System and method for forming a container having a grip region
View Patent ↗A container forming assembly and method includes receiving a parison within a cavity of a mold, enclosing the parison within the mold having a wall with a recess, inflating the parison in the mold to form a blow molded container where the blow molded container has a sidewall, a movable region formed at the recess, and a hinge circumscribing an interface between the sidewall and the movable region, and moving the movable region toward an interior of the blow molded container about the hinge before filling. Furthermore, a method for forming a container includes receiving a parison, enclosing the parison with a mold that includes a cavity, and inflating the parison in said mold to form a blow molded container with a moveable region at the cavity. The method further includes repositioning the moveable region before filling the blow molded container.
1. A plastic container having an as-molded configuration and a final configuration, the plastic container in the as-molded configuration comprising:
a cylindrical body defining a longitudinal axis and having an upper portion, a sidewall portion, and a base portion, the base portion having, in the as-molded configuration:
a bearing surface having a bearing wall thickness;
a downwardly-convex moveable region extending outwardly below the bearing surface in the as-molded configuration, the moveable region configured to be repositioned inwardly about an annular structure at an interface between the bearing surface and the moveable region from the outwardly-extending as-molded configuration to the final configuration extending inwardly above the bearing surface,
wherein the annular structure has a maximum wall thickness less than the bearing wall thickness of the bearing surface in the as-molded configuration.
2. The plastic container of claim 1 , wherein the annular structure is discontinuous around the base portion.
3. The plastic container of claim 1 , wherein the annular structure is segmented around the base portion.
4. The plastic container of claim 1 , wherein the plastic container is composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
5. The plastic container of claim 1 , wherein the upper portion includes a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) blown finish.
6. The plastic container of claim 1 , wherein the base portion is configured to be physically acted on by a base forming assembly having a movable insert portion.
7. The plastic container of claim 1 , wherein the annular structure separates the movable region of the base from a non-movable portion of the base.
8. The plastic container of claim 1 , wherein the moveable region is convex in shape.
9. The plastic container of claim 1 , the moveable region having a movable region wall thickness surrounding the annular structure, wherein the annular structure has a maximum wall thickness less than the movable region wall thickness.
10. A plastic container having an as-molded configuration and a final configuration, the plastic container in the final configuration comprising:
a cylindrical body defining a longitudinal axis and an interior space and having an upper portion, a sidewall portion, and a base portion;
the base portion having:
a bearing surface having a bearing wall thickness;
an annular structure adjacent to and disposed closer to the longitudinal axis than the bearing surface, the annular structure having a maximum wall thickness less than the bearing wall thickness of the bearing surface; and
a convex moveable region adjacent to and disposed closer to the longitudinal axis than the annular structure, the convex moveable region configured to be repositioned about the annular structure from the as-molded configuration extending outwardly below the bearing surface to the final configuration extending upwardly above the bearing surface into the interior space defined by the cylindrical body.
11. The plastic container of claim 10 , wherein the annular structure is discontinuous around the base portion.
12. The plastic container of claim 10 , wherein the annular structure is segmented around the base portion.
13. The plastic container of claim 10 , wherein the plastic container is composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
14. The plastic container of claim 10 , wherein the upper portion includes a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) blown finish.
15. The plastic container of claim 10 , wherein the convex moveable region is repositionable from the as-molded configuration to the final configuration by a base forming assembly having a movable insert portion.
16. The plastic container of claim 10 , wherein the annular structure defines a hinge between the bearing surface and the convex moveable region.
17. The plastic container of claim 10 , the moveable region having a movable region wall thickness surrounding the annular structure, wherein the annular structure has a maximum wall thickness less than the movable region wall thickness.