Patent Publication Number: US-2012024896-A1

Title: Beverage containment and thermal management

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/369,372, filed on Jul. 30, 2010, entitled “Beverage Containment and Thermal Management,” which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Consumers, vendors, and the environment will benefit from increased opportunity to transport, sell, and use beverages distributed in flexible bladders. Such beverage bladders are found in increasingly available boxed wines. These wines have a significantly reduced impact on the environment and energy consumption of the production and processing of glass bottles for wine. Furthermore, the plastic bladders may be used in environments where glass may be undesirable such as at the beach, poolside, or on a boat. Flexible beverage bladders sold within cardboard boxes are cumbersome to carry and difficult to keep cold away from a large refrigerator as they generally do not fit easy into existing coolers. 
     It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented. 
     SUMMARY 
     Concepts and technologies are described herein for beverage containment and thermal maintenance. Through an implementation of the concepts and technologies presented herein, functionality can be provided for configuring a cooler to support insertion and containment of a bladder for containing a liquid such as a beverage. The cooler may be used to maintain desired thermal characteristics of the liquid, such as keeping a cold beverage cold, or keeping a warm beverage warm. The bladder may include a tap for controllably dispensing the liquid within the bladder. The cooler can include an adjustable tap port. The port can have an opening to allow the tap of the bladder to extend to the outside of the cooler. The port may be adjustable in the size and shape of the opening to support the insertion and securing of various sized taps. 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended that this Summary be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating aspects of a liquid cooler with an adjustable tap port according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating aspects of a liquid bladder inside a liquid cooler according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view illustrating aspects of a reusable tap associated with a liquid bladder according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view illustrating aspects of an outer wall of the cooler according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating aspects of a liquid cooler having a key and pocket style adjustable tap port according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 6  is a detailed view illustrating aspects of a key and pocket style adjustable tap port according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating aspects of a liquid cooler having a retaining flap style adjustable tap port according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 8  is a detail view illustrating aspects of a tapered opening associated with a retaining flap style adjustable tap port according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 9  is a detail view illustrating aspects of a retaining flap associated with a retaining flap style adjustable tap port according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating aspects of a liquid cooler with an elastic membrane style adjustable tap port according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 11  is a side view illustrating aspects of a refillable liquid bladder according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 12  is a flattened view illustrating aspects of a liquid bladder according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 13  is a side view illustrating aspects of a two chamber liquid bladder according to various embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 14  is a side view illustrating aspects of a two chamber liquid bladder according to various embodiments presented herein; and 
         FIG. 15  is a flattened view illustrating aspects of a two chambered liquid bladder according to various embodiments presented herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is directed to technologies for containing beverages and maintaining thermal conditions. According to various aspects of the technology presented herein, a cooler may be configured to support insertion and containment of a bladder where the bladder may be configured to containing a liquid such as a beverage. The bladder may include a tap for controllably dispensing the liquid within the bladder. The cooler can include an adjustable tap port with an opening to allow the tap of the bladder to extend to the outside of the cooler. The port may be adjustable in a size and a shape of the opening to support the insertion and securing of various sized taps. 
     According to various additional aspects of the technology presented herein, a bladder may be made reusable by having a fill port through which the bladder may be refilled. The bladder may have a removable tap to allow for replacement of the bladder membrane while reusing the tap mechanism. The removable tap may also support inserting a second bladder such as a commercially filled bladder into the bladder while allowing the second bladder&#39;s tap to extend through the tap hole within the first bladder. Such an arrangement can provide a void between the first and second bladder for a thermal management material such as ice, cold water, warm water, or otherwise. Similarly a two chambered bladder may be provided wherein the one chamber contains a thermal material and another contains a beverage and is associated with the tap or tap hole. 
