Abstract:
A soft-sided container assembly may include a thermally insulated container assembly and a second wall structure. The second wall structure may be detachable, and may be used as a cushion. The cushion may contain cushioning material. The cushioning material may be extracted from the cushion and unfolded to act as a blanket or picnic cloth. The thermally insulated wall structure may include beverage holding receptacles. The thermally insulated wall structure may be moved to a collapsed position, and may be secured in the collapsed position. The assembly may include a music player.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This application relates to the field of insulated container assemblies.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Insulated containers may sometimes be used by persons who wish to attend a sporting event, or who wish to enjoy an outside meal such as a picnic. The insulated container may be used to hold beverages or other refreshments that one may wish to keep cool or cold such as ice cream, carbonated drinks, juices or beer, or beverages or foods that one may which to keep warm or hot such as hot chocolate, tea, soup, appetizers, hot dogs, hamburgers, and so on.  
         [0003]     When attending a sporting event in the Autumn, for example, one may wish to have a supply of hot drinks, or hot foods, and a cushion upon which to sit that may be warmer than cold aluminum bleachers. Alternatively, one may wish to have a blanket that may be spread on the ground at a picnic, or that may be used to stay warm on a chilly day.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     In an aspect of the invention, there is a soft sided insulated container assembly. It includes an insulated wall structure having a first, insulated, chamber defined therein and a first closure member operable to govern access to the chamber. An auxiliary wall structure is releasably attached thereto. The auxiliary wall structure has a second chamber defined therein, and has a second closure member governing access to the second chamber. In addition, there is a pliable resilient member. The pliable resilient member is movable between a first, folded position within the auxiliary wall structure, and a second, unfolded position. In the second, unfolded position the pliable resilient member has a plan form extent that is more than 10 times as great as when it is in the folded position. The auxiliary wall structure has a profile of a size comparable to, or smaller than, the insulated wall structure.  
         [0005]     In another feature, in the folded position, the pliable resilient member has a number of plies that is in the range of 10 to 30. The number may be in the range 12 to 20.  
         [0006]     In another feature, the soft-sided insulated container has an insulated wall structure. The insulated wall structure is movable between an expanded position and a collapsed position, and has securement fittings operable to secure said insulated wall structure in said collapsed position.  
         [0007]     In a further feature, the insulated wall structure has an externally accessible beverage container accommodation. The soft-sided insulated container with the auxiliary wall structure is a cushion. The cushion employs a resilient pliable member as a stuffing. The resilient pliable member, is folded and located within the auxiliary wall structure, the resilient pliable member has at least ten folded plies. In another feature, the soft-sided insulated container includes a sound reproduction device.  
         [0008]     In another aspect of the investion, there is a soft-sided insulated container assembly, that includes a six-sided thermally insulated container, and a second soft-sided enclosure detachably mounted to the thermally insulated container. The thermally insulated container has a height and a width. The second, soft-sided container has a large side of comparable extent to the height and width of the thermally insulated container. The second, soft-sided container is detachable from the thermally insulated container and, when so detached, is operable as a cushion. The second, soft-sided container has a closure member operable to govern access thereto and the second, soft-sided container has a cushioning material stored therein. The cushioning material is unfoldable, and, in an unfolded position, the cushioning material is operable as a blanket.  
         [0009]     In a further feature, the soft-sided insulated container assembly has a beverage holder socket mounted to the thermally insulated container, the socket being externally accessible. In another feature, the soft-sided insulated container assembly has a sound reproduction apparatus. In a further feature, the second soft-sided container and the thermally insulated container, when attached, are connected in a back-to-back manner. The second soft sided container and the thermally insulated container, when attached, are connected across mutual upper margins of opposed sides, and in another region distant from those upper margins. When mounted to the thermally insulated container, the second soft-sided container has a profile that lies one of (a) flush with; and (b) shy of, a corresponding profile of the thermally insulated container. The thermally insulated container is movable between an extended position and a collapsible position. In a further feature, the thermally insulated container has releasable securements that are operable to retain the thermally insulated container in the collapsed position.  
