Self-supporting liquid container for boxless storage, shipping and display

Abstract

A self-supporting liquid container having a thin-walled container body configured for stacking to store, ship and/or display product without a secondary shipping container. The container body has four upstanding side walls defining a fluid chamber, an upper supporting surface and a bottom surface. A handle having a flat upper surface extends across the upper supporting surface and down the back end of the body for grasping the container. A pour spout is at the upper supporting surface near the front end. A channel in the handle provides an air vent to preventing glugging when pouring. A cap removably connects to the pour spout. The upper surface of the handle and the flat upper surface of the cap define the upper supporting surface of the container body. Two or more containers are shrink wrapped together to define a container packing system suitable for stacking on top of like configured containers.

1 . A self-supporting liquid container, comprising:
 a thin-walled container body defining an internal chamber for receiving a liquid, said container body having a pair of opposing sides, a front end, a back end, a generally flat upper supporting surface and a bottom surface, said upper supporting surface substantially parallel to said bottom surface;   a handle having a lower end connected to said back end of said container body approximately equidistance from each of said pair of opposing sides and an upper end at said upper supporting surface, said upper end of said handle defining a generally flat handle upper surface;   a pour spout disposed in said upper supporting surface of said container body at or near said front end thereof and approximately equidistance from each of said pair of opposing sides, said pour spout having an orifice for receiving said liquid into said chamber and for pouring said liquid therefrom; and   a cap removably connected to said pour spout, said cap having a generally flat cap upper surface, said handle upper surface and said cap upper surface defining said upper supporting surface of said container body.   
   
   
       2 . The liquid container of  claim 1 , wherein said handle and said pour spout are integrally formed with said container body. 
   
   
       3 . The liquid container of  claim 1 , wherein said handle upper surface is elongated and the centerline of said orifice is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of said handle upper surface. 
   
   
       4 . The liquid container of  claim 1 , wherein said pair of sides on said container body comprises a first side and a second side, said first side substantially parallel with said second side near said bottom surface, said front end substantially parallel with said back end near said bottom surface. 
   
   
       5 . The liquid container of  claim 1 , wherein said container body has a substantially rectangular cross-section with each of said pair of sides being longer than each of said front end and said back end. 
   
   
       6 . The liquid container of  claim 5 , wherein said handle has a channel, said channel having an inlet at said orifice and an outlet at said lower end of said handle directed into said internal chamber to reduce or prevent glugging. 
   
   
       7 . The liquid container of  claim 1 , wherein said handle has a channel, said channel having an inlet at said orifice and an outlet at said lower end of said handle directed into said internal chamber to reduce or prevent glugging. 
   
   
       8 . The liquid container of  claim 7 , wherein said container body has a handle bridge and a handle support, said handle support disposed below said upper supporting surface and rearward of said pour spout, said handle bridge interconnecting said handle and said handle support to support said handle. 
   
   
       9 . The liquid container of  claim 1 , wherein each of said pair of opposing sides has one or more horizontally disposed side ridges and each of said front end and said back end have one or more end ridges, said side ridges and said end ridges disposed inward toward said internal chamber and shaped and configured to reduce bulging. 
   
   
       10 . A self-supporting liquid container, comprising:
 a thin-walled container body defining an internal chamber for receiving a liquid, said container body having four upstanding sidewalls in a generally rectangular cross-section, a generally flat upper supporting surface and a bottom surface, said sidewalls comprising a first side, a second side, a front end and a back end, each of said first side and said second side longer than each of said front end and said back end, said upper supporting surface substantially parallel to said bottom surface;   a handle having a lower end connected to said back end of said container body approximately equidistance from each of said first side and said second side and an upper end at said upper supporting surface, said upper end of said handle defining a generally elongated flat handle upper surface;   a pour spout disposed in said upper supporting surface of said container body at or near said front end thereof and approximately equidistance from each of said first side and said second side, said pour spout having an orifice for receiving said liquid into said chamber and for pouring said liquid therefrom, the centerline of said orifice substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of said handle upper surface; and   a cap removably connected to said pour spout, said cap having a generally planar cap upper surface, said handle upper surface and said cap upper surface defining said upper supporting surface of said container body.   
   
   
       11 . The liquid container of  claim 10 , wherein said handle has a channel, said channel having an inlet at said orifice and an outlet at said lower end of said handle directed into said internal chamber, said channel configured to reduce or prevent glugging. 
   
   
       12 . The liquid container of  claim 11 , wherein said container body has a handle bridge and a handle support, said handle support disposed below said upper supporting surface and rearward of said pour spout, said handle bridge interconnecting said handle and said handle support to support said handle. 
   
   
       13 . The liquid container of  claim 12 , wherein each of first side and said second side have one or more horizontally disposed side ridges and each of said front end and said back end have one or more end ridges, said side ridges and said end ridges disposed inward toward said internal chamber and shaped and configured to reduce bulging. 
   
   
       14 . The liquid container of  claim 10 , wherein each of said first side and said second side have one or more horizontally disposed side ridges and each of said front end and said back end have one or more end ridges, said side ridges and said end ridges disposed inward toward said internal chamber and shaped and configured to reduce bulging. 
   
   
       15 . The liquid container of  claim 10 , wherein said container body has a handle bridge and a handle support, said handle support disposed below said upper supporting surface and rearward of said pour spout, said handle bridge interconnecting said handle and said handle support to support said handle. 
   
   
       16 . A container packing system, comprising:
 two or more self-supporting containers, each of said containers having a thin-walled container body with a handle and a pour spout formed integrally with said container body and a cap removably connected to said pour spout, said container body defining an internal chamber containing a liquid, said container body having four upstanding sidewalls, a generally flat upper supporting surface and a bottom surface, said sidewalls comprising a first side, a second side, a front end and a back end, said upper supporting surface substantially parallel to said bottom surface, said handle having a lower end disposed at said back end of said container body approximately equidistance from each of said first side and said second side and an upper end at said upper supporting surface, said upper end of said handle defining a generally flat handle upper surface, said pour spout disposed in said upper supporting surface of said container body at or near said front end thereof and approximately equidistance from each of said first side and said second side, said pour spout having an orifice for pouring said liquid from said chamber, said cap having a generally planar cap upper surface, said handle upper surface and said cap upper surface defining said upper supporting surface of said container body; and   a wrapping material tightly wrapping said two or more containers in side-by-side relation to configure said container packing system for vertical stacking.   
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein said container body has a substantially rectangular cross-section with each of said first side and said second side being longer than each of said front end and said back end. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein said handle has a channel, said channel having an inlet at said orifice and an outlet at said lower end of said handle directed into said internal chamber, said channel configured to reduce or prevent glugging. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein each of first side and said second side have one or more horizontally disposed side ridges and each of said front end and said back end have one or more end ridges, said side ridges and said end ridges disposed inward toward said internal chamber and shaped and configured to reduce bulging. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein said container body has a handle bridge and a handle support, said handle support disposed below said upper supporting surface and rearward of said pour spout, said handle bridge interconnecting said handle and said handle support to support said handle.