     It should be appreciated that the subject matter described herein may be implemented as one or more methods, one or more apparatus, systems, or as articles of manufacture. These and various other features will be apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and a review of the associated drawings. In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples. Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements through the several figures, aspects of a system and methodology for containing beverages and maintaining thermal conditions are presented. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a perspective drawing illustrates a liquid cooler  100  with an adjustable tap port  110  according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. A flexible bladder for containing a liquid may be placed into the liquid cooler  100 . The liquid may be a beverage and the cooler  100  may be used to maintain desired thermal characteristics of the liquid. For example, a cool beverage such as wine, beer, soda, juice, water, milk, and so forth may be kept cool. Also, a warm beverage such as coffee, tea, chai, cocoa, broth, and so forth may be kept warm. The bladder may include a tap for controllably dispensing the liquid within the bladder. 
     The adjustable tap port  110  provides an opening to allow the tap of the bladder to protrude through. The adjustable tap port  110  can also mechanically interface with the tap, or a collar associated with the tap, to hold the tap in place within the opening. The adjustable tap port  110  may be adjusted to support taps having various geometries such that various different types of bladders may be used within the cooler  100 . These various geometries may include different sizes, different shapes, or different styles of taps or tap collars. While various adjustable tap port  110  embodiments are detailed herein (such as the key and pocket style adjustable tap port  110 A, the retaining flap style adjustable tap port  110 B, and the elastic membrane style adjustable tap port  110 C), it should be appreciated that various other adjustable tap port  110  embodiments may support an adjustable cooler opening for interfacing with variously sized liquid bladder taps without departing from the spirit or scope of the technology disclosed herein. 
     The cooler  100  may comprise a main body  120  and a lid  130  connected by a closure mechanism  140 . The closure mechanism  140  may be as a zipper, hook-and-loop (e.g. VELCRO), button, snap, zipper lock (e.g. ZIPLOC), gasket seal, or any other type of closure. The cooler  100  may also comprise a strap  150  for carrying the cooler  100 . The strap  150  may include an adjustment  160  for changing the length of the strap  150 . 
     The main body  120  and lid  130  of the cooler  100  may be soft or rigid and may be constructed of the same materials. These materials may contain a thermally insulating layer or have a thermally insulating structure as discussed below. The strap  150  may be constructed of the same material as the main body  120 . Alternatively, the strap  150  may be constructed of various other materials coordinating, or contrasting, with the main body  120 . 
     Example materials for the cooler  100  and the main body  120  may include fabrics, woven materials, polymer materials, nylon, polyester, canvas, vinyl, neoprene, plastic, rubber, other materials formable into a sheet, or any combination thereof. The cooler  100  may have internal dimensions of an approximate cube, a rectangular prism, a cylinder, a cone, a quasi-pyramid, a tetrahedron, or any other appropriate shape for holding a beverage bladder. The interior volume may be any size, but some example embodiments may have internal dimensions from about 10 by 10 by 10 centimeters up to 20 by 20 by 20 centimeters. 
     A plug for filling in the tap port  110  may be provided for placement within the tap port  110  when not in use. The plug may have a geometry and structure similar to that of a tap collar for supporting engagement between the plug and tap port  110  in a similar fashion as the tap port  110  may engage with the collar of a tap. 
     It should be appreciated that the tap port  110  may be positioned within the wall of any cooler, box, refrigerator, cabinet or any other structure for storing, deploying, or transporting a liquid bladder. Furthermore, two or more tap ports  110  may be positioned within the cooler  100  or any other cooler, box, refrigerator, cabinet or other structure to support two or more bladders within the structure. A shelf, rack, strap, basket, sling, or other support mechanism may be positioned adjacent to, or just below, each tap port  110  to hold a respective bladder adjacent to the tap port  110  where the tap port  110  may engage with a collar associated with a tap of the bladder. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a side view diagram illustrates a liquid bladder  200  inside a liquid cooler  100  according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The bladder  200  may be referred to as a flexible bladder. The bladder  200  can hold a liquid such as a beverage. The liquid cooler  100  can enclose the bladder  200 . 
