Synthetic resin container
The synthetic resin container's annular grooves and corner walls with arch-shaped steps enhance rigidity, preventing deformation and maintaining structural integrity despite reduced weight and environmental impact.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024125474
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-13
AI Technical Summary
Synthetic resin containers, when made lighter to reduce environmental impact, are prone to plastic deformation such as creases from vacuum absorption panels due to collisions or line pressure during transportation and filling.
The container design incorporates multiple annular grooves and corner walls with enhanced rigidity, including arch-shaped steps and grooves, to prevent deformation by increasing circumferential and vertical rigidity.
The design effectively suppresses plastic deformation, particularly at the boundaries between the shoulder and body, enhancing the container's structural integrity during handling and filling processes.
Smart Images

Figure 2026023528000001_ABST
Abstract
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 corner of the upper panel portion (18) toward the upper corner of the panel surface portion (15) (the boundary between the shoulder portion 12 and the body portion 13) 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 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 or bottom. [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, At the circumferential position where the corner wall is arranged, A plurality of annular grooves are arranged across the height position of the upper end of the uppermost vacuum absorption panel, and / or A plurality of annular grooves are arranged across the height of the lower end of the lowest vacuum absorption panel.
[0008] Further, the synthetic resin container of the present disclosure is [2] In the configuration described in [1] above, it is preferable that the shortest distance in the vertical direction between adjacent annular grooves in the plurality of annular grooves is shorter than the vertical length of each annular groove.
[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 the ratio of the vertical length to the circumferential length of each of the plurality of annular groove portions is 0.6 to 1.2 times.
[0010] Further, the synthetic resin container of the present disclosure is [4] In the configuration described in any one of [1] to [3], 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 it is preferable that the portion of the main wall surrounded by the arch-shaped step portion protrudes radially outward from the shoulder portion. [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 or bottom. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a synthetic resin container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of part B in FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view of a synthetic resin container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a synthetic resin container according to an 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 shown in Figure 1, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure, is intended to hold beverages such as fruit juice or 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 this application, the up-down direction is based on the state in which the synthetic resin container 1 is upright on a horizontal plane, and up and down refer to the upside and down in Figure 1, respectively.
[0015] This synthetic resin container 1 is formed in a bottle shape, including 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. 4 ), and a bottom 5 closing the lower end of the body 4. The symbol O in FIG. 1 indicates a central axis common to 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] 1, the shoulder portion 3 is a portion below the neck ring 2c that expands in diameter downward, and the lower end of the shoulder portion 3 extends to the arch-shaped step portion 41 in the main wall (upper main wall 4a) and the upper body boundary portion 47 in the corner wall (upper corner wall 4c). The arch-shaped step portion 41 that defines the boundary between the main wall (upper main wall 4a) and the shoulder portion 3 projects upward while drawing an arch toward the shoulder portion 3.
[0020] As shown in FIG. 4 and other figures, the body 4 has a square cylindrical structure with chamfered corners in a plan view. The body 4 includes multiple main walls (upper main wall 4a and lower main wall 4b) spaced circumferentially at 90-degree intervals, and corner walls (upper corner wall 4c and lower corner wall 4d) connecting the circumferential ends of adjacent main walls. The body 4 may also be configured to have a chamfered rectangular shape in a plan view. That is, 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. The upper end of the body extends to an arch-shaped step portion 41 in the main wall (upper main wall 4a) and a body upper boundary portion 47 in the corner wall (upper corner wall 4c). Similarly, the lower end of the body extends to the lower end of the main wall (lower main wall 4b) and a body lower boundary portion 48 in the corner wall (lower corner wall 4d).
[0021] As shown in FIG. 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 are identical in shape, and the vacuum absorption panels 11a provided within each upper main wall 4a are also identical in shape. The lower main walls 4b arranged below each upper main wall 4a are also identical in shape, and the vacuum absorption panels 11b provided within each lower main wall 4b are also identical in shape. The upper main walls 4a and the lower main walls 4b may be configured so as not to be separated vertically (for example, a configuration in which the central horizontal groove 22b is not provided). When the upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b are not separated in the vertical direction, the vacuum absorption panels 11a and 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 in which they are surrounded by annular recesses 12a, 12b that are 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] 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.
[0025] 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.
[0026] 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.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the upper corner wall 4c has a trunk upper boundary 47, which is the upper end of the upper corner wall 4c, and two second annular grooves 31, 32 arranged side by side below the trunk upper boundary 47. The trunk upper boundary 47 defines the upper end of the upper corner wall 4c and forms a step including an upwardly facing step surface (e.g., a linear shape extending radially outward from above to below). Note that the trunk upper boundary 47 does not necessarily have to have a step configuration. In addition, a first annular groove 34 is provided on the shoulder 3 above the upper corner wall 4c.
