Plastic Bottles

Abstract

To provide a plastic bottle capable of expanding / contracting a plastic bottle with small force in a height direction.SOLUTION: A plastic bottle 10 comprises a mouth part 11, a trunk part 20, and a bottom part 30. The trunk part 20 has a bellows shape including a plurality of polygonal parts 25A, 25B. The plurality of polygonal parts 25A, 25B have polygonal parts identical to each other on a cross-section parallel to a horizontal plane S onto which the plastic bottle 10 is grounded. The two polygonal parts 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in a height direction are arranged to be circumferentially deviated with respect to a central axis CL of the plastic bottle 10. Each tip 27 of the two polygonal parts 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected to each other by ridge lines 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to plastic bottles. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, plastic bottles for containing liquid contents such as food and beverages have become common, and some of these plastic bottles have a bellows-shaped body (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The height of such plastic bottles with a bellows-shaped body can be reduced by pressing the plastic bottle from both sides in the height direction. In addition, the height of the reduced plastic bottle can be extended by pulling the reduced plastic bottle from both sides in the height direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3169787 [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-055645 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional bellows-shaped plastic bottles require a large force to expand or contract the plastic bottle in the height direction.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a plastic bottle that can be expanded or contracted in the height direction with a small force. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The plastic bottle of this embodiment is a plastic bottle having a mouth, a body, and a bottom, the body having a bellows shape including a plurality of polygonal portions, the plurality of polygonal portions having identical polygonal shapes in a cross section parallel to a horizontal plane on which the plastic bottle is grounded, two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are positioned circumferentially offset from each other with respect to the central axis of the plastic bottle, and the vertices of the two polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected to each other by a ridge line.

[0007] In the plastic bottle according to this embodiment, two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction may be connected by a plurality of panels.

[0008] In the plastic bottle according to the present embodiment, the panel may be trapezoidal in shape.

[0009] In the plastic bottle according to this embodiment, the panel may be surrounded by a side of one of the polygonal portions, a side of another of the polygonal portions, and two of the ridge lines.

[0010] In the plastic bottle according to this embodiment, the polygonal portion may be a non-regular polygon including a long side and a short side.

[0011] In the plastic bottle according to this embodiment, the polygonal portion is an n-sided polygon, and two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction may be arranged circumferentially shifted by (360 / n)° relative to the central axis of the plastic bottle.

[0012] In the plastic bottle of this embodiment, when the plastic bottle is compressed in the height direction, each side of the polygonal portion functions as a hinge axis, causing the two polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction to deform closer to each other, and when the force compressing the plastic bottle in the height direction is removed, each side of the polygonal portion functions as a hinge axis, causing the two polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction to deform apart. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to this embodiment, the plastic bottle can be expanded and contracted in the height direction with a small force. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a plastic bottle according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a plastic bottle according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a right side view showing a plastic bottle according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a plastic bottle according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4) showing a plastic bottle according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the second polygonal portion (a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2). [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the first polygonal portion (a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 2). [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a plastic bottle shrunk in the height direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] An embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which: Figures 1 to 8 show an embodiment.

[0016] An overview of the plastic bottle according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In this specification, "upper" and "lower" refer to the upper and lower sides, respectively, of the plastic bottle 10 in an upright position (Figures 1 and 2). In this specification, the "central axis CL" of the plastic bottle 10 refers to the central axis of the cylinder that constitutes the inner surface of the mouth portion 11 of the plastic bottle 10. The "horizontal plane S" refers to the plane that becomes the contact surface when the plastic bottle 10 is placed on the ground in an upright position. The central axis CL of the plastic bottle 10 is a straight line that is perpendicular to the horizontal plane S.

[0017] In this specification, the term "height direction" refers to a direction along the central axis CL of the plastic bottle 10, and the term "radial direction" refers to a direction perpendicular to the central axis CL of the plastic bottle 10. The term "circumferential direction" refers to a circumferential direction of a circle centered on the central axis CL of the plastic bottle 10. The term "X direction" refers to a direction on the horizontal plane S that is parallel to one side of the polygonal portions 25A and 25B (in this case, the long side 26a of the first polygonal portion 25A and the short side 26b of the second polygonal portion 25B). The term "Y direction" refers to a direction perpendicular to the X direction on the horizontal plane S. The term "Z direction" refers to a direction perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction and parallel to the central axis CL. The term "front" refers to a surface perpendicular to the horizontal plane S and facing the negative side of the Y direction, and the term "side" refers to a surface perpendicular to the horizontal plane S and perpendicular to the front.

