CONTAINER HAVING ENHANCED WALL INTEGRITY AND ALIGNMENT ELEMENT

• US 20120318810A1
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huhtamaki Incorporated (Huhtamaki Oyj)
• Original Assignee: Huhtamaki Incorporated (Huhtamaki Oyj)
• Inventors: Hodge, Don, Tomalia, Don, Osentoski, Jason, Maciag, Dan, Trombley, Joe, Brushaber, Pete, Liming, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 9,314,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/671
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/20 of flexible material; Collapsible or stackable cups
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/03 for using only once, e.g. made of paper
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/23 of stackable type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/00 Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material by winding, bending, or folding paper B65D3/00, B65D5/00; specially constructed to be opened by cutting, piercing, or tearing of wall portions B65D17/00; pallets B65D19/00; details of bottles or of jars B65D23/00; bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carriers for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles, B65D71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/26 Thin-walled containers, e.g. formed by deep-drawing operations B65D1/165 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/265 Drinking cups B65D81/3865 takes precedence, holders for plastic cups A47G23/0208
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/42 Reinforcing or strengthening parts or members
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/44 Corrugations
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/02 Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable containers of polygonal cross-section formed by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/001
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/0233 Nestable containers

Abstract

A container having enhanced wall integrity and a rotational element is provided that includes a sidewall having polygonal cross-sectional shape and an alignment structure formed therein. The alignment structure is adapted for orienting the container with respect to a second container such that the panel sections of the containers become parallel with one another and the containers may be fully nested one within the other. The alignment structure can be recessed into the sidewall to form peaks and valleys along an inner surface of the container. The peaks include first and second faces sloping in opposite directions designed to direct corners of the first container'"'"'s sidewall toward the interior valleys of the second container in order to orient the containers as they are stacked.

Claims

1. A container comprising:

a bottom wall;

a plurality of sidewall panel sections extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said panel sections fanning a generally frustoconical sidewall having a polygonal cross-sectional shape, an interior surface and an exterior surface; and

a generally axially-extending alignment structure associated with at least one said panel section, said alignment structure adapted for orienting said container and with respect to a second generally identical container along a longitudinal axis such that the respective panel sections of said container and said second container are generally parallel with one another and the containers may be nested one within the other.

2. The container of claim 1 further comprising a corner formed at an intersecting region located between two adjacent panel sections.

3. The container of claim 2 wherein each said corner edge includes an outwardly protruding rib.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein each said alignment structure is at least partially indented into said sidewall and extending inwardly into an interior of the container forming radially intermittent peaks and valleys along the interior surface of the container.

5. The container of claim 4 wherein said peaks formed along the interior surface of said container include sloping first and second faces adapted for directing corners or ribs of said second container toward the valleys of said container such that the sidewall panel sections of said second container become aligned substantially parallel with the corresponding sidewall panel sections of said container and said second container may become fully nested within said container.

6. The container of claim 1 wherein each said alignment structure is at least partially protruding from said sidewall and extending outwardly away from the exterior surface of said container forming radially intermittent peaks and valleys along the interior and exterior surfaces of the container.

7. The container of claim 6 wherein said peaks formed along the interior surface of said container include sloping first and second sides adapted for directing the peaks formed along the exterior surface of said second container toward the valleys formed along the interior surface of said container.

8. The container of claim 7 wherein the peaks of the interior surface of said container are adapted to be received within the valleys of the exterior surface of said second container.

9. The container of claim 8 wherein the sidewall panel sections of said second container become aligned substantially parallel with the sidewall panel sections of said container and said second container may become fully nested within said container.

10. The container of claim 1 wherein said alignment structure includes a generally v-shaped lower edge.

11. The container of claim 1 wherein each said alignment structure is comprised of a plurality of fingers indented into said sidewall and extending inwardly into an interior of the container forming radially intermittent peaks and valleys along the interior and exterior surfaces of the container.

12. The container of claim 11 wherein each said finger is tapered and decreases in width from a wider first end to a narrower distal second end.

13. The container of claim 12 wherein each said valley along said interior surface is tapered and increases in width from a narrower first end to a wider distal second end.

14. The container of claim 13 wherein said valleys along said interior surface are adapted for receiving said fingers of said second container when said second container is placed within said container.

15. The container of claim 14 wherein the sidewall panel sections of said second container become aligned substantially parallel with the sidewall panel sections of said container and said second container may become fully nested within said container.

16. A container comprising:

a bottom wall;

a plurality of sidewall panel sections extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said panel sections forming a generally frustoconical sidewall having a polygonal cross-sectional shape, an interior surface and an exterior surface;

a corner formed at an intersecting region located between two adjacent said panel sections; and

a generally axially-extending alignment structure recessed into at least one said panel section, said alignment structure having peaks extending inwardly from said interior surface having first and second faces sloping in opposite directions, said faces adapted for being engaged by the corners of a second generally identical container and directing said corners toward valleys located between said peaks such that the sidewall panel sections of said second container become aligned substantially parallel with the corresponding sidewall panel sections of said container and said second container may become fully nested within said container.