Exterior vehicle cooler holder

A mounting device for holding a cooler in place on an external vertical surface of a vehicle or vessel, specially designed to accommodate coolers of the type which have a lid pivotally mounted on either side of a box at a (pushbotton) pivot. A pair of prongs on either side of the invention provide a pair of "U" shaped slots which slide between the box and the lid of the cooler, so that the pivots reach the bottoms of the two "U" shaped slots. An alternate embodiment provides a locking mechanism for holding the cooler in place once it has been slided onto the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to cooler mounting assemblies, and more 
particularly to a new and improved assembly that may be mounted onto the 
exterior of a vehicle or vessel. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Numerous vehicle exterior mounting assemblies are known in the art. Many of 
these assemblies are directed to the holding of a fuel or water cans, 
including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,104,860, 3,188,034, 4,132,336, 4,327,849, and 
4,911,343. Each of these patents utilizes a series of brackets, springs 
and clamps to hold a standard shaped fuel/water can to the exterior of a 
vehicle. 
Other patents describe exterior mounting assemblies directed toward holding 
such things as milk cans, No. 1,018,696; luggage, Nos. 1,356,328 
1,621,176, and 1,740,368; water bags, No. 2,447,771; and a fisherman's 
basket, No. 4,936,480. 
Several patents relate to cooler holders. U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,488 describes 
a removable canoe-carried cooler. This particular patent is directed the 
design of a cooler so that it fits conveniently into a canoe. No 
particular exterior mounting mechanism is disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 
4,889,267 describes a cooler caddie for a golf cart, which comprises a 
tray that holds both golf bag and cooler. U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,241 
describes a cooler assembly for catamarans utilizing a tray and a series 
of straps and clips to hold the cooler in place on a pontoon. This 
particular patent is designed to hold coolers of a type having a pivotally 
mounted lid and a handle at the top. A strap is slided through the handle, 
and attached to the base with a special "U" shaped clip. However, this 
prevents the cooler from being opened while mounted, thus reducing 
stability while opened. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Coolers are widely utilized for pleasurable purposes in camping, fishing, 
picnicking, and many other outdoor activities. They are similarly used in 
commercial contexts by construction workers, road crews and the like. 
Coolers typically take up valuable space inside a vehicle or vessel, and 
are also prone to tip over and spill their contents. Another typical 
problem with coolers is gaining access to them or their contents once a 
destination is reached. 
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a 
simple, easily accessible holder adapted for mounting on the exterior of a 
vehicle or vessel, upon which a cooler may be securely fastened and 
transported without taking up space inside vehicle. It is a further 
important object of the present invention to provide a secure place where 
a cooler may be stored to prevent tipping over and spillage of its 
contents during transport. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a place to store 
a cooler, once the destination has been reached, where its contents will 
be readily accessible. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cooler holder 
adapted for mounting on the exterior of a vehicle or vessel which may be 
easily manufactured and is of durable construction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like 
or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring 
particularly to FIG. 1, it is seen that the invention includes a base tray 
11 having a front lip 12 and a rear lip 13 attached thereto. A brace 14 is 
attached to the bottom of the base tray 11, and extends downwardly from 
the outer edge of tray 11 (near lip 12) at an adjustable angle of between 
approximately 30 and 60 degrees to a pair of bolts or other mounting means 
15. Bolts 15 are attached to the external surface of the vehicle or vessel 
10 to which the invention is mounted. Similarly, rear lip 13 is also 
attached to such vehicle or vessel by bolts or other mounting means 16. 
Lip 13 is equipped with a horizontal bar 17 to prevent cooler 30 from 
rubbing against the external surface of the vehicle or vessel 10. 
A pair of specially formed side panels 20a and 20b are attached at opposite 
ends of tray 11 between lips 12 and 13. A pair of upwardly extending 
prongs 21 are provided in panel 20a to form a "U" shaped upper opening. An 
identical set of prongs 21 are also provided in panel 20b to form an 
identical "U" shaped upper opening. The "U" shaped openings of panels 20a 
and 20b are designed for use with such coolers 30 as have a box 31 and lid 
32 pivotally mounted on either side at (pushbutton) pivot joint 33. 
A locking strip 22 is provided in one embodiment of the invention as shown 
in FIG. 6. After the cooler is installed in the invention, strip 22 is 
slided over prongs 21 of either panel 20a or 20b (or both). Strip 22 is 
prevented from slipping up by pins 23 located on each prong 21. Pins 23 
are movably held in place by a piece of flexible material 24 on the inside 
of prongs 21 as shown in FIG. 7. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In the preferred embodiment, the present invention is made of rigid plastic 
or metal, although wood or other material may also be used. It is designed 
to be attached by bolts or other means to a vertical planar surface of a 
vehicle or vessel, such as the back of a utility truck. The tray 11 is 
attached directly to such surface, and is supported by bracket 14 which is 
angularly mounted to the bottom of tray 11 at one end, and to the vehicle 
or vessel 10 at the other end. A bar 17 is provided to prevent the cooler 
from rubbing against such surface. 
The invention is particularly designed to be used with coolers having large 
pivotally mounted lids 32 that are attached to the box of the cooler 31 at 
a pair of central pivot joints 33 on the sides of said box. Two panels 20a 
and 20b having "U" shaped openings are provided by the invention as 
defined by prongs 21. 
To mount a cooler on the invention, the cooler is placed over prongs 21 so 
that said prongs slide between the box 31 and the lid 32 of the cooler 
(see FIG. 4). The cooler should be slided downward over prongs 21 until 
the pivot joints 33 of the cooler reach the bottom of each "U" (see FIG. 
2). 
The invention is designed so as not to interfere with the user's ability to 
open the lid and access the cooler (see FIG. 3), while at the same time 
keeping the cooler itself securely mounted. The invention may be mounted 
on any exterior surface of a vehicle or vessel, the most common such 
placement being on the back of a jeep, truck, or other vehicle. 
A locking mechanism is provided in an alternative embodiment as shown in 
FIG. 6. This embodiment includes a set of pins 23 located on the prongs 21 
of the panels 20a/20b. Once the cooler is placed onto the invention, a 
specially formed removable strip 22 is slided over the pins 23 on the 
prongs 21 which pins hold the strip in place. The strip thereafter serves 
to hold the pivot joint 33 of the cooler in place, preventing the cooler 
from bouncing out of the invention. A locking strip may be provided on 
only one, or on both of panels 20a and 20b. The locking mechanism is also 
designed so that it does not interfere with the user's access to the 
cooler. 
It is to be understood that variations and modifications of the present 
invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof. It is also 
to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited by the 
specific embodiments disclosed herein, but only in accordance with the 
appended claims when read in light of the foregoing specification.