Abstract:
This disclosure presents a stackable, multicompartment portable cooler with enhanced climate control and delivery features. The cooler may include adjustable vents for precisely controlling the temperature differential between adjacent compartments, a brochure receptor for including information about the delivery, and/or an automatic delivery flag for notification purposes. In addition, the cooler is modular and may be assembled/disassembled through the use of removable compartment dividers that subdivide the stacked main compartments into many subcompartments.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/308,150 filed on Feb. 25, 2010, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The disclosure relates generally to a portable cooler for carrying food and beverages. More specifically, the disclosure provides a cooler with several compartments for storing warm, dry, refrigerated, and/or frozen goods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Coolers are routinely used for transporting goods from one location to another. These coolers may have many compartments to store goods such as beverages, frozen/cooked food, and other items. In addition, these coolers may include dry ice/ice, heat sources, etc., for keeping the items in each compartment at a different temperature. 
     In some of these designs, one compartment of the cooler may be insulated from others. Insulation between compartments keeps heat/refrigeration confined to a small space, thereby allowing some of the compartments to keep goods warm and other compartments to cool them down. For instance, if ice is placed in one of the compartments of the cooler, the insulated walls of the cooler would allow the cooling effect of and any moisture generated from the ice to be confined to the single compartment. Thus, food/other items placed in adjacent compartments would be protected from the cooler temperatures and higher moisture content of the ice cold compartment. This scenario would be advantageous in situations where, for instance, dry food (e.g., cookies, chips, peanuts, etc) would spoil if placed in prolonged contact with moisture. To provide this insulation, walls between adjacent compartments may be coated with materials such as cloth and/or thermal packs, among other things. 
     Similarly, in other cooler designs, the walls separating adjacent compartments may be conductive (e.g., by being made out of a conductive material like metal, etc.), thereby allowing heat/refrigeration to pass readily from one compartment to another. With this configuration, a temperature gradient can be created between adjacent compartments. Using the earlier example of ice placed in one of the compartments, a conductive wall between the compartment with ice and an adjacent one may result in the adjacent compartment maintaining a temperature that is cooler than room temperature but at the same time warmer than the ice cold compartment (assuming, of course, that diffusion takes a certain amount of time to equilibrate the temperatures of the two compartments). In addition, moisture may be blocked from entering the adjacent compartment, thereby resulting in cooler with a cool, dry compartment and an ice cold, wet compartment. 
     If dry ice is used to cool any of the compartments in a multicompartment cooler, moisture generation is not an issue; however, the manipulation of temperature gradients between compartments may be controlled by the use of insulating and conductive barriers between compartments as discussed above. The use of thermal insulators/conductors between compartments provides only a crude level of control for maintaining a temperature differential between compartments. 
     In addition, conventional coolers are purchased as single size coolers, meaning that they can be used only in one size. Thus, in situations where only a small number of goods are to be transported in the cooler, a large cooler will have a significant amount of unfilled space. Similarly, in situations where a large number of goods are to be transported in the cooler, a smaller cooler will not suffice, thus resulting in the need for use of multiple coolers. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below. 
     To overcome limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will be apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present disclosure is directed to a multicompartment cooler configured to allow more control over the temperature of each compartment. 
     A first aspect of the disclosure provides a multicompartment portable cooler with adjustable vents to allow cold air to move into lower compartments and warm air to move into upper compartments. 
     A second aspect of the disclosure provides an enhanced modular cooler that allows some of the compartments to be removed if needed. Other enhanced characteristics of the cooler include a delivery flag that is triggered by the opening of the cooler lid and a brochure receptor for housing documents that may need to accompany the contents of the cooler. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and the advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1   a  illustrates a portable cooler with adjustable vents in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 1   b  illustrates a multicompartment cooler  100   b  with an assembled base compartment in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the change in temperature of milk placed in a cooler with and without a cooling source in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the results of yet another experiment in which a heating element was placed into a base compartment of a multicompartment cooler with the outside temperature being cold in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the results of another experiment in which the vents between an intermediate compartment and a base compartment were closed when the intermediate compartment includes a cooling element and the base compartment is empty in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a portable cooler with enhanced features, such as an automatic delivery flag and a transparent brochure receptor, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6   a  illustrates a portable cooler with a delivery flag in the upright position in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6   b  illustrates a portable cooler with a delivery flag in the resting position in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description of the various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which aspects may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Aspects described herein provide a multicompartment portable cooler with improved features for temperature and moisture control. The cooler is configured to transport a variety of goods, including food, beverages, and medicine, among other things. 
