STACKABLE FLASCHE AUS KUNSTSTOFF

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a bottle with a plastic bottle body and a closure.

[0002] Such a bottle is used extensively in a variety of ways worldwide as a container for beverages, detergents, and other liquid consumer goods. For example, EP 1 176 100 A1 discloses a bottle for liquid detergent whose body has a shoulder, a neck formed on the shoulder with a dispensing opening that can be closed with the closure, a base, and a skirt region that extends between the shoulder and base in a vertical direction of the bottle body.

[0003] US 2014 / 0374298 A1 discloses a bottle with a bottle body and closure, the base of which has a stacking recess that projects into the receiving space of the bottle body. The stacking recess is suitable for completely accommodating the closure and neck of an identically constructed bottle. When an upper bottle is stacked on top of a lower bottle, the weight of the upper bottle rests entirely on the shoulder of the lower bottle. The advantage of this measure is that the closure and neck do not have to absorb any vertical forces caused by the weight of the bottle arranged above. In addition, when such bottles are stacked, for example on a pallet, the required stacking height per layer and thus the space requirement can be kept low.

[0004] In addition to the small space requirement, the fact that the jacket area of ​​the bottle of US 2014 / 0374298 A1 has an approximately square cross-section contributes to the fact that the dead space between adjacent bottles can be minimized. The square cross-section lies in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. This plane is referred to below as the horizontal plane. The jacket area accordingly has a front wall, a parallel rear wall opposite the front wall and two parallel side walls running between the front and rear walls, which are perpendicular to the front and rear walls. In the upper section of the jacket area there is a constriction, which makes it easier to grip the bottle with one hand. In a lower section the jacket area has grooves orRibs, which have a positive influence on both the horizontal stiffness of the bottle during use and the vertical compressibility (collapsibility) of the emptied bottle after use during bottle recycling.

[0005] The shoulder of the bottle of US 2014 / 0374298 A1 has a conical section onto which a conical depression in the base of an identically constructed bottle can be placed. When the upper bottle is stacked on top of the lower bottle, the conical depression of the upper bottle rests on the conical section of the lower bottle. This transfers the weight of the upper bottle to the lower bottle. At the same time, the interaction of the conical depression and the conical section ensures a certain centering of the stacked bottles. However, the bottles in the stack may not be precisely aligned with one another, making the stack unstable or appear unstable. FR 2 983 840 A1 discloses a bottle according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0006] The invention is based on the object of providing a bottle with a plastic bottle body and closure that can be easily stacked and that is precisely aligned in the stack.

[0007] The object underlying the invention is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 1. Embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims to claim 1.

[0008] According to the invention, the shoulder has a stepped shoulder with a support surface lying essentially in the horizontal plane and a shoulder edge which forms a locking surface running essentially in the vertical direction. The base can have a locking recess for receiving the stepped shoulder, wherein the locking recess is equipped with a support surface and a recess edge which forms a counter-surface running essentially in the vertical direction. When the upper bottle is stacked on top of the lower bottle, the support surface of the upper bottle preferably rests flat on the support surface of the lower bottle. The locking surface of the lower bottle and the counter-surface of the upper bottle lie against one another. Through this contact of the locking surface and counter-surface, a positive connection in the horizontal plane is created between the upper bottle and lower bottle.This positive locking ensures that the top bottle, when aligned relative to the bottom bottle in the stack, cannot slip, making the stack more stable. For presentation purposes on the shelf, several bottles can be easily stacked on top of each other, with the alignment of the stacked bottles being achieved by the positive locking between the locking surface and the counter surface. The support surface and the supporting surface on the one hand, and the locking surface and counter surface on the other, have different functions. While the support surface and the supporting surface serve to absorb the weight, the locking surface and counter surface ensure the positive locking so that the bottles cannot slip sideways or become misaligned. A certain amount of play can be provided between the counter surface and the locking surface, which makes it easier for the locking recess to sit on the stepped ledge when stacking the bottles.Alternatively, there can be a play-free fit between the mating surface and the locking surface, so that the alignment and positioning of the upper bottle in relation to the lower bottle is very precise. It is also conceivable for the mating surface and locking surface to form a press fit, so that the mating surface is pressed against the locking surface with a certain horizontal force when viewed in the horizontal plane. In one embodiment, the mating surface and locking surface form an undercut when viewed vertically, so that when the upper bottle is placed vertically on the lower bottle a certain counterforce must be overcome and the mating surface and locking surface form a snap lock. When the snap lock is closed, i.e. when the mating surface and locking surface are in the locked position when viewed vertically, the two surfaces can face each other with or without play.

