US20100072166A1

US20100072166A1 - Collapsible bottle

Info

Publication number: US20100072166A1
Application number: US12/269,266
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert G. Dickie
Original assignee: 2224568 ONTARIO Inc
Current assignee: 2224568 ONTARIO Inc
Priority date: 2008-09-25
Filing date: 2008-11-12
Publication date: 2010-03-25

Abstract

A collapsible bottle is particularly useful as a beverage bottle such as a water bottle or soda bottle which can be collapsed after its contents are emptied in order to reduce its volume whereby the collapsed bottle takes up less space in trash receptacles, recycling bins and so forth. Grooves are formed in the bottle to facilitate its collapse and visual indicators on the bottle suggest to the user the need to collapse the bottle. These visual indicators may include arrows, fingertip indentations, outwardly projecting ridges or other structures. In one embodiment, annular groove walls define annular grooves in which interruption members are disposed to interrupt the continuity of the grooves. Break spaces may be provided which interrupt the continuity of the groove walls to facilitate collapse of the bottle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/284,843, filed Sep. 25, 2008; the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to collapsible bottles or containers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a collapsible bottle which utilizes grooves to facilitate its collapse. Specifically, the present invention relates to such a bottle which utilizes finger grips and rotational direction indicators which respectively facilitate and suggest twisting the bottle to its collapsed position.
2. Background Information
In recent years, the use of personal water bottles has increased tremendously. In North America, the sales of bottled water have nearly tripled from 1998 to 2006. Most of these bottles are formed of recyclable plastic commonly in the form of polyethylene terephthalate, which has the common abbreviations PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P. PET is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is commonly used in synthetic fibers and for various other purposes. PET is one of the most readily recycled plastic materials available. Water bottles and soda bottles which are typically formed of PET or the like are commonly recycled but also often simply thrown out. In either case, these bottles take up a substantial amount of space due to the volume of air within the bottle when it is discarded. Thus, it would be desirable to use a collapsible bottle in order to reduce the amount of volume taken up when collapsed and discarded, so that storage and transportation of the bottles would be substantially more efficient. By way of example, a standard curbside recycling box typically holds somewhere on the order of 15 to 18 or 20 of these personal sized, 500 ml bottles. If these bottles could be collapsed to provide a volume reduction on the order of 2.0 to 1 or 2.5 to 1, somewhere on the order of 40 to 50 of these bottles would be able to fit within the same recycling box.
There are a variety of collapsible bottles and other containers known in the art. One type of collapsible container utilizes a bellows type side wall which may be formed of concentric alternating ridges and grooves or helical ridges and grooves. Collapsible containers of this nature are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,084 granted to Davison, which discloses a double walled collapsible container, U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,110 granted to Parker and U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,755 granted to Pedulla, et al. Also along these lines, U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,576 granted to Torgrimson et al. discloses a collapsible container which has a side wall of the bellows type configuration and which is specifically configured as a mixing kit.
Many of the collapsible containers are configured to move between the erect or expanded position and the collapsed position. The latter category includes containers which have side walls formed of a material which is sufficiently resilient to itself cause the side wall to spring back all the way to the expanded position. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,285 granted to Stewart-Stand discloses a collapsible container which utilizes a rubber or elastomeric side wall and also includes a cover and a base which are releasably connected to one another when the side wall is collapsed therebetween. U.S. Pat. No. 2,268,993 granted to Sanders discloses a collapsible container having a cylindrical side wall with a coil spring attached inside the side wall for the purpose of biasing the side wall to its expanded position. U.S. Pat. No. 2,723,779 granted to Parker et al. discloses a collapsible container which includes spiraling solid or channel type stiffening ribs which may facilitate the container returning to its expanded condition. The latter patent also provides an example of collapsible containers which are specifically configured when squeezed or collapsed to express the contents therefrom, wherein the contents are typically viscous or paste like materials such as whipped cream, cake topping or icing, peanut butter, ketchup and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,211 granted to Hollingsworth discloses a collapsible container wherein a portion of a side wall turns inside out to fold over on itself in order to move to the collapsed position. The prior art also includes metal cans which have grooved side walls such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,139,143 granted to Wiswell. A hydraulic or pneumatic press is used to collapse the metal can. While the prior art thus includes a variety of collapsible containers, there is still a need in the art for a collapsible bottle which can be manually collapsed and which provides strong visual indicators that the bottle should be collapsed after its use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a collapsible plastic bottle comprising: a plastic bottom wall; a plastic annular sidewall which has a top and a bottom, which is connected at its bottom to the bottom wall and extends upwardly therefrom, and which has expanded and collapsed positions; an interior chamber defined by the bottom wall and sidewall; a top entrance opening of the interior chamber defined by the top of the sidewall; a plurality of grooves formed in the sidewall which facilitate movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position in response to a manual force applied to the sidewall to cause one of the top and bottom of the sidewall to move toward the other of the top and bottom of the sidewall; and a visual indicator on the bottle suggestive of a need to apply the manual force.
The present invention also provides a collapsible plastic bottle comprising: a plastic bottom wall; plastic annular sidewall which has a top and a bottom, which is connected at its bottom to the bottom wall and extends upwardly therefrom, and which has expanded and collapsed positions; an interior chamber defined by the bottom wall and sidewall; a top entrance opening of the interior chamber defined by the top of the sidewall; a plurality of annular groove walls of the sidewall which substantially circumscribe the interior chamber and respectively define a plurality of annular grooves which facilitate movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position in response to a manual force applied to the sidewall; and at least one break space in each of the groove walls which interrupts the annular continuity of the respective groove wall and facilitates radially inward movement of a portion of the respective groove wall during movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position.
The present invention further provides a collapsible plastic bottle comprising: a plastic bottom wall; a plastic annular sidewall which has a top and a bottom, which is connected at its bottom to the bottom wall and extends upwardly therefrom, and which has expanded and collapsed positions; an interior chamber defined by the bottom wall and sidewall; a top entrance opening of the interior chamber defined by the top of the sidewall; a plurality of annular grooves formed in the sidewall which facilitate movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position in response to a manual force applied to the sidewall; and at least one interruption member in each of the grooves which interrupts the annular continuity of the groove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated of the best mode in which Applicant contemplates applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the first embodiment of the collapsible bottle of the present invention with its label attached.

FIG. 2 is perspective view of the bottle as seen from above and from the side of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottle as seen from below and from the side of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the bottle.

FIG. 4A is an enlarged side elevational view of the lower portion of the bottle.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the bottle.

FIG. 5A is an enlarged side elevational view of the top portion of the bottle.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the bottle with its cap removed at a stage of partial collapse.

FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 10 and shows the bottle in its fully collapsed state with its cap reattached.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the second embodiment of the collapsible bottle of the present invention with its label attached and its cap removed.

FIG. 13 is perspective view of the bottle as seen from above and from the side of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bottle as seen from below and from the side of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged side elevational view of the lower portion of the bottle.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged top plan view of the bottle.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged side elevational view of the top portion of the bottle.

FIG. 18 is a side elevational view of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of the bottle with its cap removed at a stage of partial collapse.

FIG. 20 is similar to FIG. 10 and shows the bottle in its fully collapsed state with its cap reattached.

FIG. 21 is a side elevational view of the third embodiment of the collapsible bottle of the present invention with its label attached and its cap removed.

FIG. 22 a side elevational view of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 23 is a side elevational view of the bottle rotated about a vertical axis 45 degrees relative to the position shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is perspective view of the bottle as seen from above and from the side of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the bottle as seen from below and from the side of the bottle with the label removed.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged top plan view of the bottle.

FIG. 27 is an enlarged side elevational view of the top portion of the bottle.

FIG. 28 is a sectional view taken on line 28-28 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 28A is a sectional view taken on line 28A-28A of FIG. 21.

FIG. 29 is a sectional view taken on line 21-21 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 30 is an enlarged side elevational view of the corresponding encircled portion of FIG. 21 showing one of the groove interruption members as viewed from its front or along a horizontal radius from the interruption member to the center of the bottle.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged side elevational view of the corresponding encircled portion of FIG. 21 showing one of the groove interruption members from its side or generally along a horizontal tangent to the cylindrical outer surface of the bottle.

FIG. 32 is similar to FIG. 31 and shows a portion of one of the grooves in the expanded position in which the portion of the groove shown is free of an interruption member.

FIG. 33 is similar to FIG. 29 without showing the bottom wall of the bottle and illustrates one of the grooves and the corresponding interruption members in the expanded position.

FIG. 34 is a side elevational view of the bottle illustrated in an initial stage of collapsing the bottle.

FIG. 35 is similar to FIG. 34 and shows the grooved section of the bottle fully collapsed with the cap on the bottle.

FIG. 36 is similar to FIG. 32 and illustrates one of the grooves in its collapsed position.

