Connectable beverage bottle

Abstract

The connectable beverage bottle includes a hollow bottle body including a central cavity, a side wall composed of a horizontal overhang and a front vertical bottle lock projection composed of a left vertical bulge curved outwardly to the left and right, a rear vertical bottle lock depression having a vertically concave portion curved inwardly to the left and right, and a flat bottom having a horizontally elongated central depression in which concave edge portions and convex edge portions alternate, whereby a plurality of connectable beverage bottles are configured to be mutually connectable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This international application claims priority to U.S. Non - Provisional Application No. 18 / 220,794, filed on July 11, 2023, U.S. Non - Provisional Application No. 18 / 206,896, filed on June 7, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 389,117, filed on July 14, 2022, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present invention generally relates to the field of beverage bottles for industrial manufacturing, and more specifically, to methods and systems for connectable beverage bottles having manufacturable features.

Background Art

[0003] The design of connectable beverage bottles is well - known and can reduce the logistics costs of transportation and storage in order to provide opportunities to improve storage density.

[0004] However, the design of such connectable beverage bottles has been found to be difficult or impossible to manufacture using both conventional and state - of - the - art bottle - forming methods, and thus is not widely used.

[0005] Therefore, considering the above, it can be understood that there continues to be a need for new and improved connectable beverage bottles that can be manufactured using state - of - the - art methods.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The aforementioned needs are substantially met by the present invention, and in aspects of the present invention, enhancements are provided to existing models of connectable beverage bottles to enable manufacturability.

[0007] In one aspect, the connectable beverage bottle is a) It can comprise a hollow body, said hollow body i. a bottle top including a bottle opening such that the bottle opening provides access to a central cavity of the hollow body, and ii. side walls forming the central cavity, said side walls 1. vertical bottle lock projections disposed on a first side of the side walls, and 2. vertical bottle lock depressions, disposed on a second side of the side walls, and thus on the side opposite to the vertical bottle lock projections, whereby the vertical bottle lock projections can be configured to be slidable within corresponding bottle lock depressions of a first similar connectable beverage bottle, whereby the connectable beverage bottle can be connected to a first similar connectable beverage bottle, and whereby the vertical bottle lock depressions can be configured to slidably receive corresponding bottle lock projections of a second similar connectable beverage bottle, whereby the connectable beverage bottle can be connected to a second similar connectable beverage bottle.

[0008] In a related aspect, the vertical bottle lock depression can be configured to have a horizontal overhang from a bottom outer edge of the vertical bottle lock depression to an upper outer edge of the vertical bottle lock depression.

[0009] In another related aspect, the bottle body a) a left front vertical depression on the left side of the vertical bottle lock projection, configured with a concave inner left surface, and b) a right front vertical depression on the right side of the vertical bottle lock projection, configured with a concave right inner surface.

[0010] In a further related aspect, the left opening angle between the left inner tangent at the inner end of the concave inner left surface and the left outer tangent at the outer end of the concave inner left surface can be in the range of 35 - 45 degrees, and the right opening angle between the right inner tangent at the inner end of the concave right inner surface and the right outer tangent at the outer end of the concave right inner surface can be in the range of 35 - 45 degrees.

[0011] In yet another related aspect, the left outer inclination angle between the longitudinal center line of the bottle body and the inner left tangent line at the inner end of the concave inner left surface can be in the range of 20 to 30 degrees, and the right outer inclination angle between the longitudinal center line of the bottle body and the inner right tangent line at the inner end of the concave right inner surface can be in the range of 20 to 30 degrees.

[0012] In yet another related aspect, the maximum left opening width of the left front vertical depression between the outer left transition point and the inner left transition point can be in the range of 75 to 85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle lock protrusion, and the maximum right opening width of the right front vertical depression between the outer right transition point and the inner right transition point can be in the range of 75 to 85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle lock protrusion.

[0013] Thus, to better understand the detailed description herein and to better understand the contribution of the present invention to the art, certain embodiments of the present invention are outlined rather broadly. Of course, there are additional embodiments of the present invention that are described below and that form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

[0014] In this regard, prior to detailing at least one embodiment of the present invention, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or shown in the drawings. The present invention can be implemented and executed in various ways in addition to the described embodiments. Further, it should be understood that the terminology and phraseology used herein, as well as in the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0015] Thus, those skilled in the art will understand that the underlying concepts of the present disclosure can be readily utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out some of the purposes of the present invention. Thus, it is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Before explaining the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention mainly lies in a novel and non-obvious combination of elements and process steps. To avoid obscuring the disclosure with details that would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, specific conventional elements and steps are not shown in great detail, but the drawings and the specification explain other elements and steps related to the understanding of the present invention in more detail.

[0018] The following embodiments are not intended to define limitations with respect to the structure or method of the present invention, but are for the sole purpose of providing exemplary configurations. The embodiments are permissive rather than mandatory, and illustrative rather than exhaustive.

