CA2236020A1 - Container - Google Patents
Container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2236020A1 CA2236020A1 CA 2236020 CA2236020A CA2236020A1 CA 2236020 A1 CA2236020 A1 CA 2236020A1 CA 2236020 CA2236020 CA 2236020 CA 2236020 A CA2236020 A CA 2236020A CA 2236020 A1 CA2236020 A1 CA 2236020A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- container
- mouth
- extendible
- peripheral wall
- smaller diameter
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
- B65D1/02—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents
- B65D1/0223—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents characterised by shape
- B65D1/0292—Foldable bottles
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)
- Packages (AREA)
- Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
Abstract
A container has a mouth, a body and a bottom. An extendible/contractible mechanism is provided at least at the body. A
retaining mechanism is provided for retaining a contracted state of the container realized by the extending/contractible mechanism.
retaining mechanism is provided for retaining a contracted state of the container realized by the extending/contractible mechanism.
Description
CONTAINER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a container which can be made compact in an empty condition thereof for allowing space-efficient storage or transport for recycling, disposal or the like of the container. The invention 10 relates more particularly to a container having an extendible/contractible mel~h~ni.qm provided at least at a body thereo~
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a container which can be made compact in an empty condition thereof for allowing space-efficient storage or transport for recycling, disposal or the like of the container. The invention 10 relates more particularly to a container having an extendible/contractible mel~h~ni.qm provided at least at a body thereo~
A conventional container of the above-noted type is shown in Fig.
17. This container, formed of a thin sheet material of synthetic resin such as PET (polyethylene terephth~l~te), includes a body 3 having a bellows-like peripheral wall 3A which provides an extendible/contractible me-~h~ni.cm 5.
On the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A, there are fitted a plurality of rigid 20 wire rings 20 spaced apart in the extending/contracting direction. When the container is subjected to a force exceeding a predetermined value in a contracting direction, respective gathers 6 together con~lilulhlg the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A are urged by the applied force added with an elastic resilient force provided from the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A in 25 a mutually overlapping or follling direction, so that the container assumes a contracted state. Conversely, when the container is subjected to an opposite force in an extending direction, the gathers 6 of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A are urged by the applied force added with the elastic resilience of the portion 3A in a mutually departing direction, so that the 30 container assumes an extended state (see Japanese laid-open patent gazette Hei. 6-345095).
Before the container is charged with a content or after the container is emptied of the content, as illustrated in Fig. 17(a), the containeris rendered into the contracted state with the gathers 6 folded one on another, so as to reduce the space to be occupied by this container. When the container is charged with the content, as illustrated in Fig. 17(b), the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A is extended to provide a volume for holding the amount of content charged in the container. The contracting or extending operation of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A can be made very easily by gripping the opposed vertical axial ends of the container and then applying a force in the extending or contracting direction.
With the conventional container described above, once the container is switched into the extended or contracted state, this state is m~int~ined solely by the elastic resilient property of the bellows-like peripheral wall. Although this feature advantageously reduces the amount of force needed by the manual state-switrhing operation, the state of the container may be readily changed inadvertently if some external force overwh~lming the resilience is applied to the container. Also, if some dregs of the content, foreign substances or the like are present between adjacent gathers, the gathers will not be completely folded, thus failing to provide its contracting elastic resilience fully. In such case, the container may not be switched into the fully contracted state.
In short, the conventional container suffers the problems regarding the reliability in the swit~hing operation into the contracted state and stability of this contracted state. As a result, the container may not achieve the intended object of space economy in the storage or transport thereof for the purpose of recycling or disposal. Moreover, there has been a need for being able to make the container even more compact than the contracted state described above.
In view of the above-described state of the art, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved container which can be m~int,~in~d in a contracted state in a reliable and effective manner against exposure to some external force in the extending direction, so that the container may reliably achieve the object of space-efficient storage or transport for recycling or disposal of the container. Another object of the invention is to provide such a container which may also be made even more compact than the contracted state provided by the conventional container described above.
SUM~MRY OF THE INVENTION
For achieving the above object, a container, according to the present invention, comprises a mouth; a body; a bottom; an extendible/contractible mech~ni.qm provided at least at the body; and a ret~qining me~h~ni~m for ret~ining a contracted state provided by the extending/contractible me(~h~ni~m.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the extendible/contractible mel~h~ni.~m comprises a bellows-like peripheral wall provided at the body, the bellows-like peripheral wall being extendible and contractible along a vertical axis of the container. And, the ret~ining me~h~ni~m may comprise, for instance, at least one mz~t.ing pair of en~ging portion and engaged portion, either one of which is provided to the mouth and the other of which is provided to the bottom. When the container is rendered into the contracted state by a contracting action of the extendible/contractible mech~ni.~m, the enE~ging portion and the engaged portion come into engagement to effectively prevent the contracted container from being extended due to an inadvertent external force in an extending direction or presence of e.g. some foreign substance inside the container.
Alternatively, the ret~ining me(~h?lni~m may comprise at least one mating pair of eng~ginF portion and engaged portion, one of which is provided to a cap to be fitted on the mouth and the other of which is provided to the bottom. Further alternatively, one of the eng~ging portion and engaged portion may be provided at an upper portion of the body and 5 the other at a lower portion of thereof. With all of these constructions, when the container has been rendered into the contracted state with a contracting action of the extendible/contractible me(h~ni.~m, the container may be reliably maintained under this contracted state through the engagement between the eng~ging portion and the engaged portion.
10 Incidentally, in case the cap is used with the container and this cap is formed of a different m~tP!ri~l than the container, the eng~qging portion and the engaged portion can be formed of the materials different from each other, thus allowing convenient selection of materials suitable for forming the eng~ging portion and the engaged portion respectively for the purpose of 16 f~(-ilit~ting and smoothing the eng~ginF operation.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the ret7.ining me~h~ni.~m comprises at least one miqting pair of engzlging portion and engaged portion which together retain peripheral wall faces or flexible portions of the bellows-like peripheral wall which faces or flexible portions 20 are folded one on the other when the bellows-like peripheral wall is contracted. In this case, in association with a contracting action of the extending/contracting mech~nism, at least one pair of en~ging portion and engaged portion formed on the peripheral wall faces or the flexible portions which are folded one on the other when the bellows-like peripheral wall is 25 contracted come into engagement with each other. Moreover, in the case of this construction, the eng~Fing portion and the engaged portion are provided at the gathers of the bellows-like peripheral wall, so that these eng~ging and engaged portions may be provided in a less conspicuous manner. Accordillgly, even if the container is formed transparent, the 30 appearance of the container will not be siFnific~qntly compromised by the provision of the eng?lging and engaged portions.
Preferably, the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container. With this feature, the container may be rendered even more compact than the 5 contracted state provided by the extending/contracting me~h~ni.qm In order to provide this function, for instance, the transition portion of the container extending between the mouth and the body may be formed thinner than the mouth or the body per se, so as to f~ilit~te the retracting movement of the mouth through flexion of the thin transition portion.
