Patent ID: 8424901

Claim:
A travel cooler, comprising: (a) a body having a height in a heightwise direction, a width in a widthwise direction, and a length in a lengthwise direction, and comprising a base, a lid, and sidewalls extending in the heightwise direction of the cooler between the base and the lid, the base and sidewalls being connected together to define an interior, insulated containment space for holding cooler items, with a dimension of the cooler extending in the lengthwise direction between opposite sidewalls of the cooler, and with the body further having recessed exterior surface slots extending in the lengthwise direction 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 (2) a second, stowed-handle configuration, in which the legs of the U-shaped handle are received within the recessed exterior surface slots, the handle portion not being received within the body of the cooler but instead extending upwardly in close proximity to an end of the body of the cooler; and (e) wherein the handle portion extends upwardly above the sidewalls of the body of the cooler at least to an elevation of a portion of the lid of the cooler when the cooler is in the second, stowed-handle configuration.