Patent Publication Number: US-8540097-B1

Title: Bottle with recessed movable handle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 13/595,739 filed Aug. 27, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to containers generally formed as integral one-piece plastic receptacles suitable for use in the distribution and consumption of milk, water, carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, other liquids and free-flowing particulates, the containers including a handle that is movable between recesses in the sidewall of the container and an extended position protruding beyond the sidewall of the container. 
     Containers for flowable products, such as liquids and granular products, have been formed of plastic and other materials by a variety of methods. For example, containers have been formed as an integral container body, neck finish and handle. Other containers have been formed with an integral container body and neck finish, and a separate handle later attached to the container body after completion of the container formation process. Still other containers have been formed by positioning an integral handle and a neck finish in a blow mold, whereby during blow molding of the container body (from a separate preform placed in the blow mold) the handle and the neck finish become attached to the container body. The blow molding process can include both extrusion-blow molding and injection-blow molding. Some containers have used a different plastic material for the handle than for the container body for reasons such as strength, color, aesthetics or cost. Some containers have also provided a separate handle that is attachable to the already formed container. 
     Little attention has been paid to considering the formation of such containers to allow for a change in the handle between a compact conformation during shipping and storage, and a more user-friendly expanded conformation during use by the end consumer. What is needed is a container having handles that can be stored in a non-extending manner and, when needed by the consumer, deployed for easy handling of the container. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment, a container can be a bottle enclosing a prescribed volume. The bottle can include a base, a sidewall extending upward from the base, a shoulder extending upward and inward from the sidewall to a finish surrounding an opening into the bottle, the finish being adapted to receive a closure. The sidewall can include a pair of recesses situated on opposite sides of a vertical midline, with at least one passage extending between the pair of recesses. The container can also include a handle having first and second portions adapted to be received wholly within the pair of recesses in the sidewall. Connecting portions can extend through the at least one passage to connect the first and second handle portions to each other. The connecting portions can include a hinge permitting the first and second portions to be displaced from within the sidewall recesses to a position projecting outward from the sidewall sufficiently to permit the first and second portions to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container. 
     In a preferred embodiment, at least two passages are formed between the pair of recesses so that two connecting portions join the first and second handle portions to provide enhanced strength and better control of the container during use. The first and second handle portions and connecting portion can be formed of a material that is different than that forming the bottle. 
     In another embodiment, a container has a bottle enclosing a prescribed volume having a sidewall including a pair of recesses situated on opposite sides of a vertical midline, each of the recesses including at least one socket portion. A pair of handles adapted to be received in the pair of recesses, each of the handle elements including at least one ball portion received in the at least one socket portion of one of the recesses, the at least one ball portions being pivotable within the at least one socket portions so as to permit the first and second portions to be displaced from within the sidewall recesses to a position projecting outward from the sidewall sufficiently to permit the first and second portions to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container. 
     In another embodiment, a container has a bottle enclosing a prescribed volume having a sidewall including a single recess including a vertically spaced pair of socket portion. A handle element can be adapted to be received in the pair of socket portions in the recess, with the handle element including a vertically spaced pair of ball portions received in the vertically spaced pair of socket portions, the ball portions being pivotable within the socket portions so as to permit the handle portions to be displaced from within the sidewall recesses to a position projecting outward from the sidewall sufficiently to permit the handle portion to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container. 
     In another embodiment, a container can be in the form of a cup designed to retain a prescribed volume, with or without a cooperating top, having a sidewall including at least one recess, each recess including at least one socket portion. At least one handle can be adapted to be received in each recess, each handle element including at least one ball portion received in the at least one socket portion of each recess, the at least one ball portions being pivotable within the at least one socket portion so as to permit each handle element to be displaced from within a sidewall recesses to a position projecting outward from the sidewall sufficiently to permit the handle portions to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container. 
     Other features of the present containers and the corresponding advantages of those features will become apparent from the following discussion of preferred embodiments, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a bottle including recesses adapted to receive handle portions. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the bottle of  FIG. 1  showing a passage extending between the recesses. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the bottle of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top elevation view of a handle adapted to be coupled to the bottle of the previous FIGs. 
         FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of a handle adapted to be coupled to the bottle of the previous FIGs. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a handle adapted to be coupled to the bottle of the previous FIGs. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a container formed by the addition of the handle of  FIGS. 4-6  to the bottle of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the handle adapted to be coupled to the bottle of the previous FIGs, the handle being folded along hinge lines to an outwardly projecting position. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 7  with the handle folded to the outwardly projecting position. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of another bottle including recesses adapted to receive handle portions. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a container formed by the bottle of  FIG. 10  and a handle similar to that shown in  FIG. 4-6 . 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the container of  FIG. 11  with the handle folded to the outwardly projecting position. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of another bottle including recesses adapted to receive another style of handle portions. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of one of the handles adapted to be received by the bottle of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  is an elevation detail view of the ball portion of the handle shown in  FIG. 14  in a socket adjacent the inner end of a bottle recess, shown in section. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the bottle shown in  FIG. 13  with the handles positioned within the sidewall recesses. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the bottle shown in  FIG. 13  with the handles extending outward from the sidewall recesses. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a bottle similar to  FIG. 13 , but having only a single recess to receive a handle generally of the type shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the bottle shown in  FIG. 18  with the handle extending outward from the sidewall recess. 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of an alternative handle. 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective view of another bottle including recesses adapted to receive the handle shown in  FIG. 20 . 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of the bottle shown in  FIG. 21  with the handles extending outward from the sidewall recesses. 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view a coffee mug or similar article including recesses adapted to receive the handle shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of the coffee mug of  FIG. 23  with the handles shown received in the sidewall recesses. 
         FIG. 25  is a perspective view of the coffee mug of  FIG. 23  with the handles shown protruding from the sidewall recesses. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A bottle  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-3  that can be used in a container of the present invention. The bottle  10  can include a base  12 . While the base  12  is illustrated to have an essentially planar bottom  14 , the base  12  can be a petaloid bottom formed with a plurality of feet, or a champagne style bottom formed with a seating ring surrounding a centrally located, upwardly projected dome. A sidewall  16  can extend upward from the base  12 . The sidewall  16  can include a lower margin  18  that is continuously joined to the base  12 , and an upper margin  20 . While the upper and lower margins  18  and  20  of sidewall  16  are shown to be circular, so that the sidewall is generally cylindrical, other shapes are also possible including triangular, ovate, rectangular, etc. A shoulder  22  can be continuously joined to the sidewall upper margin  20  to extend upward and inward from the sidewall  16  to a finish  24  surrounding an opening into the bottle  10 . The finish  24  can be threaded or otherwise adapted to receive a closure  26 . The bottle  10  can be formed of plastic, metal, glass and other materials. 
     The sidewall  16  can additionally include a pair of recesses  28 ,  30  situated on opposite sides of a midline M, which can be vertical and arranged parallel to an axis Y of the bottle  10 . The recesses  28 ,  30  are shown to be indentations into the sidewall  16  including an upper leg  32 , a lower leg  34  and a middle portion  36  forming a continuous trough in the sidewall  16 . A passage  38  can extend between inner ends of the pair of upper legs  32  of the recesses  28 ,  30 . Another passage  40  can extend between inner ends of the pair of lower legs  34  of the recesses  28 ,  30 . The passages  38 ,  40  can be defined by inserts around which the bottle  10  is formed. The passages  38 ,  40  can be completely surrounded or only partially surrounded by the plastic or other material forming the sidewall  16  of the bottle  10 . The volume of the bottle  10  can be selected over a range of volumes, but the utility of the container will become particularly apparent in bottles having a volume of 2 liters and greater. 
     A handle  42  is shown in  FIGS. 4-6  that is suitable for use in conjunction with the bottle  10  to form a container of the present invention. The handle  42  can include a first portion  44  and second portion  46 . The first and second portions  44 ,  46  can be suitably dimensioned to be received wholly within the pair of recesses  28 ,  30  in the sidewall  16  of bottle  10  as shown in  FIG. 7  to form a container  100 . The first and second portions  44 ,  46  can each include an upper portion  48 , a lower portion  50 , and a middle portion  52  that can join the upper and lower portions into a one-piece unitary formation. Connecting upper portions  54  can be provided to connect each of the adjoining upper portions  48 . Likewise, lower connecting portions  56  can be provided to connect each of the adjoining lower portions  50 . The connecting portions  54 ,  56  can include a separable junction  58  that will permit the connecting portions to extend through at least one of the passages  38 ,  40  to connect the first and second handle portions  44 ,  46  to each other. The connecting portions  54 ,  56  can include at least one hinge  60  permitting the first and second handle portions  44 ,  46  to be displaced from within the sidewall recesses  28 ,  30  of container  10 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , to a projecting position as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . The handle  42  is seen in  FIG. 9  to project outward from the sidewall  16  sufficiently to permit the first and second portions  44 ,  46  to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container  10 . 
