Abstract:
A cooler having a beverage dispenser adapted for seating within the cooler. The beverage dispenser is removably arranged in the cooler, either within the main interior compartment of the cooler or in its own compartment and includes a manually operated pump assembly with a rotatable dispensing arm. The cooler may have a one-piece lid or a split lid, with one portion of the split lid covering the main compartment and another portion covering the beverage dispenser. The cooler may also have wheels and a pull handle. The lid may be attached to the cooler with an integral hinge which limits the angle through which the lid may be opened.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application relates to coolers. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     Conventional coolers typically comprise one cooling compartment for holding perishable items in thermal isolation from surrounding conditions. Beverages are usually stored in their own containers along with other items in the cooling compartment. To dispense a beverage, a user typically opens the cooler lid, removes a beverage container and pours the contents of the container. If the beverage container is reusable, the user may replace the container in the cooling compartment. To do so, the user will either keep the cooler lid open throughout the dispensing process, or close and reopen the lid to replace the beverage container. Putting the reusable container beverage container back into the cooling compartment may be difficult and time consuming if other items in the compartment have shifted into the cavity created by the removal of the beverage container. While the lid is open, the contents of the cooling compartment are exposed to the ambient conditions, thereby compromising the thermal isolation function of the cooler. 
     A cooler marketed by the Igloo Products Corporation of Tulsa, Okla. provides for a beverage dispenser which dispenses a beverage by gravity through a spout which protrudes through an opening near the bottom of the cooler. The low position of the spout, necessitated by the reliance on gravity, makes such an arrangement inconvenient to use and susceptible to dirt contamination. The constant exposure of the spout to the exterior of the cooler further increases the possibility of contamination. Furthermore, the opening in the cooler through which the spout passes may leak water created from ice melting in the cooler compartment if the user has not properly installed the beverage dispenser. Moreover, the beverage dispenser cannot be used outside of the cooler without completely emptying the cooler and installing a separate plug to seal the opening provided in the cooler for the dispenser spout. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a cooler which is adapted for receiving therein a specially adapted beverage dispenser. The dispenser can be operated to dispense a beverage while the dispenser is seated within the cooler. When not in use, the dispenser can be enclosed entirely within the cooler to retain its contents in thermal isolation from the ambient conditions. The beverage dispenser can also readily be removed from the cooler and used independently of the cooler to contain and dispense beverages. 
     A first exemplary embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the present invention comprises one cooling compartment which is adapted to receive a beverage dispenser and to store other items in thermal isolation from the exterior. In this embodiment, the cooling compartment is accessed via one lid. 
     A further exemplary embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the present invention comprises two cooling compartments: one compartment for receiving a beverage dispenser and a main compartment for retaining other items. The compartment containing the beverage dispenser can thus be accessed without opening the main compartment and thereby exposing the main compartment to the ambient conditions. 
     Unlike known coolers, beverages can be dispensed from the beverage container without removing the container from the cooler. This avoids the problem of trying to replace the container into the cooler only to find that other items have shifted into the space previously occupied by the beverage container. As a result, the process of dispensing a drink is accelerated, reducing the amount of time that the cooler lid stays open and thus allowing the cooling compartment to stay cooler longer. 
     A cooler in accordance with the present invention may also preferably comprise wheels and a pull handle to facilitate transportation of the cooler. An improved cooler liner and cooler lid are also disclosed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a first exemplary embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the present invention in assembled and disassembled states, respectively. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a further exemplary embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the present invention in assembled and disassembled states, respectively. 
     FIGS. 3A,  3 B and  3 C are top views of an exemplary embodiment of a beverage dispenser in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIGS. 4A,  4 B and  4 C are side views of an exemplary embodiment of a beverage dispenser in accordance with the present invention. FIGS. 4A,  4 B and  4 C correspond to FIGS. 3A,  3 B and  3 C, respectively. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a container component of the exemplary beverage dispenser of FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     FIGS. 6A through 6E are various views of the exemplary container component of FIG.  5 . 
     FIGS. 7A through 7F are various views of a liner for an exemplary embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIGS. 8A through 8C are views of the back of the further exemplary embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the present invention with the lid in various positions. 
