Patent Publication Number: US-2022228794-A1

Title: Patio Cooler

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     A patio cooler is provided that includes a cooler basin that defines a liner receptacle. A flexible liner is disposed in the liner receptacle and defines a cooler receptacle. A slidable lid is slidably coupled with the cooler basin and is configured to be slidable between an opened and a closed position to facilitate selective covering of the cooler receptacle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conventional patio coolers can include a pair of pivotal lids that selectively overlie a cooler tub. When the lids are closed, they can effectively serve as a table top for storing items thereon, such as food or decorations. However, when the lids are opened, these items must be removed in order to gain access to the cooler tub, which can be cumbersome and time consuming. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       It is believed that certain embodiments will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an upper isometric view depicting a patio cooler having a pivotable lid and a slidable lid each shown in respective closed positions; 
         FIG. 2  is an upper isometric view depicting the patio cooler of  FIG. 1 , but with the pivotable lid and the slidable lid each shown in respective opened positions; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the patio cooler of  FIG. 1  further depicting a liner and a subframe associated with the pivotable lid and the sliding lid; 
         FIG. 4  is a partially exploded view of the subframe, the pivotable lid, and the sliding lid of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an assembled lower plan view of the subframe, the pivotable lid, and the sliding lid of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is section view taken along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an upper isomeric view of the liner of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a lower isometric view of the liner of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In connection with the views and examples of  FIGS. 1-8 , wherein like numbers indicate the same or corresponding elements throughout the views,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a patio cooler  10  that comprises a base  12 , a pivotable lid  14 , and a slidable lid  16 . The base  12  can include a cooler basin  18  and a plurality of legs  20  that extend from the cooler basin  18  and facilitate support of the cooler basin  18  with respect to a ground surface. A plurality of wheels  22  ( FIG. 2 ) can be coupled with the legs  20  to facilitate selective rolling of the patio cooler  10  along the ground surface. In one embodiment, one or more of the wheels  22  can be selectively lockable to prevent the patio cooler  10  from being rolled. A pair of handles  24  can be provided on opposite sides of the patio cooler  10  for grasping by a user when rolling the patio cooler  10 . A lower shelf  26  can be provided beneath the cooler basin  18  and coupled with each of the legs  20 . The lower shelf  26  can be spaced from the cooler basin  18  to provide a storage area beneath the cooler basin  18 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a liner  28  can be disposed in the cooler basin  18  and can define a cooler receptacle  30  for storing items that that are to be thermally insulated from a surrounding environment. A subframe  32  can be coupled with the cooler basin  18  and can overlie the liner  28 . The pivotable lid  14  can be pivotably coupled with the subframe  32  and pivotable with respect to the cooler basin  18  between a closed position ( FIG. 1 ) and an opened position ( FIG. 2 ). The slidable lid  16  can be slidably coupled with the subframe  32  and slidable with respect to the cooler basin  18  along a centerline C 1  between a closed position and an opened position. When the pivotable lid  14  and the slidable lid  16  are in the closed position, they can overlie the liner  28  and the cooler receptacle  30  to facilitate retention and thermal insulation of the contents stored therein. When the pivotable lid  14  and/or the slidable lid  16  are in the opened position, the cooler receptacle  30  can be accessed by a user to introduce or remove items to/from the cooler receptacle  30 . The slidable lid  16  can be maintained in a horizontal position when moved between the opened position and the closed position. As such, a user can selectively gain access to the cooler receptacle  30  via the slidable lid  16  without requiring that any contents stored thereon be disturbed. The slidable lid  16  can accordingly be a more effective and user-friendly option for accessing the cooler receptacle  30  than conventional patio coolers with pivotable lid arrangements (e.g., pivotable lid  14 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the cooler basin  18  can include a floor  34  and a plurality of walls  36  that extend from the floor  34  and cooperate with the floor  34  to define a liner receptacle  38 . In one embodiment, the floor  34  can comprise a plurality of slats  39  that define a plurality of spaces  40  therebetween. The liner  28  can be disposed in the liner receptacle  38  and can provide an insulating and water impervious barrier for retaining items within the liner receptacle  38 , as will be described below. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the slidable lid  16  can include a cover panel  44  and a substructure  46 . In one embodiment, the base  12 , the pivotable lid  14 , and the cover panel  44  can be formed of wood (e.g., teakwood, meranti, acacia, or cedar), a composite wood material (e.g., a thermoplastic and wood composite), metal, thermoplastic, or any combination thereof. The substructure  46  can include a central portion  48  that is substantially planar and a pair of flanges  50  that extend from the central portion  48  (e.g., substantially perpendicularly) along opposite sides of the central portion  48 . In one embodiment, the substructure  46  can be formed of metal (e.g., aluminum) and the central portion  48  can define a plurality of apertures  52  that reduce the overall weight of the substructure  46  without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the substructure  46 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the cover panel  44  can define an interior receptacle  54  and the substructure  46  can be disposed within the interior receptacle  54 . The substructure  46  can be secured to the cover panel  44  by a plurality of fasteners  56 . 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the patio cooler  10  can include a pair of slide assemblies  58  that facilitate sliding of the slidable lid  16  between the closed and opened positions. Each of the slide assemblies  58  can include an inner slide member  60  and an outer slide member  62  that are slidably coupled together. Each of the inner slide members  60  can be disposed on opposite sides of the subframe  32  and coupled thereto with fasteners  64 , such as threaded fasteners. Each of the outer slide members  62  can be coupled to opposing ones of the flanges  50  of the substructure  46 . In one embodiment, the outer slide members  62  can be coupled to the flanges  50  with rivets  66 . The substructure  46  can be formed of a relatively thin rigid material, such as metal (e.g., steel or aluminum), a thermoplastic material, or a carbon fiber material. By attaching (e.g., riveting) the outer slide members  62  to the flanges  50  of the substructure  46 , the outer slide members  62  can be indirectly attached to the cover panel  44  via the substructure  46 . When the slidable lid  16  is slid between the closed position and the opened position, the substructure  46 , and more particularly the flanges  50 , can flex slightly relative to the cover panel  44  to inhibit binding between the inner slide members  60  and the outer slide members  62  that might prevent smooth sliding therebetween. As such, the tolerances between the inner slide members  60  and the outer slide members  62  do not need to be as precise as conventional slide assemblies which can allow the slide assemblies  58  to be manufactured and assembled more efficiently and cost effectively. In one embodiment, the inner slide members  60  can be formed of aluminum (e.g., anodized aluminum) and the outer slide members  62  can be formed of a thermoplastic (e.g., Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , one of the slide assemblies  58  will now be discussed but can be understood to be representative of the other of the slide assemblies  58 . The inner slide member  60  can comprise a base portion  68  and a pair of outer rail portions  70  that extend from the base portion  68  and are spaced from each other. The inner slide member  60  also includes a pair of rib portions  72  that extend from the base portion  68  and are interposed between the outer rail portions  70 . Each of the outer rail portions  70  have a height H 1  and each of the rib portions  72  can have a height H 2 . Each of the heights H 1 , H 2  can be measured in a direction that is orthogonal to the centerline C 1  ( FIG. 2 ). Each of the rib portions  72  can be shorter than the outer rail portions  70  such that the height H 2  of the rib portions  72  is less than the height H 1  of the outer rail portions  70  by a ratio of about 1:3. 
