Chair with cooling pocket

Abstract

A cooling device for use with beach chairs and the like. The cooling device includes a pouch mounted to a rear side of the backrest. The pouch has a bottom and side edge defining one or more pockets for receiving ice cubes through an opening at the top. The pouch is provided with a drain to remove excess liquid from the interior of the pouch after the ice has melted. The pouch may be permanently mounted to the backrest or may be removably secured to the backrest.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority of United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/413,090 filed Sep. 24, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to a cooling device for a chair, and more particularly, a pouch mounted to a chair for receiving ice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Devices for cooling individuals using chairs in warm areas such as beaches and outdoor venues are known. A cooling chair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,585. The chair has a battery-operated fan and cooling chambers mounted to the backrest. Dry ice or the like is placed in one of the cooling chambers and air is circulated through the chambers by the fan to provide cooling to the back of the backrest.

[0004] It is also known to provide an air-permeable bag along the backrest arranged to remove heat radiated by the body of the person and to cool the body with airstreams formed in the pouch.

[0005] However, such devices are cumbersome to use and not effective. It would be useful to provide a simple and inexpensive manner of cooling individuals using lounge chairs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention is a cooling pouch mounted to the rear side of a backrest of a chair. The cooling pouch may be formed from a single strip of material formed into pockets having an open top to receive ice cubes. The pockets have a lower portion with an aperture for draining water melted from the ice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooling pouch mounted to a chair in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0008] FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a pouch in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention; and

[0009] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a pouch in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pouch 10 is mounted to a chair 14 for holding ice cubes 12 to provide cooling for the back of the occupant in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. The chair is of a type having a cloth backrest such as a camp-style rollup chair or a fold-up lounge chair. As shown in FIG. 1, the chair 14 is a camp-type rollup chair having metal frame supports 16 and a cloth sling forming both the seat 20 and backrest 22. When not in use, the metal frame supports 16 are disassembled and rolled with the sling 18 into a bundle. The backrest 22 has a front surface 24 for supporting the back of the user and a rear surface 26.

[0011] As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a pouch 10 sewn to the rear surface 26 of the backrest 22. The pouch 10 has a plurality of pockets 28 formed to receive ice 12 in the form of chips or cubes to provide cooling for the back of the user. In the preferred embodiment, the pouch 10 is formed from a strip of flexible material such as the material used to make the backrest 22. The backrest 22 of the chair may be formed of watertight material which minimizes the amount of moisture which passes from the pouch 10 to the back of the user.

[0012] As best shown in FIG. 2, the pouch has a pair of outer side edges 30 which are stitched by seams 32 to the rear side of the backrest. Additional vertical seams 34 are sewn between and parallel to the side edges 30 to form the pockets 28. Each pocket has a center portion 40 between a pair of side portions 42 which extends along the seams defining the pocket. The pockets have a width of approximately two to four inches. A seam 38 is sewn along the bottom of the strip to form a bottom portion 36 in each pocket. The top of each pocket 28 has an edge 44 defining an opening for receiving the ice 12 therein. A drain 46 is formed in the bottom portion 36 by forming an aperture. The aperture may be formed by providing apertures or eliminating a portion of the seam 38. The drain 46 permits the removal of melted ice from the pocket.

[0013] A first alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3. There shown is a pouch 50 for receiving ice 12 which is formed without the pockets. The pouch has a back surface 52, front side 54, bottom 56 and a pair of sides 58. The bottom 56 may be formed of a mesh 62 to provide drainage. The top of the pouch 50 may be provided with a cover 58. The pouch 50 has a large internal area to permit use of freezer packs or ice bags rather than using individual ice cubes as discussed above. The pouch may be sewn directly to the rear of the backrest as discussed above or may be mounted with straps 60 to the back of the chair. In this way the pouch can be removed when not needed.

[0014] Thus disclosed is a simple and inexpensive means for providing a cooling device for a beach chair. The device is inexpensively formed and easily used and may be used with any conventional chair having a cloth back.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cooling with ice a chair having a backrest, said backrest having an inner side and an outer side, said inner side for supporting a back of a person sitting in the chair;

said apparatus comprising a pouch secured to the outer side of the backrest; said at least one pocket having a center portion extending between a pair of spaced apart sides and a bottom, said pair of spaced apart sides, said bottom and each of said pair of sides having a portion extending outwardly from said backrest, said pair of sides and said center portion having a top edge defining an opening for receiving a quantity of ice into said compartment, said pocket having a drain for emptying water melted from said ice.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said center portion and said pair of sides are formed from a single piece of material.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said pouch is a pair of pockets, and wherein adjacent side portions of said pair of pockets are formed by a seam in said single piece of material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drain is formed of a flexible mesh.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pocket has a panel extending between said sides and bottom; and said at least one pocket has a fastening device for mounting the at least one pocket to said seat back.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a top extending over said opening.