     FIGS. 9A through 9C are cross-sectional views corresponding to FIGS. 8A through 8C, respectively. FIG. 9D is a detailed view of a portion of FIG.  9 C. 
     FIGS. 10A through 10E show various views of a lid for the first exemplary embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of an exemplary cooler  100  in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 1B shows the exemplary cooler  100  in a perspective exploded view. As shown, the cooler  100  comprises a lid  110  and a cooler body  120 , with the lid  110  being pivotally attached to the body  120  such as by one or more hinges  115 , or other suitable joining means. The lid  110  may alternatively be detached from the cooler body  120 . The cooler  100  is generally in the shape of a rectangular solid with the cooler body  120  having a generally rectangular opening and the lid  110  having a corresponding generally rectangular shape. Of course, other shapes are possible within the scope of the present invention. 
     The cooler  100  comprises an interior compartment  150  for storing items to be thermally insulated from the exterior. The compartment  150  is adapted to receive therein a beverage dispenser  300 , which will be described more fully below. 
     The cooler  100  may optionally comprise wheels  125  arranged proximate to a bottom edge of the cooler body  120 . When the cooler  100  lies flat on a flat surface, the wheels  125  preferably do not touch the flat surface (See FIGS.  8 A- 8 C). The wheels  125  engage the surface when the cooler  100  is lifted from the end of the cooler opposite the wheels. This provides for a more stable configuration and prevents the cooler from unintentionally pivoting about the wheels should, for instance, a person sit on the cooler at the wheeled end of the cooler. To facilitate pulling the cooler  100 , the cooler may also include a pull handle  127  arranged on a wall of the cooler opposite of the wheels  125 . The pull handle  127  is preferably hinged on the cooler so as to swing down and out of the way when not in use. The cooler  100  may also preferably comprise lifting handles  128  and  129  arranged on opposite ends of the cooler body  120 , as shown in FIG.  1 B. The lifting handles  128 ,  129  can be implemented in a variety of known ways. 
     As shown in FIG. 1B, the cooler body  120  comprises a shell  130 , which forms the exterior of the cooler body, and a liner  155  which is inserted into the shell  130 . As with conventional cooler designs, the shape of the liner  155  generally conforms to the shape of the interior of the shell  130  while allowing a space between the liner  155  and the shell  130  for the introduction therein of an insulating material (not shown). The interior compartment  150  is delimited by the liner  155  and the lid  110 . 
     The liner  155  is adapted for receiving the dispenser  300  therein. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the liner  155  generally has the shape of an open box, with a bottom surface and two pairs of opposing walls. The liner  155  is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 7A through 7F, described more fully below. 
     The dispenser  300  is adapted to fit entirely within the compartment  150  between two opposing walls  156  and  158  of the liner  155 . The walls  156  and  158  have formed therein coupling features  157  and  159 , respectively. The coupling features  157 ,  159  can be formed into the liner walls as slots, as shown in FIG.  1 B. (See also FIG. 7A.) When the dispenser  300  is placed in the compartment  150 , the coupling features  157  and  159  receive complementary coupling features  357  and  359 , respectively, formed on the dispenser  300 . In the embodiment shown, the complementary coupling features  357 ,  359  are formed as projections which slide within the slots  157 ,  159  formed in the liner  155 . The engagement of the slots  157 ,  159  with the projections  357 ,  359  secure the dispenser  300  within the compartment  150 , preventing lateral movement of the dispenser within the compartment while allowing the dispenser to be pulled upwards, out of the compartment. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the dispenser  300  is preferably placed at an end of the compartment  150  proximate to the wheels  125 . Such an arrangement is conducive to pulling the cooler  100  when the dispenser  300  is full and thus fairly heavy. 
     As shown in FIG. 1B, the dispenser  300  comprises a container  310  and a pump assembly  320 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, the container  310  comprises a threaded opening  315  for receiving the pump assembly  320 . The pump assembly  320  comprises a complementary threaded coupling for engaging the threaded opening of the container. Naturally, other suitable, well-known arrangements for removably coupling the pump assembly  320  to the container  310  can also be used. Preferably, the opening  315  is large enough (e.g., 4″ in diameter) to allow cleaning the interior of the container  310  by hand. 
