JP2009532286A - Stackable rib reinforced system - Google Patents

Abstract

  A storage chamber defined by upper and lower surfaces and planar side walls provided at regular intervals, the conical ceiling portion of the upper surface having an opening at the top thereof, and the next adjacent bottle when the bottles are stacked A conical concavo-convex portion on the lower surface for receiving the conical ceiling portion, and means for connecting the side surface, the upper surface and the lower surface of the bottle when stacked. This bottle may have the rib of the said cone-shaped ceiling part, the cone-shaped recessed part for increasing the load-bearing capacity | capacitance of a top part, and an ancestor wall. Multiple bottles are assembled into a stable bottle stack with minimal packaging material.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly to a stackable bottle system.

  It is known to provide storage bottles that allow the bottles to be stacked on the side of the bottle. Examples of such bottles are: Charis U.S. Patent No. 4,892,207, named "Bottled Water Container", Fram U.S. Patent No. 5,002,199, "Stackable Bottle" US Pat. No. 4,308,955 to Caesar et al. Entitled “Nana Bottle” and Harris US Pat. No. 3,889,834 entitled “Container Structure”. Such stackable bottles are not ideal because side-by-side stacking of bottles increases the risk of bottle contents leaking from the bottle, especially when the bottle contents are liquid.

  It is also known to provide a stackable bottle in which a bottle neck can be placed in a recess in the bottom of another bottle. Examples of such bottles are US Patent No. 1,042,998 for Crimarin, entitled “Improvement of Stackable Containers”, US Pat. No. 5,133,469 for Meters named “Stackable Bottles”, “Stackable Bottles”. Brandt's US Patent No. 4,805,793 named Justice's US Design Patent No. D466,413 named "Stackable Nested Beverage Container" and Preston's PCT International Patent named "Stackable Water Bottle" Application No. PCT / AU93 / 00380. These telescoping stackable bottles do not include means for connecting the side or top nose of the bottle to provide stability to such stacked bottles. Furthermore, telescoping bottles often do not have sufficient strength to withstand collapse under the pressure exerted by the stacked bottles.

  In addition, stackable bottles are known that incorporate a nesting neck and connecting means for connecting the top and bottom surfaces. Examples of such bottles are contained in Maris US Pat. No. 3,474,843 entitled “Blow Molded Containers” and Dar Yuan US Pat. No. 2,641,374 named “Containers”. However, such bottles do not include means for connecting their side walls.

  Other bottles are known in the art that allow for a linking means to connect the telescoping neck and the side of the bottle, and U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,588,612 and Dawn et al. US Pat. No. 3,369,658 to Hasselman, entitled “Mobile Container Transfer Unit”. However, these containers do not include means for connecting the upper and lower surfaces.

  The bottle described in Doti's US Design Patent No. D407,020 entitled “Stackable Liquid Polymer Container” describes a stackable bottle in which the handle of the bottle is a component of the horizontal connection means. Has been. Such a structure is never ideal in that the bottle handle is not available when the bottles are stacked.

  Clark's PCT International Patent Publication No. WO / 03055756, named "Modular Bottle", describes a bottle in which the neck of the bottle can be inserted into a recess in the bottom of another bottle, as well as the side connection means. Has been. The bottle is intended for use as an assembled toy after consumption of the beverage contained therein. The bottle does not have a flat top and bottom support surface for stable vertical stacking of bottles containing consumables.

  Current systems for packaging and transporting stackable bottles require cardboard or other secure support structures that surround the packaged bottles.

  Ideally, stackable bottles for use in a stackable bottle system typically have a neck and floor size sized to match the corresponding neck and recess of other stackable bottles in the system. Should have a recess. Such a bottle should have connecting means for connecting the sides of adjacent bottles and connecting means for connecting the top of the bottle to the bottom of another bottle. The overall profile of the bottle is generally flat along the sides to optimize the stacking volume. Each such bottle should have at least one handle available when the bottle is incorporated into a stack of such bottles. Such bottles should be strong enough to allow the bottom bottles to stack vertically without collapsing. Such bottle assemblies should be packable without the support of cardboard or other secure material.

  Although the prior art includes some of these components, the prior art bottles do not incorporate all the desired characteristics of the stackable bottle and stackable bottle system according to the present invention.

