Abstract:
A cooler device includes an elongate housing for receiving canned drinks. A lid is selectively secured by a catch mechanism for enclosing an open top end of the housing in a closed position of the lid. The housing has an external surface configured to have the appearance of an animal, with the lid being concealed within the external surface of the housing to provide an entertaining and finished appearance to the cooler device. The catch mechanism is also concealed by the external surface of the housing by forming a release button of the catch mechanism to be a facial feature of the animal which decorates the external surface of the housing.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/637,459, filed Dec. 21, 2004. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a cooler device for canned drinks of the type which enables the drinks to be readily carried, maintained in a cool condition and readily removed from the container and in which working components of the cooler are concealed by the configuration of the exterior surface of the cooler.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Various types of coolers are known for carrying canned drinks as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,977 (Hilton). Known designs do not provide adequate securement of the lid to the housing in a manner which is conveniently opened while also having the appearance of a finished commercial product.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cooler device for canned drinks comprising:  
         [0005]     an elongate tubular housing having an enclosed bottom end and an open top end;  
         [0006]     a lid pivotally supported on the tubular housing between a closed position enclosing the open top end of the tubular housing and an open position in which canned drinks can be inserted into the housing through the open top end;  
         [0007]     a catch mechanism for selectively securing the lid in the closed position;  
         [0008]     the housing having an external surface configured to have the appearance of an animal;  
         [0009]     the lid having an external surface configured to have the appearance of a portion of the animal so as to be concealed within the external surface of the housing; and  
         [0010]     the catch mechanism being concealed by the external surface of the housing.  
         [0011]     The use of a catch mechanism adequately secures the lid while the catch mechanism and the lid are concealed by the external surface of the housing so as to provide a finished appearance to the cooler device.  
         [0012]     The lid may comprise a portion of a head of the animal formed by the external surface of the housing, and more particularly the seam defined between the lid and the housing may be concealed along an intersection of a forehead and eyes of the animal formed by the external surface of the housing.  
         [0013]     When the catch mechanism includes a release button for releasing the lid into the open position, the release button may be concealed as a nose of the animal formed by the external surface of the housing.  
         [0014]     According to a further aspect of the present invention there may be provided a cooler with a tubular housing and lid in which the catch mechanism includes a slot formed in one of the lid and the housing and a catch member formed on an opposing one of the lid and the housing. In this instance, the catch member preferably includes a hook formed at an end thereof; and the slot includes an internal shoulder formed thereon upon which the hook is engaged in the closed position of the lid and a wall portion adjacent the internal shoulder. One of the wall portion and the hook may be flexible for disengaging the hook from the internal shoulder when flexed.  
         [0015]     The wall portion is preferably movable relative to surrounding walls of the slot for disengaging the hook from the internal shoulder by flexing movement of the wall portion towards the hook.  
         [0016]     The wall portion may be integrally moulded with the surrounding walls of the slot.  
         [0017]     There may be provided a radial arm supported on the wall portion for movement therewith which projects radially outwardly relative to the tubular housing in which the radial arm connects to a nose of the animal formed by the external surface of the housing for concealing the catch mechanism. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a sectional view of the interior components of the cooler supporting can drinks therein.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a sectional side elevational view of the cooler device.  
         [0021]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are rear and front elevational views respectively of the cooler device.  
         [0022]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are side elevational views of the cooler device in the closed and opened positions respectively.  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of one of the cooling discs.  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the components of the catch mechanism.  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational sectional view of the catch mechanism. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0026]     Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a cooler device generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The device  10  is particularly suited for receiving a pair of can drinks  12  slidably therein for cooling the drinks or maintaining the drinks in a cooled condition.  
         [0027]     The device  10  includes a housing  14  having an inner shell  16  and an outer shell  18 . The inner shell  16  comprises a tubular member having an open top end  20  and an enclosed bottom end  22 . The inner walls of the inner shell are cylindrical and have dimensions near to the exterior dimensions of conventional; aluminium drink cans for slidably receiving the cans therein. The housing has a suitable length so that a pair of the cans  12  maybe received therein in stacking arrangement while receiving one or more cooling discs  24  therebetween.  
         [0028]     Each cooling disc  24  comprises a cylindrical member shorter in height than its radial dimensions. The top and bottom surfaces include a raised central portion  26  having a plateau shape for fitting within the rim of a conventional aluminium can. The outer shell of the disc  24  receives refrigerant material therein so that the disc can be pre-chilled in a freezer or refrigerator prior to being stacked in series with aluminium cans within the housing of the device for cooling the cans or maintaining the cans in a cooled condition.  
