Patent ID: 8474638

Claim:
A plastic container, which comprises: a hollow body of plastic material having a lower supporting base, a sidewall extending upwardly from the lower base, and an upper neck portion with an opening therein, said neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall; wherein the sidewall includes at least one panel having a central region and an outer boundary, with the outer boundary being depressed with respect to the central region and with the depressed outer boundary having side portions and top and bottom portions, wherein the depressed outer boundaries comprise substantially continuous, channel-like structures which substantially circumscribe the central regions; wherein said sidewall has two opposed relatively larger sidewall sections which alternate with two opposed relatively smaller sidewall sections, including a single one of said panels with outer boundary on each of the opposed relatively larger sidewall sections, with each panel extending over a major portion of their corresponding sidewall section and at least in part extending substantially across their corresponding sidewall section, wherein each of said panels can flex inwardly under vacuum and return to the original configuration, and wherein each of the opposed smaller sidewall sections including an inwardly depressed panel, with each of the inwardly depressed panels on opposed smaller sidewall sections having an oval configuration and including side portions thereof which are adjacent a depressed outer boundary of a sidewall panel of the larger sidewall sections, wherein each of said larger sidewall sections include a single one of said panels with outer boundary, and each of the smaller sidewall sections include a single one of said inwardly depressed panels including side portions thereof which are adjacent a depressed outer boundary of a sidewall panel of the larger sidewall sections; and wherein at least part of the side portions of the outer boundary of said panels on the larger sidewall sections extends to the edges of the larger sidewall sections.