Ice chest container partition device

An ice chest container partition device, adapted to be adjustable for different diameter beveraae containers, and employed by placement thereof within an ice chest to provide an ice retention barrier opening in the ice pack within the chest so that when a beverage container is removed it may thereafter be replaced without ice in the ice pack of the chest having fallen into and filled the ice pack opening therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an accessory device for use with an ice 
chest cooler and enhancing the ease and convenience for one to insert, 
remove and replace a beverage container within the ice pack of the chest 
by providing an adjustable ice pack retention barrier to overcome the 
common and annoying problem encountered when ice falls into and fills the 
ice pack opening of a beverage container that is removed therefrom. 
Although the description and references herein will relate to use of the 
invention hereof for beverage containers, it is to be understood that the 
same device could just as readily be employed with food containers and the 
like for cooling in an ice chest, and the reference to beverage containers 
is illustrative only and not to be regarded as per se restrictive. 
Among the various prior art devices for holding a beverage container within 
an ice pack for cooling and providing a perforated retentive barrier 
between the container and ice pack are those as respectively taught by 
Wright in U.S. Pat. No. 117,712 dated Aug. 1, 1871, and Meyer in his U.S. 
Pat. No. 705,270 dated Jul. 22, 1902, wherein the device taught by Meyer 
is of particular interest in that it is adjustable to accommodate beverage 
containers of different heights as opposed to beverage containers of 
different diameters. 
Additionally provided are ice chest insert tray and rack devices for 
holding beverage containers in position within an ice pack of the chest, 
exemplary of which would be those as taught by Palmer in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,401,535 dated Sept. 17, 1968, and by Adams et al in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,916,923 dated Apr. 17, 1990, wherein the device taught by Adams et al 
embodies an adjustable rack means to accommodate ice chest coolers of 
different sizes. In neither of the foregoing teachings, however, is there 
any provision for mechanically accommodating adjustment of the beverage 
container holding means to beverage containers of different diameters. 
The applicants herein, by their invention, provide a new and novel device 
for economically and conveniently overcoming the inconvenience otherwise 
encountered when removing a beverage container from the ice in an ice 
chest cooler, whereupon the ice falls into and fills the ice pack opening 
for the container, thereby making it inconvenient and difficult to replace 
the container following a use thereof. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an ice chest 
container partition device insertable within an ice chest to retainably 
establish and maintain an ice pack opening barrier between a beverage 
container placed within an ice pack within the chest for cooling, and ice 
within the ice pack of the chest, so that the beverage container may be 
conveniently inserted, withdrawn and replaced without ice in the ice pack 
of the chest falling into and filling the ice pack opening therefor when 
the beverage container is removed. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ice chest 
container partition device which is adjustable to accommodate beverage 
containers of different diameters. 
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an ice chest 
container partition device which may be advantageously employed to 
preserve a beverage container opening within the ice pack in ice chests 
and similar such beverage cooling apparatus wherein chipped, shaved or 
cubed ice is employed as the cooling medium. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an ice chest 
container partition device having perforations therein whereby cold water 
from the melted ice pack is enabled to pass therethrough into contact with 
the beverage container and thereby aid in the efficient cooling of the 
beverage within said container. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ice chest 
container partition device which may be advantageously employed either 
singly or in combination, in a singly set or in adjustably varied set 
diameters, to accommodate similar or different sized beverage containers 
for ice pack cooling within an ice chest or similar such beverage cooling 
apparatus. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ice chest 
container partition device which is simple and durable in construction, 
economical to manufacture, and is easily and efficiently employed for the 
purpose intended. 
The foregoing, and other objects hereof, will be readily evident upon a 
study of the following specification and accompanying drawings comprising 
a part thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIG. 1, the ice chest container partition device 10 of present 
invention, in the preferred embodiment version and the structural features 
thereof comprising the same, are shown in an unassembled side elevation 
view configuration which structural features consist of a pliable material 
barrier body 12 in the form of a rectangular sheet having a longitudinal 
dimension X and a lateral dimension Y, which is provided within the 
peripheral boundaries thereof with a patterned regularly repeating 
plurality of openings 14, said body 12 having at a first longitudinal end 
near the respective lateral extremities thereof a set of longitudinally 
extending regularly spaced plurality of female connector openings 16 and 
at the opposing second longitudinal end near the respective lateral 
extremities thereof being provided with a corresponding longitudinally 
extending regularly spaced plurality of male connector protrusions 18 
respectively adapted to be insertably cooperative with said female 
connector openings 16 in a male/female connectively insertive manner. As 
will hereinafter be illustrated and more fully explained, the patterned 
regularly repeating plurality of openings 14 are provided for the purpose 
of passing ice water to facilitate and enhance cooling efficiency and 
effects during use of said ice chest container partition device 10. Also 
as will hereinafter be fully illustrated and more fully explained, the set 
of longitudinally extending regularly spaced plurality of female connector 
openings 16 and the corresponding longitudinally extending regularly 
spaced plurality of male connector protrusions 18 insertably cooperative 
connectively therewith are provided for the purpose of assembling said 
body 12 into a cylindrical shape of adjustably varying diameter to provide 
an ice chest container partition device 10. It should further be noted 
that the body 12 is fabricated by standard techniques for the production 
of items made from pliable impervious plastic materials, and that the male 
connector protrusions 18 are preferably formed from the same pliable 
impervious plastic material as the body 12 and are integral therewith. 