         [0010]     In still another feature, the thermally insulated container is movable to a collapsed position, and is securable in the collapsed position. When attached, the second soft-sided container is mounted in a back-to back fashion on the thermally insulated container. When attached, the second soft-sided container has a profile that is one of (a) flush with, and (b) shy of, a corresponding profile of the thermally insulated container, in both width and height. The cushioning material is a blanket that may be removed entirely from the second soft-sided container. The thermally insulated container has at least one beverage receptacle mounted thereto. The thermally insulated container has a first lifting member and the second container has a second lifting member. The soft-sided container assembly has at least one of (a) a CD player; and (b) a radio, mounted thereto. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS  
       [0011]     These aspects and other features of the invention may be understood with the aid of the following illustrations of a number of exemplary, and non-limiting, embodiments of the principles of the invention in which:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view from in front, one side and above of an embodiment of container assembly;  
         [0013]      FIG. 1   b  is a perspective view from behind to the rear and above of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0014]      FIG. 1   c  is a front view of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0015]      FIG. 1   d  is a rear view of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0016]      FIG. 1   e  is a right hand side view of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0017]      FIG. 1   f  is a left hand side view of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0018]      FIG. 1   g  is a top view of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0019]      FIG. 1   h  is a bottom view of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0020]      FIG. 2   a  is a perspective view from in front, above and to the right hand side of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a  in a collapsed position;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2   b  is a perspective view from behind, above and to one side of the container assembly of  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0022]      FIG. 2   c  is a front view of the container assembly of  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0023]      FIG. 2   d  is a right hand side view of the container assembly of  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0024]      FIG. 2   e  is a left hand side view of the container assembly of  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0025]      FIG. 2   f  is a rear view of the container assembly of  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0026]      FIG. 2   g  is a top view of the container assembly of  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0027]      FIG. 2   h  is a bottom view of the container assembly of  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0028]      FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view from in front, above and to the right hand side of a portion of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0029]      FIG. 3   b  is a perspective view from above, behind and to the left hand side of the container assembly portion of  FIG. 3   a;    
         [0030]      FIG. 3   c  shows the container assembly portion of  FIG. 3   a  in an open condition;  
         [0031]      FIG. 3   d  shows a cross-sectional view of the container assembly portion of  FIG. 3   a;    
         [0032]      FIG. 4   a  is a perspective view of another portion of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0033]      FIG. 4   b  is an opposite diagonal view of the container assembly portion of  FIG. 4   a;    
         [0034]      FIG. 5   a  is a perspective view of the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a  with a foldable web element removed therefrom;  
         [0035]      FIG. 5   b  shows the container assembly of  FIG. 1   a  in a fully deployed condition; and  
         [0036]      FIG. 5   c  shows an alternate container assembly to that of  FIG. 1   a  having a sound production apparatus. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0037]     The description that follows, and the embodiments described therein, are provided by way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of the principles of the present invention. These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of the invention. In the description, like parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated in order more clearly to depict certain features of the invention.  
         [0038]     For the purposes of this description, various panels of the insulated containers herein described are arbitrarily designated as the front and rear sides, faces, or portions. Similarly, the closure member, or opening of the insulated container is arbitrarily designated as being at the top, and the base panel is designated as being at the bottom. These terms are arbitrary, and are chosen for convenience as being those that may be used when the container assembly described is in normal use. However, a panel that may be the front or back in one context, may be the side, or top or bottom in another, and a panel that may be the bottom or top, may be some other panel in a different context. It should also be understood that, within the normal range of temperatures to which human food and human touch is accustomed, although the term cooler, or cooler container, or cooler bag, may be used, such insulated structures may generally also be used to keep food, beverages, or other objects either warm or hot as well as cool, cold, or frozen.  