FIG. 37 is similar to FIG. 33 and illustrates one of the grooves and the corresponding interruption members in the collapsed position.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of the collapsible bottle of the present invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1 with its label attached and in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 with its label removed; a second embodiment of the bottle is shown generally at 200 in FIG. 12 with its label attached and in 13, 14 and 18 with label removed; and a third embodiment of the bottle is shown generally at 300 in FIG. 21 with its label attached and FIGS. 22-25 with its label removed. Bottle 10 includes a circular and generally flat bottom wall 12, an annular and generally circular side wall 14 connected and extending upwardly from bottom wall 12, and a cap 16 which is removably secured to the top of side wall 14. Cap 16 includes a circular flat top wall 18 and an annular substantially cylindrical side wall 20 secured thereto and extending downwardly therefrom with internal threads 22 (FIG. 9). Bottle 10 has an expanded position shown in FIGS. 1-3, 6 and 9, and a collapsed position shown in FIG. 11. Bottle 10 is substantially radially symmetrical about a central vertical axis X. Side wall 14 is generally concentric about axis X. Bottom wall 12 and side wall 14 are formed of a suitable thermoplastic material which in the exemplary embodiment is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) although other suitable plastic materials may be used. The material forming bottom wall 12 and side wall 14 is impermeable to air and water. In the exemplary embodiment, bottom wall 12 and side wall 14 are blow molded whereby the two walls are formed as a integral one-piece member. A label 24 is connected to and circumscribes a portion of side wall 14. Label 24 is typically formed of a thin sheet of flexible material such as paper or plastic and is typically glued or adhered to itself and/or side wall 14 to connect label 24 to side wall 14.
Bottle 10 is most typically sized for the purpose of holding about 500 ml of liquid, such as water or a carbonated liquid or beverage. However, bottle 10 may also be configured in other sizes, such as the standard 1 liter, 1.5 liter, or 2 liter bottles. It may also be configured as a 12 ounce, 16 ounce, 24 ounce, 32 ounce, or other commonly sized beverage container. While the common 500 ml water bottles have relatively thin walls, the bottles which are used for carbonated beverages typically have walls which are somewhat thicker although still relatively thin, and must typically be configured to withstand up to 90 pounds per square inch internal pressure which can occur in the containment of such carbonated liquids.
Side wall 14 has a bottom 26 which serves as the bottom of bottle 10 and which is secured to the outer perimeter of bottom wall 12 and extends upwardly therefrom to a top 28 (FIG. 9). Bottom 26 and top 28 define therebetween a vertical height H1 (FIG. 9) of side wall 14 in its expanded position, which is nearly the total height of bottle 10, which further includes the thickness of top wall 18 of cap 16. Side wall 14 includes an annular bottom arcuate transition section 30 which extends from bottom 26 upwardly a short distance and has a convexly curved outer surface which curves radially outwardly and upwardly. Side wall 14 further includes a substantially cylindrical section 32 and a grooved section 34 which takes up most of cylindrical section 32. Cylindrical section 32 includes a lower cylindrical section 36 which is connected to and extends upwardly from the top of transition section 30 and has the largest diameter of any portion of side wall 14. Cylindrical section 32 also includes an upper cylindrical label section 38 which is connected to the top of lower section 36 and extends upwardly therefrom. Label section 38 steps inwardly slightly from lower section 36 and thus forms a slightly recessed annular area circumscribing section 38 for receiving therein label 24. Label section 38 thus has a slightly smaller diameter than lower section 36.
Side wall 14 further includes a tapered shoulder section 40 which is connected to and extends upwardly from the top of label section 38. Shoulder section 40 at its lower end steps outward slightly from label section 30 whereby the lower end of shoulder section 40 has a diameter which is substantially the same as that of lower cylindrical section 36. Shoulder section 40 then tapers upwardly and inwardly and has a generally frustoconical shape. Side wall 14 further includes a neck section 42 which is connected to and extends upwardly from the top of shoulder section 40. Neck section 42 includes a thicker lower section 44, a thinner upper section 46 and an annular flange 48 which is connected to the top of lower section 44 and the bottom of upper section 46 and extends radially outwardly therefrom. External threads 50 are formed along the outer periphery of upper section 46 to provide a threaded engagement with internal threads 22 of cap 16. As shown in FIG. 9, lower section 44 of side wall 14 has a thickness which is greater than that of upper section 46, both of which are thicker than bottom wall 12 and the remainder of side wall 14 which extends below lower section 44. The thickness of bottom wall 12 and sections 30, 32 and 40 of side wall 14 are substantially the same.
Bottom wall 12 and side wall 14 define therewithin an interior chamber 52 (FIG. 9) having a top entrance opening 54. Entrance opening 54 serves as the sole entrance or exit opening of interior chamber 52 through which material may enter or exit chamber 52, such as water or liquid 56 and air or other gas 58 which are shown as the contents of bottle 10 in FIG. 9. Top wall 18 of cap 16 and top 28 of the upper threaded portion of side wall 14 form a water tight and gas tight seal therebetween when cap 16 is sufficiently tightened via its threaded engagement with external threads 50 of upper section 46. Thus, when this gas tight, water tight seal is formed, no water or other liquid or air or other gas may pass into or out of interior chamber 52 from or to atmosphere external to bottle 10. Cap 16 may be unthreaded and removed from neck section 42 in order to provide access to entrance opening 54 whereby these various materials may enter or exit interior chamber 52. Under normal production circumstances, interior chamber 52 is filled with water or another liquid such as carbonated water or soda through entrance opening 54 when cap 16 is removed. Cap 16 is subsequently attached to form the seal with the top of side wall 14 in order to keep the contents of bottle 10 therein during shipping, handling and so forth.
In accordance with several features of the invention, ten diagonal grooves 60A-J are formed in cylindrical section 32 of side wall 14, a lower set 62 of seven fingertip grips or indentations 64A-G are formed in side wall 14 adjacent bottom 26, and an upper set 66 of seven fingertip grips or indentations 68A-G are formed in tapered shoulder section 40 of side wall 14. Several visual rotation indicators or twist indicators are provided to suggest to the user that the upper and lower portions of bottle 10 should be rotated or twisted respectively in opposite directions about vertical axis X to effect the collapse of bottle 10. These visual rotational or twist indicators include indentations 64 and 68, a lower set of arrows 70 which are respectively associated with lower fingertip grips 64A-G, and an upper set of arrows 72 which are respectively associated with upper fingertip grips 68A-G. In the exemplary embodiment, each lower arrow 70 includes a substantially rectangular rear portion or tail and a forward triangular portion or head having a sharp V-shaped point or pointing tip 74 which points to the right as viewed from the side (FIG. 6) and clockwise about axis X when viewed from the bottom (FIG. 4), thereby suggesting rotation of the bottom portion of bottle 10 in said clockwise direction about axis X. Likewise, upper arrows 72 have a rectangular tail and a triangular head having a V-shaped point or pointing tip 76 whereby each of arrows 72 points in the opposite circumferential or rotational direction in which the top of side wall 14 is to be rotated about axis X in order to effect the collapse of the side wall.
With primary reference to FIGS. 3A and 6, grooved section 34 is described in greater detail. As previously noted, ten diagonal grooves 60A-J are formed in side wall 14. In the exemplary embodiment, each groove 60 is a spiraling groove which angles upwardly and circumferentially along the outer periphery of sidewall 14 so that each groove spirals about vertical axis X. Each adjacent pair of grooves 60 is spaced from one another by a respective spiraling bridge section 78 which angles or spirals upwardly parallel to the corresponding adjacent pair of grooves 60. Grooves 60 and bridge sections 78 thus alternate around the circumference of side wall 14. Each groove 60 has an arcuate top end 80 and an arcuate bottom end 82 with spiraling opposed side edges 84 and 86 extending therebetween. The upper portion of each groove 60 extends under label 24, which thus covers said upper portion including upper end 80. A periphery transition wall 88 bounds each groove 60 and curves radially inwardly from side edges 84 and 86 and from top and bottom ends 80 and 82 to form a convexly curved surface along the entire outer periphery of the respective groove 60. A U-shaped wall 90 is secured to transition wall 88 and extends radially inwardly therefrom to form a concavely curved surface bounding each respective groove 60 and communicating with the convexly curved surface of transition wall 88.
Top and bottom ends 80 and 82 of each groove 60 define therebetween a vertical height H2 (FIG. 6) of the respective grooves in the expanded position. Inasmuch as each bridge section 78 extends the same length as each groove 60, height H2 is also representative of the vertical height of the bridge sections in the expanded position. Each groove 60 also has a length as measured along its spiraling configuration between ends 80 and 82 which is greater than height H2. Vertical height H2 makes up the vast majority of the height of cylindrical section 32 and in the exemplary embodiment is about 90 percent thereof. Although each groove 60 in the exemplary embodiment extends from adjacent section 30 and the lower end of section 32 upwardly to adjacent the upper end of section 32 and shoulder section 40, more than one set of shorter grooves may be used as well. For example, a first set of diagonal and typically spiraling grooves which are about half the height of grooves 60 may be positioned above a second set of grooves which are also half the height of grooves 60 whereby the two sets may overlap one another or be vertically separated from one another. In this case, the height analagous to vertical height H2 would be from the bottom of the lower set to the top of the upper set of grooves. The side edges 84 and 86 of a respective groove 60 define therebetween a width W1 (FIG. 6) of the groove which is perpendicular to the elongated direction of the groove. The side edge 84 of one groove also serves as the side edge of the adjoining bridge section 78 while the side edge 86 of an adjacent groove 60 also serves as the side edge of said bridge section 78. Thus, the side edges 84 and 86 of a given bridge section 78 define therebetween a width W2 taken perpendicular to the elongated direction of the bridge section. In the exemplary embodiment, width W2 is greater than width W1 and more particularly on the order of about 1.5 times that of width W1. However, width W2 may be the same as or less than width W1.
As shown in FIG. 3A, each groove 60 has a circumferential width represented by angle A1, which is defined between the intersection of a horizontal plane and side edges 84 and 86 of the respective groove 60. FIG. 3A also illustrates that each bridge section 78 has a circumferential width represented by angle A2 as measured between edges 84 and 86 of the bridge section 78 along a horizontal plane. In the exemplary embodiment, angle A2 is greater than angle A1 although this may vary such that A2 is the same as or less than angle A1. FIG. 3A also illustrates that each bridge section 78 along the horizontal plane forms an arc of a common circle which is concentric about axis X.
A vertical cross section of bridge sections 78 and groove 60 is represented in FIG. 9, which illustrates that each bridge section 78 in the exemplary embodiment is substantially straight and vertical. FIG. 9 also illustrates that each groove 60 has a vertical height H3 defined between side edges 84 and 86 along a vertical plane. FIG. 9 also illustrates that each bridge section 78 has a vertical height H4 defined between its side edges 84 and 86 along a vertical plane. Height H4 in the exemplary embodiment is greater than height H3 and more particularly is more than two times of that of height H3. Although this may vary, height H4 is most typically greater than height H3.
With primary reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 4A and 7, fingertip indentations 64 and the lower portion of bottle 10 are described in greater detail. Each indentation 64 is formed partially in transition section 30 and the lower portion of cylindrical section 36 below the bottom ends 82 of grooves 60. Each indentation 64 extends upwardly from or adjacent bottom 26 and has a generally triangular configuration which is wider adjacent its bottom 92 than its top 94. The triangular configuration is bounded by a bottom generally horizontal side or edge 96, a generally vertical leading edge 98 which may be referred to as a right edge as viewed from the side of the bottle, and a trailing side or edge 100 which may be referred to as a left edge as viewed from the side of the bottle. Trailing edge 100 angles upwardly and to the right from bottom edge 96. Leading and trailing edges 98 and 100 adjacent their upper ends intersect at a top rounded corner 102. Bottom edge 96 adjacent its leading or right end intersects leading edge 98 at its bottom end at a leading bottom rounded corner 104. Bottom edge 96 at its trailing or left end intersects trailing edge 100 at its bottom end at a trailing bottom rounded corner 106.
A periphery transitional wall 108 which has a generally inverted U-shaped or inverted V-shaped configuration curves radially inwardly from leading edge 98 toward the left, from trailing edge 100 towards the right and from top corner 102 downwardly. Transitional wall 108 has a convexly curved outer surface which transitions to a recessed wall 110 which is recessed radially inwardly of the circular outer surfaces of bottom arcuate transition section 30 and the lower portion of lower cylindrical section 36. Recessed wall 110 has a right or leading surface 112 which serves as the primary fingertip gripping or pushing surface used to rotate the bottom end of the bottle about axis X. A portion of leading or gripping surface 112 is disposed directly to the right of tip 74 of arrow 70 whereby tip 74 points directly to said portion of gripping portion 112. Recessed wall 110 also includes trailing surface 114, a portion of which is to the left of arrow 70. Leading surface 112 faces radially outwardly and to the left toward trailing edge 100 and trailing surface 114 while trailing surface 114 faces radially outwardly and to the right toward leading edge 98 and leading surface 112.
Each adjacent pair of indentations 64 is circumferentially spaced by a respective generally triangular bridge section 116 which is part of transition section 30 and the lower portion of lower cylindrical side wall 36 and which is wider adjacent its top than its bottom. Each bridge section 116 extends circumferentially from the leading edge 98 of one indentation 64 to the trailing edge 100 of an adjacent indentation 64 and is secured to the respective leading and trailing portions of the periphery transition walls 108 bounding the respective adjacent pair of indentations 64. Each bridge section 116 extends upwardly from the leading and trailing bottom rounded corners 104 and 106 of an adjacent pair of indentations 64 upwardly to the corresponding top rounded corners 102 or tops 94 of the respective adjacent pair of indentations 64. The outer surfaces of bridge sections 116 form respective horizontal arcs of a common circle which is concentric about axis X.
As shown in FIG. 7, each leading surface 112 angles radially inwardly at a sharper angle from the circular outer surface of the adjacent bridge section 116 than does trailing surface 114 from the bridge section 116 to which surface 114 is adjacent. Leading surface 112 thus provides a better gripping surface for rotating the bottom of bottle 10 in the direction indicated by arrows 70 than it does trailing surface 114 for rotating the bottom of bottle 10 in the opposite direction. One way of representing this distinction between leading and trailing surfaces 112 and 114 is illustrated by angles A3 and A4 in FIG. 7. Angles A3 and A4 are defined using a first radius R1, a second radius R2, a first tangent T1 and a second tangent T2. Radii R1 and R2, tangent T1 and T2 and angles A3 and A4 all lie within the horizontal plane along which FIG. 7 is taken. Radius R1 intersects leading edge 112. Tangent T1 is a tangent to leading surface 112 and extends generally radially outwardly therefrom whereby angle A3 is defined between radius R1 and tangent T1. Likewise, radius R2 intersects trailing edge 114, and tangent T2 is a tangent to trailing surface 114 whereby angle A4 is defined therebetween. As is readily apparent from FIG. 7, angle A3 is substantially less than angle A4. In the exemplary embodiment, angle A3 is on the order of about 30 degrees and angle A4 is on the order of about 65 degrees whereby angle A4 is more than twice that of angle A3. Preferably, angle A4 is at least 15 or 20 degrees greater than angle A3 and even more preferably at least 25 or 30 degrees greater. Generally, the greater the difference between angle A4 and A3, the easier it is to visually discern which of surfaces 114 and 112 is to be used as the fingertip gripping surface to which a rotational force is applied about axis X in order to effect the collapse of bottle 10. If this difference is sufficiently pronounced, it can serve as (or as part of) a visual indicator or suggestion to the user about which direction the bottom of bottle 10 should be rotated even without the use of arrows 70.
There are several aspects of indentations 64 which facilitate their use as visual rotation or twisting indicators in addition to providing the fingertip pushing surfaces to rotate the bottom of bottle 10. Each indentation 64 is not bilaterally symmetrical about a plane cutting through it in any direction (i.e., a vertical plane, a horizontal plane or otherwise). Thus, for instance, the upper half and lower half of each indentation 64 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Likewise, the leading half and trailing half of each indentation 64 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Leading edge 98 and trailing edge 100 angle upwardly at different angles and such that they are not mirror images of one another about a vertical plane. This is likewise true of the leading and trailing portions of transition wall 108. Leading and trailing surfaces 112 and 114 have different shapes as viewed from the side or as viewed from below. Surfaces 112 and 114 also angle radially differently, as discussed above. Other distinctions are also evident from the Figures.
Bottom 92 and top 94 of each indentation 64 defines therebetween its vertical height H5, which is substantially longer than width W1 of groove 60, typically twice or three times width W1. Height H5 is far less than vertical height H2 of grooves 60. Height H2 may easily be three, four or five times that of height H5. Height H5 in the exemplary embodiment is also greater than width W2 of bridge section 78. Each indentation 64 also has a width W3 as measured horizontally from left to right which in the exemplary embodiment is from adjacent bottom trailing corner 106 to leading edge 98. Width W3 in the exemplary embodiment is approximately the same as height H5 and thus has similar ratios with respect to width W1, width W2 and height H2.
With primary reference to FIGS. 5, 5A and 8, the upper portion of bottle 10 including upper set 66 of indentations 68 is now described in greater detail. Each indentation 68 has a top 118 and a bottom 120 defining therebetween a height H6 which is the same or nearly the same as height H5 and thus has the same ratios with respect to width W1, width W2, height H2 and so forth. Each indentation 68 has an upper leading edge 122 which angles upwardly and to the right as viewed from the side, a lower leading edge 124 which angles downwardly and to the right as viewed from the side, and a trailing edge 126 which extends generally vertically and angles upwardly and to the right. Upper leading edge 122 and trailing edge 126 at the upper ends intersect to form a top rounded corner 128. The bottom of trailing edge 126 and the right or trailing end of lower leading edge 124 intersect to form a bottom rounded corner 130. The leading ends of upper and lower leading edges 122 and 124 intersect to form a leading rounded corner 132. Each indentation 68 thus has a substantially triangular configuration. The left or leading end of indentation 68, here represented by leading rounded corner 132, and the trailing or right end of indentation 68 represented adjacent top corner 28, define therebetween a width W4 which is similar to height H6 and thus provides similar ratios with respect to the measurements as discussed previously. A generally triangular periphery transition wall 134 curves radially inwardly from upper and lower leading edges 122 and 124 and trailing edge 126 to provide a convexly curved surface along each of said edges.
A generally triangular recessed bowl-shaped wall 136 is secured to and extends radially inwardly from periphery transition wall 134 and generally provides a substantially triangular concavely curved surface which bounds indentation 68 and curves radially inwardly from all portions of transition wall 134 to adjacent arrow 72, which projects radially outwardly therefrom, whereby arrow 72 is disposed within or bounds indentation 68. Wall 136 includes a leading fingertip gripping surface 138 at least a portion of which is disposed between corner 132 and tip 76 of arrow 72. Arrow 72 thus points directly toward said portion of surface 138. Wall 136 has a trailing surface a portion of which is behind arrow 72 and which angle less sharply radially than leading surface 138, as described above regarding leading and trailing surfaces 112 and 114 of indentations 64. While most of indentation 68 is disposed radially inward of the outer frustoconical surface of shoulder portion 40, a small leading portion adjacent leading surface 138 is disposed radially outwardly of said outer surface. This is due to the fact that the left or leading portion of indentation 68 is defined by an L-shaped or V-shaped ridge 140 which projects radially outwardly of the circular or frustoconical outer surface of shoulder section 40.
Ridge 140 includes an upper leg 142 which angles upwardly and to the right and includes the portion of transition wall 134 extending along upper leading edge 122. Ridge 140 also includes a lower leg 144 which angles downwardly and to the right and includes the portion of transition wall 134 which extends along lower leading edge 124. Legs 142 and 144 intersect at a rounded tip or point 146. Ridge 146 thus provides an additional visual rotation indicator or twist indicator inasmuch as it projects outwardly from the outer surface of section 40 and also includes rounded point 146 which points in the same rotational direction as arrows 72. In contrast, there is no such ridge extending along trailing edge 126 which projects radially outwardly from the outer surface of shoulder section 40.
Each adjacent pair of indentations 68 is circumferentially spaced from one another and joined to one another by a generally L-shaped bridge section 135 which defines respective portions of the frustoconical outer surface of shoulder section 40. Each bridge section 135 extends circumferentially from the trailing edge 126 of one indentation 68 to the upper and lower legs 142 and 144 of V-shaped ridge 140 of the adjacent indentation 68 and thus to adjacent upper and lower leading edges 122 and 124 of said adjacent indentation 68. As illustrated in FIG. 8, bridge sections 135 along a horizontal plane form respective arcs of a common circle which is concentric about axis X. V-shaped ridges 140 project radially outwardly from the outer surface of respective bridge sections 135.
Like lower indentations 64, there are several aspects of upper indentations 68 which facilitate their use as visual rotation or twisting indicators in addition to providing the fingertip pushing surfaces to rotate the top of bottle 10. Each indentation 68 is not bilaterally symmetrical about a plane cutting through it in any direction (i.e., a vertical plane, a horizontal plane or otherwise). Thus, for instance, the upper half and lower half of each indentation 68 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Likewise, the leading half and trailing half of each indentation 68 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Each of upper and lower leading edges 122 and 124 and trailing edge 126 angle upwardly at different angles and such that they are not mirror images of one another about a vertical plane or any other plane. This likewise true of the leading and trailing portions of transition wall 134. Other distinctions are also evident from the Figures.
