摘要 |
The present invention concerns a double-skinned inflatable bottle blank and its method of manufacturing which comprises: (i) stacking two sheets of liquid impermeable, flexible foil material, preferably in coplanar arrangement; (ii) blanking the sheets to create respective, preferably shape-congruent blanks having each a contoured perimeter edge; (iii) bonding the two blanks along joining seams that follow the contoured perimeter edges, but for at one or more inflation locations, thereby to define a double skinned blank into which an inflating fluid can be introduced through the inflation location; (iv) additionally bonding the two blanks at a plurality of discrete stiffening seams which are arranged in a predetermined grid or pattern thereby defining a grid-work of intersecting, inflatable stiffener structures in at least such part of the double skinned blank which will provide an upstanding peripheral wall of the bottle when erected through inflation; (v) folding the double skinned blank and (vi) selectively bonding together portions of the joined perimeter edge of the double skinned blank, but for at a predetermined filling/dispensing location, to define a double-skinned, inflatable bottle blank with an internal cavity surrounded by a bottom wall for standing the bottle upright, said peripheral wall and a top wall, the filling/dispensing location located preferentially in the top wall such as to define a dispensing orifice for filing and dispensing liquid into and from the internal cavity, the inflatable stiffener structures providing an exoskeleton about the internal cavity when inflated. |