Abstract:
A beverage cooler for use in a land vehicle. The beverage cooler includes a housing having an inlet for receiving air from a register in the land vehicle and having an outlet in fluid communication with the inlet for discharging air into the passenger compartment of the land vehicle carrying the register. A mounting bracket is connected to the housing for securing the housing to the register of a land vehicle. An insert is removably positioned within the housing. The insert includes a tubular sleeve for releasably holding a beverage container. The sleeve has a circular bottom wall and a cylindrical side wall that is affixed to, and extends upwardly from, the bottom wall. A peripheral collar extends outwardly from the top of the sleeve so as to engage the top of the housing. An absorbent pad is positioned the bottom of the tubular sleeve atop the bottom wall. A wicking strip contacts the absorbent pad and conveys, via capillary action, water away from the absorbent pad. The wicking strip is also secured within a slot in the side wall of the sleeve.

Description:
PRIORITY INFORMATION 
       [0001]    For priority purposes, this application claims the benefit of Provisional Application for Patent, Ser. No. 60/898,183, filed on Jan. 30, 2007. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to supports and, more particularly, to brackets having receptacle-type, article holding means. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Many occupants of automobiles and trucks enjoy eating and drinking while driving about. Unfortunately, refrigerated beverages, especially soft drinks packed in aluminum cans, have a tendency to become warm over time, making them less pleasant to drink. To solve the problem, some have proposed insulated cups to retain beverages at low temperatures for long periods of time. These things, however, are often bulky and heavy and are difficult to fit into cup holders commonly found in land vehicles. So, a user must hold onto the cup for the duration of his trip, or until the beverage is consumed, to prevent spilling. 
         [0004]    To overcome some of the problems associated with insulated cups, others have proposed devices that suspend a beverage container within the flow of chilled air from the air conditioning system of a land vehicle. These devices have been complex in terms of their construction, however, and have not seen widespread use. The devices have been further limited in terms of their utility by an inability to reduce the temperature of a beverage below that of the air emitted by the air conditioning system with which it is used. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In light of the problems associated with the known efforts associated with maintaining a beverage in a chilled state while traveling in a land vehicle, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a beverage cooler that, in a practical manner, suspends a beverage container, such as an aluminum can, in the flow of chilled air from the air conditioning system of a land vehicle so as to reduce the temperature of the contained beverage to a point below that of the chilled air by evaporating water from elements in contact with the exterior of the beverage container. 
         [0006]    It is an object of the invention to provide improved features and arrangements thereof in a beverage cooler for the purposes described which is lightweight in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and dependable in use. 
         [0007]    Briefly, the beverage cooler in accordance with this invention achieves the intended objects by featuring a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet. A mounting bracket is connected to the housing for securing the housing to the register of a land vehicle to receive chilled air therefrom. An insert is removably positioned within the housing for releasably holding a beverage container. An absorbent pad, capable of being selectively saturated with water, is positioned in the bottom of the insert. A wicking strip contacts the absorbent pad and conveys, via capillary action, water away from the absorbent pad where such can evaporate in air flowing through the housing to cool the beverage container held therein. 
         [0008]    The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The present invention may be more readily described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is an environmental perspective view of a beverage cooler in accordance with the present invention shown mounted upon an air register in the passenger compartment of a land vehicle. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the beverage cooler of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the removable insert of the beverage cooler. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a rear elevational view of the beverage cooler. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is an exploded, side elevational view of the beverage cooler having portions broken-away so as to reveal the internal details thereof. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the beverage cooler with the front portion thereof broken away so as to reveal internal details of the cooler. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a mounting bracket of the beverage cooler. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the accompanying drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Referring now to the FIGS., a beverage cooler in accordance with the present invention is shown at  10 . Beverage cooler  10  includes a housing  12  supported by means of a pair of mounting brackets  14  adjacent a register  16  provided for the controlled admission of air into the passenger compartment  18  of a land vehicle. An insert  20  is removably positioned within housing  12  to hold a beverage container  22 . Insert  20  contains a quantity of water that is evaporated in the flow of air from register  16  and through housing  12  to cool container  22 . 