     The bladder  200  can dispense the liquid through a tap  210 . The tap  210  can attach to the bladder  200  at an inner flange  220 . The attachment at the inner flange  220  may be made by adhesive, weld, threaded fitting, compression fitting, or any other mechanism for attaching the tap  210  to the bladder  200 . The tap  210  may include a control  230 , such as a push button, knob, lever, valve, or other control, for allowing the liquid to be dispensed through an outlet  240  within the tap  210 . The tap  210  may also include a collar  250 . The collar  250  can provide a mechanical interface for locking the tap  210  into an opening through an outer wall of the cooler  100 . 
     As discussed with respect to  FIG. 1 , the cooler  100  may have an adjustable tap port  110 . The adjustable tap port  110  can provide an opening for protruding the tap  210  through to the outside of the cooler  100 . The adjustable tap port  110  can also adjustably interface with collar  250 . The adjustability of the adjustable tap port  110  can support latching into the collar  250  to hold it into place while also accommodating various sizes of collars  250 . The accommodation of multiple sizes and shapes of collars  250  can support the use of the cooler  100  with various commercially available bladders  200  and associated taps  210 . For example, various sized taps  210  with various sized collars  250  may be present in the variety of bladder within a box wines that may be found in the marketplace. 
     According to various embodiments, a reusable bladder  200  may be provided with a fill port through which the bladder may be refilled. The bladder  200  may also have a removable tap  210  to allow for replacement of the bladder membrane while reusing the tap  210 . The removable tap  210  may also support inserting a second bladder such as a commercially filled bladder into the bladder  200  while allowing the second bladder&#39;s tap  210  to extend through the tap hole within the first bladder  200 . Such an arrangement can provide a void between the first and second bladder for a thermal management material such as ice, cold water, warm water, otherwise, or any combination thereof. Similarly, a two chambered bladder  200  may be provided wherein the one chamber (not opening into the tap  210 ) may be used for a thermal material and another chamber (that does open into the tap  210 ) may be used to contain a beverage. Some aspects of these various embodiments of the bladder  200  are discussed in further detail below. 
     It should be appreciated that the chamber (or multiple chambers) of the reusable bladder  200  may be opened and resealed using a screw cap, snap on cap, pressure fit seal, zipper locking seal, any other resealing mechanism, or any combination thereof. Additionally, the openings may be configured to be sealed, but not resealed, in the case of a single-use embodiment. It should also be appreciated that various types of taps  210  may be associated with various embodiments of the bladder  200  and these taps may be removable or fixed, actuated in various ways, disposable or reusable, have various sizes and shapes, and may be formed of any type of appropriate materials. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an exploded view diagram illustrates a reusable tap  210 A associated with a liquid bladder  200  according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. Threads  310  on the tap  210 A can interface with threads on the inside of a threaded ring  330 . The threaded ring  330  can be rotated onto the threads  310  of the tap  210 A to secure the tap  210 A into the opening in the bladder and also to seal the tap  210 A into the bladder  200  to prevent a beverage contained within the bladder  200  from leaking out of the bladder  200 . According to other embodiments, the removable tap  210 A may be coupled to the bladder  200  using a snap-on ring, compression fitting, or any other type of coupling mechanism in place of the threads  310  and the threaded ring  330 . 
     The bladder  200  may be formed as a bag. The bladder  200  may comprise plastics, polymeric materials, rubber, aluminum foil, any other foil, any other waterproof materials, or any combination thereof. A reinforced ring  340  may be provided around the tap opening in the bladder  200 . The reinforced ring  340  of the bladder can serve as a gasket once sealed between the tap  210 A and the threaded ring  330 . In other embodiments where the tap  210  is not removable, the reinforced ring  340  may aid in, or be formed by, adhering or welding the tap  210  to the bladder  200 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a cross-sectional view diagram illustrates an outer wall of the cooler  100  according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. A liner layer  410  may be provided within the walls of the cooler  100 . The liner layer  410  may be the inner-most layer within the cooler wall. The liner layer  410  may include a plastic liner. The liner layer  410  may comprise material of plastic, rubber, any polymeric material, or any combination thereof. 
