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Claim 1

A SHAPE RETAINING DISPOSABLE PLASTIC CONTAINER COMPRISING, GENERALLY SYMMETRICAL UPPER AND LOWER CUP-LIKE HALVES OF APPROXIMATELY EQUAL SIZE AND RECTANGULAR SHAPE AND FORMED OF THIN FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL, EACH CUP-LIKE HALF HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT END PANEL AND A SIDE WALL, EACH SIDE WALL INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SIDE PANELS JOINED TO THE RESPECTIVE END PANEL AND TO EACH OTHER BY SMOOTHLY ROUNDED CORNER PORTIONS, SAID SIDE PANELS DIVERGING RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE RESPECTIVE END PANEL SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE NESTING OF LIKE HALVES AFTER THE HALVES ARE FORMED AND PRIOR TO ASSEMBLY OF THE HALVES, THE END PANEL OF THE UPPER CONTAINER HALF HAVING AN INTEGRAL FILLING AND POURING SPOUT PROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID SPOUT HAVING AN ENLARGED HOLLOW BASE PROTION FOR RIGIDIFYING THE END PANEL AT THE JUNCTURE OF THE SPOUT THEREWITH AND A REDUCED UPSTANDING NECK PORTION, SAID ENLARGED BASE PORTION HAVING AN INTERNAL OPENING SUFFICIENTLY LARGER THAN OUTER DIMENSION OF THE UPPER END OF THE NECK PORTION TO ENABLE AT LEAST PARTIAL NESTING OF THE SPOUTS ON LIKE UPPER HALVES PRIOR TO ASSEMBLY OF THE CONTAINER HALVES, SAID SIDE PANELS HAVING AN AVERAGE WALL THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE AVERAGE WALL THICKNESS OF SAID END PANELS AND HAVING INSUFFICIENT STRENGTH IN THE ABSENCE OF ADDITIONAL REINFORCEMENT TO RESIST FLEXING UNDER LATERAL PRESSURES APPLIED DURING NORMAL HANDLING OF THE CONTAINER, SAID UPPER AND LOWER HALVES HAVING MATING OUT-TURNED PERIPHERAL FLANGES ON THE ENDS OF SAID SIDE PANELS REMOTE FROM THE END PANELS, SAID FLANGES BEING RIGIDLY BONDED TOGETHER IN A LIQUID TIGHT REINFORCING FLANGE SEAM PROVIDING A PERIPHERAL REINFORCEMENT ON THE CONTAINER IN A ZONE GENERALLY MEDIALLY BETWEEN THE END PANELS FOR STIFFENING THE FLEXIBLE SIDE PANELS IN THE AREA THEREOF REMOTE FROM THE END PANELS.