Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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GROSS REFE'REN'CE TO REIrATED APBZICATI~TS
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of copending
U.S. Patent Application SN 29/154,168 for CONTAINER BODY'
PORTION, filed January 17, 2002, and copending U.S. Patent
Application SN 29/155,115 for CONTAINER BODY PORTION, filed
February 4, 2002.
BAt~CGROI1~D OF Tl~ I~iY,~Tl~
Plastic containers are widely used commercially for a
variety of products. These include plastic containers of widely
varying sizes depending on the particular product and the
commercial needs. For example, it is not uncommon to have
plastic containers having a capacity of one gallon, two gallons,
or more.
It is highly desirable to provide a plastic container which
is stackable while at the same time providing desirable
commercial characteristics, such as convenience in use and
handling, reusability and desirable aesthetic characteristics.
Also, the container must be able to be securely stacked as on a
pallet in multiple tiers without requiring intermediate stacking
pallets. Secure stackability is particularly important for
hazardous liquids. Moreover, bulky or large size plastic
containers present a particularly difficult problem for
stackability in view of their often flexible walls.
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Accordingly, it is a principal objective of the
present invention to provide a plastic container which is
stackable.
It is a further object of the present invention to
provide a stackable, plastic container as aforesaid which
has desirable commercial characteristics, such as
reusability and pleasing aesthetic features.
It is a still further objective of the present
invention to provide a stackable container as aforesaid
which can readily be stacked in multiple tiers and which
can be prepared in a variety of container sizes.
Further objects and advantages of the present
invention will appear hereinbelow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention
there is a plastic container, comprising: a blow molded
plastic bottle having side portions thereof, a bottom
portion thereof connected to said side portions, and a top
portion thereof connected to said side portions, wherein
said side portions extend downwardly from said top portion
and interconnect the top portion to the bottom portion; a
pouring spout on the top portion thereof; a handle on the
top portion thereof; wherein said top portion includes a
shoulder portion, and wherein said handle extends between
said pouring spout and shoulder portion; wherein said side
portions each include one of (1) at least one protrusion,
(2) at least one depression, and (3) combinations thereof,
which nest with one of matching protrusions and depressions
of a second blow molded container of similar configuration;
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and wherein said bottom portion includes depressions which
nest with the pouring spout, handle and shoulder portion of
a second blow molded container of similar configuration.
Desirably, the container is characterized by each side
portion including at least one protrusion and at least one
depression spaced from each other.
Preferably, the container includes four of the side
portions to provide an essentially square container.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the
protrusions and depressions extend laterally across each of
the side wall portions, and preferably continuously extend
across at least fifty (50) percent of each side wall
portion.
Further features of the present invention will appear
hereinbelow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be more readily
understandable from a consideration of the following
illustrative drawings, wherein:
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the
container of the present invention;
FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of the container of FIG.
1~
FIG. 2B is a left side elevation view of the container of
FIG. 1:
FIG. 2C is a rear elevation view of the container of FIG.
l;
FIG. 2D is a right side elevation view of the container of
FIG. 1:
FIG. 3 is a top view of the container of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the container of FIG. 1:
FIGS 5A and 5B axe perspective views showing two
embodiments of the containers of the present invention in
partially stacked configurations; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
the container of the present invention.
I~TALLED Z~SG3tIPTI~T OF PRR~CD l~dBOD.t~P2'8
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view
of a preferred embodiment of a container of the present
invention. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the container 10 is a blow
molded plastic container having a top portion 12 (see FIG. 3), a
bottom portion 14 (see FIG. 4y and four side wall portions,
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namely, a left side portion 16 (see FIG. 2B), a right side
portion 18 (see FIG. 2D), a front side portion 20 (see FIG. 2A),
and a rear side portion 22 (see FIG. 2C). As clearly shown in
the drawings, bottom portion 14 is connected to side wall
portions 16, 18, 20 and 22, and top portion 12 is also connected
to side wall portions 16, 18, 20 and 22. Moreover, the side
portions extend downwardly from the top portion and interconnect
the top portion to the bottom portion to provide a container 10
with an essentially square configuration.
In addition, top portion 12 is provided with a pouring
spout 24, a handle 26 and an upstanding shoulder portion 28,
wherein the handle 26 extends between the pouring spout and
shoulder portion 28. Space 30 beneath handle 26 provides an
easy and convenient means to grasp the container 10. Pouring
spout 24 may conveniently be provided with external threads 32
for receiving a screw-on cap.
As shown in the drawings, each of the side portions include
at least one of protrusions and depressions or combinations
thereof. Therefore, each side portion can have one or more
protrusions or one or more depressions, or a mix of one or more
protrusions and one or more depressions. Thus, referring to
FIG. 1, left side portion 16 and rear side portion 22 each
include upper depressions 34 and lower protrusions 36. The
depressions and protrusions on each side wall are desirably
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spaced from each other and extend laterally across the
respective portions. Thus, left side portion 16 includes an
upper depression 34 which is continuous and which extends across
at least 50~ of the left side portion. The left side portion
also includes a lower protrusion 36 which is also continuous and
which also extends across at least 50~ of the left side portion.
Rear side portion 22 includes a corresponding continuous upper
depression 34 and a continuous lower protrusion.
