Picnic cooler

A new picnic cooler for carrying eating utensils along with edibles. The inventive device includes a base and a perimeter wall upwardly extending around the base. A tray is rested on the top edge of the perimeter wall. The back edge of the tray is hingedly coupled to the back wall of the perimeter wall. A lid is hingedly coupled to the back wall of the perimeter wall at the top edge of the perimeter wall. A handle is pivotally coupled to the side walls of the perimeter side wall. The upper face of the tray has a plurality of depressions forming compartments in the upper face of the tray.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to picnic coolers and more particularly 
pertains to a new picnic cooler for carrying eating utensils along with 
edibles. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of picnic coolers is known in the prior art. More specifically, 
picnic coolers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist 
basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, 
notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art 
which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and 
requirements. 
Known prior art picnic coolers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,452; U.S. Pat. 
No. 5,090,572; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 335,960; U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,695; U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,015,429; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,949. 
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and 
requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new picnic 
cooler. The inventive device includes a base and a perimeter wall upwardly 
extending around the base. A tray is rested on the top edge of the 
perimeter wall. The back edge of the tray is hingedly coupled to the back 
wall of the perimeter wall. A lid is hingedly coupled to the back wall of 
the perimeter wall at the top edge of the perimeter wall. A handle is 
pivotally coupled to the side walls of the perimeter side wall. The upper 
face of the tray has a plurality of depressions forming compartments in 
the upper face of the tray. 
In these respects, the picnic cooler according to the present invention 
substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the 
prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for 
the purpose of carrying eating utensils along with edibles. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
picnic coolers now present in the prior art, the present invention 
provides a new picnic cooler construction wherein the same can be utilized 
for carrying eating utensils along with edibles. 
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described 
subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new picnic cooler 
apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the picnic 
coolers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new 
picnic cooler which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or 
even implied by any of the prior art picnic coolers, either alone or in 
any combination thereof. 
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a base and a 
perimeter wall upwardly extending around the base. A tray is rested on the 
top edge of the perimeter wall. The back edge of the tray is hingedly 
coupled to the back wall of the perimeter wall. A lid is hingedly coupled 
to the back wall of the perimeter wall at the top edge of the perimeter 
wall. A handle is pivotally coupled to the side walls of the perimeter 
side wall. The upper face of the tray has a plurality of depressions 
forming compartments in the upper face of the tray. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new picnic 
cooler apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the picnic 
coolers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new 
picnic cooler which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or 
even implied by any of the prior art picnic coolers, either alone or in 
any combination thereof. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new picnic 
cooler which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new picnic 
cooler which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new picnic 
cooler which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to 
both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low 
prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such picnic cooler 
economically available to the buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
picnic cooler which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior 
art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some 
of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new picnic 
cooler for carrying eating utensils along with edibles. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new picnic 
cooler which includes a base and a perimeter wall upwardly extending 
around the base. A tray is rested on the top edge of the perimeter wall. 
The back edge of the tray is hingedly coupled to the back wall of the 
perimeter wall. A lid is hingedly coupled to the back wall of the 
perimeter wall at the top edge of the perimeter wall. A handle is 
pivotally coupled to the side walls of the perimeter side wall. The upper 
face of the tray has a plurality of depressions forming compartments in 
the upper face of the tray. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
picnic cooler that allows a user to carry virtually everything needed for 
a picnic in a single carrying container Even still another object of the 
present invention is to provide a new picnic cooler that keeps all the 
utensils organized in their own compartments. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5 
thereof, a new picnic cooler embodying the principles and concepts of the 
present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 
will be described. 
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the picnic cooler 10 generally 
comprises a lower container having a base and a perimeter wall upwardly 
extending around the base. A tray 18 is rested on the top edge 16 of the 
perimeter wall. The back edge of the tray 18 is hingedly coupled 33 to the 
back wall 13 of the perimeter wall. A lid 20 is hingedly coupled 33 to the 
back wall 13 of the perimeter wall at the top edge 16 of the perimeter 
wall. A handle 22 is pivotally coupled to the side walls 14,15 of the 
perimeter side wall. The upper face of the tray 18 has a plurality of 
depressions forming compartments 26,27,28,29,30,31 in the upper face of 
the tray 18. 
