Oct. 13, 1964 3,152,710

R. L. PLATTE PLASTIC MILK BOTTLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 25, 1964 llll I INVENTOR. R/CHARD L. PLATTE Oct. 13, 1964 R. L. PLATTE 3,152,710

PLASTIC MILK'BOTTLE Filed March 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. R/CHARD L. PLA 77E United States Patent O 3,152,710 PLASTIC MILK BOTTLE Richard L. Platte, Ann Arbor, Mich., assignor to Hoover Ball and Bearing Company, Saline, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 354,578 6 Claims. (Cl. 215-1) This invention relates generally to the art of containers and more particularly to an improved blow molded plastic milk bottle.

A commercially practical plastic milk bottle must possess certain characteristics. First, it must be constructed from a minimum amount of raw material in order to keep the final cost of the bottle within a range in which it can be competitive with milk containers made from other less expensive raw materials such as paper. Second, it should have suflicient compressive strength to withstand capping following filling and to permit stacking of at least two bottles. Third, it must be constructed so that it can readily be gripped for lifting from a display case or a rack and for tipping to pour, and the bottle must be formed so that when it is gripped for these necessary purposes, the internal volume of the bottle will not be decreased sufficiently to pump the contents out the top of the bottle. Fourth, the bottle must be shaped so as to permit firm grasping of the bottle when it is moved so as to eliminate as much as possible the danger of dropping the bottle when it is being manipulated for transport or pouring.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide 7 an improved blow molded bottle which accomplishes the above desirable objectives and which is also constructed so that it can be readily filled and discharged and can be efliciently arranged in a compact storage space. These and other desirable objects are accomplished in the bottle of this invention -by forming the bottle so that it has a generally square upright body provided with a bottom wall and a bulbous projection at its upper end shaped so that it cooperates with the body to form a handle or grip ping area on the bottle which is grasped to lift or tip the bottle. The handle is shaped and positioned so that when it is gripped and squeezed the internal volume of the bottle is not reduced sufficiently to force the bottle contents out of the bottle through the usual top opening which may be capped in the conventional manner. The provision of'such a handle enables the forming of the body side walls, which constitute the major portion of the bottle, so that they are very thin thereby reducing the amount of raw material necessary to fabricate the bottle to a practical minimum. In addition, the projection is formed of an elongate narrow shape so that its ends are above and constitute upward continuations of a pair of diagonally opposite body corners. These corners thus function as columns when the bottle is subjected to compressive forces thereby enabling the bottle to withstand the compressive forces to which it may be subjected during capping and stacking. The narrow shape of the projection, which is grasped during transport of the bottle, reduces to a minimum any tendency of the bottle contents to be pumped or squeezed out the top of the bottle when the bottle is grasped. The reduced size of the projection also provides for a top wall of increased thickness on the projection, which constitutes the top of the bottle so as to provide the bottle with an increased ability to withstand compressive forces. In addition, the projection is undercut shaped to fit in the crotch of an adult human hand, between the thumb and forefinger, so that the projection can be gripped for tipping and lifting and also so that the projection can be grasped between the thumb and finger tips from above for withdrawal from a display or carrying case.

, 3,152,710 Patented Oct. 13, 1964 "ice Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the milk bottle of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the milk bottle of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upper end portion of the bottle of this invention, looking susbtantially along the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the bottle of this invention; and

FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8 are horizontal sectional views of the bottle of this invention looking substantially along the lines 55, 6-6, 77 and 8-8, respectively, in FIG. 2.

With reference to the drawing, the bottle of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as being of a one-piece plastic construction and having an upright body 12, which is generally square in horizontal section, as shown in FIG. 8, and which is provided at its upper end with a bulbous projection 14 which is of an elongated narrow shape, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The body 12 has side walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 which are relatively thin and is formed \m'th rounded corners 24, 26, 28 and 30. A bottom wall 32 for the bottle 10 is integral with the side walls 16, 18, 20 and 22.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the projection 14 is substantially symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane A ,which extends through diagonally opposite corners 26 and 30 of the body 12. The projection 14 has elongated side walls 34 and 36 disposed on opposite sides of the plane A and shorter end walls 38 and 40 which extend between the ends of the side walls 34 and 36 and are substantially bisected by the plane A. As shown in FIG. 5, the projection 14 is somewhat egg shaped in that it is narrowest at its end wall 38. In other words, the side walls 34 and 36 converge in the direction of the end wall 38, for a purpose to appear presently. The side walls 34 and 36 are also bowed inwardly in vertical planes toward each other as shown in FIG. 5 so that they extend inwardly under the projection top wall 42, also for a purpose to appear presently. A neck 44 formed integral with the top wall 42 extends upwardly therefrom and is shaped so that a milk bottle top (not shown) can be applied thereto. The neck 44 surrounds an opening 46 in the top wall 42 through which the bottle 10 is filled and through which the bottle contents are discharged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the end wall 40 of the projection 14 is also bowed inwardly in a vertical plane and is joined to the corner 30 of the body 12 by a downwardly and and outwardly sloping surface 48. As a result, the projection side walls 34 and 36, the end wall 40 and the surface 48 cooperate to function as a handle for the bottle 10 which is readily grasped for lifting and tipping by gripping the side walls 34 and 36 of the projection 14 between the thumb and forefinger so that the end wall 40 is engaged with the crotch of the grasping hand between the thumb and forefinger and so that the heel of the hand engages the surface 48. Because the side walls 34 and 36 converge in the indirection of the end wall 38 and pro ject inwardly under the top wall 42, the projection 14 can be tightly gripped in this manner to facilitate tipping and lifting of the bottle 10. Also, the bottle 10 can be readily lifted by gripping the downwardly converging portions of the projection side walls 34 and 36 with the thumb and finger tips, since these side wall portions provide downwardly facing surfaces which can readily be gripped for lifting. For example, the bottle 10 can be readily lifted a by gripping it at the points. indicated at B in FIG. 1 with the tips of the thumb and fingers.

