Container having a collapsible middle section

An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

• a container having a semi-rigid top section, a semi-rigid bottom section and a collapsible middle section, wherein the container has ag non-collapsed shape, wherein the top section is open to receive an item, the middle section is configured having a non-collapsed shape with an non-collapsed diameter, wherein the collapsible middle section is configured to be depressed inwardly to form a collapsed middle section that has a collapsed diameter smaller than the non-collapsed diameter, wherein the container is configured to receive a product in the non-collapsed shape and wherein the collapsible middle section is depressed radially inwardly to secure the product in the container;
• a longitudinal axis for the container, wherein the longitudinal axis is vertical;
• cutouts formed in the collapsible middle section wherein the cutouts have a top end, a bottom end, a left side and a right side, and a middle portion of the cutout between the top end and the bottom end, wherein the middle portion of the cutout is wider than the top end and the bottom end of the cutout;
• and
• ribs formed on each side of the cutouts, wherein the cutouts are configured so that edges of the two ribs on each side of the cutout do not touch each other when the middle portion is collapsed, wherein the top and bottom ends of the cutouts are configured with a rounded peak at the top and bottom of the cutout to facilitate removing a piece of paperboard from the cutout during manufacture of the container, without leaving a remnant of paperboard or chads in the cutout at top and bottom ends of the cutout,
• wherein the ribs formed between the cutouts configured to fold radially inward toward the longitudinal axis when the collapsible middle section is depressed radially inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of the container.