Patent ID: 7032770

Claim:
A container comprising: a shell having a top section including a shoulder, a lower section and a central section having a ribbed region and connecting said shoulder and said lower section, said lower section having a height substantially shorter than the height of said central section, wherein substantially all of said central section has the ribbed region disposed thereon, the ribbed region being provided with a plurality of structural ribs distributed about the periphery, of said central section, said ribs being discontinuous in a circumferential direction extending around said ribbed region and said ribs reinforcing said central section against at least one of internal and external pressures, wherein said ribs are elongated and of the same shape, each of said ribs having a depth that smoothly increases from each longitudinal end to a maximum depth in its longitudinal middle; wherein the curvature of each rib in the vertical direction is smooth and substantially semi-circular in shape wherein all of said ribs have substantially the same longitudinal angle of orientation relative to the vertical axis, with the longitudinal angle of orientation being linear and transverse to the vertical axis, and wherein the ribs are aligned in a plurality of rows that are disposed at the same longitudinal angle of oreintation relative to the vertical axis, ribs in one row are not being aligned vertically with ribs in an adjacent row.