method enables productivity to be increased and waste to be reduced.

Abstract: A method for forming a foam product comprises forming a skin and inserting a bracket at least partially into the skin. Another method for manufacturing a foam product comprises sealing a tube of material in a cavity of a mold, blowing air into the tube of material to form a skin comprising an interior surrounded by a wall, cutting an incision in the skin wall, inserting a bracket through the incision and into the skin interior, filling the skin interior with foam, and curing the foam. A foam product comprises a skin with an interior surrounded by a wall, a bracket within the skin interior, a foam substantially filling the skin interior and securing the bracket in place, a recessed region configured to mate with a mounting assembly on a chair, and an incision in the skin wall, the incision positioned outside of the recessed region.

Abstract: A blow-molded plastic container includes an upper portion having a finish, a body portion and a base. At least one groove is formed in a radial sidewall of the finish. The groove slopes gradually downward along the radial sidewall and away from an opening into the container. A method of making the blow-molded plastic container includes disposing a preform into a mold cavity having a surface defining a body forming region, a finish forming region and a moil forming region. The preform is blown against the mold surface to form an intermediate container having a body portion, a finish and a moil portion. The moil is severed from the finish to define the opening into the container. A closure member is adapted to selectively mate with the finish on the container. At least one thread is formed on the closure member.

Abstract: A method for carrying out ventilation in a multi-walled container of the type comprising a rigid external housing, inside which a flexible inner pocket for containing a product is arranged and connected to a withdrawal device without ventilation, the layers having no adhesion between the same such as to be able to be separated without difficulty and with air ventilation between the same, characterized in being obtained by means of molding a projection at the upper or lower part of the pre-form which is subjected to a first operation of cutting a sprue, then a second operation of cutting the projection in a region close to the base and/or the neck of the recipient for production and a third operation of separating the layers.

Abstract: A cap is formed within the flash of a molded polymeric article. Desirably, the material of the flash, and hence the cap, has the same properties as the molded article. In one embodiment, the molded article is a multi-layer plastic fuel tank having a vapor barrier layer sandwiched between structural and/or adhesive layers and the cap has the same general construction and may be fixed or welded to the fuel tank over an opening through the tank. Advantageously, the cap is formed in the same process used to form the molded article and reduces the scrap or waste material by utilizing a portion of the flash which is removed from the molded article after it is formed. Therefore, the cost and time to produce a molded article and one or more caps is greatly reduced.

Abstract: A method of making a wide mouth, blow molded PET plastic container having an externally threaded neck, the diameter and wall thickness of the neck and threads have a critical relationship to the diameter and wall thickness of the preform used to blow the intermediate article of which the container is a part. A PET plastic container having a threaded neck with a wall thickness of within the range of 0.032 to 0.038 inches.

Abstract: A blow mold is disclosed. The mold comprises a pair of mold halves having an operative configuration wherein said mold halves together define a cavity for a container. The container has a main body and a characteristic selected from the group of characteristics consisting of: a push-up base; an integral finish; and an embossed or a debossed feature. Each of the pair of mold halves has a first portion and a second portion formed integrally with the first portion. When the pair of mold halves is in the operative configuration, the first portions collectively define the main body and the second portions collectively define the characteristic. The blow mold can be used for prototyping, and can also be used for production.

Abstract: The invention provides a mold for use in a wheel blow-molding device. The mold has a first half and a second half, each half having a rotation direction and a transverse direction perpendicular to the rotation direction, each half having a container-shaped cavity, adapted to receive a parison, wherein the cavity has a body portion and a neck portion; and a blow pin tip disposed in the mold, adapted to be inserted into an open end of the parison in the neck portion of the cavity, the blow pin tip being adapted to blow a gas into the parison to blow mold a container.

Abstract: A method of trimming blow-molded products while in the mold including the steps of placing a parison between a mold having two mold halves, moving the two mold halves together to form a cavity and enclose a portion of the parison, pressurizing the inside of the parison to produce a product and trimming a portion of the product while it is in the mold by applying a vacuum to those portions adjacent to a cutter and by then moving the cutter across the cavity and across the portion of the product to be cut. The mold halves are then separated and the product is removed therefrom. The apparatus for achieving this method includes a cutter slidably disposed in a first slot and having a slot plugging member slidably exposed in a second slot wherein the cutter and slot plugging member will prevent plastic from entering the first and second slots when the plastic product is being formed. After the plastic is formed, a vacuum is applied to portions of the product adjacent to the cutter.

