Infrastructure for Portable Cooler

Abstract

A soft thermally insulated padded shell housing a rigid infrastructure with a series of horizontal shelves forming compartments which are vertically aligned, and includes a pair of opposing vertical and vented walls with shelve support brackets. The pair of vertical and vented walls has a paired series of mating horizontal tracks to receive horizontal slide-in shelves in a spaced vertical array. Each of the pair of tracks are horizontally aligned to form complementary ledges that receive and support the outer edges of the slide-in shelves. The shelves may be releasably attached within tracks of the side walls of the compartment, having snapping receptacles to ensure a snug fit. When the shelves are not in use as being placed within the receiving tracks, the space within the infrastructure is substantially unobstructed and can be used to store various items. Also, the infrastructure and insertable shelves are easily and conveniently removable so that the bag may be folded for storage. Narrow side compartments, immediately adjacent to the vertical, vented walls, house coolant containers. Further, the top section of the infrastructure has segmented compartments arrayed in a horizontal fashion to accommodate a variety of food supplements in pill and powder form. Separate from the rigid infrastructure, but adjoined to the soft thermal insulated padded shell, are other soft compartment housing beverage containers, fruit, silverware, and bulk protein powder storage.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This utility patent application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 273,499, filed on Aug. 5, 2009, which is wholly incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to portable, insulated, soft-shelled carrying devices useful for storing, conveying and serving food and beverages, and specifically to a soft-sided cooler assembly which has an insertable rigid frame infrastructure with compartments that hold slide-in shelves for individual meal containers. In addition, the invention provides for an internal venting system permitting coolant packets to convey colder temperatures to the individual meal containers contained within the central portion of the rigid infrastructure. Further, the top section of the infrastructure has segmented compartments arrayed in a horizontal fashion to accommodate a variety of food supplements in pill and powder form. Separate from the rigid...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019]An advantage of the present invention is that it improves the organizational management of the contents and stores the food, beverages, and coolants in a manner that would improve cooling and reduce undesired movement of the contents therein.

[0020]Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a cooler with the ability to separate and carry individual meals for people who need to eat frequently, such as weight lifters, dieters, or to provide separate meals for a family outing.

[0021]One more advantage of the present invention is that it provides framed separations between the meal containers, beverage containers, and coolant containers to separate them and prevent them from pressing on each other.

[0022]An additional advantage of the present invention is that it provides complete venting throughout the interior of the cooler for proper cooling of all the contents.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0023]The presently claimed invention achieves the advantages and objectives recited hereinabove, by providing a removable cooler infrastructure system comprising: a) an open-sided, main frame structure including a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and two opposed side walls, said two opposed side walls having a plurality of horizontally paired guiding tracks, arrayed vertically, and extending from the fore of the opposed side walls to the back wall, each pair of guiding tracks capable of accommodating a removeably insertable shelf; b) a top tray, resting on the upward exterior of the top wall, comprising a horizontal array of compartments for storage of supplement pills, nuts, dried fruit, and the like; and, c) two cooler packs, each of said cooler packs being nestled within the outwardly exterior confines of each of the two side walls of the infrastructure system.

[0024]In another embodiment of the present invention, main frame structure of the cooler infrastructure system further comprises molded plastic construction, and each of said shelves comprises molded plastic construction.

Problems solved by technology

The prior art patents have not adequately addressed the problems relating to providing a cost-effective, manufacturably-efficient, and user-friendly rigid, compartmentalized infrastructure which may be removeably inserted within soft-shelled insulated and portable carrying case.

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