Abstract:
A cooler is particularly configured for application of any selected design or marking. Any design may be easily applied to a standard cooler configuration. The design can be protected with a cover. The cooler also has structure for ease of mounting to different objects, and can be readily stacked. The lid can selectively retain cold or warm packs to cool or heat the interior.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a non-provisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 61/080,419, filed Jul. 14, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to insulated coolers, and more specifically it pertains to improvements in cooling efficiency, guarded display panels and mounting brackets for such coolers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Over the years many advances have been made in portable insulated coolers for various product uses and with increasing attention to outer esthetic appearance. The focus has been to provide such coolers with a recognizable exterior identity, such as name and/or logo of a business, school, family, club or other association. Amateur and professional sports activities and participants are particularly popular subjects for an identity panel or appliqué of some type. Such light-weight portable coolers (frequently called “sports coolers”) have been designed to prominently display a name, logo or image that appeals to large numbers of buyers/users. Attempts have been made to offer change-over panels or interchangeable lids to alter the identity association base and thereby provide a multiple association for the same cooler. However, the prior coolers have failed to offer an acceptable display or one that is guarded or protected by a cooler reinforcement or structural covering. 
     Attempts to overcome one problem or address one objective frequently reduces the practicality of other features and objectives important in the cooler art as is the case with other products in other fields. For instance; some important considerations are “stackability” to facilitate warehousing and off-season storage; “mountability” to accommodate a vehicle or wall surface attachment for safe and convenient usage; and “coolability” which is a term indicating the capacity and ease of cooling the product zone and maintaining temperatures therein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, an insulated cooler generally comprises a main cooler body having multiple side walls and a bottom wall forming a product container with a top opening. A lid is constructed and arranged for selectively covering the top opening. At least two of said multiple side walls are adjacent to each other, and each of said adjacent side walls has a design zone thereon. A design panel system has an inner side portion next to the side wall design zone and an outer side portion comprising a protective shielding cover for the inner design portion. 
     In another aspect of the present invention an insulated container generally comprises a main cooler body having side walls and a bottom wall forming an internal container cavity for holding products, and a lid to selectively enclose the container cavity. A design panel affixed to one of the side walls of the container has a design thereon. A shield comprising at least one frame element removably mounted on the container and covering an edge margin of the design panel affixed to the container side wall. 
     These and other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and wherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an insulated cooler of a first embodiment, including cooler body, lid and a handle shown in cooler carrying position; 
         FIG. 1B  is a similar view of the cooler, but shown in an open position with the lid raised; 
         FIG. 2A  is an exploded perspective view of the first cooler embodiment; 
         FIG. 2B  is an exploded perspective view similar to  FIG. 2A , but showing a modified design panel system; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cooler taken substantially along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the inside of the cooler lid of  FIG. 1B  and showing coolant packets therein; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the back of the cooler body and showing one form of mounting bracket adapter for the cooler in an exploded position; 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of a design panel layout forming a part of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view showing a second embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a rear and bottom perspective view of the cooler body of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view showing a third embodiment of the cooler invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a greatly enlarged section similar taken in the plane including line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11A  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 5  showing the bracket adapter assembled on the rear cooler wall and a wall mounting bracket in exploded position to receive the cooler; 
         FIG. 11B  is a view showing the cooler positioned on the wall mounting bracket of  FIG. 11A ; 
         FIG. 12A  is an elevational view of the wall mounting bracket of  FIGS. 11A and 11B ; 
         FIG. 12B  is a sectional view of the bracket taken along line  12 B- 12 B of  FIG. 12A ; 
         FIG. 13  is a greatly enlarged view of another form of mounting bracket for the cooler; 
         FIG. 14A  is a rear perspective view of the first cooler embodiment shown with the bracket of  FIG. 13  in an exploded position; 
         FIG. 14B  is a view similar to  FIG. 14A , but showing the mounting bracket on the cooler; 
         FIG. 15  is a front perspective view of the cooler showing another embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  16 - 16  of  FIG. 15 . 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DEFINITIONS 
     The following definitions will be applicable in the construction and interpretation of the following description of the invention and the appended claims. 
     “cooler” as used herein means an insulated box or container for holding products, such as bottled or canned beverages, and keeping such products at cooled or heated temperatures. 
     “design” means any word, phrase, name, logo, letter, symbol, pattern, color, graphic, scene, picture or the like imagery. 
