Patent Application
20150136796
Insulated containers, sometimes called “coolers” are quite popular, and are used in numerous activities. Large coolers are often seen at picnics and other social gatherings, and individual users utilize smaller coolers to transport lunches to work or to maintain a beverage at a cooler temperature during a sporting activity.
Coolers may be of either the hard-sided or soft-sided variety. Hard-sided coolers are desirable because of their durability and ability to maintain food and beverages at cold temperatures for extended periods of time. Typically, the walls of contemporary hard-sided coolers include hard outer and inner shells, and an insulating central layer. The central layer is usually a product having a high insulation value, or R value, such as expanded polystyrene or polyurethane.
For most contemporary hard-sided coolers, the outer and inner layers of the insulated containers are each formed in separate vacuum, injection, or blow molding machines. The use of these machines can significantly impact and restrict manufacturing capacity. Liquid polyurethane is then manually placed between the inner and outer layers, and is permitted to expand to fill the void between the two layers. Alternatively, molded polystyrene foam is manually placed in the void between the two layers. The result is a container having smooth, hard, outer and inner surfaces, and an insulating central core. The outer layer protects the container and central core, and provides an attractive surface. The inner layer separates the central core from the contents of the container, and provides an impermeable layer so that liquids may be stored in the container.
A disadvantage to such insulated containers is the space that is needed to manufacture and to ship the containers from the location of manufacture to the point of sale. The inability to compactly and efficiently package and ship multiple containers is undesirable from an economic standpoint.
An additional disadvantage to contemporary hard-sided coolers is the difficulty or inability to apply a graphics pattern to the cooler. Consumers desire an insulated container that can be customized with graphics either of a particular sporting team or school or other aesthetically pleasing designs and colors.
The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description of some embodiments that are presented later.
Conventional hard-sided coolers require a significant amount of floor space to manufacture, store and ship because of the pre-formed nature of the shell. Hard-sided coolers also require expensive tooling to manufacture and can create a significant amount of scrap material during the manufacturing process. In addition, the conventional urethane foam insulation can add additional expense and time during the manufacturing process in terms of tooling and energy consumption. Shipping of contemporary hard-sided coolers usually comprises lower volumes because of the volume of shipping space needed for the cooler bodies.
Conventional hard-sided coolers are available in generic, solid colors—typically red, white or blue. Many consumers would like a cooler having the advantages of a hard-sided cooler, but which also is aesthetically attractive. Personalized, interchangeable and replaceable graphics are also desirable.
In accordance with an embodiment, a cooler is provided that is formed from a single sheet of material that is die cut into a pattern which, when folded along certain grooves, allows the sheet to be formed into a container having a cavity therein. The flat cooler sheet can be easily shipped from the point of manufacture to a warehouse or to the point of distribution, display or sale where it is then folded and assembled. Insulation material and a liner can then be inserted into the cavity, a lid and a handle attached to the container, and a fully-assembled cooler is then available for sale.
In accordance with another embodiment, the cooler may be disassembled by the end-user when not in use to enable more efficient storage and then re-assembled when the end-user desires the use of a cooler.
In accordance with another embodiment, a graphic pattern may be printed onto the outside of the cooler sheet such that when folded into the assembled cooler, a specific graphic design is displayed on the exterior.
In accordance with another embodiment, a sheet of flexible material having a graphic design printed thereon may be positioned around the exterior of the cooler like a skin. One graphic skin may be removed and a replacement graphic skin may be positioned in its place to change the particular graphic design of a cooler.
In accordance with another embodiment, individual sheets of material having a graphic design printed thereon may be positioned underneath a transparent exterior of the cooler such that the graphic design is viewable from the exterior of the cooler. Replacement graphic sheets may be inserted in place of the original graphic sheets to change the exterior appearance of the cooler.
Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
a shows a side perspective view of a clip of the present invention;
b shows an end view of the clip of
a shows a front view of a handle button of the present invention;
b shows a side view of the handle button of
a shows a top view of a corner cap of the present invention;
b shows a side view of the corner cap of
In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views,
Fold grooves 22 separate bottom panel 12 and side panel 14 and also separate bottom panel 12 and side panel 16. Fold grooves 22 separate bottom panel 12 and end panel 18 and also separate bottom panel 12 and end panel 20. Fold grooves 22 are preferably heat stamped on the interior side of the sheet 10 to provide guidance in folding the corners of the cooler. It is also within the scope of the present invention, however, for a press to otherwise compress the grooves 22 into the sheet 10 during the die cutting process. Grooves 22 do not extend through the entire thickness of sheet 10 and do not dissect sheet 10. As shown in
As shown in
In operation, end panels 18, 20 and side panels 14, 16 are folded along fold grooves 22 in an inward and upward manner, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
A layer of insulation 32 is located adjacent the interior side of cooler body 21. Insulation 32 preferably comprises pre-molded foam such as Styrofoam, EPA insulation foam or fiber, as well as other insulation materials known in the industry. Insulation 32 is preferably adhered to the interior side of sheet 10 in five separate pieces to enable the unassembled cooler (i.e. the die cut sheet 10) to be stored flat for shipping and storage. As shown in
Liner 34 is located adjacent the interior side of insulation 32. Liner 34 is preferably made of thermoformed HDPE and is water-tight. It is also within the scope of the present invention for liner 34 to be made of injection molded polypropylene or other materials commonly used in the industry. As shown in
The cooler of the present invention may also include a carry handle 38 and a lid 36. Such features are common to coolers and are known in the industry. For example, the handle 38 is preferably made of polypropylene or other plastics and is attached to each end panel 18, 20 using a handle button 40 which allows the handle 38 to pivot. It is also within the scope of the present invention for the handle 38 to be stamped or formed into the folding sheet. In general, handles and other features are well known to those in the art and will not be described in detail herein.
The lid 36 is preferably a rectangular piece of insulating material enclosed in a hard plastic shell. The lid 36 may be sized to fit snugly yet removably within the cooler body cavity 26 opening. As shown in
The handle 38 and lid 36 are preferably attached to the cooler 100 after the insulation 32 and liner 34 have been added. Handle button 40 may be attached to end panels 18, 20 during the manufacturing process, after sheet 10 has been die cut. Once the insulation 32 and liner 34 have been added to the folded sheet 10, the handle 38 may be snapped into the handle button 40 and the lid 36 may be inserted into cavity 26. Of course, other handles known in the art are within the scope of the present invention and may be utilized, as can other lids which are known in the art. In an embodiment, if desired, the consumer may take the cooler 100 apart after use such that the cooler 100 may be stored in a flat configuration and re-assembled when use is desired.
In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In one embodiment, the sheet 10 is extruded to have a specific texture or color. A graphic design may also be overmolded onto the exterior of the sheet 10. In another embodiment, a vinyl graphic is applied to the sheet 10 while the sheet 10 is still in the flat configuration, either before or after the sheet 10 has been die cut.
In an embodiment shown in
In another embodiment, the container comprises sleeves 48 located on the exterior of the cooler body as shown in
Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US10/53048 | 10/18/2010 | WO | 00 | 4/19/2012 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61253133 | Oct 2009 | US |
