Stackable, pourable product container

Abstract

A plastic blow molded pourable product container is constructed to support the combined weight of additional like containers stacked on top of the container, and is also constructed to efficiently use a three dimensional space occupied by a stack of containers and to resist relative movement between adjacent containers assembled together in a three dimensionally arrayed stack of the containers.

1 . A pourable product container comprising:
 a top surface having a substantially flat surface area;   a bottom surface having a substantially flat surface area that is opposite and substantially parallel with the top surface flat surface area;   a plurality of side surfaces that surround an interior of the container, the plurality of side surfaces extend between the top surface and the bottom surface and merge into the top surface and the bottom surface, at least a first of the side surfaces having a plurality of concave groove surface sections having lengths that extend substantially straight and parallel between the top surface and the bottom surface and having widths that are arranged side by side across the first side surface, each of the concave groove surface sections has a cross-section configuration that curves inwardly toward the interior of the container and has the appearance of a portion of a circle, and at least a second of the side surfaces having a plurality of convex rib surface sections having lengths that extends substantially straight and parallel between the top surface and the bottom surface and having widths that are arranged side by side across the second side surface, each of the convex rib surface sections has a cross-section configuration that curves outwardly away from the interior of the container and has the appearance of a portion of a circle;   a plurality of narrow ridges formed between adjacent groove surface sections, the plurality of narrow ridges having lengths that extend straight and parallel between adjacent groove surface sections between the top surface and the bottom surface;   the plurality of concave groove surface sections and the plurality of narrow ridges forming a corrugation reinforcement structure on the first of the side surfaces;   a plurality of narrow valleys formed between adjacent convex rib surface sections, the plurality of narrow valleys having lengths that extend straight and parallel between adjacent convex rib surface sections between the top surface and the bottom surface; and,   the plurality of convex rib surface sections and the plurality of narrow valleys forming a corrugation reinforcement structure on the second of the side surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the container being constructed entirely of plastic.   
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a rounded side corner surface extending between the top surface and the bottom surface and merging into the top surface and the bottom surface, the side corner surface separating the first side surface from the second side surface and merging into the first side surface and the second side surface.   
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a rounded first top corner surface extending across a top of the first side surface and merging the first side surface with the top surface; and,   a rounded second top corner surface extending across a top of the second side surface and merging the second side surface with the top surface.   
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a rounded first bottom corner surface extending across a bottom of the first side surface and merging the first side surface with the bottom surface; and,   a rounded second bottom corner surface extending across a bottom of the second side surface and merging the second side surface with the bottom surface.   
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the plurality of concave groove surface sections and the plurality of narrow ridges being arranged sequentially and in an alternating arrangement of the plurality of concave groove surface sections and the plurality of narrow ridges extending across a majority of the first of the side surfaces and having a cross-section configuration of a series of waves on a surface of water; and,   the plurality of concave rib surface sections and the plurality of valleys being arranged in a sequential and alternating arrangement extending across a majority of the second of the side surfaces and having a cross-section configuration that is the inverse of the cross-section configuration of the sequential and alternating arrangement of the concave groove surface sections and the narrow ridges.   
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the concave groove surface sections and the convex rib surface sections being complementary, wherein the convex rib surface sections of one container fit into the concave groove surface sections of a second container.   
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a neck projecting out from the top surface, the neck surrounding an opening to an interior of the container, the substantially flat surface area of the top surface surrounding the neck;   an interior wall projecting into the bottom surface, the interior wall surrounding a cavity recessed into the bottom surface, the substantially flat surface area of the bottom surface surrounding the cavity; and,   the neck of a first container and the cavity of a second container being dimensioned wherein the neck of the first container fits into the cavity of the second container with the substantially flat surface area of the bottom surface of the second container engaging on top of the substantially flat surface area of the top surface of the first container.   
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the plurality of side surfaces being four side surfaces that extend between the top surface and the bottom surface; and,   the top surface, bottom surface and four side surfaces together defining a cubic configuration of the container.   
     
