MXPA97002385A - Recipient for automotive fluids - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container for storing automotive fluids having a rectangular front wall substantially parallel to a rectangular rear wall, said wall being connected to said back wall by an elongate right lareral wall and an elongated left side wall providing said container a substantially flat and elevated rectangular configuration, said front, rear, right side and left side walls being connected by a base at one end of said container and a shoulder at a remote end of the container, a finish extending from said shoulder, said finished being centrally oriented with respect to the front and rear walls and being placed closer to one of the side walls, said container being characterized in that it comprises an upper label stop separated from said shoulder and a lower label stop separated from said base formed in c One of the front and rear walls for defining label assembly on said front and rear walls, said label mounting areas being substantially flat, each of the upper and lower label stoppers extends substantially horizontally and have opposite ends , each of said opposite ends terminating at a distance spaced apart from the side walls so that each junction of the front and rear walls with the side walls is interrupted by the upper and lower label stops, each of said wall junctions front and rear with the side walls being a corner having a curved shape in cross section and forming a continuous post structure extending vertically from said base to the shoulder without interruption, and said shoulder being formed by a front section connecting to said finish and said front wall, a rear section connecting to said finish and said back wall, a right side section connecting said finish and said right side wall, and a left side section connecting said finish and said left side wall, one of the side sections of the shoulder extends an additional distance to through the container to the finish and forms an upper section of said shoulder, said upper section being concave inwardly and connects to the front and rear sections of the shoulder by soft curves providing said shoulder a continuous curved crown inward without sharp corners so that a load placed inside the container is supported evenly across the entire wall, thus resisting a deformation you do not want

Description

RECIPIENT PñRfl FLUIDOS AUTOMOTRICES FIELD OF L INVENTION The present invention relates to a blow molded plastic container specifically designed to pack automotive fluids, and more evenly, the present invention deals with a container configuration that is made with a plastic material core although it provides better coating capabilities. stability and loading.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Only in the United States are sold more than two million million one liter motor oil packages annually. Therefore, improvements in the packaging of motor oil and other automotive fluids can be a major concern for the automotive industry, the packaging industry and consumers. Blow molded plastic containers for automotive fluids are available in a wide variety of applications. shapes and are usually made with high density polYethylene in an extrusion blow molding process. Some of these containers are designed to have substantially rectangular footprints so they can <; er stacked and shipped in Standard size pallets. An example of a one liter container for automotive fluids is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,877,144? issued on October 31, 198 * 3 in favor of Doering and assigned to 5 Texaco. The Texaco container has a substantial rectangular footprint for efficient packing and shipping, and has a compensatory ico that facilitates visibility. Surveys have indicated that this style of recipient is favorably received by consumers. ID A portion means the cost of manufacturing blow molded containers is in the plastic required to make the containers. For example, the fexaco container referred to requires approximately 51 grams of HDPFI. 15 Significant savings can be achieved by reducing the amount of plastic required to make each container. For example, suppose that HPD is sold at approximately 40 cents / lb (.0D0B8 cents / gram), that a reduction of three grams of plastic per container can be achieved, and that to occur in a given year 100 million containers. The reduction of just three grams of HDPE per container would result in a savings of $ 300,000.00. The degree of stiffness of the container required to pack and ship prevents manufacturers from reducing the 'Ji: amount of plastic in the manufacture of the containers. and they pack the full containers in bulk in cardboard boxes, or in plastic wrappers, or both, and place them on the shipping pallets. A lower row of filled and packed containers may support several upper rows of filled containers, and potentially several upper boxes of filled containers. Containers below the stack should be rigid enough to resist distortion under these packing and shipping conditions. The stiffness of the containers is measured by compression tests and is called superimposed load capacity. For example, the one liter Texaco container mentioned in the reference fabricated with 51 grams of HPDF has an overlaying capacity of approximately 20.2 to 22.5 kg. It would be expected that the reduction of the plastic in the container would result in a decrease in capacity of superimposed load. Thus, for each container configuration, a balance must be struck between the amount of plastic to be inimited for cost saving purposes while providing sufficient plastic to stiffen the container. Although the Texaco container in the reference works satisfactorily for its intended purposes, there is a need for a plastic container blown by molding that is similar in configuration but is capable of being manufactured with less plastic while increasing rigidity. The one liter version of the container must be capable of being manufactured with less than approximately 48 grams of HPDE to provide a cost savings of three grams per container and must offer a minimum of 22.5 kg of load capacity superimposed.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION With the foregoing in mind, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel blow molded plastic container that is particularly suitable for containing automotive fluids. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sufficient amount of superimposed loading capacity while offering reduction in the amount of plastic required to manufacture the container as compared to plastic containers for automotive fluid of equal known size. A further object is to provide a container for automotive fluid having a strong, relatively lightweight and attractive configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION More specifically, the present invention provides a container for automotive fluid having a front wall which is substantially parallel to a rear wall and which is connected to the rear wall by a right side wall, a left side wall and a base. The walls provide the container with substantially flat and elevational curing and rectangular curvature. A shoulder supports a finish and connects the front, rear, right and left side walls distant from the base. The finish is centered centrally with respect to the front and rear walls and is positioned closer to one of the side walls. The location of the finish offers ease of pouring the product stored in the container. A top label stop and a bottom label stop are formed on each of the front and rear walls to define areas for labeling. Each of the upper and lower label stops extends substantially horizontally and has opposite ends terminating at a distance apart from the side walls. In this way, the upper and inner label stops do not interrupt the joints of the front and rear walls with the side walls. Each junction of the front and rear walls with the side walls is provided by a transitional wall having a curved shape in cross section. Each transitional wall forms a continuous post structure that extends vertically from the base to the shoulder. The uninterrupted post structures give the container a sufficient degree of rigidity so that a minimum of plastic can be used to manufacture the container while still offering maximum acceptable load capacities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects, features and advantages of the foregoing invention and others should be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a container embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is a planar top view of the container illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container turned along Line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the entire container along line 4- ~ 4 of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container taken along line 5--5 of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container taken along line 6-d of Figure 1; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the container turned along The line 7--7 of Figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY Figure L illustrates a blow molded plastic container 10 for automotive fluids such as motor oil. The container 10 is designed to provide many of the aesthetic and functional qualities of the container disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,877,142, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, the container 10 also incorporates many novel structural features that provide better strength and rigidity. In this way, for containers of similar size, the container 10 is made with a small amount of plastic, although it has a higher load capacity superimposed. The container 10 has a rectangular and substantially elevational and rectangular confi uration. To this end, the container 10 has a front wall 12 substantially parallel to a rear wall 14. The front wall 12 has a mounting area label L2S, and the rear wall 14 has a mounting area-label 14a "The front walls and rear, 12 and 14, are connected between ai by a base 16, a right side wall 18 and a left side wall 20. The front walls and (skimmer, 12 and 14, the base 16, and the side walls, 18 and 20, provide the container 10 with a shorter depth "d" than the width "w", and a shorter width "" than the height "h." The trace provided by the container 10 is the same as that of the Texaco container. in reference, and, consequently, it is easily packed and shipped, the container 10 offers ease of pouring in. For this purpose, a shoulder 22 is connected to the front, back, right side and left side walls, 12, 14, 18, and 20, respectively, distant from base 16. The hombrillo 22 s e extends upward to a neck 24 that supports a threaded finish 26. The finish 76 defines an opening 28 through which the container 10 is filled with automotive fluid and through which the automotive fluid is subsequently supplied. The finished finish 76 and the opening 28 are oriented centrally between the front and rear walls, 12 and 14, and are positioned closer to the right side wall 18 than the left side wall 20. Alternatively, they could be located closer to the wall. left side wall. The finish 76 engages a threaded cap (not shown) to seal the container. In addition, the left side wall 20 has an observation strip 50 and indicia 52 to enable the consumer to supply a measured quantity of the fluid, or determine the amount of fluid remaining in the container 10. In this way, the container 10 provides the Consumers have many of the characteristics they prefer in the aforementioned Texaco container. The novel structures of the container 10 provide better load capacity superimposed. For example, although the one liter container according to the present invention is made with a reduced amount of HDPF and provides a slightly greater liquid capacity than the Texaco container referred to, the same offers a significantly increased load capacity. The increased resistance of the container 10 is attributed to three aspects: vertical angles similar to continuous posts, the crown-shaped shoulder, and the expanded diameter of the neck, all of which will be discussed in detail. Four transitional walls 303, 30b, 30c and 30d are formed in the joints of the front and rear walls, 17 and 14, with the side walls, 18 and 20. Each of the transitional walls 30 extends continuously from the base. 16 to the shoulder 22 and has a curved cross-sectional shape of the shape illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. The transilluminal walls 30 proportional to the container 10 post resistance to support the container 10 when loaded above. The specific configuration of the front and rear walls 12 and 14 allow the transitional walls 30 to extend without interruption. To this end, the label mount area l? A is defined by an upper label stop 32 and a lower label stop 3, and the label mounting area. 12b is defined by an upper label stop 32b and a lower label stop 34b. As illustrated in Figures 3-6, each label mounting area, L73 and l? B, is smooth uninterrupted, and extends slightly inwardly between stops 37 and 34. The stops, 32 and 34, illustrated in the Figure 1, extend substantially horizontally through the front and rear portions, 12 and 14, but terminate at a distance apart from the transverse walls 30 and the side walls 18 and 20. This configuration allows the Easy mounting of labels on the front and rear walls, 12 and 14, while allowing the transitional walls 30 to remain uninterrupted to add pole resistance to the re-ector 1. The structure that strengthens the container LO is the configu- ration of the shoulder 22. The shoulder 22 is formed by: a front section 36 extending from the front wall 12 to the neck 24, a rear section 38 extending from the wall rear 14 to the neck 24, a right side section 40 extending from the right side wall 18 to the neck 28, and a section 42 extending from the left side wall 20 to the neck 24. The unique aspect of the shoulder 22 is the connection between the upper section 42 and the front and rear shoulder sections, 36 and 38. The upper section 42 is convex inwardly adjacent the neck 42 to provide a curved crown in shape and inward, which extends from a site adjacent to the finish 26 to a site adjacent to the side wall opposite the finish 26. Thus, its connections to the front and rear door sections, 36 and 38, are not formed by angles. the highs; rather, the transition from the upper section 42 is formed by smooth curves. A load placed in the container 10 will be uniformly supported throughout the shoulder, thus resisting biased deformations. The final structure that functions to strengthen the container 10 is the expanded size of the neck 24. As best illustrated in Figure 7, the finish 26 is connected to the neck 24 by an outward peripheral extension fin 44 located at the bottom of the finish 26. The lateral extent of the flap 44 has been increased to allow the flap to flex inward under certain load conditions instead of allowing the finish 26 and the neck 24 to collapse »By way of example, and not restrictive, a Preferred vessel LO may have approximately a fluid capacity of 1,048 rnl, and be made with approximately 48 grams of HDPE. The height "h" from the base to the finish is approximately 22.3 crn, and the tread is provided approximately by a width "w" of 10.9 crn and a depth "d" of approximately 6.1 crn. The finish is centrally oriented with respect to the front and rear walls, and is located about 3 c from the midpoint between the side walls towards the right side wall. The upper or lower stops extend hop ontalmente around 8.6 crn and finish approximately 1.1 crn from the side walls. The upper and lower label stops are separated vertically by approximately 12.7 c. The neck of the container below the finish has a diameter greater than about 3 cm. The structure described provides the container with an overlapping load capacity of approximately 29.2 kg. Of this, despite the elimination of three grams of plastic, the novel structure of the container provides better rigidity. While a preferred container has been described in detail, modifications, alterations and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (3)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - In a container for storing automotive fluids, said container having a front wall substantially parallel to a rear wall, said front wall being connected to said rear wall by a right side wall, a left side wall and a base providing said The container is a substantially planar and substantially rectangular configuration, a shoulder that connects said front, rear, right-side and left-side walls distant from said base, a finish extending from said shoulder, said finish being centrally oriented with respect to said front walls. a and posterior and positioning itself closer to one of said lateral parts, the improvement comprising a top label stop and a bottom label stop formed in each of said front and back walls to define label assembly areas in said labels. front and rear walls, each of said label stops extending The upper and lower portions are substantially horizontal and have opposite ends, each of said opposite extrusions terminating on a distance separated from said side walls such that each connection of said front and rear pair with said side walls. is uninterrupted by said upper or lower label stops, each of said joints of said front and rear walls with said side walls being a transverse wall having a curved shape in cross section and forming a continuous post structure extending vertically from said base to said shoulder.

2. In a container for storing approximately one liter of automotive fluids, said container having a front wall substantially parallel with a rear wall, said front wall connecting said rear wall by a right side wall, a left side wall and a base that provide said container with a substantially planar and elevational rectangular configuration, a shoulder connecting said front, rear, right side and left side walls distant from said base, a finish extending from said shoulder, said finish being centrally oriented with respect to said walls. front and rear walls and positioned close to one of said side walls, the improvement comprising an upper label stop and a lower label stop formed in each of said front and rear pair to define areas of labeling on said walls front and rear, extending each of di upper and lower stops substantially substantially horizontal and having opposite ends, each end terminating opposite at a distance separated from said side walls such that each junction of said front and rear walls with said side walls is uninterrupted by said stops of the upper and lower tag, each of said junctions of said front and rear walls with said side walls being a transitional wall having a curved shape in cross section and forming a continuous pole structure extending vertically from said base to said container, said container being manufactured with less than approximately 48 grams of HDPE and having a minimum of superimposed loading capacity of approximately 72.5 Kg. 3.- In a container for storing approximately one liter of automotive fluids, said container having a front wall substantially parallel to a rear wall, said front wall being connected to said back wall by a right side wall, a left side wall and a base that provides said container with a substantially rectangular and elevationally rectangular configuration, a shoulder that connects said front, rear, right and later-al walls left distant from said base, a finish extending from said shoulder, said finish being centrally oriented with respect to said front and rear walls and being positioned closer to one of said side walls, said shoulder having a front section that connects between said finish and said wall front, a rear section that connects between said finish and said rear wall, a right lateral section that connects between said finish and said right side wall, and a left lateral section that connects between said finish and said forward part-ed. to the left, comprising a top label stopper and a bottom label stop formed on each of said front and rear walls to define label mount areas on said front and back walls, each of said top label tops extending. and lower substantially in horizontal form and having opposite ends, ending each of said extremes opposing sides at a distance apart from said side walls such that each junction of said front and rear walls with said side walls is uninterrupted by said upper and lower stops, each of said front and rear wall joints being said side walls a transitional wall having a curved shape in cross section and forming a continuous post structure extending vertically from said base to said shoulder, said container being made with less than about 48 grams of HDPE and having a minimum overlapping load capacity of approximately 22.5 Kg, and one of said lateral sections of said Lino hoinbp extending a greater distance through said container to said finish than the other, being convex inward continuously from an adjacent site Finishing to a site adjacent to the wall Lateral opposite the finish