[0009] The support surface of the stepped step does not have to be exactly horizontal, but can have a small angle of inclination or be slightly curved relative to the horizontal plane. The angle of inclination can vary for different directions in the horizontal plane and is preferably less than 5° in all directions. The support surface of the locking recess in the base can have corresponding angles of inclination, so that the support surface can rest completely on the support surface. The locking surface and the counter surface do not have to extend exactly vertically, but can have a small angle of inclination to the vertical direction (for example, up to 10°).

[0010] According to the invention, the shoulder edge is closed or forms a circumferential edge. The shoulder edge is preferably non-circular, so that the interaction of the locking surface and the counter-surface leads to both centering and alignment of the upper bottle in relation to the lower bottle. The shoulder edge and the corresponding locking edge can be designed such that the upper bottle can only be placed on the lower bottle in exactly one position and orientation. Alternatively, it can be provided that the upper bottle in the stack can assume exactly two positions in relation to the lower bottle: either with an orientation of 0° (front surface of the upper bottle and front surface of the lower bottle are exactly one above the other) or of 180° (front surface of the upper bottle and rear wall of the lower bottle are one above the other).

[0011] According to the invention, the cross-section of the shell region and the edge of the stepped heel (corresponding to the cross-section of the stepped heel) are substantially similar to each other. Similarity here means that the shape (but not necessarily the dimensions / size) of the edge of the stepped heel basically corresponds to the cross-section of the shell region.

[0012] According to the invention, the cross-section of the bottle body, which lies in the horizontal plane extending perpendicular to the vertical direction, is constant in shape and size across the entire height of the shell region. The shell region thus has no vertical constrictions or horizontally extending ribs or grooves. Such a design has a positive effect on the vertical crush resistance of the bottle body.

[0013] In one embodiment, the bottle side walls extend in a straight line in the horizontal plane in cross-section. The side walls are thus flat and are neither arched nor curved in the vertical direction nor transversely thereto. In such an embodiment, the bottle cross-section of the jacket area is essentially a rectangle with straight edges.

[0014] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the front wall has an outward-directed curvature that extends across the entire width of the front wall. The front wall is thus consistently convex and has no inwardly curved or concave areas. In the horizontal plane, the curvature of the front wall across the entire width of the front wall can correspond to an arc of a circle with a radius Rw (radius of curvature Rw). The angular range of this arc is preferably 20 to 70°, with a smaller angular range for a given width of the front wall meaning a larger radius of curvature Rw and thus a less pronounced curvature of the front wall. The center of the circle is preferably outside the receiving space of the bottle body.

[0015] The front wall and the rear wall can be mirror-symmetrical, so that when the front wall is designed with the outwardly directed curvature, the rear wall has the same outwardly directed curvature. In such an embodiment, the bottle cross-section of the jacket region is essentially a rectangle with at least two outwardly curved edges. If, in addition to the front and rear walls, the side wall sections extending between them are also designed to be outwardly curved (convex), the bottle cross-section of the jacket region is essentially rectangular with outwardly curved (convex) edges.

[0016] The shell region may have vertically extending edges that are rounded and located between the front wall and the adjacent side walls or between the rear wall and the adjacent side walls. A rounded edge may have a constant radius of curvature RR1 when viewed in cross-section. The radius of curvature RR1 is preferably less than 20% or 15% of the radius of curvature RW. The radius of curvature RR1 may, for example, be 8 to 12 mm.

[0017] The base can have a base rounding and a base base, with the base rounding beginning at a lower edge of the casing region and merging into the base base. The base rounding can have a constant rounding radius RR2, which in one embodiment approximately corresponds (here: + / - 10%) to the rounding radius RR1 of the edges running in the vertical direction.

