Preform with handle attachment interface, bottle manufactured by blow molding such a preform, and associated bottle-handle assembly

Abstract

Preform with handle attachment interface, bottle manufactured by blow molding such a preform, and associated bottle-handle assembly The present invention relates to a preform (1) intended to be blown into a bottle (16) made of thermoplastic material, said preform (1) comprising a cylindrical body comprising a barrel, a neck and a transition zone formed between the barrel and the neck, the preform (1) further comprising a handle attachment interface (7) formed in one piece on at least one of the neck and the transition zone of the preform (1), said handle attachment interface (7) comprising a translational guide slide (8) formed on the external surface of the preform (1) and capable of allowing the sliding attachment of a handle (12). Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 7

Description

Title of the invention: Preform with handle attachment interface, bottle manufactured by blow molding such a preform, and associated bottle-handle assembly

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of thermoplastic bottles, and relates in particular to a preform provided with a handle attachment interface comprising a translational guide slide, to a bottle manufactured by blow molding such a preform, and to an associated bottle-handle assembly.

[0002] A well-known technique for manufacturing a thermoplastic bottle consists of heating a thermoplastic preform in an oven, then blowing the heated preform into a mold so as to obtain a bottle whose shape corresponds to that of the mold.

[0003] It is also known to add handles to large volume bottles such as demijohns, in order to facilitate their handling.

[0004] Currently, there are two main types of handles fitted to thermoplastic bottles blown from a preform, namely:

[0005] - a first type consisting of a handle placed in the mold before blowing of the heated preform and of which two lugs are enveloped by the wall of the cylinder barrel during the blowing of the preform into the mold; and

[0006] - a second type consisting of a handle fitted around the circumference of the neck of the carboy under a collar, this handle being placed, when leaving the mold, on the already formed carboy, by the top of the neck passing under the collar to be held.

[0007] However, the first existing type of handle has the following disadvantages:

[0008] - the connection of the handle on the bottle is not tenacious, given that the handle is connected to a more or less flexible blown part of the cylinder barrel;

[0009] - the presence of a hollow and lateral cavity in the barrel of the cylinder (in which the handle is arranged) causes additional stretching of the material during blowing, particularly in the corners of the base of the cylinder, creating a variation in the thickness of the material and therefore a structural weakness at the bottom of the barrel; and

[0010] - the reject rate is high in blowing due to the difficulty in finding the right one preform heating adjustment during production to correctly wrap the two handle lugs and prevent the preform from being pierced by said lugs during blowing.

[0011] Furthermore, the second existing type of handle has the following disadvantages:

[0012] - the handle must surround the entire circumference of the neck of the carboy, such that a high amount of material is required to manufacture the handle;

[0013] - the orientation of the grip of the handle is not convenient for a handler on the move who risks hitting his knees on the cylinder; and

[0014] - the presence of the handle on the neck can hinder the installation of the bottle head towards the low on a refreshing water dispenser fountain.

[0015] There are also other known techniques for blowing a thermoplastic cylinder including a handle. However, these techniques do not use a preform as the initial material but directly plastic in the form of granules or powder by:

[0016] - extrusion of a plastic parison followed by its blowing into a mold providing a handle; or

[0017] - injection of a preform already comprising a handle followed by its blowing in a carboy in a mold immediately while hot.

[0018] However, with these techniques, the handle is not a separate and added part or piece, but is integrated into the shape of the bottle from its initial formation or that of the intermediate preform. In addition, these techniques involve heavy investments with much higher temperatures than the technique of reheating-blowing a preform.

[0019] In smaller formats and for which the interaction between the handle and the blown bottle is less demanding than for a carboy of, for example, 20 kg, the reheat-blow technique can present other approaches for the handle in which the handle is fixed on the barrel of the bottle blown from a preform. The handle can, for example, be fitted on a surface of the barrel having a flexible tenon or locations for lugs, or the handle can be glued in a cavity prepared in the barrel of the bottle. However, the neck and the shoulder of the bottle are not concerned by these two approaches, and, on the contrary, the handle is in contact with a blown (and therefore less rigid) surface of the barrel of the bottle, which does not guarantee the tenacity of the handle on the bottle.

[0020] European patent application EP3571124A1 describes a bottle with a handle fixed to its barrel, the handle having to be placed in the mold before blowing the preform so that an anchoring part of the handle is wrapped by the wall of the barrel of the bottle during blowing of the preform in the mold. However, as indicated above, this fixing by wrapping of an anchoring part of the handle by the wall of the barrel of the bottle during blowing does not guarantee the toughness and rigidity of the fixing.