[0019] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of an embodiment of a connectable beverage bottle 100 will be described such that like reference numerals refer to like components throughout, and this rule will be adopted for the remainder of this description. The connectable beverage bottle 100 is designed to be connectable so as to save space in logistics such as transportation, storage, and store display, thereby improving space efficiency and cost efficiency, and is also designed to be manufacturable by state-of-the-art bottle manufacturing methods as compared to previous designs of connectable bottles.

[0020] In related embodiments, FIGS. 1 - 12 show examples of the connectable beverage bottle 100. The connectable beverage bottle 100 includes a number of substantial design changes for the purpose of enabling manufacturability and improving connectivity as compared to previous designs of previous connectable beverage bottles as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 10,472,117, issued November 12, 2019, U.S. Patent No. D941,152, issued January 18, 2022, and International PCT Application Publication No. WO2019241246A1, published December 19, 2019. All three of these are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Previous connectable beverage bottles could not be manufactured for the specific functions of the corresponding previous designs and did not have reliable connectivity.

[0021] In further related embodiments, improvements to the connectable beverage bottle 100 as compared to previous connectable beverage bottles include the following: a) Since all the corners or hard edges at the bottom of the connectable beverage bottle 100 are completely rounded, the connectable beverage bottle 100 is much easier to blow mold during manufacturing. b) The rear connecting part of the bottle, i.e., the vertical bottle lock projection 126, is substantially thin. The opening of the opposite bottle, i.e., the vertical bottle lock recess 224 into which the vertical bottle lock projection 126 fits, also becomes substantially thin accordingly according to the following detailed description, and c) The locking part of the connectable beverage bottle 100 is about 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the bottle height of the connectable beverage bottle 100. In the original design of the previous connectable beverage bottle, the entire back was designed to be locked to the bottle, but it was found that the original design could not be manufactured by available manufacturing methods and systems.

[0022] In related embodiments, the connectable beverage bottle 100 a) can include a hollow body 103, and the hollow body 103 i. includes a bottle top 105 that includes a bottle opening 115 and a bottle interior 111 such that the bottle opening 115 provides access to a central cavity 111 for storing liquid, ii. a bottom 107, iii. a substantially cylindrical side wall 109 (as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12) that forms a central cavity 111, the substantially cylindrical side wall 109 tapering inwardly adjacent to the upper part of the hollow bottle body 103 and ending at an opening 115 for the entry and exit of liquid or solid into the central cavity 111, forming a tapered neck 113, and The side wall 109 includes a pair of parallel grooves 930, 940 (also called the left front vertical recess 930 and the right front vertical recess 940) embedded within the circumference of the substantially cylindrical side wall 109. These grooves extend longitudinally from the bottom 107 of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113. The pair of grooves 930, 940 form a longitudinally extending projection 126 (also called the vertical bottle lock projection 126) that extends between the grooves 930, 940 from the bottom 107 of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113 of the hollow body. The projection 126 tapers radially to form a tapered rounded edge 121. The side wall 109 further includes a longitudinally extending channel 224 (also referred to as the vertical bottle lock recess 224) located diametrically opposite the longitudinally extending protrusion 126. The channel 224 extends from the bottom of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113 of the hollow body. The depth of the channel decreases in a tapered manner adjacent to the tapered neck 113 and is substantially parallel to the tapered rounded edge 121 of the protrusion, forming a tapered rounded protrusion 227 that faces diametrically opposite, and The protrusion 126 and the channel 224 are sized and configured to be received within the channel of another similar connectable beverage bottle such that the protrusion 126 can be connected and fixed to another similar connectable beverage bottle.

[0023] In related embodiments, the connectable beverage bottle 100 a) The tapered edge 121 of the protrusion 126 and the tapered protrusion 227 of the channel allow the protrusion 126 to be inserted into the channel of a similar connectable bottle at the bottom of the hollow body, but not into the upper part of the hollow body, and b) When the protrusion 126 is inserted into the channel of a similar connectable bottle, the protrusion 126 and the channel are sized and configured such that the protrusion 126 is slidable within the channel until the tapered edge 121 of the protrusion engages the tapered protrusion 227 of the channel to prevent further movement or disengagement.

[0024] Thus, in one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, FIGS. 9A-9B, and FIGS. 16, the connectable beverage bottle 100 a) can include a hollow bottle body 103, and the hollow bottle body 103 i. a central cavity 111, and ii. a bottle top 105 including a bottle opening 115 that provides access to the central cavity 111, and iii. a side wall 109 forming the central cavity, where 1. a vertical bottle lock protrusion 126 disposed on a first side of the side wall 109, and 2. A vertical bottle lock recess 224 disposed on a second side of the sidewall 109, thereby being disposed on a side opposite to the vertical bottle lock protrusion 126, and the sidewall 109 including the vertical bottle lock recess 224, Thereby, the vertical bottle lock protrusion 126 is configured to be slidable within a corresponding bottle lock recess of the first similar connectable beverage bottles 100, 1601, whereby the connectable beverage bottles 100, 1602 are connected to the first similar connectable beverage bottles 100, 1601, Thereby, the vertical bottle lock recess 224 is configured to slidably receive a corresponding bottle lock protrusion 126 of the second similar connectable beverage bottles 100, 1603, whereby the connectable beverage bottles 100, 1602 are connected to the second similar connectable beverage bottles 100, 1603.