         [0039]     In the illustrations, an insulated container assembly is indicated generally as  20 . Insulated container assembly  20  may include a first portion  22  and a second portion  24 . The first and second portions may be releasably attached.  
         [0040]     First portion,  22  may be an insulated container assembly that includes an insulated wall assembly  26 . Wall assembly  26  may include a base portion identified as a bottom panel  28 , and an upstanding sidewall  30 , which may include a front wall panel  32 , a rear wall panel  34 , a left hand side panel  36  and a right hand side panel  38 . Wall assembly  26  may also include a top panel  40 . Top panel  40  may be movably mounted relative to sidewall  30 , and may be releasably secured thereto at a closure  42  at which top panel  40  mates releasably with the upper rim  44  of sidewall  30 . Top panel  40  may be hingedly attached to sidewall  30 , as indicated at  46 . Closure  42  may be a releasable tracked closure, such as may be in the nature of a zipper  48  extending about three sides of rim  44 . Front wall panel  32  may include a pouch or pocket, or auxiliary compartment  50 , to which access may be governed by another closure member  52 . Auxiliary compartment  50  may be used for such things as knives and forks, napkins, condiments, or such other objects as may be desired.  
         [0041]     First portion  22  may be provided with accommodations  54 ,  56  such as may have the form of a generally round cylindrical socket  58 ,  60 , having a round base  62  and cylindrical wall  64  depending from a collar  66  and backing ring  68  that are fastened together to sandwich the surrounding region of top panel  40 . Accommodations  54 ,  56  may be externally accessible such that a beverage container may be placed therein, possibly in a partially protruding manner, without having to open first portion  22  more generally, that is, accommodations  54 , 56  each have an opening that faces externally to first portion  22  more generally. Base  62  and cylindrical wall  64  may have an inner skin  70 , and outer skin  72  and a layer of insulation  74 . The insulated wall structure of first portion  22  may have a generally six-sided box shape, and may tend to define an insulated internal space, chamber, or compartment  80 . Sockets  58 ,  60  may be soft sided such that, when those sockets are not occupied, they may be collapsed and pushed out of the way of other objects that may be placed within compartment  80  of first portion  22  more generally, or when first portion  22  is moved to a collapsed or storage position. Sockets  58 ,  60  may have a diameter in the range of about 3 inches (+/−½ inch) and may have a depth of about 4 inches (+/−¾ inches) and may be of a size to accommodate a 12 oz. beverage can.  
         [0042]     Each of bottom panel  28 , front wall panel  32 , rear wall panel  34 , left hand wall panel  36 , right hand side wall panel  38 , and top panel  40  may include an outer membrane or covering, such as may be a fabric or plastic sheet, and such as may be represented by woven polyester or nylon fabric or other material, and may be identified as outer layer  82 ; an inner layer, which may be a nylon or polypropylene sheet, and which may be of a reflective coated plastic, such as the material sold under the trade mark Thermoflect™, and which may be identified as inner layer  84 ; and an intermediate layer such as may be a layer of thermal insulation  86 , which may, for example, be an open or closed cell foam. In this specification, an insulated panel may be understood to be one in which a thermally insulative material, such as a layer of foam or felt, or other insulative medium has been incorporated, over and above whatever layer of webbing or fabric might otherwise define a soft-sided wall surface that is not identified as being insulative. That is to say, a layer of canvas or other webbing, alone, may not generally be considered to be an insulated wall, absent some other additional insulative feature.  
         [0043]     First portion  22  may be movable between an expanded, or deployed condition as shown in  FIG. 1   a , to a collapsed position as shown in  FIG. 2   a . In the collapsed position, bottom panel  28  is forced upwardly, left and right side wall panels  36  and  38  are moved inwardly, and the lip of top panel  40  is drawn down over front wall panel  30  and secured to hook-and-eye fastener strips  88 . Further securement is provide by side wall securement fittings  90 ,  92 . First portion  22  may also have a lifting fitting, such as ring  94 , and a lifting member, such as a carrying strap,  96 .  