[0028] 3, the second annular groove portion 31 is a generally rectangular annular groove formed by two vertically extending vertical grooves 31a and two horizontally extending horizontal grooves 31b, which are continuously connected to each other. The vertical grooves 31a and the horizontal grooves 31b intersect at a corner connected by a rounded portion 31c having a predetermined radius of curvature. The outer surface of the protrusion 31d surrounded by the second annular groove portion 31 is positioned generally in the same radial position as the outer surface of the outer upper corner wall 4c of the second annular groove portion 31.
[0029] Similarly, the second annular groove portion 32, like the second annular groove portion 31, is an approximately rectangular annular groove in which two vertical grooves 32a extending in the vertical direction and two horizontal grooves 32b extending in the horizontal direction (circumferential direction) are continuously connected via an R portion 32c, and a protrusion 32d surrounded by the second annular groove portion 32 is provided.
[0030] The first annular groove portion 34 is an approximately rectangular annular groove in which two vertical grooves 34a extending in the vertical direction along both side edges of the shoulder portion 3 above the upper corner wall 4c and two lateral grooves 34b extending in the horizontal direction (circumferential direction) are continuously connected via R-portions 34c, and the lower lateral groove 34b is formed to be slightly shorter than the upper lateral groove 34b, giving it an inverted trapezoidal shape.
[0031] That is, the annular groove portion in the present application means a ring-shaped groove portion in which both ends of the longitudinal groove and the lateral groove are connected, regardless of the shape when viewed from the front.
[0032] As described above, at the circumferential position where the upper corner wall 4c is disposed, the first annular groove portion 34 and the second annular groove portions 31, 32 are arranged in order from above to form the plurality of annular groove portions 36a. That is, in this embodiment, the plurality of annular groove portions 36a includes three annular groove portions. The plurality of annular groove portions 36a are arranged across the height position of the upper end portion of the upper vacuum absorption panel 11a. That is, the height position of the upper end portion of the upper vacuum absorption panel 11a is located at a height position between the upper end portion of the first annular groove portion 34, which is the upper end portion of the plurality of annular groove portions 36a, and the lower end portion of the second annular groove portion 32, which is the lower end portion of the plurality of annular grooves 36a.
[0033] By arranging the multiple annular grooves 36a across the height of the upper end of the upper vacuum absorption panel 11a, the rigidity of the upper corner wall 4c in the circumferential and vertical directions at that height can be increased, thereby suppressing the occurrence of plastic deformation such as creases that occurs from the upper corner of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4.
[0034] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3 , the shortest vertical distance D between adjacent second annular grooves 31, 32 in the plurality of annular grooves 36a is shorter than the vertical lengths V1, V2 of the second annular grooves 31, 32. In this embodiment, the shortest vertical distance D between the second annular grooves 31, 32 is the distance between the lateral grooves 31b, 32b (excluding the areas of the rounded portions 31c, 32c) that face each other in the vertical direction. Note that the distance between the lateral grooves 31b, 32b (excluding the areas of the rounded portions 31c, 32c) that face each other in the vertical direction may be constant or may vary. Similarly, the shortest vertical distance between the first annular groove 34 and the second annular groove 31 is shorter than the vertical lengths of the first annular groove 34 and the second annular groove 31. With this configuration, the rigidity in the circumferential direction and the vertical direction can be increased seamlessly and continuously in the range from the upper end of the first annular groove 34, where the multiple annular grooves 36a are arranged, to the lower end of the second annular groove 32. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively suppress the occurrence of plastic deformation such as creases that occurs from the upper corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4. Note that the shortest vertical distance between vertically adjacent annular grooves in the multiple annular grooves 36a may be zero. In other words, vertically adjacent annular grooves in the multiple annular grooves 36a may be arranged without any gaps in the vertical direction. Note that being arranged without a gap in the vertical direction includes, for example, a case where the lower end of the upper second annular groove portion 31 coincides with the upper end of the lower second annular groove portion 32, such that the vertical width of the lateral groove at that portion is the sum of the lateral grooves 31b of the second annular groove portion 31 and the lateral grooves 32b of the second annular groove portion 32, and a case where the lower lateral groove 31b of the upper second annular groove portion 31 overlaps with the upper lateral groove 32b of the lower second annular groove 32, such that the vertical width of the lateral groove at that portion is smaller than the sum of the lateral grooves 31b of the second annular groove portion 31 and the lateral grooves 32b of the second annular groove portion 32. Note that the multiple annular grooves 36a may include two or four or more annular grooves.
