Collapsible container

A collapsible container comprising a body having a bottom portion, a top portion and an intermediate accordion fold style portion. The top portion has a fill mouth and a vent opening, so that a liquid can be inserted through the fill mouth when the body is in an extended mode. A pour spout engages with the fill mouth in a removable manner, so as to allow the liquid to pour out therefrom. A facility is for holding the body in a collapsed mode being approximately one quarter the height of the extended mode when not in use, for easy storage and transportation.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates to containers and more particularly to a 
collapsible container. The collapsible container consists of an accordion 
fold style body having a fill mouth, a vent opening, a vent cap, and a 
fill securing cap. The fill securing cap has a threaded rod extending 
downward from the center thereof that will thread into an integrated nut 
that is at the bottom interior of the body. When the threaded rod is 
threaded into the integrated nut, the body is held in the collapsed mode. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Numerous containers have been provided in prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. 
Nos. 3,083,877 to Gash; 4,157,103 to La Fleur; 5,174,458 to Segati; 
5,447,110 to Brown; 5,562,221 to Beniacar and 5,740,942 to Araujo, Jr. all 
are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for 
the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as 
suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore 
described. 
The Gash U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,877 discloses a collapsible container with 
corrugations to facilitate the collapse of its walls. A collapsible 
container comprising a stiff, flexible synthetic plastic material defining 
an enclosure substantially rectangular in plan view and having rounded 
corners. The material providing top and bottom walls and back and side 
walls integral with one another. The top wall having an eccentric opening. 
An externally threaded upstanding tubular neck is in the opening. The 
walls defining corrugations extending horizontally around the surface of 
the container. The corrugations comprising alternating ridges and valleys 
constituting a plurality of normally extended accordion pleats having fold 
lines coincidental with the ridges and valleys and extending parallel to 
one another horizontally around the surface of the container. The material 
having a thickness to normally enable self support of the container but 
permitting vertical collapse of the container under the action of a 
vertical compression force on the container. The top and bottom walls 
having rounded peripheral portions to strengthen the container to permit 
supporting a liquid contained in the container. The rounded peripheral 
portions of the top and bottom walls being provided with spaced narrow 
horizontal fold lines extending around each of the rounded corners 
thereof. The latter fold lines enabling collapse of the container under 
the action of a vertical compression force with the container unfilled 
while substantially unaffecting the increased strength provided by the 
rounded peripheral portions for supporting liquids in the container. 
The La Fleur U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,103 discloses a container. A container 
molded in full capacity configuration and which is collapsible 
accordion-fashion to a storage configuration. 
The Segati U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,458 discloses a collapsible container. A 
collapsible container having substantially planar front and rear walls and 
interconnecting side walls that define inwardly extending V-shaped panels. 
A plurality of transversely extending stiffening grooves are provided in 
the front and rear panels to minimize outward bulging of the front and 
rear panels when the bottle is filled with a liquid material. A plurality 
of bridging members is formed in the side panels to bridge the adjacent 
side panels at a longitudinal fold line to minimize outward bulging of the 
side wall when the container is filled with liquid. To collapse the 
container the front and rear panels are urged together, and the side 
panels move inwardly about the longitudinal hinge line so that the bottle 
assumes a flat condition. The flattened bottle occupies considerably less 
space in waste disposal facilities. 
The Brown U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,110 discloses a collapsible container. To 
store an emergency container in the hub cavity of a spare tire within the 
truck compartment of an automobile with a spare tire. The container is 
collapsible, having a top end and a bottom end with handles on each of the 
top end and bottom end to permit the container to be expanded. An opening 
extends along the axis of the container to receive a spindle for holding 
the collapsed container in the center of the spare tire until needed. The 
walls of said container containing foldable members to permit collapsing 
and opening of the container. 
The Beniacar U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,221 discloses a foldable bottle with 
fastening element. A bottle is made of flexible material which can be 
folded or rolled up into a deformed configuration of limited dimensions. 
The bottle comprises, between the pouring neck and side walls, elements 
which engage with a fastening element which can be fitted onto the bottle 
to keep it in the deformed configuration. 
The Araujo, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,942 discloses a collapsible container. 
The present invention relates to a new and improved collapsible container 
for use in transporting and dispensing fluids, primarily gasoline. In its 
broadest context, the present invention includes a flexible liner with at 
least three sides. Furthermore, metallic reinforcing walls are secured to 
at least two of these walls. Due to the material characteristics of the 
reinforcing walls, specifically a memory steel, a spring force is created 
which tends to urge the reinforcing walls inwardly. However, the presence 
of a fluid within the container overcomes this spring force and keeps the 
container in its non-collapsed or opened configuration. 
GENERAL SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION OF INVENTION 
The collapsible container consists of a rectangular body fabricated of 
plastic with an accordion style center section allowing the body to 
collapse when empty to approximately one quarter the expanded height. The 
top of the body features a fill mouth with a fill securing cap and a 
threaded vent opening with a lanyard attached vent cap. The fill securing 
cap has an extended threaded rod which serves to screw into an integrated 
nut attached to the bottom interior of the body, to hold the body in a 
collapsed mode when not in use. A removable pour spout is also provided. 
