WO2024015448A1 - Connectable beverage bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

A connectable beverage bottle include: a hollow bottle body including a central cavity and a sidewall configured with a front vertical bottle locking protrusion that is configured with a horizontal overhang and left and right outward-curving left vertical bulges; a rear vertical bottle locking indentation with left and right inward-curving vertical indentations; and a flat bottom with a laterally elongated central indentation with alternating concave and convex edge portions; such that a plurality of connectable beverage bottles are configured to be mutually interconnectable.

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION

Connectable beverage bottle

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This International Application claims priority to U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 18/220,794, filed July 11, 2023; and claims priority to U.S. NonProvisional Application No. 18/206,896, filed June 7, 2023; and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/389,117, filed July 14, 2022; all three of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of beverage bottles for industrial manufacturing, and more particularly to methods and systems for a connectable beverage bottle with manufacturable features.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Interlocking connectable beverage bottle designs are well-known, and offer the opportunity for improved storage density, and can therefore reduce logistics cost for transport and storage.

[0004] However, such interlocking connectable beverage bottle designs have not gained widespread use, as they have proved difficult or impossible to manufacture using both traditional and state-of-the-art bottle molding methods.

[0005] As such, considering the foregoing, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for novel and improved connectable beverage bottles that are manufacturable with state-of-the art methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in aspects of this invention, enhancements are provided to the existing model of connectable beverage bottles in order to enable manufacturability. [0007] In an aspect, a connectable beverage bottle can include: a) a hollow body, including: i. a bottle top, including a bottle opening, such that the bottle opening provides access to a central cavity of the hollow body; ii. a sidewall, which forms the central cavity, wherein the sidewall comprises:

1. a vertical bottle locking protrusion, which is positioned on a first side of the sidewall; and

2. a vertical bottle locking indentation, which is positioned on a second side of the sidewall, such that the vertical bottle locking indentation is opposedly positioned relative to the vertical bottle locking protrusion; such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion can be configured to be slidable into a corresponding bottle locking indentation of a first like connectable beverage bottle, such that the connectable beverage bottle can be connected to the first like connectable beverage bottle; and such that the vertical bottle locking indentation can be configured to slidably receive a corresponding bottle locking protrusion of a second like connectable beverage bottle, such that the connectable beverage bottle can be connected to the second like connectable beverage bottle.

[0008] In a related aspect, the vertical bottle locking indentation can be configured with a horizontal overhang from a bottom outer edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation to a top outer edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation.

[0009] In another related aspect, the bottle body further comprises: a) a left front vertical indentation on a left side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, wherein the left front vertical indentation is configured with a concave left inner surface; and b) a right front vertical indentation on a right side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, wherein the right front vertical indentation is configured with a concave right inner surface.

[00010] In a further related aspect, a left opening angle between an inner left tangent line of an inner end of the concave left inner surface and an outer left tangent line of an outer end of the concave left inner surface can be in a range of 35 - 45 degrees; and a right opening angle, between an inner right tangent line of an inner end of the concave right inner surface and an outer right tangent line of an outer end of the concave left inner surface, can be in a range of 35 - 45 degrees.

[00011] In another further related aspect, a left outward inclination angle, between a longitudinal center line of the bottle body and the inner left tangent line of the inner end of the concave left inner surface, can be in a range of 20 - 30 degrees; and a right outward inclination angle, between the longitudinal center line of the bottle body and the inner right tangent line of the inner end of the concave right inner surface, can be in a range of 20 - 30 degrees.

[00012] In yet a further related aspect, a maximum left opening width of the left front vertical indentation between the outer left transition point and the inner left transition point can be in range of 75-85% of a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; and a maximum right opening width of the right front vertical indentation between the outer right transition point and the inner right transition point can be in range of 75-85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion.

[00013] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

[00014] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[00015] As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00016] FIG. 1 is a top front left perspective view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00017] FIG. 2 is a top rear right perspective view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00018] FIG. 3 is a bottom front left perspective view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00019] FIG. 4 is a bottom rear right perspective view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention. [00020] FIG. 5 is a front view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00021] FIG. 6 is a rear view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00022] FIG. 7 is a left side view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00023] FIG. 8 is a right side view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00024] FIG. 9A is a bottom view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00025] FIG. 9B is a bottom view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00026] FIG. 10 is a top view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00027] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a connectable beverage bottle taken along section 11-11 of FIG. 10, not showing any features of an interior of the connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00028] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a connectable beverage bottle taken along section line 12-12 of FIG. 10, not showing any features of the interior of the connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00029] FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a connectable beverage bottle taken along section line 13-13 of FIG. 5, not showing any features of the interior of the connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention. [00030] FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a connectable beverage bottle taken along section line 14-14 of FIG. 10, not showing any features of the interior of the connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00031] FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a connectable beverage bottle taken along section line 15-15 of FIG. 10, not showing any features of the interior of the connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00032] FIG. 16A is a schematic view of a process of a vertical movement to detachably interlock two connectable beverage bottles, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00033] FIG. 16B is a schematic view of a process of a lateral movement to detachably interlock two connectable beverage bottles, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00034] FIG. 16C is a perspective view of three connectable beverage bottles that are interconnected, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00035] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of three connected connectable beverage bottles taken along section line 17-17 of FIG. 16C, showing an outer shell of the three connected connectable beverage bottles only, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00036] FIG. 18A is a bottom right perspective view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[00037] FIG. 18B is a bottom left perspective view of a connectable beverage bottle, according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00038] Before describing the invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel and non-obvious combination of elements and process steps. So as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art, certain conventional elements and steps have been presented with lesser detail, while the drawings and specification describe in greater detail other elements and steps pertinent to understanding the invention.

[00039] The following embodiments are not intended to define limits as to the structure or method of the invention, but only to provide exemplary constructions. The embodiments are permissive rather than mandatory and illustrative rather than exhaustive.

[00040] In the following, we describe the structure of an embodiment of a connectable beverage bottle 100 with reference to FIG. 1, in such manner that like reference numerals refer to like components throughout; a convention that we shall employ for the remainder of this specification. The connectable beverage bottles 100 are designed to be interlockable, such that they may save space in logistics, such as during transport, storage, and store display, thereby improving space efficiency and cost efficiency; and, in comparison to earlier designs of interlockable bottles, are designed to be manufacturable with state-of-the-art bottle manufacturing methods.

[00041] In a related embodiment, FIGS. 1-12, shows an example of a connectable beverage bottle 100. The connectable beverage bottle 100 comprises a plurality of substantial design changes for the purpose of enabling manufacturability and improving connectability in comparison to an earlier design of an earlier connectable beverage bottle as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 10,472,117, issued November 12, 2019; US Patent No. D941,152, issued January 18, 2022; and International PCT Application Publication No. WO2019241246A1, published December 19, 2019; all three of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The earlier connectable beverage bottle was not manufacturable due to particular features of the corresponding earlier design and also did not have reliable connectability.

[00042] In a further related embodiment, compared to the earlier connectable beverage bottle, improvements to the connectable beverage bottle 100 include: a) all the corners or hard edges of the base of the connectable beverage bottle 100 have been rounded out completely so that the connectable beverage bottle 100 is much easier to blow mold during manufacturing; b) the interlocking back part of the bottle, i.e. the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126, is substantially thinner and the opening of the bottle on the other side, i.e. the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, where the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 goes in, is also correspondingly substantially thinner, as per further specification below; and c) the locking portion of the connectable beverage bottle 100, is now only about 1/3 to 1/2 of the bottle height of the connectable beverage bottle 100. In the original design of the earlier connectable beverage bottle, the entire back side was designed to lock into the bottle, but that original design has been found to be impossible to manufacture with available manufacturing methods and system.

[00043] In a related embodiment, a connectable beverage bottle 100 can include: a) a hollow body 103, including: i. a bottle top 105, including a bottle opening 115 and a bottle interior 111, such that the bottle opening 115 provides access to a central cavity 111 for storing a liquid; ii. a bottom 107; and iii. a substantially cylindrical sidewall 109, which forms the central cavity 111 (as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12), the sidewall 109 tapering inward adjacent to a top of the hollow bottle body 103 to form a tapered neck 113, which terminates at an opening 115 for the ingress and egress of liquids or solids into the central cavity 111; the sidewall 109 including a pair of parallel grooves 930, 940 (also referred to as left and right front vertical indentations 930, 940) inset within the circumference of the substantially cylindrical sidewall 109, which extend longitudinally from the hollow body's bottom 107 to the tapered neck 113, the pair of grooves 930, 940 forming a longitudinally extending projection 126 (also referred to as a vertical bottle locking protrusion 126) between the grooves 930, 940 which extends from the hollow body's bottom 107 to the hollow body's tapered neck 113, wherein the projection 126 radially tapers to form a tapered rounded edge 121; the sidewall 109 further including a longitudinally extending channel 224 (also referred to as the vertical bottle locking indentation 224) located diametrically opposed to the longitudinally extending projection 126, the channel 224 extending from the hollow body's bottom to the hollow body's tapered neck 113 with the channel's depth diminishing in a tapered manner adjacent to the tapered neck 113 to form a tapered rounded shelf 227, which is substantially parallel and diametrically opposed to the projection's tapered rounded edge 121; and the projection 126 and the channel 224 are sized and configured so that the projection 126 could be received within a channel of another like connectable beverage bottle so as to connect and affix to another like connectable beverage bottle.