[0025] In related embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hollow bottle body, a) an upper threaded portion 512, b) a main portion 514 below the upper threaded portion 512, and can include, The main portion 514 can be left - right mirror - symmetric with respect to the front - rear vertical central plane 520 of the hollow bottle body 103.

[0026] In another related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A - 9B and 10, the connectable beverage bottle 100 can be configured with various functions as follows to enable manufacturability and removable connectability: a) The horizontal overhang 913 of the vertical bottle lock recess 224 from the bottom outer edge 912 to the upper outer edge of the vertical bottle lock recess 224 is in the range of 5 - 30% or 10 - 25% of the maximum depth 919 of the vertical bottle lock recess 224, thereby enabling the manufacturability of the connectable beverage bottle 100 by the limited range of the horizontal overhang 913, b) The maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle lock protrusion 126 can be in the range of 25% - 35% of the maximum bottle width 1056 of the hollow body 103, c) The left front vertical recess 930 is on the left side of the vertical bottle lock projection 126. The left front vertical recess 930 is formed by a concave inner left surface such that the left opening angle 938 between the inner left tangent line 934 of the inner end of the concave inner left surface (where the concave inner left surface connects to the inner convex left surface at the inner left transition point 11 of the inner end of the concave inner left surface) and the left outer tangent line 932 of the outer end of the concave inner left surface (where the concave inner left surface connects to the outer convex left surface at the outer left transition point 12 of the outer end of the concave inner left surface) is substantially 30 degrees (i.e., about 30 degrees is affected by manufacturing tolerances), or in the range of 25 to 35 degrees, or in the range of 20 to 40 degrees. d) The left outer inclination angle 937 between the longitudinal center line 935 of the bottle body and the inner left tangent line 934 of the inner end of the concave inner left surface is substantially 25 degrees (i.e., about 25 degrees is affected by manufacturing tolerances) or in the range of 20 to 30 degrees. e) The maximum left opening width 936 of the left front vertical recess 930 between the outer left transition point and the inner left transition point can be in the range of 70% to 90% or 75% to 85% of the maximum projection width 1027 of the vertical bottle lock projection 126. f) The right front vertical recess 940 is on the right side of the vertical bottle lock projection 926. The right front vertical recess 940 is formed by a concave right inner surface such that the right opening angle 938 between the right inner tangent line 944 of the inner end of the concave right inner surface (where the concave inner surface connects to the inner convex right surface at the inner right transition point 21 of the inner end of the concave right inner surface) and the right outer tangent line 942 of the outer end of the concave inner left surface (where the concave inner surface connects to the outer convex right surface at the outer right transition point 22 of the outer end of the concave right inner surface) is substantially 30 degrees (i.e., about 30 degrees is affected by manufacturing tolerances), or in the range of 25 to 35 degrees, or in the range of 20 to 40 degrees. g) The right outer inclination angle 947 between the longitudinal center line 935 of the bottle body 103 and the right inner tangent line 944 of the inner end of the concave right inner surface can be substantially 25 degrees (i.e., about 25 degrees is affected by manufacturing tolerances) or in the range of 20 to 30 degrees, and h) The maximum right opening width 946 of the right front vertical recess 940 between the right outer transition point and the right inner transition point can be substantially 80% (i.e., about 80% is affected by manufacturing tolerances), or in the range of 70% to 90% or 75% to 85% of the maximum projection width 1027 of the vertical bottle lock projection 126.

[0027] In further related embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9A, the vertical bottle lock recess 224 can be configured to have an upper rounded recess bulge 227 (which can also be referred to as a tapered rounded protrusion 227) disposed at the upper portion of the vertical bottle lock recess 224, whereby the upper rounded recess bulge 227 forms the horizontal overhang 913.

