Synthetic resin container

Abstract

To provide a synthetic resin container in which plastic deformation is unlikely to occur from a vacuum absorption panel toward a shoulder portion.SOLUTION: A synthetic resin container 1 according to the present disclosure includes a mouth portion 2 serving as a discharge outlet for contents, a body portion 4 connected to the mouth portion 2 via a shoulder portion 3, and a bottom portion 5 that closes a lower end of the body portion 4. The body portion 4 includes a plurality of main walls (an upper main wall 4a and a lower main wall 4b) arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction and having vacuum absorption panels 11a and 11b, and corner walls (an upper corner wall 4c and a lower corner wall 4d) that connect circumferential end portions of circumferentially adjacent main walls. The body portion 4 has corner step portions 45 provided at boundaries between the main walls and the corner walls and extending in a vertical direction, and arch-shaped step portions 41 connected to upper ends of the corner step portions 45 and extending in an arch shape convex upward. A portion of each main wall surrounded by the arch-shaped step portions 41 protrudes radially outward relative to the shoulder portion 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a bottle-shaped synthetic resin container having a mouth portion through which contents are poured, a body portion connected to the mouth portion via a shoulder portion, and a bottom portion that closes the lower end of the body portion. [Background technology]

[0002] Synthetic resin containers, such as bottles made from oriented polypropylene (OPP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), are lightweight and easy to handle, have excellent storage stability for the contents, and are inexpensive, making them suitable for a variety of uses, including for beverages, food, and cosmetics.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a bottle in which an upper panel portion and a lower panel portion are provided at approximately the center of the panel surface portions arranged above and below a circumferential groove, and when the pressure inside the bottle is reduced after hot filling, the upper panel portion and the lower panel portion are deformed radially inward. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-179872 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when a bottle such as that described in Patent Document 1 is made lighter by thinning the wall in consideration of the environment, it can easily cause plastic deformation such as creases from the upper corners of the upper panel portion (18) toward the upper corners of the panel surface portion (15) due to collisions during transportation or line pressure on the filling line, and so there is still room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a synthetic resin container in which plastic deformation is unlikely to occur from the vacuum absorption panel toward the shoulder portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the synthetic resin container of the present disclosure has: [1] A synthetic resin container having a mouth portion serving as a pouring outlet for contents, a body portion connected to the mouth portion via a shoulder portion, and a bottom portion closing the lower end of the body portion, the trunk portion has a plurality of main walls arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction and each having a vacuum absorption panel, and corner walls connecting circumferential ends of the main walls adjacent in the circumferential direction, The body portion has a corner step portion that is located at the boundary between the main wall and the corner wall and extends in the vertical direction, and an arch-shaped step portion that is connected to the upper end of the corner step portion and extends in an arch shape that is convex upward, and the portion of the main wall surrounded by the arch-shaped step portion protrudes radially outward from the shoulder portion.

[0008] Further, the synthetic resin container of the present disclosure is [2] In the configuration described in [1] above, it is preferable that the corner step portion has a recessed groove extending in the vertical direction and recessed radially inward at the boundary between the main wall and the corner wall.

[0009] Further, the synthetic resin container of the present disclosure is [3] In the configuration described in [1] or [2] above, it is preferable that a vertical groove extending in the up-down direction, recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body portion, and having an upper end connected to the arch-shaped step portion is provided above the vacuum absorption panel at approximately the center position in the circumferential direction of the main wall.

[0010] Further, the synthetic resin container of the present disclosure is [4] In the configuration described in [3] above, it is preferable that a horizontal groove extends circumferentially within the main wall and is recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body portion, and is continuous with a lower end of the vertical groove. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a synthetic resin container in which plastic deformation is unlikely to occur from the vacuum absorption panel toward the shoulder portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a synthetic resin container according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view of a synthetic resin container according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the synthetic resin container according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of a synthetic resin container according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a synthetic resin container according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a synthetic resin container according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The synthetic resin container 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure shown in Fig. 1 is intended to hold beverages such as fruit juices and tea, and seasonings such as soy sauce, vinegar, and sauces, and is designed for high-temperature filling, in which the contents are filled at a high temperature after being heated to a predetermined temperature. However, the container is not necessarily limited to applications in which the contents are filled at a high temperature. In the specification, claims, abstract, and drawings of the present application, the up-down direction is based on the state in which the synthetic resin container 1 is upright on a horizontal plane, and the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction in Fig. 1, and the down-down direction refers to the down-down direction in Fig. 1.

