Patent Publication Number: US-2019178571-A1

Title: Cooling pack

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/598,124, filed Dec. 13, 2017, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The current invention relates to beverage coolers, and more particularly, to a refrigerated pack to efficiently cool cans and bottles. 
     Ice bags for coolers are costly with recurring use, bulky, and do not efficiently and quickly cool cans/bottles. Most of the ice does not come in direct contact with the can/bottles, thus not allowing for the most effective cooling. 
     There exists a need for a more efficient beverage cooling device which cools the beverages quickly, is lightweight, and is easily storable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a cooling pack comprises: a flexible membrane defining an internal compartment and comprising an elongated shape having a first side edge, a second side edge, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, and a rear surface; a cooling gel disposed within the internal compartment; and a plurality of dowels disposed within the internal compartment, wherein the plurality of dowels extend from the bottom edge to the top edge. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a method of cooling beverage containers comprises: providing a first cooling pack comprising: a flexible membrane defining an internal compartment and comprising an elongated shape having a first side edge, a second side edge, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, and a rear surface; a cooling gel disposed within the internal compartment; and a plurality of dowels disposed within the internal compartment, wherein the plurality of dowels extend from the bottom edge to the top edge; placing the cooling pack within a cooler; and placing beverage containers on top of the front surface of the flexible membrane, in between the plurality of dowels. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention shown in use; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the present invention taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a detail elevation view indicated by the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6 . is side elevation view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention is a preset frozen gel pack that forms around each can/bottle and allows direct contact with each can/bottle for a quicker cooling. The packs are materially lighter, and reusable compared to traditional ice. Thus, the packs can be used when bagged ice is not readily available. The packs are reusable and provide a colder can in a more cost-effective way. The pack further allows more room in recreational coolers than typical ice. Over the long term, the cost of purchasing new ice far exceeds the price of an equivalent set of ice packs to quickly cool the same amount of product. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the present invention includes a cooling pack  12 . The cooling pack  12  includes a flexible membrane  20  defining an internal compartment. The cooling pack  12  has an elongated shape having a first side edge, a second side edge, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, and a rear surface. A cooling gel  22  is disposed within the internal compartment of the flexible membrane  20 . A plurality of dowels  14  are disposed within the internal compartment. The plurality of dowels  14  extend from the bottom edge to the top edge. 
     In certain embodiments, the plurality of dowels  14  are evenly spaced apart and parallel relative to one another. The plurality of dowels  14  are each elongated cylinders. The plurality of dowels  14  may be within the internal compartment and in contact with the cooling gel  22 . For example, the cooling gel  22  may surround the plurality of dowels  14 . The cooling gel  22  flows around the dowels  14  to allow for more direct contact. The dowels  14  may be movable so different cans or bottles can easily fit within the cooling pack  12 . 
     The cooling pack  12  and the beverage containers  18  are layered within a cooler  13 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the cooling pack  12  touches virtually the entire beverage containers  18  which cools the liquid quicker. The cooling pack  12  allows for efficient stacking, thus saving a significant amount of space and weight. 
     The present invention may include the following dimensions: about a  20  inch (length) by 4 inch (height) by ¾ inch (diameter). The flexible membrane  20  may be made of clear plastic. The present invention may include four up to twelve dowels  14 , such as about seven dowels  14 . The dowels may be about 2.5 inches in height and may be a pre-formed plastic, wherein two dowels  14  are on each end and the remaining five dowels  14  are separated by about 2.5 to 3.25 inches. The above dimensions may be altered to fit different sized coolers  16 . 
     A first layer of beverage containers  18  are placed in the cooler  16 . In one embodiment, a first cooling pack  12  may allow for six individual beverage containers  18  to fit in between the dowels  14  with substantial direct contact to the frozen gel  22 . The first cooling pack  12  is placed below the first layer of beverage containers  18 . A second cooling pack  12  is placed on top of the first layer of beverage containers  18 . The dowels  14  act as a guide. When the second cooling pack  12  is put on top of the beverage containers  18 , the present invention allows the bottom beverage containers  18  to be additionally chilled from the above second cooling pack  12  thus essentially chilling all sides of the beverage container  18 . 
     In one embodiment, the beverage containers  18  are stacked. The first layer of beverage containers  18  benefit from the cooling pack  12  above them, while the second layer of beverage containers  18  fit snugly into the slots formed by the dowels  14 . With a slight shift of less than 1 inch, the different levels of cooling packs  12  create an effective interlocking mechanism that allows the cooling packs  12  to maximize contact with the surface area of the beverage containers  18 . This slight staggering allows for efficient use of space in a cooler  16 , as well as the beverage containers  18  being in full contact with the semi frozen gel  22 . The stacking further reduces the potential of beverage containers  18  sliding and consuming additional space. A third cooling pack  12  may cover the second layer of beverage containers  18  and so on. A full case of beverage containers  18  can be completely chilled with four cooling packs  12 . It can also be adequately chilled with three cooling packs  12 , while leaving the top row of beverage containers  18  exposed. 
     In one embodiment, team logos or any sort of ornamental designs may be printed on the flexible member  20  of the cooling pack  12 . In an alternative embodiment, the cooling packs  12  can be used to cool medications, baby formula/milk, or any additional items that require cooling. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the present invention includes a cooling pack  30 . The cooling pack  30  includes a flexible membrane  32  defining an internal compartment. The cooling pack  32  has an elongated shape having a first side edge, a second side edge, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, and a rear surface. A cooling gel is disposed within the internal compartment of the flexible membrane  32 . A plurality of dowels  34  are disposed within the internal compartment. The plurality of dowels  34  extend from the bottom edge to the top edge. A plurality of loops  36  may be coupled to the first side edge, the second side edge, the top edge, and the bottom edge. The loops  36  allow the cooling packs  30  to secure to one another while being stored. A cord and buckle  38  run through the loops  36  and attach the cooling packs  30  together. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.