[0028] In related embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 9A - 9B, the bottom 107 of the hollow bottle body 103 can further comprise: a) a flat portion 962; and b) a central recess 964 configured in a laterally elongated shape and mirror - symmetric with respect to the longitudinal centerline 935 of the bottle body 103. The periphery of the central recess comprises: i. a left - front concave edge portion 42; ii. a right - front concave edge portion 46; iii. a central - front convex edge portion 44 disposed between the left - front concave edge portion 42 and the right - front concave edge portion 46; iv. a left - rear concave edge portion 52; v. a right - rear concave edge portion 56; vi. a central - rear convex edge portion 54 disposed between the left - rear concave edge portion 52 and the right - rear concave edge portion 56; vii. a left - side convex edge portion 62 disposed between the left - rear concave edge portion 52 and the left - front concave edge portion 42; viii. a right - side convex edge portion 64 disposed between the right - rear concave edge portion 56 and the right - front concave edge portion 46. Thereby, the alternating pattern of the concave edge portions 42, 46, 56, 58 and the convex edge portions 44, 62, 54, 62 is formed along the laterally elongated shape around the central recess 964, thereby enhancing the torsional rigidity of the hollow bottle body 103, forming sufficient torsional rigidity of the hollow bottle body 103, improving the manufacturability of the connectable beverage bottle 100, and in particular, ensuring that the connectable beverage bottle 100 can be removed from the molding part quickly and without friction.

[0029] In another related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the hollow bottle body 103 can be further configured as follows: a) The vertical bottle lock projection 126 is i. An outwardly curved left vertical bulge 1830, which is disposed on the lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle lock projection 126, whereby the outwardly curved left vertical bulge 1830 tapers (i.e., recedes or retreats) from the left maximum bulge point 1832 at the left lower end of the vertical bottle lock projection 126 to the left upper bulge transition point 1834, the outwardly curved left vertical bulge 1830 disappears, and the vertical bottle lock projection 126 becomes substantially straight, and the outwardly curved left vertical bulge 1830, ii. An outwardly curved right vertical bulge 1840, which is disposed on the lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle lock projection 126, whereby the outwardly curved right vertical bulge 1840 tapers (i.e., recedes or retreats) from the right maximum bulge point 1842 at the right lower end of the vertical bottle lock projection 126 to the right upper bulge transition point 1844, the outwardly curved right vertical bulge 1840 disappears, and the vertical bottle lock projection 126 becomes substantially straight, and the outwardly curved right vertical bulge 1840, and can be further configured to have, and b) The vertical bottle lock recess 224 is i. An inwardly curved left vertical recess 1850, which is disposed on the lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle lock recess 224, whereby the inwardly curved left vertical recess 1850 tapers (i.e., recedes or retreats) from the left maximum recess 1852 at the left lower end of the vertical bottle lock recess 224 to the left upper recess transition point 1854, the inwardly curved left vertical recess 1850 disappears, and the vertical bottle lock recess 224 becomes substantially straight, and the inwardly curved left vertical recess 1850, ii. An inwardly curved right vertical recess 1860, which is disposed on the lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle lock recess 224, As a result, the inwardly curved right vertical recess 1860 tapers (i.e., recedes or retreats) from the right maximum recess point 1862 at the lower right end of the vertical bottle lock recess 224 to the upper right recess transition point 1864, the inwardly curved right vertical recess 1860 disappears, and the vertical bottle lock recess 224 becomes substantially straight, and can be further configured to have the inwardly curved right vertical recess 1860. As a result, the inwardly curved left vertical recess 1850 is configured to receive the outwardly curved left vertical bulge 1830. As a result, the inwardly curved right vertical recess 1860 is configured to receive the outwardly curved right vertical bulge 1840. As a result, the lower portion of the vertical bottle lock protrusion 126 is removably locked within the lower portion of the vertical bottle lock recess 224. As a result, the vertical bottle lock protrusion 126 is configured to be vertically slidable 1612 to the bottom of the corresponding bottle lock recess 224 of the first similar connectable beverage bottles 100, 1601.

[0030] In related embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B and 10, the left maximum lateral bulge depth 973 of the outwardly curved left vertical bulge 1830 can be in the range of 5-10% of the maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle lock protrusion 126 between the lower left bulge maximum point 972 and the lower left bulge minimum point 974, and the right maximum lateral bulge depth 977 of the outwardly curved right vertical bulge 1840 can be in the range of 5-10% of the maximum protrusion width 1027 of the vertical bottle lock protrusion 126 between the lower right bulge maximum point 976 and the lower right bulge minimum point 978.

[0031] In related embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 9A - 9B and 10, the left - hand maximum lateral depression depth 983 of the inwardly - curved left - hand vertical depression 1850 can be in the range of 5 - 10% of the maximum depression width 925 of the vertical bottle - lock depression 224 between the left - hand lower - depression maximum point 982 and the left - hand lower - depression minimum point 984, and the right - hand maximum lateral depression depth 987 of the inwardly - curved right - hand vertical depression 1860 can be in the range of 5 - 10% of the maximum depression width 925 of the vertical bottle - lock depression 224 between the right - hand lower - depression maximum point 986 and the right - hand lower - depression minimum point 988.