[0018] The plastic bottle 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is produced by preparing a preform obtained by injection molding and subjecting this preform to biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a plastic bottle 10 has a mouth 11, a neck 12 located below the mouth 11, a shoulder 13 located below the neck 12, a body 20 located below the shoulder 13, and a bottom 30 located below the body 20.

[0020] Of these, the mouth portion 11 has a threaded portion 14 that is screwed onto a cap (not shown), and a flange portion 17 located below the threaded portion 14. A container containing the contents is obtained by filling the plastic bottle 10 with contents such as a liquid and screwing a cap onto the mouth portion 11. The contents may be beverages, seasonings such as soy sauce, powdered foods such as salt, solids such as coffee beans, or non-food items such as liquid detergent.

[0021] Neck 12 is located between flange 17 and shoulder 13, and has a generally cylindrical shape with a generally uniform diameter. Shoulder 13 is located between neck 12 and body 20, and has a shape whose diameter gradually increases from the neck 12 side toward the body 20 side. Shoulder 13 has a generally hexagonal shape in a cross section parallel to a horizontal plane S on which plastic bottle 10 is placed (hereinafter also referred to as a horizontal cross section).

[0022] The body 20 has a generally cylindrical bellows shape. The body 20 includes a plurality of polygonal portions 25A, 25B. The polygonal portions 25A, 25B include a first polygonal portion 25A and a second polygonal portion 25B. The first polygonal portion 25A and the second polygonal portion 25B are alternately arranged along the height direction. Specifically, the body 20 is formed in the following order from the shoulder 13 side toward the bottom 30 side: the first polygonal portion 25A, the second polygonal portion 25B, the first polygonal portion 25A, ... the second polygonal portion 25B, and the first polygonal portion 25A. In this specification, the first polygonal portion 25A and the second polygonal portion 25B are collectively referred to simply as the polygonal portions 25A and 25B.

[0023] In the present embodiment, a total of 13 polygonal portions 25A, 25B are formed in the body portion 20. Specifically, seven first polygonal portions 25A and six second polygonal portions 25B are formed. The total number of polygonal portions 25A, 25B may be 3 or more and 25 or less.

[0024] The multiple polygonal parts 25A, 25B have the same polygonal shape and ring shape in horizontal cross section. Here, "the same polygonal shape" includes a figure that has the same shape in horizontal cross section and matches one of them by rotating the other. In this embodiment, the horizontal cross sections of the polygonal parts 25A, 25B are each hexagonal. However, the horizontal cross sections of the polygonal parts 25A, 25B do not necessarily have to be hexagonal, and may be, for example, an n-gon (n is a natural number between 3 and 12). In addition, the horizontal cross sections of the polygonal parts 25A, 25B are irregular polygonal shapes, but are not limited to this and may be regular polygonal shapes.

[0025] Two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are arranged with a circumferential shift from each other with respect to the central axis CL of the plastic bottle 10. That is, the first polygonal portion 25A and the second polygonal portion 25B are out of phase with each other with respect to the central axis CL. Meanwhile, the multiple (seven) first polygonal portions 25A are located at the same circumferential positions with respect to the central axis CL, and the multiple (six) second polygonal portions 25B are located at the same circumferential positions with respect to the central axis CL.

[0026] Here, when figures X and Y are "displaced from each other in the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis CL," this means that they do not overlap when they are projected onto the horizontal plane S parallel to the central axis CL, but when either figure X or figure Y is rotated a certain angle around the central axis CL and projected onto the horizontal plane S parallel to the central axis CL, they overlap. Also, when figures X and Y are "in the same position in the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis CL," this means that they overlap when they are projected onto the horizontal plane S parallel to the central axis CL.

[0027] 6 and 7, two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are shifted in phase from each other by 60° in the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis CL of the plastic bottle 10. That is, when either the first polygonal portion 25A or the second polygonal portion 25B is rotated by 60° around the central axis CL and projected onto a horizontal plane S parallel to the central axis CL, they overlap each other. When the horizontal cross section of the polygonal portions 25A, 25B is an n-sided polygon, the polygonal portions 25A, 25B are preferably arranged with a shift of (360 / n)°.