10 Moreover, by appropriately selecting the thickness and/or the material of the thin transition portion, the flexed condition may be retained easily and reliably. In the case of this construction, the container may include a plurality of ret~ining me~h~ni.qmq described above for providing engagement at a plurality of positions. With this, it is possible to retain 15 easily and reliably not only the contracted state but also the retracted state.
According to a still further embodiment, the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom includes a recess into which a mouth of another container may be retracted. With this, when one container in the contracted state is stacked on the top of another contracted 20 container, the mouth of the latter container will engage into the recess of the former container. Thus, a plurality of containers may be stacked and stored in a more compact manner.
Preferably, the container may further include a pair of extension operation engaged portions engageable with an automatic or manual 25 operation tool for extending the container in the extendible direction. With this, in an automatic manufacture line for charging content into the cont~inf~r or automatic cleaning line for cleaning the inside of the container, a number of containers under the contracted state may be rendered into the extended state easily. According to one preferred embodiment, the pair of 30 extension operation engaged portions are constituted of one being an engaged recess formed on a lower side of the bottom and having an increasing diameter with the depth thereof and the other being a reinforcing flange formed at the mouth. Alternatively, the pair of extension operation engaged portions are constituted of bellow recesses at opposed ends of the bellows-like peripheral wall. The engaged recess may be adapted to function also as the recess formed in the bottom of the container into which the mouth of another container may be engaged and retracted.
As described above, with the containers according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably achieve the object of economizing the space during storage or transport of the container for the purpose of recycling or disposal thereo~ Consequently, the recycling efficiency of the container may be improved while reducing the transport cost thereof, so that illegal throw-away leading to environmental destruction may be prevented beforehand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a container including an extendible/contractible me~h~ni.~m and a ret7~ining me(~h~ni~m, Fig. 2 is a section view of the container of Fig. 1 which is retained in a contracted state, Fig. 3 is section views of principal portions illustrating a function of a bellows-like peripheral wall, with Fig. 3(a) being a section showing an extended state, Fig. 3(b) being a section showing a contracted state, Fig. 4 is a section view of a container having a different ret~ining me-,h~ni~m, Fig. 5 is a section view of a container having a still different ret~ining mech~ni.~m in a contracted state, Fig. 6 is a section view of a container having a still different ret~ining me~h~ni.~m in a contracted state, Fig. 7 is a section view of principal portions of a container having a still different ret~qining merh~ni.qm, Fig. 8 is a section view of principal portions of a container having a 5 still different ret~ining me~h~ni.~m, Fig. 9 is a section view showing a container in a retracted state, Fig. 10 is a section view showing a mouth of a container in a retracted state, Fig. 11 show a still further container in section, with Fig. 11(a) 10 being a section showing the container in an extended state, Fig. 11(b) being a section showing the container in a contracted state, Fig. 12 is a partially cutaway perspective view of another container having a different shape than the above containers, Fig. 13 are perspective views of a further container having a 15 different extendible/contractible me(~h~ni~m, Fig. 13(a) being a partially cutaway perspective view showing the container in an extended state, Fig.
13(b) being a perspective view showing the container in a contracted state, Fig. 14 are section view showing a plurality of containers in a stacked condition, Fig. 14(a) being a section view showing the containers 20 which are stacked in a contracted state respectively, Fig. 14(b) being a section view showing the containers in an extended state, Fig. 15 are section views of a still further container having an extension operation tool, Fig. 15(a) being a section showing the container in a contracted state before the container is engaged with the operation tool, 25 Fig. 15(b) being a section showing the container in an extended state after the container is engaged with the operation tool, Fig. 16 are section views of a container having a different extending/contracting manipulating member, Fig. 16(a) being a section showing the container in a contracted state before the container is engaged 30 with the operation tool, Fig. 16(b) being a section showing the cont~iner in an extended state after the container is engaged with the operation tool, and Figs. 17 show a conventional container illustrating a state change thereof, Fig. 17(a) being a side view showing the container in a contracted state, Fig. 17(b) being a partially cutaway view showing the container in an 5 extended state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of a container relating to the present 10 invention will now be described in details with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the containers are exemplified as those for cont~ining soft drinks.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a container 1 comprises a container body 15 lA consisting essentially of a mouth 2, a body 3 and of a bottom 4 and a cap lB for covering the mouth 2. The container is constructed as a so-called PET bottle, which can be sealed by fitting the cap lB made of metal or synthetic resin on the mouth 2 and eng~ging a female thread portion defined in the inner periphery of the former with a male thread portion 20 defined in the outer periphery of the latter.
The body 3 includes a bellows-like peripheral wall 3A providing an extendible/contractible mel~h~ni.~m 5 by which the container is extendible and contractible along the vertical axis thereo~ The container may be maintained in either of the two different states, i.e. the extended state or the25 contracted state, by means of an elastic resilient force in the extending direction or contracting direction provided by the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A. More particularly, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A includes a plurality of gathers 6 vertically overlapped, with an upper gather 6a being longer than a lower gather 6b, the upper and 30 lower gathers 6a, 6b being connected via an annular reinforcing portion 6c formed therebetween for restricting radial outward expansion of the body 3.
Accordingly, in the extended state in which the upper and lower gathers 6a, 6b are not folded one on the other, if a force in the contracting direction is applied to the container body lA, an outer edge of the lower gather 6b is 5 restricted from being extended radially outwards by the annular reinforcing portion 6c, while an inner edge of the same is elastically deformed as being subjected to a compressing force in the radial inward direction so as to be pivoted toward the upper gather 6a, so that this inner edge first becomes aligned along a plane extending normal to the axis of the container body lA
10 and then folded by its own elastic resilience onto the upper gather 6a. This is the contracted state shown in Fig. 3(b). If a force in the extending direction is applied to the container body lA under this contracted state, a process reverse to the above one takes place, and the container body lA is returned to the original extended state shown in Fig. 3(a).
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cap lB includes, at a center of its inner face, an eng~ging portion 7 having a spherical leading end 7a and projecting toward the inside of the container body. In correspondence therewith, the bottom 5 includes, at a center of its inner face, an engaged portion 8 having a split leading end 8a provided as a small-diameter 20 cylindrical portion and projecting into the inside of the container body. In operation, when the container is rendered into the fully contracted state by the contracting action of the extendible/contractible mel~.h~qni~m 5, the mating pair of eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 come into engagement with each other to retain this contracted state against an 25 inadvertent external force of small magnitude or against an inadvertent internal force from a foreign object or the like rem;qining inside the container. This construction constitutes a ret~ining mech~ni.~m K.
More particularly, the split leading end 8a of the engaged portion 8 defines a plurality of recesses 9 capable of radial outward extension.