[0032] In related embodiments, the hollow bottle body 103 can be made of a sufficiently flexible material such as a sufficiently flexible plastic material (having an appropriate wall thickness), such that due to the limited ranges of the left - and right - hand maximum lateral bulge depths 973, 977 and the left - and right - hand maximum lateral depression depths 983, 987, the vertical bottle - lock protrusion 126 is guaranteed to be laterally slidable 1614 within the corresponding bottle - lock depression 224 of a first similar connectable beverage bottle, and the outwardly - curved left - hand vertical bulges 1830, 1840 are snap - locked in place inside the inwardly - curved left - and right - hand vertical depressions 1850, 1860, whereby the vertical bottle - lock protrusion 126 is snap - locked in place inside the vertical bottle - lock depression 224 (during the lateral slide process, the vertical bottle - lock protrusion 126 and the vertical bottle - lock depression 224 deform slightly).

[0033] Thus, in related embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3 - 4, FIGS. 16A, 16B, 16C, and 17, the lower - side lock - protrusion portion 327 of the vertical bottle - lock protrusion 126 can be configured to be vertically slidable 1612 upwardly and laterally slidable 1614 within the lower - side lock - depression portion 428 of the corresponding vertical bottle - lock depression 224, whereby the lower portion 327 of the vertical bottle - lock protrusion 126 is removably connected to the corresponding vertical bottle - lock depression 224.

[0034] In further related embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3 - 4, FIG. 7, FIGS. 16A - 16C, and FIG. 17, the first height 328 of the lower lock projection portion 327 of the vertical bottle lock projection 126 (between the uniform horizontal levels 322, 324 of the lower maximum bulge points 1832, 1842 and the upper bulge transition points 1834, 1844), and the second height 428 of the lower lock recess portion 427 of the corresponding vertical bottle lock recess 224 (between the uniform horizontal levels 422, 424 of the lower maximum recess points 1852, 1862 and the upper recess transition points 1854, 1864) can each be of a uniform height (i.e., the same height), and can each be in the range of 20% - 60%, 30% - 50%, 35% - 45%, or 40% - 48% of the bottle height 710 of the bottle body 103 of the connectable beverage bottle 100.

[0035] Accordingly, in yet another related embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 - 4, FIG. 7, FIGS. 16A - 16C, and FIG. 17, the hollow bottle body 103 a) a lower lock projection portion 327 of the vertical bottle lock projection 126, which is disposed between the uniform lower bulge horizontal level 322 of the left and right lower maximum bulge points 1832, 1842 and the uniform upper bulge horizontal level 324 of the left and right upper bulge transition points 1834, 1844; and b) a lower lock recess portion 427 of the vertical bottle lock recess 224, which is disposed between the uniform lower recess horizontal level 422 of the left and right lower maximum recess points 1852, 1862 and the uniform upper recess horizontal level 424 of the left and right upper recess transition points 1854, 1864, and can include The first height 328 of the lower lock projection portion 327 of the vertical bottle lock projection 126 and the second height 428 of the lower lock recess portion 427 of the vertical bottle lock recess 224 are each of a uniform height 328, 428 and are in the range of 30% - 50% of the bottle height 710 of the hollow bottle body 103.

[0036] In related embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, the connected combination of the connectable beverage bottles 100 a) The first connectable beverage bottles 100, 1601, comprising: i. A hollow body 103 including an upper part, a bottom part, and a substantially cylindrical side wall 109 that forms a central cavity, wherein the side wall 109 tapers inwardly adjacent to the upper part of the hollow body and forms a tapered neck 113 that ends in an opening for the entry and exit of liquid or solid into the central cavity. 1. The side wall 109 includes a pair of parallel grooves 930, 940 embedded within the circumference of the substantially cylindrical side wall. These grooves extend longitudinally from the bottom of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113. The pair of grooves 930, 940 form a longitudinally extending protrusion 126 therebetween that extends from the bottom of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113 of the hollow body. The protrusion 126 tapers radially to form a tapered rounded edge 121. 2. The side wall 109 further includes a longitudinally extending channel located directly opposite the longitudinally extending protrusion 126. This channel extends from the bottom of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113 of the hollow body. The depth of the channel tapers as it approaches the tapered neck 113 and forms a tapered rounded protrusion 227 that is substantially parallel to and directly opposite the tapered rounded edge 121 of the protrusion 126. The first connectable beverage bottles 100, 1601 can be provided with a hollow body 103. b) The second connectable beverage bottles 100, 1602, comprising: i. A hollow body 103 including an upper part, a bottom part, and a substantially cylindrical side wall 109 that forms a central cavity, wherein the side wall 109 tapers inwardly adjacent to the upper part of the hollow body and forms a tapered neck 113 that ends in an opening for the entry and exit of liquid or solid into the central cavity. 1. The side wall 109 includes a pair of parallel grooves 930, 940 embedded within the circumference of the substantially cylindrical side wall 109. These grooves extend longitudinally from the bottom of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113. The pair of grooves 930, 940 form a longitudinally extending protrusion 126 therebetween that extends from the bottom of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113 of the hollow body. The protrusion 126 tapers radially to form a tapered rounded edge 121. 2. The side wall 109 further includes a longitudinally extending channel located directly opposite the longitudinally extending protrusion 126. This channel extends from the bottom of the hollow body to the tapered neck 113 of the hollow body. The depth of the channel tapers and decreases adjacent to the tapered neck 113, being substantially parallel to the tapered rounded edge 121 of the protrusion 126 and forming a tapered rounded protrusion 227 that faces directly opposite, and 3. The protrusion 126 of the first bottle can be sized and configured to have the same shape as the channel so as to be received within the channel of the second bottle for connecting and fixing the first bottle to the second bottle. A second connectable beverage bottle 100, 1602 can be provided with a hollow body 103, and c) A third connectable beverage bottle 100, 1603 connected to the second connectable beverage bottle 100, 1602.

