Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention provide rigid (hard-sided) ice packs that include contours configured to cooperate with whole fish, as harvested. The contours allow the fish to have close contact with surfaces of the ice pack while also protecting the fish from being bruised, crushed, deformed, or otherwise damaged during storage or transportation.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates generally to refrigeration. In particular, but not by way of limitation, the invention relates to reusable ice packs that can be used to store or transport fish in a cooler or other insulated container. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Many varieties of ice packs (a/k/a cooler packs or gel packs) are known. Such containers are typically reusable, and may be filled, for example, with water (with or without propylene glycol, alcohol, and/or other additives) or a refrigerant gel. Prior to use, a filled ice pack is placed in a freezer. Once the contents of the ice pack are frozen, the ice pack can be used, for instance, in a cooler or other insulated container to temporarily keep perishable foods or other items cool. 
         [0005]    Conventional ice packs have some disadvantages, however. One shortcoming is that ice packs are typically brick-shaped and rigid. As a consequence, certain perishable foods (such as fresh fish) can be easily bruised, crushed, or otherwise damaged when being cooled by ice packs. In addition, the effects of rigor mortis can leave fish in a curled state, which makes filleting or other processing more difficult. Such risks are not mitigated by soft-sided ice packs because fish can be crushed or bent under the weight of such ice packs and/or other cooler contents. An improved device is needed for temporarily cooling fish or other fragile items. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The invention seeks to overcome one or more of the limitations described above. Embodiments of the invention provide rigid (hard-sided) ice packs that include contours configured to cooperate with whole fish, as harvested. The contours allow the fish to have close contact with surfaces of the ice pack while also protecting the fish from being bruised, crushed, deformed, or otherwise damaged during storage or transportation. These and other features and benefits are more fully described in the detailed description section below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a red drum fish ice pack system according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the red drum fish ice pack system according to the first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the red drum fish ice pack system according to the first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the red drum fish ice pack system according to the first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the red drum fish ice pack system according to the first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a flounder ice pack according to a second embodiment of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the flounder ice pack according to the second embodiment of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the flounder ice pack according to the second embodiment of the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a stack of flounder ice packs according to the second embodiment of the invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of two crappie ice packs according to a third embodiment of the invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a two crappie ice packs according to the third embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of two crappie ice packs according to the third embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to  FIGS. 1-12 . Reference designators are reused for the same or similar features. The drawings are not necessarily to scale. Some features illustrated in the drawings may be exaggerated for descriptive clarity. 
       Red Drum Fish Embodiment 
       [0021]      FIGS. 1-5  provide perspective views of a red drum fish ice pack system according to a first embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a marine cooler  105  contains four ice packs  120 ,  125 ,  130 , and  135  within its thermally-insulated cooler body  110  and lid  115 . Each of the four ice packs  120 ,  125 ,  130 , and  135  are preferably substantially rigid plastic (e.g., blow molded high-density polyethylene) containers and can be filled, for example, with water (with or without propylene glycol, alcohol, and/or other additives) or a refrigerant gel. As used herein, being substantially rigid means the container will hold its shape under normal use. In use, the contents of each ice pack  120 ,  125 ,  130 , and  135  can be frozen (or at least cooled) prior to use as heat-absorbing devices in the marine cooler  105 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows that the ice packs  120 ,  125 ,  130 , and  135  cooperate to form a single assembly. Ice packs  120  and  125  form a top cooling layer; ice packs  130  and  135  form a bottom cooling layer. 
         [0023]    In the illustrated embodiment, ice pack  125  includes a storage compartment  205 , thumb hole  210 , and filler cap  215 . Ice pack  120  includes a filler cap  220 , thumb hole  225 , storage compartments  230 ,  235 , and  240 , and a recess  245 . Each of the storage compartments  205 ,  230 , and  240  can be used, for instance, to store snack food or bait. The storage compartment  235  is shaped to cradle a can or bottle. The thumb holes  210 ,  225  facilitate removal of the ice packs from the marine cooler  105 . In embodiments of the invention, the filler caps  215 ,  220  may be permanently sealed, for instance after refrigerant gel has been added during manufacturing; in other embodiments, the filler caps  215 ,  220  may be threaded for convenient insertion into and removal from associated holes in the ice packs  125 ,  120 . The purpose of the recess  245  will be described below with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the ice pack assembly. Partitioning the top cooling layer into ice packs  120 ,  125  and the bottom cooling layer into ice packs  130 ,  135  permits each ice pack to be a relatively small size. The relatively small size may be advantageous when cooling each of the ice packs  120 ,  125 ,  130 ,  135 , for instance, in the freezer compartment of a residential refrigerator prior to use.  FIG. 3  also illustrates a storage compartment  305  and a concave contour  310  in the ice pack  135 , a concave contour  320  in the ice pack  130 , and a concave contour  315  in the ice pack  120 . A concave contour  540  (visible in  FIG. 5 ) also exists in the ice pack  125 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  illustrates a red drum fish  405  cradled by the concave contours  310  and  320 . Concave contours  315  and  540  keep cooling surfaces of the ice packs  120 ,  125  close to a top surface of the red drum fish  405 , while also providing a protective canopy to minimize bruising, crushing, or undesirable deformation of the fish body. In the case of a large red drum fish  405  (larger than the one illustrated in  FIG. 4 ), a tail end  410  of the red drum fish  405  may be folded into the recess  245  of the ice pack  120 . The illustrated concave contours  310 ,  320 ,  315 ,  540  may be suitable for species of fish other than a red drum fish  405 , for example large and small mouth bass. In an alternative embodiment, the concave contours  310 ,  320 ,  315 ,  540  could be altered to accommodate another species of fish. 
         [0026]    The perspective view in  FIG. 5  illustrates a bottom side of each of the ice packs  120 ,  125 ,  130 ,  135 . A bottom side of the ice pack  135  includes a filler hole  505 , cooperating filler cap  510 , and structural support features  515  and  520 . A bottom side of the ice pack  130  likewise includes a filler hole  535 , cooperating filler cap  530 , and structural support features  525 . In embodiments of the invention, the filler caps  510 ,  530  may be permanently sealed in the corresponding hole, for instance after refrigerant gel has been added during manufacturing. 
         [0027]    Variations to the red drum fish embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5  and described above are possible. For instance, in an alternative embodiment, the top layer formed by ice packs  120 ,  125  could be constructed using a single ice pack or by using more than two ice packs, according to design choice. Likewise, in an alternative embodiment, the bottom layer formed by ice packs  130 ,  135  could be constructed using a single ice pack or by using more than two ice packs. It may be possible to omit the concave contours in the ice pack(s) that form the top layer or in the ice packs(s) that form the bottom layer, so long as the concave contours of the opposing layer are sufficiently deep to avoid damage to the target fish. The quantity and shape of storage compartments  205 ,  230 ,  235 ,  240 , and  305  could be varied, or omitted altogether, based on application needs. In other embodiments, the thumb holes  215 ,  220  could be relocated or omitted. The need for internal structural support features  515 ,  520 , and  525  could vary based on material choice and the thickness of ice pack walls. 
       Flounder Embodiment 
       [0028]      FIGS. 6-9  provide perspective views of a flounder ice pack system according to a second embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a top surface of an ice pack tray  605  includes a concave contour  610 , stacking notches  620 , and a filler cap  625 . Legs  615  extend from a bottom surface of the ice pack tray  605 . The ice pack tray  605  is preferably a substantially rigid plastic (e.g., blow molded high-density polyethylene) container and can be filled, for example, with water (with or without propylene glycol, alcohol, and/or other additives) or a refrigerant gel. In use, the contents of ice pack tray  605  can be frozen (or at least cooled) prior to use as a heat-absorbing device in a cooler or other thermally-insulated container. 