     Another embodiment of a container  100  is shown in  FIGS. 10-12 , wherein the bottle  70  can include a base  12 . A sidewall  16  can extend upward from the base  12 . The sidewall  16  can include a lower margin  18  that is continuously joined to the base  12 , and an upper margin  20 . A shoulder  22  can be continuously joined to the sidewall upper margin  20  to extend upward and inward from the sidewall  16  to a finish  24  surrounding an opening into the bottle  70 . The finish  24  can be threaded or otherwise adapted to receive a closure  26 . The bottle  100  can be formed of plastic, metal, glass and other materials. 
     The sidewall  16  can additionally include a pair of recesses  28 ,  30  situated on opposite sides of a midline M, which can be vertical and arranged parallel to an axis Y of the bottle  70 . The recesses  28 ,  30  are shown to be indentations into the sidewall  16  including an upper leg  32 , a lower leg  34  and a middle portion  36  forming a continuous trough in the sidewall  16 . A passage  38  can extend between inner ends of the pair of upper legs  32  of the recesses  28 ,  30 . Another passage  40  can extend between inner ends of the pair of lower legs  34  of the recesses  28 ,  30 . The passages  38 ,  40  can be defined by inserts around which the bottle  70  is formed. The passages  38 ,  40  can be completely surrounded or only partially surrounded by the plastic or other material forming the sidewall  16  of the bottle  70 . When the bottle  70  is formed by an extrusion-blow molding process of polymers adapted to such processing, the passages  38 ,  40  between the pair of recesses  28 ,  30  can be formed by a pinch-mold portion that defines a seam surrounding the passage generally in alignment with the mid-line M between the recesses  28 ,  30 . 
     A handle  42  similar to that shown in  FIGS. 4-6  and that is suitable for use in conjunction with the bottle  70  can be used to form a container  100  as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . The first and second portions  44 ,  46  of handle  42  can be suitably dimensioned to be received wholly within the pair of recesses  28 ,  30  in the sidewall  16  of bottle  70  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The handle  42  can include at least one hinge  60  permitting the first and second handle portions  44 ,  46  to be displaced from within the sidewall recesses  28 ,  30  of container  100 , as shown in  FIG. 11 , to a projecting position as shown in  FIG. 12 . The handle  42  is seen in  FIG. 12  to project outward from the sidewall  16  sufficiently to permit the first and second portions  44 ,  46  to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container  100 . 
     Another bottle  200  is shown in  FIGS. 13 ,  16  and  17 . The bottle  200  can include a base  12 . While the base  12  is illustrated to have a petaloid bottom  214  formed with a plurality of feet  215 , the base  12  can be planar or a champagne style bottom formed with a seating ring surrounding a centrally located, upwardly projected dome as shown for bottle  10 . A sidewall  16  can extend upward from the base  12 . The sidewall  16  can include a lower margin  18  that is continuously joined to the base  12 , and an upper margin  20 . While the upper and lower margins  18  and  20  of sidewall  16  are shown to be circular, so that the sidewall is generally cylindrical, other shapes are also possible including triangular, ovate, rectangular, etc. A shoulder  22  can be continuously joined to the sidewall upper margin  20  to extend upward and inward from the sidewall  16  to a finish  24  surrounding an opening into the bottle  10 . The finish  24  can be threaded or otherwise adapted to receive a closure  26 . The bottle  200  can be formed of plastic, metal, glass and other materials. 
     The sidewall  16  can additionally include a pair of recesses  28 ,  30  situated on opposite sides of a midline M, which can be vertical and arranged parallel to an axis Y of the bottle  200 . The recesses  28 ,  30  are shown to be indentations into the sidewall  16  including an upper leg  32 , a lower leg  34  and a middle portion  36  forming a continuous trough in the sidewall  16 . A socket  37  is provided at the end of the upper leg  32  and the lower leg  34  nearest to the midline M. A wedge-shaped slot  39  can extend from each of the sockets  37  toward the midline M. The volume of the bottle  200  can be selected over a range of volumes, but the utility of the container will become particularly apparent in bottles having a volume of 2 liters and greater. 
