PLASTIC BLOW MOLDED CONTAINER WITH HOLLOW LEGS AND CURVED RIBS PROVIDING STABILITY AGAINST TIPPING AND WITHSTANDING INTERNAL PRESSURE

摘要

A plastic blow molded container (10) is disclosed as including a freestanding base structure (20) that is constructed with a plurality of downwardly projecting hollow legs 22, a plurality of curved ribs (34) located between the legs, and a hub 41 from which the legs and ribs extend radially with a construction that provides good stability against tipping as well as the capability of withstanding internal pressure. Each leg (22) has a lower flat foot (24) coplanar with the other feet and the feet have an outer diameter Df that is at least 0.75 of the diameter D of the cylindrical body portion. Each flat foot (24) also has a junction (28) with an associated outer wall (26) of the foot and this junction has a radius of curvature Rj less than 0.05 of the diameter D of the cylindrical body portion. A planar inner connecting portion (30) of each foot (22) is inclined and extends upwardly and inwardly to the hub (41) while side walls (32) of the legs are connected to the curved ribs (34) which each have a curved intermediate portion that extends between outer and inner ends (36,38) of the rib along a curved intermediate rib portion (40). On one embodiment the hub (41) has an upwardly extending shape; in another embodiment the hub (41') has a flat horizontally extending shape; and in a further embodiment the hub (41'') has a downwardly extending shape. The specific construction disclosed of the legs (22), ribs (34) and hub (41, 41', 41'') enhance the capability of the base structure in providing good stability as well as the capability of withstanding internal pressure.