Referring now to FIG. 2 wherein is shown a top view of the unassembled 
preferred embodiment of the ice chest container partition device 10, 
therein more specifically illustrating the pliable material barrier body 
12 longitudinally extended relationship of the regularly spaced plurality 
of female connector openings 16 to the corresponding regularly spaced 
plurality of male connector protrusions 18 whereby is accomplished 
variably adjustable cylindrical assembly of said body 12 for use 
employment thereof as a retentive barrier to provide an unimpeded opening 
for beverage container insertion within the ice pack of an ice chest 
cooler. It should be noted that the number of female connector openings 16 
and male connector protrusions 18 comprising the corresponding pluralities 
thereof as respectively illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is to be considered 
as exemplary only, wherein the specific numbers thereof could be 
correspondingly greater or lesser than that as shown. It should also be 
noted that the ice chest container partition device 10 unassembled 
configuration as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is that profile not only for 
non-use storage, but also for packaging and shipping so as to reduce to a 
minimum the space requirements therefor in storage and shipping. 
Directing attention now to the preferred embodiment assembled ice chest 
container partition devices 10' as illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5, 
wherein is shown connectable assembly of the pliable material body 12 to 
transform the same from a flat rectangular profile into an assembled ice 
chest container partition device 10' of cylindrical profile and variably 
adjustable diameter depending upon beverage container diameter to be 
accommodated therewithin and to efficiently accommodate within an ice 
chest other items and additional beverage containers of different 
diametrical sizes. As can be seen first in FIG. 3, the largest cylindrical 
profile diameter connective setting for an assembled ice chest container 
partition device 10' is achieved by insertable engagement respectively of 
the terminally longitudinal laterally extreme male connector protrusions 
18 cooperatively within the corresponding female connector openings 16. 
From the assembled ice chest container partition device 10' largest 
diameter setting as shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical size thereof to 
accommodate beverage containers of smaller diameter may be incrementally 
reduced by increased overlap of the longitudinally terminal ends 20 of the 
pliable material barrier body 12 and re-insertable connection of the male 
connector protrusions 18 cooperatively within the corresponding female 
connector openings 16 to thereby assemble an intermediate size ice chest 
container partition device as shown in FIG. 4, or assemble the smallest 
diameter size thereof by means of further overlapping the longitudinally 
terminal ends 20 and fully interconnecting all male connector protrusions 
18 cooperatively within the corresponding female connector openings 16 as 
is shown in FIG. 5. Descriptive details of the male/female cooperative 
interconnection assembly 22 will be discussed on consideration of FIG. 11 
hereinafter. 
Turning attention now to FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein is shown an alternate 
embodiment ice chest container partition device 10a in the flat 
unassembled profile, which is modified by providing affixed Velcro 
component hook and pad interconnecting assembly means 24 and 24' to the 
respective longitudinal ends 20 of the pliable material barrier body 12 at 
the opposing lateral extremes thereof, whereby said device 10a is thereby 
enabled to be interconnectably assembled into an adjustable diameter 
cylindrical profile as previously described and as shown in FIGS. 8 
through 10. An added feature of the alternate embodiment ice chest 
container partition device 10a, however, is that on assembly thereof to 
form the cylindrical profile 10a', the diametric setting is infinitely 
rather than incrementally variable from the largest to intermediate to 
smallest diameter settings between the interconnectable limits of the 
Velcro component hook and pad interconnecting assembly means 24 and 24' as 
shown in FIGS. 8 through 10, thereby providing an added flexibility in 
sizing a partition device 10a' to both a beverage container and an ice 
chest cooler. 
Directing attention now to FIG. 11, showing detail of the male/female 
cooperative interconnection assembly 22, wherein it can be seen that the 
size of the male connector protrusion 18 is slightly larger than the 
diameter of the female connector opening 16 such that after the male 
member 18 is pliably inserted into and through the female opening 16 
affixment is thereby effected as illustrated. Release of the affixment is 
achieved simply by withdrawal of the male member 18 from affixed 
engagement through the female opening 16. 
Regarding now the use application illustrations of FIGS. 12 and 13, therein 
showing exemplary ice chest cooler 26 employment of the ice chest 
container partition device with chipped ice 28, in either the preferred or 
alternate embodiments 10' or 10a' thereof. In use application the 
partition devices 10' or l0a are first positioned within the ice 
compartment 30 of an ice chest cooler 26 before the deposit of ice 28 
therein to form a cooling ice pack 32, whereby the pliable material 
barrier bodies 12 respectively of the devices 10' or l0a' provide openings 
in the ice pack 32 to conveniently receive carton or bottle beverage 
containers 34 or 36 for cooling. Thus, beverage containers 34 or 36 may be 
easily removed or replaced within the ice retention barrier opening 38 
provided within the ice pack 32 by means of the ice chest container 
partition devices 10' or 10a' without the ice 28 in the ice pack 32 
falling into and filling said ice retention barrier opening 38. Also, 
additional beverage container 34 and 36 cooling is obtained as illustrated 
in FIG. 13 by means of the melted ice ice water 40 passing through the 
patterned regularly repeating plurality of openings 14 in the pliable 
material barrier body 12, to thereby surround and immerse lower portions 
of the beverage containers 34 and 36 therein. 
Although the ice chest container partition device invention hereof, the 
structural characteristics and method of employment thereof in both the 
preferred and an alternate embodiment thereof, respectively have been 
shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and and 
efficient versions, it is recognized that departures may be made 
respectively therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to 
be limited per se to those specific details as disclosed herein but is to 
be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all 
equivalent such devices, apparatus, and methods.