Abstract: In a method for the production and filling of containers (12), at least one tube (3) of plasticized plastic material is extruded into an open mold (6). The tube (3) is bonded at its advancing end on closing the mold (6) to form the container base. The tube (3) is severed above the mold, by a separating element (21) to form a filling opening. The mold (6) having the tube (3) with a filling opening is moved to a filling position in which the container is filled after the tube (3) formed in the mold by generating an expanding pressure gradient acting on the tube (3). During the movement of the mold (6) into the filling position, the filling opening of the tube (3) is covered by a sterile barrier (23).

Abstract: A method of ejecting a container from a blow mold comprises the steps of: opening a blow mold containing a container, the blow mold comprising a pair of pistons having a head and a heel, an end cap disposed behind the heel, and a pair of ejector rods, each ejector rod coupled to a different one of the pair of pistons; forcing a fluid against each head of each of the pair of pistons, extending each of the ejector rods to maintain contact with an opposite side of a center portion of the container in the blow mold and pushing the container from the blow mold; and forcing a fluid against the heel of each of the pair of pistons operative to retract the pair of ejector rods away from the container when the container is separated from the blow mold.

Abstract: A plastic container having a body portion and a handle portion which extends from the body portion is formed using a pair of mold halves placed into engagement. During the molding process, a surface of the handle portion is provided with a recess in at least one area where the mold halves are in placed into engagement.

Abstract: A blow molded container (10) having a trimmed nonround opening (12) is blow molded from a preform (36) and then positioned by a positioner (50) of a nonround trimmer (16) that includes a rotary driven arm assembly (56) having a knife holder (60). A guide (66) guides the knife holder (60) in a nonround path to perform the trimming.

Abstract: The method involves making a hollow blow molded thermoplastic article having an integral handle. An unblown preform of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is inserted into a blow mold and thereafter stretched by a stretch rod. Blow gas is then injected into the interior of the preform when the blow mold is closed and the preform is at a stretch temperature. After the preform is blown into the shape of the bottle in the mold, blow gas is discharged from the stretch rod onto an interior wall surface where the handle is to be formed. Heated movable mold segments are then advanced within the blow mold from a first retracted position to a second position thereby compressing an interior wall surface of the article into contact with a facing interior wall surface of the bottle to bond the surfaces at an elevated temperature and form an integral handle extending from the exterior wall of the blow molded article.

Abstract: A method of making a plastic container having a threaded wide-mouth finish includes providing a preform having at least an exterior surface of molded polyester construction. The preform is placed in a mold cavity having a first portion for forming a container body, a second portion adjacent to the first portion for forming a cylindrical finish wall without threads, and a third portion adjacent to the second portion for forming a trim dome or moil. The preform is expanded within the mold cavity to form a one-piece intermediate product that includes a body, a cylindrical wide-mouth finish wall and a moil. After removing the intermediate product from the cavity, the moil is severed from the end of the finish wall. At least one thread is then formed on the finish wall by engaging the finish wall with at least one thread-forming tool, which may be heated to facilitate the forming operation.

Abstract: A horizontal cutter of double-bodied bottles attached to each other at a neck which comprises means (2) for advancing the bottles (3) and a cutting device (1) of the neck of the bottles. The cutting device (1) comprises a pair of blades (7), a pair of rotating plates (4) for drawing the bottles (3) along and a plurality of drive pulleys (9) in contact with the bottles (3), in such a way that as the rotating plates (4) move so do the bottles, at the same time rotating about their axes and in contact with the blades. The horizontal cutter ensures fast and effective cutting of the bottles, while occupying little space.

Abstract: A plastic carafe includes a body portion having an enclosed base defined by a plurality of upstanding posts and a plurality of panels separating the posts from one another. The carafe further includes a neck portion having a blown finish at the top of the carafe that defines a wide-mouth. A shoulder portion transitions the posts and panels to the neck portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing hollow bodies, in particular bottles and similar containers provided with an evacuation opening, of thermoplastic includes a lower machine part and a beamlike upper machine part. The lower machine part is equipped with at least two blow molds, each provided with a cavity. A number of blowing and calibration mandrels corresponding to the number of blow molds is disposed on the beamlike upper machine part disposed above the lower machine part. One blow mold is assigned to each blowing and calibration mandrel. The blowing and calibration mandrels can be axially fed jointly toward the blow molds and can be moved with their calibration region into an orifice of the cavity until an annular shoulder of the blowing and calibration mandrels comes into contact with a counterpart face on the associated blow mold. The blowing and calibration mandrels are retained axially freely movably, within predeterminable limits, in the upper machine part.