     The outer slide member  62  can comprise a base portion  74  and a head portion  76  that extends from the base portion  74 . The base portion  74  can have a width W 1  and the head portion  76  can have a width W 2 . Each of the widths W 1 , W 2  can be measured in a direction that is orthogonal to the centerline C 1  ( FIG. 2 ). The head portion  76  can be narrower than the base portion  74  such that the head portion  76  is narrower than the base portion  74 . In one embodiment, the ratio of the width W 1  to the width W 2  can be about 5:4. When the inner slide member  60  and the outer slide member  62  are engaged together, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the head portion  76  of the inner slide member  60  can be disposed between the outer rail portions  70 . The outer rail portions  70  can interface with the head portion  76  and slide along the head portion  76  to facilitate slidable coupling between the inner and outer slide members  60 ,  62 . The rib portions  72  can extend toward the head portion  76  and can selectively contact the head portion  76  during sliding of the inner slide member  60 . The difference between the height H 1  of the outer rail portions  70  and the height H 2  of the rib portions  72  can be less than the height of the head portion  76 . As such, the rib portions  72  can prevent the outer rail portions  70  from contacting the base portion  74  of the outer slide member  62 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the liner  28  can include a floor  78  and a plurality of walls  80  that extend from the floor  78  and cooperate with each other and the floor  78  to define the cooler receptacle  30 . A plurality of tab portions  82  can extend from the walls  80  and away from the cooler receptacle  30 . When the liner  28  is installed in the liner receptacle  38  (see  FIG. 2 ), the tab portions  82  can overlie the walls  36  of the cooler basin  18  and can be secured thereto with fasteners (not shown) that facilitate retention of the liner  28  to the cooler basin  18 . The floor  78  can define a drain port  84  that is configured to allow fluid to be drained from the cooler receptacle  30 . The drain port  84  can be selectively covered by a cap  86  ( FIG. 8 ) that can be removed from the drain port  84  to facilitate draining of excess fluid (e.g., melted ice) from the cooler receptacle  30 . When the liner  28  is installed in the liner receptacle  38  (see  FIG. 2 ), the drain port  84  can extend into one of the spaces  40  between the slats  39  to allow the fluid to flow away from the liner receptacle  38  and onto the ground below. 
     The liner  28  can be formed of a thermally insulating material and configured to be water impervious such that any contents provided in the cooler receptacle  30  are thermally insulated from the outside environment, and any liquid introduced into the cooler receptacle  30  (e.g., melted ice) is stored in the cooler receptacle until it is drained out of the drain port  84  (e.g., by removing the cap  86 ). The liner  38  can be a flexible (e.g., soft-sided) liner that is selectively collapsible into a substantially flat shape by folding the walls  80  inwardly towards the floor  78  (in the direction of the arrows A 1  shown in  FIG. 7 ). In one embodiment, the liner  28  can be formed of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material. In such an embodiment, the floor  78  can be joined to the walls  80  along a seam  88 , and each of the walls  80  can be joined together with each other along a seam  90 . The TPU material can be filled with insulating material between the seams  88 ,  90  and the seams  88 ,  90  can be thermally bonded together (e.g., thermally bonded seams) to provide a thermally insulating, water impervious liner that is easily collapsible into a substantially flat shape. 
     The liner  28  can be collapsed to save space and cost during shipping of the patio cooler  10 . For example, to facilitate cost effective shipping, the patio cooler  10  can be broken down into smaller components (e.g., disassembled) in order to reduce the overall shipping size of the package. The liner  30  can be collapsed to fit easily within the package without adding significant bulk or weight to the package. When the patio cooler  30  is subsequently being assembled (e.g., by a consumer), the liner  30  can be easily unfolded into the arrangement shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The liner  28  can accordingly be shipped more easily and effectively but yet can perform at least as well as a conventional rigid liner. 
     The foregoing description of embodiments and examples of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the disclosure and various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The scope of the disclosure is, of course, not limited to the examples or embodiments set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather it is hereby intended the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto. Also, for any methods claimed and/or described, regardless of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flow diagram, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified or required by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of steps performed in the execution of a method does not imply that those steps must be performed in the order presented and may be performed in a different order or in parallel.