Hollow stackable plastic products

Abstract

A molded thin-walled hollow, stackable plastic product, having an open top, a closed bottom and side walls; wherein the side walls include a series of circumferential sections joined by circumferential strips, with the upper of two adjacent wall sections having a greater diameter than the lower adjacent wall section to thereby define a circumferential ridge at the bottom of each upper wall section. The circumferential strip joining a pair of the wall sections is a circumferential isthmus having an isthmus distance, which is the minimum distance between the mold parts defining the isthmus, that is significantly shorter than the predominant thickness of the adjacent wall sections. The isthmuses, which are aligned at an acute angle with respect to each of the joined wall sections, improve the rigidity of the molded thin-walled hollow product. The wall sections include a plurality of spaced protruding ridges extending between adjacent circumferential strips. When the molded product is a hand-held vending cup the combination of the circumferential ridges and the spaced protruding ridges prevent burning of the fingers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.