Glass container with roll-on closure

Abstract

A glass container in the form of a growler is provided with a re-sealable roll-on closure. An improved construction is provided for the container enabling it to handle higher pressures in which minimum glass wall thicknesses are optimized to provide necessary strength for the container, yet the construction conserves amounts of glass used. In a preferred embodiment, the container is capable of holding a 64 oz beverage, and the container includes a re-sealable roll-on 38 mm closure with a capacity to hold up to 3.00 v / v CO2 pressure at 145° F. A minimum glass wall thickness along a sidewall of the container starting from a mid-neck down to a heel portion of the container is 2.5 mm. An integral glass handle is provided with a minimum break strength of 170 pounds. In a preferred embodiment, the container has a maximum to minimum sidewall thickness ratio of approximately 2:1 and a base thickness ratio of approximately 1.5:1.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to glass containers, and more particularly, to glass containers designed to hold carbonated beverages at relatively high pressures, including a roll-on cap or crown used to effectively seal the container to prevent leakage after opening.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Glass or ceramic jugs, often referred to as “growlers”, have traditionally been used to hold malt beverages such as beer that has been brewed in small craft breweries. Prior to the advent of large commercial breweries, most malt beverages were sold by small local breweries that had little or no bottling capabilities. The growlers were used to allow customers to purchase beverages from the brewery and take home the beverages in relatively large containers that could then be poured later into individual glasses for consumption. The most popular size for growlers is the ½ US gallon (1,900 ml); however there are other growler sizes that are well-known to include 1 gallon s...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a glass container with a re-sealable roll-on cap that is designed to withstand high pressures and maintain the carbonation levels of a carbonated beverage. The container has a larger sized opening for easy cleaning and sterilization purposes and a better pourability of the beverage to prevent the vacuum or "glug" associated with smaller sized openings. The improved construction of the container allows for handling higher pressures while conserving the amount of glass used. The minimum glass wall thicknesses are optimized to provide the necessary strength for the container, but the average preferred thickness may vary depending on the loading conditions and manufacturability.

Problems solved by technology

One clear disadvantage is that unless the beverage is consumed within a short period of time, the growler is incapable of maintaining adequate pressure within the container to keep the beverage adequately carbonated.

Accordingly, the beverage soon loses carbonation and goes “flat”, which is a condition which most beer consumers agree is inadequate for consumption of the product.

Another disadvantage is that, although many growlers are intended to be reused, they are difficult to adequately clean and sterilize because of the relatively small size of the container mouth.

The small size of the opening makes accessing the relatively large interior volume for cleaning and sterilization difficult.

The small size of the opening can also cause a vacuum or “glugging” when the beverage is being poured from the growler, resulting in an inadequate pour.

Yet another clear disadvantage of traditional growlers is that the glass material is fragile as compared to metal containers, and therefore the growlers with their relatively large size are particularly prone to breakage.

Further, sunlight can easily damage a stored beverage, and growlers exposed to sunlight increase the chance that the beverage will be consumed in a flavor degraded state.

Some malt beverages are particularly sensitive to sunlight and can quickly degrade after even relatively short periods of sunlight exposure.

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