Abstract:
The beverage dispensing cooler is a cooler for storing food, drinks, cans, beverages and the like which is divided into a plurality of tubes. Each tube has a slide handle therein which slides the containers outward for easy access via the front of the cooler.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/189,167 filed on Aug. 15, 2008 by the present inventor, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
       [0003]    Not Applicable. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0004]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to a beverage cooler and more particularly to a beverage cooler having a plurality of beverage tubes and means permitting access to each beverage tube individually. Additionally, the beverage cooler includes a removable food drawer which protects food items from moisture. 
         [0006]    2. Prior Art 
         [0007]    Relevant prior art includes: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,896 
                 March 2005 
                 Seidl 
               
               
                   
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,059 
                 August 2000 
                 Lebrun 
               
               
                   
                 U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,411 
                 May 2000 
                 Garland, Jr. 
               
               
                   
                 U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,647 
                 March 1980 
                 Spurrier 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0008]    Many types of cooler chests have been provided which include some means for cooling beverage cans and to dispense the cans once they are cooled. Although some of the prior art cooler chests and can dispensing structures have been met with some success, the prior art devices possess certain disadvantages. Some prior art cooler chests have beverage can dispensers such that the lid of the cooler chest must be opened to insert beverage cans into the chest and to remove the cooled cans. Further, certain prior art cooler chests and beverage can dispensers permit ice and water in the chest, which may be contaminated, to contact the beverage cans in the cooler compartment. Still other prior art cooler chests with can dispensers associated therewith are simply not convenient to use. Additionally, it is difficult to clean some of the prior art beverage can cooling chests and dispensers should the beverage can leak while in the cooler chest. Generally, the prior art has been directed to portable coolers with only a single beverage dispenser so that there is only one type of beverage in the dispenser or in the case of different beverages, there is guess work in selecting a particular beverage from the single beverage dispenser. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, a need exists for a cooler that does not possess the limitations stated above. In particular, a need exists for a cooler that allows easy access to a specific beverage. Additionally, this cooler should provide ready access to the beverages or food items stored in the cooler. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention is a beverage dispenser which satisfies all the foregoing needs. The cooler lid does not have to be opened each time to retrieve a drink, so the ice lasts longer. The user does not have to dig his hand through cold ice searching for his desired drink. The drinks are easily identified by the labels mounted on the side. Drinks are easy to load without having to encapsulate in ice and the ice remains clean for use in cups for those who like ice in their drinks. Food items can be placed in removable food drawer which protects food items from moisture. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the beverage dispensing cooler. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the beverage dispensing cooler. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the beverage dispensing cooler. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The following description includes the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. Reference is made to  FIGS. 1-3 , which shows the beverage dispensing cooler  10  in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0016]    The beverage dispensing cooler  10  consists of an upper lid  20 , portable cooler chest  30 , beverage tubes  40 , food drawer tube  55 , tube covers  65  and tube labels  70 . The beverage tubes  40  are off set such that in the specific example shown in the figures, there are four upper beverage tubes  40  and two lower beverage tubes  40 . This arrangement allows the ice or other cooling medium to completely surround the beverage tubes  40 . The individual beverages or drinks snuggly fit into the beverage tubes  40  and are easily accessible from outside of the beverage dispensing cooler  10  without opening the upper lid  20 . Each beverage tube  40  is covered with a tube cover  65 . Each tube cover  65  is provided with a unique tube label  70  that is customized by the user to indicate which beverage is stored inside a specific beverage tube  40 . Each tube cover  65  is provided with sufficient insulation material  25  to maximize cooling inside the cooler  10 . The beverage tubes  40  are typically surrounded by ice for maximum cooling. A removable food drawer  50  can be pulled open with a drawer handle  60  to store food items. The food drawer  50  can accommodate sandwiches, lunch meats and the like in a way that will keep them cold without allowing moisture to penetrate and damage the food items. 
         [0017]    Drinks can be easily retrieved or loaded by flipping open tube cover  65  and pulling the slide handle  80 . Each slide handle  80  is provided with a front gripping tab  90  and a rear holding tab  95 . The front gripping tab  90  allows the user to slide the beverages forward and out of the beverage tube  40 . The rear holding tab  95  serves as a catch to allow the drinks to be pulled from the beverage tube  40  without any beverages slipping off the slide handle  80 . There is a slide handle  80  for each beverage tube  40 . One end of each beverage tube  40  is permanently enclosed while the other end of the beverage tube  40  is for easy drink access. A label  70  is located on each tube cover  65  on each beverage tube  40  in order to know exactly what drink is inside each tube  40 . Typically, each beverage tube  40  is long enough to hold at least three canned beverages or drinks. 
         [0018]    Tubes  40  are nearly perfectly sized to fit canned drinks or bottled water. The close fit of the drinks within the tubes  40  allow for best cooling of the drinks just as if they were submerged directly in ice. The tubes  40  are flexible in length in order to hold more beverage containers. The removable food drawer  50  is enclosed in a rectangular shaped food drawer tube  55  which is molded as an integral part of the portable cooler chest  30 . 
         [0019]    Operation of the invention involves the user opening the upper lid  20  and filling the portable cooler chest  30  with ice or other refrigerant. After the upper lid  20  is replaced, the user flips up the selected tube cover  65  and pulls out the slide handle  80  by pulling the front gripping tab  90 . The user places the beverage cans on the slide handle  80  and pushes the slide handle  80  into the beverage tube  40  for cooling. The user flips down the tube cover  65  until the beverages are ready for consumption. This process may be repeated until all the beverage tubes  40  are completely filled to capacity. When a specific beverage is selected for consumption, the user identifies the beverage from the tube labels  70  thereby eliminating any guess work in removing a beverage. The user flips up the selected tube cover  65  and pulls out his beverage with the front gripping tab  90  of the slide handle. 
         [0020]    The beverage dispensing cooler  10  may be constructed from traditional materials used to fabricate coolers and ice chests. These materials include PVC, fiberglass, plastics and the like. The rectangular food drawer tube  55  and circular beverage tubes  40  are fabricated as an integral part of the portable cooler chest  30 . The tubes  40  are sized to match the standard size canned drinks or bottled water. The tubes  40  are provided in different diameters and lengths to accommodate larger beverage containers. The beverage dispensing cooler  10  can be designed in large and small sizes for different applications. 
         [0021]    Many variations of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. Some variations include the cooler dimensions; and the number and size of the beverage tubes  40  and food drawer tube  55 . Other variations include the mechanism by which the beverages are ejected from the beverage tubes  40 ; for example, a spring pushing the beverage out of the tube as opposed to pulling the slide handle  80 . All such variations are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention. Although some embodiments are shown to include certain features, the applicant specifically contemplates that any feature disclosed herein may be used together or in combination with any other feature on any embodiment of the invention. It is also contemplated that any feature may be specifically excluded from any embodiment of an invention.