[0028] The first polygonal portion 25A (second polygonal portion 25B) has a shape that overlaps with the original (before rotation) figure of the first polygonal portion 25A (second polygonal portion 25B) when rotated 120° in the circumferential direction around the central axis CL. Furthermore, the center of the figure of the first polygonal portion 25A (second polygonal portion 25B) coincides with the central axis CL. That is, the first polygonal portion 25A (second polygonal portion 25B) is composed of a rotationally symmetric figure. Note that, when the horizontal cross section of the first polygonal portion 25A (second polygonal portion 25B) is an n-sided (irregular polygon), it is preferable that the first polygonal portion 25A (second polygonal portion 25B) has a shape that overlaps with the original figure when rotated by (720 / n)°.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, each of the polygonal parts 25A, 25B has a long side 26a, a short side 26b shorter than the long side 26a, and a vertex 27. Here, the long side 26a and the short side 26b are alternately positioned in the circumferential direction. The long side 26a and the short side 26b are connected to each other at the vertex 27. In this case, each of the polygonal parts 25A, 25B has a shape in which the corners of an equilateral triangle are removed. Therefore, the straight lines extending the two long sides 26a form an angle of 60° with each other, and the straight lines extending the two short sides 26b form an angle of 60° with each other. Note that the long side 26a and the short side 26b do not have to be strictly straight lines in the horizontal cross section. For example, the long side 26a and the short side 26b may be curved partially or entirely. The long side 26a and the short side 26b may each have a certain width. In this case, the width W1 (distance in the Z direction, see FIG. 2) between the long side 26a and the short side 26b may be, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and preferably 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

[0030] As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, each of the polygonal portions 25A and 25B has three long sides 26a, three short sides 26b, and six vertices 27. The three long sides 26a have the same length L1, which may be, for example, 20 mm or more and 100 mm or less, and preferably 30 mm or more and 60 mm or less. The three short sides 26b have the same length L2, which may be, for example, 7 mm or more and 30 mm or less, and preferably 10 mm or more and 20 mm or less. In addition, in a horizontal cross section, the diameter D1 of each of the polygonal portions 25A and 25B may be, for example, 30 mm or more and 100 mm or less, and preferably 50 mm or more and 80 mm or less. Here, the "diameter" is defined as the longest distance between two parallel lines that contact each of the polygonal portions 25A and 25B from both sides in the horizontal cross section.

[0031] 2, the intervals (distance in the height direction) G1 between the multiple polygonal portions 25A, 25B may be the same as each other or may be different from each other. In this case, the intervals G1 between the multiple polygonal portions 25A, 25B are all the same as each other and may be, for example, 4 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and preferably 10 mm or more and 25 mm or less.

[0032] The vertices 27 of the two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected to each other by ridge lines 28. The two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected to each other by six ridge lines 28. In this case, the length L3 (see FIG. 2) of the six ridge lines 28 is the same as each other. The length L3 of each ridge line 28 may be, for example, 8 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and preferably 12 mm or more and 30 mm or less. The ridge lines 28 intersect at non-right angles with the long side 26a and the short side 26b of each polygonal portion 25A, 25B. Note that each ridge line 28 does not have to be strictly straight on the plane on which the panels 29A, 29B, which will be described later, exist. For example, each ridge line 28 may be partially or entirely curved. Furthermore, each ridge line 28 may have a certain degree of width. In this case, the width W2 (see FIG. 2) of the ridge line 28 may be, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and is preferably 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

[0033] Two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected by a plurality of panels 29A, 29B. Specifically, two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected by six panels 29A, 29B. In this case, the six panels 29A, 29B have the same shape. Each panel 29A, 29B is surrounded by a long side 26a of one polygonal portion 25A (25B), a short side 26b of the other polygonal portion 25B (25A), and two ridges 28. Each panel 29A, 29B is trapezoidal, more specifically, is an isosceles trapezoidal shape.

[0034] The panels 29A, 29B include a first panel 29A and a second panel 29B. The first panel 29A and the second panel 29B are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction between two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction. In this specification, the first panel 29A and the second panel 29B are collectively referred to simply as the panels 29A, 29B.

[0035] The first panel 29A is surrounded by the long sides 26a of the polygonal portions 25A, 25B located on the upper side (positive side in the Z direction), the short sides 26b of the polygonal portions 25A, 25B located on the lower side (negative side in the Z direction), and two ridges 28. The long sides 26a of the first panel 29A are located on the upper side (positive side in the Z direction) and radially inward, and the short sides 26b are located on the lower side (negative side in the Z direction) and radially outward. Therefore, the outer surface of the first panel 29A faces diagonally upward.

