Portable liquid cooler

A portable liquid insulated cooler having a plug removably mounted on the top wall through which a flexible tubing extends providing a straw for drawing the liquid contents from the container. A receptacle containing a coolant is removably mounted on the top wall of the cooler and depends therefrom into the liquid in the cooler. The cooler is provided with a handle having a storage compartment for the flexible tubing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In the mobile society in which we live, there are many situations in which 
it is inconvenient for an individual, while driving a vehicle such as an 
automobile, truck, boat, bicycle, or even merely walking, to stop for a 
drink of water or other cool refreshment when thirsty. 
Various drinking apparatus have been proposed to permit the driver of a 
vehicle to drink water or other liquid while driving. One such arrangement 
is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,153, dated Oct. 8, 1974, wherein a 
container having flexible walls and a conduit extending into the container 
is removably clamped to the frame of a bicycle. While this drinking 
apparatus is adequate for its intended purpose, the removal and 
replacement of the container are, however, distracting and tends to 
interfere with the driver's view of the road. 
To overcome this disadvantage, a drinking apparatus of the type disclosed 
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,812, dated June 20, 1978, has been proposed wherein 
an extensible drinking straw is provided which communicates with a water 
bottle clamped to a bicycle frame. While this apparatus is also adequate 
for its intended purpose, its construction and arrangement is such that 
the drinking apparatus becomes an integral part of the bicycle and 
therefore, is not portable to the extent that it can be readily used while 
driving other vehicles. 
After considerable research and experimentation, the portable liquid cooler 
of the present invention has been devised to overcome the disadvantages 
experienced with prior portable liquid coolers and comprises essentially a 
container mounted within a housing in spaced relationship therewith and 
having insulation in the space between the outer wall surface of the 
container and the inner wall surface of the housing. A plug is threadably 
mounted in the top walls of the housing and container and is provided with 
a depending integral tube through which a flexible plastic tubing is 
adapted to extend into the container, and a removable closure is provided 
for closing the plug when the flexible tubing is not in place. A 
receptacle for containing a refrigerant is threadably mounted in the top 
walls of the housing and container, and a fitting is provided on the top 
wall of the housing for temporarily holding the removable closure when the 
flexible tubing has been inserted through the plug. The housing is 
provided with a hollow handle adapted to store the flexible tubing when 
not in use. The bottom wall of the liquid container is sloped in a 
direction toward the end of the tubing so that the liquid in the container 
will remain in the vicinity of the lower end of the tubing even when the 
contents of the container are low. 
By the construction and arrangement of the portable liquid cooler of the 
present invention, the cooler may be carried and placed in a convenient 
location in a vehicle and the flexible plastic tubing can be inserted into 
the container and used as a straw for drawing the cool liquid therefrom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the 
portable liquid cooler of the present invention comprises a housing 1 
having a container 2 positioned therein in spaced relationship to the 
walls of the housing. Suitable insulation 3 is provided in the space 
between the outer wall surface of the container and the inner wall surface 
of the housing. A plug 4 is threadably mounted in the top walls of the 
housing and container and is provided with an integral tube 5 having a 
depending portion 5a extending downwardly into the container 2, and 
another portion 5b extending upwardly from the bottom wall of a recess 4a 
provided in the plug 4. 
A flexible plastic tubing 6 is adapted to be inserted through the integral 
tube 5 into the container 2, to thereby provide a straw for drawing the 
liquid 7 from the container. The relative diameters of the tube portion 5b 
and tubing 6 are such that there is a snug fit therebetween to prevent 
liquid from splashing out of the container 2. Any drops of liquid which 
might escape will drop into the recess portion 4a of the plug. 
In order that air can enter the container 2 as liquid is removed therefrom, 
a groove 4b is provided in the threaded portion of the plug to thereby 
provide a vent; and to close the plug 4 to prevent escape of the liquid 
from the container when the tubing 6 has been removed, a closure 8 is 
provided having a depending tubular portion 8a adapted to extend over the 
open end of the tube portion 5b, as shown in phantom in FIG. 3. 
A fitting 9 is also provided on the top wall of the housing 1 for 
temporarily holding the cap 8 when the flexible tubing 6 is being used. 
A receptacle 10 having a closure 11 and containing a coolant or refrigerant 
12 is also threadably connected to the top walls of the housing 1 and 
container 2 and depends therefrom into the liquid 7. While the coolant 
shown in FIG. 3 consists of ice cubes, it is contemplated that other 
frozen coolants or refrigerants might be employed. 
In this connection, FIG. 6 illustrates a cylindrical mold 13 by which a 
coolant such as water can be frozen and removed therefrom in the form of a 
cylindrical solid for insertion into the receptacle 10. 
Two or three of the molds 13 would be provided with each cooler so that a 
supply of ice is readily available. 
To complete the structure of the portable liquid cooler of the present 
invention, a bifurcated handle 14 is provided having arm portions 14a and 
14b pivotally connected to the end walls of the housing as at 14c and 14d. 
The bight portion 14e of the handle is hollow, as will be seen in FIG. 5, 
and is adapted to provide a storage compartment for the tubing 6 when not 
in use. A slidable closure 14f is provided for closing the storage 
compartment as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a button 14g being provided on the 
closure 14f to facilitate the manual manipulation thereof. 
In use, the cooler is filled with drinking fluid and a coolant, and carried 
by the handle 14. When it is desired to drink the liquid, the closure 8 is 
removed from the plug 4 and threaded onto the fitting 9. The tubing 6 is 
removed from the handle 14 and inserted through the tube 5 into the liquid 
7. If the cooler is being used while driving a vehicle, the outer end 
portion of the tubing 6 can be removably held by a bracket 15 secured to 
the vehicle dashboard 16, to thereby make the drinking end of the tube 6 
readily accessible to the driver. 
The container 2 is dimensioned so that the opening in the top wall thereof 
through which the receptacle 10 extends is large enough to accommodate a 
person's hand to facilitate cleaning the interior of the container; the 
bottom wall of the container is sloped in a direction toward the lower end 
of the tube 5 and associated tubing 6 so that the liquid in the container 
will remain in the vicinity of the lower end of the tubing even when the 
contents of the container are low; and the upper or top wall is sloped in 
a direction toward the opening therein, through which the receptacle 10 
extends, so that after washing, the cooler can be placed in upside-down 
manner to drain the wash water therefrom. 
It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and 
described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that 
various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be 
resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope 
of the subjoined claims.