[0037] Here, various embodiments of the connectable beverage bottle 100 that can be used in a number of usage modes and related methods have been described.

[0038] Many features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the detailed description, and thus, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such features and advantages of the present invention that are within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0039] Many such alternative configurations are readily apparent and should be considered to be fully included within this specification and the appended claims. Therefore, since many modifications and variations will be readily envisioned by those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to the exact configurations and operations shown and described, and thus, reliance can be placed on all suitable modifications and equivalents within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A connectable beverage bottle comprising a hollow bottle body, wherein the hollow bottle body comprises: a central cavity, a bottle top including a bottle opening that provides access to the central cavity, a side wall forming the central cavity, the side wall comprising: a vertical bottle lock protrusion disposed on a first side of the side wall, a vertical bottle lock recess disposed on a second side of the side wall, thereby being disposed opposite to the vertical bottle lock protrusion, the side wall including the vertical bottle lock recess, whereby the vertical bottle lock protrusion is configured to be slidable within a corresponding bottle lock recess of a first similar connectable beverage bottle, whereby the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the first similar connectable beverage bottle, and whereby the vertical bottle lock recess is configured to slidably receive a corresponding bottle lock protrusion of a second similar connectable beverage bottle, whereby the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the second similar connectable beverage bottle. A connectable beverage bottle.

2. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein the vertical bottle lock recess is configured to have a horizontal overhang from a bottom outer edge to a top outer edge of the vertical bottle lock recess.

3. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 2, wherein the horizontal overhang is in the range of 10% to 25% of the maximum depth of the vertical bottle lock recess.

4. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 2, wherein the vertical bottle lock recess is configured to have an upper rounded recess bulge at an upper portion of the vertical bottle lock recess, whereby the upper rounded recess bulge forms the horizontal overhang.

5. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle lock protrusion is in the range of 25% to 35% of the maximum bottle width of the hollow bottle body.

6. The hollow bottle body further comprises: a) a left front vertical recess on the left side of the vertical bottle lock protrusion, the left front vertical recess being formed by a concave inner left surface; b) a right front vertical recess on the right side of the vertical bottle lock protrusion, the right front vertical recess being formed by a concave right inner surface. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 1.

7. The left opening angle between the inner left tangent line at the inner end of the concave inner left surface and the left outer tangent line at the outer end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 35 to 45 degrees, and The right opening angle between the right inner tangent line at the inner end of the concave right inner surface and the right outer tangent line at the outer end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 35 degrees to 45 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 6.

8. The left outer inclination angle between the longitudinal center line of the hollow bottle body and the inner left tangent line at the inner end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 20 to 30 degrees, and the right outer inclination angle between the longitudinal center line of the hollow bottle body and the right inner tangent line at the inner end of the concave right inner surface is in the range of 20 to 30 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 7.

9. The left opening angle and the right opening angle are each substantially 30 degrees, and the left outer inclination angle and the right outer inclination angle are each substantially 25 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 8.

10. The maximum left opening width of the left front vertical depression between the outer left transition point at the outer end of the concave inner left surface and the inner left transition point at the inner end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 75 to 85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion, and the maximum right opening width of the right front vertical depression between the right outer transition point at the outer end of the concave right inner surface and the right inner transition point at the inner end of the concave right inner surface is in the range of 75 to 85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 7.

11. The maximum left opening width and the maximum right opening width are each substantially 80% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle locking protrusion. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 10.

12. The bottom of the hollow bottle body a) A flat portion, b) Further includes a central depression configured in an elongated shape in the lateral direction and mirror-symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 1.

13. The central depression Further includes an alternating pattern of concave edge portions and convex edge portions along the periphery of the central depression. The alternating pattern of the concave edge portions enhances the torsional rigidity of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 12.

14. The alternating pattern of the concave edge portions and the convex edge portions a) A left front concave edge portion, b) A right front concave edge portion, c) A central front convex edge portion located between the left front concave edge portion and the right front concave edge portion, d) A left rear concave edge portion, e) a right rear concave edge portion, and f) a central rear convex edge portion disposed between the left rear concave edge portion and the right rear concave edge portion, and g) a left convex edge portion disposed between the left rear concave edge portion and the left front concave edge portion, and h) a right convex edge portion disposed between the right rear concave edge portion and the right front concave edge portion, the connectable beverage bottle according to claim 13, further comprising.