     
         10 . A pourable product container comprising:
 a top surface having a cylindrical neck projecting from the top surface, the neck surrounding an opening to an interior of the container;   a bottom surface opposite the top surface;   four side surfaces that surround an interior of the container, the four side surfaces extending between the top surface and the bottom surface, two of the side surfaces having pluralities of concave groove surface sections having widths arranged side by side across the two side surfaces and lengths extending across the two side surfaces between the top surface and the bottom surface each of the concave groove surface sections has a cross-section configuration that curves inwardly toward the interior of the container and has the appearance of a portion of a circle; and,   an other two of the side surfaces having pluralities of convex rib surface sections having widths arranged side by side across the other two side surfaces and lengths extending across the other two side surfaces between the top surface and the bottom surface, each of the convex rib surface sections has a cross-section configuration that curves outwardly away from the interior of the container and has the appearance of a portion of a circle;   a plurality of narrow ridges formed between adjacent groove surface sections, the plurality of narrow ridges having lengths that extend straight and parallel between adjacent groove surface sections between the top surface and the bottom surface;   the plurality of concave groove surface sections and the plurality of narrow ridges forming a corrugation reinforcement structure on the first of the side surfaces;   a plurality of narrow valleys formed between adjacent convex rib surface sections, the plurality of narrow valleys having lengths having lengths that extend straight and parallel between adjacent convex rib surface sections between the top surface and the bottom surface; and,   the plurality of convex rib surface sections and the plurality of narrow valleys forming a corrugation reinforcement structure on the second of the side surfaces.   
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 10 , further comprising;
 four rounded top corner surfaces merging with the top surface and arranged end to end in a substantially rectangular configuration around the top surface; and,   each of the four side surfaces merging with one of the four top corner surfaces.   
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 the pluralities of concave groove surface sections merging with the top corner surfaces; and,   the pluralities of convex rib surface sections merging with the top corner surfaces.   
     
     
         13 . The container of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 four rounded bottom corner surfaces merging with the bottom surface and arranged end to end in a substantially rectangular configuration around the bottom surface; and,   each of the four side surfaces merging with one of the four bottom corner surfaces.   
     
     
         14 . The container of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 the plurality of concave groove surface sections and the plurality of narrow ridges being arranged sequentially and in an alternating arrangement of the plurality of concave groove surface sections and the plurality of narrow ridges extending across a majority of the two of the side surfaces and having a cross-section configuration of a series of waves on a surface of water; and,   the plurality of concave rib surface sections and the plurality of valleys being arranged in a sequential and alternating arrangement extending across a majority of the other two of the side surfaces and having a cross-section configuration that is the inverse of the cross-section configuration of the sequential and alternating arrangement of the concave groove surface sections and the narrow ridges.   
     
     
         15 . The container of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 the concave groove surface sections and the convex rib surface sections being complementary wherein the convex rib surface sections of a first container fit into the concave groove surface sections of a second container.   
     
     
         16 . The container of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 the top surface, the bottom surface and the four side surfaces together define a cubic configuration of the container.   
     
     
         17 . The container of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a substantially flat surface area on the top surface surrounding the neck;   a cylindrical interior wall projecting into the bottom surface, the interior wall surrounding a cavity recessed into the bottom surface, a substantially flat surface area on the bottom surface surrounding the cavity; and,   the neck of a first container and the cavity of a second container being dimensioned wherein the neck of the first container fits into the cavity of the second container with the substantially flat surface area of the bottom surface of the second container engaging on top of the substantially flat surface area of the top surface of the first container.   
     
     
         18 . A method of arranging pourable product containers in a tight fit three dimensional array, the method comprising:
 providing each container of a plurality of containers with a cubic configuration that surrounds an interior of the container, the cubic configuration having a top surface, an opposite bottom surface and four side surfaces that extend between the top surface and the bottom surface;   providing two of the side surfaces of each of the plurality of containers with concave groove surface sections having widths arranged side by side across the two side surfaces and lengths extending across the two side surfaces between the top surface and the bottom surface each of the concave groove surface sections has a cross-section configuration that curves inwardly toward the interior of the container and has the appearance of a portion of a circle;   providing an other two of the side surfaces of each container with pluralities of convex rib surface sections having widths arranged side by side across the other two side surfaces and lengths extending across the other two side surfaces between the top surface and the bottom surface each of the convex rib surface sections has a cross-section configuration that curves outwardly away from the interior of the container and has the appearance of a portion of a circle;   arranging the plurality of containers in a plurality of two dimensional arranged layers by moving adjacent containers horizontally toward each other with the concave groove surface sections and the convex rib surface sections of adjacent containers in complementary engagement in each layer and with the adjacent containers in complementary engagement being unattached to each other; and,   stacking the pluralities of layers and arranging the containers in the three dimensional array.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising:
 providing the top surface of each container with a cylindrical neck projecting from the top surface, the cylindrical neck surrounding an opening to an interior of the container; 
 providing a cylindrical interior wall projecting into the bottom surface of each container, the interior wall surrounding a cavity recessed into the bottom surface of each container; and, 
 stacking a first layer of containers on top of a second layer of containers by positioning the bottom surfaces of the containers in the first layer on top of and in engagement with the top surfaces of the containers in the second layer with the necks of the containers in the second layer extending into the cavities of the containers in the first layer. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 providing the top surface of each container with a substantially flat surface area surrounding the neck of the container;   providing the bottom surface of each container with a substantially flat surface area surrounding the cavity in the bottom surface of the container; and,   stacking a first layer of containers on top of a second layer of containers by positioning the substantially flat surface areas on the bottom surfaces of the first layer of containers on top of and in engagement with the substantially flat surface areas on the top surfaces of the second layer of containers.