Condiment bottle

Abstract

A bottle formed of a food-grade plastic material, such as clear polyethylene terephthalate, may include a frustoconical neck portion, a shoulder region, a base region, and a sidewall portion have opposed grip-enhancing surfaces, and elastically deformable pressure panels. A cap for the container may include a valve to control product leakage, and may be sized to allow inversion of the bottle. A generally trapezoidal tab of the cap may be moveable between a closed position covering a cap orifice and an open position outside the plane of the cap.

1 . A condiment bottle comprising:
 a shaped, one-piece container fashioned from synthetic plastic material having a neck with a cap end and a second end, a non-circular shoulder region integral with the second end of the neck and having a U-shaped cross-sectional contour and curved downwardly away from the cap end, a non-circular base region spaced from the shoulder region and having a base U-shaped cross-sectional contour curved upwardly toward the cap end, and opposed sidewall regions extending between the shoulder region and the base region, the shoulder region, base, and sidewall regions defining a pair of squeezable panels, the shoulder region cross-sectional contour being substantially similar to the base region cross-sectional contour, the sidewall having a cross-sectional contour with dimensions smaller that the shoulder region cross-sectional contour; and   a cap attached to the cap end of the container neck, having a generally planar exposed surface.   
     
     
         2 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1 , wherein the distance from the exposed surface of the cap to the shoulder region is less that the distance between the shoulder region and the base region. 
     
     
         3 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1 , wherein the cap end of the neck includes a toroidal surface adjacent to the cap end to enhance portability of the bottle. 
     
     
         4 . The condiment bottle of  claim 3 , wherein the neck includes a generally frustoconical surface. 
     
     
         5 . The condiment bottle of  claim 3 , wherein the neck includes a toroidal enlargement adjacent to the cap end, and wherein the frustoconical surface is part of the toroidal enlargement. 
     
     
         6 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the body portion of the bottle includes a pair of gripping surfaces disposed between the shoulder region and the base region. 
     
     
         7 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the squeezable panels has a peripheral region and a central region surrounded by the peripheral region, wherein the central region elastically deforms with less pressure than required to elastically deform the peripheral region. 
     
     
         8 . The condiment bottle of  claim 7  wherein the central region remains free of creases during elastic deformation. 
     
     
         9 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the cap includes an orifice and a pressure actuated valve covering the orifice to restrict product leakage when the bottle is inverted. 
     
     
         10 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the cap includes an orifice and a generally trapezoidal tab having a closed position where the tab covers the orifice. 
     
     
         11 . The condiment bottle of  claim 10  wherein the generally trapezoidal tab has an opened position with a detent operable to hold the tab below the generally planar exposed surface of the cap. 
     
     
         12 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the container has a predetermined transverse dimension measured in the direction of the generally planar exposed surface, the cap has a nominal dimension measured in the direction of the generally planar exposed surface, and the ratio of the cap nominal dimension to the predetermined container transverse dimension lies in the range of about 0.4 to about 1.0. 
     
     
         13 . The condiment bottle of  claim 12  wherein the ratio of cap nominal dimension to the predetermined transverse dimension is about 0.6. 
     
     
         14 . The condiment bottle of  claim 13  wherein the ratio of the cap nominal dimension to the predetermined transverse dimension is about 0.44. 
     
     
         15 . The condiment bottle of  claim 13  wherein the cap is generally cylindrical and wherein the cap nominal dimension is a diameter of the cap. 
     
     
         16 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the container has a height, a major width, and a minor width, the ratio of the major width to the height being in range of about 0.4 to about 0.6, and the ratio of the minor width to the height being in the range of about 0.3 to about 0.36. 
     
     
         17 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the height does not exceed about 10 inches. 
     
     
         18 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the container comprises polyethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
         19 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the container comprises blow-molded food-grade plastic material. 
     
     
         20 . The condiment bottle of  claim 18  wherein the container is substantially transparent. 
     
     
         21 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  containing a condiment. 
     
     
         22 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  containing ketchup. 
     
     
         23 . The condiment bottle of  claim 1  wherein the container has an internal volume of at least 40 fluid ounces. 
     
     
         24 . A container comprising:
 a shaped, one-piece vessel fashioned from synthetic plastic material, having a neck with an open end having an exposed edge and a second end, a non-circular shoulder region integral with the second end of the neck and having a U-shaped cross-sectional contour curved downwardly away from the neck, a non-circular base region spaced from the shoulder region and having a base U-shaped cross-sectional contour curved upwardly toward the neck, and opposed sidewall regions extending between the shoulder region and the base region, the shoulder region, base, and opposed sidewall regions defining opposed squeezable panels, the shoulder region cross-sectional contour being substantially similar to the base region cross-sectional contour, the sidewall having a cross-sectional contour with dimensions smaller that the shoulder region cross-sectional contour; wherein the distance from the exposed edge of the open end to the shoulder region is less than the distance between the shoulder region and the base region.   
     
     
         25 . The container of  claim 24 , wherein the open end of the neck includes a toroidal surface adjacent to the second end to enhance portability of the bottle. 
     
     
         26 . The container of  claim 25 , wherein the neck includes a generally frustoconical surface. 
     
     
         27 . The container of  claim 26 , wherein the neck includes a toroidal enlargement adjacent to the open end, and wherein the frustoconical surface is part of the toroidal enlargement. 
     
     
         28 . The container of  claim 24  wherein the body portion of the bottle includes a pair of gripping surfaces disposed between the shoulder region and the base region. 
     
     
         29 . The container of  claim 24  wherein at least one of the squeezable panels has a peripheral region and a central region surrounded by the peripheral region, wherein the central region elastically deforms with less pressure than required to elastically deform the peripheral region. 
     
     
         30 . The container of  claim 29  wherein the central region remains free of creases during elastic deformation. 
     
     
         31 . The container of  claim 24  wherein the container has a predetermined transverse dimension, a frustoconical surface having a nominal dimension, and the ratio of the frustoconical surface nominal dimension to the predetermined container transverse dimension lies in the range of about 0.4 to about 1.0. 
     
     
         32 . The container of  claim 31  wherein the ratio of the frustoconical surface nominal dimension to the predetermined width is about 0.6. 
     
     
         33 . The container of  claim 31  wherein the ratio of the frustoconical surface nominal dimension to the predetermined thickness is about 0.44. 
     
     
         34 . The container of  claim 24  wherein the container has a height, a major width, and a minor width, the ratio of the major width to the height being in range of about 0.4 to about 0.6, and the ratio of the minor width to the height being in the range of about 0.3 to about 0.36. 
     
     
         35 . The container of  claim 24  wherein the height does not exceed about 10 inches. 
     
     
         36 . The container of  claim 24  wherein the container comprises polyethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
         37 . The container of  claim 24  wherein the container comprises blow-molded food-grade plastic material. 
     
     
         38 . The container of  claim 37  wherein the container is substantially transparent. 
     
     
         39 . The container of  claim 24  wherein the container has an internal volume of at least 40 fluid ounces. 
     
     
         40 . A container comprising:
 a shaped, one-piece vessel fashioned from synthetic plastic material, having a neck with an open end having an exposed edge and a second end, a non-circular shoulder region integral with the second end of the neck, having a downwardly curved U-shaped cross-sectional contour, a non-circular base region spaced from the shoulder region and having a base upwardly curved U-shaped cross-sectional contour, and a sidewall region extending between the shoulder region and the base region, opposed squeezable panels defined between the curved U-shaped contours of the shoulder region and the base region, the shoulder region cross-sectional contour being substantially similar to the base region cross-sectional contour, the sidewall having a cross-sectional contour with dimensions smaller that the shoulder region cross-sectional contour; wherein the distance from the exposed edge of the open end to the shoulder region is less than the distance between the shoulder region and the base region.   
     
     
         41 . The container of  claim 40  wherein the opposed squeezable panels are defined by substantially straight walls.