     “design panel” means a panel sheet, ply or layer of material forming a design or having a design applied thereto. 
     “design panel system” includes the combination of a design panel and an outer shield covering at least a portion of the underlying design panel, but also includes either the design panel or outer shield individually. 
     “design zone” means a predetermined designated area of a cooler side wall that is constructed and arranged to have applied thereto a design panel or a design panel system or a wrap-around panel. 
     “wrap-around panel” means an outer covering and/or a design panel that is bent around or turns the corner between adjacent or contiguous side walls or side wall sections of a multi-sided cooler. 
     “outer overlaying panel” means a panel, wall or sheet that covers a substantial portion of an outside structural wall surface 
     “coolant packet” and “coolant pack” means a sealed container of predetermined size holding a quantity of freezable (or heatable) chemical-gel or like material that functions to refrigerate or heat. 
     “mounting surface” means any structure capable of attaching a supporting mounting bracket for a cooler; and “surface mounting” refers to the attachment of a bracket and/or cooler to such mounting surface. 
     “vehicle” means all types of highway and off-road conveyance and/or movable equipment for transportation, agriculture, commerce, industry, entertainment, sports, domestic and other purposes, and generally any structure on which the operator/user may want to surface mount a cooler for ready access. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A through 6 , a presently preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an insulated cooler C having a main cooler body B, a lid or top cover L hinged to the body B and a handle H also operably connected to the cooler body. The main body B of the cooler typically is formed with assembled inner and outer casing shells  10  and  12  ( FIGS. 2A and 3 ) having an insulation material  11  located therebetween. The body B includes a front side wall  14 , an opposed rear side wall  16 , opposed end side walls  18  and a bottom wall  20  defining an interior container well or chamber  22  for holding products (not shown) to be cooled.  FIG. 3  best shows the assembled inner and outer shells  10  and  12 . The inner shell  10  has an out-turned horizontal top rim  10 A with a depending vertical flange  10 B that mates with the top edge of the outer shell  12 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the rear or back wall  16  is formed with a central outwardly-opening chamber  24  extending upwardly from the bottom wall  20  and being constructed as part of a cooler-mounting system or assembly that can selectively accommodate different mounting bracket arrangements to be described. The rear wall chamber  24  has a vertical wall  24 A spaced into the cooler body from the outer surface of the rear wall  16  by lateral side walls  24 B, which form vertical channels  24 C behind the outer surface of rear wall  16  along the access opening to the chamber  24 . The rear wall  16  includes a mounting block (or “track”)  25  in the recessed chamber  24  having an outward facing surface  25 A for use in mounting the cooler, as will be explained in more detail hereinafter. 
     The lid L is also comprised of spaced upper and lower shells  26 ,  28  and insulation  27  therebetween (see  FIG. 3 ). The lower shell  28  is contoured with a stepped outer peripheral wall forming an edge section  30  having horizontal rib-sealing lip  30 A to fit against and around the rim opening  10 A of the main body B, and a vertical wall section  30 B to extend downwardly within the container cavity  22  and sealingly abut against the upper vertical sidewall portion of the inner shell  10 . The lid L is also constructed and arranged with one or more pockets or recesses  34  to accommodate the placement of coolant packets  32 , which in this embodiment are pre-frozen for use and function as frozen gel or “ice” packs  32  to provide a dry cooling source for the cooler cavity  22 . As shown in  FIGS. 1B ,  2 A and  4 , a pair of coolant packs  32  are placed in the lid sockets  34  and held in place by bow-tie fasteners  35  or the like, which are swivelly mounted at strategic locations on the lower shell  28 , as in spaced pairs on lower shell ribs  28 A on opposite sides of the sockets  34 . The upper shell  26  may also be contoured to accommodate ice packs  32  and insulation (not shown). It may be desirable to provide outwardly and upwardly projecting raised areas or embossments  26 A on the upper wall of the lid L to fit or meet with complementary recessed areas  20 A or indentations in the bottom wall  20  whereby multiple coolers of the same construction may be conveniently stacked to interfit with each other without sliding laterally. The cooler C has a lid-lifting access slot  36  at the top of the front side wall  14 , which is sculpted at the central margin of its side wall with a depressed area  36 A. When the lid L is closed, its horizontal lip  30 A opposed to the depressed area  36 A defines the access slot  36  that facilitates direct upward finger control in raising the lid. 