  In one aspect, the invention comprises a stackable storage bottle and a system for connecting the stackable storage bottles, each bottle having an upper surface and a conical ceiling extending upwardly from the upper surface. A storage chamber having a lower surface and at least four generally planar side walls, a cylindrical neck portion extending from the center of the conical ceiling portion and having an opening at the top thereof, and a ceiling of another bottle insertable therein A conical recess on the underside that is large enough to enclose the head, neck and cap, a recess forming a handle on at least one side wall, and each side wall on the side wall of another storage bottle stackable adjacent thereto And a horizontal coupling means for detachably connecting the upper surface to the lower surface of another storage bottle stacked thereon.

  In another feature, each storage bottle is stacked in a vertical position above, below or to the side of another vertical storage bottle to form a stable bottle stack.

  In a further feature, each bottle may have a recess in at least one of the side walls for application to the label. In yet another feature, the storage bottle may be made from a PET plastic material. The bottle may be a consumable bottle, such as a drinking water bottle, and may be of a size selected for use in an industry standard drinking water vending machine.

  In a further feature, the vertical connection means comprises at least one recess in the side wall for engaging a corresponding protrusion on the side wall of another storage bottle, and the horizontal connection means corresponds on the upper surface of the other storage bottle. At least one recess may be provided on the lower surface to engage the protrusion.

  In a further feature, the neck of each bottle may further comprise an external thread or protrusion for attaching a screw cap or snap cap.

  In a further feature, the ribs are incorporated into a conical ceiling, conical recess, or side wall to strengthen the bottle and increase the load capacity of the top. The ribs also improve bottle collapse when emptied and capacity decreases at the end of life. In an alternative embodiment, the conical ceiling has a hexagonal cross section.

  In a further aspect, the present invention provides an assembly of a plurality of stackable bottles, wherein only the side walls of each bottle are adjacent to each other to form a quadrilateral having opposing sides. The assembly may include at least one strip of flexible packaging material that surrounds the exposed side of the assembly and a string of flexible material extending between opposing sides of the assembly, each of the strings The end is connected to the strip and forms the handle of the assembly. Alternatively, the assembly may be completely enclosed on the top and sides with a flexible plastic material.

  Due to the consumption of the contents of the bottle liquid, it is filled with a high-density material such as sand, for example, a flood control device that stops the flow of water by stacking the filled bottles into an assembly or a retaining wall for soil It may be used as a simple holding device.

  Other features of the present invention will be appreciated by reference to the following description of the preferred embodiment and to the drawings and claims.

  The present invention will be described with reference to preferred embodiments and drawings.

  1 to 3, a stackable bottle 2 according to the present invention has a storage compartment with a top surface having a conical ceiling 6 and a center extending from a conical ceiling having an opening 10. The neck portion 8 and the bottom surface 42 are provided. The bottle has four side walls 12, 14, 16, 18 and vertical connection means with side wall projections 20, 22 corresponding to the side wall recesses 24, 26, and at least one lower surface corresponding to the recess 46. And a horizontal connecting means having a protrusion 28 on one upper surface.

  The protruding portion of the side wall has a size corresponding to the size of the concave portion of the side wall, and allows appropriate engagement of movement of the protruding portion with respect to the concave portion in a detachable position. Similarly, the protrusion on the upper surface has a size corresponding to the size of the recess on the lower surface, and allows appropriate engagement of the protrusion with respect to the recess at a detachable position. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface 42 of the bottle incorporates a conical recess 44 centrally disposed for engagement with a protrusion (not shown) on the upper surface and at least one peripheral recess 46. It is out.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the neck 8 has an annular protrusion 30 for attaching the snap cap 9. Instead, the neck portion 8 has an external thread for attaching a screw cap (not shown). At least one recess 34 is fed into the side wall and acts as a handle. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the indentations 34, 36 are provided near the corners and are provided to be grasped by the thumb and index finger, although other operations are possible. For example, the user lifts the bottle by placing one depression 34 in one hand and the other depression 36 in the other hand. A pair of recesses 34 (not shown) between adjacent side walls 12, 14 form a first handle at one of the side edges or corners of the bottle. A second pair of depressions 36 (not shown) is formed between the remaining side walls 16, 18. As shown in FIG. 1, the bottle may include one or more shallow recesses 40 on the side wall surface for applying a label or other marking device.