[0036] The second panel 29B is surrounded by short sides 26b of the polygonal portions 25A, 25B located on the upper side (positive side in the Z direction), long sides 26a of the polygonal portions 25A, 25B located on the lower side (negative side in the Z direction), and two ridges 28. The long sides 26a of the second panel 29B are located on the lower side (negative side in the Z direction) and radially inward, and the short sides 26b are located on the upper side (positive side in the Z direction) and radially outward. Therefore, the outer surface of the second panel 29B faces diagonally downward.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, in a vertical cross section cut along a plane including the central axis CL, the first panel 29A (second panel 29B) and the second panel 29B (first panel 29A) adjacent in the height direction are arranged in a "L-shape" (sideways V-shape). In this vertical cross section, the angle θ1 formed by the first panel 29A (second panel 29B) and the second panel 29B (first panel 29A) adjacent in the height direction may be, for example, 45° or more and 120° or less, and preferably 60° or more and 105° or less. The angle θ1 may be the same angle for all the panels 29A, 29B arranged in the height direction. In this embodiment, when the plastic bottle 10 is compressed or expanded in the height direction, the sides 26a, 26b of the panels 29A, 29B function as hinge axes, and the panels 29A, 29B are deformed so that the angle θ1 increases or decreases. This allows the two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction to be deformed so as to move closer to or away from each other.

[0038] 5, the height direction length L4 of each panel 29A, 29B may be, for example, 4 mm or more and 25 mm or less, and preferably 8 mm or more and 15 mm or less. The radial direction length L5 of each panel 29A, 29B may be, for example, 3 mm or more and 22 mm or less, and preferably 6 mm or more and 13 mm or less.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom 30 has a central portion 31 located in the center of the bottom 30, a peripheral portion 33 located on the periphery of the bottom 30, and a ring-shaped flat ground portion 32 located between the central portion 31 and the peripheral portion 33.

[0040] The central portion 31 has a central recess 34 recessed upward (toward the inside of the plastic bottle 10) and an annular inclined portion 35 located around the central recess 34. The annular inclined portion 35 is located radially outward from the central recess 34 and radially inward from the ground portion 32.

[0041] The grounding portion 32 is located radially outward of the annular inclined portion 35 and radially inward of the peripheral portion 33. The radially inner end of the grounding portion 32 is connected to the annular inclined portion 35, and the radially outer end of the grounding portion 32 is connected to the peripheral portion 33. This grounding portion 32 is the portion that comes into contact with the horizontal plane S when the plastic bottle 10 is held upright (see FIG. 5). When viewed from the bottom surface direction, the grounding portion 32 has a ring shape that is continuous in the circumferential direction.

[0042] The peripheral portion 33 is located radially outward of the grounding portion 32. A radially inner end of the peripheral portion 33 is connected to the radially outer side of the grounding portion 32, and a radially outer end of the peripheral portion 33 is connected to the lower end of the body portion 20. The peripheral portion 33 has a substantially hexagonal shape in horizontal cross section.

[0043] However, the size of such plastic bottle 10 is not limited, and the bottle may be of any size. For example, the full capacity of plastic bottle 10 may be 200 ml or more and 2000 ml or less, preferably 300 ml or more and 1500 ml or less, and more preferably 450 ml or more and 1000 ml or less. The overall height La of plastic bottle 10 (see FIG. 5) may be 100 mm or more and 400 mm or less, preferably 150 mm or more and 260 mm or less, and may be 181 mm, for example.

[0044] Furthermore, the thickness of the ground contact portion 32 of the bottom 30 is not limited to this, but may be, for example, 0.09 mm or more and 0.40 mm or less. By making the ground contact portion 32 0.40 mm or less in thickness, the weight of the plastic bottle 10 can be reduced. On the other hand, by making the ground contact portion 32 0.09 mm or more in thickness, it is possible to prevent the bottom 30 from popping out and becoming permanently deformed when the plastic bottle 10 is placed in a vending machine or dropped.

[0045] Furthermore, the weight of the plastic bottle 10 is not limited to this, but may be 10 g to 38 g, preferably 14 g to 28 g, and as an example, 24 g, for a plastic bottle 10 with a capacity of 2000 ml or less. In this way, the weight of the plastic bottle 10 can be reduced.

