An apparatus and method for simultaneously forming and filling a plastic container without the use of a mold forming a mold cavity (116, 16) is provided. A pressure source (120, 20) includes an inlet (146, 150, 46, 50) and a piston-like device (140, 40). The piston-like device (140, 40) is moveable in a first direction wherein liquid is drawn into the pressure source (120, 20) through the inlet (146, 150, 46, 50) and in a second direction wherein the liquid is urged toward the preform (112, 12). A blow nozzle (122, 22) may be adapted to receive the liquid from the pressure source (120, 20) and transfer the liquid at high pressure (P2) into the preform (112, 12) thereby urging the preform (112, 12) to freely expand until an unopened end thereof contacts a platen (118). The platen (118) forms a bottom in a resultant container. The liquid remains within the container as an end product.

A unit for bonding the container with the lid, made of plastic, designated especially for pressurised beverages, having a profiled rim of the container opening and a profiled rim of the lid, characterised in that the profiled rim of the opening (2) of the container (1) comprises a flange (3) formed around the said opening (2), extending outwards away from the side wall of the container, where the flange (3) has a top surface (4), side surface (5) and bottom surface (6) bonded to the external side surface of the container (1), and where formed on the top surface (4) around the opening (2) of the container (1) there is a rib (7) protruding above the surface (4), while the profiled rim of the lid (8) comprises a groove (9) formed on the bottom surface (10) of the lid (8) around its bottom edge, the groove (9) accommodating the said rib (7) which supports the lid (8) without touching on the top surface (4) of the flange (3), where there is an energy director (12, 13) formed on the bottom of the groove (9) or the top surface of the rib (7), which focuses ultrasonic energy in the process of ultrasonic welding of the rib (7) and the lid (8).

The part under the neck ring (9) of a preform for blowing a PET bottle of predetermined capacity not larger than 75 cl and with a max. material weight of 15 g, is inclined by an angle less accentuated than normal, max. 17, which allows to make a preform with a thickness t.sub.2 of the wall thinner than 1.9 mm and a thinner inner diameter of the preform body in order to allow a lower stretch ratio starting from a larger preform to obtain the final bottle of predetermined capacity.

According to the present invention, in order to improve the productivity of an injection stretch blow molding machine, when a core mold is lifted during mold opening at an injection molding part of the injection stretch blow molding machine, stress is dispersed so as not to concentrate at an area where the thickness changes between a preform opening and a preform body so that the preform body is inhibited from being lifted at a skin layer formed in the area where the thickness changes between the preform opening and the preform body. In a preform (30) where a skin layer (34) at the surface has a lower temperature than a middle layer (35) so as to allow a preform body (32) and a preform bottom (33) to expand and deform from the inside of the preform toward the outside of the preform, the skin layer (34) bridging between the inner surface of the preform body (32) and the inner surface of the preform opening (31) is formed in a tapered shape that opens upward at an outward slant with respect to an extension line (38) of the inner surface of the preform body (32) extending above the skin layer (34) so that, during the lifting of the core mold, the stress exerted from the preform body (32) is dispersed at a stress dispersing plane section (39) formed with the skin layer (34).

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 flexible inner socket is fabricated by forming a pre-socket. The pre-socket includes a body formed with an opening and an enclosed end. The enclosed end is opposite to the opening. The body of the pre-socket has an outer circumference that is smaller than the inner circumference of the rigid prosthetic socket. Different portions of the body may have different thicknesses. The preform socket is heated. After the heating, the flexible inner socket is formed by molding the pre-socket onto the inner surface of the rigid prosthetic socket to form the flexible inner socket. The inner circumference of the rigid prosthetic socket is reduced by a thickness of the flexible inner socket when the flexible inner socket is attached to the inner surface of the rigid prosthetic socket. An opening of the flexible inner socket may be trimmed after the formation to fit contours of an opening of the rigid prosthetic socket.

Disclosed herein, amongst other things, is a molded article, such as a preform that is blow moldable to form a container, and a related method of forming and recycling a container. The structure and steps includes injection molding a molded article having tubular body.

A flexible inner socket is fabricated by forming a pre-socket. The pre-socket includes a body formed with an opening and an enclosed end. The enclosed end is opposite to the opening. The body of the pre-socket has an outer circumference that is smaller than the inner circumference of the rigid prosthetic socket. Different portions of the body may have different thicknesses. The preform socket is heated. After the heating, the flexible inner socket is formed by molding the pre-socket onto the inner surface of the rigid prosthetic socket to form the flexible inner socket. The inner circumference of the rigid prosthetic socket is reduced by a thickness of the flexible inner socket when the flexible inner socket is attached to the inner surface of the rigid prosthetic socket. An opening of the flexible inner socket may be trimmed after the formation to fit contours of an opening of the rigid prosthetic socket.

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.

Disclosed is a one-piece, short stemmed, blow molded drinking vessel. The vessel includes a stem with a first end and a second end, a partial hollow cavity disposed therein, and a height that allows holding of the stem using a fore finger and a thumb, a bowl with a lip configured on top, and has a continuous bowl surface that laterally stretches between the lip to its maximum predefined diameter, thereafter shrinks to merge with the first end of the stem forming a beverage retaining region, a base with a predefined diameter, the second end of the stem is merged centrally over a top surface of the base, and a removable sealing unit adapted for covering the lip of the bowl in order to ensure the beverage contained within the beverage retaining region doesn't come in contact with air and doesn't spill out during transportation.