Patent Application
20180201432
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of insulated receptacles of existing art and more specifically relates to a food preservation apparatus.
Many people use food preservation devices such as coolers to preserve food when away from home. A cooler is an insulated box used to keep food and drinks cool. Often, ice cubes are placed in the cooler to help perishable items inside stay cool. Ice packs are sometimes used, as they either contain the melting water inside, or have a gel sealed inside that stays cold longer than plain ice. Coolers are typically made with interior and exterior shells of plastic, with a hard foam in between.
Unfortunately, coolers do not always provide optimal insulation, and ice inside coolers can quickly melt, leaving people with a lukewarm puddle of water surrounding their beverages and perishable foods. Not only is this messy, but it can also ruin food or cause it to spoil. The cooler may be constantly refreshed with new ice, but this may not always be possible if the cooler is located on a boat or away from town, for example. A suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,164 to Cathy D. Santa Cruz et al. relates to an ice chest wrap. The described ice chest wrap includes an accessory item that is used in combination with a pre-existing ice chest for providing increased insulation in a manner which reduces ice melt time, with the item being in the form of an adjustable wrap which is of a shape and size to fit various sized ice chests of user choice.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known food preservation devices art, the present disclosure provides a novel reflective and insulated cooler cover and method. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a reflective and insulating cooler cover and method.
A cooler cover is disclosed herein. The cooler cover may include a first layer, a second layer attached to the first layer, and at least one handle-accepting port formed by an aperture passing through the first and second layers. The first layer may be constructed of an insulating material, and may be shaped so that it may enclose a cooler having handles. The second layer may be quilted or otherwise attached to the first layer, and may be constructed of a reflective material which may reflect ultraviolet rays. The handle ports may be placed such that the handles of the cooler may be passed through them.
According to another embodiment, a method of covering a cooler is also disclosed herein. The cooler cover may be used by first placing the open side of the cooler cover over the cooler such that the open side is facing downward, then pulling the cooler cover over the cooler such that the first layer of the cooler cover is in contact with the cooler, and then aligning the handle ports over the cooler handles. Optionally, the cooler cover may also be removed temporarily from the cooler in order to access items within the cooler.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a reflective and insulating cooler cover and method, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a food preservation devices and more particularly to a reflective and insulating cooler cover and method as used to improve the covering of a cooler.
Generally, the reflective and insulating cooler cover functions to slow down the ice melting process inside a cooler, even when placed directly in the sun. This alleviates the hassle of constantly dumping out water from a cooler and refilling with ice. It also prevents beverages and perishable foods from becoming lukewarm. The cooler cover may be adapted to accommodate various brands and shapes of coolers. A primary feature of the cooler cover is the inclusion of both UV-reflecting material and thermal insulating material integrated using a layered construction for maximum efficiency and convenience.
The cooler cover may include a quilted cover shaped to enclose a cooler having a layer of reflective material resistant to ultraviolet and thermal radiation on the exterior, and a layer of flannel, felt, or similarly non-conductive material on the interior. The cover may also include stitched, reinforcing seams on the corners for improved structural integrity. The sides of the cover may include apertures placed to provide access to the cooler's handles. On the front and back of the cover may be attached multiple grommet holes to attach bungee cords or other fastening devices. Such fastening devices may be useful for keeping the cover secured tightly to the cooler and may also be used to secure the cooler to the top of a car or SUV, or inside the back of a pickup truck. In some embodiments, the cover may be personalized with the addition of patches and embroidered designs for enhanced personalization. The cover may be constructed in a wide range of shapes and sizes to accommodate a variety of cooler types, shapes, and sizes. The exact specifications may vary upon manufacturing.
Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as user preferences, design preference, structural requirements, marketing preferences, cost, available materials, technological advances, etc., and other structural arrangements such as, for example, varied shapes, sizes, handle apertures, and other features necessary to accommodate different coolers, may be sufficient.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
As shown, the first layer 110 may be insulated, and may be configured to shroud cooler 5. Second layer 120 is coupled to exterior of first layer 110. Second layer 120 is configured to reflect ultraviolet rays 15. At least one handle-aperture 130 passes through first layer 110 and second layer 120, and may be configured to provide access to at least one cooler handle 10.
At least one handle-aperture 130 may be configured to retain position of cooler cover 100 relative to cooler 5 through an abutment of at least one handle-aperture 130 against at least one cooler handle 10. In one embodiment, cooler cover 100 may comprise a rectangular shape configured to cover cooler 5 having a rectangular profile.
It should be noted that step 504 is an optional step and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62,446,136 filed Jan. 13, 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62446136 | Jan 2017 | US |