     A waterproof layer  420  may be provided within the walls of the cooler  100 . The waterproof layer  420  may be positioned just under the inner surface from the liner layer  410 . The waterproof layer  420  may comprise material of plastic, rubber, any polymeric material, or any combination thereof. 
     An insulating layer  430  may be provided within the walls of the cooler  100 . The insulating layer  430  may comprise materials of foam, polystyrene, down, felt, batting, fiber, air gap, bubble sheet, cotton, any other insulator, or any combination thereof. 
     An outer layer  440  may be provided on the outside of the walls of the cooler  100 . The outer layer  440  may be a fabric, plastic, rubber, nylon, polymeric, cotton, polyester, any other materials, or any combination thereof. The outer layer  440  may be colored, patterned, printed, stitched, tufted, or otherwise adorned to provide a decorative, outer aesthetic to the cooler  100 . This decoration may also include commercial marking, labeling, advertising, or promotional information. These markings or information may be associated with a beverage to be contained within the cooler  100 . 
     A bottom layer  450  may be provided on the bottom surface or lower regions of the cooler. The bottom layer  450  may be the same as, or similar to, the outer layer  440 . The bottom layer  450  may also be a doubled up, or otherwise reinforced, version of the outer layer  440 . The bottom layer  450  may also be a hardened or reinforced material differing from the outer layer  440 . 
     The sides of the cooler  100  may be stitched or welded through all of the layers  410 - 450  to form the cooler. These stitches, welds, or other affixing mechanisms may be placed along the edges, corners, or closure mechanism  140  of the cooler  100 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a perspective view diagram illustrates a liquid cooler  100 A have a key and pocket style adjustable tap port  110 A according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The adjustable tap port  110 A can adjust to fit around various sized bladder taps  210 . The adjustable tap port  110 A can engage into a collar  250  of the tap  210  placed within the tap port  110 A. A shaped key  520  slidably placed into a pocket  510  may establish the resizing and engagement of the tap port  110 A. A tapered opening  500  may be provided in a wall of the cooler  100 A for supporting the tap  210 . The geometry of the tapered opening  500  can accommodate various sizes of tap collars  250 . Sliding the shaped key  520  within the pocket  510  can adjust the size of an opening formed from the top by the key  520  and from the bottom by the tapered opening  500  within the cooler  100 A. A small strap  530 , or similar structure, may be affixed to the key  520  to keep the key  520  attached to the cooler  100 A 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a detailed view illustrates a key and pocket style adjustable tap port  110 A according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The key  520  can comprise plastic, metal, polymeric, any other rigid, or any other semi-rigid materials. A tap hole  610  may be provided at, or near, the top of the key  520  for affixing the strap  530  to the key  520 . The strap  530  may flexibly couple the key  520  to the cooler  100 A. 
     A notch  620  in the bottom of the key  520  may be provided to form an upper portion of the adjustable tap port  110 A. A top portion of the notch  620  may formed of a half circle of diameter  630  or any similar shape configured to lock into the top of a collar  250  from a bladder tap  210 . The diameter  630  may measure in a range from approximately 20 to 50 millimeters. It should be appreciated that other sizes may be used for the diameter  630 . 
     The pocket  510  may comprise the same, or similar, material as the cooler  100 A. The pocket  510  may be attached to the cooler  100 A along edges  640  by stitching, welding, adhesive, or other fixing mechanisms. 
     The tapered opening  500  may be provided through a wall of the cooler  100 A to support protrusion of the tap  210 . The tapered opening  500  may be formed from a wider top region  650  having a top opening width  655  tapering down to a narrower bottom region  660  having a bottom opening width  665 . The top opening width  655  may measure in a range from approximately 30 to 55 millimeters. The bottom opening width  665  may measure in a range from approximately 25 to 40 millimeters. It should be appreciated that any other measurements may be used for either the bottom opening width  665  or the top opening width  655  according to various other embodiments. The tapered opening  500  may have an opening height  670 . The opening height  670  may measure in a range from 40 to 90 millimeters. It should be appreciated that any other measurements may be used for the opening height  670 . 