[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second annular groove portion 31 is configured so that the ratio of the vertical length V1 to the circumferential length H, shown in an enlarged view in Fig. 3, is 0.6 to 1.2 times. The same applies to the first annular groove portion 34 and the second annular groove portion 32 that configure the multiple annular groove portions 36a. This configuration can improve the rigidity in the vertical and circumferential directions in a balanced manner in the region where the multiple annular groove portions 36a are arranged, thereby more effectively suppressing the occurrence of plastic deformation such as creases that occurs from the upper corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4.
[0036] Similarly, the lower corner wall 4d has a trunk lower boundary 48 which is the lower end of the lower corner wall 4d, and a third annular groove 33 provided above the trunk lower boundary 48. In addition, a fourth annular groove 35 is provided below the lower corner wall 4d.
[0037] The third annular groove 33 is a generally rectangular annular groove formed by two vertically extending vertical grooves and two horizontally extending horizontally (circumferentially) continuously connected vertically, similar to the second annular grooves 31 and 32. The corners where the vertical grooves and the horizontal grooves intersect are connected by rounded portions having a predetermined radius of curvature. The outer surface of the protrusion surrounded by the third annular groove 33 is generally aligned radially with the outer surface of the outer lower corner wall 4d of the third annular groove 33.
[0038] The fourth annular groove portion 35 is a roughly rectangular annular groove in which two vertical grooves extending in the vertical direction along the lower portion of the body lower boundary portion 48 and two horizontal grooves extending in the horizontal direction (circumferential direction) are continuously connected via an R portion, and the lower horizontal groove is trapezoidal in shape and slightly longer than the upper horizontal groove.
[0039] As described above, at the circumferential position where the lower corner wall 4d is disposed, the fourth annular groove portion 35 and the third annular groove portion 33 are arranged in order from bottom to top to form the plurality of annular groove portions 36b. That is, the plurality of annular groove portions 36b has two annular groove portions. The plurality of annular groove portions 36b are arranged across the height position of the lower end portion of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b. That is, the height position of the lower end portion of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b is located at a height position between the lower end portion of the fourth annular groove portion 35, which is the lower end portion of the plurality of annular groove portions 36b, and the upper end portion of the third annular groove portion 33, which is the upper end portion of the plurality of annular grooves 36b.
[0040] By arranging the multiple annular grooves 36b across the height of the lower end of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b, the circumferential and vertical rigidity of the lower corner wall 4d at that height can be increased, thereby suppressing the occurrence of plastic deformation such as creases that occurs from the lower corner of the vacuum absorption panel 11b toward the boundary between the body part 4 and the bottom part 5.
[0041] In particular, in this embodiment, the shortest vertical distance between the vertically adjacent fourth annular groove 35 and third annular groove 33 in the plurality of annular grooves 36b is shorter than the vertical lengths of the fourth annular groove 35 and third annular groove 33. This configuration continuously increases the circumferential and vertical rigidity in the height range from the lower end of the fourth annular groove 35 to the upper end of the third annular groove 33, where the plurality of annular grooves 36b are arranged. Therefore, plastic deformation, such as creases, that occurs from the lower corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11b toward the boundary between the bottom portion 5 and the body portion 4 can be more effectively suppressed. Note that the shortest vertical distance between the vertically adjacent fourth annular groove 35 and third annular groove 33 in the plurality of annular grooves 36b may be zero. In other words, the vertically adjacent fourth annular groove 35 and third annular groove 33 in the plurality of annular grooves 36b may be arranged without any gap in the vertical direction. The plurality of annular grooves 36b may include three or more annular grooves.
[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the third annular groove portion 33 is configured so that the ratio of its vertical length to its circumferential length is 0.6 to 1.2. The same applies to the fourth annular groove portion 35, which constitutes the multiple annular groove portions 36b. This configuration can improve the rigidity in the vertical and circumferential directions in a balanced manner in the region where the multiple annular groove portions 36b are arranged, thereby more effectively suppressing the occurrence of plastic deformation such as creases that occurs from the lower corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11b toward the boundary between the bottom portion 5 and the body portion 4.
[0043] The upper corner wall 4c extends vertically without any inclination below the upper body boundary 47. Similarly, the lower corner wall 4d extends vertically above the lower body boundary 48 without any inclination.
