Pressure release technology for hard-sided cooler boxes

A hard-sided cooler box may include a channel or cylindrical-shaped hole that extends from the outside of the cooler box to the inside of the cooler box. This cylindrical-shaped hole or channel may be covered/sealed by one or more latches of the cooler box when the cooler box is closed, and the latches are secured. However, when the latches of the cooler box are released, the cylindrical-shaped hole or channel may be unblocked, and the air from the interior of the cooler box can escape to the outside of the cooler box before the lid is lifted from the body. This allows the lid to be opened with no struggle.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to hard-sided cooler boxes, and more particularly to pressure release technology for hard-sided cooler boxes.

BACKGROUND

Pressure often builds up in hard-sided cooler boxes. Users of these hard-sided cooler boxes typically remove the drain plug in order to release the built-up pressure. However, this often results in losing ice and water stored within the hard-sided cooler box. In addition, removing the drain plug can be cumbersome to execute each time that the hard-sided cooler box is opened. A vacuum release button also may be utilized, but this is a physical button that still requires the user to affirmatively push the button to release the pressure each time that the hard-sided cooler box is opened.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a hard-sided cooler box comprising: a body formed of a bottom, a front wall parallel to a back wall, a first side wall parallel to a second side wall, the front wall, the back wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall extending from the bottom to delineate the body of the hard-sided cooler box; a lid coupled to an opening of the body opposite the bottom of the body, the lid movable between an open position and a closed position; at least one receiver positioned on an outer portion of the front wall, the at least one receiver having a channel that may extend from the outer portion of the front wall through the body of the hard-sided cooler box; and at least one latch securable to the at least one receiver, wherein the at least one latch may cover the channel when the lid is in a closed position and the at least one latch is secured, and wherein the channel may be unblocked to release pressure from the body of the hard-sided cooler box when the at least one latch is unsecured. The channel may extend through the body, an insulation foam, and a liner of the hard-sided cooler box. The lid may be a one-sided opening lid or a dual-sided opening lid. The at least one latch may comprise a first latch securable to a first receiver positioned on the outer portion of the front wall; and a second latch securable to a second receiver positioned on an outer portion of the back wall, wherein the first receiver and the second receiver each house a channel covered by the first latch and the second latch, respectively, when the lid is in a closed position and the first latch and the second latch are secured, and wherein each of the channels is unblocked to release pressure from the body of the hard-sided cooler box when the first latch and the second latch are unsecured. The at least one latch may provide a smooth, flat surface that connects flush with the at least one receiver. When the at least one latch is secured to the at least one receiver, a seal may be created, and when the at least one latch is released, air contained within the body may be released through the channel. The cooler box may further comprise at least one additional latch that is securable to the front wall of the hard-sided cooler box but does not cover the channel.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a hard-sided cooler box comprising: a body formed of a bottom, a front wall parallel to a back wall, a first side wall parallel to a second side wall, the front wall, the back wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall extending from the bottom to delineate the body of the hard-sided cooler box; a dual-sided opening lid coupled to an opening of the body opposite the bottom of the body, the lid movable between an open position and a closed position; a first latch securable to a first receiver positioned on the outer portion of the front wall; and a second latch securable to a second receiver positioned on an outer portion of the back wall, wherein the first receiver and the second receiver each may house a channel covered by the first latch and the second latch, respectively, when the lid is in a closed position and the first latch and the second latch are secured, and wherein each of the channels may be unblocked to release pressure from the body of the hard-sided cooler box when the at least the first latch or the second latch is unsecured. The first latch and the second latch may both be unsecured to release pressure from the channels on the first receiver and the second receiver. Each of the channels may extend through the body, an insulation foam, and a liner of the hard-sided cooler box. The first latch and the second latch each may provide a smooth, flat surface that connects flush with the first receiver and the second receiver, respectively. When the first latch and the second latch are secured to the first receiver and the second receiver, respectively, a seal may be created, and when the at least the first latch or the second latch is released, air contained within the body may be released through the channel. The cooler box also may include at least one additional latch that is securable to the front wall of the hard-sided cooler box but does not cover a channel. The first latch and the second latch may be attached to the lid when unsecured or they may be attached to the front wall and the back wall of the hard-sided cooler box when unsecured.

