Collapsible containers

A collapsible, thin wall, plastic container includes a closed end, an annular peripheral side wall and an open end, the peripheral side wall including a plurality of annular steps or shoulders for enabling controlled axial collapse of the container to a compact, collapsed condition wherein a plurality of substantially concentric folds surround a remaining uncollapsed portion of the container; and a removable cap securable to the open end, the cap having a sealed chamber formed therein for holding a predetermined amount of foodstuff material.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to plastic bottle or container 
constructions, and particularly to thin walled bottles or containers which 
are collapsible and foldable to a compact configuration, but fully capable 
of stand-alone use. These containers are particularly advantageous for use 
with frozen and non-frozen (e.g., powdered) concentrates, drink mixes 
and/or other foodstuffs. 
In the container industry, there are a number of known applications for 
relatively thin, flexible bottles or containers, some of the more well 
known of which relate to the shipment and retail sale of beverages such as 
milk, water, juice, etc., as well as liquid or powdered cleaners, 
detergents and the like. 
It is often the case that such containers must be shipped over considerable 
distances to distributors who fill and then ship the filled containers to 
retail concerns. During the initial shipment to distributors, the empty 
containers, for example one gallon containers, take up so much space that, 
from a volume standpoint, the manufacturer is shipping mostly air. 
At the same time, there is great concern in the environmental arena for 
plastic materials which for the most part are not biodegradable, and which 
therefore pose significant disposal problems, particularly in light of the 
ever expanding utilization of plastics in virtually every area of 
technology. The problem is especially acute in the container industry, not 
only with respect to the amount of plastic disposed of, but also the sheer 
volume of such waste. 
This invention seeks to alleviate both of the above described concerns by: 
1) providing a plastic bottle or container constructions which, in some 
instances, require only approximately one half of the plastic currently 
used in most plastic containers, particularly those larger containers, 
i.e., one gallon or larger, which typically carry milk, water, juice, 
detergents (liquid or powder) and other liquids and/or particulates, but 
which are fully capable of stand-alone use; and 
2) shaping the containers in such a way as to facilitate machine-aided, 
controlled collapse and folding to a compact size which results in a two 
or more to one increase in shipping and inventory capacity and, by 
facilitating non-machine-aided (or random) collapse by the consumer after 
use, achieving similar orders of magnitude reduction in post-consumer 
waste volume. 
A further concern addressed by this continuation-in-part application 
relates to the present practice of shipping/selling powdered concentrates 
or mixes (for beverages such as diet drinks and the like) in one container 
and mixing it in another. In other words, the present practice in this 
area requires two containers, with attendant manufacturing, shipping and 
disposal costs and related problems. 
The invention disclosed in this continuation-in-part application provides, 
in one embodiment, a one-container system where, for example, powdered 
concentrate is held within a cap applied to the container. The assembly is 
shipped/sold and later mixed by the consumer in a single container which 
incorporates all of the advantages of the invention disclosed in the above 
identified parent applications. 
In another embodiment, a one container system is provided for microwavable 
popcorn wherein unpopped corn, also held within the cap, is shipped and 
sold in a collapsed container which expands to full size as a result of 
the popping action of the corn when placed in a microwave oven. 
After use, the containers in both embodiments may easily be collapsed in a 
random fashion for efficient disposal. 
For purposes of this invention, the term "container" refers to plastic 
containers or bottles having shapes as disclosed herein. In accordance 
with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a thin walled plastic 
container is manufactured by an extrusion or injection blow molding 
process, incorporating a thin walled construction which permits the 
normally self-supporting container to be collapsed and a portion or 
portions concentrically folded to provide a compact, nestable and/or 
stackable container for efficient shipment as well as disposal. 
The container in the first above mentioned exemplary embodiment, generally 
has a bottom wall, a peripheral side wall, and an upper, open end serving 
as a discharge opening, closed by, for example, a removable screw cap. 
The container side wall is provided with peripheral, vertically spaced 
steps or shoulders with or without a slightly tapered peripheral wall, 
which facilitate axial collapse and subsequent concentric folding of one 
or more portions of the side wall to provide a collapsed and folded 
container with at least two "layers" of side wall arranged in a zig-zag or 
S-shaped configuration, in generally surrounding relationship to the 
adjacent uncollapsed portion of the side wall. 
The container side wall may also be formed with a smooth, tapered or even 
straight peripheral side wall and nevertheless collapsed and folded as 
will be explained further herein. 