As shown in FIG. 4, the projection end walls 38 and 40 are substantially aligned with the corners 26 and 30 of the body 12. The body corners are smoothly sloped in an upward direction to join with the end walls 38 and 40 so that the corners 26 and 30 function as columns supporting the ends 38 and 40 of the projection 14. As a result of the increased moment of inertia of a body corner, relative to the moment of inertia of a flat side wall, this arrangement of the projection 14 on the body 12 provides the bottle with increased compression strength when enables it to resist the forces normally applied to it such as during capping. Also, this compressive strength of the bottle 10 enables it to be dropped onto its bottom wall 32 without it collapsing. This compressive strength is further enhanced by the formation of small upwardly curving ribs 50 in the side walls 16 and 22 on opposite sides of the corner 30, and upwardly converging curved ribs 51 which extend upwardly from the upper ends of the corners 24- and 28.

It can thus be seen that the side walls 16 and 18 are sloped upwardly and smoothly joined with the projection side wall 34 by forming a portion of the bottle, adjacent the juncture of the body 12 and the projection 14 with a curved wall section 52. A similarly curved Wall section 54 on the diagonally opposite side of the bottle smoothly joins the side walls 20 and 22 to the projection side wall 36.

In the use of the bottle 10, it is filled through the opening 46 and is capped in the conventional manner. By virtue of its substantially square shape in horizontal section, a number of bottles 10 can be compactly arranged in a carrying or display case or stored in a compact area. Also, two or more bottles can be readily stacked one on top the other. To pour liquid from the bottle 10, the user positions the side of his thumb against the projection side wall 36 and positions the side of his forefinger against the projection wall 34 so that the crotch of his hand is engaged with the inwardly bowed end wall 40. This position of the users hand positions the heel of his hand along the upwardly curved body surface 48 so that the bottle 10 is firmly grasped for controlled pouring. The inwardly converging arrangement of the walls 34 and 36, in a direction toward the end wall 38 enables the user to firmly urge the terminal ends of his thumb and forefinger toward each other to prevent the bottle 10 from slipping out of his hand. As best appears in FIGS. 3 and 5, the projection side walls 34 and 36 are much thicker than the body side walls 18 and 22. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the top wall 42 is of increased thickness relative to the side walls of the body 12. As a result, firm grasping of the projection 14 has very little tendency to squeeze the liquid contents of the bottle 10 out the top opening 46. This is because the increased thickness of the projection walls 34 and 36 resists collapse of the projection 14 sufficient to reduce the internal volume of the bottle 10 enough to force liquid out the top opening 46. Furthermore, because the projection 14 is of a reduced size in horizontal section relative to the body 12, it is diflicult to reduce the internal volume of the bottle 10 by deforming the reduced size projection 14.

When the bottle 10 is to be lifted, for example, from a display case, it is readily grasped at the points indicated at B in FIG. 1 with the thumb and finger tips so as to readily lift it from the case. It can thus be seen that the bottle 10, by virtue of its construction with the integral body 12 and bulbous projection 14 is readily adapted for conventional use as a milk bottle. By virtue of this construction, the bottle 10 is readily manufactured in large quantities by blow molding it from suitable plastics such as polyethylene or polypropylene which provide frost colored plastic bottles. It has been found that frost colored plastic bottles of this construction enhance the appearance of their liquid contents, especially milk.

Furthermore, by constructing the bottle as shown and described above, so that it can withstand the necessary compressive forces when it is capped, dropped, lifted or tipped, it can be economically formed from a minimum of raw material. In other words, the side walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 form the major portion of the bottle 10, and the forming of these walls so that they are very thin enables production of the bottle 10 from an economically feasible amount of plastic. For example, a bottle with a capacity of 64 ounces can be formed from 50 grams of plastic. In such a bottle, the side walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 which are not of a completely uniform thickness, are generally in the range of 0.014 to 0.020 inch thick, the bottom wall 32 is approximately 0.050 inch thick and the projection side, top, and end walls which are also not of the same thickness at all points, are of a thickness in the range of .036 to .050 inch.

