US 12,351,361 B2Granted

Reconfigurable container system

OwnerRick L. Fessler, Jr., Timothy M. Bauschinventors

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Abstract

A reconfigurable container system, including a bottle. The bottle includes an inner wall having an upper end defining a bottle opening, an outer wall having an upper end with a rim adjacent to a screw connector, and connector insert having a bayonet connector and a seal ring. The system includes a closure having an outer wall with a screw connector configured to releasably connect to the screw connector of the bottle to join the closure and the bottle. The closure includes a seal positioned to engage the bottle when the screw connectors of the bottle and closure connect to retain liquid in the bottle. The system includes a bottom canister having a bayonet connector configured to releasably connect to the bottle bayonet connector to selectively join the bottom canister and the bottle so the bottom canister sealingly engages the seal ring to retain contents in the bottom canister.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A reconfigurable container system, comprising:

a bottle including:
a) a bottle inner wall having a bottle inner wall upper end defining a bottle opening and a bottle inner wall lower end opposite the bottle inner wall upper end;
b) a bottle bottom wall extending across the bottle inner wall lower end such that the bottle inner wall and the bottle bottom wall define a bottle hollow interior adapted to hold liquid;
c) a bottle outer wall spaced from the bottle inner wall including a bottle outer wall upper end having a circular rim adjacent to a bottle screw connector element and a bottle outer wall lower end opposite to the bottle outer wall upper end extending below the bottle inner wall lower end thereby defining a space below the bottle bottom wall;
d) a bottle outer retainer mounted in the space below the bottle bottom wall and spaced from the bottle bottom wall;
e) a bottle inner retainer mounted inside the bottle outer retainer;
and
f) a bottle connector insert mounted below the bottle inner retainer, said bottle connector insert including a bottle connector insert inward-facing surface having a bottle bayonet connector element and a bottle connector insert downward-facing surface having an annular seal ring;
a closure including:
a) a closure outer wall having a closure screw connector element configured to releasably connect to the bottle screw connector element to selectively join the closure and the bottle;
and
b) a seal positioned to engage the bottle outer wall upper end when the closure screw connector element connects to the bottle screw connector element to block the bottle opening so as to retain liquid in the bottle hollow interior;
and
a bottom canister including:
a) a bottom canister collar having a bottom canister collar inner surface defining a bottom canister mouth and a bottom canister collar outer surface facing opposite the bottom canister collar inner surface;
b) a bottom canister hollow interior accessible through the bottom canister mouth and adapted for holding contents;
and
c) a bottom canister bayonet connector element positioned on the bottom canister collar outer surface and configured to releasably connect to the bottle bayonet connector element to selectively join the bottom canister and the bottle such that the bottom canister sealingly engages the annular seal ring on the bottle to retain contents in the bottom canister hollow interior.

15 more elements

A reconfigurable container system, comprising:

a thermally insulated bottle including a plurality of walls, a hollow bottle interior adapted to hold liquid therein, an outward-facing bottle screw connector element adjacent to a bottle upper end, an inward-facing bottle bayonet connector element, and a selectively removable elastomeric bottle seal ring positioned adjacent to the inward-facing bottle bayonet connector element;
a closure including an inward-facing closure screw connector element configured to releasably interlock with the outward-facing bottle screw connector element to selectively connect the closure to the bottle and a seal positioned to engage the bottle when the inward-facing closure screw connector element interlocks with the outward-facing bottle screw connector element to retain liquid in the bottle hollow interior;
an intermediate canister having an intermediate canister hollow interior and an outward-facing intermediate canister upper bayonet connector element configured to releasably interlock with the inward-facing bottle bayonet connector element to selectively join the intermediate canister and the bottle so the outward-facing intermediate canister bayonet connector element directly contacts the inward-facing bottle bayonet connector element without intervening connector elements and the intermediate canister engages the elastomeric bottle seal ring to retain contents in the intermediate canister hollow interior, said intermediate canister further including an inward-facing intermediate canister lower bayonet connector element and a selectively removable elastomeric intermediate canister seal ring positioned adjacent to the inward-facing intermediate canister lower bayonet connector element;
a bottom canister having a bottom canister hollow interior, a bottom canister collar defining a bottom canister circular mouth, and an outward-facing bottom canister bayonet connector element configured to releasably interlock with the inward-facing bottle bayonet connector element to selectively join the bottom canister and the bottle so the outward-facing intermediate canister bayonet connector element directly contacts the inward-facing bottle bayonet connector element without intervening connector elements and the intermediate canister engages the elastomeric bottle seal ring to retain contents in the bottom canister hollow interior and to releasably interlock with the inward-facing intermediate canister lower bayonet connector element to selectively join the bottom canister and the intermediate canister so the outward-facing bottom canister bayonet connector element directly contacts the inward-facing intermediate canister lower bayonet connector element without intervening connector elements and the bottom canister engages the elastomeric intermediate canister seal ring to retain contents in the bottom canister hollow interior;
and
a cap including an inward-facing cap bayonet connector element configured to releasably interlock with the outward-facing bottom canister bayonet connector element to selectively join the cap and the bottom canister so the outward-facing bottom canister bayonet connector element directly contacts the inward-facing cap bayonet connector element without intervening connector elements to retain contents in the bottom canister hollow interior and to releasably interlock with the outward-facing intermediate canister upper bayonet connector element to selectively join the cap and the intermediate canister so the outward-facing intermediate canister bayonet connector element directly contacts the inward-facing cap bayonet connector element without intervening connector elements to retain contents in the intermediate canister hollow interior;
and
wherein the cap and bottom canister are adapted for use without the bottle, the closure, and the intermediate canister;
wherein the cap, the intermediate canister, and the bottom canister are adapted for use without the bottle and the closure;
wherein the bottle, the closure, the intermediate canister, and the bottom canister are adapted for use without the cap;
and
wherein the bottle, the closure, and the bottom canister are adapted for use without the intermediate canister and the cap.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/864,600Filed 14 Jul 2022
Published: US 2024/0017884 A118 Jan 2024
Granted: 8 Jul 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A45F 3/16
Travelling or camp articles ; Sacks or packs carried on the body: water-bottles; Mess-tins; Cups
B65D 21/0231
Closed containers provided with local cooperating elements in the top and bottom surfaces, e.g. projection and recess: bottles, canisters or jars…
A45F 3/20
Water-bottles; Mess-tins; Cups: of flexible material; Collapsible or stackable cups
B65D 47/065
With pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages: with hinged, foldable or pivotable spouts