Plastic container

Abstract

Non-cylindrical plastic paint container with handle.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A plastic container, said container comprising a bucket and a lid sized to fit the bucket, said bucket comprising a rim at a mouth of the bucket, sidewalls, corners, and a bottom, said rim being integral at the top of each sidewall, each said sidewall having a width and comprising two borders integral on each of the borders to one of the corners and each sidewall also integral to the bottom, each said sidewall also comprising an upper portion, a nesting ridge and a lower portion, said upper portion comprising a first end near the mouth and a second end integral to the nesting ridge, and the lower portion comprising a first end integral to the nesting ridge and a second end integral to the bottom, each said lower portion of the sidewalls having a width greater near the nesting ridge than at the bottom, such that the mouth of the bucket is wider than the bottom and one of the buckets may be nested inside another bucket when the lids are removed and the buckets are empty. 
     
     
         2 . The container as in  claim 1  wherein the corners of the bucket, the rim and the lid are rounded. 
     
     
         3 . The container as in  claim 1  wherein the sidewalls are four in number and the mouth of the bucket, the rim and the lid are shaped as a rectangle. 
     
     
         4 . The container as in  claim 3  wherein the rectangle is a square 
     
     
         5 . The container as in  claim 1  wherein said lower portion of each of the sidewalls comprises an internal surface, and at least one of the internal surfaces comprises ridges. 
     
     
         6 . The container as in  claim 5  wherein the ridges are disposed approximately parallel to the bottom of the bucket. 
     
     
         7 . The container as in  claim 1  wherein the rim comprises a breakaway tab at one or more of the corners. 
     
     
         8 . The container as in  claim 1  wherein the lid comprises an outer edge and a stacking ridge near the outer edge, and the bucket further comprises a stacking loop integral to the bottom, the sidewalls and the corners of the bucket, said stacking loop being slightly wider than the stacking ridge, such that stability can be achieved in stacking two or more containers by placing the stacking loop of one container on the lid of another of the containers adjacent to the stacking ridge. 
     
     
         9 . The container as in  claim 1  wherein the lid further comprises a U-shaped channel and the rim further comprises a U-shaped channel, the U-shaped channel of the lid comprising three projections and the U-shaped channel of the rim comprises three projections, each of said projections of the lid corresponding to one of said projections of the rim, so that pressing the U-shaped channel of the lid into the U-shaped channel of the rim forms three complementary pairs of said projections from the lid and the rim. 
     
     
         10 . A plastic container, said container comprising a bucket and a lid sized to fit the bucket, said bucket comprising a rim and sidewalls defining a mouth near an open end of the bucket, the rim being integral to the top of each sidewall, each of said sidewalls comprising a width and two borders, each said border being integral to one of the corners and said sidewalls also integral to a bottom, each width being greater near the mouth than at the bottom, such that one of the buckets may be nested inside another bucket when the lids are removed and the buckets are empty. 
     
     
         11 . The container as in  claim 10  wherein the corners of the bucket, the rim and the lid are rounded. 
     
     
         12 . The container as in  claim 10  wherein the sidewalls are four in number and the mouth of the bucket, the rim and the lid are shaped as a rectangle. 
     
     
         13 . The container as in  claim 12  wherein the rectangle is a square. 
     
     
         14 . The container as in  claim 10  wherein each said sidewall comprises an internal surface, and at least one of the internal surfaces comprises ridges. 
     
     
         15 . The container as in  claim 14  wherein the ridges are disposed approximately parallel to the bottom of the bucket. 
     
     
         16 . The container as in  claim 10  wherein the rim comprises a breakaway tab at one or more of the corners. 
     
     
         17 . The container as in  claim 10  wherein the lid comprises an outer edge and a stacking ridge near the outer edge, and the bucket further comprises a stacking loop integral to the bottom, the sidewalls and the corners of the bucket, said stacking loop being slightly wider than the stacking ridge, such that stability can be achieved in stacking two or more containers by placing the stacking loop of one container on the lid of another of the containers adjacent to the stacking ridge. 
     
     
         18 . A plastic container comprising a bucket and a lid sized to fit the bucket, said bucket comprising a rim, a bottom, a mouth at an open end defined by four sidewalls and each said sidewall comprising two borders and integral to a corner on each of said borders, the rim being integral to the top of each sidewall, each of said sidewalls further comprising an upper portion, a nesting ridge and a lower portion, said rim integral to, said upper portions of the sidewalls and said rim comprising a breakaway tab, each said upper portion integral to one of the nesting ridges integral to one of the lower portions integral to the bottom, said lower portion having a width greater near the nesting ridge than at the bottom, such that one of the buckets can be nested in another of the buckets without the lid attached. 
     
     
         19 . The plastic container as in  claim 18  wherein the mouth, the lid and the rim are in a shape of a rectangle and the corners are rounded. 
     
     
         20 . The plastic container as in  claim 19  wherein the rectangle is a square. 
     
     
         21 . The plastic container as in  claim 18  wherein the lid comprises a stacking ridge near an outer edge, and the bucket further comprises a stacking loop integral to the bottom on an outer perimeter and sized slightly larger than the stacking ridge, so that the stacking loop of one instance of the bucket can be positioned for stability just outside the stacking ring of the lid of another container.