[0021] European patent application EP3096929A1 describes, in particular in one of its particular embodiments, a method for manufacturing a container from a preform provided with two fixing notches, one of which is displaced during blowing, said two fixing notches serving to fix a handle after blowing. However, no additional information is present in this document concerning the structure of the two fixing notches and the method of fixing the handle on these two fixing notches. The handle seems simply fitted onto the fixing notches, which does not allow for a tenacious fixing of the handle on the container. In addition, since one of the two fixing notches is located on the barrel of the preform, the handle is thus connected to a more or less flexible blown part of the barrel of the container, such that the connection of the handle on the container is not optimal.

[0022] The present invention aims to solve the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a preform comprising a handle attachment interface formed in one piece on the preform and comprising a translational guide slide capable of allowing the sliding attachment of a handle. The translational guide slide formed on the preform thus makes it possible, after blowing the preform into a bottle, to attach a handle attached to the neck and / or shoulder of the bottle by sliding on the translational guide slide, which makes it possible to improve the rigidity and toughness of the attachment of the handle attached to the bottle.

[0023] The present invention therefore relates to a preform intended to be blown into a bottle made of thermoplastic material, said preform comprising a cylindrical body comprising a barrel, a neck and a transition zone formed between the barrel and the neck, characterized in that the preform further comprises a handle attachment interface formed in one piece on at least one of the neck and the transition zone of the preform, said handle attachment interface comprising a translational guide slide formed on the external surface of the preform and capable of allowing the attachment by sliding of a handle.

[0024] The preform can be manufactured by injection of thermoplastic material.

[0025] Advantageously, the barrel of the preform has a constant thickness and makes it possible to form, after blowing the preform, the barrel of the bottle (the barrel of the preform being the part of the preform that is most stretched after blowing, hence its significant thickness).

[0026] The end of the barrel of the preform opposite the neck is closed by a bottom.

[0027] The transition zone between the barrel and the neck of the preform has a thickness less than or equal to that of the barrel and makes it possible to form, after blowing the preform, the shoulder of the bottle.

[0028] The neck of the preform is not deformed during blowing and corresponds to the neck of the bottle.

[0029] The handle attachment interface (in particular, the guide slide in translation) formed on the preform is not deformed and remains intact after blowing the preform into a bottle and thus allows the attachment of a handle attached to the bottle.

[0030] In particular, when the attached handle has a fixing end comprising a sliding part complementary to the translational guide slide of the handle fixing interface of the bottle, said fixing end of the handle can thus be fixed on the handle fixing interface by sliding the sliding part of the handle along the translational guide slide of the handle fixing interface of the bottle.

[0031] The tenacity and rigidity of the attachment between the handle and the bottle are thus improved thanks to the presence of the translational guide slide initially formed on the preform.

[0032] The handle attachment interface is positioned on an area that is not deformed after blowing the preform into a bottle, namely the neck and / or the transition area between the neck and the barrel when this area is not stretched during blowing of the preform into a bottle to remain fixed and then ensure the translational guide slide has real and ideal dimensional stability upon subsequent insertion of the handle, ensuring the rigidity and toughness of the assembly. It should be noted that the stretching or not of certain areas of the preform is linked to the design of the final blowing mold of the bottle and not to the design of the injection mold of the preform.

[0033] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the translational guide slide is one of:

[0034] - rectilinear and tangent to the external circumference of the preform;

[0035] - curved and formed on a portion of the outer circumference of the preform; and

[0036] - rectilinear and formed along the longitudinal direction of the preform.

[0037] Thus, in the first two variants, the translational guide slide is horizontal (when the bottle is in the upright position) so that the fixing end of the handle must be fitted onto the slide by horizontal sliding, whereas, in the third variant, the translational guide slide is vertical (when the bottle is in the upright position) so that the fixing end of the handle must be fitted onto the slide by vertical sliding.

[0038] In the three variants, the translational guide slide is formed only on a part of the external circumference of the neck and / or the transition zone of the preform, and not on the entire circumference as in the case for a collar usually formed on a bottle neck.

[0039] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the translational guide slide is provided with a translational guide rib having a cross-section having a base from which two projections extend opposite one another. on the other, said translational guide rib preferably having a T-shaped cross-section.

[0040] The fixing end of the attached handle then has a groove complementary to the translational guide rib of the handle fixing interface.

[0041] Thus, the particular cross-section of the translational guide rib with its two projections extending opposite one another makes it possible to ensure the guidance of the fixing end of the handle along the translational guide rib during the sliding of the groove of the fixing end of the handle on the translational guide rib, and also makes it possible to guarantee the toughness and rigidity of the fixing between the handle and the handle fixing interface.

[0042] The T-shaped cross-section of the translational guide rib (the shaft of the T acting as the base, and the cross-member of the T acting as the two projections) is one of the possible choices for convenience in design and demolding on the preform, but other shapes, such as a dovetail, could also be used, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0043] According to a variant of the invention, the translational guide slide is provided with a translational guide groove having a cross-section having a base from which two projections extend opposite one another, said translational guide groove preferably having a T-shaped cross-section.

[0044] The fixing end of the attached handle then has a rib complementary to the translational guide groove of the handle fixing interface.