[0018] The bottle can include a band designed as a stretch sleeve made of an elastic plastic material, which is preferably polyethylene (PE). The band can be pulled over the jacket area in a taut state and is then pressed against the outside of the jacket area by the elastic restoring forces. The band acts on the jacket area like a reinforcing, circumferential sheath, which presses the jacket area inward with a certain force and holds it in position. In this way, the band counteracts bulging of the jacket area, which can occur when the bottle is subjected to a compressive force in the vertical direction, i.e. is compressed. The band designed as a stretch sleeve thus ensures greater compression strength of the bottle.This makes the bottle easier to stack, as several bottles, including their contents, can be safely stacked on top of each other without any bottle being damaged or deformed to the point that the stack becomes unstable.

[0019] Conversely, using a stretch sleeve, with a specified minimum value for the bottle's crush resistance, allows the material used for the bottle body to be reduced. This results in a bottle whose production requires comparatively little material. A preferred material for the bottle body is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET, even in recycled PET, is highly transparent, so the liquid contents contained in the bottle body are clearly visible from the outside.

[0020] Tests have shown that, in a specific embodiment, the compression strength of a bottle with a given compression distance of, for example, 3 mm in the vertical direction can be increased by approximately 20% using a stretch sleeve compared to a bottle without any banding. Compared to a bottle with a banding formed by a heat-shrinkable film (shrink sleeve), the compression strength can also be increased by a similar amount, by approximately 20%, using a stretch sleeve.

[0021] The band can be printed on the inside of the band. This printing can positively influence the coefficient of friction between the band and the bottle body. If the coefficient of friction is low, the band can be pulled more easily vertically onto the bottle body. On the other hand, the coefficient of friction should not be too low, as otherwise the applied band, which, due to its elasticity, is pressed with a certain force perpendicular to the vertical direction against the outside of the sleeve area, could slide too easily vertically along the smooth outside of the sleeve area, which is free of constrictions or depressions / elevations. A favorable material combination is PET for the bottle body and PE for the band.In addition, PE ensures a good grip when the user wants to hold the bottle with one hand and dispense part of the contents of the bottle with the dispensing opening open.

[0022] In one embodiment, at least 90% of the outer side of the jacket area is covered by the band. Thus, the outer side of the jacket area can be used (almost) entirely as an advertising or information area if the band is printed and contains the appropriate advertising / information. The band can also extend beyond the lower edge of the jacket area and thus cover part of the bottom, for example, at least partially covering the rounded bottom.

[0023] The film thickness of the band can be between 20 and 80 µm or 20 and 70 µm. In one example, the film thickness is between 30 and 60 µm. The stretch ratio of the band material can be between 10 and 35%. For the sleeve-shaped band, this means that its circumference can be extended or expanded by up to 10 to 35% from an unstressed state without leaving the elastic range during deformation.

[0024] The receiving space of the bottle body can have a volume of 200 to 2000 ml. In one embodiment, the volume is 400 to 500 ml.

[0025] The ratio of the width of the bottle body to the depth of the bottle body can be between 1.0 and 2.0. The bottle body is preferably shaped such that its (maximum) width and its (maximum) depth are determined by the jacket area. The width of the jacket area is made up of the width of the front or rear wall and the width of any vertical edges between the front wall and the side walls or between the rear wall and the side walls. The depth of the bottle body is made up of the width of the side walls and the extent of any vertical edges in the corresponding side view. With a ratio of 1.0, the width of the bottle body corresponds to the depth of the bottle body. This results in an approximately square cross-section of the bottle body, which allows a small surface-to-volume ratio of the bottle body to be achieved.A small surface-to-volume ratio, while maintaining a constant wall thickness, results in a lower material usage relative to the enclosed volume. In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of the width of the bottle body to the depth of the bottle body is 1.2 to 1.6. While such a ratio of 1.2 to 1.6 does not result in optimal surface-to-volume ratios, it does allow other bottle requirements (handling, stackability) to be better met.

[0026] The ratio of the width of the bottle body to the height of the bottle body (including the neck) is 0.5 and 1. In other words, this means that the height of the bottle body is between one and two times the width of the bottle body. Overall, this makes it possible to create a bottle body that can enclose a comparatively large volume with relatively little material (for a given wall thickness, proportional to the surface area of ​​the bottle body).

[0027] The wall thickness of the jacket region can be between 20 and 60 µm. The wall thickness can vary for the front wall, rear wall, and both side walls. In one exemplary embodiment, the wall thickness of the front wall (measured in a central region of the front wall) is 1.1 to 1.5, preferably 1.2 to 1.4, greater than the wall thickness of the side wall (measured in a central region of the side wall). This material distribution results in a bottle body that has a high crush resistance and is nevertheless suitable for being compressed at the front and rear walls in order to dispense part of the contents from the receiving space. In the exemplary embodiment for the bottle body, which is constructed mirror-symmetrically with respect to a central plane that runs essentially parallel to the front and rear walls, the above statements regarding the front wall also apply mutatis mutandis to the rear wall.The bottle body can be mirror-symmetrical to the central plane and at the same time mirror-symmetrical to a plane perpendicular to it.

[0028] The invention is explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a bottle body of the bottle according to the invention in a perspective view; Figure 2 shows the bottle body with a banderol from the front; Figure 3 shows the bottle body with banderol from the side; Figure 4 shows the bottle body from below; Figure 5 shows a section along the line AA in Figure 4 ; Figure 6 two bottles with closure in a stack; and Figure 7 in an enlarged scale the circular section A in Figure 6 .

[0029] Figure 1 shows a bottle body which is provided with the reference number 10. Figure 1is a perspective view of the bottle body 10. The bottle body 10 is part of a bottle 1 according to the invention, which, in addition to the bottle body 10, has a banderole 60 (in the Figures 2 and 3 shown schematically by hatching) and a closure 70 (see Figures 6 and 7 ). The bottle body 10 is made of plastic, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) being a preferred plastic. The bottle body 10 can be manufactured, for example, by injection-stretch blow molding.

[0030] The bottle body 10 has a jacket area 11, a base 12, a shoulder 13 and a neck 14. The jacket area 11 extends from the base 12 in the direction of the shoulder 13. The neck 14 is formed centrally on the shoulder 13 and encloses a dispensing opening 15. On an outer side of the neck 14, an external thread 16 is provided through which the closure 70, designed as a screw cap (see Figures 6 and 7) to close the dispensing opening 14. Preferably, the closure 70 is made of polypropylene (PP).

[0031] In the Figures 2 and 3 A central axis 17 of the bottle body 10 or the circular dispensing opening 15 is shown. The central axis 17 runs in a vertical direction of the bottle body 10. Accordingly, the jacket region 10 extends vertically from the bottom 12 to the shoulder 13.

[0032] The bottle body 10 has a slightly outwardly curved front wall 18, a slightly outwardly curved rear wall 19 (in Figure 1 and 2 hidden, but in Figure 3 and 4visible) and two side walls 20, 21. Between the front wall 18 and the side wall 20, a vertical edge 22 is provided, which runs in the vertical direction and represents a rounded transition from the front wall 18 to the side wall 20, which, apart from the curvature of the front wall 18, runs exactly perpendicular to the front wall 18. In Figure 4 , which shows the bottle body 10 from below, the front wall 18 and side wall 20 as well as the rounded vertical edge 22 arranged between them are also visible. The jacket area 11 has three further vertical edges 23, 24, 25, which are arranged between the front wall 18 and the side walls 20, 21 and between the rear wall 19 and the side walls 20, 21, respectively. Figure 4 It becomes clear that the vertical edge 24 (this also applies to the other vertical edges) can be characterized by a rounding radius R R1, which can be, for example, 8 to 12 mm.

[0033] Across the entire height of the jacket area 11, i.e., from a circumferential lower edge 26 to a circumferential upper edge 27 of the jacket area 11, a cross-section of the jacket area 11 is constant in shape and size. The cross-section lies in a horizontal plane extending perpendicular to the vertical direction or to the central axis 17 of the bottle body 10. When the bottle body stands with its base 12 on a horizontal surface, the horizontal plane coincides with the horizontal. Figure 4The drawing plane and the horizontal plane are parallel to one another. Due to the constant cross-section over the entire height of the casing region 11, the front wall 18, rear wall 19, side walls 20, 21 and vertical edges 22, 23, 24, 25 run straight and parallel to the vertical direction at every point of the cross-section. Accordingly, there are no different cross-sections in the casing region 11, which would result if the casing region 11 had horizontally running grooves or the like. Viewed in the vertical direction, the casing region 11 also has no constrictions, recessed grips or the like, through which the cross-section of the casing region would change with height.