[0044] The shapes of the first annular groove portion 34, the second annular groove portions 31 and 32, the third annular groove portion 33, and the fourth annular groove portion 35 are not limited to the substantially rectangular shape shown in Fig. 1, but may also be other annular shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, a trapezoid, etc. Furthermore, the number of annular groove portions included in each of the plurality of annular groove portions 36a, 36b can be determined arbitrarily as long as it is two or more depending on the width, height, etc. of the corner wall and the rigidity required of the corner wall.
[0045] One of the multiple annular grooves 36a, 36b may be omitted. The multiple upper annular grooves 36a are preferably provided in order to prevent plastic deformation such as creases from occurring from the upper corners of the upper vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4 due to line pressure in the filling line, etc.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, a central vertical groove 37a is provided in the upper corner wall 4c at a height position directly above the central horizontal groove 22b. Similarly, a central vertical groove 37b is provided in the lower corner wall 4d at a height position directly below the central horizontal groove 22b. The horizontally extending central horizontal groove 22b in the main wall is discontinuous at the circumferential center of the corner wall. The central vertical grooves 37a, 37b are provided at the circumferential position where the central horizontal groove 22b is discontinuous. By providing the horizontally extending central horizontal groove 22b and the vertically extending central vertical grooves 37a, 37b in this manner, rigidity can be increased at approximately the center height position of the synthetic resin container 1, effectively suppressing plastic deformation (crushing deformation). Note that one or both of the central horizontal groove 22b and the central vertical grooves 37a, 37b may be omitted.
[0047] 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.
[0048] 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.
[0049] As described above, by adopting a configuration in which the arch-shaped step portions 41 extending in an arch shape are connected to the upper ends of the corner step portions 45 extending in the vertical direction, a synergistic effect with the multiple annular grooves 36a is achieved, which makes it difficult for plastic deformation (collapse deformation) to occur, in which creases are formed in a direction extending obliquely from the upper corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4. This is because the direction in which the creases extend intersects with the arch-shaped step portions 41 and the corner step portions 45. Therefore, plastic deformation of the body portion 4 is difficult 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 portions 45 have recessed grooves extending in the vertical direction as described above, it is possible to particularly effectively suppress the occurrence of plastic deformation (collapse deformation) in which creases are formed in a direction intersecting with the corner step portions 45.
[0050] 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 trunk portion lower boundary 48. The trunk portion lower boundary 48 defines the lower end of the lower corner wall 4d and connects, via R-corners, the side peripheral wall of the bottom portion 5 (which is linear in vertical cross section or curved radially outwardly convex) that extends radially inward downward just below the lower corner wall 4d. The provision of this corner step 46, in combination with the multiple annular grooves 36b, effectively suppresses the occurrence of plastic deformation (crushing deformation) in the region of the lower vacuum absorption panel 11b, which causes creases in a direction intersecting with the corner step 46. Note that the lower corner step 46 may not be provided.
[0051] The bottom 5 closes the lower end of the body 4. In this embodiment, the upper end of the bottom 5 closing the lower end of the body 4 extends to the lower end of the main wall (lower main wall 4b) and to the body lower boundary 48 of the corner wall (lower corner wall 4d). The bottom 5 has side walls that extend from the lower end of the body 4 while sloping radially inward toward the ground contact portion, and a bottom wall (including the ground contact portion) that extends radially inward from the lower end of the side walls. At the circumferential position where the main wall (lower main wall 4b) is located, the upper end of the bottom 5 is the upper end of the portion that tapers downward.
[0052] As described above, the synthetic resin container 1 of this embodiment includes a mouth 2 serving as a pouring outlet for the contents, a body 4 connected to the mouth 2 via a shoulder 3, and a bottom 5 closing the lower end of the body 4. The body 4 has a plurality of main walls (upper main wall 4a and lower main wall 4b) spaced apart in the circumferential direction and each having a vacuum absorption panel 11a, 11b, and corner walls (upper corner wall 4c and lower corner wall 4d) connecting the circumferential ends of adjacent main walls. At the circumferential positions where the corner walls are located, a plurality of annular grooves 36a are disposed across the height of the upper end of the uppermost vacuum absorption panel 11a, and a plurality of annular grooves 36b are disposed across the height of the lower end of the lowermost vacuum absorption panel 11b. This configuration enhances the circumferential (horizontal) and vertical rigidity of the corner walls in the areas where the plurality of annular grooves 36a, 36b are disposed. Therefore, the high rigidity of the corner walls can prevent plastic deformation such as creases from occurring from the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b toward the shoulder portion 3 or the bottom portion 5.