[0045] Thus, the particular cross-section of the translational guide groove with its two projections extending opposite one another makes it possible to ensure the guidance of the fixing end of the handle along the translational guide groove during the sliding of the rib of the fixing end of the handle on the translational guide groove, and also makes it possible to guarantee the toughness and rigidity of the fixing between the handle and the handle fixing interface.

[0046] The T-shaped cross-section of the translational guide groove (the shaft of the T acting as the base, and the cross-member of the T acting as the two projections) is one of the possible choices for convenience in design and demolding on the preform, but other shapes, such as a dovetail, could also be used.

[0047] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the translational guide rib is one of: rectilinear and tangent to the external circumference of the preform; and, curved and formed on a portion of the external circumference of the preform; and the handle attachment interface further comprises at least one of an upper shoulder formed above the translational guide rib and a lower shoulder formed below the translation guide rib.

[0048] Thus, the upper, respectively lower, shoulder of the handle attachment interface can serve as a stop or counter-support for the upper, respectively lower, part of the attachment end of the handle, which makes it possible to improve the rigidity of the attachment between the handle and the handle attachment interface of the bottle.

[0049] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, a lower shoulder is formed below the translational guide rib and a groove is provided in the lower shoulder of the handle attachment interface along the length of the translational guide rib.

[0050] Thus, the groove provided in the lower shoulder of the handle attachment interface makes it possible to receive inside it a complementary projection formed in the lower part of the attachment end of the handle, which makes it possible to further improve the rigidity of the assembly and to compensate for the flexibility of the plastic materials when stretched and compressed.

[0051] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the translational guide rib or groove is rectilinear and formed in the longitudinal direction of the preform, and the handle attachment interface further comprises one of: a lower stop formed at the lower end of the translational guide rib or groove; and an upper stop formed at the upper end of the translational guide rib or groove.

[0052] Thus, the lower stop can serve as a stop for the lower part of the fixing end of the handle when the handle is installed by vertical sliding from the top of the translational guide slide, while the upper stop can serve as a stop for the upper part of the fixing end of the handle when the handle is installed by vertical sliding from the bottom of the translational guide slide.

[0053] The present invention also relates to a thermoplastic bottle manufactured by blowing a preform as described above, characterized in that said bottle retains, after blowing the preform, the handle attachment interface which is formed in one piece on an area not deformed after blowing at least one of the neck and the shoulder of the bottle, the translational guide slide of the handle attachment interface being capable of allowing the attachment by sliding of a handle on the bottle.

[0054] By blowing the preform, we mean either reheating-blowing the preform, or blowing directly after injection of the preform when the latter is still hot.

[0055] The preform may, for example, be heated in an infrared lamp oven, the presence of the handle attachment interface in no way hindering its rotation on itself and its exposure in the oven for uniform heating. Then, the preform can be blown into a bottle (for example, into a carboy) in a mold having a specific cavity for the handle attachment interface in order to avoid deformation of the latter during blowing, and anticipating the future presence of the handle, the blown bottle then no longer undergoing any intrinsic modification. Finally, a rigid handle with a specific slider part can be installed by sliding on the translational guide slide of the bottle, the handle being designed so that the assembly remains rigid on the translational guide slide.

[0056] The part of the preform on which the handle attachment interface is formed is not modified during the blowing of the preform into a bottle, the latter and the translational guide slide are therefore not deformed during the blowing and remain parts initially injected for optimal stability and rigidity of the assembly of the handle on the bottle.

[0057] It should be noted that the handle attachment interface (and in particular its translational guide slide) does not constitute a handle in itself, but requires the addition of an attached handle for the function of gripping the bottle.

[0058] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the part of the shoulder of the bottle which is located below the handle fixing interface has a recess capable of allowing the arrangement of a handle above it.

[0059] Thus, this recess, formed during the blowing of the preform into a bottle in the mold, makes it possible to anticipate the presence of the handle, and makes it possible to prevent the shoulder of the bottle from hindering the installation of the handle on the bottle.

[0060] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the bottle is of the demijohn type with a volume of between 3 and 25 liters.

[0061] Thus, given the significant weight of a bottle when it is filled with liquid (for example, a water bottle intended to be used on a water fountain), the provision of a handle attached to this bottle makes it easier to handle, the handle attachment interface of the bottle making it possible to guarantee the rigidity of the attachment even with the significant weight of the filled bottle, and a position of the handle which does not hinder the placement of the bottle on the water fountain.

[0062] The present invention further relates to a bottle-handle assembly, characterized in that it comprises a bottle as described above and an attached handle, one fixing end of which comprises a sliding part complementary to the translational guide slide of the handle fixing interface of the bottle, said fixing end of the handle being fixed to the handle fixing interface of the bottle by sliding of the part handle slider along the translational guide rail of the bottle handle attachment interface.

