U.S. patent application number 14/271393 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-06 for interlocking container.
The applicant listed for this patent is Carlos Martin. Invention is credited to Carlos Martin.
Application Number | 20140326693 14/271393 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51840897 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140326693 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Martin; Carlos |
November 6, 2014 |
Interlocking Container
Abstract
Certain embodiments are directed to an interlocking container
having a top that is complementary with the bottom and
incorporating a locking mechanism to reversibly interlock two
containers.
Inventors: |
Martin; Carlos; (Austin,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Martin; Carlos |
Austin |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51840897 |
Appl. No.: |
14/271393 |
Filed: |
May 6, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61819950 |
May 6, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
215/10 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 21/0231 20130101;
B65D 21/0228 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/10 |
International
Class: |
B65D 21/02 20060101
B65D021/02 |
Claims
1. An interlocking container comprising: (a) a neck having an
interlocking mechanism; (b) a body; (c) a bottom having a recessed
portion configured to receive the neck of a second container,
wherein the bottom portion contains the complementary part of the
interlocking mechanism.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the interlocking mechanism is
at least one flange present on the top or bottom of a container
that snaps into at least one groove present on the bottom or top,
respectively, of the complementary container.
3. The container of claim 1, wherein the interlocking mechanism is
at least one tab present on the top of a container that slides into
at least one groove in the bottom of another container and is
locked by twisting one container with respect to the other.
4. The container of claim 1, wherein the interlocking mechanism is
at least one tab present on the top of a container which inserts
into at least one slot on the bottom of another container.
5. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is configured to
mate with a second container positioned side by side and in contact
with the container.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein a first portion of the body is
convex and a second portion positioned opposite of the convex first
portion is concave, the convex first portion is configured to mate
with the concave second side when two or more containers are
position positioned side by side.
7. A column of containers comprising two or more containers of
claim 1 positioned top to bottom.
8. A stack of containers comprising two or more container columns
of claim 4 arranged in an array.
9. An interlocking container comprising: (a) a neck having at least
one locking tab; (b) a body; (c) a bottom having a recessed portion
configured to receive the neck of a second container, wherein the
recessed portion forms (i) a notch for insertion of the locking tab
and (ii) a locking groove through which the locking tab can move
from an unlocked to a locked position.
10. The container of claim 9, wherein the container is configured
to mate with a second container positioned side by side and in
contact with the container.
11. The container of claim 10, wherein a first portion of the body
is convex and a second portion positioned opposite of the convex
first portion is concave, the convex first portion is configured to
mate with the concave second side when two or more containers are
position positioned side by side.
12. A column of containers comprising two or more containers of
claim 9 positioned top to bottom.
13. A stack of containers comprising two or more container columns
of claim 12 arranged in an array.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Containers of liquids present a challenge to packers,
shippers, distributors, retailers, bartenders, and restaurateurs.
Often bottles are shipped in cartons with cardboard dividers
between containers to keep them from colliding and possible
breaking Wooden crates have been used with retainers to constrain
movement of the containers, such as found in old soft drink case
designs. Many of the solutions add increased cost for shipping and
packing materials.
[0002] Furthermore, a variety of containers are not designed to
stack in a stable manner or to be carried three, four, five, or
more at time without inconvenience. Typically, wait staff and
stockers would need a tray, box, or other assistance to carry
multiple containers safely and securely.
[0003] There remains a need for a container that can be packed and
handled efficiently and safely.
SUMMARY
[0004] Embodiments are directed to interlocking containers designed
to optimize stacking, packing, and/or stability of containers. In
certain aspects the container is a bottle or vessel for contain
liquid or pourable material, e.g., gels or powders or granular
material. A container can be, but not limited to, metal, glass,
polymer, or combination thereof.