[0053] It should be noted that the plastic deformation that can be suppressed by the configuration of the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned aspects. The starting point of plastic deformation that can be suppressed by the configuration of the present application is not limited to, for example, the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b, and it may be possible to suppress plastic deformation that starts from a region of the upper main wall 4a or the lower main wall 4b that is separated from the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b. Furthermore, the end point of plastic deformation that can be suppressed by the configuration of the present application is not limited to the boundary between the upper main wall 4a and the shoulder portion 3 or the boundary between the lower main wall 4b and the bottom 5, and it may be possible to suppress plastic deformation that ends in a region separated from these boundaries.
[0054] In this embodiment, the shortest vertical distance between adjacent annular grooves 36a, 36b is shorter than the vertical length of each annular groove. This configuration allows for seamless, continuous increases in circumferential and vertical rigidity in the range from the upper end of the first annular groove 34, where the annular grooves 36a are located, to the lower end of the second annular groove 32, and in the range from the lower end of the fourth annular groove 35 to the upper end of the third annular groove 33, where the annular grooves 36b are located. This effectively prevents plastic deformation, such as creases, from the upper corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder 3 and the trunk 4, or from the lower corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11b toward the boundary between the bottom 5 and the trunk 4.
[0055] In this embodiment, the ratio of the vertical length to the circumferential length (horizontal length) of each of the plurality of annular grooves 36a, 36b is 0.6 to 1.2. This configuration enhances the circumferential and vertical rigidity in the area where the plurality of annular grooves 36a, 36b are arranged in a balanced manner. This effectively prevents plastic deformation, such as creases, from the upper corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 4, or from the lower corners of the vacuum absorption panel 11b toward the boundary between the bottom portion 5 and the body portion 4.
[0056] In this embodiment, the body 4 has a corner step 45 extending vertically at the boundary between the main wall and the corner wall, and an arch-shaped step 41 that connects to the upper end of the corner step 45 and extends in an arch shape that is convex upward. The portion of the main wall surrounded by the arch-shaped step 41 protrudes radially outward from the shoulder 3. This configuration further reduces the likelihood of plastic deformation (crushing deformation) in which a crease forms in the diagonal direction from the upper corner of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder 3 and the body 4. Therefore, even if a load is applied to the body 4 due to a collision during transportation of a lightweight, thin-walled container or line pressure on a filling line, plastic deformation or crushing from the upper corner of the vacuum absorption panel 11a toward the boundary between the shoulder 3 and the body 4 can be effectively suppressed. Furthermore, when the weight of the synthetic resin container 1 is not reduced by thinning, the rigidity of the container can be further increased.
[0057] 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.
[0058] For example, the upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b do not need to have the same shape, and the upper main wall 4a and the lower main wall 4b may have different shapes. Furthermore, the shapes of the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b are not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and various shapes can be adopted. Furthermore, the vacuum absorption panels 11a, 11b may have different shapes.
[0059] 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.
[0060] In this embodiment, 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 4 and 5), 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.
[0061] Furthermore, the contents filled in the synthetic resin container 1 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]
[0062] 1. Synthetic resin containers 2 Mouth 2a male thread 2c neck ring 3 Shoulder 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 22b Central horizontal concave groove 22c,22d Main wall auxiliary recess 31, 32 Second annular groove 31a,32a,34a Vertical groove 31b, 32b, 34b Yokomizo 31c,32c,34c R section 31d,32d,34d protrusion 33 Third annular groove 34 First annular groove 35 Fourth annular groove 36a, 36b Multiple annular grooves 37a, 37b Central vertical groove 41 Arched step 45 Corner step 46 Corner step 47 Upper body boundary 48 Lower body boundary 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, At the circumferential position where the corner wall is arranged, A plurality of annular grooves are arranged across the height of the upper end of the uppermost vacuum absorption panel, and / or A synthetic resin container, in which a plurality of annular grooves are arranged across the height position of the lower end of the lowest vacuum absorption panel.
2. 2. The synthetic resin container according to claim 1, wherein the shortest vertical distance between adjacent annular grooves in the plurality of annular grooves is shorter than the vertical length of each annular groove.
3. 3. The synthetic resin container according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of annular grooves has a ratio of the vertical length to the circumferential length of 0.6 to 1.
2.
4. 3. The synthetic resin container according to claim 1, wherein the body portion has a corner step portion extending in the vertical direction at the boundary between the main wall and the corner wall, 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 relative to the shoulder portion.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Bottle
JP2020179872A