Patent Application
20110203307
The present invention relates to coolers for icing beverages and other items and, more particularly, to a cooler with a lid that serves as a table that is adjustable in height above the cooler and may be removed from the cooler.
There is always a need for a better cooler suitable for use when tailgating, on the beach, on the deck, at the soccer field and any other location where iced beverages are in order. While there have been numerous cooler designs over the years, they all reflect design tradeoffs and have drawbacks. Of course, different occasions are best served by different cooler designs. The best design when the cooler needs to be easily portable when empty but does not generally need to be moved while full has yet to be realized. This type of cooler will be most suitable for use when tailgating, on the beach, on the deck, and so forth.
The present invention meets the needs described above in a barrel type cooler with a lid that serves as a table that is adjustable in height above the cooler and may be removed from the cooler. More particularly, the cooler includes an icing chamber forming a cylinder having an open top and a lid having a table top and a side forming a cylinder with an open bottom configured to be slidably received over the top of the icing chamber. The icing chamber includes one or more hooks and the lid includes one or more slots, each slot configured to receive a hook and having an open bottom allowing the lid to be removed from engagement with the icing chamber. For example, the cooler may have four slots in the lid and four corresponding hooks carried by the icing chamber.
Each slot has a length sufficient to allow the lid to slide over the icing chamber to a closed position. In addition, each slot includes a side channel configured to engage a corresponding hook to support the lid in a raised position. The side of the top further includes one or more ingress openings allowing a user to reach through the side of the lid and into the icing chamber when the lid is supported by the icing chamber in the raised position.
The cooler may also include at least two cut outs through the icing chamber forming hand holds for lifting the cooler. The cut outs align with the one or more ingress openings when the lid is engaged on the icing chamber in the closed position. The cooler may also include an insert, which may be removable, near the top of the icing chamber icing chamber having an ingress opening allowing a user to reach through the ingress opening in the side of the lid and through the ingress opening in the insert into the icing chamber when the lid is in the raised position. The hooks may include portions that extend into the interior of the cooling chamber forming chocks for supporting the insert.
The table top formed by the lid may have one or more indentations forming cup holders and one or more indentations in addition to the cup holders. In an illustrative embodiment, the lid has four cup holders around the perimeter and a central indentation, which may be used to hold chips, keys, or other items.
The present invention may be embodied in a barrel type cooler with a lid that serves as a table that is adjustable in height above the cooler and may be removed from the cooler to serve as a separate table or seat. The icing chamber of the cooler may be constructed from insulated plastic similar to other barrel type coolers. The lid may also be constructed from suitable plastic, with the sides preferably thinner than the icing chamber, sized to slide to fit snugly over the top of the icing chamber while allowing the lid to slide up and down over the icing chamber. The icing chamber may be dual sided and closed call foam core sufficiently sturdy to support an adult sitting on the cooler with the lid in the closed position. The lid and icing chamber are both suitable for manufacture in large quantity using blow molds, injection molds or other suitable types of molds.
The lid may have foam core or solid plastic sides with a dual sided foam core lid that preferably includes insets for cup and chip holders. The lid includes a set of slots with side channels. The slots receive hooks connected to the icing chamber allowing the lid to slide up and down on the icing chamber with the hooks extending through the slots. The lid may be rotated to engage the hooks in the side channels to support the lid on the icing chamber in the raised position. The lid should be sufficiently sturdy to support an adult sitting on the lid with the lid removed from the icing chamber and placed on a horizontal support surface.
The lid includes ingress openings allowing a user the reach through the lid into the icing chamber when the lid is in the raised position. The icing chamber includes handle cut outs that align with the ingress openings in the lid to allow the user to pick up the cooler by the handle cut outs with the lid in the closed position. The cooler may also include an insert that fits inside the icing chamber supported on the portions of the hooks that extend into the interior of the icing chamber. The insert includes an opening allowing ingress into the icing chamber and a shelf. Thus, with the lid in the raised position, the cooler includes both an upper lid and an internal shelf protected by the lid.
Turning now to the figures, in which like numerals refer to similar features throughout the figures. It should be understood that the elements of the invention are shown in conceptual line drawing format but in reality have appropriate thickness and other customary, nonessential featured that are not illustrated to avoid cluttering the conceptual illustrations.
The lid 12 includes a table top 13 and a side 15 extending downward from the table top forming an open bottom cylinder. The side includes ingress openings spaced around the side of the lid represented by the slot represented by the openings 14a and 14b. The lid also includes vertical slots spaced around the side of the lid represented by the slot 16. There are preferably three or four slots, although one slot may be sufficient and additional slots may be provided as a matter of design choice. Similarly, there are preferably four ingress openings, although one ingress opening is sufficient and additional ingress opening may be provided as a matter of design choice. The slot 16 is sufficiently long to allow the lid to slide along the icing chamber into the closed position, includes a side channel 17 for hooking the lid in the raised position, and has an open bottom to allow the lid to be removed from the icing chamber 20.
The icing chamber 20 forms an open top cylinder that slidably receives the lid 12. The icing chamber includes a number of hooks spaced around the icing chamber represented by the hooks 22a-c. The hooks align with slots in the lid allowing the lid to be slidably received over the icing chamber with the hooks extending through the slots. The slot 16 has an open bottom allowing the lid 12 to be removed from the icing chamber 20, as shown in
The ingress openings represented by the openings 14a and 14b allow a user to reach through the lid 12 into the icing chamber 20 when the lid is in the raised position. In addition, the icing chamber includes handle cut outs represented by the cut outs 24a and 24b that align with the ingress openings in the lid to allow the user to pick up the cooler by the handle cut outs with the lid in the closed position.