Further embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a hard-sided cooler box comprising: a body formed of a bottom, a front wall parallel to a back wall, a first side wall parallel to a second side wall, the front wall, the back wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall extending from the bottom to delineate the body of the hard-sided cooler box; a lid coupled to an opening of the body opposite the bottom of the body, the lid movable between an open position and a closed position; a first receiver positioned on an outer portion of the front wall, the receiver having a channel that may extend from the outer portion of the front wall through the body of the hard-sided cooler box; and a first latch securable to the first receiver, wherein the first latch may cover the channel when the lid is in a closed position and the first latch is secured, and wherein the channel is unblocked to release pressure from the body of the hard-sided cooler box when the first latch is unsecured. The cooler box also may include a second latch securable to a second receiver not including a channel. The channel may extend through the body, an insulation foam, and a liner of the hard-sided cooler box. The first latch may provide a smooth, flat surface that connects flush with the first receiver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a hard-sided cooler box having a channel or cylindrical-shaped hole that may extend from the outside of the cooler box to the inside of the cooler box. More specifically, the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole may begin at a position on a front outer wall of the hard-sided cooler box. The channel or cylindrical-shaped hole may extend from a front outer wall of the hard-sided cooler box through the cooler body, the insulation foam, and the inner wall (liner).

The hard-sided cooler box according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one latch that may secure to the front outer wall of the hard-sided cooler box. The at least one latch may be configured to provide a smooth, flat surface so that it may connect flush with the portion (which also may be referred to herein as a receiver) of the front outer wall of the hard-sided cooler box where the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole may originate. When the lid of the hard-sided cooler box to which the at least one latch may be attached is closed, the at least one latch in connection with the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole on the front outer wall of the hard-sided cooler box may create a seal to keep air or external conditions from affecting the contents of the hard-sided cooler box. When at least one latch of the hard-sided cooler box according to embodiments of the present disclosure is released, the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole may be unblocked. Accordingly, air that has been contained with the interior of the hard-sided cooler box may escape to the outside of the hard-sided cooler box before the lid is entirely lifted from the body of the hard-sided cooler box that may be dual-sided or the lid is opened to be at an angle relative to the body of the hard-sided cooler box. This may allow the lid to opened by a user more easily (i.e., with less struggle). This is because the pressure that may build up inside the hard-sided cooler box when it is in a closed configuration may be released through the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole that is exposed to the exterior of the hard-sided cooler box when the latch covering it is released. As depicted herein, it should be appreciated that the pressure release technology may be used with lids of hard-sided cooler boxes that may open on one side or may be dual-side opening in embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG.1depicts hard-sided cooler box10in an open configuration and including one-sided opening lid104according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hard-sided cooler box10may include front wall101aand back wall101bthat may be positioned parallel to one another and side walls102a,102bthat may be positioned parallel to one another. Front wall101a, back wall101b, and side walls102a,102bmay be connected to form cooler body103that may receive one or more items to be cooled. Each of front wall101a, back wall101b, and side walls102a,102bmay include an outer hard wall, insulation foam, and an inner wall facing cooler body103.

Cooler box10may include lid104in embodiments of the present disclosure. When cooler box10is closed, lid104and front wall101a, back wall101b, and side walls102aalong with the bottom wall (not depicted herein) of cooler box10may enclose cooler body103which may provide storage for one or more items to be cooled.

Lid104may include one or more latches105a,105b. One or more latches105a,105bmay be used to attach lid104to front wall101aand close cooler box10. In addition, one or more latches105a,105bmay seal cooler box10while still allowing cooler box10to be easily opened without excessive pressure build-up within cooler box10. One or more latches105a,105bmay connect to receivers106a,106bthat may be provided on front wall101a. As depicted herein, latch105amay have a smooth, flat surface so that it may connect flush with receiver106awhere channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107amay originate, and latch105bmay have a smooth, flat surface so that it may connect flush with receiver106bwhere channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107bmay originate. When lid104of hard-sided cooler box10to which latches105a,105bmay be attached is closed (i.e., affixed to receivers on the wall(s) of cooler box10), latches105aand105bmay create a seal over channel or cylindrical-shaped holes107aand107bto keep air or external conditions from affecting the contents of hard-sided cooler box10. When latches105a,105bare released, channel or cylindrical-shaped holes107a,107bmay be unblocked, allowing air/pressure to be released from cooler box10.