         [0044]     Second portion  24  may include a wall structure  100  having a back wall  102 , an outstanding peripheral sidewall  104 , and a front face wall  106 . Each of these may be a flexible fabric panel. Back wall  102  and front face wall  106  may have substantially the same plan form. Outstanding peripheral wall  104  may include bottom, top, left and right hand portions  110 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116 , that form a generally rectangular shape. A peripheral portion of front face wall  106  may be connected to outstanding peripheral front face wall  104  by means of a closure  122 , such that a portion or region  118  of wall structure  100  may open to provide access to an enclosed space, indicated generally as  120 , into which an object may be placed. That object may be a foldable covering member  130 , such as may be a folded ground sheet, or blanket  132 . Blanket  132  may be made of a wool or synthetic wool, or thick expanded polyester cloth material, such as may tend to have greater thickness than, for example, a linen sheet. Furthermore, blanket  132 , when folded, may have sufficient resiliency to function as a cushion when enclosed in second portion  24 .  
         [0045]     Second portion  24  may be detachably secured to first portion  22 . For example, a detachable tracked fastener  134  may have halves that run along the upper edge of back wall  102  of wall structure  100 , and along the upper margin of rear wall panel  34 , respectively, thereby connecting them together when the tracked fastener is engaged. In addition, a second securement fitting, or fittings  136  may be mounted to connect regions of back wall  102  and rear wall panel  34 , and may serve to encourage second portion  24  to stay in position relative to first portion  22  in a substantially planar, or back-to-back orientation. Securement fittings  136  may be engageable hook-and-eye fabric strips such as sold under the trademark “Velcro”. Second portion  24  may also include a carrying member, be it a handle  140 , as may be mounted along top portion  112  of wall structure  100 .  
         [0046]     Second portion  24  may have a footprint, which is to say, the projected profile of back wall  102 , for example, that falls substantially within a range that is less than 20% greater in either height, h, or width, w, than the corresponding area of rear wall panel  34  of first portion  22 , in one or both of height and width, and which may be more than 75% of the height, or width, or both, of rear wall panel  34  of first portion  22 . In one embodiment, second portion  24  may be of substantially the same width as rear wall panel  34 . The height of second portion  24  may be substantially the same as, or less than, the height of first portion  22 . The height of second portion  24  may be less than the height of first portion  22  by an amount that is greater than, or substantially equal to, the thickness of handle  140 , such that the extent that handle  140  may protrude upward may be such as to lie below, or substantially flush with, top wall panel  40 . The lower margin of second portion  24  may be mounted (when second portion  24  is attached to first portion  22 ) in a position that is substantially flush with the bottom margin of rear wall panel  34  of first portion  22 . Further, second portion  24  may have substantially the same width as a single seat of a bleacher. For example, the width of second portion  24  may be in the range of greater than 10 inches, to about 20 inches, and may be in the range of about 12 to 16 inches. The aspect ratio of the short side to the long side may be in the range of 3/5 to 1:1, and may be in the range of about ¾, +/−10%.  
         [0047]     In an unfolded condition, blanket  132  may have an area that is in the range of 15 to 40 times the nominal area of the footprint of second portion  24  when used as a cushion. In one embodiment it may be about 25 times as large, +/−20%. Alternatively, in a folded condition, blanket  132  may be folded to give a number of plies that is in the range of 10 to 30, and in one embodiment may be about 16 plies (+/−4).  
         [0048]     In an alternate embodiment, shown in  FIG. 5   c , an insulated container assembly  150  may be substantially the same as insulated container assembly  20 , but, in addition, may include a portable sound projecting system  152 , such as may include a radio  154  or CD player  156  or both.  
         [0049]     Although the embodiments illustrated and described above are preferred, the principles of the present invention are not limited to these specific examples, which are given by way of illustration. Since changes in or additions to the above-described embodiments, or both, may be made without departing from the nature, spirit or scope of the invention, the invention is not to be limited to those details.