Cargo-carrying ice chest attachment

Abstract

A boxed caddy or pallet suitable for quick installation and removal on top of a rolling ice chest or similar hexahedral appliance, into to which goods can be piled for transportation to a beach or picnic site. The caddy folds flat for convenient storing into a car trunk. The multi-railed sides of the caddy are telescopically adjustable. Brackets projecting downwardly from the lower edges of the sides come to rest against the walls of the appliance, thus providing bi-directional horizontal stability. Adjustable stabilization straps can conveniently be secured between the caddy and appliance. The caddy has a removable top cover and can double as a small table.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to small caddies and cargo carriers, and more particularly to cargo-carrying attachments for rolling ice chests and similar hexahedral structures.

BACKGROUND

Wheeled ice chests and coolers are commonly used to carry foods and beverages on beaches and picnic grounds. Their users need also to transport items such as folding chairs, blankets, umbrellas, pillows, suntan lotion, books and games. All that equipment may require several trips between a vehicle and the recreational site. The multitude and odd shapes of these additional articles often cannot be conveniently carried in a handbag. It would be preferable to group these articles and package them together within a hand-carried or rolling ice chest so that they can all be brought to the recreational site in a single trip.

The invention results from an attempt to provide a device to fulfill that need.

SUMMARY

The invention provides a caddy in the shape of a box pallet suitable for quick installation and removal from the top of an ice chest. The sides of the caddy are hingedly connected to allow a parallelepiped folding for convenient storage and transportation in the trunk of a vehicle.

The sides of the caddy are extendable in order to conveniently match the dimensions of the supporting structure.

In some embodiments, such a caddy for mounting on the top of a hexahedral structure such as an ice chest having two pairs of opposite sidewalls comprises: a pair of first opposite, vertical, substantially symmetrical sides; a pair of second opposite, vertical, substantially symmetrical sides, each of said second side being connected to said first sides; a least one post extending substantially downwardly from each one of said pair of sides; said sides and post being shaped and dimensioned to place said post in contact with one of said sidewalls when said caddy is mounted on said structure.

In some embodiments, at least one of said pairs of sides is horizontally extendable.

In some embodiments the caddy further comprises means for locking said extendable sides into a fixed dimension. In some embodiments each of said sides is hingedly connected at opposite ends to two other sides. In some embodiments each of at least one of said pairs of sides comprises at least two spaced apart horizontal rods. In some embodiments each of said rods in each of said extendable sides comprises a first tubular portion and a second portion telescopically engaged into said first portion. In some embodiments at least one of said pairs of sides comprises an upper and a lower horizontal rod; and each of said post comprises a L-Shaped member having an horizontal section connected to one of said lower rails and a second section perpendicular to said horizontal section. In some embodiments, the horizontal section is rotatively connected to said lower rod to allow said second section to be moved from an horizontal to a vertical position, said horizontal section is slidingly connected to said lower rod, and each of said L-Shaped members projects outwardly from one of said sides. In some embodiments the caddy further comprises means for locking said members against sliding and rotating movements. In some embodiments the caddy further comprises at least one adjustable strap securing said caddy to said structure at convenient attachment points.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a caddy according to the invention attached to a wheeled ice chest;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a retaining bracket;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the caddy used as a table; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of caddy in a table configuration on sloped ground.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawing there is shown in FIG. 1 a caddy or a cargo-carrier 11 in the shape of a box pallet, detachably and adjustably mounted on top of a wheeled ice chest 12 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The caddy is made of tubing and various compatible fittings. It should be understood that the caddy can be made alternately of aluminum, copper, steel or other metal, or be made of standard gauge PVC tubing and fittings.

The caddy comprises a pair of first opposite, vertical and substantially symmetrical longitudinal sides 13, 14 and a pair of second, opposite, vertical and substantially symmetrical lateral sides 15, 16 hingedly connected to one another in order to conveniently allow folding of the caddy into a flat structure.

Each side of the caddy comprises at least a pair of upper 17 and lower 18 spaced-apart rods which define the upper and lower edges of their respective side. Each rod comprises a first tubular portion 19 and a second tubular portion 20 of a lesser cross-diameter telescopically engaged into the first portion, which makes each wall horizontally extendable. The outer end of each portion is welded to a tubular T-fitting loosely engaged by one of four vertical corner posts 22. Accordingly, the sides can be extendably adjusted to place the foot 23 of each corner post near one of the corners 24 of the top surface of the chest.