[0015] This synthetic resin container 1 is formed in a bottle shape and includes a mouth 2 serving as a pouring outlet for the contents, a shoulder 3 connected to the lower end of the mouth 2 and expanding in diameter downward, a body 4 connected to the mouth 2 via the shoulder 3 and having a rectangular shape in plan view (see FIG. 3 ), and a bottom 5 closing the lower end of the body 4. The symbol O in FIG. 1 indicates the common central axis of the mouth 2, shoulder 3, body 4, and bottom 5. In the present specification and claims, the radial direction is a direction passing through the central axis O and perpendicular to the central axis O. The radially inward direction is a direction toward the central axis O along the radial direction, and the radially outward direction is a direction away from the central axis O along the radial direction. The circumferential direction is a rotational direction around the central axis O.

[0016] The configuration, shape, dimensional ratio, etc. of the synthetic resin container 1 in the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure are merely one embodiment of the present disclosure. The present disclosure should be interpreted based on the wording of the claims, and is not limited to the configuration, shape, dimensional ratio, etc. shown in the drawings.

[0017] This synthetic resin container 1 can be configured as a so-called PET bottle by biaxially stretching and blow molding a preform made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Note that the synthetic resin container 1 is not limited to polyethylene terephthalate, and can also be formed by biaxially stretching and blow molding a preform made of other synthetic resins with thermoplasticity, such as oriented polypropylene (OPP). Furthermore, the synthetic resin container 1 can be manufactured not only by biaxially stretching and blow molding a preform, but also by various other manufacturing methods, such as blow molding a parison obtained by extruding a resin material into a cylindrical shape.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, a male thread 2a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth 2, and after the contents have been filled, the mouth 2 can be closed by threading a cap (not shown) onto the mouth 2. Alternatively, instead of providing the male thread 2a on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth 2, a protrusion may be provided, and the mouth 2 can be closed by engaging the cap by plugging. Below the male thread 2a on the mouth 2, a neck ring 2c protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the mouth 2 in an annular shape for supporting the container when filling the synthetic resin container 1 with contents, for example.

[0019] In this embodiment, the shoulder 3 is a portion that expands in diameter below the neck ring 2c in Fig. 1, and the lower end of the shoulder 3 extends to an upper step 47 in the corner wall (upper corner wall 4c). An arch-shaped step 41 that defines the boundary between the main wall (upper main wall 4a) and the shoulder 3 projects upward while drawing an arch toward the shoulder 3.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3 and other figures, the body 4 has a rectangular cylindrical structure with chamfered corners in a plan view. The body 4 includes a plurality of main walls (upper main wall 4a and lower main wall 4b) spaced at 90-degree intervals in the circumferential direction, and corner walls (upper corner wall 4c and lower corner wall 4d) connecting the circumferential ends of adjacent main walls in the circumferential direction. The body 4 may also be configured to have a chamfered rectangular shape in a plan view. In other words, adjacent main walls may have different circumferential lengths. The body 4 may also have a chamfered triangular or polygonal shape with pentagons or more sides in a plan view.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the main walls are formed in a generally flat plate shape in plan and bottom views. As shown in Figure 1, the main walls include an upper main wall 4a provided above a circumferentially extending central horizontal groove 22b, and a lower main wall 4b provided below the central horizontal groove 22b. Both the upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b have a vertically elongated shape, and vacuum absorption panels 11a and 11b, also having a vertically elongated shape, are provided at the circumferential center of each wall. In this embodiment, the four upper main walls 4a arranged at 90-degree intervals in the circumferential direction have the same shape, and the vacuum absorption panels 11a provided within each upper main wall 4a also have the same shape. Furthermore, the lower main walls 4b arranged below each upper main wall 4a also have the same shape, and the vacuum absorption panels 11b provided within each lower main wall 4b also have the same shape. The upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b may be configured so as not to be separated in the vertical direction (for example, so as not to provide the central horizontal groove 22b). When the upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b are not separated in the vertical direction, the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b may also be integrated.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1 , the vacuum absorption panels 11a and 11b are disposed at approximately the horizontal and vertical centers of the upper and lower main walls 4a and 4b. The vacuum absorption panels 11a and 11b are recessed radially inward from the upper and lower main walls 4a and 4b. The three-dimensional radial structure of the vacuum absorption panels 11a and 11b can prevent irregular deformation from occurring in unexpected places in the body 4. For example, if the synthetic resin container 1 is filled with hot contents and then the opening 2 is closed with a cap, a pressure drop occurs inside the container as the contents cool. Due to their three-dimensional radial shape, the vacuum absorption panels 11a and 11b easily elastically deform inward in response to the reduced pressure inside the container, absorbing the reduced pressure and preventing irregular deformation from occurring in unexpected places in the body 4.

