Abstract:
A movable beverage cooler includes a storage organizer below an insulated cooler tub. The storage organizer has a plurality of adjustable horizontal racks for accommodating individual rows of various sized containers. The racks employ grip-in-place sidewall adjustment pads. The tub has a drop-in top, sliding door sub-assembly, with locking screws. The storage organizer may be enclosed with access through sliding doors. The structure is supported on legs with adjustable leveler extensions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to beverage storage structures and the like, and more specifically is directed to portable, non-electric coolers, used for storage, the organization and the serving of beverages. 
     Portable bars and movable beverage storage cabinets and chests have been constructed in many formats. The most common is a fiberglass or stainless steel rectangular tub mounted on wheels or legs which is portable enough to be carried or pushed to a serving area at a convention site, meeting site, or at a party location. These tubs are capable of holding ice as well as beverage containers and generally include a drain for emptying the ice melt. 
     Mixed drink server apparatus have at times incorporated dry-sinks, work tops (counter tops), and storage cabinets, with cabinet doors having catches and at times including locks. Beverage servers, such as those found in commercial taverns, often include an elongate shelf to accommodate a row of containers in single file, often known as a bartender&#39;s “well”. Other beverage holders, including wine racks, have included various trays and racks. Partitions have also been used to separate various types of food and beverage in tub-type coolers. 
     Dispenser chutes for holding lines of beverage containers are found in vending machines. Divider rows are found in refrigeration cabinets for the display of beverages at convenience stores. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a beverage cooler with storage organizer structure in a portable beverage server, which server can be used in various locations including commercial taverns and party locations. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a tub portion for holding beverage containers and ice. This tub portion has a drop-in sliding door sub-assembly. 
     An even further object of the present invention is to provide a series of shelves and/or racks beneath the tub portion which are easily adjustable for various container sizes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objects of this invention are realized in a beverage cooler apparatus having a beverage cooling insulated tub with top, sliding doors. A beverage container storage organizer is positioned beneath the tub. This storage organizer area includes a plurality of adjustable racks positioned below the tub. This area can be open-sided, or is enclosed by walls and then accessible through sliding doors. The sliding doors of both the tub and the storage organizer area are lockable. 
     The insulated tub has a false bottom with a plurality of drain holes. The false bottom seats over the tub bottom which drains to a drain valve. The false bottom can be a single section or plural section plate which is (are) removable for cleaning. 
     A “speed rail”, or bartender&#39;s well, is attached to one outside wall of the insulated tub to extend generally the length of the tub at a position above the access to the storage organizer area. 
     The top sliding doors for the tub are carried on a drop-in frame. This frame is positioned onto the tub to seat within the upper edge of the tub. The frame also overlaps onto the top edge of the tub. Two pair of quick-turn screws, one pair on each of the opposing long sides of the frame, are used to secure the frame to the tub when they are each turned into a respective receiving hole in the inside wall of the tub. 
     The tub is supported by four vertical legs which are mounted to extend from the bottom of the tub when the storage organizer area is open-sided. The legs are shorter and are mounted to extend from the bottom of the enclosure about the storage organizer area, when an enclosed organizer area is employed. Each leg has a leveling and/or adjustment extension. These adjustment extensions have their projecting length fixed by a set screw, or a snap button-to-detent structure, or the like. A wheel can be fitted to the free end of each leg extension. 
     When the storage organizer area is open-walled, a frame bar extends about the organizer area and is attached to each vertical leg to provide a rigid structure. When the storage organizer area is enclosed with cabinet-like walls, there is no need for separate bar framing. 
     The organizer area has a plurality of parallel extending racks which transverse the width of the organizer area. Each rack is defined by a pair of parallel extending, vertical, side walls each carrying a lower, horizontal flange which faces inwardly. Each side wall and its attendant horizontal flange is laterally adjustable, i.e., movable along the long/longitudinal length of the tub/cooler. This adjustment permits the rack widths to be individually adjustable to accommodate various size/width containers. 
     The bottom horizontal flange on each vertical wall rides in a horizontal slot which extends along the inside, bottom edge of each long/longitudinal frame bar, when an open organizer area configuration is employed, and along the inside, bottom edge of each long/longitudinal wall, when an enclosed organizer area configuration is employed. 
     Friction pads may be utilized where each vertical wall, horizontal flange engages a horizontal slot. These pads permit the walls of the racks to be manually moved to accommodate specific sizes of containers, but also provide a “grip-in-place” after this adjustment is made. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features, advantage and operation of the present invention will become readily apparent and further understood from a reading of the following detailed description with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the beverage cooler with an open-walled container storage organizer; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the beverage cooler with a walled container storage organizer; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the cooler and storage organizer of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial side view of an organizer rack side wall and hanger for the open-walled storage organizer configuration of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the cooler and storage organizer of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial side view of an organizer rack side wall and mating slot structure; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a rack side wall for the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a wheel attachment for a cooler support leg; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the drop-in frame with top sliding doors for the cooler embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the drop-in frame of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a movable beverage cooler,  FIG. 1 , having an insulated rectangular tub  11  member for holding ice and beverage containers such as bottles and cans. The cooler can be made of any suitable material. However, for restaurant use stainless steel is the material of preference. The tub  11  has an inner wall  11   a  and an outer wall  11   b , and a thickness  11   c  defined by the thickness of the insulation between the inner and outer walls  11   a ,  11   b , and the thickness of the metal used for construction. The wall thickness provides an upper edge  13  for supporting a drop-in frame  15  discussed below in connection to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     While the beverage cooler and its tub  11  can be constructed with many shapes, a rectangular shape is well suited both for restaurant and home use. The size of the cooler and its dimensions including length to width and height relationships can be varied to provide various capacities and to fit into various locations. 
     The tub has a drain extension  17 ,  FIG. 3 , in its bottom wall  19  which can carry a series of annular outwardly extending ribs  21  on its outer wall for receiving a pliable drain hose and sealing-off thereto. A drain valve (not shown) can be included with the drain extension  17 . The bottom  19  of the tub is formed to drain to the drain extension  17  in a usual manner for sinks and tubs. 
     Positioned above the tub bottom  19  is a false bottom  23 . This false bottom  23  is made of perforated sheet metal having a series of drain holes  25  spaced over the entirety of its expanse. The drain holes  25  are sized to allow melt water from ice held in the tub  11  to drain to the bottom  19  while keeping reasonably small ice pieces in the body of the tub  11 . The false bottom  23  is rigid enough to support a tub full of containers and ice. A series of reinforcing ribs (not shown) or other type of “stand-off” can be attached to the bottom side of the false bottom  23  and be used to space the false bottom  23  above the tub draining bottom wall  19 . Such stand-off ribs will also reinforce the sheet metal to provide rigidity. 
     A tray enclosure  27  known as a “speed rail” or bartender&#39;s well is attached to the front outside wall of the tub  11  to extend the length thereof. This speed rail  27  has an outside wall  27   a  and a bottom wall (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) and comprises a shelf for holding often used containers and bottles. 
     Four legs  29 ,  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , support the tub bottom  19 . Each leg  29  fits into a support member  31 ,  FIG. 1 , which is welded to the tub bottom  19  at a respective corner. A support member  31  provides a socket into which a leg  29  fits in a tight fit. The support member  31  socket extends downward a sufficient distance to provide lateral stability to the leg  29 . A leg  29  may be attached to its support member  31  socket with a screw or welded in place, or may be left unsecured. When the legs  29  are merely inserted into their respective sockets, the beverage cooler may be disassembled into two main sub-assembly pieces for storage, moving, or cleaning. 
     A leveler extension post  33  extends out from the bottom of each leg  29 . The downward extension length of each leveler post  33  is set by a screw  35  or a snap button-to-detent structure. A set screw  35  will provide a more infinite adjustment to a leveler post&#39;s extension than a detent arrangement which requires a series of fixed spaced detent points. 
     A storage organizer area  37  is situated below the tub  11 . This organizer area  37  has a plurality of parallel extending racks  39  which transverse the width of the organizer area  37 . Each rack is defined by a pair of upstanding side walls, a back wall, a front wall and a pair of juxtaposed bottom flanges, which will be discussed below, further. Surrounding the organizer area  37  is a frame bar  41  which is welded to the inner face of each of the legs  29  to form a rectangular four-sided frame. This frame bar  41  can be a flat bar surround, which forms the front and back walls of the racks  39  and the side walls of the outer most rack  39 . 
     A horizontal slot  43  extends along the inside face of the front wall  41   a  and the inside face of the back wall  41   b  of the frame bar  41 . As an alternative to being a flat bar, the frame bar  41  can be an L-shaped frame channel  45 ,  FIG. 4 . The bottom flange  45   a  of this L-shaped channel  45  forms a “rest” surface for holding each rack separator wall  47 ,  FIG. 4 , in position. Each separator wall  47  is a rectangular plate with a bottom flange  47   a  which forms an inverted T-shaped channel. The bottom flange  47   a  of the T-shaped channel extends beyond the end of the separator wall  47  to rest on the bottom flange  45   a  of each L-shaped frame channel  45 ,  FIG. 4 . 
