Serving Stand Cooler
A portable insulated cooler device useful as a self-contained cold food/beverage serving stand. The cooler has a main lid selectively closing a top opening, the top opening supporting one or more removable food container trays with apertures for holding separately sealed food containers. A cold compartment is located below the trays and is in direct thermal communication with the underside of the trays. The trays preferably fill the top opening to seal and insulate the cold compartment relative to the top opening. An access door is formed in a side wall of the cooler for direct access to the cold compartment, and a movable shelf can be folded down flat over the access door when not in use, and folded up to a convenient serving position above the access door that also shields the access opening when the door is open.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/480,757, filed Apr. 29, 2011 by the same inventor (Bose), the entirety of which provisional application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELDThe subject matter of the present application is in the field of portable insulated ice chests or “coolers”.
BACKGROUNDCoolers with supplemental inserts or attachments for food-organizing and food-serving functions are known.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,485 to Schmelzer teaches a cooler with a plurality of trays selectively stored on the lid or connected to the sides of the cooler for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,165 to White et al teaches a food organizing and protecting insert that mounts in a portable cooler to provide a horizontal shelf with food receptacle receiving apertures and a closed chamber to hold ice when the cooler lid is open. The food receptacles are held by their upper rims in apertures in the insert shelf so that the body of each food receptacle is within the cooled chamber. One or more hinged transparent covers close to cover the food receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,056 to Brown et al teaches a portable cooler with a drawer having a food grate located above an ice storage space in the drawer. The grate keeps the food spaced from the ice beneath it.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,965 to White et al. discloses an insert that fits into the interior of a portable cooler, with a planar platform with apertures that support flanged food receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,252 to Rand shows a portable cooler with a drawer in the front wall communicating with a lower storage compartment.
Prior coolers such as the foregoing examples are often too limited in function and/or too complicated for all-around use, especially for use as a general purpose serving station for cold food and beverages at parties or picnics.
BRIEF SUMMARYI have invented a truly useful cooler for serving cold foods and beverages while protecting them from heat, insects, and contamination. The cooler comprises a cooler with a main lid covering a top opening; at least one, and preferably a plurality, of removable food container trays supported in the top opening for supporting separately-sealed food containers; a cold/thermal compartment below the food container trays in direct thermal communication with the underside of the food container tray(s); a side (preferably front) access door in a side wall of the cooler to provide access to the cold compartment; and a flip-up shelf, with a lowered storage position folded flat against the sidewall over the front access door, and a raised serving position projecting horizontally from the cooler above the access door adjacent the food container tray.
In a preferred form, the removable food container trays fully cover the top opening of the cooler to seal and insulate the cold compartment beneath.
In a further form, the cooler is mounted on a wheeled support frame, and is movable on the support frame between a lowered transport position and a raised serving position.
The top opening, lid, and removable food container trays define a serving area that can be conveniently closed off to protect it from sun and insects between servings, and that even in use preserves the cold temperature of the cold compartment. The individual food containers are held in their trays such that they are covered by the cooler lid when their own individual lids or covers are removed, so that the cooler main lid can function as a supplemental cover if the individual container lids are missing. The serving shelf is positioned to support a plate or bowl adjacent the serving area while food is served from the containers.
If the cooler is supplied with a thermoelectric module or some other type of heating-capable element, the “cooler” can also be used to keep foods warm.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description below, in light of the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
Trays 22 rest on a suitable support, for example with the edges 22a of the trays resting on a peripheral shoulder 20a formed in or adjacent the upper ends of the side walls 14, 15, 16, 17 and around the top opening 20 (best seen in
As best shown in
One way to support food containers 26 in apertures 24 is to size each aperture 24 slightly smaller than a horizontally protruding rim or flange portion of its associated container 26 (or lid 26a). Another way to achieve this support is to build some sort of supporting structure into each tray 22 located below the apertures 24, for example container-supporting cages or netting attached to the underside of the trays to support the lower ends of the inserted containers. Other methods/structures for supporting the food containers 26 in trays 22 are possible without interfering with the structure or function of the invention, provided that the lower ends of containers 26 are in thermal communication with the thermal compartment so that the containers' contents stay cold (or hot, as desired). Trays 22 may be insulated.