Abstract: A plastic hollow preform is drawn through a mold passage formed in a closed mold by applying a generally constant suction to a downstream end of a conduit having an upstream end connected to an output end of the mold passage. A flow cross section of the conduit is varied between its upstream and downstream ends so as to vary a rate at which the preform is drawn through the passage by the suction. The flow cross section is varied by displacing a valve element in the conduit between positions in which it differently blocks flow through the conduit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing tubular containers with an open filling opening and with an end that is provided with a seal. The inventive method comprises the following steps: separately producing a preform with a neck with definitive dimensions and a tubular body with smaller dimensions than the definitive form, the tubular body containing the open filling opening; fixing the preform that is produced to a drawing head by its neck and subjecting it to at least one partial heating process; introducing the heated preform that is attached to the drawing head into the inside of a multi-part closed blow mold in such a way that the open filling opening is air-tightly held at the lower end of the blow mold; fitting a blow nozzle to the filling opening of the preform.

Abstract: A wide-mouth plastic container is formed from a preform that is blow-molded to form an intermediate container article that has blown threads located below a moil. The moil is severed above the blown threads to yield the finished container. A preform and process for manufacturing the wide-mouth container are disclosed.

Abstract: The method involves making a hollow blow molded thermoplastic article having an integral handle. An unblown preform of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is inserted into a blow mold and thereafter stretched by a stretch rod. Blow gas is then injected into the interior of the preform when the blow mold is closed and the preform is at a stretch temperature. After the preform is blown into the shape of the bottle in the mold, blow gas is discharged from the stretch rod onto an interior wall surface where the handle is to be formed. Heated movable mold segments are then advanced within the blow mold from a first retracted position to a second position thereby compressing an interior wall surface of the article into contact with a facing interior wall surface of the bottle to bond the surfaces at an elevated temperature and form an integral handle extending from the exterior wall of the blow molded article.

Abstract: A blow pin assembly is provided for inflating a parison and forming the neck portion of a plastic container in a blow molding apparatus. The blow pin assembly is mountable to a blow rod. It includes a blow pin body including an exterior surface having a tapered portion and a cutting edge beneath the tapered portion. The tapered portion cooperates with the master seal of the mold to automatically center the assembly before the cutting edge engages the shear steels to sever the blow molded article from the mold. The cutting edge adjoins a rim extending substantially perpendicularly from the blow pin body, and can be resharpened one or more times.

Abstract: A method of preventing delamination of multiple layers of an oriented polymer container having an opening defined by the multiple layers comprising a bi-axially oriented multilayer polymer container having an opening defined by a perimeter at which the multiple layers are exposed; heating the perimeter until workable; providing a curling die; feeding the multilayer perimeter into the curling die to curl the perimeter sufficiently to inhibit delamination of the layers and a container when so made.

Abstract: A dimensionally-stable, injection-molded portion of a blow molded intermediate article is engaged by a conveyance mechanism of a trimmer to controllably drive the intermediate article within the trimmer to permit accurate and high speed severing of the injection molded portion and moil from a blown finish container body. An injection-molded, closed end preform is provided having a neck finish with an internal and/or external peripheral drive surface. The preform is utilized to form an intermediate article including a container body and moil. The injection-molded neck portion of the intermediate article remains substantially unchanged from its as-manufactured preform condition and provides a dimensionally stable surface for use in driving and rotating the intermediate article within the trimmer.

Abstract: A blow molded article is disclosed. The blow molded article includes a body defining a cavity, and a wall integrally-formed with the body and defining at least in part, an enclosure. A method of making a blow molded article is also disclosed. The method comprises supplying a preform to a mold having a first cavity and a second cavity, the first cavity having a pin, closing the mold, supplying a fluid to the closed mold, expanding a first portion and a second portion of the preform around the pin, and contacting the first portion and the second portion to provide the enclosure.

