Abstract:
A cooler for cooling individual beverage containers and the liquid therein using ice has a pedestal fastened to a coaster base. The pedestal has a truncated bell shape and is wider at its top than at its bottom The top portion of the pedestal contains a tub. A dome shaped lid is attached to the top portion of the pedestal. When the lid is closed, the lid covers the tub.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related to my application Ser. No. 29/163,237 filed Jun. 28, 2002. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a cooler for beverage containers, and, more particularly, to a cooler that holds ice for cooling the beverage containers and the liquid therein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Beverages are routinely served chilled, poured over ice and sometimes even chilled beverages are still served over ice. Many people desire beverages served very cold in what is often termed an ice cold condition. Establishments that merchandise individual beverage servings typically have refrigerator units that chill the beverage containers and the beverage therein using cold circulating air. There are many different brands and varieties beverages each vying for precious refrigerator shelf space and each vying for that shelf location that makes them the most visible and likely to be noticed. Refrigerator units are typically installed along a wall for easy electrical and mechanical connection, to keep the electrical and mechanical components out of sight, and for easy filling from the rear without disturbing customers. Unfortunately, this placement along a wall is problematic because it decreases product visibility. Also, sales are sometimes lost because the product does not look cold in the refrigerator or feel very cold to the touch. 
     Sometimes, a cooler filled with ice is used for dispensing beverages because it does not have to be positioned against a wall and therefore has a position advantage. While a typical cooler enjoys a position advantage, it adds nothing in a merchandising sense because it merely acts as a repository without aesthetically enhancing the product or making the product identification more visible. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a cooler that enhances product visibility and merchantability. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to present the invention, a cooler for beverage containers comprises a base, a pedestal upstanding from the base and a lid connected to the pedestal. The pedestal has top and bottom portions and the bottom portion is fastened to the base. The top portion defines a reservoir adapted to receive and hold the beverage containers. The lid is connected to the top portion and is operable between a closed position at which the lid covers the reservoir blocking access to the beverage containers and an open position at which access to the beverage containers is permitted. 
     The reservoir holds ice and beverage containers giving the appearance of being very cold. The reservoir is formed by an inner sidewall that is inside an outer sidewall with an air space between the two. The air space forms an insulator between the two sidewalls. When the outer sidewall is opaque, the air space can be filled with thermal insulation for greater effectiveness. 
     The pedestal has a curved configuration resembling a truncated bell or top half of an hour glass that provides aesthetic appeal. The base is wider than the bottom of the pedestal that rests on the base for added stability. The lid can be frosted to add to the aesthetic appeal. Also, the pedestal can have formed thereon small protrusions resembling drops of condensation giving the impression that it is icy cold. 
    
    
     These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of a pedestal beverage cooler with the lid closed according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a is a front view of another preferred embodiment of a pedestal beverage cooler similar to FIG. 1 but having a transparent pedestal. 
     FIG. 3 is the cooler of FIG. 1 with the lid open and showing a reservoir in phantom for holding beverage containers. 
     FIG. 4 is the cooler of FIG. 1 with a portion cut away to show the tub and air space. 
     FIG. 5 is another embodiment of a cooler with a portion cut away to show the tub and thermal insulation about the tub. 
     FIG. 6 is a is a front view of another preferred embodiment of a pedestal beverage cooler similar to FIG. 1 but having a frosted lid. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the cooler of FIG. 6 with the lid open. 
     FIG. 8 is the cooler of FIG. 6 with a portion cut away to show the tub and air space. 
     FIG. 9 is another embodiment of a frosted lid cooler with a portion cut away to show the tub and thermal insulation about the tub. 
     FIG. 10 is a front view of another preferred embodiment of a pedestal cooler with a sweating pedestal. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a cooler  10  receives a plurality of beverage containers, such as bottles and cans, for display within easy reach of a consumer. The beverage containers are mingled with ice, preferably crushed ice, for cooling the containers. The cooler  10  may have a drain for removing melted ice, but construction is simpler without a drain. The more rapid the turnover of beverage containers, the less noticeable is the lack of a drain because some liquid is removed with each container leaving very little liquid to be manually removed. 
     The cooler  10  has a base  12  and a pedestal  14  mounted on the base  12 . As illustrated, the base  12  is a circular disk with a scalloped peripheral edge simulating the appearance of a cap on a bottle. While a circular disk configuration is preferred, other, noncircular configurations will function as well although perhaps with less aesthetic appeal. The pedestal  14  is constructed of opaque plastic material. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, a cooler may have a base  112  and pedestal  114  that are transparent so that the rear of base  112  is visible through pedestal  114 . An inner sidewall  118  that forms a reservoir is also visible through outer sidewall  116  of transparent pedestal  114 . 
     The vertical pedestal  14  has a bottom portion upstanding from the base  12  and a top portion extending upward from the bottom portion. The bottom portion is fastened to the base by ultrasonic welding or other plastic welding technique, or with an adhesive or other bonding agent, such as an epoxy or cyanoacrylate. Of course, if the pedestal is opaque, then screws or other similar fasteners can be used without detracting from the aesthetics. The top portion of the vertical pedestal defines a reservoir adapted to receive and hold the beverage containers and ice. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a lid  15  is connected to the top portion of the pedestal and is operable between open and closed positions. Lid  15  is preferably attached to pedestal  14  with a hinge but may be merely supported on a ledge on the top portion of pedestal  14 . At the closed position, the lid covers the reservoir thereby blocking access to the beverage containers and preventing warm ambient air from warming the ice and beverage containers. At the open position, access to the beverage containers is permitted. 
     Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pedestal  14  has an outer sidewall  16  extending from the top of the top portion to the bottom of the bottom portion and an inner sidewall  18  (shown in phantom) extending along the top portion forming the reservoir. An air gap  20  between the inner and outer sidewalls serves as insulation to help maintain the beverage containers and crushed ice. The top portion has a larger transverse dimension than the bottom portion, and the base has a larger transverse dimension than the bottom portion. The top portion has a bell-shaped configuration with a top of the bell truncated. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, the gap between the outer and inner sidewalls  218 ,  216  provides a space for thermal insulation  222  to help maintain the beverage containers and crushed ice. Thermal insulation  222  may be attached to the inner sidewall, outer sidewall or both and interposed between the two sidewalls. Preferably, foam, fiberglass or other thermal insulation is interposed between the inner and outer sidewalls and attached to one or both sidewalls. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, a cooler  310  receives a plurality of beverage containers, such as bottles and cans, for display within easy reach of a consumer. The beverage containers are mingled with ice, preferably crushed ice, for cooling the containers. The cooler  310  may have a drain for removing melted ice; but, the more rapid the turnover of beverage containers, the less noticeable is the lack of a drain because some liquid is removed with each container leaving very little liquid to be manually removed. 
     The cooler  310  has a base  312  and a pedestal  314  mounted on the base  312 . As illustrated, the base  312  is a circular disk with a scalloped peripheral edge simulating the appearance of a cap on a bottle. The pedestal  314  is constructed of opaque plastic material. Alternatively, the cooler may have a base and pedestal that are transparent so that the rear of base is visible through pedestal. In that instance, an inner sidewall that forms a reservoir is also visible through outer sidewall of transparent pedestal. The vertical pedestal  314  has a bottom portion fastened to base  312  and upstanding therefrom, and a top portion extending upward from the bottom portion. The top portion of the vertical pedestal defines a reservoir adapted to receive and hold the beverage containers and ice. 
     Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a lid  315  is connected to the top portion of the pedestal and is operable between open and closed positions. Lid  315  is preferably attached to pedestal  314  with a hinge but may be merely supported on a ledge on the top portion of pedestal. At the closed position, the lid covers the reservoir thereby blocking access to the beverage containers and preventing warm ambient air from warming the ice and beverage containers. At the open position, access to the beverage containers is permitted. Lid  315  is frosted making it translucent so that it always has the same appearance. The appearance of a clear lid will change as the contents of the reservoir change. A frosted lid is translucent rather than either transparent of opaque. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, the pedestal  314  has an outer sidewall  316  extending from the top of the top portion to the bottom of the bottom portion, and an inner sidewall  318  extending along the top portion forming the reservoir. An air gap  320  between the inner and outer sidewalls serves as insulation to help maintain the cold temperature of the beverage containers and crushed ice. The top portion has a larger transverse dimension than the bottom portion, and the base has a larger transverse dimension than the bottom portion. The top portion has a bell-shaped configuration with a top of the bell truncated. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, the gap between the inner and outer sidewalls  418 ,  416  provides a space for thermal insulation  422  to help maintain the beverage containers and crushed ice. Thermal insulation  422  may be attached to the inner sidewall, outer sidewall or both and interposed between the two sidewalls. Preferably, foam, fiberglass or other thermal insulation is interposed between the inner and outer sidewalls and attached to one or both sidewalls. 
     Referring to FIG. 10, a cooler  510  has a pedestal  514  mounted on base  512  with a lid  515  attached to pedestal  514  with a hinge  524 . Pedestal  514  has formed on its outer sidewall  518  a plurality of protrusions  526  to simulate drops of condensation. Base  512  also has a plurality of protrusions  528  to simulate condensation. While protrusions are preferred, depressions could be used, but depressions may have a tendency to accumulate condensation moisture that can puddle and drip giving the appearance of sweat. Of course, sweat implies heat, which is not desirable. As an alternative, instead of protrusions or depressions, condensation droplets can be applied by printing or painting, or a plastic wrap with droplets could be applied. Also, individual condensation droplets in the form of an applique can be used. A clear lid is preferred with the simulated condensation (there will be very little, if any, real condensation because of the insulation) so that the contents of the cooler are visible to heighten desire for the product. With a clear lid, rather than a frosted lid, less time with the lid open is required to make a product selection thereby requiring less maintenance in terms of draining the water and replenishing the ice. 
     It can now be appreciated that a pedestal cooler has been presented that resembles a soda fountain glass on a bottle cap. The curvilinear sidewall rises gracefully upward from the base and spreads to a wide top portion that houses the reservoir. Heat is inhibited from entering the reservoir through the sidewall by an air space or by thermal insulation such as polyurethane foam. The lid also inhibits the infiltration of heat into the reservoir. Aesthetic appeal is added by making the vertical pedestal transparent enough that the base is visible through the sidewall of the pedestal. Aesthetic appeal is enhanced by decorating the base or pedestal or both in the identifying colors of the beverage container to be cooled therein. 
     While the invention has been described with particular reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements of the preferred embodiments without departing from invention. For example, while plastic is the preferred material for the cooler, wood or metal could be used. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details of the examples illustrated, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications will occur to those skilled in the art. While the reservoir has been described as being integrally formed with the pedestal, it could be a separately formed member, and could be mounted on the base. Also, the pedestal can be adorned with colors or patterns appropriate for the contents or to highlight a particular brand of product, or be adorned with a trademark for a particular brand. It is accordingly intended that the claims shall cover all such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.