         [0029]    In embodiments of the invention, the filler cap  625  may be permanently sealed, for instance after refrigerant gel has been added during manufacturing; in other embodiments, the filler cap  625  may be threaded for convenient insertion into and removal from a cooperating filling hole (not shown) in the ice pack  605 . The purpose of the stacking notches  620  will be described below with reference to  FIG. 9 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  illustrates a flounder  705  cradled by the concave contour  610  of the ice pack tray  605 . The concave contours  605  may be suitable for species of fish other than a flounder  705 . In an alternative embodiment, the concave contours  605  could be altered to accommodate a species of fish other than flounder. 
         [0031]    The perspective view in  FIG. 8  illustrates a bottom side of the ice pack tray  605 , and identifies handhold  805  that facilitates installation and removal of the ice pack tray  605  from the cooler or other insulated container. Two or more ice pack trays  605  can be stacked as shown in  FIG. 9 ; the legs  615  of one ice pack tray  605  cooperate with the stacking notches  620  of another ice pack tray  605 . In use, legs  615  prevent a flounder that is disposed under an ice pack tray  605  from being bruised, crushed, or deformed in a way that would later complicate the fillet process. 
         [0032]    Variations to the flounder embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 6-9  and described above are possible. For instance, in an alternative embodiment, handholds  805  may be disposed on two or more sides of the ice pack tray  605 . The handhold  805  could also be omitted, according to application demands. Other embodiments could use fewer than four legs, or more than four legs, to maintain spacing between stacked tray surfaces. In other embodiments, alternative stacking features, such as cooperating pins and holes, could be used in the place of stacking notches  620 . 
       Crappie Embodiment 
       [0033]      FIGS. 10-12  provide perspective views of a crappie ice pack system according to a third embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 10  illustrates two ice packs  1005 ,  1010 , that can cooperate to form a single ice pack system. Each of the ice packs  1005 ,  1010 , has a serpentine cross section. Each of the ice packs  1005 ,  1010 , is preferably a substantially rigid plastic (e.g., blow molded high-density polyethylene) container and can be filled, for example, with water (with or without propylene glycol, alcohol, and/or other additives) or a refrigerant gel. In use, the contents of ice packs  1005 ,  1010  can be frozen (or at least cooled) prior to use as a heat-absorbing device in a cooler or other thermally-insulated container. 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 11 , a bottom surface of the ice pack  1005  includes a filler cap  1105 , and a bottom surface of the ice pack  1010  includes a filler cap  1110 . In embodiments of the invention, the filler caps  1105 ,  1110  may be permanently sealed, for instance after refrigerant gel has been added during manufacturing; in other embodiments, the filler caps  1105 ,  1110  may be threaded for convenient insertion into and removal from cooperating filling holes (not shown). 
         [0035]      FIG. 12  illustrates that the serpentine cross section of the ice packs  1005 ,  1010 , forms pockets  1205 . Each of the pockets  1205  can both cool and protect a crappie  1210 . 
         [0036]    Variations to the crappie embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 10-12  and described above are possible. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the assembly with a serpentine cross section can be formed with a single ice pack having a serpentine cross section or with more than two such ice packs. In alternative embodiments, the dimensions and proportion of pockets  1205  could be varied to accommodate species of fish other than crappie, for instance blue gill. 
       Summary 
       [0037]    Embodiments of the invention thus provide ice packs that are configured to both cool and protect fish or other fragile targets. Those skilled in the art can readily recognize that numerous variations and substitutions may be made in the invention, its use and its configuration to achieve substantially the same results as achieved by the embodiments described herein. For instance, materials other than plastic could be used to construct ice pack containers, and, in use, the disclosed ice packs can be filled with a variety of alternative heat exchange fluids, solids, or gels. Accordingly, there is no intention to limit the invention to the disclosed exemplary forms. Many variations, modifications and alternative constructions fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed invention.