Abstract: A method of trimming blow-molded products while in the mold including the steps of placing a parison between a mold having two mold halves, moving the two mold halves together to form a cavity and enclose a portion of the parison, pressurizing the inside of the parison to produce a product and trimming a portion of the product while it is in the mold by applying a vacuum to those portions adjacent to a cutter and by then moving the cutter across the cavity and across the portion of the product to be cut. The mold halves are then separated and the product is removed therefrom. The apparatus for achieving this method includes a cutter slidably disposed in a first slot and having a slot plugging member slidably exposed in a second slot wherein the cutter and slot plugging member will prevent plastic from entering the first and second slots when the plastic product is being formed. After the plastic is formed, a vacuum is applied to portions of the product adjacent to the cutter.

Abstract: A method of making a plastic container having a threaded wide-mouth finish includes providing a preform having at least an exterior surface of molded polyester construction. The preform is placed in a mold cavity having a first portion for forming a container body, a second portion adjacent to the first portion for forming a cylindrical finish wall without threads, and a third portion adjacent to the second portion for forming a trim dome or moil. The preform is expanded within the mold cavity to form a one-piece intermediate product that includes a body, a cylindrical wide-mouth finish wall and a moil. After removing the intermediate product from the cavity, the moil is severed from the end of the finish wall. At least one thread is then formed on the finish wall by engaging the finish wall with at least one thread-forming tool, which may be heated to facilitate the forming operation.

Abstract: A plastic blow molded container having a central vertical axis constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a cylindrical upper rim, an oriented neck portion, a lower body portion, and a closed base portion. The upper rim of the container includes a top surface having a planar inner edge and an outer edge. The inner edge is generally flat and perpendicular to the vertical axis of the container and the outer edge may be curled or curved to provide additional rigidity. The oriented neck portion depends from the upper rim and includes a means to accept a closure, such as a set of integral threads. When viewed in vertical cross section, the outer vertical line formed by the outer axial points of said means to accept a closure is substantially parallel to the vertical axis of the container. The lower body portion is generally cylindrical over the majority of its vertical length. The closed base portion supports the container and depends from the lower body portion.

Abstract: The method involves making a hollow blow molded thermoplastic article having an integral handle. An unblown preform of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is inserted into a blow mold and thereafter stretched by a stretch rod. Blow gas is then injected into the interior of the preform when the blow mold is closed and the preform is at a stretch temperature. After the preform is blown into the shape of the bottle in the mold, blow gas is discharged from the stretch rod onto an interior wall surface where the handle is to be formed. Movable mold segments are then advanced within the blow mold from a first retracted position to a second position thereby compressing an interior wall surface of the article into contact with a facing interior wall surface of the bottle to bond the surfaces at an elevated temperature and form an integral handle extending from the exterior wall of the blow molded article.

Abstract: The blow-molded articles having an open end is produced by the steps of; setting a resin parison in cavity formed by a pair of metal mold members, blowing a pressurized gas into the resin parison to form an intermediate molded article, and cutting a predetermined part of the intermediate molded article with forward or backward movement of a cutting means. The cutting means is attached to the one member of the metal mold members and movable reciprocally in a cross direction relative to the longitudinal or axial direction of the metal mold members. The cutting means may be guided movably along a groove or slit formed in the metal mold members.

Abstract: A method of making a package that includes the steps of blow molding a hollow plastic container, including blow molding a finish and a moil or dome that extends from the finish, and trimming the moil from the container finish so as to leave a conical flange extending inwardly and upwardly from the finish terminating in a smooth trimmed surface. A closure is provided having a base wall and a peripheral skirt. A liner is secured to the base wall within the skirt, and has a sealing surface spaced from the skirt. The closure is secured to the container finish in such a way that the container flange extending from the finish is deformed radially inwardly and axially downwardly by a peripheral portion of the liner so as to bring the trimmed surface of the container flange into abutment sealing engagement with the sealing surface of the liner.

Abstract: A production method is disclosed for separating integrally attached gutter flash from a blow-molded thermoplastic resin product utilizing tensile forces applied to the gutter flash while the product is fully restrained within the closed co-operating product mold in which the product is formed, as well as different embodiments of apparatus suitable for accomplishing the production method in a conventional industrial blow-molding machine.

Abstract: Apparatus for, and method of, conveying tandem thermoplastic containers from a molding machine to a tail removal station, the tandem containers being positioned with their axes extending horizontally but possibly out of parallel with one another and with their ends possibly out of alignment with one another. The apparatus includes a spaced pair of synchronously driven endless conveyors that convey tandem containers to a downwardly inclined ramp, the ramp having a wedge on its tandem supporting surface that engages outwardly projecting beads on each of the containers of the tandem to orient the tandems with their ends parallel, the downwardly inclined ramp also serving to orient the tandems with their axes parallel.