It will be understood that the milk bottle which is herein disclosed and described is presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and is not intended to indicate limits of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollow plastic body having side Walls and a bottom wall, a bulbous non-circular projection on the upper end of said body having a top wall and spaced side walls which extend downwardly and inwardly from said top wall and thence outwardly to join said body side walls, said projection having end walls spaced further apart than said side walls and being elongated and relatively narrow with respect to the width of said body in a generally horizontal plane, said projection side walls having a pair of portions whichare horizontally spaced a distance apart such that they can be gripped between the thumb and forefinger of an adult human hand for lifting and tipping of said bottle, and a neck integral with and extending upwardly from said projection top wall intermediate said end walls.

2. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollow plastic body having thin side walls and a bottom wall, an integral non-circular bulbous projection on the upper end of said body of reduced size relative to the size of said body and of increased wall strength relative to the wall strength of said body, said projection having a top wall and side walls which are thicker than said body side walls, said side walls being spaced closer together than opposite ones of said body side walls and extending downwardly and inwardly toward each other from said projection top wall, said projection being elongated and relatively narrow with respect to the width of said body in a generally horizontal plane, and said projection side walls being horizontally spaced a distance apart such that they can be gripped between the thumb and forefinger of an adult human hand for lifting and tipping of said bottle.

3. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollow plastic body having thin side walls and a bottom wall, an integral non-circular bulbous projection on the upper end of said body having an upwardly convex top wall and side walls which extend downwardly from said top wall and are bowed inwardly toward each other in a vertical plane said top Wall being of a substantially longer length measured in a generally horizontal direction than the length of said projection side walls measured in a generally vertical direction, said projection having end walls one of which is bowed inwardly underneath said top wall, said projection side walls being arranged in a relatively converging relation in a direction from said one end wall toward the other end wall, said projection being elongated and relatively narrow with respect to the width of said body in a generally horizontal plane, and said projection side walls being horizontally spaced a distance apart such that they can be gripped between the thumb and forefinger of an adult human hand for lifting and tipping of said bottle.

4. A one-piece plastic bottle for liquid comprising an upright hollow plastic body having thin side walls and a bottom wall, said body being of a substantially square shape in horizontal cross section, a bulbous projection on the upper end of said body having a top wall and side walls which extend downwardly and inwardly from said top wall and thence outwardly to join said body side walls, said projection being elongated and relatively narrow in a direction extending between said side walls with respect to the width of said body in a generally horizontal plane, said projection side walls having a pair of portions which are horizontally spaced a distance apart such that they can be gripped between the thumb and forefinger of an adult human hand for lifting and tipping of said bottle, said projection extending horizontally in a direction diagonally of said body and having end walls which intersect a vertical plane extending through a pair of diagonally opposite corners of said body, one of said end walls being disposed horizontally inwardly from one of said diagonally opposite corners so that said body extends upwardly and inwardly from said one corner to said one end wall to accommodate the heel of a hand engaged with said projection for lifting and tipping said bottle, and a neck integral with and extending upwardly from said projection top wall.

5. A one-piece plastic bottle comprising an upright hollow body of substantially rectangular shape in horizontal section and having rounded corners and thin side walls, a bulbous hollow projection on the upper end of said body, said projection being positioned so that it extends horizontally in a direction substantially diagonally of said body, said projection having a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls extended between said end walls and spaced closer together than said end walls, each of said end walls being positioned above one corner of said body, said projection having a top wall which is integral with the side and end walls of said projection, one pair of adjacent body side walls sloping upwardly and inwardly adjacent the upper end of said body and being joined to the lower end of one of said projection side walls, the other pair of adjacent body side walls similarly sloping upwardly and inwardly adjacent the upper end of said body and being joined to the lower end of the other one of said projection side walls, a pair of said body corners which are below said projection end walls extending upwardly and being formed integral with said projection end walls, said projection walls being thicker than said thin body side walls, and a neck extending upwardly from said projection top wall intermediate the ends thereof.

6. A one-piece plastic bottle comprising an upright hollow body of substantially square shape in horizontal section and having rounded corners and thin side walls, a bulbous hollow substantially horizontally extending projection on the upper end of said body located so that a vertical plane through a pair of diagonally opposite corners of said body will pass substantially symmetrically through said projection, said projection having a pair of end walls intersected by said plane and a pair of nonparallel side walls extended between said end walls and spaced closer together than said end walls and located on opposite sides of said plane, each of said end walls being positioned above and in generally vertical alignment with one corner of said body, said projection having a top wall which is convex in an upward direction and is integral with the side and end walls of said projection, said body side walls sloping upwardly and inwardly adjacent the upper end of said body to join said projection side walls, one of said corners which is below said projection end walls extending upwardly and inwardly and being formed integral with one of said pro jection end walls, said projection walls being thicker than said thin body side walls, said projection side walls being bowed inwardly toward said vertical plane and converging in the direction of the other one of said end walls, and a neck extending upwardly from said projection top wall intermediate the ends thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS