Abstract:
An interlocking engagement for plastic containers in which a pair of identically formed bottles can be removably secured to one another along identical configured effacing surfaces. The bottle has oppositely disposed male and female configurations that upon effacing co-planar trans-lateral engagement with one another from an identical bottle surface engagement lock together forming a dual chambered integral container with multiple independent access closure openings therein.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to liquid containers that can be selectively secured together by the engagement of interlocking contoured surfaces. Such containers are typically used to hold two different products within a single transportable container configuration. Such containers utilize two separate enclosures which are joined together by a variety of means. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art devices of this type have relied on a variety of different multiple bottle configurations having different inter-engageable surface formations thereon, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,381,841, 5,316,159, D439,156 and Patent Publication US2001/0030191 A1. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,841 an interlocking arrangement for plastic containers can be seen in which a triad of containers are disclosed having a large central container onto which a pair of identical smaller containers are interlocked thereto. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,159 discloses a dual bottle container in which a pair of differently configured bottles are shown to be interlocked to one another by inner engaging “key” elements defined by corresponding groove and flange configurations oriented vertically therebetween. 
     U.S. Pat. No. D439,156 is drawn to a set of interlocking bottles, each having an elongated groove and spaced parallel rib on their respective side surfaces. The bottles are secured to one another by longitudinal vertical engagement. 
     Interlocking separable containers are shown is patent Publication 2001/0030191 A1 having a main upstanding bottle with contoured upper side portions and a registration key formed therein. A corresponding smaller container with a receiving opening therethrough is slidably disposed thereon. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A bottle container of the present invention has a dual interlocking system that permits it to be inter-engaged with a second identical bottle container to form a dual bottle container configuration. The bottle container has an attachment wall surface with a contoured recess portion and a spaced horizontally aligned is interlocking protrusion which has a right angled sidewall in oppositely disposed angled adjoining surface for registration with the corresponding inner walls of the recessed portion. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the bottle container of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the interlocking wall surface; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of a pair of containers joined together; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged front elevational view of the recess locking portion thereof; and 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged side elevational view of the locking lug of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  of the drawings, a bottle container  10  of the invention can be seen having a bottom wall  11 , a top wall  12  with an integral front wall  13 , back wall  14  and oppositely disposed sidewalls  15  and  16  therebetween. A threaded neck  17  extends from the top wall  12  defining an access opening at  18  within. The sidewall  15  has a locking engagement recess portion  19  intersecting the corner junction of the respective sidewall  15  and front wall  13 . A co-registration locking lug  20  of the invention extends from the sidewall  15  for transversely interlocking a pair of identical bottle containers  10  together within respective recessed portions  19  in a predetermined sidewall to sidewall orientation as seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5  of the drawings. 
     The recessed portion  19  has a contoured base surface  20  with a transversely arcuate transition side lip portion  20 A extending inwardly from the planar surface of the sidewall  15 . An oppositely disposed contoured inner top surface  21  of the recessed portion  19  has a corresponding upper transversely arcuate transition side lip portion  21 A extending inwardly from the planar surface of the side  15 . 
     An end inner wall surface  22  of the recess  19  extends between the respective base and inner top surfaces  20  and  21  respectively with an inner end wall arcuate transition lip  22 A. The end inner wall surface  22  is angularly disposed inwardly from the planar surface  15  as seen in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. The respective inner base and inner top portions  20  and  21  are tapered longitudinally from their respective intersections at  20 B and  21 B outwardly to the end inner wall junction at  20 C and  21 C respectively and angularly disposed along their respective horizontal planes towards one another from intersections at  20 B and  21 B. 
     It will be seen therefore that a back inner wall surface  23  of the recess portion  19  has a divergent planar surface of reduced dimensional area to that of the recess opening  19  defined within the side surface  15 . 
     Correspondingly, a recess end portion at  24  within the front wall surface  13  of the hereinbefore described recess  19  is defined by multiple arcuate lip portions  25 ,  26  and  27  of the hereinbefore described respective inner base, top and back surface,  20 ,  21  and  23 . 
     The locking lug  20 , best seen in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  7 , and  8  of the drawings has contoured upper and lower engagement surfaces  28  and  29  with an outside adjoining side surface  30  co-planar with the bottle container&#39;s back wall  14 . An upstanding front surface  31  extends from the respective upper and lower engagement surfaces  28  and  29  and side surface  30 . An inside side surface  32  extends angularly from the sidewall  15  intersecting the respective hereinbefore described upper and lower front surfaces  28 ,  29 , and  31  respectively. 
     It will be seen that for interlocking registration, that when the locking lug  20  and the bottle container  10  is slidably disposed within a recessed area  19 ′ of an identical adjoining bottle container  10 ′ as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5  of the drawings, that the locking lug  20  oppositely disposed upper and lower engagement surfaces  28  and  29  have a one degree longitudinal draft therebetween to afford interlocking registration. Therefore as the lugs  20  of the respective containers  10  and  10 ′ are longitudinally engaged within their corresponding contoured recesses  19  and  19 ′ that the registration of the contoured upper and lower lug surfaces  28  and  29  with the tapered inner base and top surfaces  20  and  21  and lugs front surface  31  against the angular disposed interlocking surface  23  of the recess  19  and  19 ′ an interlocking interference fit is achieved aided by the material properties of the containers themselves for yieldable registration as will be well understood by those skilled in the art. 
     This precise arrangement of the lugs  20  and  20 ′ within the respective recess areas  19  and  19 ′ engagement surfaces as hereinbefore described allows for a pair of identical bottle containers  10  and  10 ′ (for illustration purposes) of the invention to the interengaged and locked together by the respective effacing sidewalls  15  under trans-lateral sliding registration engagement indicated in broken lines in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. 
     It will be evident that such containers having the interlocking features of the present invention can be removably secured to one another allowing, if required, selective disengagement therefrom.