The top of the body has an upper recessed handle with an integral U-shaped 
top channel clamp, allowing the pour spout to be retained into the channel 
clamp for storage. The bottom of the body has a lower recessed handle that 
is used to assist in pulling the body into an expanded mode for use and 
also as an aid in holding the body stable, while pouring a liquid 
therefrom. The collapsible container can be utilized as standard equipment 
on all newly sold motor vehicles. 
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible 
container that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices. 
Another object is to provide a collapsible container that consists of an 
accordion type body which when collapsed will be reduced in height by 
about one half its normal extended height, so that it can be stored in a 
small area, such as in a trunk of a motor vehicle. 
An additional object is to provide a collapsible container in which the 
accordion type body can be extended in height to hold a proper amount of 
consumable liquids, such as gasoline, water or a beverage, and can be used 
for camping, boating or any other use where space is a consideration. 
A further object is to provide a collapsible container that is simple and 
easy to use. 
A still further object is to provide a collapsible container that is 
economical in cost to manufacture. 
Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds. 
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may 
be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, 
attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are 
illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific 
construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended 
claims.

EXEMPLARY MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference 
characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 
and 2 illustrate the various features of the present invention being a 
collapsible container 10 comprising a body 12 having a bottom portion 14, 
a top portion 16 and an intermediate accordion fold style portion 18. Top 
portion 16 has a fill mouth 20 and a vent opening 22, so that a liquid can 
be inserted through fill mouth 20 when body 12 is in an extended mode. A 
pour spout 24 engages with fill mouth 20 in a removable manner, so as to 
allow the liquid to pour out therefrom. A facility 26 holds body 12 in a 
collapsed mode being approximately one quarter the height of the extended 
mode when not in use, for easy storage and transportation. 
The fill mouth 20 is an externally threaded upstanding tubular neck 28 
integrally formed on top portion 16 of body 12. The pour spout 24 includes 
an internally threaded connector 30 to engage with externally threaded 
upstanding tubular neck 28. A flexible tube 32 extends from internally 
threaded connector 30. The vent opening 22 is an upstanding collar 34 
integrally formed on top portion 16 of body 12. A vent cap 36 engages with 
upstanding collar 34 in a removable manner. A lanyard 38 extends between 
vent cap 36 and top portion 16 of body 12 to prevent loss of vent cap 36. 
Holding facility 26 consists of an internally threaded fill securing cap 40 
to engage with externally threaded upstanding tubular neck 28. A threaded 
rod 42 extends downward from the center of fill securing cap 40. An 
integrated nut 44 on an interior surface of bottom portion 14 is directly 
under externally threaded upstanding tubular neck 28. Threaded rod 42 will 
thread into integrated nut 44 when body 12 is depressed into the collapsed 
mode. 
An upper recessed handle 46 with an integral U-shaped top channel clamp 48 
is formed onto top portion 16 of body 12, so that pour spout 24 can be 
retained into the channel clamp 48 for storage. A lower recessed handle 50 
formed onto bottom portion 14 of body 12 is used to assist in pulling body 
12 into the expanded mode for use, and also as an aid in holding body 12 
stable while pouring the liquid out through pour spout 24. 
It can be seen from the preceding description that in use a person will 
simply store the collapsible container 10 in its collapsed mode 
conveniently out of the way, such as in the trunk of a motor vehicle until 
such time as required for use. When needed, the person will remove the 
fill securing cap 40 from fill mouth 20 and grasp upper and lower handles 
46, 50 to pull body 12 into the expanded mode. Body 12 will be filled 
through fill mouth 20 with fuel, water or beverage, the fill securing cap 
40 replaced onto fill mouth 20 and transported to a desired location. When 
the person wants to pour the fuel, water or beverage, fill securing cap 40 
is removed, the pour spout 24 installed, vent cap 36 unscrewed from vent 
opening 22 and the fuel, water or beverage poured out as desired with the 
use of upper and lower handles 46, 50 for stability. When empty, pour 
spout 24 is removed and clipped back into the channel clamp 48 on the 
upper handle 46. Body 12 is then depressed back to the collapsed mode and 
fill securing cap 40 with extended threaded rod 42 tightened down, so that 
threaded rod 42 screws into integrated nut 44 effectively connecting top 
portion 16 of body 12 to bottom portion 14, forcing body 12 to stay in the 
collapsed mode for storage. Use of the collapsible container 10 provides a 
very practical, and easy way of allowing anyone to have the collapsible 
container 10 for an emergency, without taking up valuable storage space. 
It is noted that the embodiment of the collapsible container described 
herein in detail for exemplary purposes is of course subject to many 
different variations in structure, design, application and methodology. 
Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the 
scope of the inventive concept(s) herein taught, and because many 
modifications may be made in the embodiment herein detailed in accordance 
with the descriptive requirements of the law, it is to be understood that 
the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a 
limiting sense.