Claims
- 1. A soft-sided insulated container assembly comprising
a lower portion having
a rectangular base having a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges; soft-sided insulated front and rear walls attached to, and extending upwardly from, said long edges, soft-sided insulated end walls attached to, and extending upwardly from, said short sides, said front and rear walls and said end walls co-operating with said base to define said lower portion; an upper portion mounted above said lower portion, said upper portion having
a pair of end walls, each of said end walls having a lower margin mounted adjacent to one of said end walls of said lower portion, and an upper edge, said upper edge having a downwardly concave arcuate profile, and a soft-sided insulated spanning wall extending between said end walls of said upper portion, said spanning wall conforming to said concave arcuate profile.
- 2. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 1 wherein
said front, rear and end walls of said lower portion have respective upper margins; said spanning wall of said upper portion has front and rear lower margins, and said lower portion is joined to said upper portion by a hinge, said hinge being connected to said upper margin of said rear wall of said lower portion and to said rear lower margin of said spanning wall of said upper portion
- 3. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 1 wherein said container has a center of gravity and has a suspension member attached thereto at a location above said center of gravity whereby, when carried by said suspension member, said lower portion will hang below said upper portion
- 4. The soft-sided, insulated container assembly of claim 1 wherein said spanning wall has a crest, and said container has a handle mounted along said crest, whereby, when carried by said handle said lower portion is below said upper portion.
- 5. A soft sided insulated container assembly comprising:
a first insulated container portion, a second insulated container portion and a common wall shared between said first and second container portions, said first container portion having a first insulated wall structure and a first chamber defined therewithin, said second container portion having a second insulated wall structure and a second chamber defined therewithin; said common wall being a partition member segregating said first and second chambers from each other, said partition member having a first closure member mounted thereto operable to control access to said first chamber, and having a second closure member mounted thereto operable to control access to said second chamber; said common wall having an edge and a hinge mounted along said edge, said hinge permitting said first container portion to move relative to said second container portion; and said first chamber being maintainable at a different environmental condition from that of said second chamber
- 6. The soft sided collapsible container of claim 5 wherein one of said insulated container portions has a liner for containing liquids mounted within its respective chamber.
- 7. The soft sided container of claim 5 wherein said common wall has a receptacle mounted thereto, said receptacle having an interior for receiving a thermal energy storage element, said receptacle having a vented portion to permit air from one of said chambers to communicate with said interior.
- 8. The soft sided container of claim 5 wherein said container has a receptacle for receiving a thermal energy storage element, said receptacle being mounted within one of said chambers, and a thermal energy storage element mounted therein.
- 9. The soft-sided container of claim 8 wherein said receptacle is mounted to said common wall.
- 10. The soft-sided container of claim 5 wherein said first wall structure has an opening defined therein to give access to said first chamber, and said common wall is moveable from a first position closing said opening of said first chamber, to a second position permitting access to said first chamber, said common wall having a periphery corresponding to said opening of said first chamber, said first closure member being mounted to at least a portion of said periphery and to said first wall structure about at least a portion of said opening of said first chamber, said closure member being operable to control opening of said common wall relative to said first chamber.
- 11. The soft-sided container of claim 5 wherein said partition includes a thermally insulative layer for discouraging heat transfer through said partition.
- 12. The soft-sided container of claim 11 wherein said partition has a receptacle mounted thereto for receiving a thermal energy storage element, said receptacle has venting wall oriented toward one of said first and second chambers, and, when a thermal storage element is mounted in said receptacle, air from said one chamber can communicate therewith through said venting.
- 13. The soft-sided container of claim 5 wherein:
said first chamber is a lower chamber, said second chamber is an upper chamber, and said partition is located above said first chamber, said partition being moveable to open and close said first chamber; said partition is located below said second chamber, said partition being moveable to open and close said second chamber, said partition has an upper face upon which, in use, objects can rest, said receptacle has a lower face, and a receptacle mounted adjacent to said lower face, said receptacle being exposed to said first chamber; and said partition has a peripheral wall extending about said upper face for discouraging said objects from being displaced from said upper face in use
- 14. The soft-sided, insulated container of claim 5 wherein:
said first insulated wall structure has a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall and first and second end walls co-operating to form a five sided, open topped rectangular box, said second insulated wall structure has a pair of end walls, each of said end walls having a downwardly concave profile, and a spanning wall extending between said end walls and conforming to said downwardly concave profile
- 15. A soft-sided container assembly comprising:
a first insulated wall structure having a primary chamber defined therewithin; a second insulated wall structure having a secondary chamber defined therewithin; said second insulated structure being removably locatable within said first insulated wall structure; said primary structure having a receptacle mounted therewithin for containing a thermal energy storage element, said receptacle being vented to permit air exchange between said first chamber and said receptacle.
- 16. The soft-sided container assembly of claim 15 wherein said primary structure has a first portion, a second portion, and a closure member operable to permit said first portion to be displaced relative to said second portion, thereby giving access to a first volume defined within said first portion, and a second volume defined within said second portion, and said primary structure has a divider mounted between said first and second portions.
- 17. The soft-sided container assembly of claim 16 wherein said divider is suspended between said first and second volumes, and has a receptacle mounted thereto for receiving a thermal energy storage element
- 18. The soft-sided container assembly of claim 16 wherein said divider is releasably attachable to said primary structure along at least a portion thereof, said divider being moveable between an open position for facilitating access to said second volume
- 19. The soft-sided container assembly of claim 16 wherein:
said first portion is a lower portion of said structure having a rectangular base wall and an upstanding wall having front, rear, left and right hand side portions extending upwardly of said base, said second portion is an upper portion having a pair of ends and a longitudinal member extending between said ends, said longitudinal member having a lower rear edge; said upper portion being hingedly attached to an upper edge of said rear side portion and to said lower rear edge of said longitudinal member, said primary structure includes a divider suspended between said first and second portions, said divider being moveable to facilitate access to said first portion; and said divider having said receptacle mounted in a suspended position relative thereto
- 20. The soft sided container of claim 15 wherein said first and second insulated wall structures are attachable to each other to discourage relative movement therebetween in use
- 21. A soft-sided insulated container assembly, comprising:
an first soft-sided insulated wall structure having a rectangular base, and rectangular sides extending upwardly from said rectangular base, said first insulated wall structure having a first insulated chamber defined therewithin; a second soft-sided insulated wall structure having a pair of end walls, said end walls having upper margins defining a lid contour, and a longitudinal wall extending between said end walls and conforming to said lid contour, said second insulated wall structure defining a second insulated chamber therewithin; said second insulated wall structure being locatable above said first insulated wall structure, and an insulated divider mounted between said first and second insulated wall structures to segregate said first chamber from said second chamber
- 22. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 21 wherein said second soft-sided insulated wall structure is pivotally mounted relative to said first soft-sided insulated wall structure
- 23. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 21 wherein
said end walls have respective first and second lower margins; said longitudinal panel has a front lower margin and a rear lower margin; and said first, second, front and rear margins define an opening of said second chamber.
- 24. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 23 wherein:
said assembly has a hinge mounted to said rear lower margin and a closure mounted to said divider and to said first, second and front margins; and said closure member is operable to permit said second chamber to be opened relative to said divider
- 25. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 21 wherein said divider has a receptacle mounted thereto, and a thermal energy storage element mounted therein
- 26. The soft sided receptacle of claim 21 wherein said divider has an upwardly facing surface and a peripheral retainer mounted to said upwardly facing surface.
- 27. A soft sided insulated container assembly, comprising:
a first soft-sided insulated wall structure; a second soft-sided insulated wall structure having a pair of end walls, said end walls having upper margins defining a lid contour, and a longitudinal wall extending between said end walls and conforming to said lid contour, said second soft-sided insulated wall structure being locatable above said first soft-sided insulated wall structure, said first and second soft-sided insulated wall structures co-operating to define a first chamber therewithin; a closure member mounted to said first and second soft-sided insulated wall structures, said closure member being operable to permit displacement of said first soft-sided insulated wall structure relative to said second soft-sided insulated wall structure to give access to said first chamber, and a third soft-sided insulated wall structure defining a second chamber therewithin, said third soft-sided insulated wall structure having a closure member operable to give access to said second chamber; said third soft-sided insulated wall structure being locatable within said first chamber, and said third soft-sided insulated wall structure being removable from within said first chamber.
- 28. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 27 wherein:
said first soft-sided insulated wall structure has a rectangular base, and rectangular sides extending upwardly from said rectangular base, said longitudinal wall has a crest along the uppermost portion thereof; and said assembly has a suspension member mounted thereto by which said assembly can be carried, and, when carried by said suspension member, said crest is above said base.
- 29. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 28 wherein said suspension member is chosen from the set of suspension members consisting of
(a) a handle mounted to said longitudinal member; and (b) a carrying strap mounted to said second soft-sided insulated wall structure.
- 30. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 27 wherein said third soft-sided insulated structure has a releasable attachment element operable to discourage motion of said third soft-sided insulated wall structure relative to said chamber when mounted therewithin.
- 31. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 30 wherein said releasable attachment element is a hook-and-eye fabric strip, said chamber has an internal wall, and said internal wall has a mating hook-and-eye fabric strip mounted thereto
- 32. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 27 wherein said first soft-sided insulated wall structure defines a first portion of said first chamber, and said second soft-sided insulated wall structure defines a second portion of said first chamber, and said third soft-sided insulated wall structure is mountable within said first portion of said first chamber.
- 33. The soft-sided container assembly of claim 27 wherein:
said first soft-sided insulated wall structure has an upper peripheral margin, said second soft-sided insulated wall structure has a lower peripheral margin; said first and second soft-sided insulated wall structures are joined by a hinge mounted along respective portions of said upper peripheral margin and said lower peripheral margin, said hinge being operable to permit pivotal motion of said second soft-sided insulated wall structure relative to said first soft-sided insulated wall structure in the manner of a hinged lid, and said closure member being mounted to other respective portions of said upper and lower peripheral margins.
- 34. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 33 wherein:
said first chamber includes a first portion defined within said first soft-sided insulated wall structure, and a second portion defined within said second soft-sided insulated wall structure, a flap is suspended between said first and second portions, said flap being moveable to facilitate access to at least one of said portions
- 35. The soft-sided insulated container assembly of claim 34 wherein said flap has a pocket mounted thereto and a thermal energy storage element contained therein.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/323,202 filed Jun. 1, 1999, which was itself a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/199,287 filed Nov. 25, 1998.
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09453502 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Child |
09881770 |
Jun 2001 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09323202 |
Jun 1999 |
US |
Child |
09453502 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Parent |
09199287 |
Nov 1998 |
US |
Child |
09323202 |
Jun 1999 |
US |