     The key  520  may be inserted down into the pocket  510  to adjust the size of the opening so as to engage into the collar  250  portion of a tap  210  inserted into the tapered opening  500 . The pocket  510  should be deep enough to allow the opening to close down to approximately 20 millimeters. It should be appreciated that the range of sizes of the opening may be different to accommodate appropriate collars  250  on various possible bladder taps  210 . The bottom of the tapered opening  500  and thus the opening for the tap  210  may be approximately 10 to 40 millimeters from the bottom of the cooler  110 A. As discussed above, other measurements may be used according to various embodiments. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a perspective view diagram illustrates a liquid cooler  100 B have a retaining flap style adjustable tap port  110 B according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The cooler  100 B can have a tapered opening  700  to support protrusion of the bladder tap  210  through a side wall of the cooler  100 B. A retaining flap  710  may be provided above the tapered opening  700 . The retaining flap  710  can rotate, or fold, downward partially over the tapered opening  700  to form an adjustable opening engaging with a collar  250  of a bladder tap  210 . The retaining flap  710  may be variably and removably affixed to the body of the cooler  100 B using attachment elements  720  on the flap along with mating attachment elements  730  on the cooler  100 B. The attachment elements  720 - 730  may comprise hook-and-loop (e.g. VELCRO), button, snap, or other such attachment mechanisms. The retaining flap  710  may be constructed of rigid or semi-rigid material. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a detail view diagram illustrates a tapered opening  700  associated with a retaining flap style adjustable tap port  110 B according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The tapered opening  700  may be formed from a wider top region  810  having an opening width  815  tapering down to a narrower bottom region  820  having an opening width  825 . The top opening width  815  may measure in a range from approximately 30 to 55 millimeters. The bottom opening width  825  may measure in a range from approximately 25 to 40 millimeters. It should be appreciated that any other measurements may be used for either the bottom opening width  825  or the top opening width  815  according to various other embodiments. The tapered opening  700  may have an opening height  830 . The opening height  830  may measure in a range from 40 to 90 millimeters. It should be appreciated that any other measurements may be used for the opening height  830 . The bottom of the tapered opening  700  and thus the opening for the tap  210  may be approximately 10 to 40 millimeters from the bottom of the cooler  110 B. As discussed above, other measurements may be used according to various embodiments. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , a detail view diagram illustrates a retaining flap  710  associated with a retaining flap style adjustable tap port  110 B according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. An affixed portion  940  of the retaining flap  710  may be attached to the cooler  100 B to provide a pivot for turning or folding down the retaining flap  710 . The affixed portion  940  of the retaining flap  710  may be attached to the cooler  100 B using stitching, welds, adhesive, any other fixing mechanism, or any combination thereof. A flex portion  950  of the retaining flap  710  can provide extra fabric for adjusting the vertical position of the retaining flap  710  to accommodate different sizes of bladder tap collars  250 . The flex portion  950  of the retaining flap  710  may measure approximately 5 to 20 millimeters. As noted, any other measurements may also be used according to various embodiments. 
     The portion of the retaining flap  710  beyond the flex portion  950  can have a height  930 . The height  930  may be measures at 60 to 100 millimeters in length. Other measurements may be used according to various embodiments. 
