Collapsible insulated container

Abstract

A collapsible and insulated container for storing and transporting items contained therein. The container includes a lid assembly, having a lid member pivotally associated with a lid base, a bottom face, and a plurality of opposed and spaced apart side faces. Each side face includes an upper and a lower panel pivotally connected via a hinge upon which the panels pivot and fold about a horizontal axis when the container is in a collapsed state. The container is configured to selectably alternate between a collapsed state for storage and an expanded state for use and storage of items therein. The collapsibility of the container significantly facilitates retail of the container, as less shelf space is required to display the container.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention is directed to a collapsible container. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a collapsible insulated container having substantially rigid walls that horizontally pivot along hinges for collapsibility. BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART [0002] Containers, especially insulated containers, are commonly employed for storing and / or transporting items therein. Common examples of containers include coolers, picnic-like coolers, perishable item containers, biologics containers; etc., and are configured to store and transport, for example, food items, especially perishable food items, biological sera (e.g., blood, etc.), perishable medical drugs, etc. Of particular relevance to the present invention, insulated containers are especially useful as picnic-like containers, also known simply as coolers, and are used to store and transport in a thermally insulated environment food items to a desired location, such as a beach, ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] In accordance with another aspect, the end faces of the container include a handle, particularly a recessed handle, for facilitating the transport of the container when not collapsed. The container suitably also includes an additional handle configured to facilitate the transport of the container when in a collapsed state.

Problems solved by technology

The large size of conventional containers, especially coolers, present significant complications to every element of their commercial chain.

The large size of the containers necessitates significant amounts of packaging materials and large freight expenses associated with shipping correspondingly large items.

Additionally, the containers require significant amounts of retail shelf space to be displayed.

Conventional containers, such as coolers, frustrate these ratios by demanding large amounts of shelf space for relatively low profits.

Additionally, the ultimate users of the containers also suffer from the significant size thereof.

When the containers are not in use, precious home space must be wasted to store the container.

Due to the space capacity constraints of typical family automobiles, the choice to bring a container, such as a cooler, requires a concomitant decision to eliminate other potentially desirable items.

Conventional containers, especially coolers, suffer from additional disadvantages.

Due to procedural limitations of blow molding, the vertical faces of the container are angularly offset relative to a base support member.

The angular offset nature of the faces produces an interior container cavity with a significant quantity of unusable space.

When the bottle is placed in the container near a site of intersection between a vertical face and the base support member, a gap of space will result between the vertical wall of the bottle and the angularly offset face of the container.

This gap is difficult to fill with typical items and frequently ends up not being filled, thereby significantly impairing the space usage efficiency.

Images