Combination bottle and system

Abstract

A combination bottle and system for devising combination bottles for the retention of liquids and other pliable items is provided. A base container unit with an open mouth is configured to retain liquids and exhibits a base unit perimeter lip with an attachment configuration and the base container unit may be combined with various capacity adding units which have perimeter lips with a variety of attachment configurations that allow attachment between the base unit and the capacity-adding unit(s). The base container unit may be combined either alone or with various numbers of capacity adding units with one or more top units that have top unit perimeter lips with top unit attachment configurations mateable with the various constituent members of the combination bottle system. Various top units are provided which exhibit functional end selected from the group of: sippy cup functional end, straw functional end, and nipple functional end. By varying the size of perimeter lips and projection aspect, necks may be created in constituted bottles providing convenient hand-holds. Some embodiments of the present invention are also directed to kits that include various bottle components suitable for particular applications. Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for assembling a combination bottle from a combination bottle system and changing the capacity (volume) of the combination bottle “on-the-go” by interchanging components of the combination bottle system.

We claim as follows: 
     
         1 . A combination bottle system comprising:
 a base container unit configured to retain liquids, the base container unit having an open mouth with a base unit perimeter lip having an attachment configuration;   a capacity-adding unit configured to retain liquids, the capacity-adding unit having a first perimeter lip having a first attachment configuration, the first attachment configuration of the first perimeter lip and the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip being mateable with each other, the capacity-adding unit having a second perimeter lip having a second attachment configuration; and   a top unit having a top unit perimeter lip having a top unit attachment configuration mateable with the second attachment configuration of the second perimeter lip of the capacity-adding unit.   
     
     
         2 . The combination bottle system of  claim 1  in which the material comprising each of the top unit, the base container unit and the capacity adding unit are selected from a group of materials consisting of: stainless steel, aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), copolyester, glass, polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile styrene (AS), bio based polymers, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), bisphenol A (BPA), polyester (PES), acrylic, bamboo, melamine, and polyamide (PA). 
     
     
         3 . The combination bottle system of  claim 1  in which the top unit exhibits a functional end selected from the group of: sippy cup functional end, straw functional end, nipple functional end, sports functional end, coffee top functional end and open lipped functional end 
     
     
         4 . The combination bottle system of any of  claim 1  in which the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip, the first attachment configuration of the first perimeter lip of the capacity-adding unit and the second attachment configuration of the second perimeter lip of the capacity-adding unit are each of the same type. 
     
     
         5 . The combination bottle system of  claim 2  in which the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip, the first attachment configuration of the first perimeter lip of the capacity-adding unit and the second attachment configuration of the second perimeter lip of the capacity-adding unit are each of the same type. 
     
     
         6 . The combination bottle system of  claim 1  in which the top unit comprises a shell and said top unit exhibits a nipple functional end separable from the shell of the top unit. 
     
     
         7 . The combination bottle system of  claim 1  in which the top unit exhibits an integral nipple functional end. 
     
     
         8 . The combination bottle system of  claim 1  in which the first perimeter lip of the capacity-adding unit and the base unit perimeter lip of the base unit are each configured with a projecting configuration so that when the first attachment configuration of the first perimeter lip of the capacity-adding unit and the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip are mated, the combination bottle exhibits a neck having a neck diameter smaller than the diameter of the base unit. 
     
     
         9 . A combination bottle system comprising:
 a base container unit configured to retain liquids, the base container unit having an open mouth with a base unit perimeter lip having an attachment configuration; and   first and second top units, each of said first and second top units having a top unit perimeter lip having an attachment configuration mateable with the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip, said first and second top units each exhibiting a different functional end.   
     
     
         10 . The combination bottle system of  claim 8  in which the functional ends of the first and second units are selected from the group of: sippy cup functional end, straw functional end, nipple functional end, sports functional end, and open lipped functional end. 
     
     
         11 . The combination bottle system of  claim 8  in which the first top unit exhibits a nipple functional end that is separable from a shell of said first top unit. 
     
     
         12 . A combination bottle system comprising:
 a base container unit configured to retain liquids, the base container unit having an open mouth with a base unit perimeter lip having an attachment configuration;   a first capacity-adding unit configured to retain liquids, the first capacity-adding unit having a first perimeter lip having a first attachment configuration and a second perimeter lip having a second attachment configuration, the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip being mateable with the first attachment configuration of the first perimeter lip or the second attachment configuration of the second attachment lip; and   a second capacity-adding unit configured to retain liquids, the second capacity adding unit having a primary second capacity-adding unit perimeter lip having a third attachment configuration, the third attachment configuration being mateable with the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip or the first or second attachment configurations of the respective perimeter lips of the first capacity-adding unit.   
     
     
         13 . The combination bottle system of  claim 12  in which the first and second capacity adding units are comprised from materials from a group of materials: stainless steel, aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), copolyester, glass, polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile styrene (AS), bio based polymers, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), bisphenol A (BPA), polyester (PES), acrylic, bamboo, melamine, and polyamide (PA). 
     
     
         14 . The combination bottle system of  claim 13  further comprising a top unit, the top unit having a top unit perimeter lip, said top unit having a top unit attachment configuration mateable with the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip or the first attachment configuration of the first perimeter lip or the second attachment configuration of the second perimeter lip of the first capacity-adding unit. 
     
     
         15 . The combination bottle system of  claim 14  in which the top unit exhibits a functional end, said functional end being selected from the group of: sippy cup functional end, nipple functional end, and straw functional end. 
     
     
         16 . The combination bottle system of  claim 14  in which the top unit comprises a shell and a separable functional end. 
     
     
         17 . The combination bottle system of  claim 12  further comprising:
 first and second top units, the first top unit having a first top unit perimeter lip having a first top unit attachment configuration mateable with the attachment configuration of the base unit perimeter lip or the first, second, or third attachment configurations and said second top unit having a second top unit perimeter lip having a second top unit attachment configuration said first and second top units each exhibiting a functional end. 
 
     
     
         18 . The combination bottle system of  claim 17  in which said first and second top units each have a functional end selected from the group of functional ends including sippy cup functional end, straw cup functional end and nipple cup functional end. 
     
     
         19 . The combination bottle system of  claim 18  in which the functional ends of the respective first and second top units each exhibit a different function. 
     
     
         20 - 27 . (canceled)