     A notch  910  in the retaining flap  710  can adjustably combine with the tapered opening  700  to engage within the collar  250  of a bladder tap  210 . The notch  910  may have an upper region that is approximately a semicircle with a diameter  915 . The diameter  915  may measure in the range of 25 to 45 millimeters, or any other measurement according to various embodiments. Side legs  920  of the retaining flap  710  may extend from the semicircle of the notch  910  to form a total notch height  925 . The height  925  may measure in the range of approximately 45 to 65 millimeters, or any other measurement according to various embodiments. The attachment elements  720  may be positioned upon, or substantially upon the legs  920  of the retaining flap  710 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a perspective view diagram illustrates a liquid cooler  110 C with an elastic membrane style adjustable tap port  110 C according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. An adjustable tap port  110 C may also be provided by positioning an elastic membrane  1010  within an opening in the cooler  100 C. A tap opening  1020  may be provided within the elastic membrane  1010 . The tap opening  1020  may have a diameter measured in the range of 25 to 50 millimeters. The tap opening  1020  can adjust to various sizes of taps  210  by deforming the elastic membrane  1010 . The tap opening  1020  can engage with the collar  250  of the tap  210  inserted through the adjustable tap port  110 C. The tap opening  1020  may close, according to its elastic properties, to seal around the collar  250 . The elastic membrane  1010  may comprise rubber, elastomeric materials, a polymer, any other elastic material, or any combination thereof. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , a side view diagram illustrates a refillable liquid bladder  200 A according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The refillable bladder  200 A may be formed from a single bag or from a front membrane  1110  and a rear membrane  1115 . The interior of the refillable bladder  200 A may form a void or chamber  1150  between the membranes  1110  and  1115 . A fill port  1120  may be provided within the bladder  200 A. The fill port  1120  may provide an opening into the chamber  1150 . The fill port  1120  may be threaded to couple with a cap  1130 . The fill port  1120  and cap  1130  may use some other form of closure such as a snap cap, pressure seal cap, friction sealed cap, cork plug, or so forth. 
     The fill port  1120  can attach to the bladder  200 A at an inner flange  1140 . The attachment at the inner flange  1140  may be made by adhesive, weld, threaded fitting, compression fitting, or any other mechanism for attaching the fill port  1120  to the bladder  200 A. 
     The bladder  200 A can dispense the liquid through a tap  210 . The tap  210  can attach to the bladder  200 A at an inner flange  220 . The attachment at the inner flange  220  may be made by adhesive, weld, threaded fitting, compression fitting, or any other mechanism for attaching the tap  210  to the bladder  200 A. The tap  210  may include a collar  250 . The collar  250  can provide a mechanical interface for locking the tap  210  into an opening through an outer wall of the cooler  100 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 12 , a flattened view diagram illustrates a liquid bladder  200 A according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The bladder  200 A may include a front membrane  1110  attached to a rear memorable  1115  at seams  1240  The seams  1240  may be welds, adhesive lines, or areas for any other type of seals. A fill port opening  1210  may be provided for attaching the fill port  1120 . A fill port reinforcement  1220  may be provided as a reinforced or attachment area for affixing the fill port  1120  to the bladder  200 A. A tap opening  1230  may be provided for attaching the tap  210 . A tap opening reinforcement  340  may be provided as a reinforced or attachment area for affixing the tap  210  to the bladder  200 A. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 13 , a side view diagram illustrates a two chamber bladder  200 B according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The two chamber bladder  200 B may be formed from a front membrane  1330 , a center membrane  1320 , and a rear membrane  1310 . Where a front chamber  1350  is formed between the front membrane  1330  and the center membrane  1320  and a rear chamber  1360  is formed between the center membrane  1320  and the rear membrane  1310 . 
     A fill port  1120  may be provided within the bladder  200 B. The fill port  1120  may provide an opening into the front chamber  1350 . The front chamber  1350  may be thus filled with a liquid such as a beverage. The fill port  1120  may be threaded to couple with a cap  1130 . The fill port  1120  and cap  1130  may use some other form of closure such as a snap cap, pressure seal cap, friction sealed cap, cork plug, or so forth. The fill port  1120  can attach to the bladder  200 B at an inner flange  1140 . 
     The bladder  200 B can dispense the liquid through a tap  210 . The tap  210  may be a removable tap  210 A such as the one described with respect to  FIG. 3  or the tap  210  may be fixed. A fixed tap  210  can attach to the bladder  200 B at an inner flange  220 . The attachment at the inner flange  220  may be made by adhesive, weld, threaded fitting, compression fitting, or any other mechanism for attaching the tap  210  to the bladder  200 B. The tap  210  may include a collar  250 . The collar  250  can provide a mechanical interface for locking the tap  210  into an opening through an outer wall of the cooler  100 . 
     A zipper locking opening  1340  may be provided at the top edge of the bladder  200 B for access the rear chamber  1360 . Such a large opening may be useful for placing ice into the rear chamber  1360  as a thermal material. The zipper locking mechanism  1340  may be formed by providing opposite sides of the opening with cooperating structural features that can be coupled together or interlocked along the edge of the closure by squeezing them together. An example zipper locking mechanism  1340  is further illustrated with respect to  FIG. 15 . The rear chamber  1360  of the bladder  200 B can contain a thermal material such as ice, water, freeze packs, hot/cold pack gel, and so forth. The thermal material may be used to warm or cool the liquid (such as a beverage) contained in the front chamber  1350 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 14 , a side view diagram illustrates a two chamber bladder  200 C according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The two chamber bladder  200 C may include an inner membrane  1410  forming an inner chamber  1415  and an outer membrane  1420  forming an outer chamber  1425 . 
     A fill port  1120  may be provided within the bladder  200 C. The fill port  1120  may provide an opening into the inner chamber  1415 . The inner chamber  1415  may be thus filled with a liquid such as a beverage. The fill port  1120  may be threaded to couple with a cap  1130 . The fill port  1120  and cap  1130  may use some other form of closure such as a snap cap, pressure seal cap, friction sealed cap, cork plug, or so forth. The fill port  1120  can attach to the bladder  200 C at an inner flange  1140 . 
     The bladder  200 C can dispense the liquid through a tap  210 . The tap  210  can attach to the bladder  200 C at an inner flange  220 . The attachment at the inner flange  220  may be made by adhesive, weld, threaded fitting, compression fitting, or any other mechanism for attaching the tap  210  to the tap attachment area  340  of the bladder  200 C. The tap  210  may include a collar  250 . The collar  250  can provide a mechanical interface for locking the tap  210  into an opening through an outer wall of the cooler  100 . 
     An outer cap  1430  may be provided for accessing the outer chamber  1425 . The outer cap  1430  may be screw-on, snap-on, pressure fit, or any other closure mechanism. The outer cap  1430  may be large enough to allow ice (or other thermal material as discussed above) to be filled into the outer chamber  1425 . The outer cap  1430  may also be large enough to support accessing the inner cap  1130  through the outer cap  1430 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 15 , a flattened view diagram illustrates a two chambered bladder  200 D according to one or more embodiments of the technology presented herein. The two chambered bladder  200 D can include an inner chamber  1530  and an outer chamber  1510 . The inner chamber  1530  can provide an inner zipper locking closure  1540  to access the interior of the inner chamber  1530 . The inner chamber  1530  may contain a liquid such as a beverage along with a dispensing tap  210 . A reinforced tap opening  340  may support the attachment of a removable tap  210 A such as the one described with respect to  FIG. 3 . The reinforced tap opening  340  may support a fixed, or non-removable, tap  210 . 
     Alternatively, the inner chamber  1530  may support an entire commercially available beverage bladder. The tap  210  of such a commercial bladder may protrude from the bladder  200 D through the reinforced tap opening  340 . The outer chamber  1510  may support an outer zipper locking closure  1520  for filling with ice or other thermal material. 
     Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that technologies for containing beverages and maintaining thermal conditions are presented herein. Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to various example embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is not necessarily limited to the specific features, materials, dimensions, or structures described herein. Rather, the specific features, materials, dimensions, and structures are disclosed as example forms of implementation. 
     The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications, combinations, and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims.