Plastic containers are widely used commercially for a variety of products. These include plastic containers of widely varying sizes depending on the particular product and the commercial needs. For example, it is not uncommon to have plastic containers having a capacity of one gallon, two gallons, or more.
It is highly desirable to provide a plastic container which is stackable while at the same time providing desirable commercial characteristics, such as convenience in use and handling, reusability and desirable aesthetic characteristics. Also, the container must be able to be securely stacked as on a pallet in multiple tiers without requiring intermediate stacking pallets. Secure stackability is particularly important for hazardous liquids. Moreover, bulky or large size plastic containers present a particularly difficult problem for stackability in view of their often flexible walls.
It is also desirable to provide a plastic container as aforesaid which is resistant to vacuum and yet provides a simple, aesthetically pleasing structure which is suitable for a secure nesting arrangement with other like containers. It is particularly desirable to provide a plastic container as aforesaid which is convenient to handle and convenient to pour from in large size containers, as for example in 2 to 6 quart containers.
Accordingly, it is a principal objective of the present invention to provide a plastic container which is stackable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stackable plastic container as aforesaid which has desirable commercial characteristics, such as reusability and pleasing aesthetic features.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a stackable container as aforesaid which can readily be stacked in multiple tiers and which can be prepared in a variety of container sizes.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a plastic container as aforesaid which is resistant to vacuum and which is easy to use, easy to handle and easy to pour from, especially in large size containers.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.
In accordance with the present invention the foregoing objects and advantages are readily obtained.
The plastic container of the present invention comprises:
a blow molded plastic container having side portions thereof, a bottom portion thereof connected to said side portions, and a top portion thereof connected to said side portions, wherein said side portions extend downwardly from said top portion and interconnect the top portion to the bottom portion;
a pouring spout on one side of the top portion which projects upwardly from the top portion in the form of a first upward projection;
a handle on the side portion opposed to said pouring spout, preferably with an open space beneath the handle;
a projection on the top portion on a side thereof opposed to the pouring spout which projects upwardly from the top portion in the form of a second projection; and
spaced depressions on the bottom portion, one of which nests with one of the upward projections from the top portion of a second of said containers and a second of which nests with one of the upward projections from the top of a third of said containers, to form a stable nesting assembly of said containers.
The second upward projection is desirably in the shape of a closed pouring spout with no opening to the inside of the container. Therefore, preferably the first upward projection is a single pouring spout with an opening to the inside of the container.
The containers form a secure nested stack of plastic containers, wherein the containers in adjacent layers of the nested stack desirably run perpendicular to each other.
Preferably, an open space is provided beneath the handle for convenient handling and pouring from the container. Thus, the handle desirably runs parallel to the side portion opposed to the single pouring spout. The container preferably has four side portions to provide an essentially rectangular container, with two relatively shorter side portions which alternate with two relatively longer side portions.
Further features of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.
The present invention will be more readily understandable from a consideration of the following illustrative drawings, wherein:
Referring to the drawings,
Top or finish portion 14 is provided with a first upward projection, namely pouring spout 24 which is provided with an opening 26 to the inside of the container and screw threads 28 for a threaded closure (not shown), although one can if desired use a snap-on closure. The pouring spout has a generally round shape and is located on one side of top portion 14, preferably adjacent front side portion. The pouring spout 24 projects upwardly from top portion 14 in the form of a first upward projection.
A second upward projection 30 is provided on top portion or finish portion 14 spaced from the first projection on the side thereof opposed to pouring spout 24 and preferably adjacent rear side portion 22. The second upward projection 30 desirably has a configuration similar to the pouring spout 24, but has a closed top 32 with no access to the inside of the container.
Rear side portion 22 is provided with a handle 34, preferably an integral handle. The handle is located on the side portion opposed to pouring spout 24 which facilitates the pouring operation. The handle desirably runs parallel to the rear side portion, and preferably an opening 36 is provided under the handle for convenience in holding. If desired, however, the handle may simply be provided with a depression beneath the handle, or any suitable handle configuration.
The base or bottom portion 12 preferably has two relatively longer sides 38, 40 which alternate with two relatively shorter sides 42, 44. Base-12 is also provided with spaced depressions, namely preferably first depression 46 and second depression 48 both adjacent one longer side 38, and third depression 50 and fourth depression 52 both adjacent the other longer side 40. The first and second depressions 46, 48 are on opposed sides of the base than the third and fourth depressions 50, 52, and said depressions all preferably have a curved shape which generally corresponds to the shape of the first and second upward projections 24, 30.
Thus, as can be clearly seen in
The present invention contemplates that various sizes can be used for the containers, preferably from 2 to 8 quarts in capacity and optimally from 4 to 5 quarts in capacity. Also, desirably the larger side portions 18 and 20 are preferably used as label panels.
Also, multiple layers of containers can readily be formed, with each layer containing multiple containers in a criss-cross relationship as shown in
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the illustrations described and shown herein, which are deemed to be merely illustrative of the best modes of carrying out the invention, and which are susceptible of modification of form, size, arrangement of parts and details of operation. The invention rather is intended to encompass all such modifications which are within its spirit and scope as defined by the claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/236,327, filed Aug. 15, 2005.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 29236327 | Aug 2005 | US |
Child | 11369684 | Mar 2006 | US |