Abstract:
A stackable container, including a body and a cap threadingly engageable with a neck portion of the body and having a vaulted interior and a top portion formed with a frustrum-shaped depression for snap-registered engagement with a base portion of a counterpart of the body, the cap further including handle projections and a skirt. Opposite stop structures prevent rotation of the cap relative to the body beyond predetermined threaded engagement; a detent releasably captures the body in the predetermined threaded engagement. A base portion of the body having inclined side walls facilitates rotation of the body with respect to the cap. The skirt guides the body into alignment with the cap. The base can have four of the side walls forming a square, the containers of a stack having any of four relative orientations. A consumable product such as a cosmetic can extend into the cap from the body.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/151,124 titled “Stackable Container Having Overhanging Cap” filed May 10, 2016, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/150,153 titled “Stackable Container Having Overhanging Cap,” filed on May 9, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to storage containers, and more particularly to those that are stackable. Such containers typically have a body forming a storage cavity and a detachable lid that either snaps on or is threaded onto the body. The lid is formed for releasably receiving a bottom portion of the body so that any number of the containers can be stacked with their lids attached. One problem with such containers having snap-on lids, whether stackable or not, is that the lid is either difficult to remove for access to the storage cavity or else it becomes detached too easily. Conversely, threaded lids are often extremely difficult to remove, particularly in case the threads become contaminated. Another problem is that proper threaded engagement is often difficult to obtain, resulting in cross-threading, which can permanently damage the threads. 
     One class of containers, for consumable products such as lip balm or lipstick, has the product projecting from the body into the lid. These are typically relatively small and not generally stackable, the lids or caps thereof closely fitting the product and being a push-fit onto the body. A disadvantage of this configuration is that the outside of the body is easily contaminated by the product after only a few applications. 
     Lipstick and/or lip balm is carried and/or stored in plural varieties, such as color and/or flavor. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have means for releasably joining plural counterparts of even very small containers. 
     Another class of containers is characterized by decorative features such as animal characters. However, containers having stackable configurations are generally less suitable for providing robust decorations, especially when it is desired to be able to turn such decorations relative to the base. 
     Thus, there is a need for a container configuration that overcomes at least some of the above difficulties and disadvantages of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention meets this need by providing a stackable container having a threaded cap that is easily engaged without cross-threading. In one aspect of the invention, the container includes a body forming a storage cavity and including a base portion, a barrel portion, and a threaded neck portion that extends from a shoulder surface of the barrel portion; a cap formed for threaded engagement with the neck portion and having a vaulted interior forming a cap clearance surface, and a top portion formed with a frustrum-shaped depression for registered engagement with the base portion of a counterpart of the body; and a stop structure for preventing rotation of the cap relative to the body beyond a predetermined threaded engagement. Herein, “threaded” means having a helical or spiral ridge, and “threaded engagement” means coaxial advancement produced by continued rotation of the cap relative to the body. The base portion forms a generally frustrum-shaped surface for facilitating rotation of the body relative to the cap, the base portion having a floor wall and side walls that extend upwardly and outwardly from the floor wall, joining the barrel portion. A body projection extends outwardly from each of the side walls generally in horizontal alignment with the floor wall. 
     The cap also includes oppositely disposed handle projections for facilitating manipulation of the cap, a skirt portion that extends substantially below the neck portion of the body when the cap is threaded onto the body for facilitating alignment of the body with the cap. More particularly, the skirt portion extends downwardly a distance greater than the length of the neck portion, closely clearing the body for guiding the body toward the threaded engagement. Also, a pair of inwardly extending cap projections near opposite sides of the depression provide snap engagement with a selected corresponding pair of body projections of a counterpart of the base being stacked on the cap. 
     The stop structure includes at least one body stop boss that is formed on the body for preventing excessive threaded tightening of the cap onto the body by abutting engagement with a cap stop boss of the cap as the threaded neck portion of the body reaches fully threaded engagement with a complementary threaded portion of the cap. The abutting engagement prevents a barrel shoulder of the body from contacting the cap stop boss. Further, the body stop boss has detentable engagement with a detent projection of the cap. Preferably there are oppositely disposed first and second stop structures for balanced and more robust stop action within a given axial space allotment. 
     The base can have four of the side walls. Preferably a circular body clearance surface diameter at a lower extremity of the skirt portion has a radial clearance from the body of not more than 2.5 percent of a body outside diameter of the barrel portion of the body when the cap is in threaded engagement with the body. More preferably, the radial clearance is between 1 percent and 2 percent of the body outside diameter. Also, the cap preferably includes a plurality of foot projections that downwardly extend from the skirt portion for supporting the cap with enhanced stability when the cap is detached from the body. 