     A handle  242  is shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15  that is suitable for use in conjunction with the bottle  200  to form a container of the present invention. A pair of handles  242  can be suitably dimensioned to be received wholly within the pair of recesses  28 ,  30  in the sidewall  16  of bottle  200 . Each handle  242  can each include an upper portion  48 , a lower portion  50 , and a middle portion  52  that can join the upper and lower portions into a one-piece unitary formation. A ball shaped end  51  and  53  can be connected to the upper portion  48 , and the lower portion  50 , respectively, by web portions  57  and  59 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  can be received in the sockets  37  at the inner ends of sidewall recesses  28  and  30  so that the handles  242  can be wholly received within the recesses  28 ,  30  as shown in  FIG. 16 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  permit the handles to be displaced from the recessed position shown in  FIG. 16  to a projecting position as shown in  FIG. 17 . This displacement causes the web portions  57  and  59  to enter into slots  39  so that the middle portions  52  of the handles  242  are sufficiently close to each other to permit the handles  242  to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container  200 . 
     The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  can be spherical, but at least one of the ball shaped ends  51  and  53  can be non-spherical so as to include a projecting portion  55  as shown in  FIG. 15 . The projecting portion  55  can interact with the adjacent socket  37  so as to provide a detent biasing the handles  242  toward either a fully retained or a fully projecting position. This biasing of the handles toward the fully retained position acts to inhibit accidental projection of the handles  242  during transport of the bottles  200 . The biasing of the handles toward the fully projecting position acts to ensure that the middle portions  52  of the handles  242  are sufficiently close to each other to permit the handles  242  to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container  200 . 
     While  FIGS. 13 ,  16  and  17  depict a container  200  having a pair of handles  242 , it may be appropriate in certain circumstances to employ a container  300  having only a single handle  242  received in a single slot  36  as shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 . The bottle  300  can include a base  12 , illustrated to have a petaloid bottom  214  formed with a plurality of feet  215 . A sidewall  16  can extend upward from the base  12 . The sidewall  16  can include a lower margin  18  that is continuously joined to the base  12 , and an upper margin  20 . While the upper and lower margins  18  and  20  of sidewall  16  are shown to be circular, so that the sidewall is generally cylindrical, other shapes are also possible including triangular, ovate, rectangular, etc. A shoulder  22  can be continuously joined to the sidewall upper margin  20  to extend upward and inward from the sidewall  16  to a finish  24  surrounding an opening into the bottle  10 . The finish  24  can be threaded or otherwise adapted to receive a closure  26 . The bottle  300  can be formed of plastic, metal, glass and other materials. 
     The sidewall  16  of bottle  300  is shown to include only a single recess  28 . The recess  28  takes the form of an indentation into the sidewall  16  including an upper leg  32 , a lower leg  34  and a middle portion  36  forming a continuous trough in the sidewall  16 . A socket  37  is provided at the end of the upper leg  32  and the lower leg  34 . A wedge-shaped slot  39  can extend laterally from each of the sockets  37  opposite the upper and lower leg portions  32 ,  34 . The volume of the bottle  300  can be selected over a range of volumes, but the utility of the container will become particularly apparent in bottles having a volume of 1 liter to 2 liters. 
     The handle  242  shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15  is suitable for use in conjunction with the bottle  300  to form a container of the present invention. The handle  242  can be suitably dimensioned to be received wholly within the single recess  28  in the sidewall  16  of bottle  300 . The handle  242  can include an upper portion  48 , a lower portion  50 , and a middle portion  52  that can join the upper and lower portions into a one-piece unitary formation. A ball shaped end  51  and  53  can be connected to the upper portion  48 , and the lower portion  50 , respectively, by web portions  57  and  59 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  can be received in the sockets  37  in the sidewall recess  28  shown in  FIG. 18  so that the handle  242  can be wholly received within the recess  28 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  permit the handle  242  to be displaced from the recessed position to a projecting position as shown in  FIG. 19 . This displacement causes the web portions  57  and  59  to enter into slots  39  so that the middle portion  52  of the handle  242  can grasped in one hand by a user of the container  300 . 