It will be appreciated that the above described steps or shoulders (or 
smooth wall tapers) can be designed to increase or decrease the diameter 
of the peripheral side wall. The direction of diameter reduction will 
determine the type of concentric fold which will be effected upon axial 
collapse of the container. If the diameter increases from top to bottom, 
outward and upward folds will be created, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,224,613. If, on the other hand, the diameter decreases from top to 
bottom, then outward and downward folds will be created, as disclosed in 
parent application Ser. No. 07/706,853. 
After manufacture, the containers are collapsed in a controlled manner by 
apparatus similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,613. This 
provides a uniform, attractive appearance, and facilitates, in this case, 
the use of caps with integral foodstuff holding chambers. After use, 
however, the container is intended to be collapsed in a random manner by 
the consumer to achieve post-consumer waste reduction. It will be readily 
evident that for disposal purposes, controlled collapse is unnecessary, 
particularly since the volume reduction is similar whether or not 
collapsing is controlled. 
It is also a feature of the invention, that the container as a whole as 
well as the axial extent of remaining unfolded portions are sized to 
permit the holding within the cap chamber of a predetermined amount of, 
for example, powdered concentrate or drink mix or other foodstuff 
material. In other words, the cap chamber wall may have an axial extent 
substantially equal to the axial extent of the unfolded portions of the 
container (which, in turn, may also be substantially equal to the axial 
extent of each fold) so that the cap provides axial support for the 
collapsed container, which is particularly advantageous for stacking. 
Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment, the powdered drink mix or 
concentrate is held within a chamber provided within a removable screw 
cap. More specifically, the screw cap has an interior peripheral skirt 
extending downwardly into the container, a lower open end of which is 
closed by a removable seal. The axial extent of the skirt corresponds to, 
or is shorter than, the unfolded portion of the container, so that in some 
cases the lower edge of the peripheral skirt engages the container bottom 
wall when the container is in the collapsed condition. As already noted, 
this arrangement provides good support for the container, particularly 
when stacked with other similar containers for shipment and/or storage. 
In another exemplary embodiment, a predetermined amount of unpopped corn is 
held within a cap chamber which lies within the remaining uncollapsed 
portion of the container. 
In both embodiments, the overall volumetric capacity of the container is 
selected to accommodate the corresponding volume of mixed drink (with 
liquid, such as water, added) or popped corn. 
In a preferred arrangement, an additional volumetric capacity may be 
provided in the first described embodiment to permit shaking of the 
contents to insure complete mixing. As an example, the container may be 
sized to hold a half gallon of diet drink mix with an additional 20% 
volumetric capacity added for mixing purposes. Such additional volume may 
or may not be desirable and/or cost effective in the popcorn container 
embodiment. 
It will be appreciated from the above that the subject matter of this 
continuation-in-part application permits compact shipment of containers 
from manufacturers to distributors/fillers, and equally compact shipment 
with concentrate added to retailers. Of course, inventory and display at 
the point of sale are also facilitated by the compact arrangement. At the 
same time, the invention eliminates the need for separate containers for 
dispensing the ultimate product during consumer use, and effects 
significant waste volume reductions after use. 
Thus, in one aspect, the present invention provides a collapsible, thin 
wall, plastic container comprising a closed end, an annular peripheral 
side wall and an open end, the peripheral side wall including means for 
enabling axial collapse of the container to a compact, collapsed condition 
wherein a plurality of substantially concentric folds surround a remaining 
uncollapsed portion of the container; and a removable cap securable to the 
open end, the cap having a sealable chamber formed therein. 
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the detailed 
description which follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a thin wall plastic container 10 in 
accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a 
substantially flat bottom wall 12, a peripheral side wall 14, and an upper 
open end 16 provided with screw threads 18 adapted to receive a removable 
screw cap 20. 
In a preferred embodiment, the bottle or container is a unitary structure 
formed by extrusion or injection blow molding or other conventional 
plastic forming processes. The finished side wall 14 has a preferred 
thickness range of between 0.002 and 0.012 of an inch, (with a preferred 
range of about 6 mil) while the upper open end 16 and particularly in the 
area of screw threads 18, has a preferred thickness of between about 0.010 
and 0.090 of an inch. The thickness in the neck portion may vary 
considerably depending on the manufacturing process. For example, if the 
neck area is blow molded with the remainder of the container, its 
thickness may be in the area of 0.025 inch, while if the upper threaded 
portion of the neck is compression molded, the thickness in this area may 
be 0.090 inch. 
The bottom wall 12 has a thickness substantially the same as the side wall 
14, but may be slightly thicker, i.e., up to about 0.025 inch, as a result 
of pinching off of the parison prior to blowing. Other thickness ranges 
are possible for various container portions, the significant criteria 
being that the bottle be normally self-supporting, i.e., capable of 
stand-alone use, and be of sufficient strength but easily collapsed and 
folded in the manner described below. 