30 Further, the leading edges of this leading end are flared, i.e. curved radially outward so as to facilitate the engagement by the eng~ging portion 7. Then, the spherical leading end 7a of the eng~ging portion 7 advances into the flared opening of the engaged portion 8 and then the outer peripheral portions of the spherical leading end 7a come into engagement with the respective recesses 9. With this, the container is retained under the contracted state. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, the contracting force is applied to the container body lA to contract it with the cap lB being fitted on the container mouth 2 and then the cap lB is tightened so as to engage the spherical leading end 7a into the respective recesses 9 of the engaged portion 8 to be retained therein and at the same time the container is sealed with the tightened cap. Accordingly, the contracted state of the container may be reliably m~int~in~d.
In the case of the ret~ining me~h~ni.qm K described above, its shape and dimensions are designed so that the me~h~ni.qm K may provide its function in association with tightening of and sealing with the cap.
Instead, the shape and dimensions may be designed so that the me~h~ni.qm may provide its function in association with mere fitting of the cap lB on the container mouth 2 without neces.qit?lting tightening of the cap. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 4, the specific construction and the number of the en~ging and engaged portions are not limited to those described above and a variety of any conventional constructions may be employed, as long as the ret~ining merh~ni.qm K includes at least one mating pair of en~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8, either one of which is provided to the cap lB to be fitted on the mouth 2 and the other of which is provided to the bottom 4.
Next, other embodiments of the ret~ining me~h~ni.qm K will be specifically described.
A further rehining me(~h~ni.qm K shown in Fig. 5 includes at least one pair of eng~ging portion 7 (7a) and engaged portion 8 (8a, 9), either one of which is provided to the mouth 2 and the other of which is provided to the bottom 4. When the container 1 is rendered into the fully contracted state by the action of the extendible/contractible mech~ni~m 5, the pair of eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 come into engagement with each other to retain the contracted state of the container.
In the case of a still further ret~ining me(~h~ni~m K shown in Fig. 6, 5 either one of the eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 is provided to an upper portion of the body 3 and the other to a lower portion of the same.
When the container 1 is rendered into the fully contracted state by the action of the extendible/contractible me~h~ni~m 5, the pair of eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 come into engagement with each other to 10 retain the contracted state of the container. More particularly, in this modified construction, a plurality of en~ging portions 7 are provided in the form of elongate strip elements vertically extending from a plurality of positions along the lowermost periphery of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A of the body 3 and projecting upward along the peripheral wall 3A.
15 Each of these eng~ging portions 7 includes a leading end 7a which is curved radially outward to be engaged or hooked with an engaged portion 8 formed by the uppermost gather 6b of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A in the contracted state of the container.
Still alternatively, the ret~ining mel~hz~ni~m K may be constituted 20 of at least one m~ting pair of eng~ging portion and engaged portion which together function to retain adjacent peripheral face portions or flexion pivot portions of the bellows which are folded one on the other in the contracted state of the container. One such construction is shown in Fig. 7. As shown, of the upper and lower adjacent gathers 6 of the bellows-like 25 peripheral wall 6 which become folded one on the other in the contracted state, the lower gather 6b includes, in its inner wall face, a projection 10 (ora recess 11) as the eng~ging portion 7. Whereas, the upper gather 6a includes in its inner wall face, a recess 11 (or a projection 10) as the engagedportion 8. The projection 10 and the recess 11 come into engagement with 30 each other in the contracted state. Another variation of this type of construction is shown in Fig. 8. In this case, of an upper and lower adjacent pair of flexion-pivot portions 12 which become folded one on the other in the contracted state, a pawl-like engAging portion 7 formed on the upper flexion-pivot portion comes into engagement with a recess-like 5 engaged portion formed on the lower flexion-pivot portion when the container is contracted. In this case, the mating pair of engAging and engaged portions 7, 8 may be formed on either the outer flexion-pivot portions or inner-flexion-pivot portions.
Next, there will be described further constructions enabling even 10 more compact deformation of the container.
Fig. 9 shows one such construction. In this case, the mouth 2 is provided with a smaller diameter than the body 3 and retractable into the body 3. With this feature, the container 1 may be formed even more compact than possible by the extendible/contractible me~hAni~m 5 alone.
15 The retractable feature is readily realized by e.g. forming the transition portion of the container between the mouth 2 and the body 3 thinner than the mouth 2 and the body 3 per se, so that the retracting action is provided by flexion of the thinner portion relative to the rest. And, the specific thi(-.knf~ss and material of the thinner portion may be appropriately selected 20 so as to fA(~.ilit~te the retracting action while assuring reliable and stable retention of the retracted condition. In this case, as shown in Fig. 10, if engagements by the plural kinds of rehining me~.hAni~m.~ described above are provided in the retracted condition of the mouth 2 into the recess of the container, both the contracted state and the retracted condition may be 25 mAint~in~d easily and stably.
The container 1 may be formed of any other synthetic resin or other material than PET (polyethylene terephthalate) described hereinbefore.
Further, the content of the container 1 is not limited to the soft drinks. The invention does not limit the kind of content to be held in the container.
30 For instance, the container may hold any other drinking or non--1rinking liquid or solid material in the form of powder, pellets or the like.
Further, the invention does not limit the shape of the container to the cylindrical shape described above. For instance, the container may have an angular column-like shape as shown in Fig. 12 or 13. The angular 5 column-like shape has the advantage of improving the space efficiency in storage or transport. The cross sectional shape of this angular column may be selected appropriately from triangular, squire, rectangular shape or any other polygonal shape, depending on the necessity and/or convenience for a particular application.
Further, as shown in Fig. 11, the container 1 may be provided with a nozzle 13 formed at an upper portion of the body and communicating with the inside of the container. This container may be used as a _re extinguisher as it is charged with fire fighting liquid 14 so that in the event of a fire the liquid 14 may be discharged from the nozzle 13 by contracting 15 the extendible/contractible me(~h~ni.~m.
As another embodiment of the extendible/contractible me~h~ni~m 5, the me~.h~ni~m may be adapted to be extendible and contractible in the direction normal to the vertical axis of the container 1 rather than along this axis. For instance, as shown in Figs. 13(a), (b), the container 1 having a 20 rectangular column-like shape includes a bellows-like peripheral wall extending between the opposed lateral sides of the body 3 and along the upper and bottom sides thereof. In case, the container is extended or contracted along the direction normal to the vertical axis of the container 1.
This construction too may employ the ret~ining mech~ni~m~ K including a 25 pair of eng~ging and engaged portions 7, 8 described hereinbefore with reference to Figs. 6, 7 and 8. With this type of container 1 too, the storage or transport space efficiency may be improved by contracting the extendible/contractible me~h~ni~m 5. Further, if the container 1 is formed as a compact and light-weight container, this may be used as a 30 portable container which may be carried and held within a pocket of a wardrobe.
