Abstract:
A beverage cooler adapter secures into the bottom of a portable cooler for facilitating use of the cooler in conjunction with volume beverage containers. The beverage adapter facilitates storing and dispensing cooled beverages in a manner that prevents contaminants from entering the beverage before being dispensed from the cooler.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority of provisional Application Ser. No. 60/657,215 filed Feb. 28, 2005, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to beverage coolers, and more particularly to a beverage cooler adapter useful in conjunction with traditional beverage coolers for adapting the cooler to receive beverage containers for dispensing of the beverages contained therein in a substantially sanitary condition.  
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Beverage coolers such as the 400 Series Industrial Strength Water Coolers, two to ten gallon coolers sold by Igloo® have long been used to provide large volumes of hot and cold beverages at construction and industrial work sites, at recreational and/or social events, on the sidelines for sports teams, etc. As is well known, water is required to be supplied at industrial work sites, specifically OSHA requires “[a]n adequate supply of potable water shall be provided in all places of employment” and that “[p]ortable containers used to dispense drinking water shall be capable of being tightly closed, and equipped with a tap.” 
         [0004]     Traditionally a beverage is poured into the cooler and ice is added thereto. There are many opportunities for contamination of the beverage during the transfer of the beverage into the cooler and the loading of the ice into the cooler. For example, at industrial and construction work sites the water is often poured into portable containers from the same hose used on the job site, often found lying in mud, etc. In addition to a dirty hose, the ice may likely be loaded into the container by a shovel used on the job site. At recreational and/or social events, water, tea, and other beverages served in mass quantity may be loaded into a cooler by kitchen personnel who should be following food safety guidelines, but often someone planning or coordinating the event will be preparing the cooler and more than likely are not familiar with or following food safety guidelines.  
         [0005]     In addition to contamination of the beverage contained within the cooler, having the beverage and ice mixed together results in watering down of the beverage once the ice begins to melt. Beverages can be served from volume containers such as those distributed by Ozarka®, Sparkletts®, and the like, but these jugs require special cooler stands to chill and dispense the beverage electricity is necessary for cooling. There are currently no portable coolers available to receive and chill large volume containers of other beverages, such as Gatorade®, tea, colas, and the like.  
         [0006]     The present invention comprises a beverage cooler adapter for use in conjunction with traditional beverage coolers which overcomes the foregoing and other difficulties which have long sense characterized the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, a beverage cooler adapter is secured in the bottom of an existing cooler for receiving volume containers of beverages such as water, Gatorade®, colas, and the like.  
         [0007]     In accordance with more specific aspects of the invention the beverage cooler adapter comprises a conduit extending to the proximal end of the of the dispensing tap of the cooler. Volume containers such as water jugs, multi-gallon containers of Gatorade®, colas, and the like are inverted and the mouth of the container is placed in a receiving orifice on the top surface of the adapter. An o-ring is secured around the mouth of the jug for stabilizing the jug in the receiving orifice. In addition to stabilizing the beverage container, the o-ring also seals the entry to the orifice to prevent foreign items or contaminates from mixing with the beverage and for preventing leakage. A removable piercing tip is provided within the adapter for use with beverage containers having a thin diaphragm over the mouth of the container.  
         [0008]     Once the beverage container is secured in the receiving orifice of the adapter, ice may be added around the inserted container without concern of contaminating or watering-down the contained beverage. The result is the ability to dispense a sanitary, cooled beverage from a portable cooler which is economical to purchase and use and which facilitates compliance with industrial and health safety regulations. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a beverage cooler adapter comprising a first embodiment of the present invention installed into a traditional five-gallon cooler;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the beverage cooler adapter and cooler shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a beverage cooler adapter comprising a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the beverage cooler adapter shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5A  is an environmental view illustrating an initial step in the utilization of the beverage cooler adapter shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5B  is an environmental view illustrating a later step in the utilization of the beverage cooler adapter shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5C  is an environmental view illustrating a somewhat later step in the utilization of the beverage cooler adapter shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5D  is an environmental view illustrating a still later step in the utilization of the beverage cooler adapter shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating the beverage cooler adapter of the present invention being utilized with a different type of cooler;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a beverage cooler adapter comprising a third embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  is sectional view of the beverage cooler adapter shown in  FIG. 7 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0021]     Referring now to the Drawings, and particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2  thereof, there is shown a commercially available beverage cooler  10  having a dispenser  12  and a lid  14  utilizing a beverage cooler adapter  16  comprising a first embodiment of the invention. A beverage container  18  is inverted and the mouth  20  of the container  18  is received into a receiving orifice  22  in the cooler adapter  16 . An o-ring  24  secured around the mouth  20  of the container  18  secures the container  18  in a stable position. A conduit  26  conveys the liquid beverage to the dispenser  12  located near the bottom of the cooler  10 . The cooler adapter  16  is positioned in the cooler  10  and is supported by legs  28  which are fastened beneath a support member  30  comprising the cooler adapter  16 .  