Suitable semi-rigid (or more flexible) plastics including high density 
polyethylene (HDPE) and PET may be used for the container, but linear low 
density polyethylene (LLDPE) is presently preferred. 
In this first exemplary embodiment, the peripheral side wall 14 of the 
container is provided with a series of vertically (i.e., axially) spaced 
annular steps or shoulder 22, 24, 26 and 28 to facilitate the collapsing 
and folding operation with the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,224,613. The thickness of the container side wall does not vary 
appreciably in the areas of these steps or shoulders. 
As can be seen from FIG. 1, the side wall 14 of the container tapers 
slightly outwardly from top to bottom and the steps or shoulders 22, 24, 
26 and 28 are located axially along the side wall 14 so as to correspond 
to, and in fact form, the four folds in the collapsed container as 
described below. The tapered side wall 14 and steps or shoulders may be 
used separately or in combination to achieve the controlled side wall 
collapsing/folding operation. Depending on the size of the container and 
the desired degree of compaction or collapse, a fewer or greater number of 
concentric folds may be formed in the container side wall. 
The cap 20 includes a top wall 30, an outer depending skirt portion 32 
provided with interior screw threads which cooperate with the mating 
threads 18 on the container body 10. The cap 20 is also provided with an 
interior depending skirt 34 which projects downwardly into the container 
body 10 as best seen in FIG. 2. The skirt 34 thus forms a chamber 36 which 
is closed by a removable seal 38 which may be, for example, adhesively 
secured to the lowermost edge of the skirt 34. The chamber 36 has a 
volumetric capacity sufficient to hold a predetermined quantity of 
powdered concentrate or drink mix (or other foodstuff material) 
appropriate for the volumetric capacity of the container 10. 
In this first exemplary embodiment, the axial extent of the interior skirt 
34 of the cap 20 also corresponds to a remaining unfolded portions 35, 37 
of the container 10, and to the axial extent of each of the concentric 
folds, so that when in the collapsed condition, the lower edge of the 
skirt 34 engages the bottom wall 12 of the container thus providing 
support for the container. This is particularly advantageous when a 
plurality of such collapsed containers are stacked for shipment and/or 
storage. 
With reference now to FIG. 3, a modified cap 40 has a centrally depressed 
top wall 42 and a raised peripheral portion 44 which extends radially 
outwardly a distance substantially equal to or slightly greater than the 
radial extent of the four concentric folds illustrated in the collapsed 
container. Otherwise, construction of the cap is similar to that 
illustrated in FIG. 2 in that a radially outer peripheral skirt 46 is 
provided with interior threads to cooperate with exterior threads on the 
upper end of the container, and an inner depending skirt 48 extends 
downwardly into the container with its lower open end being closed by a 
removable seal 50, lying adjacent a recessed portion 51 of the container 
bottom wall. The chamber 52 defined by the container top wall 42, skirt 48 
and seal 50 contains a powdered concentrate or drink mix P. With this 
arrangement, the peripheral flange 44 not only protects the concentric 
folds of the container particularly when stacked, but also facilitates 
removal of the cap from the container by the consumer. In addition, the 
flange 44 serves to support an overlying container in a stack. 
With reference now to FIG. 4, an alternative container construction 54 is 
shown, the container including a recessed bottom wall 56, a peripheral 
side wall 58 and an upper open end 60 closed by a removable screw cap 57 
(see FIG. 4a). The container upper end 60 is provided with screw threads 
62 adapted to cooperate with threads on the cap 57. In this embodiment, a 
series of annular steps or shoulders 64, 66, 68 and 70 serve to decrease 
the diameter of the container from top to bottom so that a series of 
concentric outwardly and downwardly folded portions can be created upon 
axial collapse of the container in the manner disclosed in copending 
application Ser. No. 07/706,853 filed May 29, 1991, and shown in 
accompanying FIG. 4a. As explained in that application, folding may be 
achieved with apparatus as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,613, with suitable 
modifications to form a "reverse" fold as described herein and in the 
former application. 
