A method for producing a blow molded plastic bottle starting from a preform comprises providing a preform with a specific wall thickness distribution and a blow mold are provided, the cavity of the mold having at least one channel at the locations of the plastic bottle that are to be strengthened. Subsequently, the preform is heated in such a way that the portion of the preform that correlates with the channel of the cavity is thinned to a lesser extent during the stretching and/or blow, and an accumulation of plastics material is brought about in the channel during the main blow molding operation. A plastic container produced by this process has strengthening elements formed as at least one outwardly protruding bead of material and have a wall thickness that is at least 30%, greater than the wall thickness of a portion of the wall adjacent to the bead of material.

A preform (3) of a plastic container, comprising an outer preform (1) and an inner preform (2) inserted into the outer preform (1); wherein the outer preform (1) and the inner preform (2) are made of a mutually different material, in particular of a mutually different polymer; wherein the outer preform (1) is provided with at least one vertical protrusion (14) in contact with the inner preform (2); and wherein the outer preform (1) is made of a polar polymer and the inner preform (2) is made of an apolar polymer.

A double container includes: an outer layer body including an outer mouth portion and a barrel portion; an inner layer body including an inner mouth portion and a containing portion; an outside air introduction port for introducing outside air; and a plurality of vertical ribs arranged with spacing in a circumferential direction on an inner surface of the outer layer body or an outer surface of the inner layer body, and each extending over the outer mouth portion to the shoulder portion or extending over the inner mouth portion to the containing portion, wherein at least one of the plurality of vertical ribs faces the outside air introduction port.

Blow molded articles having a predetermined feature incorporated into the wall provided by variations in the thickness of the wall of the article corresponding to a predetermined pattern etched into the perform from which the article was formed. Also, etched performs for making blow molded articles and methods for making such performs and articles.

Disclosed are preforms which incorporate improvements in the region of the neck and upper segment of the body to allow the production of lightweight containers, such as bottles suitable for containing water or other beverages. In accordance with certain embodiments, the improvements include a thinner neck finish area than conventional bottles, where the thinner area is extended into the upper segment of the body portion below the support ring. Reducing the thickness in these areas of the bottle allows for less resin to be used in forming the preform and bottle.

A plastic preform includes a hollow body portion including a closed base portion and a lower portion and a lower portion extending upwardly from the closed bottom portion; and a neck portion extending upwardly from the lower portion. The neck portion includes a dispensing opening positioned at a top of the neck portion, threads positioned below the dispensing opening, a tamper-evident formation having a lower surface and positioned directly below the threads, and a support flange having an upper surface and a lower surface and positioned below the tamper-evident formation. In an embodiment, the plastic preform is formed of a material comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and a vertical distance from the lower surface of the tamper-evident formation to the lower surface of the support flange is from 0.125 to 0.150 inches. Containers and methods for molding preforms and making containers are also disclosed.

Disclosed are preforms which incorporate improvements in the region of the neck and upper segment of the body to allow the production of lightweight containers, such as bottles suitable for containing water or other beverages. In accordance with certain embodiments, the improvements include a thinner neck finish area than conventional bottles, where the thinner area is extended into the upper segment of the body portion below the support ring. Reducing the thickness in these areas of the bottle allows for less resin to be used in forming the preform and bottle.

A plastic container is provided that includes a hollow body portion including a lower supporting base portion; a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the base portion; and a neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall portion. The neck portion includes a support flange having an upper and lower surface, at least one thread, and a dispensing opening at the top of the neck portion. In embodiments, a closure may be provided to form an assembly. In embodiments, the container may be comprised of PET, the weight of the neck portion from the lower surface of the support flange to a top of the dispensing opening may be 3.0 grams or less, and/or the vertical distance from the top of the dispensing opening to the lower surface of the support flange may be 0.580 inches or less. A preform and method for making a container are also disclosed.

A plastic container has a main body portion, a neck portion and a molded feature such as an anti-rotation lug adjacent to the neck portion. The molded feature has a volume that is less than a volume that would be defined by the maximum external dimensions of the feature. This reduces the shrinkage differential between the molded feature and the neck portion, which could otherwise cause sealing problems with a closure as a result of deformation of the neck portion. A method of blow molding a plastic container with a reduced volume of the molded feature is also disclosed.

A double container includes: an outer layer body including an outer mouth portion and a barrel portion; an inner layer body including an inner mouth portion and a containing portion; an outside air introduction port for introducing outside air; and a plurality of vertical ribs arranged with spacing in a circumferential direction on an inner surface of the outer layer body or an outer surface of the inner layer body, and each extending over the outer mouth portion to the shoulder portion or extending over the inner mouth portion to the containing portion, wherein at least one of the plurality of vertical ribs faces the outside air introduction port.