[00044] In a related embodiment, the connectable beverage bottle 100 can be further configured such that: a) the projection's 126 tapered edge 121 and the channel's tapered shelf 227 permit the projection 126 to be inserted into a channel of a like connectable bottle at the hollow body's bottom, but not at the hollow body's top; and b) the projection 126 and the channel are sized and configured so that once the projection 126 is inserted into a channel of a like connectable bottle, the projection 126 is slidable within the channel until the projection's tapered edge 121 would engage the channel's tapered shelf 227 so as to prevent further movement or disengagement.

[00045] Thus, in an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, 9A-9B, and 16, a connectable beverage bottle 100 can include: a) a hollow bottle body 103, including: i. a central cavity 111; ii. a bottle top 105, including a bottle opening 115, such that the bottle opening 115 provides access to the central cavity 111; iii. a sidewall 109, which forms the central cavity, wherein the sidewall 109 comprises:

1. a vertical bottle locking protrusion 126, which is positioned on a first side of the sidewall 109; and

2. a vertical bottle locking indentation 224, which is positioned on a second side of the sidewall 109, such that the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 is opposedly positioned relative to the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126; such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 is configured to be slidable into a corresponding bottle locking indentation of a first like connectable beverage bottle 100, 1601, such that the connectable beverage bottle 100, 1602 is connected to the first like connectable beverage bottle 100, 1601; and such that the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 is configured to slidably receive a corresponding bottle locking protrusion 126 of a second like connectable beverage bottle 100, 1603, such that the connectable beverage bottle 100, 1602 is connected to the second like connectable beverage bottle 100, 1603.

[00046] In a related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hollow bottle body can further include: a) an upper screw portion 512; and b) a main portion 514, which is below the upper screw portion 512; wherein the main portion 514 can be left-right mirror symmetrical relative to a front-rear vertical center plane 520 of the hollow bottle body 103.

[00047] In another related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B and 10, the connectable beverage bottle 100 can be configured with various features, to enable manufacturability and detachable connectability, such that: a) a horizontal overhang 913 of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, from a bottom outer edge 912 of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 to a top outer edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, which is in a range of 5 - 30% or 10 - 25% of a maximum depth 919 of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, such that the limited range of the horizontal overhang 913 enables manufacturability of the connectable beverage bottle 100; b) a maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 can be in range of 25%-35% of a maximum bottle width 1056 of the hollow body 103; c) a left front vertical indentation 930 on a left side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126, wherein the left front vertical indentation 930 is configured with a concave left inner surface, such that a left opening angle 938, between an inner left tangent line 934 of an inner end of the concave left inner surface (in an inner left transition 11 point at an inner end of the concave left inner surface, where the concave inner surface connects with an inner convex left surface) and an outer left tangent line 932 of an outer end of the concave left inner surface (in an outer left transition point 12 at an outer end of the concave left inner surface, where the concave inner surface connects with an outer convex left surface), is substantially 30 degrees (i.e. about 30 degrees subject to manufacturing tolerances) or in a range of 25 - 35 degrees, or in a range of 20 - 40 degrees; d) a left outward inclination angle 937, between a longitudinal center line 935 of the bottle body and the inner left tangent line 934 of the inner end of the concave left inner surface, is substantially 25 degrees (i.e., about 25 degrees subject to manufacturing tolerances) or in a range of 20 - 30 degrees; e) a maximum left opening width 936 of the left front vertical indentation 930 between the outer left transition point and the inner left transition point can be in range of 70-90% or 75-85% of a maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126; f) a right front vertical indentation 940 on a right side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 926, wherein the right front vertical indentation 940 is configured with a concave right inner surface, such that a right opening angle 938, between an inner right tangent line 944 of an inner end of the concave right inner surface (in an inner right transition point 21 at an inner end of the concave right inner surface, where the concave inner surface connects with an inner convex right surface) and an outer right tangent line 942 of an outer end of the concave left inner surface (in an outer right transition point 22 at an outer end of the concave right inner surface, where the concave inner surface connects with an outer convex right surface), is substantially 30 degrees (i.e. about 30 degrees subject to manufacturing tolerances) or in a range of 25 - 35 degrees, or in a range of 20 - 40 degrees; g) a right outward inclination angle 947, between the longitudinal center line 935 of the bottle body 103 and the inner right tangent line 944 of the inner end of the concave right inner surface, is substantially 25 degrees (i.e., about 25 degrees subject to manufacturing tolerances) or in a range of 20 - 30 degrees; and h) a maximum right opening width 946 of the right front vertical indentation 940 between the outer right transition point and the inner right transition point can be substantially 80% (i.e., about 80% subject to manufacturing tolerances), or in range of 70-90% or 75-85% of a maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126.

[00048] In a further related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9A, the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 can be configured with an upper rounded indentation bulge 227 (which can also be referred to as a tapered rounded shelf 227), which is positioned in an upper part of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, such that the upper rounded indentation bulge 227 forms the horizontal overhang

913.

[00049] In a related embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A-9B, a bottom 107 of the hollow bottle body 103, can further include: a) a flat portion 962; and b) a central indentation 964, which is configured with a laterally elongated shape and is mirror symmetric relative to the longitudinal center line 935 of the bottle body 103, wherein a periphery of the central indentation comprises: i. a left front concave edge portion 42; ii. a right front concave edge portion 46; iii. a center front convex edge portion 44, which is positioned between the left front concave edge portion 42 and the right front concave edge portion 46; iv. a left rear concave edge portion 52; v. a right rear concave edge portion 56; vi. a center rear convex edge portion 54, which is positioned between the left rear concave edge portion 52 and the right rear concave edge portion 56; vii. a left side convex edge portion 62, which is positioned between the left rear concave edge portion 52 and the left front concave edge portion 42; and viii. a right side convex edge portion 64, which is positioned between the right rear concave edge portion 56 and the right front concave edge portion 46; such that an alternating pattern of concave edge portions 42, 46, 56, 58 and convex edge portions 44, 62, 54, 62 is formed along the laterally elongated shape of the periphery of the central indentation 964, which increase a torsional stiffness of the hollow bottle body 103, to create a sufficient torsional rigidity of the hollow bottle body 103 to aid in manufacturability of the connectable beverage bottle 100, particularly to ensure swift and frictionless extraction of the connectable beverage bottle 100 from molding components.

[00050] In another related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the hollow bottle body 103 can further be configured such that: a) the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 can further be configured with i. an outward-curving left vertical bulge 1830 positioned on a lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126; such that the outward-curving left vertical bulge 1830 tapers (i.e. fades or recedes) from a left maximum bulge point 1832 of a left lower edge of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 to an upper left bulge transition point 1834, wherein the outwardcurving left vertical bulge 1830 vanishes and the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 becomes substantially straight; ii. an outward-curving right vertical bulge 1840 positioned on a lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126, such that the outward-curving right vertical bulge 1840 tapers (i.e. fades or recedes) from a right maximum bulge point 1842 of a right lower edge of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 to an upper right bulge transition point 1844, wherein the outward-curving right vertical bulge 1840 vanishes and the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 becomes substantially straight; and b) the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 can further be configured with i. an inward-curving left vertical indentation 1850 positioned on a lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224; such that the inward-curving left vertical indentation 1850 tapers (i.e. fades or recedes) from a left maximum indentation 1852 of a left lower edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 to an upper left indentation transition point 1854, wherein the inward-curving left vertical indentation 1850 vanishes and the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 becomes substantially straight; ii. an inward-curving right vertical indentation 1860 positioned on a lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, such that the inward-curving right vertical indentation 1860 tapers (i.e. fades or recedes) from a right maximum indentation point 1862 of a right lower edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 to an upper right indentation transition point 1864, wherein the inward-curving right vertical indentation 1860 vanishes and the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 becomes substantially straight; such that the inward-curving left vertical indentation 1850 is configured to receive the outward-curving left vertical bulge 1830; such that the inward-curving right vertical indentation 1860 is configured to receive the outward-curving right vertical bulge 1840; such that a lower portion of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 is detachably locked in place inside a lower portion of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224; such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 is configured to be vertically slidable 1612 into a bottom of the corresponding bottle locking indentation 224 of the first like connectable beverage bottle 100, 1601.

[00051] In a related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B and 10, a left maximum lateral bulge depth 973 of the outward-curving left vertical bulge 1830, between a lower left bulge maximum point 972 and a lower left bulge minimum point 974, can be in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126; and a right maximum lateral bulge depth 977 of the outward-curving right vertical bulge 1840, between a lower right bulge maximum point 976 and a lower right bulge minimum point 978, can be in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126.

