Refrigeration – Cooled enclosure – Portable receptacle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-16
2001-01-16
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Cooled enclosure
Portable receptacle
C062S003640
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173582
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to the field of portable coolers, particularly self-dispensing coolers used for dispensing food items such as canned soda and beer.
BACKGROUND
Various types of portable coolers have been designed to enable persons to keep food items such as canned beverages handy while traveling and engaging in various outdoor activities where a traditional electric refrigerator is not available. The traditional portable cooler was simply an insulated container. Food may be chilled longer by adding cooling means to an insulated container. Examples of such cooling means include ice, various cold packs containing a chillable or freezable liquid, and various thermoelectric cooling means. Thermoelectric cooling means include devices which require constant electrical input and devices which require only intermittent electrical input. Such thermoelectric coolers are often chilled by relatively portable electric sources such as automobile cigarette lighter outlets and portable batteries and generators.
A large portion of the chilled air inside of a cooler is lost due to the influx of ambient air each time that the lid of a cooler is removed. Much of the rifling through a cooler is done to choose from an assortment of food items. Since it is often desirable to provide an abundance of cool beverages during sporting and leisure events, it would be beneficial to provide a self-dispensing cooler designed especially for dispensing a favorite packaged beverage item with a minimum loss of cooled air upon dispensing. There is a need for a portable-sized cooler designed particularly to maximize the storage capacity and cooling efficiency of food items, particularly beverages packaged in cylindrical containers. Such an improved cooler design should be beneficially used with either thermoelectric or non-thermoelectric cooling means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a self-dispensing cooler including a cabinet defined by a plurality of opposing walls and a top and a bottom; a filling means for adding items to the cabinet located near the top of one of the walls; a dispensing means positioned vertically distal from the filling means on one of said walls; and a cooling means positioned at least partially inside the cabinet, wherein the cooling means defines an inclined channel connecting the filling means to the dispensing means.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable, self-dispensing cooler wherein an increased amount of items can be stored, and efficiently cooled to a desirably low temperature. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a self-dispensing cooler wherein essentially each item stored has direct contact with the cooling means. It is an even further object of the present invention to provide a self-dispensing cooler wherein re-chillable cooling means can be easily removed from the cooler for re-chilling in a freezer or re-chilling by thermoelectric means, if needed. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a self-dispensing cooler that consistently dispenses items without allowing items to become lodged inside the cooler. These, as well as other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.
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Doerrler William
Johnston Susan F.
Jones Melvin
Sta-Kul, L.L.C.
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