Abstract: A squeezable tube-shaped plastic container (10, 100) having a one-piece construction formed by extrusion blow-molding techniques. The container (10, 100) has a retractable end wall (26, 126) which is positionable into an outwardly projecting position and an inverted position. The end wall (26, 126), as blown, is in the outwardly projecting position and is thereafter inverted so that a tamper indicating covering (28, 128) can be attached to the end (14, 114) of the container (10, 100) thereby sealing the end wall (26, 126). The inverted end wall (26, 126) permits the container (10, 100) to be free standing on the standing ring (20, 120). In use, the flexible sidewall (12, 112) of the container (10, 100) is squeezed to snap the end wall (26, 126) from the inverted position to an outwardly projecting position to enable ready access to a dispensing opening (32, 132) on the end wall (26, 126).

Abstract: A blow molding method for forming a hollow resin product comprises a parison extruding step, a protrusion abutting step and a confronting rod abutting step. In the extruding step, a parison is extruded from a die head towards a position interposed between a pair of molding portions. Each molding portion has a mating surface and a parison-cutting-protrusion erected from the mating surface. In the protrusion abutting step, the protrusions are abutted from each other. In the confronting rod abutting step, the spherical surfaces formed at tip ends of the rods protruded from the mating surfaces of the molding portions are abutted from each other. These steps are simultaneously executed, to thereby remove a flash from a product when the molding portions are closed. In addition to this, the rods mounted on one of molding portions are mounted on the same so as to be adjustable in its protruding length from the mating surface.

Abstract: A preform (32) and method used to make a container (10, 110) which has a blown wide-mouth finish (20, 120) and a multilayer wall structure. The injection molded preform (32) has a multi-layer container body forming portion (54), a mono-layer moil forming portion (52) and a blown finish forming portion (56) located between the container body forming portion (54) and the moil forming portion (52). The preform (32) is blown into an intermediate article (36) consisting of a blown finish wide-mouth multi-layer container (10, 110) and a mono-layer moil portion (38) which is severed from the intermediate article (36) and recycled. The multilayer wall structure can include at least one layer (22) of a gas barrier material, a cost-effective recycled material, or a material which strengthens and/or lightweights the container (10, 110).

Abstract: A sheet of plastics material is continuously extruded onto the upper run of an endless conveyor which carries aluminum vacuum mold plates each defining a cavity with a shingle pattern. The sheet is progressively vacuum-formed into the mold plate cavities, and opposite longitudinal upper and lower portions of the sheet are progressively vacuum-formed, with traveling plug assist in one embodiment, to define shingle panels with hook-shaped lower portions and upper portions defining grooves for receiving the lower portions. The upper portion of the sheet is punched with longitudinally spaced slots to form a nailing flange, and the sheet is then cut laterally at longitudinally spaced intervals to produce elongated siding panels each having integrally connected shingle panels. The shingle panels may have different bottom configurations or profiles and are interchangeable.

Abstract: A plastic blow molded container having a central vertical axis constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a cylindrical upper rim, an oriented neck portion, a lower body portion, and a closed base portion. The upper rim of the container includes a top surface having a planar inner edge and an outer edge. The inner edge is generally flat and perpendicular to the vertical axis of the container and the outer edge may be curled or curved to provide additional rigidity. The oriented neck portion depends from the upper rim and includes a means to accept a closure, such as a set of integral threads. When viewed in vertical cross section, the outer vertical line formed by the outer axial points of said means to accept a closure is substantially parallel to the vertical axis of the container. The lower body portion is generally cylindrical over the majority of its vertical length. The closed base portion supports the container and depends from the lower body portion.

Abstract: A blow-mold assembly for use with a conventional production blow-molding machine is provided with co-operating and separable cap and base blow-mold sub-assemblies, the base blow-mold sub-assembly having elongate and pivoted gutter plate segments that together surround the product mold cavity of the assembly, that each may each be moved in directions toward and away from the cap blow-mold sub-assembly to control certain wall thickness and configuration characteristics of the blow-molded product formed in the product mold cavity, and that may each be pivoted in a plane at right angles relative to the direction of gutter plate segment movement for wall thickness characteristic control to thereby progressively separate gutter flash from around the blow-molded product while the product is retained in the apparatus product mold cavity.