The collapsing operation of bottle 10 is now described with primary reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. First, cap 16 is unthreaded by rotation relative to side wall 14 (arrow A in FIG. 2) in order to either simply break the gas tight, water tight seal or to additionally completely remove cap 16 (FIG. 10). Then, the upper portion of bottle 10 including neck section 42 and shoulder section 40 are manually rotated about axis X in the direction indicated by arrows 72 while the bottom of bottle 10 is manually rotated in the opposite direction indicated by arrows 70. more particularly, the fingers of one hand are positioned within indentations 64 to apply rotational force against fingertip gripping surfaces 112 while the fingertips of the other hand are positioned within indentations 68 to apply rotational force against fingertip gripping surfaces 138 to provide the counter rotating motion of the bottom and top portions of bottle 10 relative to one another.
The positioning of the fingertips in the respective indentations is represented in FIGS. 7 and 8, the fingertips being shown in dashed lines. More particularly, the thumb 148A of one hand is shown positioned in indentation 64A with the fingertips 150 of the other fingers of the same hand positioned respectively in indentations 64C-F. Likewise, FIG. 8 shows thumb 148B of the other hand positioned in indentation 68D with the fingertips 150 of the other four fingers positioned respectively in indentations 68F, 68G, 68A, and 68B. Each of FIGS. 7 and 8 thus illustrate the rationale for utilizing seven indentations 64 and seven indentations 68. When either hand is moved to a grasping or gripping position, the thumb is generally opposed to the other four fingers so that the other four fingers are generally circumferentially evenly spaced from one another while there is a larger space between the thumb and index finger and between the thumb and pinkie finger. The use of seven indentations which are equally spaced circumferentially about the upper portion and lower portion of the bottle allows the thumb to fit within one indentation with the index finger positioned in another indentation with one of the indentations left free therebetween and with the pinkie finger in another indentation with one of the indentations left free between the thumb and pinkie finger. Indentations 64 and 68 are thus ergonomically configured for a normal grip and/or grasping configuration of the hand. FIGS. 7 and 8 also illustrate one typical initial positioning of the right and left hands in the respective indentations so that the thumbs are generally circumferentially opposed to allow for a greater degree of twisting in a single twisting action of the opposed hands.
The counter rotating motion of the top and bottom of bottle 10 thus causes bottle 10 to begin collapsing as illustrated in FIG. 10. As the bottle is collapsed, air exits the interior chamber as indicated at arrow B in FIG. 10. The rotational force applied by one hand to the upper portion of the bottle via indentations 68 is accompanied by an axial downward force (arrow F1 in FIG. 10) along axis X while the opposite rotational force applied by the other hand to the bottom of the bottle via indentations 64 is accompanied by an opposed upward axial force (arrow F2) whereby the manually applied rotational and axial forces thus applied force bottle 10 to collapse. Grooves 60 are configured to facilitate this collapsing effect in response to the relative rotation between the upper and lower ends of side wall 14. During the collapsing process, grooves 60 move closer to one another. Due to the plastic material of which side wall 14 is formed, the twisting of side wall 14 produces strains primarily within cylindrical section 32 which crinkle or crumple portions of section 32. This occurs in bridge sections 78 and along the portions of the side wall defining grooves 60, such as U-shaped wall 90 and so forth. This crumpling process thus creates irregular wrinkles or creases 152 along side wall 14 primarily within section 32. Creases 152 are permanently formed in side wall 14. The manual twisting is continued until the bottle reaches its fully collapsed state shown in FIG. 11. Once cylindrical section 32 is fully collapsed, cap 16 is rotated (arrow C in FIG. 2) back onto threaded neck section 46 in order to form the gas tight, water tight seal previously discussed so that air will not reenter the interior chamber of bottle 10. Such air reentry would allow for some degree of expansion to a volume greater than that of the fully collapsed position due to the fact that the plastic material forming side wall 14 does have some resilient characteristics although not enough to cause it to move back to its fully expanded position.
In the fully collapsed position shown in FIG. 11 with cap 16 attached to form the gas tight, water tight seal, side wall 14 has a collapsed height H7 defined between bottom 26 and top 28 and grooves 60 have a collapsed vertical height H8 defined between top and bottom ends 80 and 82. The reduction in the height of the bottle or side wall 14 as shown in the figures is due solely to or substantially to the reduction in height of grooves 60 or grooved section 34 although the crumpling or crinkling of side wall 14 may extend above and/or below that shown in FIG. 11. Additional height reduction and volume reduction may also be achieved by additional vertical compression of bottle 10 by continuing to push the opposed hands together with or without additional twisting force so that a portion of shoulder section 40 and/or portions of lower section 30 and the lower section of the cylindrical portion 32 adjacent section 30 may be crushed or otherwise deformed. This is especially true of the typical water bottles which have rather thin side walls. This may also be feasible with some of the soda bottles or the like which nonetheless have thicker side walls in order to withstand the internal pressure from carbonated drinks.
Preferably, the ratio of the collapsed height H7 of side wall 14 to the expanded height H1 is preferably no greater than 0.50 and the more preferably no more than 0.45, 0.40, 0.35 or 0.30. The ratio of collapsed height H8 of grooves 60 or section 34 to the expanded height H2 thereof is preferably no more than 0.35 and even more preferably no more than 0.30, 0.25 or 0.20. The volume reduction of bottom 11 may be quite substantial, whether measured as the reduction the internal volume of interior chamber 52 or the external volume as defined by the entire outer surface of bottle 10. Preferably, the ratio of the collapsed volume to the expanded volume is no greater than 0.50 and more preferably no more than 0.45, 0.40, 0.35, 0.30 or 0.25.
As previously noted, the plastic material of which side wall 14 is formed does not have sufficient resilient characteristics to cause side wall 14 to move back to its fully expanded position although it may move toward the expanded position to a relatively limited degree. Inasmuch as the irregular creases 152 formed during the collapsing process are permanent, bottle 10 is incapable of returning to its original expanded configuration even if reverse rotational and axial forces are applied to the upper and lower portions of the bottle to stretch it out once again. That is, such forces may return bottle 10 to its fully expanded height, but would not be able to repair the deformation represented primarily by creases 152.
It is further noted that bottle 10 in the preferred embodiment is free of several aspects known in the prior art as discussed in the Background section of the present application. (This is also true of bottles 200 and 300). For example, bottle 10 does not include spring members such as coil springs or stiffening ribs which act as spring members capable of causing the side wall of the bottle to move from its collapsed position to its fully expanded position. In addition, bottle 10 preferably avoids the use of the bellows style helical grooves formed between helical folding sections such that each adjacent pair of grooves meets at a substantially pointed or V-shaped ridge. In addition, bottle 10 does not utilize a cover attached to the top of the collapsible side wall and a base connected to the bottom of the side wall wherein a latching mechanism releasably connects the cover and base to one another in the collapsed position to hold the collapsed side wall therebetween so that upon release of the connection between the cover and base, the side wall may be expanded to its fully expanded position. Bottle 10 may also avoid the use of other prior art concepts the lack of which may distinguish the present invention and which Applicant reserves the right to subsequently claim.
Collapsible bottle 200 is now described with reference to FIGS. 12-20. Bottle 200 is similar to bottle 10 and is configured to be collapsed in a similar manner from its expanded position shown in FIGS. 12-14 and 18 to its collapsed position shown in FIG. 20. Bottle 200 is similar to bottle 10 except that it includes a side wall 14A which differs from side wall 14 of bottle 10 in that it includes a bottom arcuate transition section 30A which is somewhat altered from transition section 30 of bottle 10, and a tapered shoulder section 40A which differs somewhat from shoulder section 40 of bottle 10. More particularly, transition section 30A and portions of the side wall immediately above section 30A include seven fingertip grips or indentations 264A-G which vary somewhat from indentations 64A-G of bottle 10 and are circumferentially evenly spaced from one another. In addition, tapered section 40A includes upper fingertip grips or indentations 268A-G which vary somewhat from indentations 68A-G of bottle 10 and are circumferentially evenly spaced from one another. Thus, as will be clear from a brief review of the figures, bottle 200 also includes bottom wall 12, cap 16 (FIG. 20), bottom 26, top 28, cylindrical section 32, grooved section 34, lower and upper cylindrical sections 36 and 38 and neck section 42. Bottle 200 thus includes the various other elements which form the above listed components, such as grooves 60 and so forth. All of these components were described with reference to bottle 10 and will thus not be described in greater detail with reference to bottle 200.
The difference in the shape of indentations 264 and 268 slightly alter the interior chamber of bottle 200, which is denoted at 52A in FIG. 13. Bottle 200 is formed of the same materials noted with reference to bottle 10. Bottom wall 12 and side wall 14 below neck section 42 have a thickness which is relatively thin and substantially constant, as noted above with regard to bottle 10. As shown in FIG. 12, arrows 70A are disposed generally in the center of respective indentations 264 and arrows 72A are disposed generally in the center of the respective upper indentations 268. FIG. 12 also shows triangular bridge sections 116A between each adjacent pair of indentations 264 which are similar to bridge section 116 of bottle 10.
Referring now primarily to FIG. 15, lower indentations 264 are now described in greater detail. Indentations 264A-G form a lower set 62A which is analogous to lower set 62 of bottle 10. In contrast to arrows 70 of bottle 10, arrows 70A of bottle 200 point upwardly to the right in a circumferential direction at an angle A5 with respect to a horizontal plane when bottle 200 is seated on a horizontal surface, as indicated in FIG. 15. In the exemplary embodiment, angle A5 is approximately 30 degrees and most typically will fall within a range of about 20 to 45 or 50 degrees. However, angle A5 may be up 60 or 70 degrees. As discussed with reference to bottle 10, arrows 70, which point in a horizontal direction along the circumference of side wall 14, provide one form of a visual indicator suggesting to the user that the bottom of the bottle should be rotated about a vertical axis relative to the top of the bottle in order to collapse the bottle. The use of arrows 70A on bottle 200 suggest both application of the rotational force suggested by arrows 70 of bottle 10 and also an upward force which is also used in the crushing or collapsing of bottle 200. Each arrow 70A more particularly includes a rectangular tail with a triangular head connected thereto which defines a pointing tip 74A which in particular points upwardly and to the right at angle A5 relative to horizontal.
