Colorant Container

Abstract

A container suitable for holding a fluid includes a body defining an interior volume and having a torso portion having a substantially square-shaped cross section, a shoulder portion joined above the torso portion and including a plurality of shoulder walls that define a substantially square cross-section, and a base portion, which may have a substantially square or octagonal cross section. The container body may be formed with indentations at each of its four bottom corners that are shaped to give the container relief from detrimental piercing contact with the lugs that are provided in the bottom of some square retention buckets used on commercial paint shakers. The body may be made substantially or entirely of polyethylene terephthalate. The container is particularly suited for colorants and pigment dispersions for tinting coatings and for shaking colorants and pigment dispersions prior to dispensing into a tinting machine.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A container for holding a paint colorant comprising:
 a body defining an interior volume, the body comprising:
 a torso portion comprising a plurality of torso walls, each torso wall having at least two side edges, a bottom edge, and a top edge, the torso walls joined at side edges to provide the torso portion of the body with a substantially square cross-section, 
 a bottom panel joined to a portion of the bottom edge of each of the plurality of torso walls, 
   wherein the body is formed so that each of the four corners defined by the junction of the bottom panel and each pair of bottom edges of adjacent torso walls is indented; and   wherein the container is free of a handle.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the body further comprises a shoulder portion joined to the top edges of the torso walls, the shoulder portion comprising a plurality of shoulder walls, each shoulder wall having first and second non-parallel side edges and parallel top and bottom edges, the shoulder walls joined at side edges to form a funnel. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the body further comprises a neck portion joined to the top edges of the shoulder walls, the neck portion comprising a neck wall having a substantially circular cross section. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the neck wall has an inside diameter of less than about 50 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the torso walls, shoulder walls, neck wall, and bottom panel are made substantially of polyethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one torso rib circumferentially located about the torso walls. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the maximum distance between the two furthest points of the container body at an equivalent horizontal plane is less than 6⅝ inches. 
     
     
         8 . A container for holding a paint colorant comprising:
 a body defining an interior volume, the body comprising:
 a base portion comprising a bottom panel having a plurality of edges and a plurality of base walls extending substantially vertically upward from the edges of the bottom panel to form a bowl having a substantially octagonal cross-section, 
 a torso portion comprising a plurality of torso walls, each torso wall having at least two side edges, a bottom edge, and a top edge, the torso walls joined at side edges to provide the torso portion of the body with a substantially square cross-section, 
   wherein the base portion is integrally joined to the torso portion; and   wherein the container is free of a handle.   
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 8 , wherein the base walls have a height of between about 0.25 and about 1.0 inches. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 9 , wherein the maximum distance between midpoints on opposing edges of the base portion is substantially the same or less than the maximum width of the torso walls. 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the body further comprises a shoulder portion joined to the top edges of the torso walls, the shoulder portion comprising a plurality of shoulder walls, each shoulder wall having first and second non-parallel side edges and parallel top and bottom edges. 
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 11 , wherein the body further comprises a neck portion joined to the top edges of the shoulder walls, the neck portion comprising a neck wall having a substantially circular cross section. 
     
     
         13 . A container comprising:
 a body defining an interior volume, the body comprising:
 a base portion comprising a bottom panel having a plurality of edges and a plurality of base walls extending upwardly from the edges of the bottom panel to provide the base portion of the body with a substantially octagonal cross-section; 
 a torso portion integrally joined to the base portion, comprising a plurality of torso walls, each torso wall having at least two side edges, a bottom edge, and a top edge, the torso walls joined at side edges to provide the torso portion of the body with a substantially square cross-section; 
 a neck portion integrally joined to the torso portion opposite the base portion, the neck portion comprising a neck wall having a substantially circular cross section; and. 
   wherein the container is free of a handle   
     
     
         14 . The container of  claim 13 , wherein the maximum distance between midpoints on opposing base-walls of the base portion is less than about 6⅝ inches. 
     
     
         15 . The container of  claim 13  having an interior volume of at least one gallon. 
     
     
         16 . The container of  claim 13  having an interior volume of at least one-half gallon.