15. The vertical bottle lock projection is a left vertical bulge curved outward, disposed on the lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle lock projection, whereby the left vertical bulge curved outward is tapered from the left maximum bulge point at the left lower end of the vertical bottle lock projection to the left upper bulge transition point, and the left vertical bulge curved outward disappears, a left vertical bulge curved outward, and a right vertical bulge curved outward, disposed on the lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle lock projection, whereby the right vertical bulge curved outward is tapered from the right maximum bulge point at the right lower end of the vertical bottle lock projection to the right upper bulge transition point, and the right vertical bulge curved outward disappears, and the vertical bottle lock projection becomes substantially straight, a right vertical bulge curved outward, further comprising, The vertical bottle lock depression is a left vertical depression curved inward, disposed on the lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle lock depression, whereby the left vertical depression curved inward is tapered from the left maximum depression at the left lower end of the vertical bottle lock depression to the left upper depression transition point, and the left vertical depression curved inward disappears, a left vertical depression curved inward, and a right vertical depression curved inward, disposed on the lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle lock depression, whereby the right vertical depression curved inward is tapered from the right maximum depression at the right lower end of the vertical bottle lock depression to the right upper depression transition point, and the right vertical depression curved inward disappears, a right vertical depression curved inward, further comprising, whereby the left vertical depression curved inward is configured to receive the left vertical bulge curved outward, whereby the right vertical depression curved inward is configured to receive the right vertical bulge curved outward, and As a result, the lower part of the vertical bottle lock projection is removably locked within the lower part of the vertical bottle lock recess. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein the vertical bottle lock projection is configured to be vertically slidable into the corresponding bottle lock recess of the first similar connectable beverage bottle.

16. The maximum lateral swelling depth on the left side of the outwardly curved left vertical swelling is in the range of 5% to 10% of the maximum projection width of the vertical bottle lock projection between the maximum swelling point of the lower left swelling and the minimum swelling point of the lower left swelling, and the maximum lateral swelling depth on the right side of the outwardly curved right vertical swelling is in the range of 5% to 10% of the maximum projection width of the vertical bottle lock projection between the maximum swelling point of the lower right swelling and the minimum swelling point of the lower right swelling. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 15.

17. The maximum lateral recess depth on the left side of the inwardly curved left vertical recess is in the range of 5% to 10% of the maximum recess width of the vertical bottle lock recess between the maximum recess point of the lower left recess and the minimum recess point of the lower left recess, and the maximum lateral recess depth on the right side of the inwardly curved right vertical recess is in the range of 5% to 10% of the maximum recess width of the vertical bottle lock recess between the maximum recess point of the lower right recess and the minimum recess point of the lower right recess. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 16.

18. The hollow bottle body is made of a flexible material such that the vertical bottle lock projection is laterally slidable within the corresponding bottle lock recess of the first similar connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 17.

19. The hollow bottle body c) a lower lock projection portion of the vertical bottle lock projection, disposed between a uniform lower swelling horizontal level of the left and right lower maximum swelling points and a uniform upper swelling horizontal level of the left and right upper swelling transition points; d) a lower lock recess portion of the vertical bottle lock recess, disposed between a uniform lower recess horizontal level of the left and right lower maximum recess points and a uniform upper recess horizontal level of the left and right upper recess transition points, further comprising. The first height of the lower lock projection portion of the vertical bottle lock projection and the second height of the lower lock recess portion of the vertical bottle lock recess are each a uniform height, and the uniform height is in the range of 30% to 50% of the bottle height of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 15.

20. The hollow bottle body a) an upper threaded portion; b) a main portion below the upper threaded portion, further comprising: The main portion is left-right mirror symmetric with respect to the front-rear vertical center plane of the hollow bottle body. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 1.

21. a) a central cavity; b) a side wall, a vertical bottle lock projection; a vertical bottle lock recess, and a side wall comprising: Thereby, the vertical bottle lock projection is configured to be slidable within the corresponding bottle lock recess of a first similar connectable beverage bottle, whereby the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the first similar connectable beverage bottle, and Thereby, the vertical bottle lock recess is configured to slidably receive the corresponding bottle lock projection of a second similar connectable beverage bottle, whereby the connectable beverage bottle is connected to the second similar connectable beverage bottle. A connectable beverage bottle.

22. The vertical bottle lock recess is configured to have a horizontal overhang portion from the bottom outer edge of the vertical bottle lock recess to the upper outer edge of the vertical bottle lock recess. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 21.

23. The horizontal overhang portion is in the range of 10% to 25% of the maximum depth of the vertical bottle lock recess. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 22.