[0023] In this embodiment, the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b have a relatively simple configuration surrounded by annular recesses 12a, 12b recessed radially inward at their outer edges, but the configuration is not limited to this. The vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b do not need to be provided on all of the upper main walls 4a and the lower main walls 4b, and may be provided on only some of the main walls.

[0024] In this embodiment, a corner step 45 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the boundary between the upper main wall 4a and the upper corner wall 4c. As shown in Fig. 2, the corner step 45 has a groove that extends in the vertical direction and is recessed radially inward. The upper end of the corner step 45 is continuous with the arch-shaped step 41, which will be described later, and the lower end of the corner step 45 terminates at a position in the vertical direction slightly above the lower end of the vacuum absorption panel 11a.

[0025] The upper end of the corner step 45 is connected to an arch-shaped step 41 that extends in an arch shape that convexes upward. The arch-shaped step 41 is connected to the upper ends of the paired corner step 45 provided on both circumferential sides of the vacuum absorption panel 11a, forming an arch that convexes upward. In this embodiment, the arch-shaped step 41 forms the upper edge of the upper main wall 4a. The arch-shaped step 41 extends into the shoulder 3 while forming an arch. The upper end of the vacuum absorption panel 11a and the boundary between the shoulder 3 and the trunk 4 of the corner wall (upper corner wall 4c) are located at approximately the same vertical position. The arch-shaped step 41 and the corner step 45 are smoothly connected at the boundary between the shoulder 3 and the trunk 4 in both the front view of FIG. 1 and the cross section. The portion of the upper main wall 4a surrounded by the arch-shaped step 41 protrudes radially outward from the shoulder 3.

[0026] As described above, by adopting a configuration in which the arch-shaped step portion 41 extending in an arch shape is connected to the upper end of the corner step portion 45 extending in the vertical direction, plastic deformation (crushing deformation) in which a crease is formed in a direction extending obliquely from the upper corner of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4 is less likely to occur. This is because the direction in which the crease extends intersects with the arch-shaped step portion 41 and the corner step portion 45. Therefore, plastic deformation is less likely to occur even when a collision occurs during transportation of the thin-walled container or line pressure is applied on the filling line. Furthermore, because the corner step portion 45 has a recessed groove extending along the vertical direction as described above, plastic deformation (crushing deformation) in which a crease is formed in a direction intersecting with the corner step portion 45 can be particularly effectively suppressed.

[0027] A panel auxiliary recess 12c extending horizontally and recessed radially inward is provided above the annular recess 12a of the vacuum absorption panel 11a in the upper main wall 4a. A main wall auxiliary recess 21a extending horizontally and recessed radially inward is provided above the vacuum absorption panel 11a in the upper main wall 4a. By providing this panel auxiliary recess 12c and main wall auxiliary recess 21a, rigidity can be increased, and plastic deformation (crushing deformation) can be more effectively suppressed. The panel auxiliary recess 12c and main wall auxiliary recess 21a may also be omitted.