         [0020]    Housing  12  comprises a ventilated box  24  that is adapted to receive insert  20 . Box  24  has a planar, back wall  26  for abutment with register  16 . A front wall  28  is connected in opposition to back wall  26  by a pair of side walls  30  that project rearwardly from front wall  28 . A bottom wall  32  closes the bottom of box  24  and is connected to back wall  26 , front wall  28 , and side walls  30 . The top of box  24  is open to receive insert  20 . 
         [0021]    A pair of mounting rails  34  is affixed to back wall  26 . Each of rails  34  has a T-shaped cross section with a narrow stem  36  projecting rearwardly from back wall  26 . At the free end of each stem  36  is affixed a relatively wide crosspiece  38 . Rails  34  are set in laterally spaced positions on opposite sides of back wall  26 . 
         [0022]    Back wall  26  is provided at its center with three primary air inlets  40 ,  42 , and  44 . Inlet  40  is located near the top of back wall  26 . Inlet  42 , however, is located proximate the bottom of back wall  26 . Additionally, inlet  44  is positioned between inlets  40  and  42  and between rails  34 . 
         [0023]    Inlets  40 ,  42  and  44  are respectively flanked by pairs of secondary inlets  46 ,  48 , and  50 . One of inlets  46  is located on each of the opposite sides of inlet  40 . Also, one of inlets  48  is located on each of the opposite sides of inlet  44 , outside of rails  34 . Further, one of inlets  50  is located on each of the opposite sides of inlet  42 . Taken together with inlets  40 - 44 , inlets  46 - 50  permit a substantial flow of air from register  16  into housing  12 . Slats  55  fitted within inlets  40 - 50  direct the flow of air into housing  12 . 
         [0024]    The top of front wall  28  is provided with three pairs of air outlets  52 ,  54 , and  56 . As shown, air outlets  52  are positioned side-by-side in front wall  28 . Positioned below outlets  52  are air outlets  54 . Below outlets  54  are air outlets  56 . Outlets  52 ,  54 , and  56  permit air entering housing  12  through inlets  40 - 50  to exit housing  12  at the top thereof. 
         [0025]    The bottom of front wall  28  is provided with an air outlet  58  for passing from housing  12  air received through inlets  40 - 50 . Air outlet  58  is bounded at its top by a horizontal, top outlet surface  60  and is bounded at its bottom by a forwardly and downwardly sloping, bottom outlet surface  62  that serve to direct air downward. Air outlet  58  is further bounded at its sides by vertical, yet inwardly angled, side outlet surfaces  64  that serve to concentrate and direct the flow of air received from opposite sides of housing  12  into a forwardly moving stream. The resulting flow from outlet  58  is forward and downward. 
         [0026]    A flow channeling fin  66  is affixed in the center of air outlet  58  to ensure that air flows smoothly through outlet  58 . Fin  66  extends from top outlet surface  60  to bottom outlet surface  62  and is positioned midway between surfaces  64  so as to divide the air flow within outlet  58 . Fin  66  is triangular in cross section, as is best seen in  FIG. 6 , and tapers in width to a narrow forward edge at the front of outlet  58  to inhibit turbulence. Fin  66  is integrally formed with front wall  28 . 
         [0027]    A pair of mounting brackets  14  is releasably joined to mounting rails  34  so as to project rearwardly from housing  12 . Each of mounting brackets  14  includes a base block  68  for engagement with a respective one of rails  34  and a resilient clip  70  that partially extends from block  68  to grasp a pair of horizontally oriented flow diverters  72  within register  16 . Block  68  and clip  70  are made from durable plastic or other suitable material. 
