Thin-walled blow-formed tossable bottle with reinforced intra-fin cavities

Abstract

Disclosed herein are aerodynamic beverage bottles that incorporate fins or protrusions that are molded in to a bottle sidewall, having concavities or valleys between those fins or protrusions that are reinforced to be stiff and otherwise resisting deformation from, for example, pressures generated within the bottle. The sidewall in the region of the fins, protrusions, valleys or concavities may be thinner than other parts of the bottle; fins may be located on one end of a bottle which is thinner than the other end. Such a bottle may have a cylindrical section to which a label may be attached. Such a bottle may be blow-molded. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.

1 . A thin-walled throwable beverage bottle having a varying cross-sectional perimeter and a finned section, comprising:
 a bottle body having a bottom and an interior, and wherein said body interior is capable of holding a beverage;   a neck incorporated in said bottle body, said neck including an opening through which a beverage may be placed into or removed from said interior;   fins incorporated to said bottle body, said fins providing for aerodynamic guidance of said body as said body travels through the air in a direction defined by a vector starting from said bottom to said neck;   valleys incorporated to said bottle body between said fins, wherein each of said valleys form a concavity between it's respective fins;   ribs incorporated to said concavities providing rigidity to said bottle body in the area of said valleys, said ribs providing stiffness against an internal pressure applied to the concavity in which it resides whereby that concavity may be maintained, said ribs providing shape to said bottle body while maintaining the thickness of said sidewall between the reinforced and non-reinforced areas in the regions of said ribs; and   a cap portion having a seal fitted to seal said neck and provide enclosure for said interior;   wherein said bottom comprises a cylindrical base portion formed in the sidewall of said bottle body, whereby said bottle body may be transported on a track or conveyor without substantial interference between said fins and the track or conveyor.   
   
   
       2 . A throwable beverage product incorporating a bottle according to  claim 1 , further comprising a nose adapted to attach to said neck, said nose optionally being attachable to said neck through a cap fitting to said neck. 
   
   
       3 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 2 , wherein in the throwing configuration of said product, said nose has a mass that biases the balance of said product toward the nose. 
   
   
       4 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 2 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a pliable material. 
   
   
       5 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 2 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a stiff material. 
   
   
       6 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 2 , further comprising a series of reinforcing notches incorporated to said fins. 
   
   
       7 . A thin-walled throwable beverage bottle having a varying cross-sectional perimeter and a finned section, comprising:
 a bottle body having a bottom and an interior, and wherein said body interior is capable of holding a beverage;   a neck incorporated in said bottle body, said neck including an opening through which a beverage may be placed into or removed from said interior;   fins incorporated to said bottle body, said fins providing for aerodynamic guidance of said body as said body travels through the air in a direction defined by a vector starting from said bottom and to said neck;   valleys incorporated to said bottle body between said fins, wherein each of said valleys form a concavity between it's respective fins;   ribs incorporated to said concavities providing rigidity to said bottle body in the area of said valleys, said ribs providing stiffness against an internal pressure applied to the concavity in which it resides whereby that concavity may be maintained, said ribs providing shape to said bottle body while maintaining the thickness of said sidewall between the reinforced and non-reinforced areas in the regions of said ribs; and   a cap portion having a seal fitted to seal said neck and provide enclosure for said interior;   wherein said fins are arranged in a substantially circular arrangement; whereby said bottle body may be transported on a track or conveyor without substantial interference between said fins and the track or conveyor.   
   
   
       8 . A throwable beverage product incorporating a bottle according to  claim 7 , further comprising a nose adapted to attach to said neck, said nose optionally being attachable to said neck through a cap fitting to said neck. 
   
   
       9 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 8 , wherein in the throwing configuration of said product, said nose has a mass that biases the balance of said product toward the nose. 
   
   
       10 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 8 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a pliable material. 
   
   
       11 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 8 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a stiff material. 
   
   
       12 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 7 , further comprising a series of reinforcing notches incorporated to said fins. 
   
   
       13 . A thin-walled throwable beverage bottle having a varying cross-sectional perimeter and a finned section, comprising:
 a bottle body having a bottom and an interior, and wherein said body interior is capable of holding a beverage;   a neck incorporated in said bottle body, said neck including an opening through which a beverage may be placed into or removed from said interior;   fins incorporated to said bottle body, said fins providing for aerodynamic guidance of said body as said body travels through the air in a direction defined by a vector starting from said bottom to said neck;   valleys incorporated to said bottle body between said fins, wherein each of said valleys form a concavity between it's respective fins;   ribs incorporated to said concavities providing rigidity to said bottle body in the area of said valleys, said ribs providing stiffness against an internal pressure applied to the concavity in which it resides whereby that concavity may be maintained, said ribs providing shape to said bottle body while maintaining the thickness of said sidewall between the reinforced and non-reinforced areas in the regions of said ribs;   a crush zone incorporated to said bottle body at a location other than said fins and valleys; and   a cap portion having a seal fitted to seal said neck and provide enclosure for said interior.   
   
   
       14 . A throwable beverage product incorporating a bottle according to  claim 13 , further comprising a nose adapted to attach to said neck, said nose optionally being attachable to said neck through a cap fitting to said neck. 
   
   
       15 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 14 , wherein in the throwing configuration of said product, said nose has a mass that biases the balance of said product toward the nose. 
   
   
       16 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 14 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a pliable material. 
   
   
       17 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 14 , wherein said nose is fashioned from a stiff material. 
   
   
       18 . A throwable beverage product according to  claim 13 , further comprising a series of reinforcing notches incorporated to said fins.