         [0022]     The orifice  22  is located at or near the center of the support member  30  having the conduit  26  beginning directly therebelow. The conduit  26  conveys the liquid beverage from the orifice  22  to the dispenser  12 . The conduit  26  connects to the dispenser  12  by a connector  32  and a hose  34 . The connector  32  is threadedly secured to a cap  36  on the end of the conduit  26 . The hose  34  is connected to the connector  32  to complete the conveyance of liquid from the conduit  26  to the dispenser  12 . The support member  30 , conduit  26 , cap  36 , and connector  32  may be constructed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, or other similar materials known to those skilled in the art of manufacturing potable water supply systems. The hose  34  may be constructed from rubber or other suitable flexible materials known to those skilled in the art of manufacturing potable water supply systems.  
         [0023]     A removable piercing tip insert  40  may be used in conjunction with the cooler adapter of the present invention when the beverage container  18  has a diaphragm over the mouth  20  of the container  18 . The insert  40  includes a piercing tip  42  which is used to puncture the diaphragm thereby allowing the beverage to flow from the container  18 . The piercing tip  42  is mounted on a perforated disc  44  which is received in the orifice  22  of the cooler adapter  16 . An o-ring  46  is secured around the disk to hold the piercing tip insert  40  in a stable position inside the orifice  22 .  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4  there is shown a cooler adapter  50  comprising a second embodiment of the present invention. Many of the components of the cooler adapter  50  are substantially identical in construction and function to components of the cooler adapter  16  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith. Such identical component parts are designated in  FIGS. 3 and 4  with the same reference numerals utilized above in the description of the cooler adapter  16 , but are differentiated therefrom by means of a prime (′) designation.  
         [0025]     The cooler adapter  50  differs from the cooler adapter  16  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  in that the cooler adapter  50  is not supported by legs fastened beneath a support member, but instead comprises a single support member  52  which rests directly on the bottom of the cooler  10 . Inside the support member  52  a conduit  26 ′ connects the orifice  22 ′ directly to the cooler dispenser  12  without the need for any additional connectors or a hose. An o-ring  54  is mounted around the circumference of the support member  52  to secure the adapter  50  in a stable position inside the cooler  10  and to prevent leakage.  
         [0026]      FIG. 5A  illustrates the initial step in the utilization of the cooler adapter  16 . The cooler adapter  16  is placed into the bottom of the cooler  10  and the hose  34  is connected to the dispenser  12 .  FIG. 5B  illustrates a further step in the utilization of the cooler adapter  16 . The o-ring  24  is secured around the mouth  20  of the container  18  after which the container  18  is inverted and placed into the cooler adapter  16  inside the cooler  10 . Alternatively, the container  18  may remain in an upright condition to receive the adapter  16  thereon until the o-ring  24  seats. The container  18  having the adapter  16  received thereon is then placed into the cooler  10 . As best shown in  FIG. 5C , once the container  18  is secured into the cooler adapter  16 , ice may be added into the cooler  10  around the container  18 . The lid  14  of the cooler  10  is then secured and the beverage may be dispensed as shown in  FIG. 5D .  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  illustrates the cooler adapter  16  being used in conjunction with a rectangular cooler  70 . The cooler adapter  16  is inserted into the cooler  70  and connected with the dispenser  12  in the same manner as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 D and described hereinabove in conjunction therewith; however, additional fastening devices may be used to secure the cooler adapter  16  in a stable position inside the cooler  70 .  
         [0028]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrates a cooler adapter  72  comprising a third embodiment of the invention. Many of the components of this embodiment are substantially identical in construction and function to components of the embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3 , and  4  described hereinabove in conjunction therewith. Such identical component parts are designated in  FIGS. 7 and 8  with the same reference numerals utilized above, but are differentiated therefrom by means of a prime (′) designation.  
         [0029]     The cooler adapter  72  is similar to the cooler adapter  50  in that it comprises a single support member  52 ′ having an orifice  22 ′ for receiving the mouth  20  of the beverage container  18  as well as a conduit  26 ′ that connects the orifice  22 ′ directly to the cooler dispenser  12  without the need for any additional connectors or a hose.  
         [0030]     A removable piercing tip insert  40 ′ is used in conjunction with the cooler adapter  72  where the beverage container  18  has a diaphragm over the mouth  20  of the container  18 . The insert  40 ′ includes a piercing tip  42 ′ which is used to puncture the diaphragm thereby allowing the beverage to flow from the container  18 . The piercing tip insert  40 ′ fits securely within the orifice  22 ′.  
         [0031]     In this embodiment the beverage cooler  10  is positioned on a foot piece  74  supporting a lip  76  at slight, predetermined angle from the horizontal plane to facilitate the flow of the beverage from the container  18 .  
         [0032]     The present invention has been illustrated in conjunction with the five-gallon cylindrical coolers of the type sold by Igloo® and smaller rectangular coolers, but the beverage cooler adapter of the present invention may be configured to be used in the majority of coolers having a dispensing tap thereon.  
         [0033]     Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.