With continued reference to FIG. 15, each indentation 264 is described in greater detail. Indentation 264 is similar to indentation 64. Indentation 264 has a bottom or bottom edge 202 and a top 204 which define therebetween height H5 which was previously discussed with reference to indentation 64. Indentation 264 further has leading and trailing edges 206 and 208 defining therebetween width W3, which was also discussed previously with regard to indentation 64. The height and width of each indentation 264 is thus on the order of that of indentation 64 and thus has the same relationship with respect to grooves 60 and so forth as previously described with regard to bottle 10. Adjacent the top of indentation 264 is a top rounded corner 210. Indentation 264 also has leading and trailing bottom rounded corners 212 and 214. Indentation 264 further includes a periphery transition wall 216 analagous to transition wall 108 of bottle 10. Transition wall 216 has a convex outer surface which transitions from respective bridge sections 116A to a recessed wall 218 which is generally concavely curved from left to right and disposed radially inwardly of bridge sections 116A. Recessed wall 218 includes a leading gripping or pushing surface 220 which is in part directly in front of pointed tip 74A of arrow 70A. Recessed wall 218 further includes a trailing surface 222 which is generally behind and to the left of arrow 70A. Pushing surface 220 angles inwardly more sharply adjacent leading edge 98 than does trailing surface 222 adjacent trailing edge 100, as described in greater detail above with respect to the corresponding surface of indentations 64 of bottle 10.
With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, shoulder section 40A and upper set 66A of indentation of 268 are now described in greater detail. Just as the lower set 62A includes seven indentations 264, upper set 66A includes seven generally triangular indentations 268A-G. The rationale for using seven indentations was discussed with regard to bottle 10. Although each indentation 268 is similar to indentation 68 of bottle 10, there are some variations. One key distinction is the use of arrows 72A which are disposed generally centrally within the respective indentations 268 and which point downwardly and to the left at an angle A6 relative to horizontal which in the exemplary embodiment is about 30 degrees and typically falls within the same ranges as angle A5. Arrows 72A thus suggest to the user to apply a downward force in combination with a rotational force in the opposite direction of that indicated by arrows 70A within the lower indentations.
Each indentation has a top or top edge 224 and a bottom or bottom edge 226 defining therebetween height H6 whereby the height of indentations 268 bear similar relationships to other components as discussed with the height of indentations 68 of bottle 10. Each indentation 268 also includes a left leading edge 228 and a right trailing edge 230 defining therebetween width W4 whereby the width of indentations 268 also provides the same type of relationship as discussed with the width of indentations 68 of bottle 10. Each indentation further has a top left leading rounded corner 232, a top right trailing rounded corner 234 and a bottom rounded corner 236 which is intermediate corners 232 and 234, namely to the right of and lower than corner 232 and to the left of and lower than corner 234. Top edge 224 is generally horizontal but angles slightly upwardly to the right from top left rounded corner 232 to top trailing rounded corner 234. The bottom portion of leading edge 228 angles downwardly and to the right from top leading rounded corner 232 to bottom rounded corner 236. Trailing edge 230 angles upwardly and to the right from bottom rounded corner 236 to top trailing rounded corner 234. A generally triangular periphery transition wall 238 extends along the outer perimeter of indentation 268. Transition wall 238 provides a convexly curved outer surface which along trailing edge 230 transitions from a generally triangular bridge section 240 between each adjacent pair of indentations 238 to a generally triangular recessed bowl-shaped wall 242. The upper end of bridge section 240 is substantially narrower than the lower portion of bridge section 240. Transition wall 238 along top edge 224 also provides a convexly curved outer surface transition from the circular or frustoconical outer surface of shoulder section 40A to recessed wall 242. The bowl shape of recessed wall 242 thus provides a concavely curved outer surface from left to right and from top to bottom. Wall 242 includes a leading gripping or pushing surface 244, a portion of which is directly in front of tip 76A of arrow 72A. Wall 242 also includes a trailing surface 246 which is generally rearward of arrow 72A including a portion which is directly behind the arrow and thus to the right and above the tail of arrow 72A.
A U-shaped ridge 248 is formed along the lower left of each indentation 268. Each ridge 248 extends radially outwardly from one of bridge sections 240 of shoulder section 40A generally along the lower left of indentation 268. Ridge 248 also extends radially outwardly from recessed wall 242 and defines the portion of transition wall 238 extending from adjacent top left rounded corner 232 to bottom rounded corner 236. A portion of leading gripping surface 244 lies on the upper right side of ridge 248 and thus faces upwardly and to the right toward tip 76A of arrow 72A. Ridge 248 thus provides an additional visual indicator suggesting rotation of the upper portion of bottle 200 as well as a downward force to be applied in the direction indicated by arrows 72. In the exemplary embodiment, ridge 248 extends substantially only along the lower left edge or side of indentation 268 and recessed wall 242 from corner 232 to corner 236 while top edge 224, trailing edge 230 and right top corner 234 are free of such a ridge which projects radially outwardly of the outer surface of tapered section 40A.
Like lower indentations 64 of bottle 10, there are several aspects of indentations 264 which facilitate their use as visual rotation indicators or upward force indicators. Each indentation 264 is not bilaterally symmetrical about a plane cutting through it in any direction (i.e., a vertical plane, a horizontal plane or otherwise). Thus, for instance, the upper half and lower half of each indentation 264 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Likewise, the right leading half and left trailing half of each indentation 264 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Each of right leading edge 206 and left trailing edge 208 angle upwardly at different angles and such that they are not mirror images of one another about a vertical plane or any other plane. This is likewise true of the leading and trailing portions of transition wall 216, as well as recessed wall 218.
Like the previously discussed identations, there are several aspects of upper indentations 268 which facilitate their use as visual rotation indicators and also downward force indicators in addition to providing the fingertip pushing surfaces for applying rotational and downward force on the top of bottle 200. While each indentation 268 is substantially bilaterally symmetrical about a plane which cuts through the center of arrow 72A in the direction in which the arrow points, (said plane being represented by a dashed line in FIG. 17) indentation 268 is not bilaterally symmetrical about a plane cutting through it in other directions, for instance, horizontally or vertically. Thus, the upper half and lower half of each indentation 268 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Likewise, the leading half and trailing half of each indentation 268 are different from one another and are not mirror images of one another. Each of upper edge 224, trailing edge 230 and the forward lower edge extending along ridge 248 angle upwardly at different angles and such that they are not mirror images of one another about a any plane other than noted above. This is likewise true of the leading and trailing portions of transition wall 234 and recessed wall 242. Other distinctions are also evident from the figures.
The crushing or collapsing operation of bottle 200 is the same as that as described with respect to bottle 10 except that the user may position the fingers of one hand in the corresponding indentations 268 and the fingers of the other hand in the corresponding indentations 264 in order to apply the respective rotational and downward force to the top of the bottle and opposite rotational and upward force to the bottom of the bottle. FIGS. 18-20 show the collapse of bottle 200 in the same manner as described with respect to bottle 10. Thus, FIG. 18 shows bottle 200 in its expanded position with a total height H1 with grooves 60 having height H2 while FIG. 20 shows bottle 200 in its collapsed position with total height H7 and grooves 60 having height H8. FIG. 19 further illustrates the downward and upward forces applied by the hands during the crushing process at arrows F1 and F2 while air or other contents of the bottle exit its entrance opening as indicated at arrow B. FIG. 20 shows cap 16 having been threaded onto the top of the bottle to provide a seal which prevents air from re-entering the interior chamber so that any re-expansion subsequent to the crushing of the bottle is limited to a minimum.
Collapsible bottle 300 is shown in its expanded position in FIGS. 21-25 and its collapsed position in FIG. 35. Bottle 300 is similar in many respects to bottles 10 and 200, but is configured to be crushed or collapsed by a vertical force or force extending along its central axis X without the rotational force used in the collapse of bottles 10 and 200. Bottle 300 is formed of the same materials as described above with regard to bottle 10. Bottle 300 has a generally circular bottom wall 12A (FIG. 25) and a side wall 14B extending upwardly therefrom. Side wall 14B is similar to side wall 14 of bottle 10 and side wall 14A of bottle 200 and includes a bottom arcuate transition section 30B and a generally cylindrical section 32A. Transition section 30B is analogous to but somewhat different than sections 30 and 30A of the other bottles and is not described in great detail herein. Cylindrical section 32A includes a grooved section 34A having grooves formed in a lower cylindrical section 36A and an upper cylindrical label section 38A which has an overall diameter which is slightly less than section 36A for receiving label 24. Side wall 14B also includes a tapered shoulder section 40B which is analogous to shoulder sections 40 and 40A and which includes fingertip grips or indentations 368A-G which are circumferentially evenly spaced along shoulder section 40B. Side wall 14B further includes neck 42 which is the same as the previous embodiments. Side wall 14B of bottle 300 has a height H1A defined between bottom 26 and top 28 which is similar or the same as height H1 of bottle 10 and bottle 200. As also noted with regard to bottles 10 and 200, the bottom wall 12A and side wall 14 below neck section 42 have a thickness which is substantially constant. Bottom wall 12A and side wall 14B define an interior chamber 52B (FIG. 24) which is somewhat different than interior chambers 52 and 52A, but which is of a similar overall shape and a comparable volume.
Unlike bottles 10 and 200, bottle 300 does not include visual indicators which are intended to suggest the application of a rotational or upward force to facilitate the collapsing or crushing of bottle 300. Thus, while the bottom of bottle 300 may be of any suitable configuration, it is shown in the exemplary embodiment as having a generally flat circular disc configuration which arches upwardly like an inverted bowl to produce a concave lower surface, as shown in FIG. 25. Five bottom wall grooves 302 are formed along the bottom of bottle 300 and are disposed in a spoke-like fashion wherein each groove extends from the lower portion of side wall 14B along transition section 30B and radially inwardly therefrom to a circular central portion 304. Each pair of adjacent grooves 302 defines therebetween a respective generally triangular wedge section 306 extending from central portion 304 to transition section 30B.
Referring now primarily to FIG. 22, grooved section 34A includes eight vertically spaced annular V-shaped grooves 310A-H which in the exemplary embodiment are substantially horizontal and thus parallel to one another. Each groove 310 is substantially circular and is interrupted by four interruption members 312A-D which are circumferentially equally spaced from one another and which in the exemplary embodiment are thus at about 90 degrees from one another. Member 312C and the 90 degree spacing are shown in FIG. 29. The interruption members 312A disposed in the various grooves 310 together form a set of interruption members which are vertically aligned with one another. Likewise, the interruption members 312B together form another vertically aligned set, as do the interruption members 312C and 312D respectively. Each adjacent pair of grooves 310 is spaced from one another by respective cylindrical bridge sections 314 which are more particularly shown at 314A-G.
Bridge sections 314A-E are substantially identical to one another. Bridge section 314G is substantially identical to sections 314A-E except that it has a slightly smaller diameter in keeping with providing a space for label 24 (FIG. 21). Bridge section 14F includes a lower cylindrical portion which is of the same diameter as sections 314A-E and an upper cylindrical section which steps inwardly therefrom and has a diameter which is the same as that of section 314G. The edge at which the lower cylindrical portion steps inwardly to the upper portion section 314F provides the lowermost boundary of the label section 38A. Side wall 14B further includes a lower substantially cylindrical bridge section 316 which tapers slightly inwardly and downwardly from the bottom of the lower groove 310A to transition section 30B. Side wall 14B further includes an upper cylindrical bridge section 318 which extends upwardly from the top groove 310H to the top of label section 38A, where side wall 14B steps outwardly a short distance to provide the uppermost boundary of label section 38A. Bridge section 318 has the same diameter as that of bridge section 314G. Interruption members 312 interrupt the annular continuity of the respective groove 310 and divide each groove 310 into four arcuate groove sections 313 each defined between a circumferentially adjacent pair of interruption members 312. Inasmuch as each groove 310 is concentric about axis X, each arcuate groove section 313 lies along a common circle which is concentric about axis X. Grooved section 34A will be described in greater detail further below.
With primary reference to FIGS. 26 and 27, upper set 66B of indentations 368 and related structure of tapered shoulder section 40B are now described in greater detail. Arrows 72B are respectively positioned generally in the center of each indentation 368 and are analogous to arrows 72 and 72A. However, arrows 72B have a pointed tip 76B which points vertically downwardly as viewed from the side. Inasmuch as arrows 72 are formed along the frustoconical tapered shoulder section 40B, each arrow 72 more accurately also points radially outwardly away from axis X as best illustrated in FIG. 26. FIG. 26 also illustrates that each indentation 368 including arrow 72B is bilaterally symmetrical about a respective vertical plane in which axis X lies, as illustrated by plane P1. Shoulder section 40B includes generally hourglass-shaped bridge sections 320 each of which is positioned between an adjacent pair of identations 368. Each bridge section 320 includes an upper tapered section 322 which tapers upwardly and outwardly and a lower tapered section 324 which tapers downwardly and outwardly with its top meeting the bottom of upper tapered section 322 at a narrowest portion or neck 326. FIG. 28 illustrates that bridge sections 320 along a horizontal plane form respective arcs of a common circle which is concentric about axis X, which is true at any horizontal plane which cuts through bridge sections 320. Unlike the bridge sections of shoulder sections 40 and 40A of bottles 10 and 200, bridge section 320 is bilaterally symmetrical about a respective vertical plane in which axis X lies, as illustrated at plane P2 in FIG. 26. Thus, the left and right halves of bridge section 320 are mirror images of one another, as are the left and right halves of each indentation 368.
With continued reference to FIGS. 26 and 27, each indentation 368 has a top rounded corner or top edge 328 and a bottom edge 330 which define therebetween a height H9 of indentation 368. Left and right diagonal edges 332 and 334 of indentation 368 angle downwardly and away from one another respectively to the left and right from top edge 328 respectively to left and right bottom rounded corners 336 and 338, which respectively communicate with the left and right ends of bottom edge 330. Left and right edges or corners 336 and 338 define therebetween a width W5. A periphery transition wall 340 having a convexly curved outer surface extends along and inwardly of left and right diagonal edges 332 and 334 to transition from the respective upper tapered sections 322 to a triangular bowl-shaped recessed wall 342, the outer surface of which curves concavely primarily from left to right as shown in FIG. 28.
Recessed wall 342 has an upper portion or surface 341 which is generally above the tail of arrow 72B and below top end 328; a left portion or surface 343 to the left of arrow 72B and to the right of the left portion of periphery transition wall 340 which extends along left edge 332; a lower portion or pushing surface 344 below tip 76B of arrow 72B and above bottom edge 330; and a right portion or surface 345 to the right of arrow 72B and to the left of the right portion of periphery transition wall 340 which extends along right edge 334. A U-shaped ridge 346 along the bottom of indentation 368 extends radially outwardly from bottom edge 330 and the lower tapered sections 324 on either side of the indentation 368. Ridge 346 includes an upper portion 348 which when viewed from the front (as indentation 368A is shown in FIG. 27) is substantially horizontal along its center and curves upwardly on either end to transition to rounded corners 336 and 338. Ridge 346 has a lower portion 350 which extends downwardly from upper portion 348 and is generally straight or has a concavely curved outer surface which transitions back into the circular outer surface along the lower portion of shoulder section 40B and more particularly lower tapered sections 324 of the respective bridge sections on either side of the given indentation 368.
FIG. 28A is a sectional view taken along a vertical plane in which axis X lies and shows that recessed wall 342 along this plane (that is, the center of wall 342) is generally straight from top edge 328 to a point which is below tip 76B of arrow 72B and adjacent surface 344 and ridge 346. Wall 342 adjacent its lower end then curves radially outwardly so that its outer surface adjacent its lower end is concavely curved whereby surface 344 along the bottom of wall 342 and upper surface of ridge 346 extends transversely and nearly perpendicular to the upper generally straight portion of wall 342 and radially outwardly away from axis X and slightly upwardly as well. Surface 344 then transitions downwardly to the straight and convexly curved outer surface of upper portion 348 of ridge 346. The upwardly facing pushing surface 344 thus angles inwardly at a sharper angle relative to vertical and relative to the frustoconical outer surface of the adjacent bridge sections 320 than does upper surface 341 of recessed wall 342. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 28A, surface 344 and said frustoconical surface of the adjacent bridge section 320 define therebetween an angle A7 as viewed from the side which is substantially larger than the angle A8 defined between surface 341 and the frustoconical outer surface of the adjacent bridge sections 320 as viewed from the side. In the exemplary embodiment, angle A7 is on the order of about 100 to 110 degrees and typically falls within a range of about 80 or 90 degrees to 110 to 120 degrees. Angle A8 is by contrast typically on the order of about 5 to 15 degrees and more typically between 5 and 10 degrees. Angle A8 may be less than 5 degrees as well. Indeed, bottle 300 may be formed without indentations while retaining ridges similar to ridges 346 in order to provide a visual indicator and a pushing surface like surface 344. However, the use of indentations 368 and arrows 72 provide additional visual indicators to the user to apply the downward force to crush or collapse bottle 300.
Grooved section 34A is now described in greater detail with primary reference to FIGS. 23 and 29-33. As previously noted, each bridge section 314 is substantially cylindrical although section 314F includes upper and lower portions wherein the lower portion has a diameter which is slightly larger than the upper portion. Each of grooves 310B-310G is positioned between a respective pair of bridge sections 314. Groove 310A is similarly positioned between bridge section 314A and lower bridge section 316 while groove 310H is positioned between bridge section 314G and upper bridge section 318. Each groove has a circular top edge 352 and a circular bottom edge 354 which define therebetween a height H10 (FIGS. 23, 32) in the expanded position, which also represents the width as measured perpendicular to the elongated direction of the groove. Height H10 is substantially less than height H9 (FIG. 27) of indentation 368. In the exemplary embodiment, height H9 is on the order of about 3.5 times height H10, and is typically at least 2 or 3 times height H10. Height H10 is also substantially less than width W5 of indentation 368. In the exemplary embodiment, width W5 is about 3 times height H10 and is typically at least twice height H10. The top edge 352 of the uppermost groove 310H and the bottom edge 354 of the lowermost groove 310A define therebetween a height H2A which is similar to or the same as height H2 of the grooved section of bottles 10 and 200.
A broken or interrupted annular groove wall which defines groove 310 has a V-shaped cross section along a central vertical plane and includes four arcuate top wall segments 356 and four arcuate bottom wall segments 358. Each of top and bottom arcuate wall segments 356 and 358, which lie along arcs of a circle which is concentric about axis X, extend between and are connected to an adjacent pair of interruption members 312. Each top wall segment 356 intersects one of bridge sections 314 or bridge section 318 at a top arcuate transition or intersection 360. Likewise, each bottom wall segment 358 intersects one of bridge sections 314 or bridge section 316 at a bottom arcuate transition or intersection 362. The bottom of top wall segment 356 intersects the top of bottom wall segment 358 at a middle inner intersection or vertex 364 midway between top and bottom edges 352 and 354.
Each bridge section 314 has a height H11 defined between a pair of adjacent grooves 310. More particularly, height H11 is defined between the top edge 352 of the lower groove 310 of the adjacent pair and the bottom edge 354 of the upper groove 310 of the adjacent pair. In the exemplary embodiment, height H11 is slightly larger than height H10 although height H11 may be the same as or less than height H10. It is generally preferred that bridge sections 314 are substantially cylindrical and that they provide spacing between each adjacent pair of grooves 310 such that the top wall segments 356 of the lower groove does not intersect the bottom wall segment 358 of the upper groove 310 of the given pair which would form an annular V-shaped ridge in which the point of the ridge would project radially outwardly. In the exemplary embodiment, height H11 of bridge section 314 is substantially less than height H9 and width W5 (FIG. 27) of indentation 368. Height H9 is about 3 times height H11 and typically at least 2 times height H11. Width W5 is about 2.5 times height H11 and is typically also at least twice height H11 although these various ratios may vary.
As shown in FIG. 32, each vertex 364 and the outer surface of the bridge sections 314, 316 or 318 on opposite sides of the corresponding groove 310 defines therebetween a horizontal width W6 in the expanded position as measured along a radius extending perpendicularly outwardly from axis X. FIG. 32 also illustrates that top and bottom wall segments 356 and 358 are substantially straight as viewed from the side and in the expanded position define therebetween an angle A9 which in the exemplary embodiment is on the order of about 80 degrees although this may vary. FIG. 33 shows that in the expanded position of bottle 300, the vertices 364 lie along a circle having a diameter D1.
Each interruption member 312 is substantially V-shaped or has a V-shaped cross section as viewed from above (FIGS. 29, 33), is diamond shaped as viewed from the front along a horizontal radius of axis X as shown in FIG. 30, and is substantially triangular as viewed from the side as shown in FIG. 31. Each interruption member 312 comprises a V-shaped wall including left and right triangular walls 370A and 370B which meet at a vertical intersection or spine 372 which serves as a living hinge such that left and right walls 370A and 370B are foldable or pivotable relative to one another during the collapse of bottle 300 about a vertical axis Y which passes through spine 372 adjacent and radially inwardly of the outer surface of bridge sections 314. Spine 372 is a vertically elongated tip which points radially outwardly along a respective radius or vertical plane (perpendicular dashed lines in FIG. 29) in which axis X lies. Triangular walls 370A and 370B are transverse to one another, to top and bottom wall segments 356 and 358, to vertices 364 and to bridge sections 314, 316, and 318. Each interruption member 312 is connected to and extends between the top wall of the groove wall and the bottom wall of the groove wall.
More particularly, each interruption member 312 is connected to said walls along an outer perimeter 374 which is diamond shaped as viewed from the front (FIG. 30). Outer perimeter 374 includes upper and lower left segments 376 and 378 which intersect at a left point 380, and upper and lower right segments 382 and 384 which intersect at a right point 386. Left and right walls 370A and 370B are substantially flat and angle respectively to the left and right from spine 372 radially inwardly respectively to left and right points 380 and 386. The upper right end of upper left segment 376 intersects the upper left end of upper right segment 382 at a top point 388. Likewise, the lower right end of lower left segment 378 intersects the lower left end of lower right segment 384 at a bottom point 390. Top and bottom point 388 and 390 are vertically aligned and serve as the top and bottom of spine 372. Top point 388 points generally upwardly and bottom point 390 points generally downwardly. Upper left segment 376 is substantially linear and serves as an intersection between the upper left side of left triangular wall 370A and the right angled end of the top wall segment 356 to the left of wall 370A. Segment 376 angles upwardly to the right and radially outwardly from left point 380 to top point 388. Lower left segment 378 is also substantially linear and serves as an intersection between the lower left side of left triangular wall 370A and the right angled end of the bottom wall segment 358 to the left of wall 370A. Left point 380 is connected to vertex 364 and points generally to the left and radially inwardly. Upper right segment 382 serves as an intersection between the upper right side of right triangular wall 370B and the left angled end of the top wall segment 356 to the right of wall 370B. Segment 382 is substantially linear and angles upwardly to the left and radially outwardly from right point 386 to top point 388. Lower right segment 384 serves as an intersection between the lower right side of right triangular wall 370B and the left angled end of the bottom wall segment 358 to the right of wall 370B. Segment 384 is substantially linear and angles downwardly to the left and radially outwardly from right point 386 to bottom point 390. Right point 386 is connected to vertex 364 and points to the right and generally radially inwardly.
As best seen in FIG. 31, each triangular wall 370 and interruption member 312 has a greater vertical dimension adjacent its radially outermost portion along spine 372 than at or adjacent a radially innermost portion at or adjacent point 384 or 386 (FIG. 30). In the exemplary embodiment, spine 372 is spaced radially inwardly a short distance from the outer surface of bridge sections 314. Thus, although the annular continuity of each groove 310 is interrupted by each interruption member 312, the outermost cylindrical portion of each groove 310 retains its annular continuity. However, the annular continuity of the V-shaped portion disposed radially inwardly thereof, namely between vertices 364 and spine 372, is interrupted by each interruption member 312.
The inner surfaces of left and right triangular walls 370A and 370B define therebetween a break space 392 (FIGS. 29, 33) which may also be referred to as a break or an interruption space. Each break space 392, which is part of interior chamber 52B, is substantially triangular as viewed from above and opens radially inwardly toward axis X. Space 392 widens to the left and right from adjacent spine 372 to adjacent left and right points 380 and 386, which also respectively serve as the right end of one vertex 364 and the left end of the adjacent vertex 364. Space 392 is also triangular as viewed from the side and has substantially the same triangular shape as grooves 310 as viewed from the side, as illustrated in FIG. 32, or the triangular shape as viewed from the side of triangular wall 370, as shown in FIG. 31. Space 392 thus angles or widens upwardly and downwardly and radially outwardly in triangular fashion from adjacent a horizontal line defined by points 380 and 386 toward a vertical line defined by points 388 and 390.
As shown in FIG. 33, left and right walls 370A and 370B define therebetween an angle A10 which opens radially inwardly from adjacent spine 372 and which in the exemplary embodiment is approximately 90 degrees although this may vary. FIG. 33 also shows that left and right points 380 and 386 define therebetween a horizontal width W7 which also represents the horizontal distance between the respective ends of an adjacent pair of vertices 364. FIG. 29 shows that left and right points 380 and 386 define therebetween a circumferential width of each interruption member 312 which is represented by angle A11, which in the exemplary embodiment is on the order of about 10 degrees and is typically within the range of about five to fifteen degrees although this may vary. FIG. 29 further shows that the left point 380 of one interruption member 312B and the right point 386 of another adjacent interruption member 312C define therebetween a circumferential width represented by angle A12, which thus represents the circumferential width of vertex 364. Inasmuch as vertex 364 represents the radially innermost portion of the groove wall defining the respective groove section 313, angle A12 thus represents the circumferential width of this innermost portion. Angle A12 in the exemplary embodiment is typically on the order of about 80 degrees and typically falls within the range of about 75 to 85 degrees. Each break space 392 thus serves as a break between the respective adjacent ends of the innermost portions or vertices 364 as well as the ends of the corresponding adjacent pairs of top wall segments 356 and bottom wall segments 358. In the exemplary embodiment, the break spaces 392 associated with any given set of interruption members 312 are vertically aligned, such as the break spaces associated with the set of interruption members 312A.
The manual collapsing of bottle 300 is now described with primary reference to FIGS. 34-35. To collapse bottle 300, the user may apply downward vertical force to the top of the bottle and upward vertical force to the bottom of the bottle or simply apply downward vertical force to the bottle while it is sitting on a supporting surface such as a table or the like. Arrows 72B and the other visual indicators suggest to the user to position his/her fingers on pushing surfaces 344 in a similar fashion to that described in the previous embodiments of the bottle of the present invention in order to apply the collapsing force. More particularly, the user will apply vertical downward pressure on pushing surfaces 344 in order to move the upper portion of bottle downwardly relative to the bottom 26 of bottle 300 in order to move the bottle from its expanded position (FIGS. 21-25) through a partially collapsed position illustrated in FIG. 34 and to its fully collapsed position illustrated in FIG. 35. Although bottle 300 in the exemplary embodiment does not include arrows, fingertip indentations or other visual indicators adjacent its bottom, it is contemplated that bottle 300 may be formed with fingertip indentations similar to indentations 64 and 264 as well as with suitable ridges and/or arrows that point vertically upwardly as viewed from the side to suggest application of an upward force on the bottom portion of bottle 300. During the collapsing process, air exits the interior chamber of the bottle as described with the previous embodiments and cap 16 is threaded onto the bottle and tightened to form an airtight seal in order to prevent air from re-entering the bottle to minimize any re-expansion which may occur due to the resiliency of the plastic material of which the bottle is formed.
As with the previous embodiments, the collapsing of bottle 300 causes the formation of permanent creases 152 as illustrated in FIG. 35 primarily along the bridge sections 314 and 318 as well as along the triangular walls of the interruption members 312. In the collapsed position shown in FIG. 35, side wall 14B has a height H7A which is similar to or the same as height H7 of bottles 10 and 200 in their collapsed positions. Similarly, the grooved section has been reduced from height H2A (FIG. 23) to height H8A, which is similar to height H8 of bottles 10 and 200. Thus, the related ratios of heights H7A and H8A relative to heights H1A and heights H2A are similar to the corresponding heights of bottles 10 and 200. Similarly, the total volume reduction of bottle 300 is within the ranges noted for the previous bottles.
FIGS. 36 and 37 illustrate the changes associated with the groove walls and interruption members during the collapse of bottle 300. It has been discovered that utilizing a groove defined by a continuous annular groove wall which may include a continuous circular vertex substantially inhibits the ability to collapse bottle 300. The use of break spaces 392 which are defined by interruption members 312 facilitate the collapse of bottle 300 by allowing each vertex 364 to move radially inwardly during collapse. The vertically oriented triangularwalls and spine of each interruption member 312 nonetheless add to the bottle's structural integrity and help provide a reasonable degree of resistance to the collapse of bottle 300 while in its expanded position. As shown in FIG. 36, each groove 310 collapses so that top edge 352 and bottom edge 354 thereof define therebetween a height H12 which is substantially less than height H10 (FIG. 32) of the corresponding groove in its expanded position. During this collapse, top and bottom wall segments 356 and 358 move toward one another while vertex 364 moves radially inwardly toward axis X whereby the angle defined between upper and lower segments 356 and 358 is reduced to an angle A13 (FIG. 36) which is substantially less than angle A9 shown in FIG. 32. FIG. 36 further shows that vertex 64 of the groove wall moves radially inwardly relative to the outer surface of the associated bridge sections 314 to define therebetween a width W8 which is larger than width W6 shown in FIG. 32.
The collapse of interruption members 312 and the movement of each vertex 364 are shown by comparison of FIGS. 33 and 37. FIG. 37 shows the collapsed position in which right and left triangular walls 370A and 370B of each interruption member 312 is folded toward one another about vertical axis Y (FIG. 31) to define therebetween an angle A14 which is substantially less than that of angle A10 of FIG. 33. In addition, left and right points 380 and 386 move closer to one another to define therebetween a width W9 which is substantially less than width W7 of FIG. 33. Each break space 392 is thus substantially decreased in size and each vertex 364 has moved radially inwardly so that said vertices 364 substantially lie on a circle concentric about axis X which has a diameter D2 which is somewhat smaller than diameter D1 of the expanded position shown in FIG. 33. While the figures illustrate the basic concept that break spaces 392 and the configuration of interruption members 312 allows a radially inward movement of each vertex 364 and other portions of the groove wall, the figures somewhat oversimplify the total collapsing or crushing operation at least inasmuch as walls 370A and 370B of each interruption member will also tend to collapse during the process and form thereon the creases 152 previously noted and shown generally in FIG. 35.
In any case, each of the bottles 10, 200 and 300 of the present invention provide plastic bottles which may be manually collapsed and which provide visual indicators suggesting to the user the application of various forces previously described in order to effect the collapse. As discussed previously with regard to bottle 10, bottles 200 and 300 may similarly omit various aspects of prior art bottles which Applicant retains the right to reflect in the claims along with other distinctions which are evident from the specification and drawings.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.

Claims

1. A collapsible plastic bottle comprising:

a plastic bottom wall;

a plastic annular sidewall which has a top and a bottom, which is connected at its bottom to the bottom wall and extends upwardly therefrom, and which has expanded and collapsed positions;

an interior chamber defined by the bottom wall and sidewall;

a top entrance opening of the interior chamber defined by the top of the sidewall;

a plurality of grooves formed in the sidewall which facilitate movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position in response to a manual force applied to the sidewall to cause one of the top and bottom of the sidewall to move toward the other of the top and bottom of the sidewall; and

a visual indicator on the bottle suggestive of a need to apply the manual force.

2. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the sidewall comprises a plurality of annular groove walls which substantially circumscribe the interior chamber and respectively define the grooves; and further comprising at least one break space in each of the groove walls which interrupts the annular continuity of the respective groove wall and facilitates radially inward movement of a portion of the respective groove wall during movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position.

3. The bottle of claim 2 further comprising at least one interruption member in each of the grooves which defines the at least one break space and interrupts the annular continuity of the respective groove.

4. The bottle of claim 3 wherein the at least one interruption member comprises left and right walls which bound the at least one break space.

5. The bottle of claim 4 wherein the left and right walls are folding walls which fold relative to one another during movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position.

6. The bottle of claim 3 wherein each groove wall comprises an upper segment which extends over the respective groove and a lower segment which extends below the respective groove; and the at least one interruption member extends between and is connected to the upper and lower segments.

7. The bottle of claim 3 wherein the at least one interruption member has an inner end and an outer opposed end radially outward of the inner end; and the outer end has a vertical dimension which is greater than that of the inner end.

8. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator comprises a first arrow which is one of (a) adjacent the top of the sidewall and pointing downwardly and (b) adjacent the bottom of the sidewall and pointing upwardly.

9. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator comprises a set of circumferentially spaced fingertip indentations which are formed in the sidewall and sized to receive therein a fingertip.

10. The bottle of claim 4 wherein the fingertip indentations are disposed above the grooves.

11. The bottle of claim 4 wherein each fingertip indentation has top and bottom edges; each fingertip indentation is bounded by a lower surface which extends from adjacent the bottom edge toward the top edge and against which the first manual force is to be applied; each fingertip indentation has an upper surface which extends from adjacent the top edge toward the lower surface; and each lower surface extends radially inwardly adjacent the bottom edge at a sharper angle than does the upper surface adjacent the top edge.

12. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator comprises a set of circumferentially spaced radially extending concavely curved fingertip grip surfaces on the sidewall.

13. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator is disposed above the grooves.

14. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the sidewall adjacent its top comprises a shoulder section which tapers downwardly and outwardly; and the visual indicator is disposed on the shoulder section.

15. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the sidewall circumscribes a vertical axis; the grooves facilitate movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position in response to a manual vertical force applied to the sidewall and a manual rotational force applied to the sidewall in a rotational direction about the vertical axis to cause relative rotation between the top and bottom of the sidewall; and the visual indicator is suggestive of a need to apply the manual vertical force and the manual rotational force.

16. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising a label connected to the sidewall and covering a portion of the grooves.

17. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of permanent irregular creases formed in the sidewall in response to movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position.

18. The bottle of claim 1 further comprising a cap which is removably attached to the sidewall and forms an airtight and watertight seal therewith between the interior chamber and atmosphere external to the bottle.

19. A collapsible plastic bottle comprising:

a plastic bottom wall;

an interior chamber defined by the bottom wall and sidewall;

a plurality of annular groove walls of the sidewall which substantially circumscribe the interior chamber and respectively define a plurality of annular grooves which facilitate movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position in response to a manual force applied to the sidewall; and

at least one break space in each of the groove walls which interrupts the annular continuity of the respective groove wall and facilitates radially inward movement of a portion of the respective groove wall during movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position.

20. A collapsible plastic bottle comprising:

a plastic bottom wall;

an interior chamber defined by the bottom wall and sidewall;

a plurality of annular grooves formed in the sidewall which facilitate movement of the sidewall from the expanded position to the collapsed position in response to a manual force applied to the sidewall; and

at least one interruption member in each of the grooves which interrupts the annular continuity of the groove.