Patent Publication Number: US-2006016819-A1

Title: Bottle assembly with removable container assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to plastic water bottles, and specifically to a water bottle assembly having a container removeably connected to a lower portion of the water bottle.  
      The use of plastic water bottles for drinking is well known in the art, and various structural configurations are known, the main purpose of which is to provide a receptacle for containing water or other beverages. It is also known in the art that these bottles can either be collapsible or non-collapsible. Typically, the former are collapsible by axial compression when the bottle is empty of liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,339 discloses such a collapsible bottle.  
      Many people take medication or vitamins to preserve weight, beauty and/or health, among other reasons. Such pills must sometimes be ingested at inconvenient times or when one is away from a sink, drinking fountain, or other fixed source of drinking water. Thus, many people travel with their pills and a water bottle so that the medication can be taken at their leisure. However, because the pills and bottle are typically located separately from each other, it is sometimes difficult to handle both at once, or in some cases, it is easy to misplace one or the other. It is easy to imagine one dropping his or her medication while attempting to unscrew the top of the water bottle, or leaving the medication at home on the counter but remembering to pack a water bottle.  
      Thus, there is a need for a bottle assembly that includes a container assembly that can be easily secured to and removed from the bottle, especially where the container assembly is used for storage purposes.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The above-identified needs are addressed by the present bottle assembly. One feature of the present bottle assembly is a bottle that is both suitable for retaining drinking water or other beverage and is configured for removably engaging a preferably multi-compartment container assembly. The present container assembly includes a plurality of container compartments and corresponding container compartment lids or covers. The container compartments are configured for receiving items such as pills or other medications that are taken with water or other beverage found in the bottle. An optional feature of the present bottle assembly is that the body of the bottle can be manufactured to be either collapsible or non-collapsible, depending on the preference or needs of the user.  
      More specifically, the present assembly provides a plastic bottle assembly having a bottle and a multi-compartment container assembly. The bottle has a bottom, a generally cylindrical body that extends from the bottom, and a top opening that is located opposite from the bottom. It is preferred that the container assembly is removably secured to a lower portion of the bottle.  
      In a second embodiment, a pill container assembly is configured for engaging a bottle. Included with the pill container assembly are a cup, a container and a container lid. The cup has a bottom and a perimeter side wall extending from an upper perimeter edge of the bottom, defining an upper opening. It is contemplated that the cup is configured for attachment to a bottle bottom. A plurality of compartments are provided within the container, which is configured for insertion into the cup. Finally, the container lid is configured to fit over the container, and has a plurality of covers. Each of the covers in the container lid is configured to correspond with one of the compartments within the container.  
      The present bottle may also be collapsible and configured for receiving a multi-compartment container assembly. It is preferred that the container assembly is removably secured to a lower portion of the bottle. The bottle has a bottom, a generally cylindrical collapsible body extending from the bottom, and a top opening that is opposite the bottom. The collapsible body includes a plurality of transverse, substantially “V”-shaped fluting grooves. A plurality of outwardly projecting radiused edges are formed at the bottom of each of the fluting grooves and is configured for obscuring the fluting grooves when the bottle is axially compressed.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1A  is an exploded perspective view of the upper portion of the present bottle assembly;  
       FIG. 1B  is an exploded perspective view of the present bottle body and ring;  
       FIG. 1C  is an exploded perspective view of the present container assembly;  
       FIG. 2  is an assembled perspective of the assembly of  FIG. 1  in a collapsed position; and  
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged inside view of the present container assembly. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 1A-1C , a plastic bottle assembly is generally designated as  10 . Included in the assembly  10  is a bottle generally designated  12  suitable for retaining drinking water or other beverage having a bottom  14 . Extending from the bottom  14  is a generally cylindrical body  16 . Opposite the bottom  14  is a top opening  18 . The bottle assembly  10  further includes a multi-compartment container assembly generally designated  20  that is removably secured to a lower portion of the bottle  12 . It is contemplated that the bottle  12  is manufactured from a durable and flexible thermoplastic, although it is contemplated that other materials may be used, as are known in the art. Many suitable techniques for making the bottle  12  are contemplated, including but not limited to blow molding or injection molding. It is further contemplated that the multi-compartment container assembly  20  is manufactured from a rigid thermoplastic that will retain its shape, as is known by those skilled in the art. The multi-compartment container assembly  20  and its components can be manufactured through a process such as injection molding, although other similar conventional fabrication or production techniques are contemplated.  