[0028] Main wall auxiliary recesses 22c, 22d that extend horizontally and are recessed radially inward are provided above and below the vacuum absorption panel 11b in the lower main wall 4b. By providing the main wall auxiliary recesses 22c, 22d that extend circumferentially above and below the vacuum absorption panel 11b in the lower main wall 4b in this way, the rigidity of the lower main wall 4b can also be increased, and the occurrence of plastic deformation (crushing deformation) can be effectively suppressed. Note that a configuration without providing the main wall auxiliary recesses 22c, 22d is also possible.

[0029] Furthermore, vertically extending corner steps 46 are provided at the boundaries between the lower main walls 4b and the lower corner walls 4d on both circumferential sides of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b. The corner steps 46 have substantially the same cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 2) as the corner steps 45 provided on both circumferential sides of the upper vacuum absorption panel 11a. The upper end of the corner step 46 extends to substantially the same height as the upper end of the vacuum absorption panel 11b, and the lower end extends to just above the lower step 48. The provision of these corner steps 46 effectively prevents plastic deformation (crushing deformation) in the region of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b, which would cause creases in a direction intersecting with the corner step 46. Note that the lower corner step 46 may not be provided.

[0030] In this embodiment, the corner walls include an upper corner wall 4c that connects the circumferential ends of the upper main wall 4a and a lower corner wall 4d that connects the circumferential ends of the lower main wall 4b. Note that the upper corner wall 4c and the lower corner wall 4d may be configured so as not to be separated in the vertical direction.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the upper corner wall 4c has an upper step portion 47 which is the upper end portion of the upper corner wall 4c, and two second annular groove portions 31, 32 arranged side by side below the upper step portion 47.

[0032] Similarly, the lower corner wall 4d includes a lower step portion 48 at the lower end of the lower corner wall 4d, and a third annular groove portion 33 provided above the lower step portion 48.

[0033] The upper corner wall 4c extends vertically without any inclination below the upper step portion 47. On the other hand, the lower corner wall 4d inclines slightly radially inward downward above the lower step portion 48. However, the lower corner wall 4d may also extend vertically without any inclination.

[0034] By providing the second annular grooves 31, 32 and the third annular groove 33 in the upper and lower corner walls 4c, 4d, respectively, the rigidity of the upper and lower corner walls 4c, 4d can be increased and plastic deformation can be suppressed. A first annular groove 34 is provided on the shoulder 3 above the upper corner wall 4c, and a fourth annular groove 35 is provided below the lower corner wall 4d.

[0035] The shapes of the first annular groove 34, the second annular grooves 31 and 32, the third annular groove 33, and the fourth annular groove 35 are not limited to the generally rectangular shape shown in Fig. 1, but may be other annular shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a trapezoid. Furthermore, the shapes do not have to be completely annular, and may be shapes with no grooves in some areas, such as a generally U-shape. The number of annular grooves can also be determined arbitrarily depending on the width, height, etc. of the corner wall and the rigidity required of the corner wall.

[0036] The first annular groove 34, the second annular grooves 31 and 32, the third annular groove 33, and the fourth annular groove 35 may be partially or entirely omitted.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, a central vertical groove 37 is provided at a height position that is the boundary between the upper corner wall 4c and the lower corner wall 4d. The central vertical groove 37 is provided in the main wall at a circumferential position between the horizontally extending central horizontal grooves 22b. By providing the horizontally extending central horizontal groove 22b and the vertically extending central vertical groove 37 in this manner, rigidity can be increased and plastic deformation (crushing deformation) can be effectively suppressed at approximately the central height position of the synthetic resin container 1. Note that one or both of the central horizontal groove 22b and the central vertical groove 37 may be omitted.