[00052] In a related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B and 10, a left maximum lateral indentation depth 983 of the inward-curving left vertical indentation 1850, between a lower left indentation maximum point 982 and a lower left indentation minimum point 984, can be in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum indentation width 925 of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224; and a right maximum lateral indentation depth 987 of the inward-curving right vertical indentation 1860, between a lower right indentation maximum point 986 and a lower right indentation minimum point 988, can be in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum indentation width 925 of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224.

[00053] In a related embodiment, the hollow bottle body 103 can be made from a sufficiently flexible material, such as a sufficiently flexible plastic material (with an appropriate wall thickness), such that limited ranges of the left and right maximum lateral bulge depths 973, 977 and the left and right maximum lateral indentation depth 983, 987, ensure that the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 is laterally slidable 1614 into the corresponding bottle locking indentation 224 of the first like connectable beverage bottle, wherein the outward-curving left vertical bulges 1830, 1840 snap in place inside the inward-curving left and right vertical indentations 1850, 1860, such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 snaps in place inside the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 (with a slight deformation of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 and the vertical bottle locking indentation 224 during the lateral sliding process).

[00054] Thus, in a related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3-4, 16A, 16B, 16C, and 17, a lower locking protrusion portion 327 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 can be configured to be upward vertically slidable 1612 and laterally slidable 1614 into a lower locking indentation portion 428 of a corresponding vertical bottle locking indentation 224, such that that the lower portion 327 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 is detachably interlocked with the corresponding vertical bottle locking indentation 224.

[00055] In a further related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3-4, 7, 16A, 16B, 16C, and 17, a first height 328 of a lower locking protrusion portion 327 (between the uniform horizontal levels 322, 324 of lower maximum bulge points 1832, 1842 and upper bulge transition points 1834, 1844) of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 and a second height 428 of a lower locking indentation portion 427 (between uniform horizontal levels 422, 424 of lower maximum indentation points 1852, 1862 and upper indention transition points 1854, 1864) of the corresponding vertical bottle locking indentation 224, can each be of a uniform height (i.e., the same height) and each can be in range of 20 - 60%, 30 - 50%, 35 - 45%, or 40%-48% of a bottle height 710 of the bottle body 103 of the connectable beverage bottle 100. [00056] Thus, in a yet further related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3-4, 7, 16A, 16B, 16C, and 17, the hollow bottle body 103 can further include: a) a lower locking protrusion portion 327 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126, wherein the lower locking protrusion portion 327 is positioned between uniform lower bulge horizontal levels 322 of left and right lower maximum bulge points 1832, 1842 and uniform upper bulge horizontal levels 324 of left and right upper bulge transition points 1834, 1844; and b) a lower locking indentation portion 427 of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, wherein the lower locking indentation portion 427 is positioned between uniform lower indentation horizontal levels 422 of left and right lower maximum indentation points 1852, 1862 and uniform upper indentation horizontal levels 424 of left and right upper indentation transition points 1854, 1864; wherein a first height 328 of the lower locking protrusion portion 327 of the vertical bottle locking protrusion 126 and a second height 428 of the lower locking indentation portion 427 of the vertical bottle locking indentation 224, are each of a uniform height 328, 428, which is in range of 30 - 50% of a bottle height 710 of the hollow bottle body 103.

[00057] In a related embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, an interlocked combination of connectable beverage bottles 100 can include: a) a first connectable beverage bottle 100, 1601, which can include: i. a hollow body 103 including a top, a bottom and a substantially cylindrical sidewall 109 which form a central cavity, the sidewall 109 tapering inward adjacent to the hollow body's top to form a tapered neck 113 which terminates at an opening for the ingress and egress of liquids or solids into the central cavity; wherein:

1. the sidewall 109 including a pair of parallel grooves 930, 940 inset within the circumference of the substantially cylindrical sidewall which extend longitudinally from the hollow body's bottom to the tapered neck 113, the pair of grooves 930, 940 forming a longitudinally extending projection 126 between the grooves 930, 940 which extends from the hollow body's bottom to the hollow body's tapered neck 113 wherein the projection 126 radially tapers to form a tapered rounded edge 121;

2. the sidewall 109 further including a longitudinally extending channel located diametrically opposed to the longitudinally extending projection 126, the channel extending from the hollow body's bottom to the hollow body's tapered neck 113 with the channel's depth diminishing in a tapered manner adjacent to the tapered neck 113 to form a tapered rounded shelf 227 which is substantially parallel and diametrically opposed to the projection's 126 tapered rounded edge 121; and b) a second connectable beverage bottle 100, 1602, which can include: i. a hollow body 103 including a top, a bottom and a substantially cylindrical sidewall 109 which form a central cavity, the sidewall 109 tapering inward adjacent to the hollow body's top to form a tapered neck 113 which terminates at an opening for the ingress and egress of liquids or solids into the central cavity; wherein: 1. the sidewall 109 including a pair of parallel grooves 930, 940 inset within the circumference of the substantially cylindrical sidewall 109 which extend longitudinally from the hollow body's bottom to the tapered neck 113, the pair of grooves 930, 940 forming a longitudinally extending projection 126 between the grooves 930, 940 which extends from the hollow body's bottom to the hollow body's tapered neck 113 wherein the projection 126 radially tapers to form a tapered rounded edge 121;

2. the sidewall 109 further including a longitudinally extending channel located diametrically opposed to the longitudinally extending projection 126, the channel extending from the hollow body's bottom to the hollow body's tapered neck 113 with the channel's depth diminishing in a tapered manner adjacent to the tapered neck 113 to form a tapered rounded shelf 227 which is substantially parallel and diametrically opposed to the projection's 126 tapered rounded edge 121; and

3. the first bottle's projection 126 sized and configured to have the same shape as the channel so as to be received within the second bottle's channel so as to connect and affix to the first bottle to the second bottle; and c) a third connectable beverage bottle 100, 1603, which is connected to the second connectable beverage bottle 100, 1602.

[00058] Here has thus been described a multitude of embodiments of the connectable beverage bottle 100, and methods related thereto, which can be employed in numerous modes of usage. [00059] The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

[00060] Many such alternative configurations are readily apparent and should be considered fully included in this specification and the claims appended hereto. Accordingly, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the invention is not limited to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and thus, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A connectable beverage bottle, comprising: a hollow bottle body, comprising: a central cavity; and a bottle top, including a bottle opening, such that the bottle opening provides access to the central cavity; a sidewall, which forms the central cavity, wherein the sidewall comprises: a vertical bottle locking protrusion, which is positioned on a first side of the sidewall; and a vertical bottle locking indentation, which is positioned on a second side of the sidewall, such that the vertical bottle locking indentation is opposedly positioned relative to the vertical bottle locking protrusion; such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion is configured to be slidable into a corresponding bottle locking indentation of a first like connectable beverage bottle, such that the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the first like connectable beverage bottle; and such that the vertical bottle locking indentation is configured to slidably receive a corresponding bottle locking protrusion of a second like connectable beverage bottle, such that the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the second like connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 1, wherein the vertical bottle locking indentation is configured with a horizontal overhang from a bottom outer edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation to a top outer edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 2, wherein the horizontal overhang is in a range of 10 - 25% of a maximum depth of the vertical bottle locking indentation. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 2, wherein the vertical bottle locking indentation is configured with an upper rounded indentation bulge in an upper part of the vertical bottle locking indentation, such that the upper rounded indentation bulge forms the horizontal overhang. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 1, wherein a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion is in range of 25%-35% of a maximum bottle width of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 1, wherein the hollow bottle body further comprises: a) a left front vertical indentation on a left side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, wherein the left front vertical indentation is configured with a concave left inner surface; and b) a right front vertical indentation on a right side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, wherein the right front vertical indentation is configured with a concave right inner surface. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 6, wherein a left opening angle, between an inner left tangent line of an inner end of the concave left inner surface and an outer left tangent line of an outer end of the concave left inner surface, is in a range of 35 - 45 degrees; and wherein a right opening angle, between an inner right tangent line of an inner end of the concave right inner surface and an outer right tangent line of an outer end of the concave left inner surface, is in a range of 35 - 45 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 7, wherein a left outward inclination angle, between a longitudinal center line of the hollow bottle body and the inner left tangent line of the inner end of the concave left inner surface, is in a range of 20 - 30 degrees; and wherein a right outward inclination angle, between the longitudinal center line of the hollow bottle body and the inner right tangent line of the inner end of the concave right inner surface, is in a range of 20 - 30 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 8, wherein the left opening angle and the right opening angle are each substantially 30 degrees; and wherein the left outward inclination angle and the right outward inclination angle are each substantially 25 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 7, wherein a maximum left opening width of the left front vertical indentation, between an outer left transition point at an outer end of the concave left inner surface and an inner left transition point at an inner end of the concave left inner surface, is in range of 75-85% of a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; and wherein a maximum right opening width of the right front vertical indentation between an outer right transition point at an outer end of the concave right inner surface and an inner right transition point at an inner end of the concave right inner surface, is in range of 75-85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 10, wherein the maximum left opening width and the maximum right opening width are each substantially 80% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 1, wherein a bottom of the hollow bottle body further comprises: a) a flat portion; and b) a central indentation, which is configured with a laterally elongated shape and is mirror symmetric relative to a longitudinal center line of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 12, wherein the central indentation further comprises: an alternating pattern of concave edge portions and convex edge portions along a periphery of the central indentation, such that the alternating pattern of concave edge portions increase a torsional stiffness of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 13, wherein the alternating pattern of concave edge portions and convex edge portions further comprises: a) a left front concave edge portion; b) a right front concave edge portion; c) a center front convex edge portion, which is positioned between the left front concave edge portion and the right front concave edge portion; d) a left rear concave edge portion; e) a right rear concave edge portion; f) a center rear convex edge portion, which is positioned between the left rear concave edge portion and the right rear concave edge portion; g) a left side convex edge portion, which is positioned between the left rear concave edge portion and the left front concave edge portion; and h) a right side convex edge portion, which is positioned between the right rear concave edge portion and the right front concave edge portion. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 1, wherein the vertical bottle locking protrusion further comprises: an outward-curving left vertical bulge positioned on a lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; such that the outward-curving left vertical bulge is configured to taper from a left maximum bulge point of a left lower edge of the vertical bottle locking protrusion to an upper left bulge transition point, wherein the outward-curving left vertical bulge vanishes; an outward-curving right vertical bulge positioned on a lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, such that the outward-curving right vertical bulge is configured to taper from a right maximum bulge point of a right lower edge of the vertical bottle locking protrusion to an upper right bulge transition point, wherein the outward-curving right vertical bulge vanishes and the vertical bottle locking protrusion becomes substantially straight; and wherein the vertical bottle locking indentation further comprises: an inward-curving left vertical indentation positioned on a lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle locking indentation; such that the inward-curving left vertical indentation is configured to taper from a left maximum indentation of a left lower edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation to an upper left indentation transition point, wherein the inward-curving left vertical indentation vanishes; an inward-curving right vertical indentation positioned on a lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle locking indentation, such that the inward-curving right vertical indentation is configured to taper from a right maximum indentation of a right lower edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation to an upper right indentation transition point, wherein the inward-curving right vertical indentation vanishes; such that the inward-curving left vertical indentation is configured to receive the outward-curving left vertical bulge; such that the inward-curving right vertical indentation is configured to receive the outward-curving right vertical bulge; and such that a lower portion of the vertical bottle locking protrusion is detachably locked in place inside a lower portion of the vertical bottle locking indentation; such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion is configured to be vertically slidable into the corresponding bottle locking indentation of the first like connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 15, wherein a left maximum lateral bulge depth of the outward-curving left vertical bulge, between a lower left bulge maximum point and a lower left bulge minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; and a right maximum lateral bulge depth of the outward-curving right vertical bulge, between a lower right bulge maximum point and a lower right bulge minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 16, wherein a left maximum lateral indentation depth of the inward-curving left vertical indentation, between a lower left indentation maximum point and a lower left indentation minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum indentation width of the vertical bottle locking indentation; and a right maximum lateral indentation depth of the inward-curving right vertical indentation, between a lower right indentation maximum point and a lower right indentation minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum indentation width of the vertical bottle locking indentation. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 17, wherein the hollow bottle body is made from a flexible material, such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion is laterally slidable into the corresponding bottle locking indentation of the first like connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 15, wherein the hollow bottle body further comprises: c) a lower locking protrusion portion of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, wherein the lower locking protrusion portion is positioned between uniform lower bulge horizontal levels of left and right lower maximum bulge points and uniform upper bulge horizontal levels of left and right upper bulge transition points; and d) a lower locking indentation portion of the vertical bottle locking indentation, wherein the lower locking indentation portion is positioned between uniform lower indentation horizontal levels of left and right lower maximum indentation points and uniform upper indentation horizontal levels of left and right upper indentation transition points; wherein a first height of the lower locking protrusion portion of the vertical bottle locking protrusion and a second height of the lower locking indentation portion of the vertical bottle locking indentation, are each of a uniform height, which is in range of 30 - 50% of a bottle height of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 1, wherein the hollow bottle body further comprises: a) an upper screw portion; and b) a main portion, which is below the upper screw portion; wherein the main portion is left-right mirror symmetrical relative to a front-rear vertical center plane of the hollow bottle body. A connectable beverage bottle, comprising: a) a central cavity; and b) a sidewall, which comprises: a vertical bottle locking protrusion; and a vertical bottle locking indentation; such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion is configured to be slidable into a corresponding bottle locking indentation of a first like connectable beverage bottle, such that the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the first like connectable beverage bottle; and such that the vertical bottle locking indentation is configured to slidably receive a corresponding bottle locking protrusion of a second like connectable beverage bottle, such that the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the second like connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 21, wherein the vertical bottle locking indentation is configured with a horizontal overhang from a bottom outer edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation to a top outer edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 22, wherein the horizontal overhang is in a range of 10 - 25% of a maximum depth of the vertical bottle locking indentation. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 21, wherein a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion is in range of 25%-35% of a maximum bottle width of the connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 21, wherein the connectable beverage bottle further comprises: a) a left front vertical indentation on a left side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, wherein the left front vertical indentation is configured with a concave left inner surface; and b) a right front vertical indentation on a right side of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, wherein the right front vertical indentation is configured with a concave right inner surface. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 25, wherein a left opening angle, between an inner left tangent line of an inner end of the concave left inner surface and an outer left tangent line of an outer end of the concave left inner surface, is in a range of 35 - 45 degrees; and wherein a right opening angle, between an inner right tangent line of an inner end of the concave right inner surface and an outer right tangent line of an outer end of the concave left inner surface, is in a range of 35 - 45 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 26, wherein a left outward inclination angle, between a longitudinal center line of the connectable beverage bottle and the inner left tangent line of the inner end of the concave left inner surface, is in a range of 20 - 30 degrees; and wherein a right outward inclination angle, between the longitudinal center line of the connectable beverage bottle and the inner right tangent line of the inner end of the concave right inner surface, is in a range of 20 - 30 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 27, wherein a maximum left opening width of the left front vertical indentation, between an outer left transition point at an outer end of the concave left inner surface and an inner left transition point at an inner end of the concave left inner surface, is in range of 75-85% of a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; and wherein a maximum right opening width of the right front vertical indentation between an outer right transition point at an outer end of the concave right inner surface and an inner right transition point at an inner end of the concave right inner surface, is in range of 75-85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 21, wherein a bottom of the connectable beverage bottle further comprises: a) a flat portion; and b) a central indentation, which is configured with a laterally elongated shape and is mirror symmetric relative to a longitudinal center line of the connectable beverage bottle, wherein the central indentation further comprises: an alternating pattern of concave edge portions and convex edge portions along a periphery of the central indentation, such that the alternating pattern of concave edge portions increase a torsional stiffness of the connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle of claim 21, wherein the vertical bottle locking protrusion further comprises: an outward-curving left vertical bulge positioned on a lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; such that the outward-curving left vertical bulge is configured to taper from a left maximum bulge point of a left lower edge of the vertical bottle locking protrusion to an upper left bulge transition point, wherein the outward-curving left vertical bulge vanishes; an outward-curving right vertical bulge positioned on a lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, such that the outward-curving right vertical bulge is configured to taper from a right maximum bulge point of a right lower edge of the vertical bottle locking protrusion to an upper right bulge transition point, wherein the outward-curving right vertical bulge vanishes and the vertical bottle locking protrusion becomes substantially straight; and wherein the vertical bottle locking indentation further comprises: an inward-curving left vertical indentation positioned on a lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle locking indentation; such that the inward-curving left vertical indentation is configured to taper from a left maximum indentation of a left lower edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation to an upper left indentation transition point, wherein the inward-curving left vertical indentation vanishes; an inward-curving right vertical indentation positioned on a lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle locking indentation, such that the inward-curving right vertical indentation is configured to taper from a right maximum indentation of a right lower edge of the vertical bottle locking indentation to an upper right indentation transition point, wherein the inward-curving right vertical indentation vanishes; such that the inward-curving left vertical indentation is configured to receive the outward-curving left vertical bulge; such that the inward-curving right vertical indentation is configured to receive the outward-curving right vertical bulge; and such that a lower portion of the vertical bottle locking protrusion is detachably locked in place inside a lower portion of the vertical bottle locking indentation; such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion is configured to be vertically slidable into the corresponding bottle locking indentation of the first like connectable beverage bottle; wherein a left maximum lateral bulge depth of the outward-curving left vertical bulge, between a lower left bulge maximum point and a lower left bulge minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; and a right maximum lateral bulge depth of the outward-curving right vertical bulge, between a lower right bulge maximum point and a lower right bulge minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion; and wherein a left maximum lateral indentation depth of the inward-curving left vertical indentation, between a lower left indentation maximum point and a lower left indentation minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum indentation width of the vertical bottle locking indentation; and a right maximum lateral indentation depth of the inward-curving right vertical indentation, between a lower right indentation maximum point and a lower right indentation minimum point, is in a range of 5 - 10% of a maximum indentation width of the vertical bottle locking indentation; wherein the connectable beverage bottle is made from a flexible material, such that the vertical bottle locking protrusion is laterally slidable into the corresponding bottle locking indentation of the first like connectable beverage bottle.