Collapsible bottle

Abstract

A collapsible or foldable plastic bottle of circular bellows like configuration capable of manufacture on current plastic bottle manufacturing equipment with current plastic materials approved for contact with foods and beverages. The bellows over center and fold to retain the folded condition without external assistance thus providing a self-latching feature. In particular, the bellows of the bottle, when fully folded, cause the bottle to substantially fit within a cup fastened to the base of the bottle. The cup is generally formed by further extending the cup upward and increasing the diameter slightly in comparison with the reinforcing cup on current soda pop bottles.

I claim: 
     
       1. A collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.having a top and a base joined by a substantially cylindrical side wall integral therewith and an aperture in the top, the improvement comprising a plurality of circular bellows formed by conical sections integrally joined .Iadd.by lesser and greater diameter fold rings .Iaddend.to create at least a portion of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.side wall,   the conical sections comprising alternating short portions and long portions, said short portions being at a greater angle to the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.axis than said long portions, and   the lesser diameter .[.junctures.]. .Iadd.fold rings .Iaddend.of the long portions with the short portions being formed with a wall thickness less than the side wall thickness of the portions to create fold rings for the circular bellows.   
     
     
       2. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 1 wherein said short portions are substantially one-half the long portions in height. 
     
     
       3. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 1 wherein the greater diameter junctures of the bellows portions increase and then decrease as the bellows are folded over to provide a snap action over centering of the bellows thereby latching the bellows in the closed position. 
     
     
       4. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 1 including a cup affixed to the base of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container.Iaddend., said cup having a side wall extending upwardly about the bottle side wall and spaced therefrom. 
     
     
       5. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 4 wherein said cup side wall extends approximately one-half the height of the bottle. 
     
     
       6. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 4 wherein the inside diameter of the cup side wall is less than the maximum outside diameter of the bellows attained during fold over. 
     
     
       7. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 4 wherein the bellows side wall of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.folds into the cup side wall. 
     
     
       8. A collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.having a base and a top joined by a substantially cylindrical side wall integral therewith and an aperture in the top, said side wall formed into a plurality of circular bellows, said circular bellows comprising a plurality of alternately upwardly and downwardly pointed conical sections joined integrally by circular fold rings of a thickness less than the conical section thicknesses, and .Iadd.said circular bellows comprising lesser and greater diameter circular fold rings .Iaddend.   said greater diameter circular fold rings increasing to and decreasing from a maximum diameter to provide an over centering of the bellows during folding thereby latching the bellows in the collapsed position.   
     
     
       9. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 8 wherein the conical sections pointed in one axial direction are approximately twice the height of the other conical sections. 
     
     
       10. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 9 wherein the taller conical sections are at a lesser angle to the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.axis than the shorter conical sections. 
     
     
       11. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 8 including a cup affixed to the base of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container.Iaddend., said cup having a side wall extending upwardly about the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.side wall and space therefrom. 
     
     
       12. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 11 wherein said cup side wall extends approximately one-half the height of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       13. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 11 wherein the inside diameter of the cup side wall is less than the maximum outside diameter of the bellows attained during fold over. 
     
     
       14. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 11 wherein the bellows side wall of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.folds into the cup sidewall. 
     
     
       15. A collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.having a top and a base joined by a substantially cylindrical side wall integral therewith and an aperture in the top, the improvement comprising a plurality of circular bellows formed by conical sections integrally joined to create at least a portion of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.side wall,   the conical sections comprising alternating short portions and long portions, said short portions being at a greater angle to the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.axis than said long portions, and   a separate cup affixed to the base of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container.Iaddend., said cup having a side wall extending upwardly about the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.side wall and spaced therefrom to contain the folded bellows.   
     
     
       16. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 15 wherein said short portions are substantially one-half the long portions in height. 
     
     
       17. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 15 wherein said cup side wall extends approximately one-half the height of the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       18. The collapsible plastic .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.of claim 15 including a cap, said cap adapted to provide an air tight seal upon tight engagement with the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.about the aperture, said .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.being retainable in the collapsed condition by the tight replacement of the cap on the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.with the .[.bottle.]. .Iadd.container .Iaddend.in the collapsed condition. .Iadd. 
     
     
       19.  A collapsible plastic container having a base and a top joined by a substantially cylindrical side wall integral therewith, at least a portion of said sidewall formed into a plurality of bellows extending therearound, said bellows comprising upwardly and downwardly pointed substantially conical sections joined by fold rings, and   said fold rings retaining substantially fixed diameters and at least some of said upwardly and downwardly pointed conical sections flexing from the unfolded to the folded position to provide an over centering of the bellows during folding thereby latching the bellows in the collapsed position. .Iaddend. .Iadd.20. The collapsible plastic container of claim 19 wherein the conical sections pointed in one axial direction are approximately twice the height of the other conical sections. .Iaddend. .Iadd.21. The collapsible plastic container of claim 19 wherein some of the conical sections differ in height and the shorter conical sections flex to provide the over centering of the bellows. .Iaddend. .Iadd.22. The collapsible plastic container of claim 19 wherein some of said conical sections are shorter in slope than the other conical sections and wherein said shorter conical sections flex to provide the over centering of the bellows. .Iaddend. .Iadd.23. The collapsible plastic container of claim 19 wherein some of said conical sections differ in angular relationship to the bottle axis. .Iaddend.