     Preferably, a main portion of the cap is formed as an ellipsoidal shape having a length, width, and height, the length being at least 15 percent greater than the width. Preferably, the width is at least 50 percent greater than an outside diameter of the body. 
     A consumable product such as a cosmetic can be attached within the body and extending outside of the neck portion of the body and into the cap when the cap is threaded onto the body. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where: 
         FIG. 1  is an elevational perspective view of a stackable container according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an end elevational view of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional elevational view of a cap portion of the container of  FIG. 1  on line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an elevational perspective view of a body portion of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the body portion of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a rear elevational view of the body portion of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the body portion of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the body portion of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a detail view showing a stop and detent structure of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a fragmentary sectional detail view showing the body being positioned for threaded engagement with the cap; 
         FIG. 12  is a sectional elevational view showing the stackable container of  FIG. 1  with the cap spaced from and in coaxial alignment with the body; and 
         FIG. 13  is an elevational perspective view showing a stack of the containers of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention is directed to a container having a threaded cap that is particularly easy to put fully on and remove, the container being preferably stackable with individual ones of the containers being selectively oriented. With reference to  FIGS. 1-13  of the drawings, an exemplary container  10  according to the present invention includes a body  12  and a threadingly connectible cap  14 , the cap being generally of enlarged ellipsoidal shape of length L, width W, and height H. An oppositely disposed pair of enlargements or handles  16  project from the main ellipsoidal shape of the cap, the length L being exclusive of the handles. Also, a plurality (in this case four) of feet  18  project downwardly from an apron portion or skirt  20  of the cap  14  that extends downwardly a distance A about the body  12  as further described below. A depression  22  is formed at the top of the cap  14  for receiving the bottom portion of a counterpart of the body  12 . Opposite upper extremities of the depression  22  have inwardly oriented cap projections  24  for releasably holding the counterpart body as further described below. 
     As best shown in  FIGS. 5-8 , the body  12  is formed including a threaded neck portion  26  having an integrally formed neck thread  27 , a cylindrical barrel portion  28 , and a base portion  30  that includes a floor wall  32  and outwardly and upwardly extending side walls  34 . The neck portion  26  extends axially above the barrel portion by a neck length B as shown in  FIG. 7 . The base portion  30  is configured for registered engagement with the depression  22  that is formed in the cap  14  as described above, at least one pair of base projections  36  extending oppositely outwardly from the floor wall  32 , i.e, proximate bottom extremities of respective side walls  34  for snap engagement with the cap projections  24  that extend into the depression  22  as described above. It will be understood that the side walls  34  can be considered to be overlapping outer extremities of the floor wall  32 , the base projections in the exemplary configuration being generally horizontally aligned with the floor wall. 
     In the exemplary configuration of the container  10  described herein, the floor wall  32  is generally square, there being four of the side walls  34 , each of the side walls having a counterpart of the base projection  36 . Thus in this exemplary configuration the body  12  can selectively have snap engagement with the cap in any of four orthogonal orientations. It will be understood that other preferably regular polygonal shapes of the base portion are possible with suitably configured forms of the cap depression  22 . Actually, configurations having an odd number of polygonal sides of the base portion  30  are possible, preferably also incorporating an odd plurality of the cap projections  24 . 
     The body  12  is hollow, having an interior body cavity  38  for receiving at least a portion of an object  40  or objects to be stored. Preferably, the object  40  can project above the body  12  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the cap  14  having a vaulted interior object clearance surface  42  for clearing the object  40 . In some applications of the present invention, the object can be a consumable product such as lipstick or lip balm, in which case the product would typically completely fill the body cavity  38 , being preferably bonded thereto, useable portions of the product extending above the body as shown and described above. 