      An upper shell generally designated  22  is secured over an upper portion of the body  16 , and includes a threaded neck  24  with a top opening  26  that is configured to surround the bottle top opening  18 . It is contemplated that the upper shell  22  can be manufactured in a collapsible form if the bottle  12  is configured to be axially compressed. If the upper shell  22  is manufactured in this manner, it is contemplated that an upper portion  23   a  of the upper shell  22  will collapse into the upper shell, as shown in  FIG. 2 . A lower portion  23   b  of the upper shell  22  retains its shape when the upper shell is collapsed. The bottle assembly  10  further includes a cap  28  that is preferably threadably secured to the top opening  26  of the shell  22 . Although the present bottle assembly  10  discloses a threaded top opening and cap, it is contemplated that the cap  28  can be secured to the top opening  26  by a snap-fit or other means of attachment as are known by those skilled in the art. In addition, it is contemplated that the cap  28  optionally includes a pop-up drinking spout or a pivoting spout (not shown). However, the present assembly  10  is not limited to these types of caps or spouts.  
      The present bottle assembly  10  further includes a tether  30  that has a first end  30   a  that is secured to and extends transversely from a snap-fit tab  31  engageable on the cap  28 . A second end  30   b  of the tether  30  can be secured to the neck  24  of the upper shell  22 , underneath the cap  28 , thus maintaining a connection between the tether  30  and the bottle assembly  10 . As is known in the art, the purpose of the tether  30  is to maintain a connection between the cap  28  and the bottle  12  when the cap  28  is unfastened from the neck  24 , as occurs when the user is drinking from, or refilling the bottle  12 . Because the cap is normally a small component of a bottle assembly  10 , it can easily be misplaced or dropped when unfastening the cap from the bottle  12 . Thus, the tether  30  prevents the cap  28  from being entirely separated from the bottle  12 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 1B , the present bottle assembly  10  also includes a ring  32  that is secured to the bottle  12  adjacent to the bottom  14 . The ring  32  is preferably secured to the bottle  12  by means of either a chemical adhesive or sonic welding. However, it is contemplated that other means of attachment are possible, as are known in the art, and the present assembly is not limited to the means disclosed. The multi-compartment container assembly  20  is removably secured to a lower perimeter edge  34  of the ring  32 .  
      As previously mentioned, the present bottle assembly  10  preferably includes either a non-collapsible or a collapsible body. Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the collapsible body  36  is shown in its fully collapsed form. The body  36  is configured to be collapsible by axial compression when the bottle  12  is empty of liquid, or at least is less than full. The collapsible body  36  is provided with a plurality of transverse fluting grooves  38 , best seen in  FIG. 1B . Each of the transverse fluting grooves  38  is substantially “V”-shaped when viewed from the side. The collapsible body  36  further includes a plurality of outwardly projecting radiused edges  40  that are formed at a bottom perimeter of each fluting groove  38 . The radiused edges  40  facilitate manufacturing of the bottle  12  and are configured for obscuring the fluting grooves  38  when the bottle  12  is axially compressed. It is contemplated that because the “V”-shaped fluting grooves and the radiused edges  40  are in the immediate vicinity of each other, the rigidity of the rounded edges of the empty bottle is reduced. Therefore, the bottle can be collapsed by applying a relatively small axial compression. It is submitted that the collapsible bottle assembly  10  is more compact and easily transportable compared to the embodiment where the bottle  12  is non-collapsible.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 1C , an enlarged exploded perspective view of the container assembly  20  is depicted. The generally annular container assembly  20  includes a cup  42  with a bottom  43  and a perimeter side wall  44 . The perimeter side wall  44  extends from an upper perimeter edge of the cup bottom  43  and defines an upper opening  46 . The cup  42  is configured for being secured to the bottle  12  by attaching to an inner perimeter of the ring  32 . As shown in  FIG. 1B , the ring  32  is secured to the bottle  12  adjacent to the bottom  14 . An inner perimeter of the ring  32  includes at least one of a complementary bayonet-style, “push-and-twist” lug and groove attachment mechanism  47  that is configured for being secured to the cup  42 .  