With reference now to FIG. 5, an alternative construction for the container 
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a container 74 which is similar in 
construction to the container illustrated in FIG. 1 with the exception 
that the upper open end of the container is provided with a radially 
inwardly directed shoulder portion 76 and, immediately thereabove, a 
radially outwardly directed hollow flange 78. A neck portion 80 of the 
container is provided with exterior through threads for mating engagement 
with threads provided on the interior of a screw cap 82. In this 
embodiment, the cap 82 has a recessed top wall 84 and an annular 
peripheral side wall 86 extending above and below the recessed top wall 
84. Below the top wall 84, the inner surface of the peripheral side wall 
86 is provided with screw threads for mating engagement with the threads 
provided on the neck portion 80 of the container. An upper flange 88 of 
the container supports a concentrate cup 90 which is itself provided with 
a bottom wall 92, a tapered side wall 94, an upper radially outwardly 
extending flange 96 and a removable seal 98 which closes the otherwise 
open end of the cup 90. The cup 90 is adapted to hold a predetermined 
amount of powdered concentrate P or drink mix (or other foodstuff 
material) within the cup for mixing with the contents of the container 74. 
The upper radially outwardly directed flange 96 of the cup 90 is adapted to 
seat on the flange 88 of the container, sandwiched between the flange 88 
and the recessed top wall 84 of the screw cap 82. 
That portion of the peripheral side wall 86 of the screw cap 82 which 
extends above the recessed top wall 84 forms a chamber 98 which is closed 
at its otherwise open upper end by a peel-off seal 100. This chamber is 
utilized to hold a coiled straw 102 for use with the container. To further 
facilitate such use, an annular break-out portion 104 as defined, for 
example, by an annular score line 106, is provided within the recessed top 
wall 84 of the cap 82 to permit insertion of the straw within the 
container after the cup 90 has been removed. 
In use, it will be appreciated that the screw cap 82 may be removed from 
the container, followed by removal of the concentrate cup 90 and the 
pouring of the contents thereof into the container 74. Thereafter, the 
screw cap 82 may be reapplied to the container (without the cup 90) and 
the contents thoroughly mixed by shaking in the usual manner. The straw 
102 can then be inserted through the recessed top wall 84 of the cap via 
removable portion 104 (after having removed the seal 100). 
In FIG. 6, a modified version of the cap 82 is illustrated wherein the 
recessed top wall 84' of the cap 82' has a central portion 103 raised 
substantially to the height of the peripheral side wall 86' so that the 
straw 102' can be coiled about the recessed top wall 84' between the 
peripheral side wall 86' and the raised center portion 103. As in the 
previously described cap, a break-out portion 104', defined by score line 
106', may be provided for facilitating the insertion of the straw 102' 
through the cap after the concentrate cup has been removed. 
It will also be seen that in FIG. 6, the axial extent of cup 90' is 
substantially equal to the axial extent of the upper unfolded portion of 
the container so that, due to the overall flexibility of the container, 
cup 90' will provide axial support for the container in the collapsed 
condition. 
It will be appreciated that the cap structures 82 and 82' as illustrated in 
FIGS. 5 and 6 may be utilized with reverse fold containers of the type 
illustrated in FIG. 4 as well. 
Turning now to FIG. 7, another exemplary embodiment of the invention is 
illustrated which is particularly designed to accommodate microwavable 
popcorn. In this construction, a collapsible container 110 generally 
similar to the collapsed container shown in FIG. 3, is essentially 
inverted so that the removable screw cap serves as a supporting tray 120, 
at least until the corn is in a popped state as will be described further 
hereinbelow. For convenience, the construction shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 will 
be described as depicted therein, with the usual reference to top and 
bottom, etc. It will be appreciated, however, that the arrangement as 
shown is similar to the construction illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 but 
inverted relative thereto. Accordingly, the container 110 is of thin wall, 
collapsible construction as described hereinabove, and includes a recessed 
top wall 112, a peripheral side wall 114 and a lower open end 116 which is 
provided on its exterior surface with a threaded configuration adapted to 
receive corresponding threads on a removable tray 120. The thin wall 
container body which, as shown in FIG. 8, decreases slightly in diameter 
from top to bottom, is provided with a series of axially spaced ribs or 
shoulders 122, 124, 126, 128, 130 and 132. These annular shoulders or 
steps serve to facilitate axial collapse and controlled folding into a 
series of six concentric folds as shown in FIG. 7. 
The removable tray 120 is formed with a bottom wall 134 and an intermediate 
upstanding skirt portion 136 which is provided on its interior surface 
with screw threads adapted to mate with the screw threads provided on the 
lower open end 116 of the container body 110. The tray 120 is also 
provided with an interior upstanding skirt portion 138 which extends 
upwardly into the container 110 to form a chamber 140 closed at its upper 
end by a removable seal 142. The chamber 140 is adapted to hold a 
predetermined amount of popping corn C in a pre or unpopped state. 
In the above described embodiment, the interior upstanding skirt 138 
extends upwardly into the container substantially to the height of the 
remaining unfolded portion of the container so as to provide support for 
the container in the collapsed state, and particularly during stacking. 
