Printing plastic containers with digital images

• US 7,910,184 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Plastipak Packaging Incorporated (Plastipak Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Plastipak Packaging Incorporated (Plastipak Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Uptergrove, Ronald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dye; Rena L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kashnikow; Erik
• Application Number:
  US12/768,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20100200451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 428/36.9, 428/151.1, 428/35.7, 264/523, 264/527, 206/459.5
• US Class Current: 428/35.7
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00214 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/40733 Printing on cylindrical or rotationally symmetrical objects, e. g. on bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/543 with multiple inkjet print heads B41J2/17503, B41J2/2103 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0082 Digital printing on bodies of particular shapes sublimation or volatilisation of pre-printed design B41M5/035
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 3/26 Affixing labels to non-rigid containers, e.g. bottles made of polyethylene, boxes to be inflated by internal air pressure prior to labelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1352 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]

Abstract

A plastic container having curved surfaces and digital printing is disclosed. An embodiment of the container provides a hollow plastic container including a multiple color, single-cured digital image on a first curved surface having a non-constant radius of curvature, and a second curved surface having a non-constant radius of curvature that is spaced from the first curved surface, such that the first and second curved surfaces are on opposed surfaces.

Claims

1. A plastic container having curved surfaces, comprising:

a hollow plastic container having curved external surfaces, the container including a multiple color, single-cured digital image on a first curved surface having a non-constant radius of curvature, and a second curved surface having a non-constant radius of curvature, wherein the second curved surface is spaced from the first curved surface, and the first and second curved surfaces are on opposed surfaces.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the second curved surface has a digital image printed thereon.

3. The container according to claim 2, wherein the digital image on the second curved surface comprises a multiple color, single-cured digital image.

4. The container according to claim 1, wherein the multiple color, single-cured digital image is printed by a plurality of independently movable print heads.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container includes a third curved surface and a fourth curved surface, each of the third and forth curved surfaces separating the opposed first and second curved surfaces from each other.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein the third and fourth curved surfaces are free from digital images.

7. The container according to claim 6, wherein the third and fourth curved surfaces each have a non-constant radius of curvature.

8. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is oval.

9. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is one of an injection molded plastic container and a blow molded plastic container.

10. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is one of polyethylene terephthalate and high density polyethylene.

11. The container according to claim 1, wherein the digital image is an inkjet printed digital image.

12. The container according to claim 1, wherein the digital image is a drop on demand digital image.

13. The container according to claim 1, wherein the digital image comprises a UV reactive ink cured by UV light.

14. The container according to claim 1, wherein the digital image on the first curved surface includes UV-reactive ink.

15. The container according to claim 1, wherein the digital image on the first curved surface is the final coating on the first curved surface.

16. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is pre-treated to raise the surface energy prior to digital printing.

17. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is configured to hold an internal pressure of from 0.125 to 10.0 psi.