     The handle H is configured for comfort in carrying and convenience in use. It has a main hand-bar  38  preferably made of rubber or a like substance to be soft and secure when carried, yet solidly supporting the weight of a loaded cooler. The side bars or straps  39  are hinged (at  39 A) to the end side walls  18  to permit the handle to be lifted up for use ( FIG. 1A ) or folded to the front or back ( FIG. 1B ) for storage or access to use the cooler. Other constructions of the handle are permitted within the scope of the present invention, or the handle may be omitted. 
     A feature of the preferred embodiment of the invention resides in the features of the guarded multiple display panel system, as seen best in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B,  2 A,  3  and  5 , which show a continuous outer overlaying and wrap-around panel system P covering a substantial portion of at least two adjacent side walls of the cooler. In the preferred embodiment, the panel system P is three-sided and extends across the front side wall  14  and both end side walls  18  of the cooler C, as will now be described. 
     Referring particularly to  FIGS. 2A and 3 , the exterior front and both end side walls  14 ,  18  of the cooler body B are configured with a continuous display zone constituting a wide central recessed channel  40  having upper and lower horizontal margins  40 A and  40 B and being constructed and arranged to seat a design panel system P that will wrap-around the cooler body B. The design panel system may include a vinyl sheet  42  that is surface imprinted with the selected design or motif, although other materials may be used. For instance as described more fully hereinafter, in lieu of simply surface printing the vinyl sheet  42  as a single ply design panel, this panel  42  may have an inner ply that is printed or painted with a design (e.g., design D of  FIG. 2A ) on its outer surface and the inner surface will be attachable to the cooler body B in the design zone of the side wall. The vinyl sheet  42  is flexible and will naturally tend to cling to the side walls ( 14 ,  18 ), but will usually be attached in a suitable manner such as with an adhesive. The vinyl sheet  42  is composed of a front section  42 A and two end sections  42 B, as shown in  FIG. 6 , and fits in the design zone of the central recess  40  of the cooler body. 
     As also shown in  FIGS. 2A and 3  a hard transparent outer shield or cover member  50  may form part of the design panel arrangement P and is constructed and arranged to fit over the design panel  42  and also reinforce and strengthen the front and end side walls  14 ,  18 . The cover member  50  has front and end panel sections  50 A,  50 B corresponding to the same sections  42 A,  42 B of the design panel  42  and the cover member  50  is configured to fit within the channel  40  and be secured to the body therein. The outer cover member  50  is preferably made of acrylic plastic, and it preferably has a thickness gauge that together with the inner design panel  42  corresponds to the depth of the side wall channel  40  whereby the outer cover member  50  will be substantially flush with the outstanding front and end side wall surface portions at the top and bottom of the cooler body B. One method of securing the outer cover member  52  to the cooler body B is to provide integral upper and lower tabs  56 A,  56 B at the rearward margins  58  of the cover member  50  to receive anchoring screws or pins  60  to fasten into corresponding tapped anchor points on the end side walls  18 . It will be apparent that the cover member  50  not only protects the design panel  42 , but also strengthens the cooler body walls. It will again be noted that the rearward free margins  43  of the inner design panel  42  and rearward margins  58  of the outer protective cover  50  are positioned adjacent to the rear wall  16  thereby providing an almost total design spectrum around the cooler C. In another embodiment to be described one or both of these margins may be extended further to wrap-around onto the rear wall  16 . Thus it is clear that the inventive cooler incorporates a design panel having multiple plies or layers applied to gird the main body B and both protect it and offer a broad wrap-around design potential. 
     The preferred form of the cooler C is to give the exterior body B a tapered look with the result that at least one section of the design panel ( 42 ) and/or wrap-around cover member  50  has a trapezoidal shape. The front side wall has parallel top and bottom margins with downwardly converging vertical edge sections (shown generally at  44  in  FIG. 6 ). The geometry is complex because in the instant cooler the end side walls  18  are also trapezoidal being longer at the top and smaller at the bottom.  FIG. 6  represents a layout blank for the vinyl sheet  42  configuration. Thus, the central or front-facing side panel section  42 A is flanked by the end side panel sections  42 B that are angularly disposed to the central section. When assembled on the main body channel  40  the angularity of these sections will compensate for the taper at the side walls to produce a straight line wrap-around panel accommodating a continuity of design from side to side. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a second embodiment of the cooler C includes a two ply design panel  46  that fits within the design zone of recessed channel  40  in substantially the same way as the single ply vinyl sheet of the first embodiment. In this embodiment the design panel  76  has a front side wall section  76 A with a wrap-around flap  76 B at one vertical marginal edge; and it has a continuous end side wall section  76 C at its other vertical marginal edge. The end side wall section  76 C has a wrap-around flange  76 D that wraps around to the rear side wall  16  of the cooler. A transparent cover member  77  is applied over the design panel  76  as part of this system and includes a front side wall section  77 A with a wrap-around flange  77 B at one vertical margin, and its other margin has a contiguous end side wall section  77 C, with a rear flange  77 D to fit into an extended side wall channel. These flanges  77 B and  77 D may have upper and lower anchoring tabs  78  which are secured to the cooler body in a suitable manner, such as with fasteners. It is also contemplated that the vinyl sheet and/or the cover member can be constructed and arranged to overlay and wrap around all four sides of the cooler to present an entire panoramic display and/or guard all sides of the cooler (not shown). The downward and inward taper of the cooler body accommodates a slip-over wrap. The vinyl sheet and cover may extend over fewer than three sides of the cooler, as shown. 
     In yet another embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , the design panel system P comprises a two ply vinyl panel  90 . The panel  90  includes an outer ply  90 D of transparent vinyl material that is laminated onto an inner ply  90 A of vinyl or other suitable material. The panel  90  is preferably of substantive thickness yet flexible. The lamination of the inner and outer plies  90 A,  90 D may be carried out by a special lamination process to strengthen the panel in addition to increasing the depth of design and artistic enhancement to the cooler. The design panel  90  is received in the design zone of channel  40  of the cooler C, but does not employ a separate cover member like the cover member  50  of the first embodiment The inner ply  90 A has an adhesive bearing inner attachment surface  90 B and an outer design-bearing surface with an image represented by a design layer  90 C. The transparent outer shielding ply  90 D covers the design layer  90 C to protect the design layer. The plies  90 A,  90 D are laminated together in this embodiment and form a design panel system P to be attached in the design zone of the designated cooler side wall. The lamination process can be by 3M Company and called “sublimation”. It will also be apparent now to those skilled in the art that the two ply system provides the basic foundation for applying the design display motif and may be shielded by an outer cover. The number of plies forming the panel may be other than one or two within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, the process for forming the design panel  90  may be other than described without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     The free vertical end margins  43  (see,  FIG. 9 ) will lay adjacent to the cooler rear wall  14  and are guarded by an overlying shield which in the illustrated form comprises a vertically arranged guard strip  91  that is fastened to the body B in overlapping relation with the marginal edge of the design panel  90  by fasteners  91 A. The recessed channel  40  including the design zone is notched (at  91 B) upwardly and downwardly to accommodate the ends of the shielding strip  91 . The strips  91  form part of the design panel system P in this embodiment. It will be understood that other shielding strips (not shown) may be applied to guard other marginal edges or an entire transparent cover panel (such as acrylic cover  50  of  FIG. 2A  or  77  of  FIG. 7 ) may be used to provide a hard surface exterior shield for the design panel system P. 
       FIG. 2B  shows another version in which a design D is formed on the transparent cover member  50 ′ and the vinyl sheet  42  of the first embodiment is omitted. More particularly, the design D may be formed in a suitable manner on an interior surface of the cover member  50 ′. In this version, the design panel system P is formed by the cover member  50 ′ alone. Parts of the version shown in  FIG. 2A  that are the same as the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. The cover member  50 ′ and its component parts are given the same reference numerals with the addition of a prime. 
       FIGS. 11A ,  11 B,  12 A,  12 B, and  13  best show another feature of the invention, which is to provide the cooler-mounting system for removably mounting the cooler C on any type of vehicle for convenient access to the driver or a passenger, or it may be mounted to some other structure that may or may not be associated with a vehicle.  FIGS. 11A-12B  particularly show adaptation of the mounting system for attaching the cooler C to a wall or any generic structure.  FIG. 11A  is similar to  FIG. 5 , except that the mounting adapter  74  thereof shown in exploded position from the cooler C is received on the cooler mounting block  25  and covers the mounting block. The mounting adapter  74  is shaped to define angled slots  74 A (see  FIG. 50  that receive the side rails  25 B of the mounting block to mount the adapter onto the cooler rear wall  16 . Opposite lateral edge margins of the adapter  74  are angled in a manner similar to the rails  25 B of the cooler mounting block  25 . The adapter  74  projects outwardly from the mounting block  25  in the chamber  24  so that it is essentially flush with the remainder of the rear wall  16 . 
     A generic mounting bracket  96  (broadly, “a second bracket”), shown by itself in  FIGS. 12A and 12B , has opposed, angled channel members  96 A that define a wedge-shaped opening  96 B between them. The opening  96 B is sized and shaped to receive the side rails of the adapter  74  into the opening with the edge margins or rails of the adapter being captured by the channel members  96 A. The mounting bracket  96  has a main plate  96 C with wall mounting spacer studs  96 D that space the channel members  96 A a sufficient distance from the wall surface or other mounting surface to accommodate the rearward folding of the handle H. The adapter-holding channel member  96 A is secured to the main plate  96 C by plural strengthening gussets  96 E. The channel members  96 A may be formed in any suitable manner, such as by being struck from, but unitary with the main plate  96 C, and may be reinforced with gussets the  96 E or other structure. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 13 ,  14 A and  14 B, a (“first”) mounting bracket  98  may be constructed and arranged so that its outer vertical edges  100  can be received in the peripheral channels  24 C of the recessed chamber  24  on the rear wall  16  of the cooler C, as is shown in  FIG. 14B . The mounting bracket  98  includes a main plate  102  and angled retainer members  104  secured to one face of the plate. The retainer members  104  are configured to receive the mounting block  25  and be captured under the rails  25 B (see,  FIG. 13 ). It will be understood that the retainer members  104  are received on the mounting block  25  and the edges  100  are received in the channels  24 C substantially simultaneously as the mounting bracket  98  is moved upward from the position shown in  FIG. 14A  to the secured position shown in  FIG. 14B . The mounting bracket  98  further includes a mounting arm  106  for attachment to another structure (e.g., to a golf cart body). The mounting arm  106  is attached to the main plate  102  on the opposite side from the retainer members  104 . Only a generic mounting arm  106  is illustrated, as the mounting structure on this side of the main plate  102  may have any suitable structure for mounting to another object. Preferably, the weight of the cooler C is sufficient to maintain the connection shown in  FIG. 14B , but fasteners (not shown) could be used to secure it in place. 
     In  FIGS. 15 and 16  the cooler C has multiple contiguous front, end and rear side walls ( 14 ,  18 ,  16 ), a bottom ( 20 ) that is integral with the side walls to form a product chamber and a hinged lid L. The side walls each have an optimum surface area providing a design zone for graphic presentation, that may be in any of the multiple layer design panel ( 42 ,  90 ) formats herein described, and which may be further enhanced by an outer shield in the form of a frame  110  constructed and arranged to cover and protect at least a portion of the underlying design panel, such as one or more marginal edges. Thus, in the  FIG. 15  embodiment the cooler is shown with multiple strips  112  forming a frame protection for edges on a single side wall design. The strips  112  may be integral, as shown, or be two or more separate parts attached to the cooler. In this embodiment, the design panel  90  and frame  110  form a design panel system. It will be understood that continuous horizontal frame piece may be employed to wrap-around the corner between adjacent side walls displaying a wrap-around design panel P. It will also be seen that the frame  110  may be a wrap-around panel ( 50 ) or a partial protective cover plate such as frame  110  depending in part upon the form of the underlying design panel system utilized. For instance, in the use of a two-ply design panel system having a heavy protective outer ply ( 45 ), the frame work of  FIGS. 15 and 16  may be adequate to guard the inner design ply (see  FIG. 10 ). It is to be understood that only one side wall of the cooler may have a design panel system P, or any number of the side walls may have a design panel system in the scope of this invention. 
     An insulated cooler C of the illustrated embodiments is portable but incorporates a variable mounting system making it useful in various vehicles and fixed locations for convenient storage of refrigerated or heated products. The cooler C also achieves the objectives of stackability and comfort in handling. One feature of the invention is the design display potential of multiple sided design and the selective use of a multiple ply design panel system. 
     Having described the invention in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.