Collapsible bottle

Abstract

A collapsible fluid container having an expanded and a collapsed configuration, including a rigid top portion having an open mouth with structure onto which a closure member may be disposed, a rigid base portion bottom, and a resilient medial portion disposed between the upper portion and base portion. When in the expanded configuration the container is substantially cylindrical. It is placed into a collapsed configuration by twisting the upper portion and base portion in relation to one another or pushing the upper portion toward the base portion until they approximate one another. Retention structure is employed to hold the container in the collapsed configuration. When the retention structure is disengaged, the resilient material of the medial portion urges the container back into a fully expanded configuration.

What is claimed as invention is: 
     
         1 . A collapsible fluid container having an expanded and a collapsed configuration, comprising:
 a generally rigid top portion having an open mouth with structure onto which a closure member may be disposed;   a generally rigid base portion having a bottom with a planar portion for placement on a flat surface;   a flexible and resilient medial portion disposed between said upper portion and said base portion; and   retention structure for securing the container in the collapsed configuration;   wherein when in the expanded configuration said collapsible fluid container is substantially cylindrical, and said apparatus is placed into a collapsed configuration by removing any closure member from said mouth and then either twisting said upper portion and said base portion in relation to one another or pushing said upper portion toward said base portion until said retention structure is engaged so as to hold said fluid container in the collapsed configuration.   
     
     
         2 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said medial portion is fabricated from food grade silicone rubber. 
     
     
         3 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said medial portion has an upper edge connected to a lower rim of said upper portion and a lower edge connected to an upper rim of said base portion. 
     
     
         4 . The fluid container of  claim 3 , wherein the diameters of said upper rim and said lower rim and the diameter of said medial portion at the points of connection are substantially the same. 
     
     
         5 . The fluid container of  claim 3 , wherein said upper portion is sized to nest snugly into said base portion, such that when said fluid container is twisted or pushed into the collapsed configuration said base portion captures and retains said upper portion. 
     
     
         6 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said upper portion has a lower rim with a diameter and said base portion has an upper rim with a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of said lower rim, and wherein to move said fluid container from a fully expanded configuration to a fully collapsed configuration, said closure member is removed so as to allow air to escape and then rotating said upper portion in relation to said base portion, such that said flexible and resilient medial portion folds and overlaps itself within the confines of the upper and lower portions until said lower rim and said upper rim are generally approximated, thereby bringing said retention elements into engagement, thereby securing said fluid container in the collapsed configuration. 
     
     
         7 . The fluid container of  claim 6 , wherein said retention structure comprises a female element disposed on either of said upper or base portions and a male element disposed on either of said upper or base portions and insertable into said male element, wherein to engage said male element with said female element said upper portions is twisted such that said male element slightly bypasses said female element sufficiently for the male element to insert into the female element as said flexible and resilient medial portion urges said upper and said base portions to rotate and maintain the insertion. 
     
     
         8 . The fluid container of  claim 6 , wherein said retention structure comprises a resilient band. 
     
     
         9 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said retention structure comprises a resilient band. 
     
     
         10 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said upper portion has a lower rim with a contoured edge and said base portion has an upper rim with a contoured edge complementary to the contoured edge of said lower rim, and wherein to move said fluid container from a fully expanded configuration to a fully collapsed configuration, said closure member is removed so as to allow air to escape and then rotating said upper portion in relation to said base portion, such that said flexible and resilient medial portion folds and overlaps itself within the confines of the upper and lower portions until said lower rim and said upper rim are generally approximated, thereby bringing said contoured edges of said upper and lower rims into contact so as to prevent twisting of said medial portion in a direction opposite that of the direction in which it was twisted to collapse. 
     
     
         11 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said upper portion includes a rounded overhang spaced apart from said medial portion, said overhang including a circumferential interior rim, and where said base portion includes an exterior circumferential rim that engages said circumferential interior rim when said fluid container is placed in the collapsed configuration to prevent the top and bottom portions from separating from one another. 
     
     
         12 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said upper portion has a slightly smaller outside diameter than the interior diameter of said base portion, such that when said upper portion is twisted or pushed in relation to said base portion, said medial portion collapses and folds within the confines of the base portion and said upper portion fits snugly within said folds of said medial portion. 
     
     
         13 . The fluid container of  claim 12 , wherein said base portion is fabricated from silicone rubber and is integral with said medial portion, and wherein said base portion has a thickness slightly greater than the thickness of said medial portion such that it is sufficiently rigid to capture and retain said upper portion and to retain the bottle in a collapsed configuration. 
     
     
         14 . The fluid container of  claim 1 , wherein said upper portion has an inner diameter larger than the exterior diameter of said base portion, such that when said upper portion is twisted or pushed in relation to said base portion, said medial portion collapses and folds within the confines of said upper portion and said bottom portion fits snugly within said base portion. 
     
     
         15 . A collapsible fluid container, comprising:
 an upper portion having an open mouth;   a base portion;   a medial portion fabricated from resilient material, said medial portion disposed between said upper portion and said base portion; and   retention structure;   wherein said fluid container has an expanded configuration and a collapsed storage configuration and is translated from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration by twisting said upper portion in relation to said base portion, and wherein when said fluid container is in the collapsed configuration, said resilient material imparts a force to each of said upper and base portions urging said upper and base portions to rotate in a direction opposite that of the rotation of twist used to place said fluid container in the collapsed configuration, and said retention elements uses such force as a means to maintain engagement with one another and thereby to retain said fluid container in the collapsed configuration.   
     
     
         16 . The fluid container of  claim 15 , wherein said retention structure comprises complementary clasp elements disposed on each of said upper portion and said base portion. 
     
     
         17 . The fluid container of  claim 15 , wherein said retention structure comprises a resilient band. 
     
     
         18 . The fluid container of  claim 15 , wherein said retention structure comprises a contoured lower edge in said upper portion and a contoured upper edge in said base portion that engage one another when said fluid container is in said collapsed configuration prevent rotation of said upper portion in relation to said base portion. 
     
     
         19 . The fluid container of  claim 15 , wherein said upper portion and said base portion have different diameters, such that when said fluid container is placed into the collapsed configuration, either of said upper portion or said lower portion fits within the other of said upper portion or said base portion. 
     
     
         20 . A collapsible fluid container, comprising:
 an upper portion with a mouth;   a base portion shaped for placement on a flat surface such that said fluid container is in a generally upright orientation;   a medial portion fabricated from resilient material and disposed between said upper portion and said base portion;   wherein said fluid container has an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration, and when in the collapsed configuration said medial portion is distorted so as to reduce the volume within said fluid container and so as to bring said upper portion and said lower portion into engagement with one another, and wherein when said upper portion and said lower portion are released from such engagement, said resilient material will urge said fluid container back into the expanded configuration.