Longitudinally expandable plastic bottle, and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same

Abstract

There is proposed and provided a plastic bottle the longitudinal dimension (height) of which is decreased substantially when the bottle is manufactured, as compared with the time when the bottle is filled with contents, a method for manufacturing the plastic bottle, and an apparatus for manufacturing the plastic bottle. When the bottle is manufactured, the bottle being constructed so that a longitudinal part or the whole of the bottle, except a mouth portion at the upper end, has a bellows shape in the horizontal direction, the bottle is molded in a state of having substantially smaller volume and height than the volume and height at the time when the bottle is filled with contents, and when an empty portion is formed in the bottle by an operation of drinking up the contents, the bottle can be made again in a state of having substantially smaller volume and height than the volume and height at the time when the bottle has been filled with contents.

1 . A longitudinally expandable plastic bottle, in which when said bottle is manufactured, said bottle being constructed so that a longitudinal part or the whole of said bottle, except a mouth portion at the upper end, has a bellows shape in the horizontal direction, said bottle is molded in a state of having substantially smaller volume and height than the volume and height at the time when said bottle is filled with contents, and when an empty portion is formed in said bottle by an operation of drinking up said contents, said bottle can be made again in a state of having substantially smaller volume and height than the volume and height at the time when said bottle has been filled with contents.  
     
     
         2 . A method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle, comprising a step of molding of said bottle constructed so that a longitudinal part or the whole of said bottle, except a mouth portion at the upper end, has a bellows shape in the horizontal direction, and a step of compression molding of said bottle so that the molded bottle is compressed in the longitudinal direction and the compressed state is kept at ordinary temperature.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle, comprising a mold for molding said bottle constructed so that a longitudinal part or the whole of said bottle, except a mouth portion at the upper end, has a bellows shape in the horizontal direction, and a compression molding mechanism for compressing the molded bottle in the longitudinal direction.  
     
     
         4 . The longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 1 , wherein the bellows shape of said bottle has an upper side having an arcuate shape protruding upward and a lower side having a straight shape.  
     
     
         5 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 2 , wherein in forming the bellows shape of said bottle, said bellows shape has an upper side having an arcuate shape protruding upward and a lower side having a straight shape.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 3 , wherein said mold for molding said bottle has a mold portion for forming said bellows shape having an upper side having an arcuate shape protruding upward and a lower side having a straight shape.  
     
     
         7 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 2 , wherein in the step of molding of said bottle, a preform is automatically fed into a mold, and the bellows shaped bottle is molded with a high-pressure air of about 40 kilogram.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 3 , wherein said compression molding mechanism comprises a mechanism for placing the bellows shaped bottle in the longitudinal direction and a mechanism for compressing said bottle in the longitudinal direction.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 3 , wherein said mechanism for placing the bellows shaped bottle in the longitudinal direction is provided, on the apparatus body, with a mechanism for chucking said mouth portion with the mouth portion of the bottle downward.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 3 , wherein the mechanism for compressing said bottle in the longitudinal direction in said compression molding mechanism for said bottle is constructed so that said bottle is pressed from a bottom portion of said bottle toward the mouth portion by a piston and cylinder mechanism which is operated by a fluid pressure and is provided on the apparatus body.  
     
     
         11 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 2 , wherein in the step of compression molding of said bottle, when the molded bottle is compressed in the longitudinal direction to collapse a bellows shaped portion of said bottle from one side or both sides in the lengthwise direction toward the center of said bottle, a state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner can be kept.  
     
     
         12 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 2 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         13 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 2 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.  
     
     
         14 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 5 , wherein in the step of molding of said bottle, a preform is automatically fed into a mold, and the bellows shaped bottle is molded with a high-pressure air of about 40 kilogram.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 6 , wherein said compression molding mechanism comprises a mechanism for placing the bellows shaped bottle in the longitudinal direction and a mechanism for compressing said bottle in the longitudinal direction.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 6 , wherein said mechanism for placing the bellows shaped bottle in the longitudinal direction is provided, on the apparatus body, with a mechanism for chucking said mouth portion with the mouth portion of the bottle downward.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 8 , wherein said mechanism for placing the bellows shaped bottle in the longitudinal direction is provided, on the apparatus body, with a mechanism for chucking said mouth portion with the mouth portion of the bottle downward.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 15 , wherein said mechanism for placing the bellows shaped bottle in the longitudinal direction is provided, on the apparatus body, with a mechanism for chucking said mouth portion with the mouth portion of the bottle downward.  
     
     
         19 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 6 , wherein the mechanism for compressing said bottle in the longitudinal direction in said compression molding mechanism for said bottle is constructed so that said bottle is pressed from a bottom portion of said bottle toward the mouth portion by a piston and cylinder mechanism which is operated by a fluid pressure and is provided on the apparatus body.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 8 , wherein the mechanism for compressing said bottle in the longitudinal direction in said compression molding mechanism for said bottle is constructed so that said bottle is pressed from a bottom portion of said bottle toward the mouth portion by a piston and cylinder mechanism which is operated by a fluid pressure and is provided on the apparatus body.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 15 , wherein the mechanism for compressing said bottle in the longitudinal direction in said compression molding mechanism for said bottle is constructed so that said bottle is pressed from a bottom portion of said bottle toward the mouth portion by a piston and cylinder mechanism which is operated by a fluid pressure and is provided on the apparatus body.  
     
     
         22 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 5 , wherein in the step of compression molding of said bottle, when the molded bottle is compressed in the longitudinal direction to collapse a bellows shaped portion of said bottle from one side or both sides in the lengthwise direction toward the center of said bottle, a state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner can be kept.  
     
     
         23 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 7 , wherein in the step of compression molding of said bottle, when the molded bottle is compressed in the longitudinal direction to collapse a bellows shaped portion of said bottle from one side or both sides in the lengthwise direction toward the center of said bottle, a state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner can be kept.  
     
     
         24 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 14 , wherein in the step of compression molding of said bottle, when the molded bottle is compressed in the longitudinal direction to collapse a bellows shaped portion of said bottle from one side or both sides in the lengthwise direction toward the center of said bottle, a state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner can be kept.  
     
     
         25 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 5 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         26 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 7 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         27 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 14 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         28 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 11 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         29 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 22 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         30 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 23 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         31 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 24 , wherein said method comprises a step of charging contents, in which said bottle in the state in which said bellows shaped portion is collapsed in a lapped manner is transported to a contents charging plant where said bottle is filled with contents, and air is blown to expand said bottle before said contents are charged, or said bottle is restored to the original state before being collapsed under a pressure of contents charged.  
     
     
         32 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 5 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.  
     
     
         33 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 7 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.  
     
     
         34 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 14 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.  
     
     
         35 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 11 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.  
     
     
         36 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 22 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.  
     
     
         37 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 23 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.  
     
     
         38 . The method for manufacturing a longitudinally expandable plastic bottle according to  claim 24 , wherein the step of compression molding of said bottle is performed while air in said bottle is sucked.