      The lug and groove attachment mechanism  47  can best be seen in  FIGS. 1B-1C . It is contemplated that the lugs  47   a  are located on either the ring  32  or the cup  42 , and the complementary grooves  47   b  are located on the corresponding cup  42  or the ring  32 . It is submitted that this system for attachment of the cup  42  to the bottle  12  allows the cup  42  to be easily removed from and inserted into the ring  32 , while at the same time maintaining a secure connection between the two components. Although a lug and groove attachment method is disclosed in the present bottle assembly, it is contemplated that the cup  42  can be secured to the ring  32  by other means, as are known by those skilled in the art.  
      The container assembly  20  further includes a container  48  that is configured for removable insertion in the cup  42 . The container  48  includes a plurality of preferably equally sized compartments  50 , each of which is radially displaced from a central portion of the container  48 . It is contemplated that the number, size and configuration of the compartments  50  may vary to suit the application. Included on the container assembly  20  is a container lid  52  that is removably secured to the container  48 . A prime function of the lid  52  is to cover each of the compartments  50 . As such, the container lid  52  has a plurality of individually openable covers  54  that are configured to correspond to the plurality of compartments  50  within the container  48 . It is preferred that each of the covers  54  is equal in shape, and that the size, shape and number of each of the covers is configured to correspond to each of the respective compartments  50 . Each of the covers  54  has a hinge  55  that allows the covers  54  to be independently opened or closed. The hinge  55  is preferably the “living hinge” type and integrally manufactured from the same rigid thermoplastic as the rest of the container lid  52 . However, the living hinge  55  is of a lesser thickness than the rest of the container lid  52  so that the hinge is flexible enough to facilitate opening and closing of the covers  54 .  
      Also provided on the container  48  is at least one locating hole  56  preferably disposed within its center. The hole  56  is configured for receiving a depending cylindrical lug portion  58  that extends from a bottom  60  of the container lid  52 . As seen in  FIG. 3 , the container lid  52  is attached to the container  48  by pressing the cylindrical portion  58  into the hole  56 . It is contemplated that this connection can be made by means of a snap-fit, friction fit or other type of attachment as is known by those skilled in the art.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the interior of each of the plurality of compartments  50  includes at least one of a complementary lug and groove attachment  62  that is configured for being secured to the container lid  52 . While seven compartments  50  are preferred, the number may vary to suit the application. It is contemplated that lugs  64  are located on either each of the compartments  50  or the lid  52 , and that complementary grooves  66  are located on the corresponding compartment  50  or the lid  52 . These individual lug and groove attachments  62  secure the lid covers  54  to the compartments  50  and allow the container lid covers  54  to be opened independently of the others, enabling access to one of the plurality of container compartments  50  at a time. Also, the container lid  52  remains securely attached to the container  48  when one or more of the container lid covers  54  are opened because of the insertion of the extending cylindrical portion  58  into the hole  56 . The two separate connection means between the container lid  52  and the container  48  prevent the container lid covers  54  from opening inadvertently when the container assembly  20  is removed from the bottle  12 . Although specific methods of attachment are disclosed in the present bottle assembly  10 , it is contemplated that other means of attachment are possible, as are known by those in the art.  
      While particular embodiments of the present bottle assembly have been described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and as set forth in the following claims.