Still further embodiments for enabling further improvement of space efficiency in storing a plurality of containers will be described hereinafter. A modified container shown in Fig. 14 includes a mouth having a smaller diameter than a body 3 and also a bottom 4 of this container defines a recess 21 into which the mouth 2 of another container 1 may be fitted or retracted. With this, when one container is stacked on another, the mouth of the latter may be fitted into the recess formed in the bottom of the former. Thus, a plurality of containers may be stacked in a very compact manner. The fitting condition between the mouth and the bottom recess may be either a close fit or a loose fit. When the container 1 after manufacture thereof is to be stored or shipped to a factory where it is charged with content, as shown in Fig. 14(a), the containers 1 will be contracted with the mouth 2 of the lower container being fitted into the bottom recess 21 of the upper container. Moreover, when the container 1 extended and charged with content is to be transported, as shown in Fig.
14(b), a plurality of them may be stacked in a similar manner to above, in this case, with the cap lB fitted on the mouth of a lower one being retracted within the bottom recess of an upper one. Hence, in this case too, the space efficiency may be improved.
Further preferred embodiments are shown in Figs. 15 and 16. In these embodiments, at upper end lower ends of the container body lA of the container, there are formed extending operation engaged portions 16a, 16b to be engaged with operation tools 15 used for extending the container body lA. The operation tools 15 are members included in a device to be installed on the manufacturing line for the purpose of extending the container 1. Typically, this extending operation will be effected repeatedly on a plurality of containers 1 under the contracted state before charging of contents into the containers.
More particularly, as shown in Figs. 15(a), (b), the extending operation engaged portion 16a formed at the lower end of the container body is constituted of an engaged recess 17 defined in the lower side of the container bottom 4 and having an aperture diameter gradually increasing with the depth. The operation tool 15 engageable with this engaged recess 17 has a leading head having an upwardly widening flared shape and capable of being enlarged or reduced in diameter. In operation, the operation tool 15 is advanced into the engaged recess 17 while the element is being maintained under the diameter-reduced condition. Thereafter, the operation tool 15 is manipulated to enlarge the diameter of its leading head, whereby the tool is fixedly engaged with the engaged recess 17.
Incidentally, this engaged recess 17 may be adapted so as to function also as the recess 21 described hereinbefore with reference to Fig. 14. Further, as shown in Fig. 15, the other extending operation engaged portion 16a formed at the upper end of the container body is constituted of a reinforcing flange 18 formed integrally with the outer periphery of the mouth 2. The other operation tool 15 engageable with this reinforcing flange 18 is a hook-like member as shown. In operation, as this tool is hooked with the lower side of the reinforcing flange 18 and then lifted up, the container 1 may be extended.
The extending operation engaged portions 16 are not limited those described in the above embodiment. For instance, as shown in Figs. 16(a), (b), these portions may be constituted of bellow recesses 19 formed at the upper and lower ends of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A provided in the body 3. In this case, the operation tools 15 for eng~gin~ the upper and lower extension operation engaged portions 16 may be an identical pair of hook-like members. In operation, by eng~Fing their hook portions with the bellow recesses 19 and then vertically p~ ng them apart, the container may be extended.
Further alternatively, the upper and lower extension operation engaged portions 16 may be a combination of the constructions shown in Figs. 15 and 16. For instance, a combination of the reinforcing flange 18 and the lower bellow recess 19 or a further combination of the upper bellow recess 19 and the engaged recess 17 and so on may be employed. In these manners, the specific shapes and constructions of the extension operation 5 engaged portions may vary in many different ways.
17. This container, formed of a thin sheet material of synthetic resin such as PET (polyethylene terephth~l~te), includes a body 3 having a bellows-like peripheral wall 3A which provides an extendible/contractible me-~h~ni.cm 5.
On the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A, there are fitted a plurality of rigid 20 wire rings 20 spaced apart in the extending/contracting direction. When the container is subjected to a force exceeding a predetermined value in a contracting direction, respective gathers 6 together con~lilulhlg the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A are urged by the applied force added with an elastic resilient force provided from the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A in 25 a mutually overlapping or follling direction, so that the container assumes a contracted state. Conversely, when the container is subjected to an opposite force in an extending direction, the gathers 6 of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A are urged by the applied force added with the elastic resilience of the portion 3A in a mutually departing direction, so that the 30 container assumes an extended state (see Japanese laid-open patent gazette Hei. 6-345095).
Before the container is charged with a content or after the container is emptied of the content, as illustrated in Fig. 17(a), the containeris rendered into the contracted state with the gathers 6 folded one on another, so as to reduce the space to be occupied by this container. When the container is charged with the content, as illustrated in Fig. 17(b), the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A is extended to provide a volume for holding the amount of content charged in the container. The contracting or extending operation of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A can be made very easily by gripping the opposed vertical axial ends of the container and then applying a force in the extending or contracting direction.
With the conventional container described above, once the container is switched into the extended or contracted state, this state is m~int~ined solely by the elastic resilient property of the bellows-like peripheral wall. Although this feature advantageously reduces the amount of force needed by the manual state-switrhing operation, the state of the container may be readily changed inadvertently if some external force overwh~lming the resilience is applied to the container. Also, if some dregs of the content, foreign substances or the like are present between adjacent gathers, the gathers will not be completely folded, thus failing to provide its contracting elastic resilience fully. In such case, the container may not be switched into the fully contracted state.
In short, the conventional container suffers the problems regarding the reliability in the swit~hing operation into the contracted state and stability of this contracted state. As a result, the container may not achieve the intended object of space economy in the storage or transport thereof for the purpose of recycling or disposal. Moreover, there has been a need for being able to make the container even more compact than the contracted state described above.
In view of the above-described state of the art, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved container which can be m~int,~in~d in a contracted state in a reliable and effective manner against exposure to some external force in the extending direction, so that the container may reliably achieve the object of space-efficient storage or transport for recycling or disposal of the container. Another object of the invention is to provide such a container which may also be made even more compact than the contracted state provided by the conventional container described above.
SUM~MRY OF THE INVENTION
For achieving the above object, a container, according to the present invention, comprises a mouth; a body; a bottom; an extendible/contractible mech~ni.qm provided at least at the body; and a ret~qining me~h~ni~m for ret~ining a contracted state provided by the extending/contractible me(~h~ni~m.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the extendible/contractible mel~h~ni.~m comprises a bellows-like peripheral wall provided at the body, the bellows-like peripheral wall being extendible and contractible along a vertical axis of the container. And, the ret~ining me~h~ni~m may comprise, for instance, at least one mz~t.ing pair of en~ging portion and engaged portion, either one of which is provided to the mouth and the other of which is provided to the bottom. When the container is rendered into the contracted state by a contracting action of the extendible/contractible mech~ni.~m, the enE~ging portion and the engaged portion come into engagement to effectively prevent the contracted container from being extended due to an inadvertent external force in an extending direction or presence of e.g. some foreign substance inside the container.
