Patent ID: 6065303
Filing Date: 2000-05-23
Classification: F25D

Abstract:
A cold can or bottle cooler dispenser for providing portable storage for a beverage and beverage receptacles selected from the group consisting of beverage cans and beverage bottles, said dispenser comprising:(a) a generally cylindrically shaped container with a central axis, said container having:(i) an upper open end and a lower closed end, said lower closed end having a bottom wall of predetermined thickness: and(ii) a side wall of predetermined height and predetermined thickness, said side wall having an upper end, a lower end, an inner surface, and an outer surface, said side wall and said bottom wall of said container defining an interior region;(b) a hollow structure for holding a beverage, said hollow structure having the same height as said side wall, said hollow structure having an upper open end and a lower end attached to said bottom wall, said hollow structure being centrally disposed within said interior region of said container and aligned with the central axis of said container, said hollow structure having an inner surface and an outer surface, the region between said container and said hollow structure defining a space;(c) a plurality of partitions extending from the inner surface of the side wall to the outer surface of the hollow structure, said partitions being attached to said bottom wall and having substantially the same height as said side wall, said partitions dividing the defined space into an alternating series of beverage receptacle compartments for holding beverage receptacles and cooling compartments for holding means for cooling beverage receptacles, each of said beverage receptacle compartments being bounded by a section of the side wall, each of said beverage receptacle compartments having a predetermined height, each of said beverage receptacle compartments being sized to contain therein a plurality of beverage receptacles, each of said beverage receptacle compartments having an upper open end for receiving beverage receptacles, each of said beverage receptacle compartments having an opening in said section of the side wall near the lower end thereof for dispensing a receptacle, each of said cooling compartments having an upper open end;(d) means for shielding and accessing for covering and accessing the openings in the side wall, said means for shielding and accessing being capable of being moved with respect to said side wall, thus enabling a beverage receptacle to be retrieved from said container;(e) a lid having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lid being removably attached to said container so as to cover the upper open end thereof; and(f) a conduit leading from the lower end of said hollow structure to near the lower end of the container, said conduit terminating in a spigot having an open position and a closed position, such that when said spigot is in its open position, any liquid contents within said hollow structure is tree to flow through said conduit and out of said spigot.