FIG.2Adepicts a hard-sided cooler box in a closed configuration with a one-sided opening lid according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.2Bdepicts a close-up view of a latch of the hard-sided cooler box ofFIG.2Ain an open position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted inFIG.2B, when lid104is closed but before latch105ais secured, channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107present on receiver106amay be visible. However, when latch105ais secured to receiver106a, latch105awould now covering channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107such that the hard-sided cooler box is sealed, and the contents of the hard-sided cooler box would not be exposed to outside air or external conditions until latch105ais later released. When latch105ais released, pressure may be released through channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107being no longer blocked by latch105a. Accordingly, lid104may be opened by a user more easily because the user is no longer fighting against the pressure built up inside the body of the cooler box when air/pressure escapes through unblocked channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107.

FIG.3Adepicts a side cross-sectional view of latch105aon a hard-sided cooler box with a one-sided opening lid in a closed position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted herein, channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107amay be blocked by blocking member301of the latch105a, through the closure of latch105a. The closure of latch105awould not affect the effectiveness of cooling of the hard-sided cooler box because channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107ais not open to external conditions since the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107ais blocked by blocking member301. As can be seen, the blocking member301directly covers the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107a. The blocking member301can be formed as a protrusion that blocks then end302of the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107aand extends into the end302of the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107a. The blocking member301can be formed integrally with the latch105a,FIG.3Bdepicts a side cross-sectional view of latch105aon a hard-sided cooler box with a one-sided opening lid in an open position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. When latch105ais opened, channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107amay be open to external conditions, allowing air pressure or vacuum to be released from the interior of the hard-sided cooler box. This blocking and unblocking of channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107amay address the vacuum seal problem that arises with one-way gaskets (sometimes referred to as “v-seals”) that typically seal the lid to the body of a hard-sided cooler box. These one-way gaskets allow air to escape the body of the hard-sided cooler box, such as when a user shuts the lid and secures the latches, but they do not allow air to travel from the outside into the body. This leads to vacuum pressure build-up inside the cooler box, and along with other variables, including, but not limited to, ice melting over time, atmospheric pressure changes, elevation changes, temperature outside the cooler changes, the lid can become very difficult to open even after the latches are un-done. Inclusion of channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107amay address the problem of the gasket becoming vacuum-sealed to the body or walls of the hard-sided cooler box, as air/pressure may be released from the body of the hard-sided cooler box through channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107aimmediately upon release of latch105a, and the hard-sided cooler may be easier to open the lid of the hard-sided cooler box.

FIG.4Adepicts a front view of latch105aon a hard-sided cooler box with a one-sided opening lid in a closed position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG.4Bdepicts another front view of a latch presented in phantom on a hard-sided cooler box with a one-sided opening lid in a closed position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted inFIG.4A, when latch105ais in a closed position, channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107is blocked and not visible in this front view. When latch105ais depicted in phantom (FIG.4B), the blockage of channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107by latch105ais in view.

FIG.4Cdepicts a front view of channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107on a front wall of a hard-sided cooler box with a one-sided opening lid in a closed position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this view, the latch that may align with a receiver housing channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107has been removed so that channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107on the front wall of the hard-sided cooler box is visible.FIG.4Ddepicts a front view of channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107on a back wall of a hard-sided cooler box with a one-sided opening lid in an open position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. When the lid of the hard-sided cooler box is moved to a closed position, channel or cylindrical-shaped hole107on the back wall of the hard-sided cooler box may be blocked as well.