[0005] Certain embodiments are directed to an interlocking
container comprising (a) a top having a neck and at least one
snapping mechanism formed in or locking tab protruding from the
neck; (b) a body; (c) a bottom having a recessed portion configured
to receive the neck of a second container, wherein the recessed
portion forms (i) a complementary structure to complete a locking
mechanism or (ii) a notch for insertion of the locking tab and a
locking groove through which the tab can move from an unlocked to a
locked position. In certain aspects the neck can have 2, 3, 4, 5,
or more neck tabs, grooves, or ridges. In other aspects, the body
can be substantially cylindrical, square, or polygonal. The term
substantial is used to indicate that the shape need not be exact,
e.g., substantially cylindrical refers to curved body having
allowances for the convex and concave shaping to form mated or
nested container pairs, and substantially square indicates that the
shape need not be a prefect square and can contain rounded edges
and allow for the convex and concave shaping to form a mated or
nested container pair. In certain aspects the container is designed
so that not only one container pair mate, but an array of
containers can be arranged so that all four sides of the container
are in contact or are mated with adjacent containers. The inventor
contemplates that the containers can be arranged in multiple layers
with each layer interlocked with a second layer below and the
containers contacted or mated on all four sides with adjacent
containers. The containers can be arranged to form 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, or more layers having the option of being interlocked with a
second adjacent layer.
[0006] The neck is positioned at the top of the container. The neck
portion is shaped to complement a recess in the bottom of the
container. The neck has one or more snapping mechanisms or locking
tabs configured to interact with a mechanism of the bottom recess.
In certain aspects a screw mechanism can be specifically excluded,
i.e., a screw mechanism comprise a threaded neck and tapped base
that requires numerous full turns to fully engage the association
between top and bottom container. In certain aspects the top
portion of the container is generally convex in shape and is
configured to fit into and contact a bottom having a complementary
shape, e.g., a concave shape. In certain aspects a cap can be used
to seal the neck of the container. A cap includes, but is not
limited to a threaded cap, plug, crown cork, flip cap, or sports
cap.
[0007] The container is configured to mate with a second container
when a first container and second container are positioned side by
side. In certain aspects a first portion of the body is convex and
a second portion positioned opposite of the convex first portion is
concave, the convex first portion is configured to mate with the
concave second side when two or more containers are position
positioned side by side. The body can be shaped in a variety of
ways as long as complementary surfaces can be aligned. In certain
aspects all sides of the bottle are planar. In a further aspect
opposites sides of the body comprise a shape other than a plane and
are complementary to each other, e.g., convex/concave,
wedge/triangle, semicircle/groove, etc.
[0008] In two interlocking containers, the bottom of the top
container comprises an interlocking mechanism that interacts with
the top of the bottom container. The bottom of the top container
also contains a recess to complement the neck of the bottom
container. In certain aspects the interlocking mechanism is a ridge
designed to snap into a groove on the other container. Either the
top or the bottom container of two interlocking containers can
contain the flange or groove. On the bottom container of two
interlocking containers, the flange or groove can be part of the
lid or part of the body. On the top container of two interlocking
containers, the ridge or groove can be in the recess at the bottom
of the container or part of the body along the bottom edge. The
ridge and/or groove can be a continuous circle around the container
or can have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 segments where the
ridge and/or groove are present.
[0009] In certain aspects the interlocking mechanism comprises a
recess configured to receive the one or more tabs of the neck
through a notch or ridge formed in the bottom. The notch provides
access to a groove formed in the bottom or the groove can be closed
groove. In certain aspects the tab can directly access the groove
and thus be a notchless configuration. The groove provides for the
securing of a locking tab from a second container so that the
containers are securely associated. Thus in one embodiment the neck
of first container with the locking tab aligned with either a notch
or the opening of a groove is inserted in a second container while
pushing or twisting the first, second, or both containers to
advance the tab deeper in the groove to a locked position. In
certain aspects the first and second container can be aligned at a
1, 20, 40, 60, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200, 220, 240, 260,
280, 300, 320, 340 degree angle relative to the short axis of the
containers, i.e., the axis perpendicular to the common axis of the
two containers, in an unlocked position. In a locked position the
long axis and short axis of the containers are aligned.
[0010] In certain aspects the interlocking mechanism is 1, 2, or 3
tabs attached to the outer edge of the top of the body. The tab or
tabs slide into slots in the bottom of the interlocking container.
To release interlocked containers, the tab is pushed and the bottom
container is separated from the top container.
[0011] In certain aspects a first container can be placed in a
locked position with respect to a second container. The term
"locked" or "interlocked" refers to an association of containers
that requires effort to separate, such as pulling the containers
apart, twisting two containers with respect to one another, or
pushing a tab or tabs to release a container. In certain aspects 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more containers can be positioned top to
bottom, with each pair of containers being in an optional locked
position relative to each other. A top to bottom arrangement of
containers forms a "container column." A container column can have
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more containers. Containers placed
and optionally mated or nested side by side form a row of
containers. The term mated or nested refers to the interaction of
complementary shapes, thus the mating of two surfaces does not
necessarily require any interlocking mechanism or design, but may
include such. In certain aspects an interlocking mating or nesting
configuration can be specifically excluded. A row of containers can
have 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more containers. Two or more
columns arranged in rows form a "container stack." A container
stack can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more containers wide by
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more containers long by 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more containers deep. In one aspect a handle can
be removably attached to a container stack. In certain aspects the
handle can comprise of two attachments connected by a handle, the
attachments can be configured to connect to the neck of a first
container and second container of a container stack so that the
container stack can be lifted and/or carried by the handle. In one
aspect the attachment can be configured to securely attach to one
container and have a handle for carrying. In certain aspects the
attachments wrap around the neck or the neck is inserted in a hole
formed by the attachment.
[0012] Certain embodiments are directed to the design of the
container. Other embodiments are directed to structures comprising
an arrangement of a plurality of containers. Embodiments include
packages and packing containers housing arrangements of the
containers.
[0013] Other embodiments of the invention are discussed throughout
this application. Any embodiment discussed with respect to one
aspect of the invention applies to other aspects of the invention
as well and vice versa. Each embodiment described herein is
understood to be embodiments of the invention that are applicable
to all aspects of the invention. It is contemplated that any
embodiment discussed herein can be implemented with respect to any
device or composition of the invention, and vice versa.
[0014] The use of the word "a" or "an" when used in conjunction
with the term "comprising" in the claims and/or the specification
may mean "one," but it is also consistent with the meaning of "one
or more," "at least one," and "one or more than one."
[0015] Throughout this application, the term "about" is used to
indicate that a value includes the standard deviation of error for
the device or method being employed to determine the value.
[0016] The use of the term "or" in the claims is used to mean
"and/or" unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only
or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure
supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and
"and/or."
[0017] As used in this specification and claim(s), the words
"comprising" (and any form of comprising, such as "comprise" and
"comprises"), "having" (and any form of having, such as "have" and
"has"), "including" (and any form of including, such as "includes"
and "include") or "containing" (and any form of containing, such as
"contains" and "contain") are inclusive or open-ended and do not
exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
[0018] Other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed
description and the specific examples, while indicating specific
embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration
only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and
scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art from this detailed description.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The following drawings form part of the present
specification and are included to further demonstrate certain
aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better
understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in
combination with the detailed description of the specification
embodiments presented herein.
[0020] FIG. 1. Illustrates two perspectives of an example
container.
[0021] FIG. 2 Illustrates multiple perspectives and a cross section
of an example container.
[0022] FIG. 3 Illustrates multiple perspectives and cross sections
of two sample containers in a locked and unlocked position.
[0023] FIG. 4 Illustrates multiple perspectives of the bottom
locking mechanism.
[0024] FIG. 5 Illustrates the interaction of a container with a
bottom locking mechanism.
[0025] FIG. 6 Illustrates a column arrangement and a stack
arrangement of containers.
[0026] FIG. 7 Illustrates a first embodiment of a snapping
mechanism.
[0027] FIG. 8 Illustrates a second embodiment of a snapping
mechanism.
[0028] FIG. 9 Illustrates a third embodiment of a snapping
mechanism.
[0029] FIG. 10 Illustrates a fourth embodiment of a snapping
mechanism.
[0030] FIG. 11 Illustrates a fifth embodiment of a snapping
mechanism.
DESCRIPTION
[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an interlocking container
design. Container 10 comprises top 15, body 20, and bottom 25. Top
15 comprises shoulder 18 and neck 19. Top 15 is configured to
complement a recess in bottom 25. Neck 19 has locking tab 16. In
one aspect locking tab 16 is configured to interact with a locking
mechanism positioned on bottom 25. The locking mechanism on bottom
25 can be a groove having a notch to receive the locking tab or can
be closed groove that is configured to snap over locking tab(s) 16.
In certain aspects locking tab 16 is incorporated into the cap 17.