         [0028]    Base block  68  is rectangular in form and hollow. As such, block  68  has a front panel  74  and a back panel  76  connected together by a pair of opposed side panels  78 . A bottom panel  80  closes the bottom of block  68  and a top panel  82  caps the top of block  68 . 
         [0029]    A pair of L-shaped retaining flanges  84  extends forwardly from front panel  74 . Each of flanges  84  has a forwardly extending branch  86  that is affixed along a respective side of front panel  74 . Each of flanges  84  also has an inwardly facing limb  88  that is affixed to the free end of a branch  86 . Together, flanges  84  define an internal channel  90  that snugly, yet slidably, receives a respective one of rails  34 . To ensure that rails  34  do not become detached from flanges  84  during the use of cooler  10 , a stop  92  projects outwardly from the bottom of each block  68  between flanges  84  that is sufficiently large so as to catch upon a rail  34  and prevent the continued movement of the rail  34  through channel  90 . 
         [0030]    A pair of fixed jaws  94  and  96  is affixed to back panel  76 . Jaw  94  has a bar  98  that is affixed at its front end to the top of back panel  76  and extends rearwardly therefrom. Jaw  96 , however, has a bar  100  that is affixed at its front end to the bottom of back panel  76  and extends rearwardly therefrom. The top of bar  98  is provided with a series of laterally spaced teeth  102  for gripping a flow diverter  72  of register  16 . Similarly, the bottom of bar  100  is provided with a series of laterally spaced teeth  104  for gripping another flow diverter  72 . 
         [0031]    Base block  68  is provided with openings  106 ,  108 , and  110  for access to the interior thereof. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , opening  106  is positioned in back panel  76  above jaw  94 . Opening  108  is positioned in back panel  76  below jaw  96 . Finally, opening  110  is positioned in the center of front panel  74  between retaining flanges  84 . 
         [0032]    Resilient clip  70  includes a pair of rotatable wheels  112  and  114  each of which being positioned adjacent a respective one of openings  106  or  108 . Each wheel  112  and  114  rotates upon an integral axle  116  and  118  that extends outwardly from the opposite sides thereof and is journaled in side panels  78  of block  68 . A connecting arm  120 , positioned closely adjacent front panel  74 , connects wheels  112  and  114  together. An integral button  122  projects forwardly from the center of connecting arm  120  and into opening  110  in front panel  74 . A pair of movable jaws  124  and  126  projects rearwardly from wheels  112  and  114 . 
         [0033]    Jaw  124  has a bar  128  that extends through opening  106  in back panel  76  and is affixed at its front end to wheel  112 . The bottom of bar  128  is provided with a series of laterally spaced teeth  130  for gripping a flow diverter  72  of register  16 . The positions of teeth  130  correspond with those of teeth  102  provided to jaw  94 , the two being vertically offset. 
         [0034]    Jaw  126  has a bar  132  that extends through opening  108  in back panel  76  and is affixed at its front end to wheel  114 . The top of bar  132  is provided with a series of laterally spaced teeth  134  for gripping a flow diverter  72  of register  16 . The positions of teeth  134  correspond with those of teeth  104 . 
         [0035]    Insert  20  includes a tubular sleeve  136  that releasably holds beverage container  22  and a peripheral collar  138  that extends outwardly from the top of sleeve  136  so as to rest upon the top of housing  12  and suspend sleeve  136  within housing  12 . As shown, sleeve  136  includes a circular bottom wall  140  having a diameter that is slightly greater than that of container  22  and a cylindrical side wall  142  that is affixed to, and extends upwardly from, bottom wall  140 . Side wall  142  is thickened somewhat adjacent bottom wall  140  so as to provide a peripheral shoulder  144  within sleeve  136 . 