[0038] As described above, the synthetic resin container 1 of this embodiment is a synthetic resin container 1 comprising a mouth 2 which serves as an outlet for pouring out the contents, a body 4 which is connected to the mouth 2 via a shoulder 3, and a bottom 5 which closes the lower end of the body 4, and the body 4 has a plurality of main walls (upper main wall 4a and lower main wall 4b) which are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction and have vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b, and corner walls (upper corner wall 4c and lower corner wall 4d) which connect the circumferential ends of circumferentially adjacent main walls, and the body 4 has a corner step portion 45 which is provided at the boundary between the main walls and the corner walls and extends in the vertical direction, and an arch-shaped step portion 41 which is connected to the upper end of the corner step portion 45 and extends in an arch shape which is convex upward, and the portion of the main wall surrounded by the arch-shaped step portion 41 is configured to protrude radially outward from the shoulder 3. By adopting such a configuration, plastic deformation (collapse deformation) in which creases are formed in a direction extending diagonally from the upper corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4 is less likely to occur. Therefore, even if a load is applied to the mouth portion 2 due to a collision during transportation of a lightweight, thin-walled container or line pressure on a filling line, it is possible to effectively prevent plastic deformation and collapse from occurring from the upper corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4. Furthermore, when the weight of the synthetic resin container 1 is not reduced by thinning, the rigidity of the container can be further increased.

[0039] In this embodiment, the corner step 45 is configured to have a groove extending vertically and recessed radially inward at the boundary between the main wall and the corner wall. This configuration effectively prevents plastic deformation (crushing deformation) that causes creases in a direction intersecting the corner step 45. Therefore, even if a large load is applied vertically to the opening 2 due to a collision during transportation of a lightweight, thin-walled container or line pressure on a filling line, plastic deformation and crushing of the synthetic resin container 1 can be effectively prevented.

[0040] Next, a synthetic resin container 101 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be specifically illustrated and described with reference to FIGS.

[0041] Similar to the first embodiment, a synthetic resin container 101 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5 is adapted to hold beverages such as fruit juice or tea, and seasonings such as soy sauce, vinegar, or sauce, and is designed for high-temperature filling, in which the contents are filled in a high-temperature state after being heated to a predetermined temperature. However, the container is not necessarily limited to applications in which the contents are filled at a high temperature. In the specification, claims, abstract, and drawings of the present application, the up-down direction is based on the state in which the synthetic resin container 101 is upright on a horizontal plane, and the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction in FIG. 5, and the down-down direction refers to the down-down direction in FIG. 5.

[0042] The synthetic resin container 101 according to this embodiment has many features in common with the first embodiment, such as the presence of arch-shaped stepped portions 41 that are connected to the upper ends of paired corner stepped portions 45 provided on both circumferential sides of the vacuum absorption panel 11a provided on the upper main wall 4a and form an arch that is convex upward. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment. Furthermore, parts that have the same structure and function as the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and parts that are not otherwise described should be understood to have features that are generally common to the first embodiment.

[0043] 5, the shoulder 3 is a portion that expands in diameter below the neck ring 2c, and the lower end of the shoulder 3 extends to approximately the center height of the second annular groove 31 in the corner wall (upper corner wall 4c). An arch-shaped step 41 that defines the boundary between the main wall (upper main wall 4a) and the shoulder 3 projects upward while drawing an arch toward the shoulder 3.

[0044] In this embodiment, a corner step 45 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the boundary between the upper main wall 4a and the upper corner wall 4c. The upper end of the corner step 45 is continuous with the arch-shaped step 41, and the lower end of the corner step 45 terminates at a position in the vertical direction slightly above the lower end of the annular recess 12a of the vacuum absorption panel 11a. The corner step 45 may have a recessed groove, as in the first embodiment.

[0045] The upper end of the corner step 45 is connected to an arch-shaped step 41 that extends in an arch shape that convexes upward. The arch-shaped step 41 is connected to the upper ends of the paired corner step 45 provided on both circumferential sides of the vacuum absorption panel 11a and forms an upwardly convex arch. In this embodiment, the arch-shaped step 41 forms the upper edge of the upper main wall 4a. The arch-shaped step 41 extends into the shoulder 3 while forming an arch. The upper end of the vacuum absorption panel 11a and the boundary between the shoulder 3 and the body 4 of the corner wall (upper corner wall 4c) (approximately the center height of the second annular groove 31) are located at approximately the same vertical position. The arch-shaped step 41 and the corner step 45 are smoothly connected at the boundary between the shoulder 3 and the body 4 both in the front view of FIG. 5 and in cross section. The portion of the upper main wall 4 a surrounded by the arch-shaped step portion 41 protrudes radially outward relative to the shoulder portion 3 .

[0046] As described above, by adopting a configuration in which the arch-shaped step portion 41 extending in an arch shape is connected to the upper end of the corner step portion 45 extending in the vertical direction, plastic deformation (crushing deformation) in which a crease is formed in the direction extending from the upper corner of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4 is unlikely to occur. This is because the direction in which the crease extends intersects with the arch-shaped step portion 41 and the corner step portion 45. Therefore, plastic deformation is unlikely to occur even if a collision occurs during transportation of the thin-walled container or line pressure is applied on the filling line.

[0047] A vertically extending reinforcing vertical groove 21b (vertical groove) is provided above the annular recess 12a of the vacuum absorption panel 11a in the upper main wall 4a. In this embodiment, the reinforcing vertical groove 21b is provided above the vacuum absorption panel 11a at approximately the circumferential center of the upper main wall 4a, is recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body 4, and has its upper end connected to the arch-shaped step portion 41. The upper end of the reinforcing vertical groove 21b terminates at a position where it intersects with the arch-shaped step portion 41. Meanwhile, the lower end of the reinforcing vertical groove 21b terminates at approximately the circumferential center of a reinforcing horizontal groove 21c (described later) within the upper main wall 4a above the vacuum absorption panel 11a.

[0048] In this way, by providing the reinforcing vertical grooves 21b that extend vertically in the upper main wall 4a and are connected to the arch-shaped step portion 41, thereby increasing the rigidity, the restoring force of the region above the vacuum absorption panel 11a in the upper main wall 4a can be improved, and deformation that causes creases in the approximately horizontal direction can be effectively suppressed.

[0049] Furthermore, a reinforcing horizontal groove 21c (horizontal groove) is provided at the lower end of the reinforcing vertical groove 21b, extending circumferentially within the upper main wall 4a and recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body portion 4. The reinforcing horizontal groove 21c, together with the reinforcing vertical groove 21b, has an inverted T-shape formed by vertically inverting a T. By arranging the reinforcing horizontal groove 21c in connection with the reinforcing vertical groove 21b in this way and further increasing the rigidity of the upper main wall 4a, the restoring force of the upper portion of the vacuum absorption panel 11a within the upper main wall 4a can be further improved, and deformation that causes creases in the approximately vertical direction can be effectively suppressed.

[0050] In this embodiment, the panel auxiliary recess 12c and the main wall auxiliary recess 21a provided in the first embodiment are not provided.

[0051] A main-wall auxiliary recess 22c that extends horizontally and is recessed radially inward is provided above the vacuum absorption panel 11b in the lower main wall 4b. By providing the main-wall auxiliary recess 22c extending in the circumferential direction also above the vacuum absorption panel 11b in the lower main wall 4b in this way, the rigidity of the upper part of the lower main wall 4b can also be increased, and the occurrence of plastic deformation (crushing deformation) can be effectively suppressed.

[0052] A main-wall auxiliary recess 22e that extends horizontally and is recessed radially inward is provided below the vacuum absorption panel 11b in the lower main wall 4b. The main-wall auxiliary recess 22e is connected to the lower end of the annular recess 12b of the vacuum absorption panel 11b by a connecting recess 22f that is recessed radially inward and has a narrower horizontal (circumferential) width than the main-wall auxiliary recess 22e. By providing the main-wall auxiliary recess 22e and connecting recess 22f that extend circumferentially below the vacuum absorption panel 11b, the vacuum absorption panel 11b can elastically deform toward the inside of the container in response to reduced pressure inside the container, absorbing the reduced pressure.

[0053] Furthermore, vertically extending corner steps 46 are provided at the boundaries between the lower main walls 4b and the lower corner walls 4d on both circumferential sides of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b. The upper ends of the corner steps 46 extend upward beyond the upper end of the vacuum absorption panel 11b, and the lower ends extend below the central height of the vacuum absorption panel 11b. By providing these corner steps 46, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of plastic deformation (crushing deformation) in the region of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b, which causes creases in the direction intersecting the corner steps 46. Note that the lower corner steps 46 may not be provided.

