Abstract:
An apparatus and method are disclosed for cutting a cylindrical plastic bottle into two sections, providing the open end of one section with an externally threaded collar and the open end of the other section with an internally threaded collar, and threadedly engaging the two sections into a storage container.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a divisional application based on pending application Ser. No. 11/599,141 filed Nov. 14, 2006. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for making storage containers, and is particularly related to making a storage container from cylindrical plastic bottle, and more specifically from recyclable plastic bottles. The invention reforms a plastic bottle into a plastic container for storage of various objects such as nails, screws, etc. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Plastic bottles are frequently discarded after their contents have been used, or they are, sometimes, recycled for treatment and re-use by refilling the bottles. Other non-plastic bottles, e.g., glass bottles, also are generally either discarded or treated for re-use. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,829 issued Oct. 24, 1972 to Ephren J. Gelfman describes a method and apparatus for cutting hollow cylindrical glass bottles, removing the upper neck portion and making the bottom portion into a useful container. In the method of the Gelfman patent, a glass bottle is rotated about its axis which is supported by a support structure having two spaced support rollers. One of the support rollers has a cutting edge which engages the periphery of the support structure during rotation of the bottle for forming a circular score line. Heat is applied to the bottle along the score line, and the bottle is then rapidly cooled by quenching with ice to cause a break along the score line and the bottle is thus cut into an upper portion and a lower portion, and the edges at the break line are smoothed by sanding with an abrasive material. The bottom cut portion is in the form of an open container which can be used for storage of various objects. 
         [0005]    Another device for cutting hollow cylindrical glass objects such as bottles is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,647 issued Apr. 28, 1974 to Yale A. Blanc. By the method and apparatus described by Blanc, wine bottles, beer bottles, cooking oil bottles, syrup bottles and jugs can be cut and converted to vases, goblets and candy dishes. 
         [0006]    The aforementioned patents and, so far as is known, other prior art patents, disclose method and apparatus for cutting glass bottles to provide a bottom portion which serve as open container. The upper cut portion is usually discarded thus adding to waste and inefficiency. 
         [0007]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for cutting a plastic cylindrical bottle into an upper portion and a bottom portion and reforming the two cut portions into a closed storage container. 
         [0008]    It is a further object of this invention, to provide such method and apparatus for recycled cylindrical plastic bottles thus avoiding waste and littering caused by discarding portions of the bottles. 
         [0009]    It is also an object of the present invention to provide such reformed plastic bottles for storage of various small size objects such as screws, nails and the like. 
         [0010]    The foregoing and other objects of this invention will be further comprehended from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus and method are provided for forming storage containers from used plastic bottles. The apparatus comprises a solid support member such as a wooden block or the like which has an upper flat surface, a bottom flat surface, front and rear sides, and left and right sides. The upper surface has a transverse groove extending from one end of the upper surface to the other end of the upper surface, a plurality of vertical spaced apart parallel grooves on one side of said transverse groove and a plurality of horizontal spaced apart parallel grooves on the other side of said transverse groove. One support flap is frictionally engaged in one of said vertical spaced apart parallel grooves and another flap support member is frictionally engaged in another one of said spaced apart vertical parallel grooves for securely positioning a portion, i.e., lower portion of the plastic bottle, and a support flap member is frictionally engaged in one of said horizontal grooves for securely positioning the other portion, i.e., the neck end of the bottle. An electrical wire is tautly held above the neck portion of said bottle which is connected to an electrical power source. The electrical wire is secured to a handle which can be manipulated to raise and lower the heated electrical wire for cutting through the plastic bottle in two portions. 