  1-3 show the ribs 31, 33, 34 formed in the bottle to withstand the high loads on the top when stored together in a stack. For example, the ribs may be arranged in the conical ceiling 31, the side wall 33, or the conical recess 335. FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of a bottle with conical recess ribs 35 and vertical side wall ribs 36. When the bottle is empty at the end of its life, the ribs increase the strength of the top load and make it difficult to collapse. Also shown in FIG. 4 are incisions 27 at one or more ends of the bottom that can be used manually to lift the bottle. In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the conical ceiling has a hexagonal cross section to improve the load strength at the top.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower surface 42 of the bottle includes a conical recess 44 and at least one peripheral recess 46 disposed centrally for engaging the protrusions on the upper surface.

  FIG. 6 shows two bottles in a stacked configuration showing an optimal flat structure for a stable stack that optimizes stack capacity. The neck portion 8 and the conical ceiling portion 6 on the upper surface of the lower bottle 50 are sized to fit within the recess 44 on the lower surface of the upper bottle 52. The adaptation allows for the stacking of bottles without damaging the label or seal placed at the mouth of the bottle. The side wall of the upper bottle 52 is fully supported by the side wall of the lower bottle arranged below. As well as providing a stable function, the horizontal coupling means provides an array function that ensures the stability of the stack.

  The recess 44 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 represents a convex surface 51 that deflects the bottle in the axial direction when the bottle recess 44 is mounted over the neck portion 8 of the lower bottle. In other words, the invention has an aspect that automatically returns to the center when the bottles that are particularly useful when the bottles are filled with liquid are stacked together. If the bottles are stacked when filled with liquid, it is difficult to center the bottles accurately. Therefore, the convex surface 51 of the recess 44 tends to deflect the bottle attached to the next adjacent bottle in the central direction of the shaft.

  FIG. 7 shows an assembly of four stackable bottles 2 of the present invention. The bottles are arranged and connected horizontally. The horizontally connected bottles are packaged with a flexible packaging material 54, such as a flexible plastic, to provide stability for packaging and transportation. More plastic wrapping (not shown) may be used to sufficiently enclose the sides and top of the bottle to prevent dust accumulation. A flexible string 55 extends between the opposing sides of the assembly and forms a central handle above the upper surface of the bottle. If the bottle assembly is oriented with the bottle in a horizontal position, the string is instead oriented above the side wall on one side of the bottle assembly. The assembly of the present invention enables bottle packaging without the use of paper or other secure packaging support materials, thereby reducing packaging costs.

  FIG. 8 illustrates the system of the present invention, showing a stack 56 of a plurality of stackable bottles 2 stacked on a pallet 60. The bottles are arranged and connected vertically as well as horizontally. Bottles are classified into an assembly of four or more bottles packaged with flexible packaging material for ease of handling.

  Furthermore, the stacked bottles shown in FIG. 8 are three-dimensional, i.e., along the two dimensions when the side walls of the bottle have recesses as well as protrusions, and as in three dimensions, i.e. When the bottle bottom and top are connected to the top protrusion and bottom recess of the bottle, they are fixed or connected in the axial direction. Such a three-dimensional connection prevents the bottles from separating during transport as well as concentrating the density of storage material packaged in the manner described above.

  The system of the present invention can stack bottles in an upright position to prevent leakage and spillage during storage and transportation. Even if it fails to seal, there will be no spillage when the bottles are stacked at the neck in the horizontal position. One of the handles comprised of at least one depression 34 in the writing bottle around the stack is made available to the operator once the packaging material has been removed. Since the vertical and horizontal connection means provide stack stability, no rack is required to hold the bottles.

  The bottles of the present invention can be stacked both in an empty state and in a filled state. The bottles can be stacked in the life cycle of the bottle during filling, shipping, storage prior to use, while consuming consumable materials, and after use, during storage prior to regeneration. In initial use, the bottle may be filled with consumable or non-consumable materials, such as drinking water or other liquids. Once used for the first time, the bottle is filled with a dense material such as sand, providing a stackable flood control device.

  The bottle of the present invention may also incorporate means for identifying the contents of the storage bottle. Such identification means may include color coding that distinguishes structural features, or other identifying features for purposes of identifying the contents. Ideally, the material used for bottle manufacture is transparent to visually identify the contents of the bottle.

  Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other variations of the preferred embodiment can be implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a stackable bottle showing a recess in a label and a depression in one handle according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a stackable bottle showing two handle pits and caps according to the present invention. It is a perspective view from the bottom face side of the stackable bottle by this invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view from the bottom side of a stackable bottle showing bottom edge cuts and vertical side ribs according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a stackable bottle showing a hexagonal conical ceiling according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of two stackable bottles showing the nesting of the neck portion of one bottle having a recess in the floor of another bottle according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an assembly of four stackable bottles according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a bolt stack on a pallet according to the system of the present invention.