         [0029]     The inner shell  16  of the housing is surrounded by insulating material which spans between the inner and outer shells. The outer shell  18  includes an exterior surface  28  which is suitably shaped and coloured to resemble a perched bird, for example a toucan in which a long beak  30  extends down the front  32  of the exterior surface. Eyes are formed in the outer surface  28  which receive the top potion of the beak  30  therebetween so that a continuous seam is formed along the top edge of the outer shell across both eyes and the top of the beak.  
         [0030]     A lid  38  is pivotally supported on the top edge of the housing adjacent the rear side  40  thereof. The lid similarly includes an inner core  42  supporting an outer shell  44  thereon in which the exterior surface of the outer shell  44  is configured to be concealed within the shaped appearance of the outer shell of the housing  14 . In particular, the lid is in the form of a smooth doomed surface having a bottom edge configured to match the profile of the eyes  34  and the beak therebetween along the top edge of the housing so that the lid represents a forehead of the bird which meets with the housing in a closed position along a seam formed between the eyes and beak and the forehead for concealing the lid within the design of the housing.  
         [0031]     The lid includes a hinge  46  integrally moulded with the inner core  42  thereof and which is suitably configured to bias the lid into an open position in relation to the housing. The lid is thus pivotal between the open position in which drink cans  12  can be slidably received through the open top end of the housing and a closed position in which the lid spans the open top end to enclose the housing.  
         [0032]     A catch mechanism  48  is provided on the lid for selectively retaining the lid in the closed position. The catch mechanism includes a slot formed in the top edge of the inner shell  16  at the front side of the housing. The slot  50  includes an internal shoulder  52  formed therein in the front wall of the slot in which the slot is enlarged in internal dimension below the shoulder. A wall portion  54  of the front wall forming the slot directly below the shoulder  52  is separated along the top and both sides thereof so as to be only anchored to the inner shell  16  of the housing along the bottom edge of the defined wall portion  54 . The wall portion  54  is thus movable relative to the internal shoulder  52  by flexing movement thereof from a relaxed position in which the internal shoulder  52  includes a lateral extent and a flexed position in which the wall portion overlaps the shoulder  52  so that the front wall of the slot  50  is flush and free of any edges for retaining a catch member thereon.  
         [0033]     A radial arm  56  is integrally formed on the wall portion  54  which in turn is integrally moulded with the rim about the top end of the inner shell  16 . The radial arm projects radially outward from the front side of the inner shell so that when pushed inwardly from an outer end thereof, the wall portion is flexed inwardly into a release position. The nose portion defining the beak  30  of the exterior surface is floatably supported within the remaining outer shell to permit some free floating movement of the beak in relation to the housing. The nose portion forming the beak  30  is anchored to the free end of the radial arm  56  so that depressing the beak  30  inwardly in relation to the surrounding housing permits the wall portion to be flexed inwardly as well.  
         [0034]     The catch member  58  of the catch mechanism, is supported on the lid  38 . The catch member includes a hook  60  formed at a free end thereof by a forward protrusion which is suitably positioned and sized for being retained on the internal shoulder  52  of the slot within the housing in a locked position. A free end of the hook  60  is sloped to define a camming face which causes the hook  60  to be deflected rearwardly upon closing when the camming face engages the outer peripheral edge of the slot  50  in the top edge. The catch member  58  thus flexes rearwardly when closing until the hook  60  is received below the internal shoulder  52  at which point flexing of the catch member is released so that the hook member  60  is again deflected forwardly into the relaxed position held beneath the internal shoulder  52  in the locked position. Pushing the beak  30  inwardly causes the radial arm to flex the wall portion  54  which is thus moved in relation to the internal shoulder to slide along the shoulder and push the hook  60  rearwardly into a disengaged position with the shoulder  52 . The hinge thus biases the lid into the open position as the catch member  58  is released from the slot  50 .  
         [0035]     In further embodiments the external surface may be configured into various other shapes representative of objects or animals. In each instance the lid is disguised as potion of the object being represented as is the actuator and release button  30  supported at the free end of the radial arm  56 . When the external surface resembles an animal for instance, the button  30  typically comprises a nose of the animal while the lid comprises a portion of the head, specifically a forehead which meets the nose and eyes of the animal along the seam between the lid and the housing to conceal the seam at an intersection of the facial features of the animal.  
         [0036]     While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention. The invention is to be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended Claims.