A plurality of retaining L-Shaped members 25 extend outwardly from the lower edge of each side. More specifically, each L-Shaped member is connected to a lower rod as illustrated in FIG. 2. Each member has a horizontal section 26 slidingly and rotatively engaged into a bearing 27 welded to a portion 28 of a lower rod. The second section 29 of the member perpendicular to the first section can thus be moved from a vertical position as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a horizontal position as illustrated in FIG. 3. A thumb operated snapping lock mechanism 30 is used to immobilize the member into a desired position.

The second section 29 of each member is dimensioned to extend below the plane of the feet 23 and may be adjusted to contact the vertical wall of the chest 12 or its cover 31 where it can be conveniently locked into place in order to stabilize the caddy against longitudinal or lateral sliding over the top of the chest.

A similar locking mechanism 30 may be used to lock the telescopic portions of the rods 19, 20. Other substantially equivalent locking mechanism such as cinching rings, spring backed nib and holes devices, ring clamps and thumb screws can also be used.

A board 32 acting as a table-top may be clipped to one or more of the upper rods 17 and the L-Shaped members 25 rotated out of the way to form a picnic table as illustrated in FIG. 3.

It should be noted that the L-shaped members can be oriented according to the type of surface upon which the caddy is placed to provide greater longitudinal and lateral stabilization in the table configuration. For example, all of the L-shaped members can be placed horizontally when the caddy is placed on a level, hard, flat surface. Or, as shown in FIG. 4, some members 25 can be left in the vertical orientation, or partially rotated and the degree of telescoping adjusted to provide a leveling contact on a sloped, hard, flat surface 39. Further, the members can be left in the vertical, downwardly extending orientation in order to penetrate sandy surfaces and further stabilize the caddy.

A net or a cardboard box (not shown in the drawing) may be inserted in the caddy to retain small objects alternately or in addition to a net vertical rods may be welded between the upper and lower rods.

It should be noted that in some embodiments the sides of the caddy may not be made extendable. In other embodiments of the caddy having extendable sides, the L-Shape retaining members 25 may be dispensed with and the side of the caddy extended until the feet drop below the edges of the chest cover in order to provide longitudinal and lateral stabilization. It should be further noted that in some embodiments the components of the caddy such as the L-shaped members or the rods can be similarly dimensioned and thus more efficiently manufactured in bulk.

The caddy can be further secured to the top of the ice chest by means of adjustable stabilization straps 33 equipped at their upper end 37 to secure to convenient attachment points 38 on the caddy and/or chest, and at their lower end with a hook 34 which grabs the upper ledge 35 of a handle depression 36, a U-shaped handle, or a loop provided in some brands of ice chests to attach an elastic cord or similar fastener. Anchoring straps may also be stretched across the top of the cooler 31 to which the adjustable straps 33 can be attached.

While an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described, modifications can be made and other embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A caddy for mounting on the top of a hexahedral structure such as an ice chest having two pairs of opposite sidewalls, said caddy comprising:

a pair of first opposite, vertical, substantially symmetrical sides;

a pair of second opposite, vertical, substantially symmetrical sides, each of said second sides being connected to said first sides;

a least one post extending substantially downwardly from each one of said pair of sides; and,

said sides and post being shaped and dimensioned to place said post in contact with one of said sidewalls when said caddy is mounted on said structure.

2. The caddy of claim 1, wherein at least one of said pairs of sides is horizontally extendable.

3. The caddy of claim 2, which further comprises means for locking said extendable sides into a fixed dimension.

4. The caddy of claim 1, wherein each of said sides is hingedly connected at opposite ends to two other sides.

5. The caddy of claim 2, wherein each of at least one of said pairs of sides comprises at least two spaced apart horizontal rods.

6. The caddy of claim 5, wherein each of said rods in each of said extendable sides comprises a first tubular portion and a second portion telescopically engaged into said first portion.

7. The caddy of claim 1, wherein at least one of said pairs of sides comprises an upper and a lower horizontal rod;

each of said post comprises a L-Shaped member having an horizontal section connected to one of said lower rails and a second section perpendicular to said horizontal section.

8. The caddy of claim 7, wherein said horizontal section is rotatively connected to said lower rod to allow said second section to be moved from an horizontal to a vertical position.

9. The caddy of claim 8, wherein said horizontal section is slidingly connected to said lower rod.

10. The caddy of claim 9, wherein each of said L-shaped members projects outwardly from one of said sides.

11. The caddy of claim 10, which further comprises means for locking said members against sliding and rotating movements.

12. The caddy of claim 1, which further comprises at least one adjustable strap securing said caddy to said structure.