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Applicant claims the priority of his U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/972,904 filed Sep. 17, 2007 for a Two Piece Nestable Bottle.
The popularity of water merchandised in disposable plastic water bottles has increased the use of petroleum and the burden on land fills. Any recycling of the bottle has minimum effect on consumer cost. There exists a need for reusable two piece drinking bottles having upper and lower parts which can be washed by hand, or in an automatic dish washer, and reused numerous times.
The nesting bottles of this invention have a lower bottom reservoir or section which serves as a drinking cup and an upper top section having a drinking spout. The upper section is releasable secured, as by a threaded connection, to the bottom section. The bottom section preferably has a frusto-conical shape and the upper section has a dome shape which permits each type component to be stacked. The upper part may be tethered to the bottom reservoir by a flexible tie. The upper and lower parts have relatively large diameters at their mating junction thereby facilitating hand and machine washing for reuse of the bottle. The top section preferably has a removable threaded cap with a drinking spout or nipple. Upon removal of the threaded cap, the bottle becomes a drinking bottle in the manner of the usual beverage bottle. The upper and bottom bottle sections have a threaded connection. For shipping, storage and retail display purposes, the lower sections nest within one another and the upper sections nest within one another. The reusable nested bottle can be filled with home filtered water and placed in the refrigerator, thus providing an alternative to marketed water.
A nested bottle concept is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of an assembled two piece bottle with parts broken away for illustration purposes;
FIG. 2 shows the top section of the bottle shown in FIG. 1 removed from, inverted and stacked in its bottom section which is shown in section for illustration purposes;
FIG. 3 shows the top and bottom sections of three of the bottles shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 stacked for storage, shipment or display and
FIG. 4 shows the components of six bottles stacked in a manner similar to that used in FIG. 3.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a bottle having a dome shaped top section 11 and a bottom section 12. The bottom section 12 has a downwardly tapering truncated frusto conical side wall 13 formed on a vertical axis 14 extending downward from an upper end presenting exterior threads 16. The lower section 12 has a flat bottom 17 integrally connected to the side wall 13 by a concave wall segment 18. The top section 11 includes a dome shaped wall 21 having a drinking spout 22 on its top. The drinking spout 22 is cylindrical in shape and has external threads 23. A removable and reusable cap 26 with internal threads 27 is adapted for threaded engagement with the threaded spout 22. A cylindrical band 28 is rigidly connected to the lower end of the dome shaped wall 21 by a narrow radially outward projecting washer shaped horizontal ledge 31. Internal threads 32 are formed on the interior of the band 28 and, as shown in FIG. 1, are engageable with the exterior threads 16 of the bottom section 12. The outside diameter of the lower end of the dome shaped wall 21 is smaller than the inside diameter of the upper end of the bottom section 12 thereby permitting the top section 11 to be inserted upside down into the bottom section 12, as shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 shows three bottom sections 12 stacked within one another and three top sections 11 also stacked within one another with the stacked top sections 11 subsequently placed on top of the stacked bottom sections 12. FIG. 3 illustrates the amount of space required to stack three bottles in the aforesaid manner and FIG. 4 shows the space required to stack six bottles in that manner.
In summary, the herein disclosed two piece nestable bottle is advantageously useful to those using bottled water and other beverages. Those using home water filtering systems can conveniently fill the two piece bottles and store them in their refrigeration, thereby enjoying considerable savings as compared to purchasing retailed water. The large diameter openings of the sections allow efficient cleaning by automatic dish washer or by insertion of in adult hand with a wash cloth. Reusability of the bottles reduces landfill and use of natural resources. The bottle is preferably made of high grade plastic so that the bottles are machine washable and capable of multiple refills and cleaning.