[0046] The plastic bottle 10 can be produced by biaxially stretching and blow molding a preform produced by injection molding a synthetic resin material. The main material of the preform, i.e., the plastic bottle 10, can be a thermoplastic resin, particularly polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polylactic acid (PLA), polycarbonate (PC), etc. The plastic bottle 10 may have a multilayer structure in which a barrier material layer is sandwiched between two polyethylene terephthalate layers. For example, a preform with a multilayer structure of PET / MXD6 / PET may be produced, and the plastic bottle 10, which is a multilayer container, may be produced by biaxially stretching and blow molding the preform. The material of the plastic bottle 10 may be recycled plastic produced by sorting, crushing, and cleaning used plastic products. The plastic bottle 10 may be produced by various molding methods such as direct blow molding in addition to biaxial stretching and blow molding.

[0047] Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

[0048] First, an empty plastic bottle 10 is prepared, and the plastic bottle 10 is filled with the liquid content, such as a beverage. At this time, the liquid content is filled into the plastic bottle 10 at a high temperature, for example, between 60°C and 95°C, in order to sterilize the inside of the plastic bottle 10. Next, the mouth portion 11 is closed with a cap (not shown). After that, when the plastic bottle 10 is cooled to room temperature (for example, between 20°C and 30°C) or a lower temperature (for example, between 1°C and 10°C), the volume of the liquid content is reduced. Furthermore, the volume of the headspace is reduced by liquefying the gas that is vaporized from the liquid content and exists in the headspace (empty space). This reduces the pressure inside the plastic bottle 10.

[0049] According to this embodiment, the plastic bottle 10 shrinks in the height direction in response to the reduced pressure inside the plastic bottle 10 (see FIG. 8). At this time, the sides 26a, 26b of the polygonal portions 25A, 25B function as hinge axes, so that the two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are deformed so as to approach each other. In addition, the panels 29A, 29B located between the two polygonal portions 25A, 25B are deformed so as to approach each other and the angle θ1 (see FIG. 5) formed by the panels 29A, 29B is deformed so as to become smaller. In this case, the panels 29A, 29B hardly change their shape, and the lengths of the long sides 26a, the short sides 26b, and the ridges 28 hardly change either, and the bellows-shaped body portion 20 shrinks in the height direction. This allows the pressure inside the plastic bottle 10 to be brought closer to the pressure of the outside air even when the pressure inside the plastic bottle 10 is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the plastic bottle 10 from undergoing unexpected deformation other than the body portion 20 shrinking in the height direction. When plastic bottle 10 is maximally compressed in the height direction as shown in Figure 8, the overall height Lb of plastic bottle 10 may be 30% or more and 80% or less of the overall height La of plastic bottle 10 before compression (see Figure 5), and preferably is 30% or more and 70% or less.

[0050] On the other hand, when the force compressing the plastic bottle 10 in the height direction is removed, the plastic bottle 10 tries to return to its original shape. That is, the sides 26a, 26b of the polygonal portions 25A, 25B function as hinge axes, and the two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are deformed so as to move apart from each other. Also, the panels 29A, 29B located between the two polygonal portions 25A, 25B are deformed so as to move apart from each other, and the angle θ1 (see FIG. 5) formed by the panels 29A, 29B is deformed so as to return to the angle before compression. In this case, the bellows-shaped body portion 20 naturally extends in the height direction due to the restoring force of the plastic bottle 10 itself. This allows the plastic bottle 10 to return to its shape before compression without the need to pull the plastic bottle 10. If the plastic bottle 10 is kept shrunk for a long period of time, the sides 26a, 26b and the ridges 28 may creep and deform, causing the plastic bottle 10 to not completely return to its original size. However, even in this case, it is possible to extend the plastic bottle 10 again with a relatively small force.

[0051] Thus, according to this embodiment, when the plastic bottle 10 is shrunk in the height direction, it can be shrunk easily and with a relatively weak force. Also, when the plastic bottle 10 is extended in the height direction, it can be extended easily and with a relatively weak force.

[0052] According to this embodiment, two polygonal portions 25A, 25B adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected by a plurality of panels 29A, 29B. As a result, when the plastic bottle 10 is compressed in the height direction, the sides 26a, 26b connecting the panels 29A, 29B function as hinge axes, so that the panels 29A, 29B are deformed so as to approach each other. Also, when the force compressing the plastic bottle in the height direction is removed, the sides 26a, 26b connecting the panels 29A, 29B function as hinge axes, so that the panels 29A, 29B are deformed so as to move away from each other.

