Mated container units
AssigneeUniversal Symetrics Corporation
InventorJuris M. Mednis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-purpose container unit whose hollow body, neck and shoulder sections are proportioned and constructed in a manner that allows interfacing and mating with an identical or mirror image unit of like size, volume or exterior proportions in mirror image. The container has a neck and a recessed portion along its vertical axis which accepts and provides safe harbor and protection to the neck and closure portion of a first container of the mated unit whose corresponding body recess, in turn, accepts its neck and closure portion of a second container of the mated unit resulting in a new composite geometrical shape such that the outside dimensions of the mated pair of containers provides improved packing economy.
Claims23
The combination comprising a pair of mated containers wherein (a) each container comprises a hollow body for containing the contents of the container including a polygonal front wall, polygonal rear wall, polygonal lateral side walls, a polygonal bottom wall and an upper shoulder forming at least a substantial portion of the top of the body opposite the bottom wall, a hollow elongated neck integrally connected to the body to permit a flow of the contents of the container from the body through and out of the end of the neck, the body including no more than a single recessed surface for receiving the neck of the other container of the pair of mated containers, said recessed surface extending from the shoulder for a distance at least as long as the neck and having a shape conforming to the shape of the neck, the recessed surface comprising an elongated opening interrupting the surface of the front wall;
- (b) the neck of each one of the mated containers being disposed within the recess of the recessed surface of the other one of the mated containers, with the end of each neck adjacent to the bottom wall of the other container, and the shoulder of each container being placed in contiguous relationship with the shoulder of the other container;
- (c) the neck having a length substantially equal to the length of the body as defined by the distance between the bottom wall and the shoulder;
- (d) the mated containers forming a polyhedron substantially filling and occupying no more than the minimum rectangular polyhedral volume needed to encompass, the neck and body of a single one of the containers;
- (e) further comprising means for preventing lateral separation of the mated containers in a direction lateral to the axis of the neck;
- and (f) the neck including a surface conforming to the shape of the recessed surface and the neck further including a rear surface which, when containers are mated extends in alignment with the uninterrupted surface of the front wall of the other container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.