Collapsible cup for zero waste applications

A vessel comprising:

• a bottom cylindrical ring having an inwardly protruding groove running from the top of said bottom ring to a termination in a vicinity of the bottom of said bottom ring, said termination creating a locking pin;
• and
• an inwardly protruding locking dent running from the top of said bottom ring to the bottom of said bottom ring, and wherein said locking dent is substantially parallel to said groove;
• a middle ring, wherein the middle ring has a middle wall, the middle wall having upper and lower middle edges, inside and outside middle surfaces, upper and lower middle diameters, a groove extending from the upper middle edge to the lower middle edge, the groove having a pin block, an inwardly protruding locking dent running from the upper middle edge to the lower middle edge, and at least one pin located on the middle inside surface proximate to the middle bottom edge, wherein the middle ring is sized to be a nestable and twistable fit to the outer surface of the bottom ring and wherein the middle ring locking dent is being shaped, sized and located to be matching fit to said bottom ring locking dent such that when the grooves of the middle ring and the bottom ring are engaged, said locking dents are also engaged;
• and
• a top cylindrical ring sized to be a nestable and a twistable fit to the outer surface of said middle ring, wherein said top ring comprises:
• an inwardly protruding groove running from the top of said top ring to a termination in a vicinity of the bottom of said top ring, said termination creating a locking pin, said top ring groove being shaped and sized to be a matching fit to said bottom ring groove;
• and
• an inwardly protruding locking dent running from the top of said top ring to the bottom of said top ring, and wherein said locking dent is substantially parallel to said groove, and said top ring locking dent being shaped, sized and located to be a matching fit to said middle ring locking dent such that when said grooves are engaged, said locking dents are also engaged;
• and
• wherein said top, middle and bottom rings are shaped and sized such that in a compact configuration, said rings nest inside each other with said grooves and locking dents nested inside each other, and in an extended configuration said top ring extends up beyond said middle ring and bottom ring, and said middle ring extends up beyond said bottom ring, and said top ring groove is aligned by twisting to engage with said middle ring locking dent, and said middle ring groove is aligned by twisting to engage said bottom ring locking dent, thereby resisting vertical forces.