     Another alternative handle  342  is shown in  FIG. 20 . The handle  342  shown in  FIG. 20  is suitable for use in conjunction with a bottle  400  shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22  to form a container of the present invention. The bottle  400  can be formed of plastic, metal, glass and other materials. A pair of handles  342  can be suitably dimensioned to be received wholly within the pair of recesses  28 ,  30  in the sidewall  16  of bottle  400 . Each handle  342  can each include an upper portion  48 , a lower portion  50 , and a middle portion  52  that can join the upper and lower portions into a one-piece unitary formation. A ball shaped end  51  and  53  can be connected to the upper portion  48 , and the lower portion  50 , respectively, by web portions  57  and  59 . A pintle member  360  can extend vertically between the ball shaped ends  51  and  53 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  can be received in the sockets  37  at the inner ends of sidewall recesses  28  and  30 . The pintle member  360  can be received in vertical slots  408  in the sidewall  16  of bottle  400  so that the handles  342  can be wholly received within the recesses  28 ,  30 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  permit the handles to be displaced from the recessed position to a projecting position as shown in  FIG. 22 . This displacement causes the web portions  57  and  59  to enter into slots  39  so that the middle portions  52  of the handles  342  are sufficiently close to each other to permit the handles  342  to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container  400 . 
     The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  of handles  342  can be spherical, but at least one of the ball shaped ends  51  and  53  can be non-spherical so as to include a projecting portion  55  as shown in  FIG. 15 . The projecting portion  55  can interact with the adjacent socket  37  so as to provide a detent biasing the handles  342  toward either a fully retained or a fully projecting position. This biasing of the handles toward the fully retained position acts to inhibit accidental projection of the handles  342  during transport of the bottles  400 . The biasing of the handles toward the fully projecting position acts to ensure that the middle portions  52  of the handles  342  are sufficiently close to each other to permit the handles  342  to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container  400 . 
     The handle  242  shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15  can also be used in conjunction with the container  500  shown in  FIGS. 23-25 . The container  500  is seen to have the general shape of a coffee mug or similar article including a base  12  having an essentially planar bottom  14 . The container  500  can be formed of plastic, metal, glass and other materials. An outer sidewall  16  can extend upward from the base  12 . The outer sidewall  16  can include a lower margin  18  that is continuously joined to the base  12 , and an upper margin  20 . While the upper and lower margins  18  and  20  of outer sidewall  16  are shown to be circular, so that the sidewall is generally cylindrical, other shapes are also possible. A step  19  can be provided between the upper and lower margins  18  and  20  to further define the outer sidewall  16  into a smaller lower diameter and a larger upper diameter. A finish  24  can be continuously joined to the sidewall upper margin  20  to surround an opening  25  into the container  500 . An interior or exterior surface of the finish  24  can be threaded or otherwise adapted to receive a closure, not shown. The sidewall can be made of a single layer of material or multiple layers of material to enhance the thermal retention properties of the container  500 , thus forming a thermos-like article. When formed of multiple layers of material, an innermost layer can omit some or all of the features found in the outer sidewall  16 . 
     The outer sidewall  16  can additionally include a pair of recesses  28 ,  30  situated on opposite sides of a midline M, which can be vertical and arranged parallel to an axis Y of the container  500 . The recesses  28 ,  30  are shown to be indentations into larger diameter portions of the outer sidewall  16  including an upper leg  32 , a lower leg  34  and a middle portion  36  forming a continuous trough in the outer sidewall  16 . A socket  37  is provided at the end of the upper leg  32  and the lower leg  34  nearest to the midline M. A wedge-shaped slot  39  can extend from each of the sockets  37  toward the midline M. 
     The handles  242  can be suitably dimensioned to be received wholly within the pair of recesses  28 ,  30  in the outer sidewall  16  of container  500 . Each handle  242  can each include an upper portion  248 , a lower portion  250 , and a middle portion  252  that can join the upper and lower portions into a one-piece unitary formation. A ball shaped end  51  and  53  can be connected to the upper portion  48 , and the lower portion  50 , respectively, by web portions  57  and  59 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  can be received in the sockets  37  at the inner ends of sidewall recesses  28  and  30  so that the handles  242  can be wholly received within the recesses  28 ,  30  as shown in  FIG. 24 . The ball shaped ends  51  and  53  permit the handles to be displaced from the recessed position shown in  FIG. 24  to a projecting position as shown in  FIG. 25 . This displacement causes the web portions  57  and  59  to enter into slots  39  so that the middle portions  252  of the handles  242  are sufficiently close to each other to permit the handles  242  to be grasped in one hand by a user of the container  500 . 
     While these features have been disclosed in connection with the illustrated preferred embodiments, other embodiments of the invention that come within the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art.