       FIG. 1   a  shows a portable cooler in accordance with at least one aspect of the disclosure. Cooler  100   a  may be manufactured out of various materials, including plastic and wood, among other things. Cooler  100   a  may include a base compartment  101   a , an intermediate compartment  103   a , and a lid  105   a . The base compartment  101   a  may include a number of features such as handles  107   a , ribs  109   a , and a heating/cooling element  111   a . Handles  107   a  may allow the cooler  100   a  to be transported from one place to another with relative ease. Meanwhile, ribs  109   a  may give the floor and/or sidewalls of base compartment  101   a  topography. There may be several advantages to incorporating a base compartment  101   a  with ribs  109   a . For instance, if there is any moisture due to condensation, melting, or unexpected spills on the floor of base compartment  101   a , food items may avoid direct contact with the moisture, thereby preventing the food from becoming too soggy, spoiling, and/or other undesirable consequences. It should be noted that while ribs  109   a  are shown only for base compartment  101   a , ribs  109   a  may be found in any of the other compartments of cooler  100   a.    
     Heating/cooling element  111   a  may be implemented in various ways for regulating temperature within base compartment  101   a . In one embodiment, element  111   a  may include a heating element such as a chemical heating pad and/or a powered heating element, among other things. Element  111   a  may be attached to the roof of base compartment  101   a  with screws, adhesive, or using other techniques. In other embodiments, temperature element  111   a  may be a cooling element, such as a container for dry ice and/or a powered refrigeration component, among other things. While temperature element  111   a  is shown on top of base compartment  101   a , it should be noted that element  111   a  may be found anywhere within base compartment  101   a.    
     Cooler  100   a  may also include an intermediate compartment  103   a  above the base compartment  101   a . Intermediate compartment  103   a  may be designed such that it fits into base compartment  101   a  through a variety of means. In one embodiment, intermediate compartment  103   a  may include a recess  113   a  around the periphery of its base to allow the intermediate compartment  103   a  to fit snugly into base compartment  101   a . To allow this type of mating, the walls of intermediate compartment  103   a  may be angled give the intermediate compartment  103   a  a larger surface area at the top of the compartment compared to the surface area at the bottom of the compartment. Intermediate compartment  103   a  may include its own handle  115   a  for assembling the cooler  100   a  and/or transporting it from one location to another. In other embodiments, intermediate compartment  103   a  and base compartment  101   a  may be affixed together with screws, adhesives, and caulk, among other materials. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, the intermediate compartment  103   a  may include adjustable vents  117   a  to allow cold/hot air to move between adjacent compartments. Adjustable vents  117   a  may be manufactured in the floor of intermediate compartment  103   a . Vents  117   a  may include a slideable panel to open and close adjustable vents  117   a . When adjustable vents  117   a  are opened, temperature element  111   a  may cause cold/hot air to diffuse from the base compartment  101   a  to intermediate compartment  103   a.    
     Moreover, further enhancement and adjustment of the diffusion process is possible with the inclusion of more than a single heating/cooling element, such as including temperature element  121   a  as a heating/cooling element and temperature element  111   a  as a heating/cooling element. If both temperature elements  111   a  and  121   a  function as cooling elements (or heating elements), then cooling (heating) may occur more quickly, again with the net result of intermediate compartment  103   a  having an overall higher air temperature than base compartment  101   a . Alternatively, additional temperature elements (or temperature elements of increased/decreased size or quantity) could be included to alter temperatures, cooling/heating times and longevity. 
     Experimental tests were conducted to measure the temperature of milk cartons placed in a multicompartment cooler  100   a  compared to the temperature of similar cartons of milk placed in a conventional single compartment cooler. In this test, the multicompartment cooler  100   a  had dry ice placed in the intermediate compartment  103   a , milk was placed in the base compartment  101   a , and the vents  117   a  between the base compartment  101   a  and intermediate compartment  103   a  were completely opened to allow cool air to move into base compartment  101   a  and keep the milk placed therein cool. 
       FIG. 2  shows the change in temperature of milk placed in a cooler with and without a cooling source (e.g., dry ice) in an intermediate compartment  103   a  (and the temperature outside the cooler is warm) in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. In the experiment shown in  FIG. 2 , milk was placed in the base compartment  101   a  of a multicompartment cooler. As a note, water and milk freezes at 32° F. Also, as is commonly known, frozen water/milk occupies more volume than liquid milk/water; therefore, if a container holding a limited quantity of milk/water reaches the freezing temperature of the milk/water, the container will break due to the increased volume of the contents. In  FIG. 2 , the “temperature change subject milk” line represents the condition where dry ice was placed in the intermediate compartment  103   a , milk was placed in the base compartment  101   a , and vents  117   a  were opened. Meanwhile, the “temperature change control milk” line represents the condition where no dry ice was placed in a standard one compartment cooler. In both cases, the temperature change of the milk in the base compartment  101   a  was measured versus time. As shown in  FIG. 2 , when dry ice is added to the intermediate compartment  103   a  (with vents  117   a  open) of a multicompartment cooler, milk placed in the base compartment  101   a  is kept cooler over time than the case where no dry ice is placed in a standard one compartment cooler. Thus, the cooling effect shown in  FIG. 2  establishes one example of the functionality of the vents  117   a  (i.e., the vents  117   a  effectively transfer the cool air from the compartment with the dry ice to the base compartment  101   a . More specifically, the cool air in the intermediate compartment  103   a  with the dry ice sinks through the vents  117   a  to cool the milk in the base compartment  101   a.    
       FIG. 3  shows the results of yet another experiment in which a heating element (e.g., a chemical heating pad, etc.) was placed into a base compartment  101   a  of a multicompartment cooler with the outside temperature being cold in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.  FIG. 3  shows that, by placing a heating element into the base compartment  101   a  of a multicompartment cooler, the length of time before the contents of the intermediate compartment  103   a  of the cooler (in this case, milk) freezes may be increased. As shown in the graph of  FIG. 3 , at time 16:12, the experiment was started for the case where a heating element was placed into base compartment  101   a  (“subject milk”) and the case where no heating element was placed into a standard one-compartment cooler (“control milk”). The point at which the “subject milk” line and the “control milk” line dramatically change slope (18:36 for the “control milk” line and 19:04 for the “subject milk” line) is the point at which the milk container breaks due to the milk freezing. Thus,  FIG. 3  clearly shows that by adding a heating element to a multicompartment cooler with the vents  117   a  open, the length of time before the contents (e.g., milk containers) of the cooler break (i.e., freeze) may be prolonged. Moreover, because the compartmentalized cooler started out colder at 16:12, had the compartmentalized cooler started at the same temperature as the control, the compartmentalized cooler would likely have gone longer before the milk container in the compartmentalized cooler broke. 
     Finally,  FIG. 4  illustrates the results of another experiment in which the vents  117   a  between an intermediate compartment  103   a  and a base compartment  101   a  were closed when the intermediate compartment  103   a  includes a cooling element (e.g., dry ice) and the base compartment  101   a  is empty (the temperature outside the cooler is warm), in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. In the graph of  FIG. 4 , the “standard cooler” line represents the temperature over time within a cooler without any cooling element placed inside the cooler. Moreover, the “base compartment” line represents the temperature over time within the base compartment  101   a  of a multicompartment cooler with a cooling element placed in the intermediate compartment  103   a  and the vents  117   a  between the base compartment  101   a  and the intermediate compartment  103   a  fully closed. Finally, the “intermediate compartment (contains cooling element)” line represents the temperature over time within the intermediate compartment  101   a  of a multicompartment cooler with a cooling element placed in the intermediate compartment  103   a  and the vents  117   a  between the base compartment  101   a  and the intermediate compartment  103   a  fully closed.  FIG. 4  shows that there is some “leakage” of cool air from the intermediate compartment  103   a  to the base compartment  101   a  even when the vents  117   a  are closed. However, even though there is leakage between the intermediate compartment  103   a  and the base compartment  101   a ,  FIG. 4  also shows that a temperature differential is still maintained between the two compartments over time when the vents  117   a  are closed. 
     The importance of temperature control within the various compartments of multicompartment cooler system  100   a  is underscored by the fact that bacteria, etc. may grow in food/drink products that are at the wrong temperature (See M. H. Zwietering et al., “Modeling of Bacterial Growth with Shifts in Temperature,” Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 1994, pp. 204-213 and D. A. Ratkowsky et al., “Relationship Between Temperature and Growth Rate of Bacterial Cultures,” Journal of Bacteriology, 1982, pp. 1-5.) 
     As indicated by the experimental results discussed above, when adjustable vents  117   a  are closed, hot/cool air from temperature element  111   a  may be confined to base compartment  101   a . In yet other embodiments, adjustable vents  117   a  may be partially opened and closed to allow for a desired amount of diffusion between the base compartment  101   a  and intermediate compartment  103   a . Thus, vents  117   a  may allow the user of cooler  100   a  to precisely control the temperature/moisture differential between base compartment  101   a  and intermediate compartment  103   a.    
     In addition, adjustable vents  117   a  may be opened and closed manually or automatically. If opened manually, a user may be required to turn a knob attached to the slideable panel of vents  117   a . Alternatively, if opened automatically, the slideable panel of vents  117   a  may be powered by a circuit within cooler  100   a.    
     Although only one intermediate compartment  103   a  is shown in  FIG. 1   a , cooler  100   a  may include any number of intermediate compartments  103   a , stacked one on top of another. Multiple intermediate compartments  103   a  may be secured one on top of another by the same technique used to secure base compartment  101   a  with a single intermediate compartment  103   a . Alternatively, different techniques may be used to secure each intermediate compartment  103   a  to the compartments above and below. 
     Cooler  100   a  may also include a lid  105   a  to close off the top. Lid  105   a  may include a ridge  119   a  to allow the lid to fit snugly into the intermediate compartment  103   a . Lid  105   a  may also include a temperature element  121   a  to heat/cool the intermediate compartment  103   a . In some embodiments, temperature element  121   a  may lie in a recess in lid  105   a . In other embodiments, temperature element  121   a  may be affixed to a wall of intermediate compartment  103   a.    
       FIG. 1   b  illustrates a multicompartment cooler  100   b  with an assembled base compartment  101   b  in accordance with at least one aspect of the disclosure. Assembled base compartment  101   b  includes subcompartments  103   b ,  105   b , and  107   b . Base compartment  101   b  has been assembled into subcompartments  103   b ,  105   b , and  107   b  by using removable compartment dividers, such as the one shown separating subcompartment  103   b  and  105   b . It should be noted that while base compartment  101   b  is shown with only three subcompartments, any number of subcompartments may be included in base compartment  101   b  by using a different number of compartment dividers. Also,  FIG. 1   b  illustrates how beverage containers  109   b  may be placed in subcompartment  103   b  of base compartment  101   b . Although  FIG. 1   b  shows only the base compartment  101   b  with subcompartments, similar approaches for creating subcompartments may be used for other compartments that are a part of cooler  100   b.    
       FIG. 5  illustrates a portable cooler with enhanced features, such as an automatic delivery flag and a transparent brochure receptor in accordance with at least one aspect of the disclosure. The portable cooler  200  shown in  FIG. 2  may include a base  207 , a base compartment  201 , an intermediate compartment  203 , and a lid  205 . The base  207  may be used to lift the cooler such that the base compartment  201  is not in contact with the floor. This scheme may ensure that the base compartment  201  is not scratched, stained, or otherwise damaged by direct contact with the floor. More importantly, base  207  may ensure that the contents of base compartment  201  are protected in the event that chemicals, spills, and/or unwanted moisture on the floor are able to damage the base compartment  201  enough to harm the contents, if the base compartment  201  were in direct contact with the surface on which cooler  200  rests. In addition, base  207  may help to maintain a desired internal temperature of cooler  200  by insulating the base compartment  201  from thermal diffusion against the floor. 
     Base compartment  201  may fit snugly into a recess in base  207  or base  207  may fit snugly into a recess in base compartment  201 . As before, base compartment  201  may include a handle  209 , ribs  211 , and/or a removable compartment divider  227 . In addition, base compartment  201  may include a transparent brochure receptor  223 . Brochure receptor  223  may be used to house documents related to the contents of cooler  200  and/or about an entity making the delivery. For instance, if a beverage company is delivering alcoholic beverages in cooler  200 , the company may include details about different types of alcohol packed, contact information for the company, and/or other relevant information. Although these features are shown only for base compartment  201 , they may be included in any of the intermediate compartments  203  that are a part of cooler  200 . 
     Other features of cooler  200  shown in  FIG. 2  include handle  215  and recess  213  for intermediate compartment  203 . Recess  213  may aid in mating compartment  203  with base compartment  201 . 
     In addition, lid  205  may include a delivery flag  225  that may automatically flip down once the lid  225  is opened. The delivery flag may initially be flipped up when the cooler is delivered to its intended destination.  FIG. 6   a  shows a portable cooler  601   a  with a lid closed and a delivery flag in the upright position in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. For example, if milk cartons are delivered in cooler  200  of  FIG. 5 , the delivery agency may place the cooler  200  outside a customer&#39;s home. When the customer discovers that the delivery has been made and opens lid  205  to unpack cooler  200 , a hinge that opens lid  205  may simultaneously move delivery flag  225  down to its resting position.  FIG. 6   b  shows a portable cooler  601   b  with a lid open and a delivery flag in the resting position in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
     In addition, cooler  200  of  FIG. 5  may be modular such that any of the compartments, dividers, brochure receptors, handles, and/or lids may be interchangeable from one location to another. For instance, a lid for a cooler with a base compartment secured to an intermediate compartment topped off with the lid may be used to close another cooler with just a single compartment. In other words, the parts used to assemble cooler  200  may be used to assemble coolers of various sizes and complexities. As another example, by adding and removing compartment dividers to/from the compartments of cooler  200 , coolers may be custom designed to fit the needs of a user for a particular application. 
     Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.