[0054] 5, a horizontally extending central groove 22b is provided at a height position that is the boundary between the upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b. By providing the horizontally extending central groove 22b in this manner, it is possible to increase rigidity and effectively suppress plastic deformation (crushing deformation) at approximately the central height position of the synthetic resin container 101. Note that a configuration without providing the central horizontal groove 22b is also possible.

[0055] In this embodiment, the corner walls include an upper corner wall 4c connecting the circumferential ends of the upper main walls 4a and a lower corner wall 4d connecting the circumferential ends of the lower main walls 4b. Note that in this embodiment, the central vertical groove 37 disposed at the boundary between the upper corner wall 4c and the lower corner wall 4d in the first embodiment is not provided, and the upper corner wall 4c and the lower corner wall 4d are connected vertically through the area between the central horizontal grooves 22b, as shown in FIG.

[0056] As shown in Figure 5, the upper corner wall 4c smoothly connects to the shoulder 3, which expands in diameter downward. A second annular groove 31 is provided at the boundary between the upper corner wall 4c and the shoulder 3, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Furthermore, a first annular groove 34 is provided on the shoulder 3 above the second annular groove 31.

[0057] On the other hand, the lower angular wall 4d has a lower step portion 48 which is the lower end portion of the lower angular wall 4d, and a third annular groove portion 33 which is provided above the lower step portion 48. The lower angular wall 4d extends in the vertical direction above the lower step portion 48 with almost no inclination.

[0058] By providing the second annular groove 31 and the third annular groove 33 in the upper and lower corner walls 4c and 4d, respectively, the rigidity of the upper and lower corner walls 4c and 4d can be increased, thereby suppressing plastic deformation. The same effect can be achieved with the first annular groove 34 provided on the shoulder 3 and the fourth annular groove 35 (see FIGS. 5 and 7) provided below the lower corner wall 4d.

[0059] The shapes of the first annular groove 34, the second annular groove 31, the third annular groove 33, and the fourth annular groove 35 are not limited to the generally rectangular shape shown in Fig. 5, but may be other annular shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a trapezoid. Furthermore, the shape does not have to be a complete annular shape, and may be a shape with no groove in part, such as a generally U-shape. The number of annular grooves can also be determined arbitrarily depending on the width, height, etc. of the corner wall and the rigidity required of the corner wall.

[0060] The first annular groove 34, the second annular groove 31, the third annular groove 33, and the fourth annular groove 35 may be partially or entirely omitted.

[0061] The upper corner wall 4c has an upper corner recess 45a that extends vertically adjacent to the corner step 45 and is recessed radially inward. The upper corner recess 45a extends upward along the corner step 45 and continues to the shoulder recess 3a provided in the shoulder 3. This configuration further increases the rigidity at the boundary between the main wall and the corner wall. For the same purpose, a lower corner recess 46a extending vertically is provided in the lower corner wall 4d adjacent to the corner step 46.

[0062] As described above, in this embodiment, above the vacuum absorption panel 11a at approximately the circumferential center of the main wall (upper main wall 4a), a vertical groove (reinforcing vertical groove 21b) is provided, which extends in the vertical direction, is recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body part 4, and has its upper end continuing to the arch-shaped step part 41. By adopting such a configuration, the restoring force above the vacuum absorption panel 11a within the upper main wall 4a is improved, and therefore the occurrence of "folds" running in the approximately horizontal direction in this part can be effectively suppressed.

[0063] In this embodiment, the lower end of the vertical groove (reinforcing vertical groove 21b) is connected to a horizontal groove (reinforcing horizontal groove 21c) that extends circumferentially within the main wall (upper main wall 4a) and is recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body 4. By adopting such a configuration, the restoring force above the vacuum absorption panel 11a within the upper main wall 4a is improved, and therefore, the occurrence of "folds" running approximately in the vertical direction in this portion can be effectively suppressed.

[0064] Although the present disclosure has been described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple components can be combined into one or divided. It should be understood that these modifications and alterations are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0065] For example, the upper main walls 4a and the lower main walls 4b do not need to have the same shape, and each upper main wall 4a and each lower main wall 4b may have a different shape. Furthermore, the shapes of the vacuum absorption panels 11a and 11b are not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and various shapes can be adopted. Furthermore, each vacuum absorption panel 11a and 11b may have a different shape.

[0066] The number of vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b is not limited to that in the above embodiment. For example, two or more vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b may be provided on one upper main wall 4a or one lower main wall 4b, or the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b may be provided on only some of the upper main walls 4a and the lower main walls 4b.

[0067] In the first and second embodiments, the upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b are configured to be substantially flat in plan view and bottom view, and the upper corner wall 4c and the lower corner wall 4d are configured to have a slight curvature in the circumferential direction in plan view and bottom view (see Figures 3, 4, 6, and 7), but this is not limited to this. The upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b may be configured to have a curvature in the circumferential direction in plan view and bottom view, or the upper corner wall 4c and the lower corner wall 4d may be configured to be substantially flat in plan view and bottom view.

[0068] In the second embodiment, all of the upper main walls 4a are provided with the reinforcing vertical grooves 21b and the reinforcing horizontal grooves 21c, but this is not limiting. The reinforcing vertical grooves 21b and the reinforcing horizontal grooves 21c may be provided only on some of the upper main walls 4a. Furthermore, the upper main walls 4a may not be provided with the reinforcing horizontal grooves 21c, but may instead be provided with only the reinforcing vertical grooves 21b. Furthermore, the reinforcing vertical grooves and the reinforcing horizontal grooves may be provided below the vacuum absorption panels 11b on the lower main walls 4b.

[0069] Furthermore, the contents filled in the synthetic resin container 1,101 are not limited to beverages such as fruit juices and tea, and seasonings such as soy sauce, vinegar, and sauces, but may also be other foods, cosmetics, and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1,101 Synthetic resin containers 2 Mouth 2a male thread 2c neck ring 3 Shoulder 3a Shoulder recess 4. Torso 4a Upper main wall (main wall) 4b Lower main wall (main wall) 4c Upper corner wall (corner wall) 4d Lower corner wall (corner wall) 5 Bottom 11a, 11b Vacuum absorption panel 12a, 12b Annular recess 12c Panel auxiliary recess 21a Main wall auxiliary recess 21b Reinforcement longitudinal groove (longitudinal groove) 21c Reinforced horizontal groove (horizontal groove) 22b Central horizontal concave groove 22c,22d Main wall auxiliary recess 22e Main wall auxiliary recess 22F connecting recess 31, 32 Second annular groove 33 Third annular groove 34 First annular groove 35 Fourth annular groove 37 Central vertical groove 41 Arched step 45 Corner step 45a Upper corner recess 46 Corner step 46a Lower corner recess 47 Upper step 48 Lower step O center axis

Claims

1. A synthetic resin container having a mouth portion serving as a pouring outlet for contents, a body portion connected to the mouth portion via a shoulder portion, and a bottom portion closing the lower end of the body portion, the trunk portion has a plurality of main walls arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction and each having a vacuum absorption panel, and corner walls connecting circumferential ends of the main walls adjacent in the circumferential direction, A synthetic resin container, wherein the body portion has a corner step portion that is provided at the boundary between the main wall and the corner wall and extends in the vertical direction, and an arch-shaped step portion that is connected to the upper end of the corner step portion and extends in an arch shape that is convex upward, and the portion of the main wall surrounded by the arch-shaped step portion protrudes radially outward from the shoulder portion.

2. 2. The synthetic resin container according to claim 1, wherein the corner step portion has a groove extending in the vertical direction and recessed radially inward at a boundary between the main wall and the corner wall.

3. 3. The synthetic resin container according to claim 1, wherein a vertical groove extending in the up-down direction, recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body portion, and having an upper end connected to the arch-shaped step portion is provided above the vacuum absorption panel at approximately the center position in the circumferential direction of the main wall.

4. 4. The synthetic resin container according to claim 3, wherein a horizontal groove extends circumferentially within the main wall and is recessed inward in the thickness direction of the body portion, and is continuous with a lower end of the vertical groove.

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