[0053] In the above, a case has been described as an example in which a compressive force acts on the plastic bottle 10 in the height direction after the content liquid is filled at a high temperature. However, the situation in which the plastic bottle 10 is compressed in the height direction is not limited to the above.

[0054] For example, the plastic bottle 10 may be compressed in the height direction before filling it with the liquid, and then stretched in the height direction just before filling it with the liquid. In this case, the plastic bottle 10 can be transported and stored in a state compressed in the height direction, which reduces the space required for transporting and storing the plastic bottle 10 and reduces costs.

[0055] Also, for example, the plastic bottle 10 may be compressed in advance and filled with a liquid content such as a concentrated beverage or noodle soup or a powder content and sold. In this case, when using the plastic bottle 10, the consumer may open the cap of the plastic bottle 10, stretch the plastic bottle 10 in the height direction, and then pour water up to a predetermined position in the plastic bottle 10 to dilute the liquid content or dissolve the powder content. In this way, by compressing the plastic bottle 10 small until the consumer starts using it, the space required for transporting and storing the plastic bottle 10 can be reduced. In addition, since the liquid content can be diluted or dissolved directly using the plastic bottle 10, there is no need to transfer the liquid content to another container after dilution or dissolution.

[0056] Also, for example, by shrinking plastic bottle 10 according to the amount of content liquid used by a consumer, reducing the head space, and then closing the cap, it is possible to reduce the space required to store plastic bottle 10 while in use. In particular, when plastic bottle 10 contains a beverage that is easily oxidized, such as green tea, it is desirable to reduce the volume of the head space to suppress oxidation. For this reason, by shrinking plastic bottle 10 by the amount of content liquid used and discharged, reducing the head space, and then closing the cap, it is possible to suppress oxidation and deterioration of the content liquid.

[0057] It is also conceivable that, for example, after consuming the liquid content, a consumer may compress plastic bottle 10 in order to discard plastic bottle 10. In this case as well, plastic bottle 10 can be compressed with a small force, and body 20 can be compressed uniformly in the circumferential direction, thereby reducing the space required to store discarded plastic bottles 10.

[0058] As a method for filling the internal liquid into the plastic bottle 10, in addition to the method of filling the internal liquid at a high temperature, a sterile filling method can also be used in which the inside of the plastic bottle 10 is sterilized with a chemical such as hydrogen peroxide solution and the internal liquid is filled in a sterile space.

[0059] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and the components can be modified and embodied in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the disclosure. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of the multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. Some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10. Plastic Bottles 11 Mouth 12 Neck 13 Shoulder 20 Torso 25A 1st polygonal part 25B 2nd polygonal part 26a Long side 26b Short side 27 Vertex 28 Ridgeline 29A 1st Panel 29B 2nd Panel 30 bottom

Claims

1. A plastic bottle having a mouth, a body, and a bottom, The body portion has a bellows shape including a plurality of polygonal portions, The plurality of polygonal portions have the same polygonal shape in a cross section parallel to a horizontal plane on which the plastic bottle is grounded, The two polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are arranged to be shifted from each other in the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis of the plastic bottle, vertices of two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected to each other by a ridge line, The plastic bottle, wherein the polygonal portion is a non-regular polygon including a long side and a short side.

2. 2. The plastic bottle according to claim 1, wherein two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are connected by a plurality of panels.

3. 3. The plastic bottle of claim 2, wherein the panel is trapezoidal in shape.

4. 4. The plastic bottle according to claim 2, wherein the panel is surrounded by a side of one of the polygonal portions, a side of another of the polygonal portions, and two of the ridge lines.

5. The plastic bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the polygonal portion is an n-sided polygon, and two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are arranged circumferentially shifted by (360 / n)° from each other with respect to the central axis of the plastic bottle.

6. When the plastic bottle is compressed in the height direction, each side of the polygonal portion functions as a hinge axis, so that two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are deformed so as to approach each other, 6. The plastic bottle according to claim 1, wherein when a force compressing the plastic bottle in the height direction is removed, each side of the polygonal portion functions as a hinge axis, causing the plastic bottle to deform so that two of the polygonal portions adjacent to each other in the height direction are separated from each other.

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