[0034] In particular from Figure 4It is clear that the side walls 20, 21 are straight in cross-section. Across the entire width of the front wall 19 (i.e. from the vertical edge 22 to the vertical edge 25) there is only a single curvature, i.e. there are no vertically running grooves or projections. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the curvature of the front wall corresponds to an arc of a circle with the radius Rw (radius of curvature). A center point 28 of this circle lies outside the bottle body, with an angular range 29 of the circular arc being approximately 65°. The further the center point is from the center of the bottle body 10 or the neck 14, the less the front wall 18 is curved and the smaller the angular range of the circular arc. Since the bottle body is parallel to the line AA in Figure 4 is to be mirror-symmetrical, the above statements also apply to the rear wall 19.

[0035] A width B of the bottle body 10, which is composed of the width of the front wall 18 and the width of the adjacent vertical edges 32, 25, is greater by a factor of 1.3 to 1.5 than a depth T of the bottle body 10. In a specific embodiment, the width B is 90 mm and the depth T is 64 mm. The factor in this case is 1.41 (90 / 64).

[0036] The width B and the depth T of the bottle body are determined by the dimensions of the cross-section of the jacket area 11. Neither the base 12 nor the shoulder 13 nor the neck 14 protrude in the illustration of the Figure 4 beyond the cross-section of the jacket area 11.

[0037] As in particular the Figure 1 can be seen, the shoulder comprises a stepped shoulder 30. The stepped shoulder 30 has a flat support surface 31 lying essentially in the horizontal plane and a circumferential shoulder edge 32 which delimits the support surface 31. From the Figures 2 and 3 It becomes clear that the support surface 31 is not completely flat, but slopes slightly downwards from the neck 14 as seen from the central axis 17. The shoulder edge 32 is composed of two elongated edge sections 33, 34, two shorter edge sections 35, 36 running essentially perpendicular thereto, and four rounded corners 37. The shape of the circumferential shoulder edge 32 corresponds approximately to the shape of the cross-section of the jacket region 11. The shoulder edge forms a locking surface extending essentially in the vertical direction. The stepped shoulder 30 represents a reinforcing structure which stiffens the shoulder 13. In addition, the stepped shoulder 30 contributes to improving the stackability of the bottle 1, in which the locking surface plays a particular role, which will be described in more detail below.

[0038] The base 12 comprises a circumferential rounded portion 38 and a flat base 39 in its basic form. The rounded portion 38 starts at the lower edge 26 of the casing area 11 and merges into the flat base 39. A stacking recess extends from the base 39 in the direction of a receiving space 40, which Figures 4 to 7 and is provided there with the reference number 41. As can be seen in particular from Figures 6 and 7As can be seen, the stacking recess 41 serves to accommodate the neck 14 and the closure 70 screwed onto it of a lower bottle 1a when the bottle 1 or an upper bottle 1b is placed on top of the lower bottle 1a in the stack. The cup-shaped stacking recess 41, which is rotationally symmetrical about the central axis 17, is dimensioned such that when the upper bottle 1b is stacked on top of the lower bottle 1a, no weight forces from the upper bottle 1b act on the closure 70 and the neck 14. This has the advantage that corresponding strength criteria do not have to be taken into account when designing the neck 14 and closure 70. This measure also results in a low stacking height for the bottle 1, so that the available space is used effectively when stacked.To produce the stacking recess 41, the blow mold in injection-stretch blow molding can have a displaceable piston which forms the stacking recess 41 in the base 12 during or after the blowing process (active mold).

[0039] The base 12 further comprises a locking recess 42, which has a support surface 43 lying essentially in the horizontal plane and a circumferential recess edge 44. The recess edge 44 has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the shoulder edge 34. In the stacked arrangement (see Figure 6) the upper bottle 1b rests with its support surface 43 on the support surface 31 of the lower bottle 1a. The locking surface 45, formed by the circumferential shoulder edge 32 and extending essentially in the vertical direction, faces a counter-surface 46 of the base 12 of the upper bottle 1b, which counter-surface runs essentially in the vertical direction, so that the upper bottle 1b can neither be twisted nor displaced relative to the lower bottle 1a. The interaction of the locking surface 45 and the counter-surface 46 result in a positive connection between the bottles 1a, 1b started one above the other and thus serve to prevent twisting and to position the bottles in the stack. Play can be provided between the counter-surface 46 and the locking surface 45, which facilitates the insertion of the stepped shoulder 30 into the locking recess 42 when stacking the bottles 1a, 1b.

[0040] The weight of the upper bottle 1b is transferred via its support surface 43 and via the bearing surface 31 of the lower bottle 1a into the lower bottle 1a. The weight is transferred from the shoulder 13 into the jacket region 11 of the lower bottle 1a. The higher the compressive strength of the bottle, the more bottles can be stacked on top of one another. The band 60, which is preferably made of polyethylene and is located on the outside of the jacket region 11, is designed as a stretch sleeve and serves as reinforcement for the jacket region 11. If the weight of the bottles arranged above it acting on the lower bottle 1a from above is very large, the band 60 prevents the jacket region 11 from bulging outwards or buckling. In this case, the stretch sleeve, which already rests against the jacket region 11 with a certain prestress in the circumferential direction, would be subjected to even further tensile stress due to the bulging of the jacket region in the circumferential direction.The pre-stressed stretch sleeve thus represents an effective measure for increasing the crush resistance of bottle 1. If only a certain limit for crush resistance needs to be achieved, the stretch sleeve provides scope to reduce the wall thickness of jacket area 11 and thus save material for the bottle body.

[0041] In Figure 2 a height H of the bottle body 10 is entered, which extends from the base 39 to the upper edge of the neck 15. The height H is composed of a height of the screw section of the neck or the external thread HG and a height of the receiving space HA . The height HG is between 10 and 10% of the height H. The height HA is larger than the width B by a factor of 1.2 to 1.3, which in the representation of the Figure 2(Front view) results in a square basic shape of the front wall 18. The height of the base and the height of the shoulder including the neck together make up approximately 30 to 40% of the height H. In the stack, the bottle appears as a handy square in the front view, with the neck and cap concealed by the bottle arranged above it. With a large number of bottles or stacks arranged side by side, this results in an overall appearance composed of many small squares, which is ideal for presentation purposes.

[0042] The circumferentially closed band 60 completely covers the casing area 11. Towards the base 12, the band 60 extends beyond the lower edge 27 and also covers an upper part of the base rounding 38. The band 60 also extends beyond the upper edge 27 of the casing area 11 and covers a lower part of the shoulder 13.

[0043] With the basic shape of the bottle body described here (HA approximately equal to B; H larger than B by a factor of 1.3 to 1.5; stiffened shoulder due to stepped shoulder; stiffened base due to stacking recess and locking recess, slightly outwardly curved front and rear walls, wall thickness of the PET bottle body approx. 35 to 50 µm), pressure on the front and rear walls, for example by a hand grasping the front wall 18 and the rear wall 19, results in a special elastic behavior that can be specifically used for dispensing the contents. The front wall 18 and the rear wall 19 can be pressed together up to a noticeable resistance threshold with a pressure force that increases approximately linearly with the deformation path, i.e. the elastic deformation is characterized by a constant gradient or spring constant up to this resistance point. Beyond the resistance point, a significantly greater amount of force is required for further deformation.The deformation path traveled up to the noticeable resistance threshold leads to a reduction in the volume ΔV of the receiving space, which corresponds to approximately 4% of the volume V of the receiving space 40. This means that by pressing the front wall 18 and rear wall 19 together once up to the resistance point, a good approximation of 4% of the contents can be dispensed from the receiving space 40. Thus, approximately 25 equal-sized dosing units can be produced. In one embodiment, the neck has means that only release the dispensing opening above a certain internal pressure. These means can comprise a slotted membrane so that no contents from the receiving space 40 escape through the dispensing opening 15 when the bottle 1 is rotated by the user and the neck 14 points downwards, but no pressure is yet exerted on the front wall 18 and rear wall 19. List of reference symbols

[0044] 1 bottle (1a identical bottle, lower bottle; 1b upper bottle) 10Bottle body 11Jacket area 12Bottom 13Shoulder 14Neck 15Dispensing opening 16External thread 17Central axis 18Front wall 19Rear wall 20Side wall 21Side wall 22Vertical edge 23Vertical edge 24Vertical edge 25Vertical edge 26Lower edge 27Upper edge 28Center point 29Angle area 30Step 31Support surface 32Step edge 33Longer edge section 34Longer edge section 35Shorter edge section 36Shorter edge section 37Corner 38Base rounding 39Base base 40Receiving space 41Stacking recess 42Locking recess 43Support surface 44Recess edge 45Locking surface 46Counter surface 60Banderol 70Closure BWidth DTepth HHeight HG Height of the external thread

Claims

1. A bottle (1) comprising a bottle body (10) made of plastics material and a seal (70), the bottle body (10) comprising: - a shoulder (13) having a neck (14) formed on the shoulder that has a dispensing orifice (15) which can be closed with the closure (70) and having a stepped shoulder (30) which has a support surface (31) lying substantially in the horizontal plane and a shoulder edge (32) that has a locking surface (45) running substantially in the vertical direction, - a bottom (12) having a stacking recess (41) projecting into a receiving space (40) of the bottle body (10), which stacking recess is suitable for completely receiving the closure (70) and the neck (14) of an identically constructed bottle (1a), such that when an upper bottle (1b) is stacked on top of a lower bottle (1a), the weight of the upper bottle (1b) rests completely on the shoulder (13) of the lower bottle (1a), and having a locking recess (42) for receiving the stepped shoulder (30), the locking recess (42) having a support surface (43) and a recess edge (44) that has a counter surface (46) running substantially in the vertical direction, such that when the upper bottle (1b) is stacked on top of the lower bottle (1a), the support surface (43) of the upper bottle (1b) rests on the support surface (31) of the lower bottle (1a), and the locking surface (45) of the lower bottle (1a) and the counter surface (46) of the upper bottle (1b) abut each other and create a positive connection in the horizontal plane between the upper bottle (1b) and the lower bottle (1a), - a shell region (11) which extends between the shoulder (13) and the bottom (12) in a vertical direction of the bottle body (10) and has a front wall (18), a rear wall (19) opposite the front wall (18) and two side walls (20, 21) arranged between the front wall (18) and the rear wall (19), the cross-section of the shell region and the shoulder edge of the stepped shoulder being substantially similar to each other, characterized in that a cross-section of the bottle body (10), which lies in a horizontal plane extending perpendicularly to the vertical direction, is constant in shape and size over the entire height of the shell region (11), in the horizontal plane in cross-section - the side walls (20, 21) running straight in the horizontal plane, and - the front wall (18) having an outwardly directed curvature which extends over an entire width of the front wall (18).

2. The bottle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that in the horizontal plane the curvature of the front wall (18) corresponds to an arc of a circle having a radius R.

3. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the curvature of the front wall (18) corresponds to the curvature of the rear wall (19).

4. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the shell region (11) has edges running in the vertical direction which are rounded and are arranged between the front wall (18) and the adjacent side walls (20, 21) or between the rear wall (19) and the adjacent side walls (20, 21).

5. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bottom (12) has a bottom rounding (38) and a bottom base (39), wherein the bottom rounding (38) starts at a lower edge (26) of the shell region (11) and merges into the bottom base (39).

6. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that on an outer side of the shell region (11) there is a sleeve designed as a stretch sleeve, the sleeve (60) being made of polyethylene (PE) and the bottle body being made of PET.

7. The bottle (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the sleeve (60) has a print which is applied to an inner face of the sleeve (60).

8. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a ratio of the width (B) of the bottle body (11) to the depth (T) of the bottle body is between 1.0 and 2.0.

9. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a ratio of the width (B) of the bottle body to the height (H) of the shell region (11) is between 0.5 and 1.

10. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a wall thickness of the shell region (11) is between 20 to 60 µm.