Claims (26)

A system for connecting storage bottles, each bottle comprising:
(A) a storage chamber having an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least four generally planar sidewalls;
(B) a central conical ceiling portion extending upward from the upper surface;
(C) a cylindrical neck portion extending from the center of the ceiling portion and having an opening at the top and means for attaching a cap;
(D) a conical recess on the bottom surface having a size sufficient to cover the ceiling, neck and cap of another storage bottle, into which another storage bottle can be inserted;
(E) vertical coupling means for detachably connecting each side wall to the side wall of another storage bottle that can be assembled adjacently;
(F) horizontal coupling means for removably connecting the upper surface to the lower surface of another disposable disposable storage bottle;
(G) at least one indentation provided in each of at least two adjacent side walls and forming a handle for pouring from the storage chamber;
A system characterized by comprising:   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, wherein each storage bottle is stacked upright, above or below another upright storage bottle in an upright position to form a stable bottle stack.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, further comprising a recess on at least one side of each bottle for applying a label.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, wherein each storage bottle is a liquid storage bottle.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, wherein each storage bottle is made of a PET plastic material.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, wherein the size of the storage bottle is selected for use in an industry standard drinking water vending machine.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, wherein the vertical connecting means comprises at least one recess in the side wall for engaging a corresponding protrusion on the side wall of another storage bottle.   The horizontal coupling means of each bottle has at least one recess that engages a corresponding protrusion located close to the top corner of another storage bottle close to the bottom corner. A system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, wherein the cap attaching means of the neck portion of each bottle comprises a protrusion.   The system for connecting storage bottles of claim 1, wherein the bottle stack bolts are filled with consumable material.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 2, wherein the bottle of the bottle stack further comprises a rib on a conical ceiling.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 2, wherein the bottle of the bottle stack further comprises a rib in a conical recess.   The system for connecting storage bottles of claim 2, wherein the bottles of the bottle stack further comprise ribs on at least one side wall.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 2, wherein the conical ceiling of each bottle has a hexagonal cross section.   The system for connecting storage bottles according to claim 1, further comprising a notch at the bottom edge of each side wall of each bottle, and means for lifting one or more bottles of the bottle stack. A consumable storage bottle having a storage chamber, a conical ceiling on the upper surface, a lower surface, and at least four generally planar side walls,
(A) a cylindrical neck portion extending upward from the center of the conical ceiling portion and having an opening at the top and a protrusion for attaching a cap;
(B) a conical recess extending upward from a bottom surface of a size sufficient to cover the ceiling, neck and cap of another storage bottle that can be inserted;
(C) vertical coupling means for detachably connecting each side wall to the side wall of another storage bottle that can be assembled adjacently;
(D) horizontal coupling means for removably connecting the upper surface to the lower surface of another upper disposable storage bottle;
(E) at least one recess provided in each of two adjacent side walls and forming a handle for pouring from the storage chamber;
A storage bottle characterized by comprising:   17. A storage bottle according to claim 16, wherein the vertical coupling means comprises at least one recess in the side wall which engages a corresponding protrusion on the side wall of another storage bottle.   17. The horizontal coupling means has at least one recess that engages a corresponding protrusion disposed proximate to a corner of an upper surface of another storage bottle disposed proximate to a corner of the lower surface. The storage bottle described in.   The storage bottle of claim 16 further comprising a rib.   The storage bottle according to claim 16, wherein the conical ceiling has a hexagonal cross section.   The storage bottle according to claim 16, wherein ribs are arranged in the conical ceiling and in the conical recess.   17. An assembly comprising a plurality of storage bottles according to claim 16, wherein only the side walls of each bottle are adjacent to each other to form a substantially quadrilateral assembly.   23. The assembly of claim 22, further comprising at least one flexible wrapping material surrounding the exposed upper surface and exposed sidewalls of the assembly.   23. The assembly of claim 22, further comprising a flexible wrapping material surrounding the exposed upper surface and exposed sidewalls of the assembly.   24. The cord of claim 22 or 23, further comprising a lace of flexible material extending between opposing sides of the assembly, each end of the lace being connected to a strip to form a handle for the assembly. The assembly described.   26. Use of a bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 25 in combination with a high density material as a flood control device.

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