[0063] Thus, the present invention makes it possible to produce a solid and rigid assembly of the handle on the bottle (more particularly, a solid and rigid assembly of the slider part of the handle on the translational guide slide of the bottle), to ensure good toughness of the assembly, which is necessary due to the weight of the bottle in static and dynamic conditions (in particular in the case of a carboy filled with a liquid such as water), the orientation of the handle relative to the neck and the relative rigidity of the injected plastic materials.

[0064] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, at least one of the bottle handle attachment interface and the handle attachment end has a locking device configured, after sliding of the slider portion of the handle along the translational guide slide of the bottle handle attachment interface, to lock the position of the handle attachment end on the bottle handle attachment interface.

[0065] Thus, the locking device makes it possible to lock, in a removable or non-removable manner, the position of the handle on the bottle at the end of the sliding stroke on the translational guide slide.

[0066] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the locking device comprises an elastically deformable interlocking hook which is arranged on one of the handle attachment end and the bottle handle attachment interface and which is configured, after sliding of the slider part of the handle along the translational guide slide of the bottle handle attachment interface, to elastically interlock on the other of the bottle handle attachment interface and the handle attachment end.

[0067] Preferably, when the slider portion of the fixing end of the handle is a groove complementary to the rib-type translation guide slide, the slider portion of the handle has, at one end of the groove, a stop to block its travel on the translation guide slide, and the slider portion of the handle carries, at the other end of the groove, the nesting hook which is configured, at the end of the sliding travel, to nest on the handle fixing interface and thus block the position of the handle at the end of sliding of the groove on the translation guide slide.

[0068] According to a variant of the invention, the locking device comprises an elastically deformable stud which is arranged on one of the fixing end of the handle and the handle fixing interface of the bottle and which is configured, after sliding of the slider part of the handle along the translational guide slide of the handle fixing interface of the bottle, to fit elastically tically in a recess provided on the other of the bottle handle attachment interface and the handle attachment end.

[0069] Preferably, when the slider portion of the fixing end of the handle is a groove complementary to the rib-type translation guide slide, the slider portion of the handle has, at one end of the groove, a stop to block its travel on the translation guide slide, and the stud is positioned on the handle fixing interface, to which corresponds a recess formed in the groove of the handle to allow the assembly to be stabilized after compression of the stud during sliding of the handle on the translation guide slide.

[0070] According to a particular characteristic of the invention, each of the bottle and the handle is made of a thermoplastic material among polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polystyrene (PS), polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), and recycled PET (rPET).

[0071] The handle material is preferably the same grade of plastic as the bottle for easier recycling.

[0072] It should be noted that the bottle and the handle could also be made of any other thermoplastic material or any mixture of thermoplastic materials (typically in the case of rPET or another copolyester such as TRITAN®).

[0073] Compared to a handle placed in a mold before blowing the heated preform and whose lugs are enveloped by the wall of the bottle during blowing of the preform in the mold, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0074] - a real hold of the handle well connected to a rigid part of the bottle (at namely, the translational guide slide formed on the neck and / or shoulder of the bottle) and not to a more or less flexible blown part of the bottle;

[0075] - a better position of the handle to facilitate gripping the bottle placed on the ground or on a support;

[0076] - a better distribution of the thermoplastic material over the entire bottle due to the absence of a hollow and lateral cavity which causes additional stretching of the material during blowing, particularly in the corners of the base of the bottle, creating a variation in the thickness of the material and therefore a structural weakness at the bottom of the barrel; and

[0077] - a reduced rejection rate during blowing, given that no piercing of the preform by the handle lugs is not possible during blowing.

[0078] Furthermore, compared to a nested handle, upon exiting the mold, on the circumference of the neck under a collar of the bottle, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0079] - better integration of the handle into the profile of the bottle shoulder due to of the position of the guide slide in translation and the rigidity of the assembly;

[0080] - a saving of material since the fixing end of the handle does not completely encompass the circumference of the neck of the bottle; and

[0081] - the radial orientation of the handle grip (and not tangent) prevents handling tionary on the move to bang his knees against the bottle.

[0082] To better illustrate the object of the present invention, preferred embodiments will be described below, by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the appended drawings.

[0083] In these drawings:

[0084] [Fig. 1] is a side view of a preform according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0085] [Fig.2] is a perspective view of the preform of [Fig. 1];

[0086] [Fig.3] is another perspective view of the preform of [Fig.l] in which the location of the handle is shown;

[0087] [Fig.4] is a sectional view of the handle attachment interface according to the first embodiment in which a handle is attached;

[0088] [Fig.5] is a sectional view of a handle attachment interface according to a variant of the invention in which a handle is fixed;

[0089] [Fig.6] is a side view of a bottle manufactured by blow molding the preform of [Fig.l],

[0090] [Fig.7] is a side view of the bottle of [Fig.6] on which a handle is fixed;

[0091] [Fig.8] is a side view of a bottle manufactured by blow molding a preform according to a second embodiment of the invention;

[0092] [Fig.9] is a perspective view of a handle according to the first embodiment of the invention;

[0093] [Fig. 10] is a sectional view of a locking device according to the first embodiment of the invention; and

[0094] [Fig. 11] is a sectional view of a locking device according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0095] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that a preform 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown there.

