Patent ID: 8448813

Claim:
An expandable and collapsible cooler, comprising: (a) a base defining a bottom portion of the cooler; (b) an upper rim defining an upper portion of the cooler; and (c) a collapsible and expandable cooler wall extending between and attached to the base and the upper rim and surrounding an interior storage space of the cooler, the cooler wall comprising inner and outer collapsible and expandable walls that are tapered and self-supporting, each of the inner and outer walls comprising a flexible elastomeric membrane that includes a plurality of hinge lines at which the membrane is configured to bend such that the membrane is transitional between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, the inner and outer collapsible and expandable walls not requiring an intermediate space to be filled with pressurized air for support; (d) wherein the cooler is transitionable between an expanded configuration for use of the cooler, and a collapsed configuration during nonuse of the cooler, by bending of each membrane of the cooler wall along the hinge lines, each of the configurations being a stable configuration of the cooler; (e) wherein the collapsible cooler wall comprises perimeter portions thereof that nest within each other when the collapsible cooler wall is fully collapsed; (f) wherein the collapsible cooler wall tapers in extending from the upper rim; and (g) wherein each membrane is formed of silicone rubber that has a softness of about 25 on the Shore A scale.