     To fill the dispenser  300 , a user unscrews the pump assembly  320  from the container  310 , thereby exposing the opening  315 , and pours a liquid, such as a beverage, into the container  310 . Once full, the pump assembly  320  can be reinserted and screwed onto the container  310 . The liquid in the container  310  can then be dispensed by operating the pump of the pump assembly  320 . 
     FIGS. 3A through 3B and  4 A through  4 C illustrate the operation of the dispenser  300 . The pump assembly  320  comprises a pump  330  which comprises a plunger  332  with a spout  335  attached thereto. The pump  330  operates in a conventional manner to dispense the liquid contents of the dispenser  300  via the spout  335  by raising and depressing the plunger  332 . When the plunger  332  is raised, the pump  330  draws liquid from the container  310 . When the plunger  332  is depressed, the liquid drawn by the pump  330  is expelled from the spout  335 . Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plunger  332  can swivel about its axis between at least a first and second position. In the first position, shown in FIG. 3C, the lid  110  can be closed over the beverage dispenser  300 . In the second position, shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the spout  335  can dispense liquid over a side of the cooler  100  when the dispenser is in the cooler, as shown in FIG.  1 A. Of course, the pump can also be operated with the dispenser  300  removed from the cooler  100 . 
     The amount of liquid dispensed by depressing the plunger  332  once is a function of how high the plunger is pulled up, and thus of how much liquid is drawn by the pump  330  in the upward stroke. In a further exemplary embodiment, the plunger  332  may include graduated markings which indicate the volume of liquid to be dispensed when the plunger  332  is depressed from a particular level. In an exemplary embodiment, the pump  330  will dispense  4  fluid ounces of liquid for one full stroke of the plunger  332 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the container  310 , while FIGS. 6A,  6 B,  6 C,  6 D and  6 E show top, front, bottom, side and rear views, respectively, of the container. As shown in FIG. 5, the container  310  preferably comprises a handle  317  for lifting and carrying the dispenser  300 . The dispenser  300  can also be carried with two hands using finger handle reliefs  318  formed on opposite ends of the container  310 . The container  310  may include graduated markings on one or more side to indicate the level of liquid therein. 
     FIG. 2A shows a perspective view of a further exemplary embodiment of a cooler  200  in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2B shows the exemplary cooler  200  in a perspective exploded view. As shown, the cooler  200  comprises two lids  210 A and  210 B and a cooler body  220 , with the lids  210 A and  210 B being pivotally attached to the body  220  such as by hinges, or other suitable joining means. 
     In this embodiment, the cooler  200  comprises two interior compartments  250 A and  250 B. Compartment  250 A is used for storing items to be thermally insulated from the exterior. Compartment  250 B is used for receiving a beverage dispenser in accordance with the present invention, such as the beverage dispenser  300  described above. Each of the compartments  250 A and  250 B has a corresponding lid  210 A and  210 B, respectively, thereby allowing the compartments  250 A and  250 B to be accessed independently via the lids  210 A and  210 B, respectively. Thus, for example, the dispenser  300  can be accessed to dispense a beverage while keeping the compartment  250 A closed and thus thermally isolated from the exterior of the cooler  200 . 
     As with the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the cooler  200  comprises a cooler body  220 . The body  220  comprises an exterior shell  230  and a liner  255  arranged in the shell. In this embodiment, the liner  255  is formed with a partition  277  which separates the interior compartments  250 A and  250 B. The partition  277  may include one or more posts  279  which may be necessitated by a molding process used to form the liner. The posts  279  also impart rigidity to the partition  277  and may also provide a keying function in placing the dispenser  300  in the compartment  250 B. As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the container  310  of the dispenser  300  may be provided with indentations  379  which complement the posts  279  on the partition  277 . The posts  279  and indentations  379  thus allow the dispenser to be placed in the compartment  250 B with only one orientation. 
     In all other material respects, the construction of the cooler  200  is substantially similar to that of the cooler  100 , described above. 
     A cooler in accordance with the present invention can be manufactured using well-known techniques and materials such as plastics. 
     FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of the liner  155  as used in the exemplary single-compartment cooler  100  described above. FIG. 7B is a side view of the liner  155  and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view. As shown, the liner  155  comprises an integral lip  165  which surrounds the perimeter of the liner opening. The lip  165  provides rigidity to the liner and provides a surface for mating the liner to the shell  130  of the cooler body. FIG. 7D shows a detailed perspective view of a portion of the lip  165 . 
     As shown in cross section in FIGS. 7E and 7F, the lip  165  comprises a horizontal surface  165   a  and a vertical surface  165   b  which are substantially mutually perpendicular. The horizontal surface  165   a  is substantially perpendicular to the side walls  155   w  of the liner. In accordance with the present invention, the lip  165  is provided with stiffening features  175  arranged along the two edges defined by the surfaces  165   a ,  165   b  and  155   w . As shown, the stiffening features  175  can be formed as indentations arranged at an angle (e.g., 45 degrees) to the adjoining surfaces. The stiffening features  175  serve to maintain the intended angular relationship between the surfaces adjoining the edges into which the features are formed. The stiffening features  175  are molded into the edges integrally with the lip  165 . The features  175  allow the use of softer, more flexible and thus less expensive plastic which may otherwise tend to lose its shape after being molded. Although shown with respect to the one-compartment liner  155 , the stiffening features  175  can also be used with the two-compartment liner  255  or conventional liners. 
     FIGS. 8A through 8C and  9 A through  9 D illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a hinge for attaching the lid  210  to the cooler body  200 . As shown in FIG. 8A, the lid parts  210 A and  210 B each comprise two or more hinge projections  215  which engage complementary hinge projections  217  on the body  220 . Each projection  217  comprises an integral pin  216  which is received in a complementary pocket in the hinge projections  215 . As shown, the lid  210  comprises a ridge  211  adjacent to the hinge line which abuts the hinge projections  217  on the cooler body when the lid is fully opened, as shown in FIGS. 9C and 9D. The abutment of the ridge  211  against the projections  217  prevents the lid from opening further. As shown in FIG. 9C, in the fully open position, the angle defined by the top of the cooler body  220  and the lid  210  is preferably greater than  90  degrees so that the lid will stay open by itself in the fully opened position. 
     Although shown with respect to the split-compartment embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, such a hinge may be used in a wide variety of coolers and other similar devices. 
     The lids  110  and  210  of the exemplary coolers described above may also include attachment features  117 , as shown in FIGS. 10A through 10E. The attachment features may be used for attaching bungee cords, for example, to the lid. The provision of bungee cords on the lid makes it possible to temporarily secure items to the top of the cooler. One or more attachment points  117  are preferably arranged along opposing edges of the lid  110 . As shown, two attachment points  117  are arranged on the far ends of the lid. The attachment points  117  may be formed as openings, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 10E. A bungee cord can be passed through the opening and held in place such as by being knotted at one end. As shown, the attachment features  117  are preferably integrated into the edge of the lid. 
     As shown in FIG. 10A, in an exemplary embodiment, the lid  110  (or  210 ) comprises one or more cup holders  116 . In the exemplary embodiment, the cup holders  116  have a depth of approximately 2″. The depth of the holders will depend on the thickness of the lid. Moreover, a clearance between the bottom surface of the lid and the bottom of each cup holder should be maintained so as to allow for insulation, such as urethane foam, in the lid to completely surround the cup holder for cold retention properties. The distances of the cup holders from the cooler lid perimeter, the distances of the cup holders from each other and the clearance between the bottom surface of the lid and the cup holder protrusions into the lid cavity are selected so as to provide an achievable blow molding draw ratio depth. In accordance with the present invention, the cup holders  116  can be formed in the lid even though the lid is manufactured using blow molding techniques. 
     Also, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10D, the underside of the lid  110  is advantageously provided with indented areas  118  for maximizing the useful interior volume of the compartment  150  when the lid is closed. Further indentations  119  within the indented areas  118  can be provided for accommodating tall items such as bottles. To assist in placing such items beneath the indentations  119 , locator marks, such as dimples or mounds or other suitable markings, can be formed in or placed on the liner  155  directly beneath the indentations  119 .