Patent ID: 8424699

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 cooler wall extending between the base and the upper rim and surrounding an interior storage space of the cooler; (d) wherein the cooler wall comprises an inner collapsible wall that extends from and is attached to the upper rim, and that includes an integral bottom wall; (e) wherein the cooler wall comprises an outer collapsible wall that extends between and is attached to the base and the upper rim; (f) wherein each of the inner and outer collapsible walls comprises 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; (g) wherein the membrane of the inner collapsible wall is further configured to bend such that the membrane is transitional to a partially expanded configuration; (h) wherein the outer collapsible wall surrounds the inner collapsible wall such that the inner and outer collapsible walls define an intermediate space therebetween for insulating the interior storage space from an exterior of the cooler; (i) wherein the cooler is transitional between different stable configurations of the cooler by bending of the membranes of the inner and outer collapsible walls along the respective hinge lines, the stable configurations of the cooler including, (i) a collapsed configuration during nonuse of the cooler, in which the membrane of each of the inner and outer collapsible walls is in its collapsed configuration; (ii) an expanded configuration for use of the cooler, in which the membrane of each of the inner and outer collapsible walls is in its expanded configuration; and (iii) an intermediate configuration for use of the cooler, in which the membrane of the inner collapsible wall is in a partially expanded configuration and the membrane of the outer collapsible wall is in its expanded configuration, and (j) wherein the cooler comprises one or more openings in the upper rim through which access is provided to the intermediate space defined between the inner and outer collapsible walls, and a lid that extends over both a top of the interior space defined by the inner collapsible wall and each of the one or more upper rim openings.