A hot-fill PET container or bottle filling with a liquid at an elevated temperature has a side wall extending to a lower portion including a pressure panel and a base in its unfolded or pre-fill position. The panel is transversely oriented and has a decoupling or hinge structure, an initiator portion and control portion of a steeply angled inverting conical section between 30 and 45 degrees. The control portion enables the inversion of the panel into the container to compensate for vacuum or reduced pressure induced within the container as the liquid cools down. The base can also have a plurality of reinforcing ribs.

A plastic container comprises an upper portion including a finish adapted to receive a closure, a lower portion including a base, and a sidewall extending between the upper portion and the lower portion. The upper portion, the lower portion, and the sidewall define an interior volume for storing liquid contents. The plastic container further comprises a pressure panel located on the container and moveable between an initial position and an activated position. The pressure panel is located in the initial position prior to filling the container, and is moved to the activated position after filling and sealing the container. Moving the pressure panel from the initial position to the activated position reduces the internal volume of the container and creates a positive pressure inside the container. The positive pressure reinforces the sidewall. A method of processing a container is also disclosed.

A hot-fill PET container or bottle (10) filling with a liquid at an elevated temperature has a side wall (9) extending to a lower portion including a pressure panel (11) and a base (21) in its unfolded or pre-fill position. The panel (11) is transversely oriented and has a decoupling or hinge structure or element (13), an initiator portion (1) and control portion (5) of a steeply angled inverting conical section between 30 and 45 degrees. The control portion enables the inversion of the panel (11) into the container (10) to compensate for vacuum or reduced pressure induced within the container as the liquid cools down. The base (2) can also have a plurality of reinforcing ribs (3).

Machine (18, 19) for processing containers (1) including a base (7) having a high standing ring (8) and a central invertible diaphragm (9), the machine (18, 19) including: a container supporting frame (20) including a hollow support ring (21) for engaging a container base (7), a pusher (26) movable with respect of the container supporting frame (20), capable of coming into abutment with the container base (7) through the supporting frame (20), an actuator (28) for slidingly moving the pusher (26) frontwards towards the container base (7) through the supporting frame (20), and backwards, a strain gauge (29) coupled to the actuator (28) for gauging a strain applied by the actuator (28) to the pusher (26), a control unit (30) including a processor (32) connected to the strain gauge (29) and programmed for comparing a gauged strain value to a memorized strain reference value.

A plastic container comprises an upper portion including a finish defining an opening into the container, a lower portion including a base defining a standing surface, a sidewall extending between the upper portion and the lower portion, the sidewall defining a longitudinal axis, and at least one substantially transversely-oriented pressure panel located in the lower portion. The pressure panel is movable between an outwardly-inclined position and an inwardly-inclined position to compensate for a change of pressure inside the container. The standing surface defines a standing plane, and the entire pressure panel is located between the standing plane and the upper portion of the container when the pressure panel is in the outwardly-inclined position.

A method for forming, in an inversion device, a base of a filled and sealed plastic container, comprising a step of inverting a diaphragm situated at the center of the base of the container and surrounded by a standing ring forming a standing surface. During the step, two opposing pushing members are set in relative motion with respect to one another so as to come into contact with and press on two longitudinally opposed regions of the container. During a phase of pushing the diaphragm during the inversion thereof, there is sought, on a curve representative of the force applied to the diaphragm to move same during the inversion, a variation on this curve that indicates whether the forces applied by the pushing members to the regions with which they are in contact are becoming smaller.

Systems and methods using container holders configured to provide a stable support for containers held therein in order to efficiently cool the containers after a hot-fill or elevated temperature operation. The container holders can allow a fluid to pass from an inner volume of the container holder to outside the container holder through side apertures and/or an open bottom end of the container holder. Groups of containers and container holders also may be cooled. Groups of containers in container holders can be processed through the cooling operation at a speed different from a speed for holderless containers.

A method is described for shaping the bottom of hot-filled containers, in which the bottoms of the containers are forced inwardly from a state bulged outwardly, in particular as they cool down. Complex mechanisms for forcing the bottom inwardly are dispensable for the reason that the bottoms are forced inwardly by at least one fluid jet and/or fluid pressure wave. In addition, shaping the bottom can advantageously be carried out in a production region immediately downstream of a closer.

Plastic containers, base configurations for plastic containers, and systems, methods, and base molds thereof. In particular, the disclosed subject matter involves container base configurations having particular up-stand geometries that can assist or facilitate elevated temperature processing and/or cooling processing of plastic containers.

Disclosed is a container made of a plastic material, provided with a base including a standing ring forming a support flange and a diaphragm extending from the standing ring to a central portion, the diaphragm being capable of standing in an outwardly-inclined position. The diaphragm connects to the standing ring at an outer junction forming an outer articulation of the diaphragm. The diaphragm connects to the central portion at an inner junction forming an inner articulation of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is invertible with respect to the standing ring from the outwardly-inclined position to an inwardly-inclined position. In the outwardly-inclined position, the diaphragm has an outer curved portion and an inner curved portion of opposite curvatures.