Alternatively, the ret~ining me(~h?lni~m may comprise at least one mating pair of eng~ginF portion and engaged portion, one of which is provided to a cap to be fitted on the mouth and the other of which is provided to the bottom. Further alternatively, one of the eng~ging portion and engaged portion may be provided at an upper portion of the body and 5 the other at a lower portion of thereof. With all of these constructions, when the container has been rendered into the contracted state with a contracting action of the extendible/contractible me(h~ni.~m, the container may be reliably maintained under this contracted state through the engagement between the eng~ging portion and the engaged portion.
10 Incidentally, in case the cap is used with the container and this cap is formed of a different m~tP!ri~l than the container, the eng~qging portion and the engaged portion can be formed of the materials different from each other, thus allowing convenient selection of materials suitable for forming the eng~ging portion and the engaged portion respectively for the purpose of 16 f~(-ilit~ting and smoothing the eng~ginF operation.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the ret7.ining me~h~ni.~m comprises at least one miqting pair of engzlging portion and engaged portion which together retain peripheral wall faces or flexible portions of the bellows-like peripheral wall which faces or flexible portions 20 are folded one on the other when the bellows-like peripheral wall is contracted. In this case, in association with a contracting action of the extending/contracting mech~nism, at least one pair of en~ging portion and engaged portion formed on the peripheral wall faces or the flexible portions which are folded one on the other when the bellows-like peripheral wall is 25 contracted come into engagement with each other. Moreover, in the case of this construction, the eng~Fing portion and the engaged portion are provided at the gathers of the bellows-like peripheral wall, so that these eng~ging and engaged portions may be provided in a less conspicuous manner. Accordillgly, even if the container is formed transparent, the 30 appearance of the container will not be siFnific~qntly compromised by the provision of the eng?lging and engaged portions.
Preferably, the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container. With this feature, the container may be rendered even more compact than the 5 contracted state provided by the extending/contracting me~h~ni.qm In order to provide this function, for instance, the transition portion of the container extending between the mouth and the body may be formed thinner than the mouth or the body per se, so as to f~ilit~te the retracting movement of the mouth through flexion of the thin transition portion.
10 Moreover, by appropriately selecting the thickness and/or the material of the thin transition portion, the flexed condition may be retained easily and reliably. In the case of this construction, the container may include a plurality of ret~ining me~h~ni.qmq described above for providing engagement at a plurality of positions. With this, it is possible to retain 15 easily and reliably not only the contracted state but also the retracted state.
According to a still further embodiment, the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom includes a recess into which a mouth of another container may be retracted. With this, when one container in the contracted state is stacked on the top of another contracted 20 container, the mouth of the latter container will engage into the recess of the former container. Thus, a plurality of containers may be stacked and stored in a more compact manner.
Preferably, the container may further include a pair of extension operation engaged portions engageable with an automatic or manual 25 operation tool for extending the container in the extendible direction. With this, in an automatic manufacture line for charging content into the cont~inf~r or automatic cleaning line for cleaning the inside of the container, a number of containers under the contracted state may be rendered into the extended state easily. According to one preferred embodiment, the pair of 30 extension operation engaged portions are constituted of one being an engaged recess formed on a lower side of the bottom and having an increasing diameter with the depth thereof and the other being a reinforcing flange formed at the mouth. Alternatively, the pair of extension operation engaged portions are constituted of bellow recesses at opposed ends of the bellows-like peripheral wall. The engaged recess may be adapted to function also as the recess formed in the bottom of the container into which the mouth of another container may be engaged and retracted.
As described above, with the containers according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably achieve the object of economizing the space during storage or transport of the container for the purpose of recycling or disposal thereo~ Consequently, the recycling efficiency of the container may be improved while reducing the transport cost thereof, so that illegal throw-away leading to environmental destruction may be prevented beforehand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a container including an extendible/contractible me~h~ni.~m and a ret7~ining me(~h~ni~m, Fig. 2 is a section view of the container of Fig. 1 which is retained in a contracted state, Fig. 3 is section views of principal portions illustrating a function of a bellows-like peripheral wall, with Fig. 3(a) being a section showing an extended state, Fig. 3(b) being a section showing a contracted state, Fig. 4 is a section view of a container having a different ret~ining me-,h~ni~m, Fig. 5 is a section view of a container having a still different ret~ining mech~ni.~m in a contracted state, Fig. 6 is a section view of a container having a still different ret~ining me~h~ni.~m in a contracted state, Fig. 7 is a section view of principal portions of a container having a still different ret~qining merh~ni.qm, Fig. 8 is a section view of principal portions of a container having a 5 still different ret~ining me~h~ni.~m, Fig. 9 is a section view showing a container in a retracted state, Fig. 10 is a section view showing a mouth of a container in a retracted state, Fig. 11 show a still further container in section, with Fig. 11(a) 10 being a section showing the container in an extended state, Fig. 11(b) being a section showing the container in a contracted state, Fig. 12 is a partially cutaway perspective view of another container having a different shape than the above containers, Fig. 13 are perspective views of a further container having a 15 different extendible/contractible me(~h~ni~m, Fig. 13(a) being a partially cutaway perspective view showing the container in an extended state, Fig.
13(b) being a perspective view showing the container in a contracted state, Fig. 14 are section view showing a plurality of containers in a stacked condition, Fig. 14(a) being a section view showing the containers 20 which are stacked in a contracted state respectively, Fig. 14(b) being a section view showing the containers in an extended state, Fig. 15 are section views of a still further container having an extension operation tool, Fig. 15(a) being a section showing the container in a contracted state before the container is engaged with the operation tool, 25 Fig. 15(b) being a section showing the container in an extended state after the container is engaged with the operation tool, Fig. 16 are section views of a container having a different extending/contracting manipulating member, Fig. 16(a) being a section showing the container in a contracted state before the container is engaged 30 with the operation tool, Fig. 16(b) being a section showing the cont~iner in an extended state after the container is engaged with the operation tool, and Figs. 17 show a conventional container illustrating a state change thereof, Fig. 17(a) being a side view showing the container in a contracted state, Fig. 17(b) being a partially cutaway view showing the container in an 5 extended state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of a container relating to the present 10 invention will now be described in details with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the containers are exemplified as those for cont~ining soft drinks.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a container 1 comprises a container body 15 lA consisting essentially of a mouth 2, a body 3 and of a bottom 4 and a cap lB for covering the mouth 2. The container is constructed as a so-called PET bottle, which can be sealed by fitting the cap lB made of metal or synthetic resin on the mouth 2 and eng~ging a female thread portion defined in the inner periphery of the former with a male thread portion 20 defined in the outer periphery of the latter.