As previously discussed, hard-sided cooler boxes according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include lids that may be one-sided opening lids or dual-sided opening lids.FIG.5Adepicts a top view of a hard-sided cooler box in a closed configuration with a dual-sided opening lid according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Dual-sided opening lid504may include latches505a,505b. Latch505amay attach to a front wall of the hard-sided cooler box, and latch505bmay attached to a back wall of the hard-sided cooler box. In this embodiment of the present disclosure, latches505a,505beach may include a channel or cylindrical-shaped hole (not depicted inFIG.5A) that may be blocked from releasing air/pressure from the body of the hard-sided cooler when latches505a,505bare secured to the walls of the hard-sided cooler box.FIG.5Bdepicts a close-up view of latch505aon the hard-sided cooler box ofFIG.5Ain an open position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, channel or cylindrical-shaped hole507aon a front wall of the hard-sided cooler box is visible but would be blocked by latch505awhen it is secured to a receiver on the front wall of the hard-sided cooler box.

FIG.6Adepicts a side cross-sectional view of a latch505ain a closed position on a hard-sided cooler box with a dual-sided opening lid according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted herein, the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole507aon each of the front and back walls may be blocked by blocking member601of the latch505athrough the closure of the latches (such as latches505a,505b,FIG.5A). The closure of the latches505aand505bwould not affect the effectiveness of cooling of the hard-sided cooler box because the channel or cylindrical-shaped holes507aon each of the front and back walls would not be open to external conditions since the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole507ais blocked by blocking member601. As can be seen, a flat surface603of the blocking member601directly covers the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole507a. The blocking member601can be formed as a protrusion that blocks then end602of the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole507a. The flat surface603of the blocking member601covers the end602of the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole507a.FIG.6Bdepicts a side cross-sectional view of a latch505ain an open position on a hard-sided cooler box with a dual-sided opening lid504according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. When the latches505aand505bon the front and back walls of the hard-sided cooler box are opened, the channels or cylindrical-shaped holes507aon each of the front and back walls may be open to external conditions, allowing vacuum pressure to be released from the interior of the hard-sided cooler box. This blocking and unblocking of the channels or cylindrical-shaped holes507amay address the vacuum seal problem that arises with one-way gaskets, as previously described, for example, with respect toFIG.3B.

FIGS.7A-7Ddepict various views of latches on a hard-sided cooler box without a dual-sided opening lid for illustrative purposes. More specifically,FIG.7Adepicts a view of the hard-sided cooler box (without the lid for illustrative purposes) where the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole707bon the back wall is visible from the interior of the cooler body.FIG.7Bdepicts one of the receivers on the front wall without the latch covering the receiver, to illustrate a blocking member601placed over a channel707a. In operation, the blocking member601would be operatively connected to a latch, such as latch505ainFIGS.6A and6B.FIGS.7C and7Ddepict views of the front wall of the hard-sided cooler box without the latches and lid, so that the channel or cylindrical-shaped holes707aand707bare visible.

It should be appreciated that although the hard-sided cooler box according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated with the latches being manipulated in a generally downward direction to engage the receivers, embodiments of the present disclosure include the inverse as well. Additionally, although embodiments of the present disclosure may depict a hard-sided cooler box with two latches on a front wall in a one-sided lid opening configuration and two latches on the front and back walls in a dual-sided lid opening configuration, it should be appreciated that the lid may be secured to the body of the hard-sided cooler box with only one latch on a front wall or a back wall without departing from the present disclosure. In such embodiments, for example, in a one-sided lid opening configuration, the latch on a front wall of the hard-sided cooler box may be received by a centrally located receiver having a channel or cylindrical-shaped hole. The latch may cover the channel or cylindrical-shaped hole and fasten the lid to the body of the hard-sided cooler box. There also may be embodiments of the present disclosure where the positioning of the latches, and accordingly the channel(s) or cylindrical-shaped hole(s) may change, such as if the latches affix to the side walls of the hard-sided cooler box. Further, although embodiments of the present disclosure may depict the latches being received by receivers, it should be appreciated that the receivers may assume different forms, such as slots to receive the latches, without departing from the present disclosure.