In closer detail, the cooler container 10 includes a lower container having 
a generally rectangular base and a perimeter wall upwardly extending 
around the base. The perimeter wall has a top edge 16 and includes front 
and back walls 12,13 and a pair of side walls 14,15 extending between the 
front and back walls 12,13. The front, back, and side walls 14,15 are 
preferably generally rectangular. The base and the perimeter wall define a 
container interior space 17 designed for holding items such as food stuffs 
therein. The top edge 16 of the perimeter side wall defines an generally 
rectangular upper opening into the container interior space 17. 
The cooler container also includes generally rectangular tray 18 having a 
perimeter edge, and upper and lower faces. The perimeter edge of the tray 
18 includes front and back edges. The perimeter edge of the tray 18 also 
forms an annular shoulder 19 around the outer perimeter of the lower face 
of the tray 18 such that the outer perimeter of the upper face of the tray 
18 extends around the outer perimeter of the lower face of the tray 18. 
The annular shoulder 19 of the tray 18 is rested on the top edge 16 of the 
perimeter wall such that the lower face of the tray 18 substantially 
covers the upper opening into the container interior space 17. The back 
edge of the tray 18 is hingedly coupled 33 to the back wall 13 of the 
perimeter wall at the top edge 16 of the perimeter wall. 
A lid 20 is also provided. The lid 20 is generally rectangular and has a 
front, a back, and perimeter lip 21 downwardly extending therearound. The 
lid 20 substantially covers the upper face of the tray 18 and the upper 
opening into the interior space 17 with the lip 21 extending around the 
top edge 16 of the perimeter wall and the perimeter edge of the tray 18. 
The back of the lid 20 is hingedly coupled 33 to the back wall 13 of the 
perimeter wall at the top edge 16 of the perimeter wall. 
The cooler 10 preferably includes a handle 22 having a pair of arms and a 
cross bar connecting the arms. One of the arms of the handle 22 is 
pivotally coupled to one of the side walls 14 of the perimeter side wall 
while the other arm of the handle is pivotally coupled to the other side 
wall 15 of the perimeter side wall. 
A pair of latches 23,24 releasably attach the front of the lid 20 to the 
front wall 12 of the perimeter side wall. The pair of latches 23,24 are 
preferably coupled to the front of the lid 20 and engage a pair of tabs on 
the front wall 12 of the perimeter wall to hold the lid to the perimeter 
wall. A tray latch 25 releasably attaches the front edge of the tray 18 to 
the front of the lid 18. The tray latch 25 is preferably positioned 
between the latches of the pair of latches 23,24. Preferably, the tray 
latch 25 is coupled to the front edge of the tray 18 and engages the lid 
20 at a notch in the front of the tray 18. 
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the upper face of, the tray 18 has a plurality of 
depressions forming compartments 26,27,28,29,30,31 in the upper face of 
the tray 18. The compartments include a generally circular plate 
compartment 26 adapted for receiving plates therein. The compartments also 
preferably include a number of generally rectangular utensil compartments 
27 adapted for receiving eating utensils therein. A generally rectangular 
napkin compartment 28 adapted for receiving napkins therein is also 
included. Preferably, the compartments include a pair of generally 
rectangular shaker compartments 29 adapted for receiving condiment shakers 
therein. In the preferred embodiment, the compartments also include a 
spatula compartment 30 and a cooking fork compartment 31 adapted for 
receiving therein a spatula and a cooking fork respectfully. 
Preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the cooler has a pair of side finger 
handles 34,35 instead of a single large handle 22. These side finger 
handles 34,35 are coupled to the side walls 14,15 of the cooler. 
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the 
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. 
Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and 
operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.