The body 3 includes a bellows-like peripheral wall 3A providing an extendible/contractible mel~h~ni.~m 5 by which the container is extendible and contractible along the vertical axis thereo~ The container may be maintained in either of the two different states, i.e. the extended state or the25 contracted state, by means of an elastic resilient force in the extending direction or contracting direction provided by the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A. More particularly, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A includes a plurality of gathers 6 vertically overlapped, with an upper gather 6a being longer than a lower gather 6b, the upper and 30 lower gathers 6a, 6b being connected via an annular reinforcing portion 6c formed therebetween for restricting radial outward expansion of the body 3.
Accordingly, in the extended state in which the upper and lower gathers 6a, 6b are not folded one on the other, if a force in the contracting direction is applied to the container body lA, an outer edge of the lower gather 6b is 5 restricted from being extended radially outwards by the annular reinforcing portion 6c, while an inner edge of the same is elastically deformed as being subjected to a compressing force in the radial inward direction so as to be pivoted toward the upper gather 6a, so that this inner edge first becomes aligned along a plane extending normal to the axis of the container body lA
10 and then folded by its own elastic resilience onto the upper gather 6a. This is the contracted state shown in Fig. 3(b). If a force in the extending direction is applied to the container body lA under this contracted state, a process reverse to the above one takes place, and the container body lA is returned to the original extended state shown in Fig. 3(a).
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cap lB includes, at a center of its inner face, an eng~ging portion 7 having a spherical leading end 7a and projecting toward the inside of the container body. In correspondence therewith, the bottom 5 includes, at a center of its inner face, an engaged portion 8 having a split leading end 8a provided as a small-diameter 20 cylindrical portion and projecting into the inside of the container body. In operation, when the container is rendered into the fully contracted state by the contracting action of the extendible/contractible mel~.h~qni~m 5, the mating pair of eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 come into engagement with each other to retain this contracted state against an 25 inadvertent external force of small magnitude or against an inadvertent internal force from a foreign object or the like rem;qining inside the container. This construction constitutes a ret~ining mech~ni.~m K.
More particularly, the split leading end 8a of the engaged portion 8 defines a plurality of recesses 9 capable of radial outward extension.
30 Further, the leading edges of this leading end are flared, i.e. curved radially outward so as to facilitate the engagement by the eng~ging portion 7. Then, the spherical leading end 7a of the eng~ging portion 7 advances into the flared opening of the engaged portion 8 and then the outer peripheral portions of the spherical leading end 7a come into engagement with the respective recesses 9. With this, the container is retained under the contracted state. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, the contracting force is applied to the container body lA to contract it with the cap lB being fitted on the container mouth 2 and then the cap lB is tightened so as to engage the spherical leading end 7a into the respective recesses 9 of the engaged portion 8 to be retained therein and at the same time the container is sealed with the tightened cap. Accordingly, the contracted state of the container may be reliably m~int~in~d.
In the case of the ret~ining me~h~ni.qm K described above, its shape and dimensions are designed so that the me~h~ni.qm K may provide its function in association with tightening of and sealing with the cap.
Instead, the shape and dimensions may be designed so that the me~h~ni.qm may provide its function in association with mere fitting of the cap lB on the container mouth 2 without neces.qit?lting tightening of the cap. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 4, the specific construction and the number of the en~ging and engaged portions are not limited to those described above and a variety of any conventional constructions may be employed, as long as the ret~ining merh~ni.qm K includes at least one mating pair of en~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8, either one of which is provided to the cap lB to be fitted on the mouth 2 and the other of which is provided to the bottom 4.
Next, other embodiments of the ret~ining me~h~ni.qm K will be specifically described.
A further rehining me(~h~ni.qm K shown in Fig. 5 includes at least one pair of eng~ging portion 7 (7a) and engaged portion 8 (8a, 9), either one of which is provided to the mouth 2 and the other of which is provided to the bottom 4. When the container 1 is rendered into the fully contracted state by the action of the extendible/contractible mech~ni~m 5, the pair of eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 come into engagement with each other to retain the contracted state of the container.
In the case of a still further ret~ining me(~h~ni~m K shown in Fig. 6, 5 either one of the eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 is provided to an upper portion of the body 3 and the other to a lower portion of the same.
When the container 1 is rendered into the fully contracted state by the action of the extendible/contractible me~h~ni~m 5, the pair of eng~ging portion 7 and engaged portion 8 come into engagement with each other to 10 retain the contracted state of the container. More particularly, in this modified construction, a plurality of en~ging portions 7 are provided in the form of elongate strip elements vertically extending from a plurality of positions along the lowermost periphery of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A of the body 3 and projecting upward along the peripheral wall 3A.
15 Each of these eng~ging portions 7 includes a leading end 7a which is curved radially outward to be engaged or hooked with an engaged portion 8 formed by the uppermost gather 6b of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A in the contracted state of the container.
Still alternatively, the ret~ining mel~hz~ni~m K may be constituted 20 of at least one m~ting pair of eng~ging portion and engaged portion which together function to retain adjacent peripheral face portions or flexion pivot portions of the bellows which are folded one on the other in the contracted state of the container. One such construction is shown in Fig. 7. As shown, of the upper and lower adjacent gathers 6 of the bellows-like 25 peripheral wall 6 which become folded one on the other in the contracted state, the lower gather 6b includes, in its inner wall face, a projection 10 (ora recess 11) as the eng~ging portion 7. Whereas, the upper gather 6a includes in its inner wall face, a recess 11 (or a projection 10) as the engagedportion 8. The projection 10 and the recess 11 come into engagement with 30 each other in the contracted state. Another variation of this type of construction is shown in Fig. 8. In this case, of an upper and lower adjacent pair of flexion-pivot portions 12 which become folded one on the other in the contracted state, a pawl-like engAging portion 7 formed on the upper flexion-pivot portion comes into engagement with a recess-like 5 engaged portion formed on the lower flexion-pivot portion when the container is contracted. In this case, the mating pair of engAging and engaged portions 7, 8 may be formed on either the outer flexion-pivot portions or inner-flexion-pivot portions.
Next, there will be described further constructions enabling even 10 more compact deformation of the container.
Fig. 9 shows one such construction. In this case, the mouth 2 is provided with a smaller diameter than the body 3 and retractable into the body 3. With this feature, the container 1 may be formed even more compact than possible by the extendible/contractible me~hAni~m 5 alone.
15 The retractable feature is readily realized by e.g. forming the transition portion of the container between the mouth 2 and the body 3 thinner than the mouth 2 and the body 3 per se, so that the retracting action is provided by flexion of the thinner portion relative to the rest. And, the specific thi(-.knf~ss and material of the thinner portion may be appropriately selected 20 so as to fA(~.ilit~te the retracting action while assuring reliable and stable retention of the retracted condition. In this case, as shown in Fig. 10, if engagements by the plural kinds of rehining me~.hAni~m.~ described above are provided in the retracted condition of the mouth 2 into the recess of the container, both the contracted state and the retracted condition may be 25 mAint~in~d easily and stably.
The container 1 may be formed of any other synthetic resin or other material than PET (polyethylene terephthalate) described hereinbefore.