         [0036]    Side wall  142  is provided with four vertical slots  146  and four vertical slots  148 . Slots  146  are located at 90° intervals around side wall  142 , and slots  148  are positioned between slots  146  in alternating fashion at 90° intervals. Both slots  146  and  148  extend from points immediately above shoulder  144  to points immediately below collar  138  and permit air to circulate into sleeve  136  through side wall  142 . For reinforcement purposes, each of slots  148  is braced by a pair of spaced-apart spars  150  that extend horizontally from one side thereof to the other. A pin  152  extends outwardly from the front of side wall  142  that fits into a recess  154  in housing  12  so as to ensure proper alignment of insert  20  relative to housing  12 . 
         [0037]    A support plate  156  rests upon shoulder  144 . Support plate  156  has a flat disk  158  with a diameter that is sufficiently small so as to permit the easy positioning thereof within sleeve  136  and is sufficiently large so as to engage shoulder  144  around its periphery. Radiating outwardly from the center of disk  158  at 45° intervals are eight upstanding ribs  160  that hold container  22  at a fixed height above disk  158 . Each of ribs  160  is bifurcated by a notch  162  at the center thereof to promote the flow of air beneath container  22 . Between alternate pairs of ribs  160 , plate  156  is provided with a plurality of triangular or wedge-shaped cutouts  164  that permit air to circulate through plate  156 . Cutouts  164  are bridged at their midpoints, located about half way from the center of disk  158  to its periphery, by reinforcing bars  166 . Further, cutouts  164  are axially aligned with slots  146  in side wall  142 . 
         [0038]    An absorbent pad  168  of natural or artificial sponge is positioned in the bottom of sleeve  136 . Sponge pad  168  is disk-shaped and is snugly fitted within the space that is bounded: at the bottom by bottom wall  140 , at the top by support plate  156 , and at the side by the thickened portion of side wall  142 . During use of cooler  10 , sponge pad  168  is saturated with water that is subsequently evaporated to impart a supplemental cooling effect to container  22  positioned within sleeve  136 . 
         [0039]    To optimize the cooling effect, a plurality of moisture wicking strips  170 , formed of a mesh or webbing capable of drawing fluids along its length by capillary action, is placed in contact with sponge pad  168 . Strips  170  extend upwardly from their points of contact with the bottom of pad  168 , around support plate  156  at points adjacent cutouts  164 , and upwardly into slots  146  in side wall  142  of sleeve  136 . Strips  170  have a length and width sufficient to permit such to be adhered by any suitable means, like waterproof adhesives, to side wall  142  at the top, bottom, and sides of each slot  146 . 
         [0040]    The use of beverage cooler  10  is straightforward. First, mounting brackets  14  are detached from housing  12  by sliding base blocks  68  from mounting rails  34 . Next, brackets  14  are engaged with register  16  by pressing jaws  94  and  124  and jaws  96  and  126  against fins or flow diverters  72  such that teeth  102 ,  104 ,  130 , and  134  find a good grip. Now, rails  34  are slid into channels  90  in blocks  68  to mount housing  12  in a position adjacent register  16  to receive chilled air therefrom. Then, insert  20  is withdrawn from housing  12  and soaked in water for a few seconds so that absorbent pad  168  and wicking strips  170  can become saturated. Afterward, insert  20  is repositioned in housing  12  and an aluminum can or other beverage container  22  is set within sleeve  136  such that the container  22  comes to rest upon upstanding ribs  160 . Once chilled air is caused to flow through housing  12 , water will evaporate from wicking strips  170 , lowering the temperature of strips  170  below that of the chilled air and causing container  22  to be similarly cooled. The water evaporated from strips  170  is replaced by means of capillary action, which causes water to be withdrawn from pad  168  as the water saturation of strips  170  is reduced. When the water is fully withdrawn from the pad  168  and strips  170 , insert  20  can be recharged with a second soaking. Thus, beverage cooler  10  is always ready for immediate reuse. 
         [0041]    While beverage cooler  10  has been described with a high degree of particularity, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made to it. For example, the number and location of inlets  40 - 50  and outlets  52 - 58  can be varied in accordance with design preferences. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to beverage cooler  10  described above, but encompasses any and all beverage coolers within the scope of the following claims.