[0096] The preform 1 is manufactured by injection of thermoplastic material, and is intended to be blown either directly after injection when the latter is still hot, or after reheating the latter, into a bottle such as a carboy.

[0097] The preform 1 comprises a cylindrical body 2 comprising a barrel 3, a neck 4 and a transition zone 5 formed between the barrel 3 and the neck 4.

[0098] The end of the barrel 3 of the preform 1 opposite the neck 4 is closed by a bottom 6.

[0099] Although the bottom 6 is half-sphere in this specific embodiment, this one- This could also be cone-shaped or dome-shaped to optimize the use of the material during injection and blowing, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0100] The barrel 3 of the preform 1 has a constant thickness and makes it possible to form, after blowing the preform 1, the barrel of a bottle.

[0101] The transition zone 5 between the barrel 3 and the neck 4 of the preform 1 has a thickness less than or equal to that of the barrel 3 and makes it possible to form, after blowing the preform 1, the shoulder of the bottle.

[0102] The neck 4 of the preform 1 (which is provided with a bulge 4a allowing good alignment of the skirt of the cap during its subsequent placement on the preform blown into a carboy) is not, for its part, deformed during blowing and corresponds to the neck of the bottle.

[0103] The preform 1 further comprises a handle attachment interface 7 formed in one piece on the neck 4 and the transition zone 5 of the preform 1.

[0104] It should be noted that the handle attachment interface 7 could also be formed only on the neck 4 or only on the transition zone 5 of the preform 1, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0105] The handle attachment interface 7 comprises a translational guide slide 8 formed on a portion of the external surface of the transition zone 5 of the preform 1, said handle attachment slide 8 allowing the sliding attachment of a handle after blowing the preform 1 into a bottle.

[0106] The blow mold in which the preform 1 is blown into a bottle is designed such that the neck 4 and the portion of the transition zone 5 on which the handle attachment interface 7 is formed are not deformed when the preform 1 is blown into a bottle, the handle attachment interface 7 thus remaining intact on the bottle after the preform 1 is blown.

[0107] The translation guide slide 8 is a translation guide rib which is rectilinear and tangent to the external circumference of the preform 1, such that, after blowing the preform 1 into a bottle, the translation guide slide 8 is horizontal (when the bottle is in an upright position) and an attached handle can be fitted onto the translation guide slide 8 by sliding horizontally thereon.

[0108] It should be noted that the translational guide slide 8 could also be curved and formed on a part of the external circumference of the preform 1 or else straight and oriented vertically in the longitudinal direction of the preform 1, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0109] The rib-type translational guide slide 8 has a cross-section having a base 8a fixed to the transition zone 5 of the preform 1 and from which two upper and lower projections 8b extend opposite each other.

[0110] In particular, the rib-like translation guide slide 8 has a T-shaped cross-section. However, the translation guide slide 8 could also have any other cross-section having a base 8a and two opposing projections 8b, such as a dovetail, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0111] The handle attachment interface 7 further comprises an upper shoulder 9 formed above the rib-type translation guide slide 8 and a lower shoulder 10 formed below the rib-type translation guide slide 8.

[0112] Furthermore, a groove 11 is provided in the lower shoulder 10 of the handle attachment interface 7 along the length of the rib-type translational guide slide 8.

[0113] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it can be seen that the preform 1 is shown there with a handle 12 (shown in dotted lines in [Fig.3]) fixed to the handle fixing interface 7.

[0114] Although the handle 12 has been shown directly fixed to the preform 1, those skilled in the art will understand that in practice the preform 1 must first be blown into a bottle before proceeding with the assembly of the handle 12 on the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle resulting from the blowing of the preform 1.

[0115] The fixing end 13 of the handle 12 has a groove 14 complementary to the rib-type translation guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7.

[0116] The translational guide slide 8 thus makes it possible to ensure the guidance of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 along the latter during the horizontal sliding of the groove 14 of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 on the rib-type translational guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7, and also makes it possible to guarantee the toughness and rigidity of the fixing between the handle 12 and the handle fixing interface 7.

[0117] It should be noted that the translational guide slide 8 could also be provided with a translational guide groove (instead of a translational guide rib) having a cross-section having a base from which extend two projections opposite each other (preferably a T-shaped cross-section), without departing from the scope of the present invention, in which case the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 would then have a rib (instead of a groove) complementary to the groove-like translational guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7.