Still referring to
While cooler 10 is shown in use as a cooler, using an appropriate heating element such as a thermoelectric module T in compartment 30 powered by an electrical connector plug P, the thermal communication between the lower ends of containers 26 and the thermal compartment 30 can involve heat transfer to the containers 26 to keep food in the containers warm.
Thermal compartment 30 can be accessed by removing one or both trays 22, and it may also be accessed through side wall 15 of the cooler body via opening 32 selectively closed by a door or cover 34. Door 34 may be a hinged or snap-on door or cover using one or more hinges or latches 34a. Door 34 may also be a sliding door or other form of closure, and is preferably insulated and may be transparent. Thermal compartment 30 holds removable cooling and/or heating media such as ice or cold or hot packs, or contains a cooling and/or heating element such as a thermoelectric module T. Thermal compartment 30 may be provided with fixed or removable grates or shelves such as 31 to support extra food containers 26, beverages, condiments, etc. above any cooling media, or simply to provide more efficient storage in the compartment.
It will be understood that the disclosed embodiments represent presently preferred examples of how to make and use the invention, but are intended to enable rather than limit the invention. Variations and modifications of the illustrated examples in the foregoing written specification and drawings may be possible without departing from the scope of the invention. It should further be understood that to the extent the term “invention” is used in the written specification, it is not to be construed as a limiting term as to number of claimed or disclosed inventions or discoveries or the scope of any such invention or discovery, but as a term which has long been conveniently and widely used to describe new and useful improvements in science and the useful arts. The scope of the invention supported by the above disclosure should accordingly be construed within the scope of what it teaches and suggests to those skilled in the art, and within the scope of any claims that the above disclosure supports, whether the claims are made in this application or in a subsequent application claiming priority to this application.
Claims
1. A cooler for serving cold foods and beverages, comprising:
- an insulated cooler body with a top opening and a main lid attached to the body to selectively cover the top opening;
- a removable food container tray supported in the top opening, and a plurality of removable, separately-sealed food containers mounted in recessed fashion in mating apertures in the tray;
- a thermal compartment below the food container tray and in thermal communication with an underside of the food container tray and with lower portions of the food containers mounted in the tray;
- an access opening in a side wall of the cooler at a height below the removable food container tray, the access opening communicating directly with the thermal compartment and further including a selectively closeable door; and,
- an exterior shelf movable between a lowered storage position stored essentially flat against the side wall over the access opening and the door when the door is closed, and a raised serving position projecting horizontally from the cooler above the access opening above the door with sufficient clearance to allow the door to be opened underneath the shelf.
2. The cooler of claim 1, wherein the cooler body is mounted on a wheeled support frame, the cooler body movable on the frame between a lowered transport position and a raised serving position.
3. The cooler of claim 1, wherein the access opening is in a front sidewall of the cooler and the main lid opens to a back side of the cooler.
4. The cooler of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of removable food container trays supported in the top opening.
5. The cooler of claim 4, wherein the removable food container trays cover the top opening of the cooler to seal and insulate the cold compartment beneath.
6. The cooler of claim 1, wherein the removable food container tray covers the top opening of the cooler to seal and insulate the cold compartment beneath.
7. The cooler of claim 1, wherein upper ends of the food containers mounted in the food container tray include individual covers.
8. The cooler of claim 1, wherein upper end of the food containers mounted in the food container tray are covered by the main lid when the main lid is in a closed position on the cooler body.
9. The cooler of claim 1, wherein the food container tray is supported on peripheral edges of the tray by an upper edge of the top opening of the cooler body.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 2, 2012
Publication Date: Nov 1, 2012
Inventor: Joseph M. Bose (Kalkaska, MI)
Application Number: 13/364,890
International Classification: B65D 81/38 (20060101);