Patent Publication Number: US-2021188493-A1

Title: Flippable cooler assembly

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of an earlier filing date and right of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/949,770, filed 18 Dec. 2019, the contents of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present application relates to a cooler for insulating items, and more particularly to a cooler assembly that is openable from both upper and lower sides to permit flipping of the cooler assembly as desired. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Coolers are used to keep or regulate the temperature of any number of items. It is generally thought that coolers are associated with the keeping of items cool. The walls of the coolers are insulated to resist energy transfer. Ice is typically put into coolers to keep beverages or food items cool during hot summer days. Many types of coolers are on the market. Typically, the coolers contain a single lid opening with side handles located up near the lid. Optionally, some coolers include wheel assemblies and pull handles to facilitate movement. To use, a user generally inserts the items to cool and then layers some ice above and around the items. 
     A problem with coolers is that over time, the items are removed which causes the existing ice to fall lower in the cooler and melt. When the cooler is restocked with items, the ice is below the items thereby inhibiting the cooling effect on such items. A user must either dig out the ice to make room for the items, shove their hand into the cold hard ice with a new item, or empty the ice from the cooler and start again. 
     Although strides have been made with respect to coolers, shortcomings remain. It is desired that a cooler assembly be provided that is configured to alleviate the issue of cooling restocked items. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present application to provide a cooler assembly that is configured to alleviate the issue of cooling restocked items, and in particular that is configured to include operable doors on opposing sides of the cooler to allow the cooler to be flipped over thereby relocating ice within the cooler from below the items to above the items. 
     Ultimately the invention may take many embodiments. In these ways, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages inherent in the prior art. The more important features have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and to ensure that the present contribution to the art is appreciated. Additional features will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow. 
     Many objects of the present application will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. 
     Before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the various purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a cooler assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the cooler assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     While the embodiments and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Illustrative embodiments of the preferred embodiment are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the embodiments described herein may be oriented in any desired direction. 
     The embodiments and method will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the assembly may be presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless otherwise described. 
     Referring now to the Figures wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function throughout the several views. The following Figures describe embodiments of the present application and its associated features. With reference now to the Figures, embodiments of the present application are herein described. It should be noted that the articles “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
     The cooler assembly of the present application is configured to facilitate easier restocking and reusing of old ice and/or melting or melting ice within a cooler by allowing the cooler assembly to operate between at least two positions. The cooler assembly is configured to have at least two openings coupled to its main body, ideally wherein the openings are on opposing ends of the main body of the cooler assembly. Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2  in the drawings, a front view and a side view of a cooler assembly  101  is illustrated. 
     Cooler assembly  101  is shown as having an upper opening  103  and a lower opening  105 . The upper and lower openings are on opposing sides of the cooler body. A lid  103   a  and  105   a  are used to cover each respective opening. Each acts similarly to conventional lids wherein they open along a hinged axis to permit access to the items therein. When one opening is upright, or situated on top, the other opening is used as the base of the cooler assembly  101 . 
     Each lid  103   a  and  105   a  are configured to selectively latch. The latching capability permits the lids to stay closed when situated in either orientation. An example of one type of latch mechanism is shown in the drawings wherein a rubber flexible latch  107  is attached to the lid and strapped down to the cooler body. It is understood that any number of latches or styles of latches may be used and that the depicted form is not herein meant to be limiting but serve as examples only of one style possible. 
     An advantage of cooler assembly  101  is that there exists two opposing lids. During use, items are typically stacked with a layer of ice on top. Over time the ice falls to the bottom and begins to melt as items are removed or the ice particles shrink in size. Because of this, new items inserted into the cooler for cooling generally lie across the ice. This limits the ability to cool the items. To avoid the need to remove the ice and restock the cooler fresh, or the need to use more ice each time it is restocked, cooler assembly  101  is configured to flip over and switch the location of the interior contents. In other words, when the ice is located on the bottom of the cooler interior, new items need only be located on the top of the ice. The user then closes and latches the lid and then flips the cooler over. The items are now located on the bottom of the cooler and the ice is once again on the top. This helps to maximize the cooling effect of the existing ice and decrease the time to cool restocked items. 
     When the cooler assembly  101  is flipped over, the lids in essence exchange positions. The new lid at the top will provide the user with access to the interior of the cooler body similarly to that of the other lid previously. As seen in the Figures, this process would result in the swapping of lid  103   a  with that of  105   a  and the body of the cooler. Lid  105   a  would be operable through opening and lid  103   a  would be the base adjacent the ground or resting surface. 
     To aid in transporting cooler assembly  101 , a set of handles  109  are located around the exterior of the cooler body. The handles may be in any number or sets of numbers and also be shaped in any different manner to allow grasping. In the Figures, handles  109  are shown extending outward from the cooler body and are located approximate the center of the cooler body. A hand may be placed internally through opening  111  and used to lift the cooler irrespective of the orientation of cooler assembly  101 . The single set of handles  109  works for both orientations. 
     It is understood that other forms of handles  109  are possible. Such may be formed into the sides adjacent both lids and used only for one orientation. Others may have the ability to flip orientation to operate in the different orientations of the cooler body. Handles may be able to pivot, follow a track and rotate, ratchet into one or more positions, and have any other type of operation to facilitate flipped orientations. Although not shown, it is understood that wheel assemblies and pull handles are also conceivable for use with cooler assembly  101 . One or more such assemblies and pull handles may be used. 
     The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. It is apparent that an application with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.