Bottle with plastic bottle body and method for dosing from the bottle body

Abstract

The invention relates to a bottle (1) for a liquid product, wherein a bottle body (10) of the bottle (1) made of plastic defines a receiving space (40) with a volume (V). When the bottle body (10) is compressed by a force (F) acting centrally on a front wall (18) of the bottle body (10) and by a counterforce (G) acting centrally on a rear wall (19) opposite to the force (F), the bottle body (10) is elastically deformed, so that the volume (V) of the receiving space (40) is reduced by a volume change (ΔV).A first section of elastic deformation up to a resistance threshold (W) can be assigned a first ratio (R1) of initial first force increase (ΔF1) to a first relative volume change (ΔV1 / V), wherein a second section of elastic deformation, which begins at the resistance threshold (W) and has a length (L), can be assigned a second ratio (R2) of a second force increase (ΔF2) to a second relative volume change (ΔV2 / V), wherein the resistance threshold (W) lies in a range of relative volume change (ΔV / V) of 2 to 7%, and wherein the second ratio (R2) is at least twice as large as the first ratio (R1). The invention also relates to a method for dispensing a subset from the bottle (1) by utilizing the resistance threshold (W).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a bottle with a plastic bottle body, wherein the bottle body defines a receiving space with a volume V. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for dosing a portion of the liquid product from the receiving space.

[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 a closure, a base, and a skirt region that extends between the shoulder and base in a vertical direction of the bottle body.

[0003] From US 2014 / 0374298 A1, a bottle with a bottle body and closure is known, wherein the jacket area has an approximately square cross-section. Such a bottle, in combination with other identically constructed bottles, requires little storage space because 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 and 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. The constriction and the ribs also influence the elastic resistance of the bottle when it is pressed together, for example by hand, using a force acting on the front wall and a counterforce acting on the back in order to dispense a portion of the product from the bottle. AU 2017 223 335 A1 shows a stackable bottle with a retractable neck. DE102012214111A1 shows a squeeze bottle with special zones for dispensing specific doses. EP0842857A2 shows a blow-molded squeeze bottle with wide front and back walls for optimal retraction.

[0004] This type of dispensing is known, for example, from a ketchup bottle. The user grips the ketchup bottle with their thumb on the front wall and the other fingers on the back wall. The bottle may then need to be turned so that the neck of the bottle can fill with the viscous ketchup. By pressing the front and back walls together, i.e. by increasing the force and counterforce, a volume V of the holding space in the bottle body is reduced by a volume change ΔV. This increases the internal pressure in the holding space. The dispensing opening or the neck of the ketchup bottle, in conjunction with the viscous ketchup, only allows dispensing when a certain internal pressure is exceeded. The user decides individually how much ketchup is dispensed by pressing the bottle body more or less firmly.

[0005] There are conceivable applications where under- or overdosing of the liquid product from the bottle should be avoided as much as possible, for example, with liquid detergent. If too little detergent is dispensed, the laundry in the washing machine may not be properly cleaned. Overdosing results in unnecessary detergent consumption and environmental pollution. While the user could control the dispensed portion by first pouring the detergent into a dosing or measuring cup and only then adding it to the laundry, this dispensing process requires an additional component and is time-consuming.

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a bottle with a plastic bottle body so that a partial amount of a liquid product can be dosed out of the bottle body in a simple manner.

[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] The bottle body of the bottle according to the invention is elastically deformed by a force F acting centrally on the front wall and a counterforce G acting centrally on the rear wall in order to reduce the volume V by a volume change ΔV. As a result, a portion of the liquid product contained in the receiving space is metered out of the bottle body.

[0009] A first ratio m 1 of the initial first force increase ΔF 1 to a first deformation path Δs 1 is assigned to a first section of the elastic deformation up to a resistance threshold W.

[0010] The first section of elastic deformation is followed by a second section, which begins at the resistance threshold W and has a fixed length L of at least 2 or 2 mm. This second section of elastic deformation is assigned a second ratio m 2 of a second force increase ΔF 2 to a second relative deformation path Δs 2 .

[0011] According to the invention, the resistance threshold W is assigned to a range of the relative volume change ΔV / V of 2 to 7%, wherein the second ratio m 2 is at least a factor of 2 greater than the first ratio m 1 . In one embodiment, the resistance threshold W is in a range of ΔV / V = 3 to 6%.

[0012] The resistance threshold W, at which the resistance of the bottle body to further deformation becomes significantly greater, can be felt by a user who squeezes the bottle by hand for dispensing. The user thus receives a haptic signal associated with a specific volume change ΔV. If the user only squeezes the bottle up to this noticeable resistance threshold W to dispense the liquid, the manual dispensing can be made more uniform. The result is that an approximately identical partial amount can always be dispensed when dispensing repeatedly. Claim 10, which describes this squeezing up to the resistance threshold W, thus solves another problem underlying the invention, namely the provision of a method for accurately dispensing a partial amount from a plastic bottle body.

[0013] For a bottle body, the resistance threshold W can be determined as follows. The force F acting on the front wall is applied approximately point-like and centrally (centrally both in the vertical direction and centrally perpendicular to the vertical direction). This also applies to the opposing counterforce G, which acts centrally and perpendicularly on the back wall. The force F and the counterforce G are increased successively, for example at a test speed of 10 mm / min, while the deformation distance s is measured. This makes it possible to determine a graph that shows the applied force F as a function of the deformation distance s. For each deformation distance s, the first ratio m 1 (corresponds to the slope of the graph) and the second ratio m 2 can be calculated (assuming a fixed length of the second section of at least 2 mm, preferably 2 mm).The point in the graph at which the second ratio m 2 is for the first time at least by the required factor greater than the first ratio m 1 corresponds to the resistance threshold W. The method according to the invention is realized when the resistance threshold occurs at a deformation path that leads to a relative volume change ΔV / V of 2 to 7%. An embodiment is realized when the resistance threshold lies in a range of ΔV / V = 3 to 6%, or preferably from 3.5 to 4.5% or from 4.5 to 5.5%.

[0014] The bottle body can be designed so that the second ratio m 2 is at least a factor of 3 greater than the first ratio m 1 . This makes the resistance threshold W more noticeable to the user and therefore generally leads to more precise dispensing if the user grasps the bottle body with one hand and squeezes it. While squeezing by hand does not exactly correspond to the compression caused by the point-like, centrally applied forces F and G, the subjectively noticeable resistance threshold corresponds closely to the (determined) resistance threshold W.

[0015] When determining the resistance threshold, it can be provided that the rear wall is supported on a stationary system and, when the bottle is compressed, only one stamp of the testing machine used moves, with which the force F acting on the front wall is applied. The deformation path s of the stamp causes a deformation of s / 2 for both the rear wall and the front wall, relative to the respective wall.

[0016] For example, if the volume V of the bottle body is 450 ml and the resistance threshold W is a relative volume change ΔV / V of 4%, the user will feel this resistance threshold each time the bottle is squeezed when the relative volume change ΔV / V of 4% is reached. This noticeable resistance threshold makes it possible to even out the manual dispensing. This means that, to a good approximation, 18 ml (4% of 450 ml) can be dispensed if the user stops squeezing the bottle, i.e. the dispensing process, when the resistance threshold is reached or shortly thereafter. This happens either consciously because the user feels this resistance threshold, or unconsciously because once the resistance threshold is exceeded it is much harder to squeeze the bottle significantly further beyond the resistance threshold. Accordingly, 25 equal portions can be dispensed from the bottle.If smaller and more partial quantities are to be dispensed, the resistance threshold must be shifted to a smaller relative volume change by modifying the bottle body (for example, with 33 partial quantities to ΔV / V of 3%).

[0017] An example should illustrate the method according to the invention: A bottle with a volume of 450 ml is compressed, whereby the force F or first initial force increase ΔF 1 (and due to action-reactio also the opposite counterforce) should be 10 N. The force F is applied to the front wall via a movable piston, with the rear wall being supported on a fixed system. With these 10 N, the front and rear walls should be able to be compressed so far that the piston travels an initial deformation path of 12 mm. The first ratio R 1 is therefore 0.830 N / mm (initial force increase ΔF 1 = 10 N divided by the initial first deformation path s 1 of 12 mm). For further compression beyond the first deformation path s 1, namely by a further 2 mm, the second force increase ΔF 2 is necessary, which in this example should be 5 N.The second ratio m 2 can then be calculated, which in this case is 2.5 N / mm (5 N / 2 mm). From this, a factor of 3 is derived, by which the ratio m 2 (2.5) is greater than the ratio R 1 (0.83). The resistance threshold is at 12 mm because at this point a factor R 2 / R 1 is established for the first time, which is greater than or equal to the value required in this example = 3. With a different required (minimum) factor (e.g. 2.5), the resistance threshold can occur at a different point along the deformation path for the same bottle body. The resistance threshold (in this example the deformation path of 12 mm) is associated with a specific volume change ΔV. If this is 18 ml, this results in a relative volume change of ΔV / V of 4% (18 ml / 450 ml). Thus, in this example, the resistance threshold would be associated with a relative volume change of 4%.

[0018] In one embodiment, dispensing means are provided that allow the liquid product to be dispensed only when a certain internal pressure in the receiving chamber is exceeded. The dispensing means should be designed such that the internal pressure in the receiving chamber does not become excessively high during dispensing, so that only a slight overpressure builds up compared to the ambient pressure (e.g., 0.2 to 0.4 bar). This has the advantage that, due to the compressibility of the air present in the receiving chamber when the bottle is partially empty, the error in the dispensed portion of the liquid product is not excessive.

[0019] The dispensing means may comprise a flexible membrane, which may be arranged in the dispensing opening and has at least one slit. If the internal pressure in the receiving space increases, the membrane deforms, allowing the liquid product to pass through the slit in the dispensing opening. If there is no excess pressure in the receiving space (internal pressure corresponds to ambient pressure), the membrane should be virtually leak-proof and prevent the liquid product from escaping, even if the dispensing opening is facing downwards.

[0020] Alternatively or additionally, the dispensing means may comprise a pre-dosing chamber which can be filled by the increased internal pressure and then emptied in a further step of the dispensing process.

[0021] The elastic behavior of the bottle body and thus the position of the resistance threshold W can be adjusted by its shape and size. The wall thickness and material of the bottle body, as well as any bottle banding, also influence the position of the resistance threshold. 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 jacket area. Accordingly, it has no constrictions or horizontal grooves or ribs in the vertical direction, which would stiffen the front and rear walls.

[0022] The base of the bottle body can have a stacking recess that projects into the receiving space of the bottle body and is suitable for fully accommodating the cap and neck of an identically constructed bottle (1a), so that 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. This allows the bottles to be stored in a space-saving manner in the stack. The stacking recess stiffens the base so that it is hardly deformed when the front and rear walls are pressed together during dispensing. This increased base stiffness influences the position of the resistance threshold.

[0023] A band designed as a stretch sleeve can be attached to the outside of the jacket area. The band (stretch sleeve) can be made of an elastic plastic material, 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 inwards 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 that the bottle is more crush-resistant.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.

[0024] Conversely, using a stretch sleeve as a banderol, while maintaining a specified minimum value for the bottle's compressive strength, allows the material used for the bottle body to be reduced. This results in a bottle whose production requires comparatively little material. Due to the thin wall, the bottle body can be compressed relatively easily. A preferred material for the bottle body is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET, even in recycled PET, is highly transparent, so that the liquid product contained in the bottle body's holding space is clearly visible from the outside.

[0025] 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.

[0026] In one embodiment, the side walls of the shell region 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 to it.

[0027] The front wall preferably has an outward-directed curvature that extends across the entire width of the front wall. The front wall is therefore consistently convex and has no areas that are curved or concave inwards. In the horizontal plane, the curvature of the front wall over the entire width of the front wall can correspond to an arc of a circle with a radius R w (radius of curvature R w ). 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 R w 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. Alternatively, the front wall can also be straight in cross-section, i.e. without any curvature or bulge inwards or outwards.In one embodiment, the cross-section of the shell region represents a rectangle with straight edges.

[0028] The front wall and the rear wall can be designed mirror-symmetrically, so that when the front wall is designed with the outward-directed curvature, the rear wall has the same outward-directed curvature.

[0029] 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 RR1. The radius of curvature RR1 may, for example, be 8 to 12 mm.

[0030] The base can have a base rounding and a base base, with the base rounding beginning at a lower edge of the casing area 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.

[0031] In one embodiment, the shoulder of the bottle body has a stepped shoulder with a support surface lying essentially in the horizontal plane and with a shoulder edge that 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 that 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. This contact between the locking surface and the counter-surface creates a positive connection in the horizontal plane between the upper bottle and lower bottle.This positive locking mechanism ensures that the top bottle cannot slip relative to the bottom bottle in the stack, 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 mechanism between the locking surface and the counter surface. The stepped shoulder increases the rigidity of the shoulder, so that when compressed up to the resistance threshold, it is not deformed or only deformed very slightly. A clearly noticeable resistance threshold can be set by a rigid base and a rigid shoulder with a convexly curved front and rear wall.

[0032] There can be some play between the counter surface and the locking surface, which makes it easier to place the locking recess on the stepped shoulder when the bottles are stacked. Alternatively, there can be a play-free fit between the counter 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 counter surface and locking surface to form a press fit, so that the counter surface is pressed against the locking surface with a certain horizontal force when viewed in the horizontal plane. In one embodiment, the counter surface and locking surface form an undercut when viewed in the vertical direction, so that when the upper bottle is placed vertically on the lower bottle a certain counter force must be overcome and the counter surface and locking surface form a snap closure.When the snap lock is closed, i.e. when the counter surface and locking surface are locked in the vertical direction, both surfaces can face each other with or without play.

[0033] The support surface of the stepped step does not have to be exactly horizontal, but can have a slight inclination or be slightly curved relative to the horizontal plane. The inclination angle 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 floor can have corresponding inclination angles, allowing the support surface to rest fully on the support surface.

[0034] In one embodiment, 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).

[0035] The heel edge can be substantially rectangular and have two longer edge sections and two shorter edge sections. In a preferred embodiment, the cross-section of the casing region and the heel 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 casing region.

[0036] 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.PE also provides a good grip when the user wants to hold the bottle with one hand and dispense a portion of the bottle's contents while the dispensing opening is open. In one embodiment, at least 90% of the outer side of the jacket is covered by the circumferential band. This allows the outer side of the jacket to be used (almost) entirely as an advertising or information space if the band is printed and contains appropriate advertising / information. The band can also extend beyond the lower edge of the jacket and thus cover part of the base, for example, at least partially cover the rounded base.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] The ratio of the width of the bottle body to the depth of the bottle body is 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 when viewed from the side. 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.

[0040] The ratio of the width of the bottle body to the height of the bottle body (including the neck) is between 0.5 and 1.

[0041] In other words, this means that the height of the bottle body lies between one and two times the width of the bottle body. Overall, this allows for 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). By adjusting the ratios between the width, depth, and height of the bottle body, the resistance threshold can be adjusted in relation to the relative volume change.

[0042] The wall thickness of the jacket area is 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.

[0043] The invention is explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a bottle body of a plastic bottle with which the method according to the invention can be carried out; 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; Figure 7 in an enlarged scale the circular section A in Figure 6; Figure 8 shows a cross-section of the bottle body in the compressed state; Figure 9 shows the compressed bottle body from the side; and Figure 10 shows a force F for compressing the bottle body as a function of a relative volume change

[0044] Figure 1 shows a bottle body which is provided with the reference number 10. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bottle body 10. The bottle body 10 is part of a bottle 1, which 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. The bottle body 10 serves to hold a liquid product, for example, a liquid detergent concentrate.

[0045] 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).

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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 4 visible) 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 4It 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.

[0048] Across the entire height of the shell region 11, i.e., from a circumferential lower edge 26 to a circumferential upper edge 27 of the shell region 11, a Δ of the shell region 11 is constant in shape and size. The cross-section lies in a horizontal plane that extends 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.

[0049] 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 R w (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 aligned with the line AA in Figure 4 should be mirror-symmetrical, the above statements also apply to the rear wall 19.

[0050] 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).

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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).

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] The Figures 8 and 9show the bottle body 10 in the compressed state. Figure 8 shows the cross-section of the bottle body 10, Figure 9 the bottle body 10 from the side. A force F is applied in the center of the front wall 18 of the jacket area 11 and pushes it toward the rear wall 19. A counterforce F acts on the rear wall, also point-like, which is opposite to the force F. Due to action-reaction, the forces F, G are equal in magnitude. The forces F, G are perpendicular to the central axis 17 and a central plane 48, to which the front wall 18 and rear wall 19 are mirror-symmetrical.

[0059] The force F leads to a deformation of the front wall 18, so that it is not curved outward as in the unloaded state (see dashed line), but rather has a concavity 47. The concavity 47 is only indicated schematically here and may have a different shape in reality. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that the base 12 and shoulder 13 are also at least slightly deformed by the force F and the counterforce G.

[0060] From the unloaded state, the contact point of the spring force F on the front wall has traveled half a deformation path s / 2. Due to the now inwardly dented front wall 18 and the similarly deformed rear wall 19, which has also traveled half a deformation path, the volume V of the receiving space 40 of the undeformed bottle body 10 (see Figures 1 to 7) a volume change ΔV, which is referred to as relative volume change ΔV / V in relation to the original volume V.

[0061] In Figure 10 The curve of force F is plotted schematically against the deformation path s. As the deformation path s increases, the graph initially rises at an approximately constant and comparatively low gradient. This means that the front wall 18 and the rear wall 19 can be pressed in relatively easily over a first section of the deformation path Δs 1 . At a point W, which is also referred to here as the resistance threshold W, the graph of force F rises more sharply. In other words, from the resistance threshold W onwards, it is significantly more difficult to press the front wall 18 and the rear wall 19 together and thus cause a further relative change in volume.

[0062] From the gradient triangle for the average gradient of the force F up to the resistance threshold W, a first ratio R 1 of the first initial force increase ΔF 1 to the associated first deformation path Δs 1 can be calculated. However, the ratios in Figure 10 should only be shown schematically, can be seen from Figure 10 By measuring the distances ΔF 1 and Δs 1, determine the first ratio R 1. In the schematic representation, it corresponds approximately to the value 0.3. Figure 10 It can be seen that the compression of the front wall and rear wall begins with a small pre-force F 0 (for example 0.5 N).

[0063] If the front wall 18 is pressed further inwards beyond the resistance threshold W, the force F must be increased further (the graph of the force F increases even more steeply). For a second section with a fixed length L, the force F increases by a second force increase ΔF 2 . The length L corresponds to a second deformation path Δs 2 . A second ratio R 2 (see corresponding gradient triangle: quotient of the second force increase ΔF 2 and the second deformation path Δs 2 ) is in the schematic representation of the Figure 10 around 0.6. Thus, the second ratio R 2 is a factor of 2 larger than the first ratio R 1 .

[0064] When the front wall 18 and rear wall 19 are squeezed together with a hand grasping the bottle 1, the user can clearly feel the resistance threshold W. The special elastic behavior of the bottle 1, which is characterized by the resistance threshold W, can be specifically used for the multiple dispensing of approximately the same size portion. Before dispensing, the bottle is turned upside down so that the neck 14 with the dispensing opening 15 is pointing downwards and the neck is filled with the liquid product. By squeezing up to the resistance threshold W, the volume V of the bottle 1 is reduced by the volume change ΔV. If the dispensing opening 15 is provided with a slotted membrane (not shown), then by squeezing up to the noticeable resistance threshold, an approximately constant portion with the volume ΔV can be dispensed. List of reference symbols

[0065] 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 47Convexity 48Middle level 60Banderol 70Closure BWidth FForce ΔFForce increase GGacetforce HHeight HGheight of the external thread LLength SDeformation path RForce-path ratio DTepth VVolume ΔVVolume change WResistance threshold

Claims

1. A bottle (1) for a liquid product, having a bottle body (10) which is made of plastics material, defines a receiving space (40) having a volume (V) and comprises: - a shoulder (13) having a neck (14) integrally formed on the shoulder (13) and having a dispensing opening (15) which can be closed by a seal (70), - a base (12), - a casing region (11) which extends between the shoulder (13) and the base (12) in a vertical direction 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), wherein a cross section of the bottle body (10) that lies in a horizontal plane extending perpendicularly to the vertical direction is constant in shape and size over the entire height of the casing region (11), wherein a ratio of a width (B) of the bottle body (11) to a depth (T) of the bottle body is between 1.0 and 2.0, a ratio of a width (B) of the bottle body to a height (H) of the casing region (11) is between 0.5 and 1, and a wall thickness of the casing region (11) is between 20 to 70 µm, so that when the bottle body (10) is compressed by a force (F) acting centrally on the front wall (18) and by a counterforce (G), opposing the force (F), acting centrally on the rear wall (19), the bottle body (10) is elastically deformable, so that the volume (V) of the receiving space (40) is reduced by a volume change (ΔV), wherein a first ratio (R1) of an initial first force increase (ΔF1) to a first deformation path (Δs1),can be assigned to a first portion of an elastic deformation up to a resistance threshold (W), wherein a second ratio (R2) of a second force increase (ΔF2) to a second deformation path (Δs2) can be assigned to a second portion of the elastic deformation, which begins with the resistance threshold (W) and has a length (L) of at least 2 mm, wherein the resistance threshold (W) is assigned to a range of relative volume change (ΔV / V) of 2 to 7%, and >wherein the second ratio (R2) is greater than the first ratio (R1) by at least a factor of 2.

2. The bottle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that dispensing means are provided, by means of which the liquid product can only be metered out when a certain internal pressure in the receiving space (40) of the bottle body (10) is exceeded.

3. The bottle (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the dispensing means comprise a flexible membrane having a slot.

4. The bottle (1) according to either claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the dispensing means contain a pre-dosing chamber.

5. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the base (12) has a stacking recess which protrudes into the receiving space (40) and is suitable for completely receiving the seal (70) and the neck (14) of an identically constructed bottle (1a), such that when an upper bottle (1b) is stacked on a lower bottle (1a), the weight of the upper bottle (1b) rests completely on the shoulder (13) of the lower bottle (1a).

6. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, in the horizontal plane in cross section, - the side walls (20, 21) extend straight in the horizontal plane, and - the front wall (18) has an outwardly directed curvature which extends over an entire width of the front wall (18).

7. The bottle (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the curvature of the front wall (18) corresponds to the curvature of the rear wall (19).

8. The bottle (1) according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the shoulder (13) has a stepped projection (30) which has a contact surface (31) lying substantially in the horizontal plane and a projection edge (32) having a locking surface (42) extending substantially in the vertical direction, and in that the base (12) has a locking recess (42) for receiving the stepped projection (30), wherein the locking recess (42) has a support surface (43) and a recess edge (44) having a counter surface (46) extending substantially in the vertical direction, so that when the upper bottle (1b) is stacked on the lower bottle (1a), the support surface (43) of the upper bottle (1b) rests on the contact 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) rest against one another and produce a form-fitting connection between the upper bottle (1b) and the lover bottle (1a) in the horizontal plane.

9. The bottle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a wall thickness of the front wall (18) is greater than a wall thickness of one of the side walls (20, 21) by at least a factor of 1.3.

10. A method for metering out a portion of a liquid product from a bottle according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the bottle body is compressed by hand up to the resistance threshold W, wherein the portion substantially corresponds to the volume ΔV.

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