Plastic containers, base configurations for plastic containers, and systems, methods, and base molds thereof

1. A hot-fillable, blow-molded plastic wide-mouth jar configured to be filled with a viscous food product at a temperature from 185° F. to 205° F., the jar comprising:

a cylindrical sidewall, said sidewall being configured to support a wrap-around label;

a wide-mouth finish projecting from an upper end of said sidewall via a shoulder, said finish being operative to receive a closure, and said shoulder defining an upper label stop above said sidewall; and

a base defining a lower label stop below said sidewall, wherein said base has a bottom end that includes:

a bearing portion defining a standing surface for the jar, the base being smooth and without surface features from said bearing portion to said lower label stop;

an up-stand wall which extends upward and radially inward from said bearing portion; and

a diaphragm circumscribed by said up-stand wall in end view of the jar, said diaphragm having an inner wall and a substantially centrally located nose cone, said nose cone having a smooth frustum-shaped sidewall extending into an interior of the jar, in an as-formed, blow molded condition, said inner wall in cross-sectional side view is substantially planar and extends at an angle in a range of three to fourteen degrees downward from horizontal toward the nose cone, said diaphragm being configured to move downward in response to increased pressure within the container and upward in response to a vacuum within the container after the container is hot-filled and sealed;

wherein said diaphragm in end view has a plurality of concentric rings in spaced-apart relation with one another, and in the as-formed, blow molded condition, said plurality of concentric rings includes an inner concentric ring and an outer concentric ring, said inner concentric ring having a smaller diameter than said outer concentric ring, and said inner concentric ring extending from said inner wall at an inner portion of said inner wall that is lower in cross-sectional view than an outer portion of said inner wall where said outer concentric ring extends from said inner wall, and

wherein each said concentric ring has an inner surface that is concave, with inner being defined relative the interior of the jar.

2. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein increased pressure is associated with one or more of pasteurization processing and retort processing of the jar when filled and sealed with the closure.

3. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein said diaphragm is constructed so as to be at or above the bearing surface at all times during the downward movement thereof.

4. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein the upward movement of said diaphragm reduces a portion of the vacuum less than the entire amount of the vacuum.

5. The jar according to claim 4 , wherein the jar further comprises a supplemental vacuum panel arranged somewhere other than the bottom end portion of the jar, and the supplemental vacuum panel reduces another portion of the vacuum.

6. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein the upward movement of said diaphragm reduces the entire portion of the vacuum.

7. The jar according to claim 6 , wherein the upward movement of said diaphragm creates a positive pressure within the jar.

8. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein said nose cone defines an anti-inverting portion at a central longitudinal axis of the jar, said anti-inverting portion being constructed and operative to move downward in response to the increased pressure and upward in response to the decreased pressure without deforming.

9. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-fill temperature is from 200° F. to 205° F.

10. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein said diaphragm and said up-stand wall are constructed to be cooperatively operative so as to prevent said diaphragm from moving downward beyond a predetermined point of recovery for said diaphragm.

11. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein said diaphragm and said up-stand wall are constructed to be cooperatively operative such that the diaphragm moves upwardly after downward movement thereof to a position at or above its initial, as-formed position.

12. The jar according to claim 11 , wherein the position above its initial position is a position upward from horizontal.

13. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein each said concentric ring has one or more of an outer surface that is convex as defined relative the exterior of the jar.

14. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein said up-stand wall is constructed and operative to remain substantially stationary during one or more of upward movement and downward movement of said diaphragm.

15. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein a first concentric ring of said plurality of concentric rings projects downward and outward more than does a second concentric ring of said plurality of concentric rings.

16. The jar according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of concentric rings are constructed and operative to prevent said diaphragm from moving downward beyond a predetermined point of recovery for said diaphragm and to facilitate movement back up of said diaphragm.