Patent ID: 8544872

Claim:
A travel cooler, comprising: (a) a body comprising a base, a lid, and sidewalls extending between the base and the lid, the base and sidewalls being connected together to define, together with the lid, an interior, insulated containment space for holding cooler items, with a lengthwise dimension of the cooler extending between opposite ends of the cooler, and with the body further having recessed exterior surface slots extending along a lengthwise extent of the cooler; (b) a pair of coaxial wheels attached to the body for rolling of the cooler when the cooler is pivoted about an axis of the wheels; and (c) a U-shaped handle for pivoting of the cooler about the axis of the wheels and rolling of the cooler by way of the pair of coaxial wheels, the U-shaped handle comprising two parallel legs connected by a handle portion; (d) wherein the cooler is transitionable between, (1) a first, transport configuration, in which the legs of the U-shaped handle serve as a lever in pivoting the cooler about the axis of the pair of coaxial wheels when tilting the cooler for rolling of the cooler by way of the pair of coaxial wheels, the handle portion being distant from the body of the cooler and extending above the sidewalls, and (2) a second, stowed-handle configuration, in which the legs of the U-shaped handle are received within the recessed exterior surface slots extending along a lengthwise extent of the body of the cooler, the handle portion not being received within the body of the cooler but instead being located at a spacing from the body of the cooler in close proximity to an end of the body of the cooler; (e) wherein the legs of the U-shaped handle slide within the recessed exterior surface slots in contact with the body of the cooler when the cooler transitions between the first, transport configuration and the second, stowed-handle configuration; and (f) wherein, when the cooler is in the second, stowed-handle configuration, the handle portion extends above a rim portion of the cooler on which rim portion the lid is supported.