1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to insulated containers for beverages and similar products which are collapsible for storage or carrying by a user. The invention further relates to said containers which are fixed in some manner to a flotation device.
2. Description of Related Art
The following art defines the present state of this field:
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0027141 to Dokun discloses an anchored, floating drink tray having an annular floating member which maintains a main body above the surface of the water, the main body having a plural number of drinking glass recesses which receive lidded glasses in a secure manner, such that the tray may be temporarily inverted or submerged without harm to the contents in the glasses.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0113102 to Klamm discloses a backpack that is foldable into a compact configuration. The straps on the backpack are made of a lightweight, thin material, allowing the backpack to be rolled into the compact configuration. A compressible storage bag is included in a pouch of the backpack, into which the rolled backpack may be placed. The storage bag may be tethered to the backpack so that it cannot be misplaced. In use, the storage bag is tucked into a pouch so that it does not take internal space in the backpack. When the backpack is emptied, the storage bag is removed from the pouch and the backpack is rolled or compressed into the compact configuration. The compressed backpack is then placed into the storage bag.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0015528 to Schneider et al. discloses a collapsible container including a cylindrical sidewall extending between a top and a bottom of the container. The sidewall is formed of a flexible material which enables the container to be opened to an expanded configuration or closed to a collapsed configuration. A coil spring biases the container to the open configuration. The coil spring has a top coil adjacent the top of the container and a bottom coil adjacent the bottom of the container. A durable bottom layer is affixed to the bottom of the container by at least one clamp.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0106895 to Kalal discloses a collapsible insulative container including a shell having at least one sidewall, a bottom, and a top, where the container is biased toward an operative position wherein the open top is distanced from the bottom to provide an interior defined by the shell. The container further includes a spring that provides the bias urging the container toward the operative position. A liner extends from the shell into the interior defined by the shell to define, in said operative position, a container volume for storing items. In the operative position, air space exists between the shell and the liner. The bias of the spring may be countered to collapse the container from the operative position to a collapsed position to facilitate storage of the container when not in use. Venting means is provided to allow the air to exit and fill the air space when the container is collapsed or moves to the operative position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,804 to Davis discloses a container for transporting toilet articles and the like, the container comprising a substantially cup-shaped member having an open end, a closed end, an outer surface and an inner surface; a base portion connected to the closed end and projecting therefrom, the portion having an upper surface and a lower surface; and an apron having a plurality of pockets affixed thereto, the apron adapted to fit around the outer surface of the cup-shaped member; the cup-shaped member including integral means adjacent an upper portion of the apron for maintaining the apron in position; each of the pockets having a closed end resting on the upper surface of the projecting base portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,079 to Doucette et al. discloses an integral floating cooler structure including a barge member having a barge bottom and barge sides with a storage chest having a chest bottom formed in common with the barge bottom, and chest sides of less thickness that the barge sides and having lower portions formed in common with the barge sides. The chest bottom and said chest sides are of thickness sufficient to provide thermal insulation. The barge bottom and the barge sides are displacement volume sufficient to provide buoyancy for the cooler structure. The exterior surfaces of the chest sides, the barge sides and the barge bottom forms a common exterior surface for the cooler structure. The interior surface of the chest bottom and the chest sides forms a common interior surface for the cooler structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,041 to Hepburn discloses a self-stabilizing floating cooler. The cooler includes a pair of upstanding, opposed end panels and elongated side panels extending therebetween to form a contiguous wall. A lid and a bottom panel are provided, and a floor panel is disposed between the lid and the bottom panel to define upper and lower compartments. The upper compartment is thermally insulated, and float members are detachably affixed to the side panels adjacent the floor panel exteriorly thereof. Perforations are provided in the lower compartment for filling the lower compartment with water to buoyantly stabilize the cooler in an upright position when the cooler is placed on water. Perforations also permit draining the water from the lower compartment when the cooler is removed from water.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,933 to Daily et al. discloses a floating beverage cooler including a floatable base and a cooler removably coupled to the base. The base has at least one recess formed therein for releasably receiving a beverage therein. The cooler and base further have a coupling mechanism for precluding the separation thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,926 to Weiss discloses a cooler chest mounted into a lower container which allows the chest to float without tendency for upending or taking on water. The lower container provides openings for resting items such as drink cans and cups, loose change and keys while one plays in the water. The lower container is of such size and buoyant volume as to support the chest when it is filled with water without allowing the items on the lower container to become wet.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,132 to Balam discloses an inflatable container having an inflatable chamber having a main storage compartment and a main storage compartment access opening, and further having a lower portion that includes at least one storage cavity having a storage cavity access opening. The inflatable container also includes an outer cover formed over the exterior of the inflatable chamber. The inflatable container also provides a storage bag that is formed such that when the inflatable chamber is deflated, the inflatable container may be contained within the storage bag.
As illustrated by the above prior art, it has long been known to provide a relatively small, insulated container for storing and carrying beverages cooled by ice for recreational purposes. It has also been well known to provide a flotation device for said insulated containers. Users of these known prior art devices for cold storage and flotation obtain the benefits of an insulated beverage cooler with the ability to have access to it while in a body of water, such as a swimming pool. In addition, beverage cans or cups can be supported in impressions made in the flotation portion of the assembly. However, these known prior art devices have several disadvantages.
One such disadvantage is the fact that these known prior art devices tend to be relatively bulky, even when not being used, making storing these devices somewhat inconvenient. The '132 patent to Balam attempts to solve this problem by disclosing a device having certain inflatable capabilities allowing it to be deflated so that its storage space is less than half of its inflated volume. However, given the overall configuration of the device, inflation and deflation of the entire device tends to be unduly time consuming, resulting in users sometimes electing to simply store the device in its inflated state, both defeating the purpose of having an inflatable cooler as well as leaving open the risk of the device being punctured or damaged during storage. Additionally, the prior art, such as Balam, teaches the incorporation of storage bags for storing the deflated devices, the storage bags being stored themselves in the bottom of the devices. However, a storage bag capable of completely enclosing an item at least twice its size requires duplication of carrying handles, closures and enough material to allow the deflated device to fit. Thus, to store a bag of such size in the bottom of the device during use tends to create an unstable floating surface, which is very disadvantageous.
Another disadvantage with known prior art inflatable coolers is the potential lack of stability when the device is in use (i.e., placed on the surface of a body of water). More specifically, given the known prior art devices' relatively light weight construction, they tend to be more prone to being inadvertently pushed through the water by wind and or currents, thus potentially relocating the devices to less convenient areas of the body of water (i.e., away from the user's reach). Not only does this inconvenience displace the user's beverages, but this has also proven to create a potentially dangerous situation where the user lacks adequate swimming ability to retrieve the wandering cooler.
Thus, there is a need for a device combining quick and compact storage with the benefits of an insulated container borne in a relatively stable flotation device. Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.
Aspects of the present invention teach certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the exemplary advantages described below.
The present invention is an inflatable floating beverage cooler comprising, in an exemplary embodiment, a non-inflated insulated beverage container and a flotation device configured for permanently or removably receiving the container. In one embodiment, the container is sized and configured for holding a plurality of beverages, and comprises support means for quickly collapsing the container into a flattened disk or folded down state, as well as connections for a strap with which a user may carry the container by hand or by resting it on a user's shoulder. In another embodiment, the container is a sleeve sized to accept a single beverage.
In a bit more detail with respect to the container embodiment configured to hold a plurality of beverages (i.e., beverage cups, cans, bottles, etc.), a spring embodiment of the container comprises a spiral (round, square or other) metal or polymer expander piece which is structurally connected with flexible sidewalls of the container. The container comprises flexible sidewalls, a floor, and a closeable top, whereby a user is capable of simply pressing the top to the floor so that the container collapses like an accordion. In the collapsed state, the container preferably has a height of about one to three inches but may be more or less. The container in the opened state is expanded to a height of from a few inches to several feet. The expanded height is limited only by stability concerns. In a preferred embodiment, the expander piece is a round spiral steel spring with an internal diameter of one to two feet and an expanded height of one to two feet. In another preferred embodiment, the expansion piece is formed of fiber reinforces polymers with appropriate spring force and memory. In a container with a square horizontal cross section, the expander piece may be a plurality of spring pieces incorporated into sidewalls of the container.
The container may also comprise sidewalls incorporating a layer of elastomer foam or corrugated polymer layers with sufficient rigidity to stand upright when the container holds ice and beverages. The layer of elastomer foam is preferably about 0.3 to 1.5 centimeters in thickness, said foam forming an insulating layer while providing an overall structure that can be quickly folded into a flattened position when it is emptied of ice and beverages.
The flotation device is preferably a round, square, or other inflatable platform having a central impression for receiving and supporting the floor of the container, whereby the container may be floated on the surface of a body of water. In the exemplary embodiment, the flotation device comprises can or cup impressions in the platform surrounding the container impression for receiving and securely holding beverages. In addition, the flotation device may comprise an inflatable bladder encased in a supporting and protective cover of flexible material such as woven nylon fabric.
The invention also comprises storage means for easy carrying and compact storage of the container and flotation device. As described above, a preferred embodiment of the flotation device comprises a flexible sheet material covering substantially all of a flotation bladder. In this storage means embodiment, an underside of said covering bears a second layer of flexible material, the storage flap, secured to said underside by suitable means, such as by a zipper. In a set of steps to accomplish storage, the flotation device is deflated and the container is brought into a collapsed state and located in the container impression in the flotation device. Deflated and flexible portions of the flotation device are folded over the top of the container impression and the container. The storage flap is unzipped along a substantial part of its periphery, disengaging it from said underside of the covering material, and folded along a hinge connection to said underside so that what was an outside surface of the storage flap lies over the folded portions of the flotation device. The zipper of the storage flap is re-zipped to a closed position, thereby enclosing the folded down flotation device and container in a flattened disk, which may be easily stored. When the invention is in use, the positioning and configuration of the storage flap on the underside of the covering of the flotation device allow it to function as a ballast, thereby substantially stabilizing the invention and discouraging the flotation device from being inadvertently pushed by wind and/or currents.
A primary objective inherent in the above described apparatus and method of use is to provide advantages not taught by the prior art.
Another objective is to provide such an apparatus that, in one embodiment, is capable of being quickly and easily moved from an open, erected state to a flattened, storable state by folding or compression and providing means to maintain said container in the flattened state.
Another objective is to provide such an apparatus that comprises means for storage in an enclosure integral with a cover of said apparatus after deflation of an inflatable bladder of the flotation device and bringing the container into a collapsed state, said means for storage also capable of functioning as a ballast when the apparatus is in use.
Other features and advantages of aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of aspects of the invention.
The accompanying drawings illustrate aspects of the present invention. In such drawings:
The above described drawing figures illustrate aspects of the invention in at least one of its exemplary embodiments, which are further defined in detail in the following description.
In the exemplary embodiment, container 101 is generally a cylindrical, open topped, insulated, liquid tight container that is secured to the flotation device 102 by two or more hook and loop straps 124 sewn onto top panel 107 and releasably connecting with a rigid link 123a secured to cloth loop 123 which is sewn to outer sleeve 118 of container 101. Said connection urges a lower portion of container 101 into a container impression in flotation device 102 so that container 101 cannot be separated from the flotation device 102 without first disengaging the hook and loop straps 124.
Container 101 further comprises an insulated top cover 112 that has a central part 114 rimmed by a zippered edge 113. Top cover 112 is formed of flexible materials in a manner similar to those of container 101, as described below. Top cover is further preferably connected by sewn connection 115 to a small portion of top zippered edge 116, which is adapted to engage zippered edge 113 of top cover 112 so that container 101 becomes a closed container.
Container 101 further comprises a spiral spring 119 extending from supporting top zippered edge 116 with a circular portion and extending downward in an outwardly visible spiral along the sidewalls of container 101 to another circular portion at a bottom of container 101. Spiral spring 119 provides very strong lateral support and efficient vertical support for the sidewalls of container 101, i.e., for ice, water and beverages which will be stored in the space defined by inner sidewall 117 of container 101. Spiral spring 119 is capable of being compressed in a downward direction, thereby compressing the entire container 101. The sidewalls of container 101 are preferably formed of flexible materials which may be folded in a downward direction upon compression of spiral spring 119. Two straps 120 are sewn to the sidewall of container 101, each terminating in a loop which secures a link 121, which link 121 is adapted to engage a long section of flexible strap material which may be used as a shoulder strap with which to carry container 101 when it is disengaged from flotation device 102.
As shown in
In an alternate embodiment, as shown in
Turning again to the exemplary embodiment,
In a bit more detail, and with continued reference to
Additionally, while the web material 158 allows water to pass into and out of the cavity 176 created between the storage flap 152 and bottom panel 150, the speed at which the water is able to move is restricted (i.e., slowed) by the web material 158. Thus, in the event the flotation device 102 were moved laterally across the surface of the water, depending on the amount of lateral force being used to move the flotation device 102, the web material 158 of the storage flap 152 would function to slow such lateral movement. Thus, where the source of the lateral force is wind and/or water currents, the flotation device 102 would be substantially less likely to move, thereby helping maintain the invention 100 in an area proximal the location it was placed by the user. It should be noted that, in further embodiments, the means for allowing water to pass into and out of the storage flap 152 may be other types of structures and materials, other than web material 158, now known or later developed that would accomplish the same functions. For example, in an alternate embodiment (not shown), the means for allowing water to pass may comprise one or more apertures or grommets integral with the storage flap 152. Additionally, in further embodiments, the placement and configuration of the means for allowing water to pass may differ as well, so long as such placement and configuration accomplishes the same functions. For example, in an alternate embodiment (not shown), the entire storage flap 152 may be made of web material. In yet another embodiment (also not shown), the storage flap 152 may be comprised of a web material having a peripherally integral relatively flexible material. Thus, the configuration of the storage flap 152 should not be limited to only the configuration shown in the drawings.
In addition to these functions, by virtue of the configuration of storage flap 152, another significant function of storage flap 152 is discussed below.
A user may compress container 101 shown in
In a further aspect of the flotation device 102,
The above design options will sometimes present the skilled designer with considerable and wide ranges from which to choose appropriate apparatus and method modifications for the above examples. However, the objects of the present invention will still be obtained by that skilled designer applying such design options in an appropriate manner.
While aspects of the invention have been described with reference to at least one exemplary embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the inventor(s) believe that the claimed subject matter is the invention.
This is a continuation-in-part application of prior filed and currently pending U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 11/438,810, filed May 22, 2006, and entitled “Inflatable Cooler Flotation Device with Collapsible Cooler Container.” Furthermore, this application claims priority and is entitled to the filing date of the aforementioned application, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. Applicant hereby incorporates herein by reference any and all U.S. patents and U.S. patent applications cited or referred to in this application.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11438810 | May 2006 | US |
Child | 12817278 | US |