US 4,873,100 AGranted

Bistable expandable bottle

AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company

InventorsRobert S. Dirksing, Richard M. Girardot, Theodore P. Merz

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Abstract

A bistable expandable bottle preferably including a concentrated material to be diluted, said bottle being comprised of convex shaped bellows when in its expanded condition, said bottle also including opposed handle means for facilitating the extension of the bottle from its collapsed to its expanded condition. In a preferred embodiment a self-venting closure is also employed to seal the orifice in said bottle to permit extension of the bottle from its collapsed to its expanded condition without loosening or removing of the closure.

Claims46

Dependent claims

A bistable bottle for storage of a concentrated material to be diluted within said bottle and dispensed in diluted form directly therefrom, said bottle being capable of maintaining either a collapsed condition or an expanded condition until is is acted upon by an external force applied in a direction substantially parallel to the vertical axis of said bottle, said bottle exhibiting improved resistance to both expansion and collapse when said bottle is in its expanded condition, said bottle comprising:

(a) a lowermost portion;
(b) an uppermost portion, said uppermost portion including an orifice for introducting concentrated material and diluent into said bottle and for dispensing diluted material from said bottle;
and
(c) a resilient, continuous sidewall portion having its lowermost end sealingly secured to said lowermost portion of said bottle and its uppermost end sealingly secured to said uppermost portion of said bottle, said continuous sidewall portion comprising a multiplicity of bellows, each of said bellows being sealingly interconnected to the adjacent bellows by means of a hinge ring which defines a minor diameter of said bottle sidewall portion, each of said bellows comprising a pair of curvilinear legs joined to one another an an outermost hinge point substantially coinciding with the major diameter of said bellows, said curvilinear legs comprising said bellows gradually tapering from a maximum thickness at their points of joinder to their respective hinge rings to a minimum thickness at said outermost hinge point, each of said hinge rings interconnecting adjacent bellows comprising a discrete wall segment of sufficient height to permit collapse of said bottle without causing interference between the curvilinear legs to which the ends of said hinge ring are sealingly secured, said points of securement between said hinge ring and said curvilinear legs being thinner than the adjacent portion of said hinge ring and the curvilinear leg to which it is sealingly secured, thereby defining a pair of innermost hinge points substantially coinciding with the minor diameter of said bottle sidewall for each of said hinge rings, each of said curvilinear legs exhibiting its maximum horizontal orientation immediately adjacent said hinge rings and its maximum vertical orientation immediately adjacent said outermost hinge points, one of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in both the collapsed and expanded condition of said bottle and the other of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the expanded condition of said bottle, but inwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the collapsed condition of said bottle, said bottle exhibiting improved resistance to both expansion and collapse while in its expanded condition due to the maximum vertical alignment of each pair of said curvilinear legs immediately adjacent the outermost hinge point joining said pair of curvilinear legs to one another.

1 more element

A bistable bottle for storage of a concentrated material to be diluted within said bottle and dispensed in diluted form directly therefrom, said bottle being blow molded from polymeric material and capable of maintaining either a collapsed condition or an expanded condition until it is acted upon by an external force applied in a direction substantially parallel to the vertical axis of said bottle, said bottle exhibiting improved resistance to both expansion and collapse when said bottle is in its expanded condition, said bottle comprising:

(a) a lowermost portion including a reservoir to house said concentrated material;
(b) an uppermost portion, said uppermost portion including an orifice for introducing concentrated material and diluent into said bottle and for dispensing diluted material from said bottle;
and
(c) a resilient, continuous sidewall portion having its lowermost end sealingly secured to said lowermost portion of said bottle and its uppermost end sealingly secured to said uppermost portion of said bottle, said continuous sidewall portion comprising a multiplicity of bellows, each of said bellows being sealingly interconnected to the adjacent bellows by means of a hinge ring which comprises a discrete wall segment defining a minor diameter of said bottle sidewall portion, each of said bellows comprising a pair of curvilinear legs joined to one another at an outermost hinge point substantially coinciding with the major diameter of said bellows, said curvilinear legs comprising said bellows gradually tapering from a maximum thickness at their points of joinder to their respective hinge rings to a minimum thickness at said outermost hinge point, each of said hinge rings interconnecting adjacent bellows comprising a discrete wall segment of sufficient height to permit collapse of said bottle without causing interference between the curvilinear legs to which the ends of said hinge ring are sealingly secured, said points of securement between said hinge ring and said curvilinear legs being thinner than the adjacent portion of said hinge ring and the curvilinear leg to which it is sealingly secured, thereby defining a pair of innermost hinge points substantially coinciding with the minor diameter of said bottle sidewall for each of said hinge rings, each of said curvilinear legs exhibiting its maximum horizontal orientation immediately adjacent said hinge rings and its maximum vertical orientation immediately adjacent said outermost hinge points, one of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in both the collapsed and expanded condition of said bottle and the other of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the expanded condition of said bottle, but inwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the collapsed condition of said bottle, said bottle exhibiting improved resistance to both expansion and collapse while in its expanded condition due to the maximum vertical alignment of each pair of said curvilinear legs immediately adjacent the outermost hinge point joining said pair of curvilinear legs to one another.