24. The maximum projection width of the vertical bottle lock projection is in the range of 25% to 35% of the maximum bottle width of the connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 21.

25. The connectable beverage bottle a) a left front vertical recess on the left side of the vertical bottle lock projection, which is composed of a concave inner left surface; a left front vertical recess; b) a right front vertical recess on the right side of the vertical bottle lock projection, which is composed of a concave right inner surface; a right front vertical recess, further comprising:

26. The left opening angle between the inner left tangent line at the inner end of the concave inner left surface and the left outer tangent line at the outer end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 35 to 45 degrees, and The right opening angle between the right inner tangent line at the inner end of the concave right inner surface and the right outer tangent line at the outer end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 35 degrees to 45 degrees. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 25.

27. The left outer inclination angle between the longitudinal center line of the connectable beverage bottle and the inner left tangent line at the inner end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 20 to 30 degrees, and the right outer inclination angle between the longitudinal center line of the connectable beverage bottle and the right inner tangent line at the inner end of the concave right inner surface is in the range of 20 to 30 degrees. The beverage bottle according to claim 26.

28. The maximum left opening width of the left front vertical depression between the outer left transition point at the outer end of the concave inner left surface and the inner left transition point at the inner end of the concave inner left surface is in the range of 75 to 85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle lock protrusion, and the maximum right opening width of the right front vertical depression between the right outer transition point at the outer end of the concave right inner surface and the right inner transition point at the inner end of the concave right inner surface is in the range of 75 to 85% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle lock protrusion. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 27.

29. The bottom of the connectable beverage bottle is a) a flat portion, and b) a central depression configured in an elongated shape in the horizontal direction and mirror-symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of the connectable beverage bottle. The central depression further includes an alternating pattern of concave edge portions and convex edge portions along the periphery of the central depression. The alternating pattern of the concave edge portions enhances the torsional rigidity of the connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 21.

30. The vertical bottle lock protrusion is a left vertical bulge curved outwardly, disposed on the lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle lock protrusion. Thus, the left vertical bulge curved outwardly is configured to taper from the left maximum bulge point at the left lower end of the vertical bottle lock protrusion to the left upper bulge transition point, and the left vertical bulge curved outwardly disappears. The left vertical bulge curved outwardly and An outwardly curved right vertical bulge that is disposed on the lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle lock projection, whereby the outwardly curved right vertical bulge is configured to taper from the right maximum bulge point at the right lower end of the vertical bottle lock projection to the upper right bulge transition point, the outwardly curved right vertical bulge disappears, and the vertical bottle lock projection becomes substantially straight, and an outwardly curved right vertical bulge. The vertical bottle lock recess is An inwardly curved left vertical recess disposed on the lower outer left surface of the vertical bottle lock recess, whereby the inwardly curved left vertical recess is configured to taper from the left maximum recess at the left lower end of the vertical bottle lock recess to the upper left recess transition point, and the inwardly curved left vertical recess disappears, and an inwardly curved left vertical recess. An inwardly curved right vertical recess disposed on the lower outer right surface of the vertical bottle lock recess, whereby the inwardly curved right vertical recess is configured to taper from the right maximum recess at the right lower end of the vertical bottle lock recess to the upper right recess transition point, and the inwardly curved right vertical recess disappears, and an inwardly curved right vertical recess. Thereby, the inwardly curved left vertical recess is configured to receive the outwardly curved left vertical bulge. Thereby, the inwardly curved right vertical recess is configured to receive the outwardly curved right vertical bulge, and Thereby, the lower portion of the vertical bottle lock projection is removably locked within the lower portion of the vertical bottle lock recess. Thereby, the vertical bottle lock projection is configured to be vertically slidable into the corresponding bottle lock recess of the first similar connectable beverage bottle. The maximum lateral swelling depth on the left side of the outwardly curved left vertical swelling is in the range of 5 to 10% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle lock protrusion between the maximum point of the lower left swelling and the minimum point of the lower left swelling, and the maximum lateral swelling depth on the right side of the outwardly curved right vertical swelling is in the range of 5 to 10% of the maximum protrusion width of the vertical bottle lock protrusion between the maximum point of the lower right swelling and the minimum point of the lower right swelling. The maximum lateral depression depth on the left side of the inwardly curved left vertical depression is in the range of 5 to 10% of the maximum depression width of the vertical bottle lock depression between the maximum point of the lower left depression and the minimum point of the lower left depression, and the maximum lateral depression depth on the right side of the inwardly curved right vertical depression is in the range of 5 to 10% of the maximum depression width of the vertical bottle lock depression between the maximum point of the lower right depression and the minimum point of the lower right depression. The connectable beverage bottle is made of a flexible material, whereby the vertical bottle lock protrusion is slidable horizontally into the corresponding bottle lock depression of the first similar connectable beverage bottle. The connectable beverage bottle according to claim 21.

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