On the other hand, front portion 20 (FIG. 2A) and right
side portion 18 (FIG. 2D) each include upper protrusions 36 and
lower depressions 34. The depressions and protrusions are
similarly spaced from each other as on rear portion 22 and left
side portion 16 and similarly extend laterally across the
respective portions. Thus, front portion 20 includes an upper
protrusion 36 which is continuous and which extends across at
least 50$ of the front portion. The front portion 20 also
includes a lower depression 34 which is also continuous and
which also extends across at least 50$ of the front portion.
Right side portion 18 includes a corresponding continuous upper
protrusion 36 and a continuous lower depression 34.
Thus, in the nested configuration partially shown in FIG.
5A, the upper protrusions on one container match with and nest
in the upper depressions on adjacent containers, and the lower
protrusions on said container match with and nest in the lower
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depressions on an adjacent container, to provide a firm, nested
side-to-side container arrangement as shown.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, top portion 12 includes a
pouring spout 24, handle 26 and shoulder 28, as described above.
Handle 26 is centrally located on top portion 12, and the top
portion includes depressed areas 38 and 40 on either side of the
handle. Bottom portion 14 includes a first depression 42 which
nests with shoulder portion 28 of a second container, a second
depression 44 which nests with the handle 26 of a second
container, and a third depression 46 which nests with the
pouring spout 24 of a second container. In addition, bottom
portion 14 includes protrusions 48, 50 which nest with depressed
areas 38, 40, respectively. Thus, as clearly shown in FIG. 5A,
the containers are also nested top to bottom in addition to
side-to-side to provide a firm, stable nested engagement.
FIG. 5B shows an alternate stacking arrangement for the
container 10 of FIG. 1, wherein the containers are rotated 90°
side-by-side to provide a stable, stacked arrangement.
Alternatively, one can alter the location of the protrusions and
depressions to enable the containers to be rotated 180° with
respect to the side-by-side adjacent container, also to provide
a stable, stacked arrangement. Thus, the location of
protrusions and depressions provide considerable versatility to
possible stacking arrangements. Thus, for example, a front-to-
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back stacking arrangement can be obtained by providing one
container with protrusions and depressions as shown in FIG. 1
and reversing the protrusions and depressions in alternate
containers. Thus, sides 16 and 22 in the alternate containers .
would have upper protrusions and lower depressions, and sides 18
and 20 would have upper depressions and lower protrusions,
enabling front-to-back stacking of alternate containers.
The container of the present invention can be any
convenient and desirable size, although the configuration is
particularly convenient for large size containers, as 1 to 5
gallon containers. Naturally, the smaller the container, as for
example, those less than one gallon, the higher one can stack
the containers. For example, for 2 to 5 gallon containers, it
may be desirable to stack no more than 3 or 4 containers high.
Naturally the containers can be readily and conveniently stacked
on pallets and transported thereon. Advantageously, a single
pallet can be used for a stack of containers.
Each of the left and right side, front and rear portions
should be provided with at least one of the depressions or
protrusions, although two or more of the depressions or
protrusions or combinations thereof are preferred for stability,
especially for the larger containers. A preferred configuration
is for each of the four sides having a continuous, laterally
extending protrusion and depression as shown in FIGS. 1-4,
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although one could readily have two or more protrusions on two
sides and two or more depressions on two sides. Alternatively,
each of the four sides may have three or more of the protrusions
and/or depressions or combinations thereof. One could provide
any desired and convenient mix of protrusions and depressions on
each of the four sides. Of course, one should insure that the
protrusions and depressions nest with appropriately similarly
configured depressions and protrusions on adjacent containers.
Especially for the larger size plastic containers, the
sides may include at least one rib 52 extending laterally across
each side, generally and preferably parallel to the protrusions
and depressions. The rib is desirably an inward depression as
shown, but an outward projection can also be used. Two such
ribs are shown on each side in FIGS. 1-5, but a larger number
can readily be used on each side as desired. The ribs provide
structural support and are particularly desirable for the larger
size plastic containers. Also, they are desirable for smaller,
light weight plastic containers.
Any desired plastic material can be used, but polyethylene
is preferred.
The edge portions 54 of the container between the four side
portions desirably include recessed portions 56 which aid in
preventing bulging of the plastic containers. These edge
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recesses provide additional structural support. Naturally, the
exact configuration thereof can vary as desired.
In the alternate embodiment of FIG. 6, container 100 is
shown with each side portion including discontinuous depressions
and protrusions across each side with the total length of both
on each side in end-to-end relationship being at least 50$ of
each side portion. Thus, left side portion 116 includes~upper
depression 134 and upper ;protrusion 136 in end-to-end
relationship, each extending part way across the left side
portion, and lower protrusion 136 and lower depression 134 also
in end-to-end relationship, each extending part way across the
left side portion. Rear side portion 122 also includes a
combination of discontinuous protrusions and depressions, with
rear side upper protrusion 136 being oriented adjacent to left
side upper protrusion 136, and rear side lower depression 134
being oriented adjacent to left side lower depression 134.
Also, as shown in FTC. 6, either the protrusions and/or the
depressions can extend onto the edge portions 154, if desired.
Containers 100 may be advantageously set up in a nested
configuration as shown in FIG. 5. Naturally, different
arrangements and different orientations of the discontinuous
protrusions and depressions can be readily provided.
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Thus, the present invention provides a plastic container
having desirable aesthetic characteristics, while enabling
nesting in a convenient and structurally sound configuration.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to
the illustrations described and shown herein, which are deemed
to be merely illustrative of the best modes of carrying out the
invention, and which are susceptible of modification of form,
size, arrangement of parts and details of operation. The
invention rather is intended to encompass all such modifications
which are within its spirit and scope as defined by the claims.
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