1 more element

In combination, a bistable bottle capable of maintaining either a collapsed condition or an expanded condition until it is acted upon by an external force applied in a direction substantially parallel to the vertical axis of said bottle and a concentrated material stored within said bottle while said bottle is in its collapsed condition, said bottle being capable of being manually expanded to permit dilution of said concentrate within said bottle and dispensing said diluted concentrate directly from said expanded bottle, said bottle exhibiting improved resistance to both expansion and collapse when said bottle is in its expanded condition, said combination comprising:

(a) a bottle, said bottle being comprised of polymeric material and having:
(i) a lowermost portion;
(ii) an uppermost portion, said uppermost portion including an orifice for introducing concentrated material and diluent into said bottle and for dispensing diluted material from said bottle;
and
(iii) a resilient, continuous sidewall potion having its lowermost end sealingly secured to said lowermost portion of said bottle and its uppermost end sealingly secured to said uppermost portion of said bottle, said continuous sidewall portion comprising a multiplicity of bellows, each of said bellows being sealingly interconnected to the adjacent bellows by means of a hinge ring which defines a minor diameter of said bottle sidewall portion, each of said bellows comprising a pair of curvilinear legs joined to one another at an outermost hinge point substantially coinciding with the major diameter of said bellows, said curvilinear legs comprising said bellows, gradually tapering from a maximum thickness at their points of joinder to their respective hinge rings to a minimum thickness at said outermost hinge point, each of said hinge rings interconnecting adjacent bellows comprising a discrete wall segment of sufficient height to permit collapse of said bottle without causing interference between the curvilinear legs to which the ends of said hinge ring are sealingly secured, said points of securement between said hinge ring and said curvilinear legs being thinner than the adjacent portion of said hinge ring and the curvilinear leg to which it is sealingly secured, thereby defining a pair of innermost hinge points substantially coinciding with the minor diameter of said bottle sidewall for each of said hinge rings, each of said curvilinear legs exhibiting its maximum horizontal orientation immediately adjacent said hinge rings and its maximum vertical orientation immediately adjacent said outermost hinge points, one of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in both the collapsed and expanded condition of said bottle and the other of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the expanded condition of said bottle, but inwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the collapsed condition of said bottle, said bottle exhibiting improved resistance to both expansion and collapse while in its expanded condition due to the maximum vertical alignment of each pair of said curvilinear legs immediately adjacent the outermost hinge point joining said pair of curvilinear legs to one another;
and
(b) a concentrated material stored in said bottle while said bottle is in a collapsed condition.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

(a) a lowermost portion;
(b) an uppermost portion, said uppermost portion including an orifice for introducting concentrated material and diluent into said bottle and for dispensing diluted material from said bottle;
and
(c) a resilient, continuous sidewall portion having its lowermost end sealingly secured to said lowermost portion of said bottle and its uppermost end sealingly secured to said uppermost portion of said bottle, said continuous sidewall portion comprising a multiplicity of bellows, each of said bellows being sealingly interconnected to the adjacent bellows by means of a hinge ring which defines a minor diameter of said bottle sidewall portion, each of said bellows comprising a pair of curvilinear legs joined to one another an an outermost hinge point substantially coinciding with the major diameter of said bellows, said curvilinear legs comprising said bellows gradually tapering from a maximum thickness at their points of joinder to their respective hinge rings to a minimum thickness at said outermost hinge point, each of said hinge rings interconnecting adjacent bellows comprising a discrete wall segment of sufficient height to permit collapse of said bottle without causing interference between the curvilinear legs to which the ends of said hinge ring are sealingly secured, said points of securement between said hinge ring and said curvilinear legs being thinner than the adjacent portion of said hinge ring and the curvilinear leg to which it is sealingly secured, thereby defining a pair of innermost hinge points substantially coinciding with the minor diameter of said bottle sidewall for each of said hinge rings, each of said curvilinear legs exhibiting its maximum horizontal orientation immediately adjacent said hinge rings and its maximum vertical orientation immediately adjacent said outermost hinge points, one of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in both the collapsed and expanded condition of said bottle and the other of said curvilinear legs being outwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the expanded condition of said bottle, but inwardly convex relative to the interior of said bottle in the collapsed condition of said bottle, said bottle exhibiting improved resistance to both expansion and collapse while in its expanded condition due to the maximum vertical alignment of each pair of said curvilinear legs immediately adjacent the outermost hinge point joining said pair of curvilinear legs to one another.

1 more element