[0118] As shown in [Fig.4], the upper shoulder 9 of the handle attachment interface 7 serves as a stop (or counter-support) for the upper part of the attachment end 13 of the handle 12, while the lower shoulder 10 of the handle attachment interface 7 serves as a stop (or counter-support) for the lower part of the attachment end 13 of the handle 12, which makes it possible to improve the rigidity of the attachment between the handle 12 and the handle attachment interface 7.

[0119] Furthermore, the groove 11 formed in the lower shoulder 10 of the handle fixing interface 7 receives inside it (by sliding) a complementary projection (or tab) 15 formed in the lower part of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12, which makes it possible to further improve the rigidity of the assembly and to compensate for the flexibility of the plastic materials when stretched and compressed.

[0120] Referring to [Fig. 5], it can be seen that a variant of the first embodiment is shown in which the handle attachment interface 7 does not have a groove in its lower shoulder 10. The lower part of the attachment end 13 of the handle 12 thus does not have a projection (or tab) and is directly in contact with the lower shoulder 10.

[0121] If we refer to [Fig.6], we can see that there is shown a bottle 16 made of thermoplastic material manufactured by blowing the preform 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0122] For the purpose of better understanding, the initial position of the preform 1 before blowing has been shown in dotted lines in [Fig.6]. However, those skilled in the art will understand that after blowing the preform 1 into a bottle 16, only the bottle 16 remains.

[0123] By blowing of the preform 1, we mean either reheating-blowing of the preform 1, or blowing directly after the injection of the preform 1 when the latter is still hot.

[0124] The preform 1 can, for example, be heated in an infrared lamp oven, the presence of the handle attachment interface 7 in no way hindering its rotation on itself and its exposure in the oven for uniform heating. Then, the preform 1 can be blown into a bottle 16 in a mold having a specific cavity for the handle attachment interface 7 in order to avoid deformation of the latter during blowing.

[0125] After blowing the preform 1 into a mold suitable for the final shape of the bottle 16, the barrel 3 of the preform 1 is deformed by stretching into a barrel 17 of the bottle 16, the bottom 6 of the preform 1 is deformed by stretching into a bottom 18 of the bottle 16, a part of the transition zone 5 of the preform (namely, the part not carrying the handle attachment interface 7) is deformed by stretching into a shoulder 19 of the bottle 16, and the neck 4 of the preform 1 is not deformed and constitutes that of the bottle 16 after blowing.

[0126] Thus, the bottle 16 retains, after blowing the preform 1, the handle attachment interface 7 which is formed in one piece on an area not deformed after blowing the bottle 16 (namely, the neck 4 and / or a part of the circumference of the shoulder 19 of the bottle 16).

[0127] It should be noted that the bottle 16 shown in [Fig.6] is of the demijohn type (having, for example, a volume of between 3 and 25 liters), but could also be of any other type (depending on the shape of the mold used during blowing), without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0128] The portion of the shoulder 19 of the bottle 16 which is located directly below the handle attachment interface 7 has a recess 20 (formed using the blow mold) so as to prevent the shoulder 19 of the bottle 16 from interfering with the installation of the handle 12 on the bottle 16.

[0129] Referring to [Fig.7], it can be seen that the bottle 16 is shown thereon with the handle 12 fixed to the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16.

[0130] The fixing end 13 of the handle 12 comprises a sliding part (of the groove type 14) complementary to the translational guide slide 8 of the rib type of the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16.

[0131] The fixing end 13 of the handle 12 can thus be fixed on the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16 by sliding the slider part (namely, the groove 14) of the handle 12 along the translational guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16.

[0132] The present invention thus makes it possible to produce a solid and rigid assembly of the handle 12 on the bottle 16, to ensure good tenacity of the assembly, which is necessary due to the weight of the carboy type bottle 16 in static and dynamic conditions (particularly in the case of a carboy filled with a liquid such as water), the orientation of the handle 12 relative to the neck 4 and the relative rigidity of the injected plastic materials.

[0133] Advantageously, the shape of the handle 12 is designed such that once fixed on the handle fixing interface 7, the handle 12 is arranged in the recess 20 formed in the shoulder 19 of the bottle 16, and the upper part of the handle 12 is aligned with the shoulder 19 (excluding the recess 20) of the bottle 16. Consequently, the presence of the handle 12 on the bottle 16 does not prevent the installation of the carboy-type bottle 16 in a water fountain.

[0134] Each of the bottle 16 (or preform 1 before blowing) and the handle 12 is made of a thermoplastic material among polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polystyrene (PS), polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), and recycled PET (rPET).

[0135] The material of the handle 12 is preferably of the same grade of plastic as the bottle 16 for easier recycling.

[0136] It should be noted that the bottle 16 and the handle 12 could also be made of any other thermoplastic material or any mixture of thermoplastic materials (typically in the case of rPET or another copolyester such as TRITAN®), without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0137] If we refer to [Fig.8], we can see that there is shown a bottle 16' manufactured by blowing a preform 1' according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0138] The elements common between the first embodiment of the invention in Figures 1 to 7 and this second embodiment of the invention bear the same reference number and will not be described in more detail here when they are of identical structures.

[0139] The preform 1' according to the second embodiment is identical to the preform 1 according to the first embodiment, except that the handle attachment interface 7 consists of a rib-type translational guide slide 8' which is rectilinear and formed along the longitudinal direction of the preform 1' (i.e., vertical when the bottle 16' is in the upright position), and an upper stop 21 formed at the upper end of the rib-type translational guide slide 8'.

[0140] The fixing end 13 of the handle 12 (which comprises a groove complementary to the rib-type translation guide slide 8') can thus be mounted on the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16' by vertically sliding the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 along the translation guide slide 8'. The upper stop 21 then serves as a stop for the upper part of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 when the handle 12 is installed by vertically sliding from the bottom of the translation guide slide 8'.

[0141] It should be noted that the handle attachment interface 7 could also comprise (in place of the upper stop 21) a lower stop formed at the lower end of the translational guide slide 8', without departing from the scope of the present invention, the lower stop then serving as a stop for the lower part of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 when the handle 12 is installed by vertical sliding from the top of the translational guide slide 8'.

[0142] Furthermore, the vertical rib type translation guide slide 8' could also be replaced by a vertical groove type translation guide slide (capable of cooperating with a complementary rib formed in the fixing end 13 of the handle 12), without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0143] Referring to [Fig.9], it can be seen that the handle 12 is shown therein which can be fixed to the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

[0144] The handle 12 comprises a gripping portion 22 (capable of being grasped by a user in order to fix the handle 12 on the bottle 16 and then to move the bottle 16) and the fixing end 13 in which the groove 14 is formed, complementary to the translational guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16.

[0145] It should be noted that the gripping portion 22 of the handle 12 has a sleeve shape, but could also take any other shape capable of being grasped by the hand of a user, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0146] The fixing end 13 of the handle 12 has, at one of the two ends of the groove 14, a stop 23 making it possible to block the travel of the handle 12 on the translational guide slide 8.

[0147] Furthermore, the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 carries, in the lower part, at the level of the other of the two ends of the groove 14, a locking device 24 (which will be described in more detail in [Fig. 10]) allowing, after sliding of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 along the translational guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16, to lock the position of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 on the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16.

[0148] It is noted that the locking device 24 could also be arranged on the handle attachment interface 7 or on both the attachment end 13 of the handle 12 and the handle attachment interface 7, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0149] Referring to [Fig. 10], it can be seen that the locking device 24 of the handle 12 and the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16 are shown there at different stages of sliding.

[0150] The locking device 24 consists of an elastically deformable interlocking hook 25 which is arranged on the fixing end 13 of the handle 12, opposite the stop 23.

[0151] In step (a) in [Fig.10], the handle 12 is not yet installed on the interface of handle attachment 7 of bottle 16.

[0152] In step (b) in [Fig.10], the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 is being slid onto the handle fixing interface 7 (by sliding the groove 14 of the handle 12 along the rib-like translational guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7). During sliding, the nesting hook 25 of the handle 12 elastically deforms against the lower shoulder 10 of the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16.

[0153] In step (c) in [Fig. 10], at the end of sliding when the stop 23 of the handle 12 comes into contact with one of the two ends of the lower shoulder 10, the fitting hook 25 returns to its original position and then fits elastically onto the other of the two ends of the lower shoulder 10, which makes it possible to lock the position of the handle 12 on the bottle 16.

[0154] Referring to [Fig. 11], it can be seen that the locking device 24 of the handle 12 according to another embodiment and the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16 are represented therein at different stages of sliding.

[0155] Unlike [Fig. 10], in this other embodiment, the locking device 24 consists of an elastically deformable stud 27 which is arranged on the lower shoulder 10 of the handle fixing interface 7 of the bottle 16, and of a corresponding recess 26 formed inside the groove 14 of the fixing end 13 of the handle 12.

[0156] It should be noted that the stud 27 and the recess 26 could also be respectively formed on the groove 14 of the handle 12 and the lower shoulder 10 of the bottle 16, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0157] In step (a) in [Fig.l 1], the handle 12 is not yet installed on the handle attachment interface 7 of the bottle 16.

[0158] In step (b) in [Fig.l 1], the fixing end 13 of the handle 12 is sliding on the handle fixing interface 7 (by sliding the groove 14 of the handle 12 along the rib-like translational guide slide 8 of the handle fixing interface 7). The pad 27 then compresses by elastic deformation during sliding.

[0159] In step (c) in [Fig.l 1], at the end of sliding when the stop 23 of the handle 12 comes into contact with the lower shoulder 10, the stud 27 then fits elastically into the recess 26, which makes it possible to lock the position of the handle 12 on the bottle 16.