Cap 17 is configured to close the container. The opening of neck 19
can be configured to accommodate various container closing
mechanisms, such as threaded cap, plug, crown cork, flip cap, or
sports cap. Bottom 25 is configured to complement and receive top
15. Bottom 25 comprises a locking mechanism. In one embodiment
notch 26 is formed in the recess portion of bottom 25. Notch 26 is
in communication with locking groove 27. In certain aspects locking
groove 27 is a closed groove and is configured to snap over locking
tab 16. In certain embodiments notch 26 and locking groove 27 are
configured to secure locking tab 16. Locking tab 16 can be inserted
in notch 26 and moved along groove 27 until it reaches a locking
position. In certain aspects the locking position is define by
locking tab 16 entering receiving notch 28. Locking tab 16 is to
remain in receiving notch 28 until sufficient force is applied to
move locking tab 16 back along locking groove 27 to notch 26, where
the containers can then be separated. In other aspects locking tab
16 is to remain in a closed locking groove 27 until such force is
applied to unsnap the locking tab 16 from locking groove 27.
[0032] FIG. 2 shows a front, side, and cross-section of an example
container standing. Cross-section A-A illustrates the configuration
of a locking mechanism (notch 26 in locking groove 27) within the
recess of bottom 25.
[0033] FIG. 3 shows two example containers in unlocked (left) and
locked (right) position as well as cross-section B-B and C-C that
detail the position of the components in the locking mechanism.
Cross-section B-B is associated with two example containers in an
unlocked position. Cross-section C-C is associated with two example
containers in a locked position with the top container being turned
90 degrees to the locked position. The top container is depicted
having one flat face of body 20 of the top container and a concave
face of body 20 of the bottom container facing the viewer.
Cross-section B-B and C-C shows the transition of locking tab 16 of
the bottom container by a 90 degree rotation relative to the
locking mechanism of the top container when moving from the
unlocked to locked configuration. The right side of FIG. 3 shows
two containers in a locked configuration with body 20 of the top
container aligned with body 20 of the bottom container.
[0034] FIG. 4 shows various perspectives of the locking mechanism.
An example of the locking mechanism is illustrated as locking ring
30. Notch 26 is formed in the inner aspect of the locking ring.
Notch 26 is in communication with groove 27 formed in the locking
ring. The end of groove 27 distal from notch 26 can be configured
to form receiving notch 28. Such a locking ring can be molded
during production of the container or the locking ring can be
manufactured separately, inserted into the recess, and fixed in
place so that it does not rotate.
[0035] FIG. 5 provides an illustration of a container 10 and
locking ring 30. Notch 26 of locking ring 30 is aligned with
locking tab 16 of the container. Once locking tab 16 is in position
it is moved along groove 27 to lock the container in place relative
to locking ring 30.
[0036] FIG. 6 shows a column of two containers and an arrangement
of 48 containers into 6.times.4.times.2 container stack.
[0037] FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of a snapping mechanism for
reversibly connecting two bottles. Neck 719 forms a groove that is
configured to mate with a ridge formed in bottom 725. The neck of
the lower bottle is configured to snap into the bottom recess of
the top bottle. FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of a snapping
mechanism such that neck 819 forms a ridge that is configured to
interact with a groove formed in bottom 825.
[0038] FIG. 9 shows another embodiment where the snapping mechanism
is formed on the circumference of body 920. A lip and groove are
formed on top 915 on an extension of body 920 with a complementary
surface formed in bottom 925 to receive and snap together. The lip
and groove need not completely encircle the bottle and take the
form of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more tabs position around
the top circumference of body 920. In certain aspects the lip and
groove can be position at any position along the edge of top 915
and need not be position along the circumference in all
embodiments. A complement to the lip and groove will be present in
a location such that the top bottle and bottom bottle can be
reversibly attached. FIG. 10 shows an alternative embodiment of the
lip and groove where the lip formed on the top of the bottom bottle
comprises a ridge and the recess on the top bottle forms the groove
configured to receive the ridge.
[0039] FIG. 11 shows a pin and hole design where lip formed on the
bottom bottle forms a pin that can be reversibly inserted in a hole
present in a receiving groove on the top bottle. The pin can be
circular or oval with a corresponding hole in the bottom of the
other bottle. In certain aspects the pin and hole can be reversed
in that the pin can be formed in the bottom of the bottle and the
hole formed in the top. In certain aspects there can be 1, 2, 4, 5,
6, or more pin and hole mechanisms incorporated into the bottle
design.
* * * * *