Further, the content of the container 1 is not limited to the soft drinks. The invention does not limit the kind of content to be held in the container.
30 For instance, the container may hold any other drinking or non--1rinking liquid or solid material in the form of powder, pellets or the like.
Further, the invention does not limit the shape of the container to the cylindrical shape described above. For instance, the container may have an angular column-like shape as shown in Fig. 12 or 13. The angular 5 column-like shape has the advantage of improving the space efficiency in storage or transport. The cross sectional shape of this angular column may be selected appropriately from triangular, squire, rectangular shape or any other polygonal shape, depending on the necessity and/or convenience for a particular application.
Further, as shown in Fig. 11, the container 1 may be provided with a nozzle 13 formed at an upper portion of the body and communicating with the inside of the container. This container may be used as a _re extinguisher as it is charged with fire fighting liquid 14 so that in the event of a fire the liquid 14 may be discharged from the nozzle 13 by contracting 15 the extendible/contractible me(~h~ni.~m.
As another embodiment of the extendible/contractible me~h~ni~m 5, the me~.h~ni~m may be adapted to be extendible and contractible in the direction normal to the vertical axis of the container 1 rather than along this axis. For instance, as shown in Figs. 13(a), (b), the container 1 having a 20 rectangular column-like shape includes a bellows-like peripheral wall extending between the opposed lateral sides of the body 3 and along the upper and bottom sides thereof. In case, the container is extended or contracted along the direction normal to the vertical axis of the container 1.
This construction too may employ the ret~ining mech~ni~m~ K including a 25 pair of eng~ging and engaged portions 7, 8 described hereinbefore with reference to Figs. 6, 7 and 8. With this type of container 1 too, the storage or transport space efficiency may be improved by contracting the extendible/contractible me~h~ni~m 5. Further, if the container 1 is formed as a compact and light-weight container, this may be used as a 30 portable container which may be carried and held within a pocket of a wardrobe.
Still further embodiments for enabling further improvement of space efficiency in storing a plurality of containers will be described hereinafter. A modified container shown in Fig. 14 includes a mouth having a smaller diameter than a body 3 and also a bottom 4 of this container defines a recess 21 into which the mouth 2 of another container 1 may be fitted or retracted. With this, when one container is stacked on another, the mouth of the latter may be fitted into the recess formed in the bottom of the former. Thus, a plurality of containers may be stacked in a very compact manner. The fitting condition between the mouth and the bottom recess may be either a close fit or a loose fit. When the container 1 after manufacture thereof is to be stored or shipped to a factory where it is charged with content, as shown in Fig. 14(a), the containers 1 will be contracted with the mouth 2 of the lower container being fitted into the bottom recess 21 of the upper container. Moreover, when the container 1 extended and charged with content is to be transported, as shown in Fig.
14(b), a plurality of them may be stacked in a similar manner to above, in this case, with the cap lB fitted on the mouth of a lower one being retracted within the bottom recess of an upper one. Hence, in this case too, the space efficiency may be improved.
Further preferred embodiments are shown in Figs. 15 and 16. In these embodiments, at upper end lower ends of the container body lA of the container, there are formed extending operation engaged portions 16a, 16b to be engaged with operation tools 15 used for extending the container body lA. The operation tools 15 are members included in a device to be installed on the manufacturing line for the purpose of extending the container 1. Typically, this extending operation will be effected repeatedly on a plurality of containers 1 under the contracted state before charging of contents into the containers.
More particularly, as shown in Figs. 15(a), (b), the extending operation engaged portion 16a formed at the lower end of the container body is constituted of an engaged recess 17 defined in the lower side of the container bottom 4 and having an aperture diameter gradually increasing with the depth. The operation tool 15 engageable with this engaged recess 17 has a leading head having an upwardly widening flared shape and capable of being enlarged or reduced in diameter. In operation, the operation tool 15 is advanced into the engaged recess 17 while the element is being maintained under the diameter-reduced condition. Thereafter, the operation tool 15 is manipulated to enlarge the diameter of its leading head, whereby the tool is fixedly engaged with the engaged recess 17.
Incidentally, this engaged recess 17 may be adapted so as to function also as the recess 21 described hereinbefore with reference to Fig. 14. Further, as shown in Fig. 15, the other extending operation engaged portion 16a formed at the upper end of the container body is constituted of a reinforcing flange 18 formed integrally with the outer periphery of the mouth 2. The other operation tool 15 engageable with this reinforcing flange 18 is a hook-like member as shown. In operation, as this tool is hooked with the lower side of the reinforcing flange 18 and then lifted up, the container 1 may be extended.
The extending operation engaged portions 16 are not limited those described in the above embodiment. For instance, as shown in Figs. 16(a), (b), these portions may be constituted of bellow recesses 19 formed at the upper and lower ends of the bellows-like peripheral wall 3A provided in the body 3. In this case, the operation tools 15 for eng~gin~ the upper and lower extension operation engaged portions 16 may be an identical pair of hook-like members. In operation, by eng~Fing their hook portions with the bellow recesses 19 and then vertically p~ ng them apart, the container may be extended.
Further alternatively, the upper and lower extension operation engaged portions 16 may be a combination of the constructions shown in Figs. 15 and 16. For instance, a combination of the reinforcing flange 18 and the lower bellow recess 19 or a further combination of the upper bellow recess 19 and the engaged recess 17 and so on may be employed. In these manners, the specific shapes and constructions of the extension operation 5 engaged portions may vary in many different ways.
Claims (24)
1. A container having a mouth, a body and a bottom, which comprises:
an extendible/contractible mechanism provided at least at the body;
and a retaining mechanism for retaining a contracted state provided by the extending/contractible mechanism.
an extendible/contractible mechanism provided at least at the body;
and a retaining mechanism for retaining a contracted state provided by the extending/contractible mechanism.
2. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the extendible/contractible mechanism causes the container to be extended or contracted along a vertical axis of the container; and the retaining mechanism comprises at least one mating pair of engaging portion and engaged portion, either one of which is provided to the mouth and the other of which is provided to the bottom.
3. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the extendible/contractible mechanism causes the container to be extended or contracted along a vertical axis of the container; and the retaining mechanism comprises at least one mating pair of engaging portion and engaged portion, one of which is provided to a cap to be fitted on the mouth and the other of which is provided to the bottom.
4. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the extendible/contractible mechanism causes the container to be extended or contracted along a vertical axis of the container; and the retaining mechanism comprises at least one mating pair of engaging portion and engaged portion, one of which is provided at an upper portion of the body and the other of which is provided at a lower portion of thereof.
5. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the extendible/contractible mechanism comprises a bellows-like peripheral wall provided at the body, the bellows-like peripheral wall being extendible and contractible along a vertical axis of the container; and the retaining mechanism comprises at least one mating pair of engaging portion and engaged portion which together retain peripheral wall faces or flexible portions of the bellows-like peripheral wall which faces or flexible portions are folded one on the other when the bellows-like peripheral wall is contracted.
6. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container.
7. The container as defined in claim 2, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container; and the retaining mechanism is retained under the retracted condition.
8. The container as defined in claim 3, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container; and the mouth is retained under the retracted condition by the retaining mechanism.
9. The container as defined in claim 4, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container.
10. The container as defined in claim 5, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container.
11. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the extendible/contractible mechanism causes the container to be extended or contracted along a vertical axis of the container; and the retaining mechanism comprises at least one mating pair of engaging portion and engaged portion, one of which is provided at one end of the body in the extending/contracting direction of the extendible/contractible mechanism and the other of which is provided at the other end of the body in the extending/contracting direction of the extendible/contractible mechanism.
12. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the extendible/contractible mechanism comprises a bellows-like peripheral wall provided at the body and the bottom, the bellows-like peripheral wall being extendible and contractible along a direction normal to a vertical axis of the container; and the retaining mechanism comprises at least one mating pair of engaging portion and engaged portion which together retain peripheral wall faces or flexible portions of the bellows-like peripheral wall which faces or flexible portions are folded one on the other when the bellows-like peripheral wall is contracted.
13. The container as defined in claim 11, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container.
14. The container as defined in claim 12, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body and retractable toward the hollow inside of the container.
15. The container as defined in claim 1, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom defines a recess into which the mouth of another container is retractable.
16. The container as defined in claim 2, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom defines a recess into which the mouth of another container is retractable.
17. The container as defined in claim 3, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom defines a recess into which the mouth of another container is retractable.
18. The container as defined in claim 4, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom defines a recess into which the mouth of another container is retractable.
19. The container as defined in claim 5, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom defines a recess into which the mouth of another container is retractable.
20. The container as defined in claim 11, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom defines a recess into which the mouth of another container is retractable.
21. The container as defined in claim 12, wherein the mouth is formed with a smaller diameter than the body; and the bottom defines a recess into which the mouth of another container is retractable.
22. The container as defined in claim 1, further comprising a pair of extension operation engaged portions engageable with an operation tool for extending the container in the extendible direction.
23. The container as defined in claim 22, wherein the pair of extension operation engaged portions are constituted of one being an engaged recess formed on a lower side of the bottom and having an increasing diameter with the depth thereof and the other being a reinforcing flange formed at the mouth.
24. The container as defined in claim 22, wherein the extendible/contractible mechanism comprises a bellows-like peripheral wall provided at least at the body; and the pair of extension operation engaged portions are constituted of bellow recesses at opposed ends of the bellows-like peripheral wall.
Applications Claiming Priority (8)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP31695697 | 1997-11-18 | ||
| JP35300797 | 1997-12-22 | ||
| JP9-353007 | 1998-01-23 | ||
| JP1130898 | 1998-01-23 | ||
| JP10-11308 | 1998-01-23 | ||
| JP9-316956 | 1998-01-23 | ||
| JP4197998A JPH11268741A (en) | 1997-11-18 | 1998-02-24 | Container |
| JP10-41979 | 1998-02-24 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2236020A1 true CA2236020A1 (en) | 1999-05-18 |
Family
ID=27455580
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2236020 Abandoned CA2236020A1 (en) | 1997-11-18 | 1998-04-27 | Container |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPH11268741A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2236020A1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE19816764A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2771073B1 (en) |
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| JP4565726B2 (en) * | 1999-10-20 | 2010-10-20 | 篤司 木村 | Reduced stationary container |
| JP2001158409A (en) * | 1999-11-30 | 2001-06-12 | Yoshino Kogyosho Co Ltd | Storage method for extremely thin wall plastic bottle type container, and storage case |
| KR100700036B1 (en) * | 2000-07-12 | 2007-03-26 | 가부시키가이샤 고쇼 | Plastic bottle |
| DE10324893A1 (en) * | 2003-05-30 | 2004-12-16 | Kempa, Josef | Plastic bottle has peripheral ribs with concave upper surfaces which fit against convex lower surfaces on ribs above when bottle is compressed, barb on rod attached to base interlocking with hooked section in neck |
| JP2005298025A (en) * | 2004-04-14 | 2005-10-27 | Gohsho Co Ltd | Vertically extendable or retractable pet bottle, its manufacturing method and its manufacturing apparatus |
| DE102004042754A1 (en) * | 2004-04-15 | 2006-03-09 | Bruno Kobi | Bottle Carrying combination |
| LT5593B (en) * | 2008-06-02 | 2009-09-25 | Mantas Dambrauskas | Compressed container |
| DE202011003933U1 (en) * | 2011-03-14 | 2011-10-24 | Silvia Schmidt | extinguishing container |
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| US3301293A (en) * | 1964-12-16 | 1967-01-31 | Owens Illinois Inc | Collapsible container |
| US3474844A (en) * | 1967-12-14 | 1969-10-28 | Rudolph O Lindstrom | Latching device for collapsible container |
| FR2288445A7 (en) * | 1974-10-14 | 1976-05-14 | Goiffon Ets Leon | Spraying or injection vessel - has walls with rigid sections for squeezing joined by flexible pleated sections |
| DE3518692A1 (en) * | 1985-05-24 | 1986-11-27 | Klaus 7024 Filderstadt Pellert | Packaging means for liquid and solid foods or other packaging products which are liquid, pourable and/or scatterable |
| FR2609450A1 (en) * | 1987-01-09 | 1988-07-15 | Ludi Jean Claude | FOLDABLE LIQUID CONTAINER, WITH SELF-LOCKING IN FOLDED POSITION |
| JPH06345095A (en) | 1993-06-01 | 1994-12-20 | Masao Hiura | Liquid container |
| AU4632593A (en) * | 1993-06-10 | 1995-01-03 | Gary Bimson Nadeau | Collapsible fuel container with detachable mount |
| DE9316296U1 (en) * | 1993-10-26 | 1994-03-03 | Metzinger, Arnold, 82239 Alling | Containers, preferably made of plastic, for holding and transporting liquid, powdered, fine or coarse-grained contents from the chemical, industrial and food sectors |
| KR960001558U (en) * | 1994-06-09 | 1996-01-19 | 정명길 | Synthetic resin wrinkle container |
| JPH08198266A (en) * | 1995-01-18 | 1996-08-06 | Takahiro Chiga | Container |
-
1998
- 1998-02-24 JP JP4197998A patent/JPH11268741A/en active Pending
- 1998-04-16 DE DE1998116764 patent/DE19816764A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1998-04-21 FR FR9804951A patent/FR2771073B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1998-04-27 CA CA 2236020 patent/CA2236020A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2771073B1 (en) | 2001-05-18 |
| FR2771073A1 (en) | 1999-05-21 |
| DE19816764A1 (en) | 1999-05-20 |
| JPH11268741A (en) | 1999-10-05 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |