Refrigeration – Cooled enclosure – Portable receptacle
Patent
1991-11-18
1995-06-06
Bennett, Henry A.
Refrigeration
Cooled enclosure
Portable receptacle
624577, 62530, F25D 308
Patent
active
054211727
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to portable refrigeration receptacles, and more particularly to coolers of the picnic or lunch box type.
2. Prior Art
Numerous coolers of the picnic and/or lunch box type are known in the art. Generally, the coolers include a thermally insulated body having a cavity for storing food and/or beverages, together with a lid for closing and substantially, thermally sealing the cavity. In addition, the coolers include a cooling source for keeping the cavity (together with the food and/or beverages therein) cool.
The cooling source is typically a container filled with coolant, and means are sometimes employed for accommodating the coolant container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,934 discloses a coolant container which fits within the upper portion of the cooler's cavity. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,310 discloses a cooler wherein a flask of cooling material is secured to the underside of the lid with a rotating mechanical locking mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,340 discloses a portable cooler having a removable cover that houses a packaged refrigerant gel. In use, the cover is described as being removed from the cooler and placed in a freezer to freeze the gel, and is thereafter placed on the cooler.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,731 discloses a cold storage chest whose cover includes recesses for a number of re-freezable containers. The containers are held-within the cover by threaded shafts that passes through the containers and screw into threaded holes in the lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,828 discloses a portable, insulated container which includes a number of coolant modules positioned in an arch-shaped chamber at the top of the cooler. The modules are described as being mounted to the chamber wall by means of pressure-sensitive, adherent fastening material such as VELCRO strips.
As is evident, numerous configurations have been suggested for accommodating the packs of coolant medium within the cooler. It is, of course, highly desirable to position the coolant packs in a manner which does not sacrifice the storage capacity of the cooler, and by means which provide for easy installation and removal of the coolant packs.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
My invention is a soft-sided cooler comprising a thermally insulated body having a cavity which defines an open-ended cold storage region for holding food and/or beverages. The cooler additionally includes a lid which is pivotably fastenable to the cooler body to close the open end of the cooler's cavity. The lid has an underside region defined by a plurality of generally opposing, inwardly facing sidewalls which extend towards the body of the cooler and fasten thereto to close the cavity.
The cooler additionally comprises a coolant container for holding a cooling medium and which is sized to fit snugly within the underside region of the lid. Means employing a pressure-sensitive, adherent fastening material, such as VELCRO, are provided to releasably retain the coolant pack within the underside region of the lid. One of the fastening surfaces is affixed to each of at least two generally opposing sidewalls. Mating fastening surfaces are secured to the coolant container so as to contact, and mate with, the fastening surfaces on the sidewalls when the container is placed within the lid's underside region. Because the mating fastening surfaces are highly resistant to relative lateral movement, the coolant container is securely held within the lid's underside region regardless of the lid's position.
Because the mating fastening surfaces are relatively easily pulled apart, however, the container can be easily removed by pulling the lid's sidewalls away from the container. Thus, the container is easily removed from, and secured within, the underside region of the lid. Further, the coolant container does not occupy any of the storage space occupied by the food and/or beverages. These and other details concerning my invention will be appreciated from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, of
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Bennett Henry A.
Doerrler William C.
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