[0160] It is understood that the particular embodiments which have just been described have been given for informational and non-limiting purposes, and that modifications may be made without departing from the present invention.

Claims

Claims

1. Preform (1; 1') intended to be blown into a bottle (16; 16') made of thermoplastic material, said preform (1; 1') comprising a cylindrical body (2) comprising a barrel (3), a neck (4) and a transition zone (5) formed between the barrel (3) and the neck (4), characterized in that the preform (1; 1') further comprises a handle attachment interface (7) formed in one piece on at least one of the neck (4) and the transition zone (5) of the preform (1; 1'), said handle attachment interface (7) comprising a translational guide slide (8; 8') formed on the external surface of the preform (1; 1') and capable of allowing the sliding attachment of a handle (12).

2. Preform (1; 1') according to claim 1, characterized in that the translational guide slide (8; 8') is one of: - rectilinear and tangent to the external circumference of the preform (1); - curved and formed on a part of the external circumference of the preform (1); and - rectilinear and formed in the longitudinal direction of the preform (1').

3. Preform (1; 1') according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the translational guide slide (8; 8') is provided with a translational guide rib having a cross-section having a base (8a) from which two projections (8b) extend opposite each other, said translational guide rib preferably having a T-shaped cross-section.

4. Preform (1; 1') according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the translational guide slide (8; 8') is provided with a translational guide groove having a cross-section having a base from which two projections extend opposite each other, said translational guide groove preferably having a T-shaped cross-section.

5. Preform (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the translational guide rib is one of: - rectilinear and tangent to the external circumference of the preform (1); and - curved and formed on a part of the external circumference of the preform (1); and the handle attachment interface (7) further comprises at least one of an upper shoulder (9) formed above the rib translational guide and a lower shoulder (10) formed below the translational guide rib.

6. Preform (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that a lower shoulder (10) is formed below the translational guide rib and a groove (11) is provided in the lower shoulder (10) of the handle attachment interface (7) along the length of the translational guide rib.

7. Preform (1') according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the translational guide rib or groove is rectilinear and formed in the longitudinal direction of the preform (1'), and the handle attachment interface (7) further comprises one of: - a lower stop formed at the lower end of the translational guide rib or groove; and - an upper stop (21) formed at the upper end of the translational guide rib or groove.

8. Bottle (16; 16') made of thermoplastic material manufactured by blowing a preform (1; 1') according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said bottle (16; 16') retains, after blowing the preform (1; 1'), the handle attachment interface (7) which is formed in one piece on an area not deformed after blowing at least one of the neck (4) and the shoulder (19) of the bottle (16; 16'), the translational guide slide (8; 8') of the handle attachment interface (7) being capable of allowing the attachment by sliding of a handle (12) on the bottle (16; 16').

9. Bottle (16; 16') according to claim 8, characterized in that the part of the shoulder (19) of the bottle (16; 16') which is located below the handle fixing interface (7) has a recess (20) capable of allowing the arrangement of a handle (12) above it.

10. Bottle (16; 16') according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the bottle (16; 16') is of the carboy type with a volume of between 3 and 25 liters.

11. Bottle-handle assembly, characterized in that it comprises a bottle (16; 16') according to one of claims 8 to 10 and an attached handle (12) of which one fixing end (13) comprises a sliding part complementary to the translational guide slide (8; 8') of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16'), said fixing end (13) of the handle (12) being fixed on the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16') by sliding the slider part of the handle (12) along the translational guide slide (8; 8') of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16').

12. Bottle-handle assembly according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16') and the fixing end (13) of the handle (12) has a locking device (24) configured, after sliding of the slider part of the handle (12) along the translational guide slide (8; 8') of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16'), to lock the position of the fixing end (13) of the handle (12) on the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16').

13. Bottle-handle assembly according to claim 12, characterized in that the locking device (24) comprises an elastically deformable interlocking hook (25) which is arranged on one of the fixing end (13) of the handle (12) and the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16') and which is configured, after sliding of the slider part of the handle (12) along the translational guide slide (8; 8') of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16'), to elastically interlock on the other of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16') and the fixing end (13) of the handle (12).

14. Bottle-handle assembly according to claim 12, characterized in that the locking device (24) comprises an elastically deformable stud (27) which is arranged on one of the fixing end (13) of the handle (12) and the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16') and which is configured, after sliding of the slider part of the handle (12) along the translational guide slide (8; 8') of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16'), to fit elastically into a recess (26) provided on the other of the handle fixing interface (7) of the bottle (16; 16') and the fixing end (13) of the handle (12).

15. Bottle-handle assembly according to one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that each of the bottle (16; 16') and the handle (12) is made of a thermoplastic material from among polyethylene terephthalate, PET, polypropylene, PP, polycarbonate, PC, polylactic acid, PLA, polynaphthalate ethylene), PEN, polystyrene, PS, polyethersulfone, PES, polyphenylsulfone, PPSU, and recycled PET, rPET.

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