     As further shown in  FIGS. 4-10 , the container  10  is preferably provided with a stop structure  43  that includes at least one body stop boss  44  that is formed on the body  12  for preventing excessive threaded tightening of the cap  14  onto the body  12  by abutting engagement with a cap stop boss  46  of the cap  14  as the threaded neck portion  26  of the body reaches fully threaded engagement with a complementary threaded portion  47  of the cap  14 . It is further preferred that the boss  44  have detentable engagement with a detent projection  48  of the cap  14  as described herein. More particularly, the body stop boss  44  is formed having a generally radially and axially extending body stop surface  50  that comes into abutting contact with a cap stop surface  52  of the cap stop boss  46  as best shown in  FIG. 10 , wherein broken lines represent the body stop boss  44  approaching the cap stop boss  46  in the direction of the arrow, solid lines representing full detented engagement. It is preferred that the above-described abutting contact avoids contact between the shoulder  29  of the barrel portion  28  and the cap  14 , as further shown in  FIG. 10  as a gap  53  between the shoulder  29  and the cap boss  46 . The detent projection  48  has an inclined first detent ramp surface  54  that is slidingly engaged by the boss  44 , the parts being momentarily slightly pried apart vertically as the boss approaches the full detented engagement. Also, a contact inclined boss ramp surface  56  is formed on the boss  44  opposite the body stop surface  50  for snap engagement with an inclined second detent ramp surface  58  of the detent projection  48  of the cap  14 . Thus the present invention facilitates assembly of the body  12  with the cap  14  in a releasably fixed relative orientation at full threaded engagement while additionally permitting other angular orientations between them. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 11 , the inside of the skirt portion  20  of the cap  14  forms a body clearance surface  60  for guiding the body  12  into alignment with the cap. The body is shown tilted out of alignment as the barrel portion  28  makes contact with bottom extremities of the skirt portion  20  as indicated at respective contact points  61  and  62 . As the body is moved upwardly into the cap, concentric alignment is achieved prior to the threaded engagement according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  shows the body  12  in concentric relation with the cap  14 , the clearance surface  60  of the cap  14  having a body clearance diameter C, and the barrel portion  28  of the body  12  having a body outside diameter D, with a resultant nominal radial clearance E between the barrel portion  28  and the skirt portion  20 , the skirt portion extending at least an axial skirt projection distance F below the cap stop boss  46 . It will be understood that the barrel portion  28  need not be strictly circular, the body outside diameter being that which no part of the body  12  that will enter the skirt portion  20  projects beyond, the body being formed congruent with the body clearance diameter C sufficiently for the guiding into alignment described above in connection with  FIG. 11 . 
     In one exemplary configuration of the stackable container  10  wherein the object  40  is a cosmetic product, the body outside diameter D is approximately 1.12 inch (27.5 mm), and the body clearance diameter C is approximately 1.16 inch (29.5 mm), the radial clearance E being nominally 0.02 inch (0.5 mm) and corresponding to 1.72 percent of the body outside diameter D. It is preferred that at this scale the radial clearance E be not less than 0.01 inch (0.25 mm), which corresponds to not less than 0.86 percent of the body clearance diameter C. More generally, it is preferred that the radial clearance E be not more than 2 percent of the body outside diameter D, more preferably, not more than 1 percent. Neither the body clearance surface  60  nor the outside of the body  12  such as at the contact points  61  and  62  need be strictly circular to achieve the above-described guiding into the threaded engagement, although such is preferred. 
     In the above example, the length L of the cap  14  is approximately 2.2 inch (56 mm), the cap width W is approximately 1.85 inch (47 mm), and the height H is approximately 1.7 inch (43 mm). Thus in this example the length is 2.2/1.85×100 or approximately 19 percent greater than the width. It is preferred that the length L be at least 15 percent greater than the width W for facilitating manipulation of the cap  14 , and for enhanced visual impact when plural containers  10  are stacked in various orientations. Further, the length L is 2.2/1.12×100 or approximately 100 percent greater than the body outside diameter D, it being preferred that the length L be at least 90 percent greater than the body outside diameter D. Also, the width W is 1.85/1.12×100 or approximately 154 percent greater than the body outside diameter D, it being preferred that the width W be at least 50 percent greater than the diameter D. 
       FIG. 13  shows a container stack  64  including four of the containers, the containers being individually designated  10 A,  10 B,  10 C, and  10 D, the container  10 C being rotated 90 degrees relative to the containers  10 A,  10 B, and  10 D. It will be understood that in addition to the various orientations permitted of individual ones of the containers  10  of the container stack  64  when each of the caps  14  are detented in the fully threaded condition on respective ones of the bodies  12 , any number of the caps  14  can be rotated out of respective detented conditions relative to a corresponding body  12  while maintaining an effective degree of threaded engagement. It will be further understood that in the case of the generally square base configuration shown in the drawings, any desired relative angular orientation of particular ones of the caps  14  of the container stack  64  is permitted without moving any of the caps  14  relative to its body  12  as much as 90 degrees. Moreover, should a body  12  have a discernable orientation such as by having unique artwork on a particular side wall  34 , its cap  14  can be rotated to any desired relative orientation in threaded engagement, provided the detented threaded engagement is greater than one revolution. In the exemplary configuration shown in the drawings, the detented engagement is in excess of one revolution. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. For example, the cap  14  can have a decorative shape simulating an animal face and/or body character, the handle portions  16  simulating ears and/or a nose and a tail, and the feet  18  simulating legs. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not necessarily be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.