COLLAPSIBLE THERMAL CONTAINER AND STAND
A collapsible ice chest and stand is disclosed. The ice chest has body which is defined by an outer sidewall, an inner sidewall, and an insulator between the outer sidewall and the inner sidewall, a top sealed to said body along the rim of the outer sidewall, a bottom connected at the rim of the outer sidewall opposite the top, and a pair of loop handles joined to the outer sidewall. The ice chest has pockets sized to fit over the top of the upper connector pads of the stand, by which the ice chest is supported and held in place by the stand. The stand has four pairs of crossed legs, each pair of which is pivotally connected at their approximate centers by a pivot pin. The ends of the pairs of crossed legs are connected together using connector pads, which pads are pivotally connected together and frictionally connected to the ends of the legs of the stand. When the crossed legs are compressed together at the pivot pin, the connector pads permit the cross legs to swing together into a collapsed position, whereby the collapsible ice chest is compressed by folds in the outer sidewalls, inner sidewalls, top, and bottom into a collapsed and compressed position, making the ice chest and stand collapsible and integrally foldable into a small shape that is easily transported.
This invention relates, in general, to portable thermal containers and outdoor furniture, and in particular to a thermal container and stand, which container utilizes collapsible materials, and which stand utilizes tubular criss-crossing members that permit the stand to be collapsed and folded integrally together with the thermal container into a small shape that is easily transported.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONConventional ice chests are commonly used items, particularly for camping, picnics, ball games, and similar outdoor occasions. Typically box-shaped containers made with inner and outer walls of metal, plastic, or other rigid material, with insulating material between the walls, and having handles on each end and a lid, which is openable, pivoting on hinges placed along the upper lip of the container along one side, ice chests are typically not foldable or collapsible, and they occupy a substantial amount of space in transport. To avoid the discomfort and inconvenience of stooping over to retrieve items from ice chests, which are typically placed on the ground at picnics and similar events, it is necessary to elevate ice chests by placing them on a table or stand. Stands upon which ice chests are typically placed, such as tables, are not very portable, and in instances where the stand is portable, the stand is much larger than is needed for simply supporting the ice chest. It is necessary to transport both the ice chest and the stand in order to have their combined benefit; and currently available stands are typically too large to conveniently transport to events such as camping trips, horse-back trail rides, and the like.
It would thus be desirable to provide a thermal container and stand that are integrally constructed to be readily assembled and disassembled without tools for use, transport and storage. It would be further desirable to provide a thermal cooler that is collapsible for ease of storage and transport and also that had its own collapsible but sturdy stand which could be conveniently transported with the thermal cooler, and upon which the thermal cooler could be supported for the convenience of persons retrieving items out of it.
A number of prior art devices have produced separately, ice chests with integral legs, stands for rigid box-shaped ice chests, and collapsible cooler bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,815,069, issued Oct. 19, 2010, to Bellofatto et al. describes a collapsible insulated cooler bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,164, issued Mar. 11, 2008, to Barquist, et al. describes a typical rigid box-shaped ice chest having retractable legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,333, issued Nov. 9, 2004, to Freiburger describes a collapsible stand designed to support a typical rigid, box-shaped ice chest.
None of the prior inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. All of the prior art fails to address the need filled by the current invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA thermal container and stand is disclosed, which container and stand are collapsible and integrally foldable into a small shape that is easily transported. When unfolded, the stand elevates the thermal container to a desired height. The thermal container is constructed with a fabric outer shell and a moisture-resistant inner lining, with an insulator between the two linings. The insulator can consist of airspace or can include insulating filler material. The top lid of the container is fixed to the sidewalls by a zipper or other fastener system. The thermal container is further constructed with exterior pockets fitted to match the upper ends of the legs of the stand, said pockets having strength to support the weight of the thermal container when fully loaded. In an illustrative embodiment, the thermal container includes a pair of strap handles mounted to remote locations along the sidewalls of the container adjacent to its top. The stand is constructed of tubular criss-crossing members that permit expansion and collapsability such that the stand can, when expanded, support the weight of the thermal container, and when collapsed can be folded integrally with the collapsible thermal container.
For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:
As seen in
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The size and shape of a collapsible thermal container in accordance with this invention is highly variable. As shown in
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The connector pads 203 are identical. As shown in
In all embodiments, the collapsible thermal container and stand folds into a compact space and can be inserted into an appropriately sized bag for transport.
Claims
1. A collapsible thermal container and stand comprising:
- a frame comprised of four pairs of crossed legs pivotally connected;
- the lower ends of the crossed legs connected to lower pads;
- the lower pads acting to support the thermal container on a surface;
- the upper ends of the crossed legs connected to upper pads;
- the upper pads and lower pads are substantially similar, each having a bottom surface and two extending arms, the extending arms being pivotally connected to each other, and each arm sized to receive a crossed leg of said frame;
- a thermal container comprised of a top, an insulated sidewall, side pockets, and a bottom;
- the top having a closure member that extends from a first point on a rim of the top to a second point on the rim of the top, the closure member being constructed and arranged to open the top as a closure member is moved from the first point on the rim toward the second point on the rim;
- the sidewall having a sidewall top portion and a sidewall bottom portion, wherein said sidewall top portion is connected to the rim of the top;
- wherein the sidewall comprises an inner layer and an outer shell, wherein an insulating material is disposed between the inner layer and the outer shell;
- side pockets connected to the sidewall at intervals spaced to meet the upper pads of the upper ends of the crossed legs of the frame;
- the bottom connected to the sidewall bottom, opposite the top.
2. The collapsible thermal container and stand as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sidewall further includes fabric strips applied externally sized to fit human hands.
3. The collapsible thermal container and stand as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sidewall further includes fabric strips applied externally sized to fit human shoulders.
4. The collapsible thermal container and stand as set forth in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is air.
5. The collapsible thermal container and stand as set forth in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is at least one of a fibrous or foam filler material.
6. A collapsible thermal container and stand comprising:
- a frame comprised of four pairs of crossed legs pivotally connected;
- the lower ends of the crossed legs pivotally connected to lower pads;
- the lower pads acting to support the thermal container on a surface;
- the upper ends of the crossed legs pivotally connected to upper pads;
- the upper pads and lower pads are substantially similar, each having a bottom surface and two extending arms, each arm sized to receive a crossed leg of said frame;
- a thermal container comprised of a top, an insulated sidewall, side pockets, and a bottom;
- the top having a hook and loop connector that extends from a first point on a rim of the top to a second point on the rim of the top, the hook and loop connector being constructed and arranged to open the top as the hook and loop connector member is moved from away from the top from the first point on the rim to the second point on the rim;
- the sidewall having a sidewall top portion and a sidewall bottom portion, wherein said sidewall top portion is connected to the rim of the top;
- wherein the sidewall comprises an inner layer and an outer shell, wherein an insulating material is disposed between the inner layer and the outer shell;
- the side pockets connected to the sidewall at intervals spaced to meet the upper pads of the upper ends of the crossed legs of the frame;
- the bottom connected to the sidewall bottom, opposite the top.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 21, 2011
Publication Date: Aug 23, 2012
Inventor: Shelby Ray Ainsworth (Jackson, MS)
Application Number: 13/031,460
International Classification: B65D 81/38 (20060101);