     A spring steel, L-shaped channel keeper  49  seats down over the inside of the L-shaped frame channel  45 , with one keeper member  49 , respectively, for each of the front wall  41   a  and the back wall  41   b  of the frame channel  45 . The top edge of this keeper member has a spring clip portion  51 . When this clip portion  51  is fully seated onto the upper edge of the upright wall of a respective L-shaped frame channel portion  45 , the bottom flange  53  of the keeper  49  exerts a hold-down pressure on each separator wall bottom flange  47   a  extension. 
     Each of the separator walls  47  can be laterally moved to set the width of a particular parallel rack  39 . Each rack  39  can have its individual width established by the position of the adjacent separator walls  47 . The size (extension) of each bottom flange  47   a , connected to each separator wall  47 , can be chosen so that the range of adjustment between adjacent separator walls suits the container sizes to be held by the storage organizer. The front and back channel keepers  49  are removable for cleaning, and for facilitating the setup of the individual racks  39 . 
     The beverage cooler of  FIG. 1  can have an enclosed storage organizer area. In order to accomplish this, the left and right side walls  57 ,  59  and the back wall  61 , of the tub  11  are extended downward to meet a base wall  63 ,  FIGS. 2 and 5 . The opening in the front of the organizer enclosure  55  is closed by a pair of slider doors  65   a  and  65   b ,  FIG. 2 . A pair of slider tracks (channel tracks not shown) is positioned in the bottom edge of the front wall  65  above the opening into the organizer area  55 . This provides sufficient guides for the sliding doors  65   a  and  65   b . The doors  65   a  and  65   b  may be locked by means of a key lock  67 . Each of the doors can be moved by means of its handle  69 . 
     This configuration leaves the threshold  71  clear and flat and easy to clean. 
     The separator walls  47 ,  FIG. 7 , used with the enclosed organizer  55 ,  FIG. 2 , are the same as those used with the open organizer area  37 ,  FIG. 1 . These inverted T-shaped structures  47  have their bottom flange  47   a  sized to extend outwardly from each side of the separator wall  47  a sufficient distance to provide for the containers stored between adjacent walls  47  and thereby form a rack  39 . The bottom flange  47   a  also extends beyond the wall  47  to engage the front and back horizontal slots  73 ,  FIG. 6 . Each horizontal slot  73  is defined by, either the base wall  63 , or by an inward extending flange  75  extending from the outside wall (such as back wall  61 ) and a stepped cap  77 . A cap  77  can be fixedly attached to a respective wall by screws or other suitable means or can snap into place by means of detents, clip members, or other suitable structures. 
     A pair of rubber or plastic friction pads  79  can be positioned on the top and bottom faces of the each separator wall flange  47   a  end to hold a separator wall  47  in place once its position is manually adjusted. These pads provide grip-in-place. 
     The false bottom  23 ,  FIG. 2 , can be pitched at an angle  81  to aid draining to a particular location on the tub bottom  19 . Interior walls of the tub  11 , such as the front and back walls can carry a plurality of threaded or slotted holes  83  for receiving securement screws. 
     The insulated, drop-in top frame  15 ,  FIGS. 9 and 10  is a sub-assembly of a double step-in frame  85  and a pair of insulated sliding doors  87   a  and  87   b . The inner door  87   a  slides on a lower ledge  89 , delineated by a lower, inward step in the frame  85 . The outer door  87   b  slides on an upper ledge  91 , delineated by an upper, outward step in the frame  85 . A series of fasteners  93  are positioned below the lower ledge  89  for securing the frame  85  to the inside walls of the tub  11 . This enables the employment of a lock bar to lock the sliding doors  87   a  and  87   b  by means of their handles  95 . 
     The fasteners can be of many commercial styles, including quarter turn fasteners, threaded cap screws and other securements. 
     The legs  97 ,  FIG. 2 , for the enclosed organizer embodiment, can include leveler extension posts  33  and adjustment set screws  97 . Wheel assemblies  99  can be mounted to the bottom end of each leveler post  33 . Each wheel assembly includes a cup-shaped socket  101  and a roller or wheel  103  supported thereon. 
     Many changes can be made in the above-described invention without departing from the intent and scope thereof. It is therefore intended that the above description be read in the illustrative sense and not in the limiting sense. Substitutions and changes can be made while still being within the scope and intent of the invention and of the appended claims.