         [0012]    Each of the cut portions of the bottle is provided with a threaded collar, one with an internally threaded collar, and the other with an externally threaded collar adapted to be inter-engaged to form a storage container. Prior to inter-engaging the two bottle portions, the lower portion may be filled with various objects such as screws, nails, etc. The neck portion is capped with a closure member hanging a hook for hanging the storage container from a support rail. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    In the drawings, like reference numerals are employed to designate like parts. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a partly perspective view of a block used to support the plastic bottle in position and showing a cutting wire and its associated handle; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side, partly perspective view of the block of  FIG. 1  showing the side which can be connected to an outer electric source; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the block of  FIG. 1  with side support flaps inserted through slots for securing a plastic bottle; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a top, partly perspective view of the block of  FIG. 1  with a plastic bottle secured in position by the side flap and front flap with neck slot, and showing the cutting wire assembly in pre-cut position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a view of the neck-supporting flap looking in the direction of the arrow A in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a plastic bottle which has been cut into an upper portion and a lower portion adapted to be re-engaged to form a storage container, and 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a side view of several plastic bottles reformed into respective storage containers hanging from a rail during storage. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    Referring to the drawings, there in shown in  FIG. 1  a supporting member  10  (e.g., a block) which may be plastic, wood or any other suitable material defined by an upper relatively flat surface  11 , a bottom flat surface  13  and sides  15   a ,  15   b ,  15   c  and  15   d . The top surface  11  comprises a generally longer section  11   a  and a generally short section  11   b  which are separated by a transverse channel (groove)  17  spanning from one end  17   a  to the other end  17   b  at the sides  15   a ,  15   c  of upper surface  11 . A plurality of horizontally disposed parallel grooves  19   a ,  19   b ,  19   c ,  19   d ,  19   e  and  19   f  are formed on the surface  1   a  of the upper surface  11  of the support block  10 . These grooves are preferably spaced apart at equal distances and are deep enough for frictionally fitting support flaps  21   a ,  21   b  into two grooves in order to secure the lower portion  23   a  of the plastic bottle  23  in position as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
         [0022]    The shorter section  11   b  of the upper surface  11  is provided with a plurality of transversely disposed parallel grooves  25   a ,  25   b ,  25   c ,  25   d  and  25   e  and a neck-holder supporting flap  27  is frictionally inserted into one of these grooves, depending on the size of the plastic bottle, in order to secure the upper portion  23   b  of the bottle  23 . The upper section of the support flap  27  is cut into a half-moon shaped cut-out  27   a  (see  FIG. 5 ) for supporting the neck  23   c  of portion  23   b  of the bottle in secure position as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0023]    The number and sizes of the grooves in both sections of the upper surface of the supporting block, as well as the size and thickness of the supporting flaps may vary depending on the size of the plastic bottle to be cut, and the supporting flaps themselves may be rigid, plastic or stiff cardboard. Such variations are within the knowledge of those skilled in the art and are evident from the present description. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the bottle cutting means comprises an insulated arched member  29  which is hollow through which an electrical wire (not visible) extends from one end of the arched member  29   a  to the opposite end of the arched member  29   b . The arched member is hingedly fixed at the end  29   b  and has a handle  31 , with a cutting wire  33  tautly fixed between the end  17   b  of handle  31  and the end  17   a . The cutting wire  33  may be an extension of the insulated wire in the hollow arched member  29  or it may be a separate wire electrically connected to the insulated wire. The wires are in electrical contact with an external electrical power supply (not shown) which is activated by the push button  25  which energizes the insulated wire and heats up the cutting wire to the temperature desired to cut the bottle. 
         [0025]    In order to cut a plastic bottle, and again referring to the drawings, particularly  FIGS. 1   3  and  5 , the plastic bottle  23  is placed on the upper surface  11  of the supporting block, and is firmly secured in position by the supporting flaps  21   a  and  21   b  such that the lower portion  23   a  rests securely on the lower section of the upper surface and the neck portion  23   a  of the bottle is firmly retained by the neck holder supporting flap  27 . The wire  33  is then heated by electric current provided from the outside electrical source and when the wire is sufficiently hot, the handle  31  is gripped by the handle lifted upward above the bottle  23  (see  FIG. 4 ) and then lowered to slice through the bottle, thus cutting it into two portions, the lower portion  23   a  and the upper portion  23   b  and the two portions are then removed from the supporting block  10 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , the two bottle portions may be reconnected, i.e., joined together, by providing inter-engaging suitable collars around the open ends of the severed portions, one collar being an inwardly threaded collar  37  (threads not seen) formed in the lower portion  23   a  and the other being an externally threaded collar  35  adapted to engage the inwardly threaded collar  35  to form a closed container, i.e., the reformed bottle. Since the purpose of the invention is to reform a plastic bottle into a storage container, the lower bottle portion may be filled with nails, screws and other desired paraphernalia prior to threading the top portion into the lower portion. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the neck portion  23   c  of the upper portion of the plastic bottle is provided with a closure cap  39  and a hook member  41  of the types and variety well known in the art. 
         [0026]    The reformed plastic bottles which serve as storage containers may be stored in a garage or some other storage facility wherein several of these storage containers  43  may hang in row to form a railing  45  attached at its ends  45   a ,  45   b  to opposed walls  47 ,  49 .