The removable tray 120 is further provided with a radially outwardly 
extending flange 144 with an upturned radially outermost lip 146. The 
flange and lip 144, 146 accommodate the multiple concentric folds in the 
thin wall container in the collapsed state as best seen in FIG. 7. 
In use, the collapsed container 110 as shown in FIG. 7 is grasped by the 
user and the tray 120 with the unpopped corn is removed from the 
container. The seal 142 is thereafter removed from the tray 120 and the 
tray is then screwed back into place within the container bottom 116. The 
collapsed container may then be placed in a microwave oven and the corn 
popped in the usual manner. The popping action will cause the container 
110 to expand to its volumetric capacity as shown in FIG. 8. Upon 
completion of the corn popping stage, the entire container may be inverted 
from the position shown in FIG. 8 and the tray 120, which now serves as a 
removable screw cap, may be removed from the container, leaving an open 
bag of popped corn for use by the consumer. 
With reference to FIGS. 9-11, a further embodiment of the invention is 
described which is also particularly adapted for use as microwave popcorn 
containers. 
With reference now to FIG. 9, container 148 includes a closed top wall 150 
and a peripheral side wall 152 which extends downwardly to a lower open 
end 154 closed by a removable tray 156. In this embodiment, a lower and 
upper series of six concentric folds may be formed in the container on 
either side of a central portion 158 of the side wall. It will be 
appreciated that these folds are formed in a container shaped similarly to 
that shown in FIG. 11, although the container in FIG. 11 is not provided 
with a sufficient number of annular steps or shoulders to form the series 
of six folds shown in FIG. 9. In any event, the double axial fold 
arrangement illustrated in FIG. 9 provides even greater expansion capacity 
for the container. The formation of these folds can be accomplished by 
first forming a lower or upper series of folds utilizing apparatus similar 
to that disclosed in the above identified U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,613. The 
remaining series of folds may be formed by inverting the container and 
utilizing the same apparatus, or using apparatus specifically set up to 
form upper and lower series of concentric folds. 
The removable tray 156 as shown in FIG. 9 is substantially identical to the 
removable tray 120 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, with the exception that 
the top wall 160 extends radially only to the outer peripheral skirt 162 
and does not radially cover the plurality of concentric folds. It will be 
understood, of course, that a cap similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 7 
and 8 may also be utilized in the container construction illustrated in 
FIG. 9. In use, it will be appreciated that during popping, the container 
148 will expand upwardly to its full height, with the diameter increasing 
progressively upwardly to the center portion 158 of the side wall and then 
decreasing progressively to the closed top wall 150 (similar but not 
identical to the container illustrated in FIG. 11). 
With respect to FIG. 10, a container 164 is shown to include a closed top 
wall 166, a peripheral side wall 168 and an open lower portion 170 closed 
by a removable screw cap 172. The container and cap construction of the 
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 is substantially the same as that 
described above with respect to FIG. 9 with the exception that the series 
of upper and lower concentric folds 174, 176, respectively, are more 
loosely formed, adding to the overall diameter of the container assembly. 
This is merely intended to illustrate that as the angle of the individual 
folds becomes wider, the overall bulge or diameter of the container in the 
collapsed condition is increased. 
With reference to FIG. 11, a container 178 is illustrated which includes a 
closed top wall 180, a peripheral side wall 182 and an open lower end 184 
closed by a removable screw cap 186. The peripheral side wall 182 of the 
container is shown to include annular steps or shoulders 188, 190, 192, 
194 and 196. The diameter of the container increases progressively from 
the top wall 180 to the middle portion 198 of the peripheral side wall and 
then decreases progressively from the middle portion 198 to the lower open 
portion 184. As already noted above, this type of arrangement leads to a 
collapsed configuration similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. As 
also noted above, in conjunction with the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 
7 and 8, once the corn inside the container has fully popped, the 
container 178 may be inverted and the removable screw cap 186 removed 
leaving an open container of popped popcorn for the user. 
In all of the above described embodiments, the thin walled containers and 
associated cap assemblies are particularly suited for powdered 
concentrates or other mixes or foodstuffs, held within an integral chamber 
of a removable cap so that in use, a single container may be utilized to 
dispense the ultimate product. These containers are characterized by 
reduced wall thickness, controlled collapsibility to compact 
configurations which saves significant space not only during shipment but 
also in in-store displays, inventory, storage, etc. The containers are 
further characterized by their random collapsibility after use to thereby 
achieve decreased volumes of post consumer waste. 
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently 
considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be 
understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed 
embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various 
modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and 
scope of the appended claims.