Slip-fit ​​double-wall cooler

Abstract

A slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler may include: (1) a body having a liner disposed within an outer shell, wherein the liner is removable from the outer shell, each of the liner and the outer shell including a bottom and a plurality of support walls coupled to the bottom, the plurality of support walls and the bottom defining an internal cavity, and the plurality of support walls extending upward from the bottom to form an opening at an upper end of the respective liner and the outer shell; and (2) a cover configured to reversibly couple to the body, the cover being shaped to cover the opening of the liner. The liner, outer shell, and cover may be made entirely of compostable, recyclable, and / or biodegradable materials. In some embodiments, an air gap may be formed between the liner and the outer shell.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority under 35 USC §119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 898,089, filed on September 10, 2019, entitled “Double-Walled, Slip Fit Cooler,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to coolers and more particularly to a slide-fit double-wall cooler. In certain embodiments, the cooler may be made of disposable, biodegradable and / or recyclable materials. Background Art

[0004] Coolers, ice chests, ice boxes, and the like are generally used to store contents (e.g., food, beverages, etc.) and keep the contents cool. While many coolers are constructed using durable materials intended for repeated use, other coolers have been manufactured to be disposable. Disposable coolers are generally made of polystyrene foam (i.e., Styrofoam).

[0005] Problematically, polystyrene is a non-biodegradable solid that resists chemicals that would otherwise cause the material to decompose. Therefore, disposing of polystyrene coolers can cause serious environmental harm because the discarded polystyrene will persist in the environment for centuries. For this reason, many cities and counties in the United States have passed regulations prohibiting the sale of polystyrene products. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate identical or functionally similar elements, wherein:

[0007] Figure 1A shows a perspective view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0008] Figure 1B The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1A A perspective view of a slip-fit ​​double-wall cooler with the cover removed and the liner raised;

[0009] Figure 1C The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1B A cross-sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler;

[0010] Figure 2 The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown without a cover. Figure 1AA cross-sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler; and

[0011] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler without a cover is shown according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] It should be understood that the drawings cited above are not necessarily drawn to scale, but rather present somewhat simplified representations of various preferred features that illustrate the basic principles of the present disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the specific intended application and use environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Further, throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements.

[0014] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated enumerated items.

[0015] Referring now to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the slide-fit double-wall coolers discussed herein may be made from disposable, biodegradable and / or recyclable materials, such as pulp-based materials, or from paper, sugar cane, bamboo, and the like. Because pulp-based materials or other similar types of materials are compostable, recyclable and / or biodegradable, the cooler may be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, wherein the cooler degrades rapidly relative to conventional polystyrene coolers and without toxic residues. Further, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the cooler may not be disposable or made from biodegradable and / or recyclable materials.

[0016] The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the disclosed sliding-fit double-wall cooler. As described in detail below, Figure 1A A perspective view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1B The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1A A perspective view of a slip-fit ​​double-wall cooler with the cover removed and the liner raised. Figure 1C The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1B Cross-sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler. Figure 2 The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown without a cover. Figure 1A Cross-sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler. Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler without a cover is shown according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] It should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments and their associated features are not mutually exclusive. Any feature shown as being associated with the embodiments described herein may be adopted in another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the description of various embodiments herein does not imply that any feature associated with a particular embodiment is limited to the embodiment.

[0018] Figure 1A A perspective view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1B The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1A 1 is a perspective view of a slip-fit ​​double wall cooler 100 with the cover 150 removed and the liner 122 raised. Figure 1C The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1B sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler 100 . Figure 2 The first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown without the cover 150. Figure 1A A cross-sectional view of a slide-fit double-wall cooler 100 is shown. Figures 1A to 2 , a slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0019] According to some exemplary embodiments, the slide-fit double-wall cooler 100 includes a body 110 and a cover 150. However, the slide-fit double-wall cooler 100 may include additional features, such as straps for carrying handles, without departing from the scope and spirit of the exemplary embodiments. The body 110 includes an outer shell 112 and an inner liner 122 substantially disposed within the outer shell 112. According to some exemplary embodiments, each of the outer shell 112 and the inner liner 122 is made entirely of disposable, biodegradable, and / or recyclable materials, such as pulp-based materials, paper, sugar cane, bamboo, or similar types of materials, but one or more of the outer shell 112 and the inner liner 122 may be made of different materials.

[0020] The housing 112 includes: a bottom 114; a plurality of support walls 116, the plurality of support walls are coupled to the bottom 114; and a lip 117, the lip extending substantially horizontally and then extending upward from the distal end of the support wall 116 away from the bottom 114. According to an exemplary embodiment, the housing 112 is manufactured as a continuous and seamless single component. However, in other exemplary embodiments, at least one of the plurality of support walls 116 may be attached to an edge of the bottom 114 or another support wall 116, such as by an adhesive or some other similar attachment mechanism. At least one of the support walls 116 may include a completely flat surface. That is, the support wall 116 may be formed so that the surface of at least one support wall 116 is completely set in a single plane. In one example, two support walls 116 disposed on opposite sides of the bottom 114 may respectively include completely flat surfaces, and the other two support walls 116 disposed on opposite sides of the bottom 114 may respectively include non-completely flat surfaces, and each of the other two support walls is substantially perpendicular to the two completely flat support walls 116. For example, two oppositely disposed non-planar surface support walls 116 include a channel 115 extending centrally from the lower end of the support wall 116 to the upper end of the support wall 116 where a lip 117 is formed. This channel 115 combined with the lip 117 helps the user lift and transport the cooler 100 from one location to another. The support wall 116 and the bottom 114 can define an internal cavity 118 of the shell 112. The support wall 116 can extend upward from the bottom 114 to form an opening 119 at the upper end of the shell 112. The opening 119 can be in fluid communication with the internal cavity 118 of the shell 112. In some embodiments, the lip 117 includes a horizontal lip wall 108 and a vertical lip wall 109. The horizontal lip wall 108 extends outwardly away from the opening 119 at the distal end of each support wall 116; however, in other embodiments, the horizontal lip wall 108 can extend inwardly into the opening 119 at the distal end of each support wall 116. As the horizontal lip wall 108 extends outwardly away from the opening 119 at the distal end of each support wall 116, the vertical lip wall 109 extends generally upwardly away from the bottom 114 at the end of the horizontal lip wall 108. However, in embodiments where the horizontal lip wall 108 extends inwardly into the opening 119 at the distal end of each support wall 116, the vertical lip wall 109 continues to extend upwardly away from the bottom 114 along each support wall 116 at the location where the distal end of each support wall 114 meets the horizontal lip wall 108.

[0021] Similarly, the liner 122 includes: a bottom 124; a plurality of support walls 126, the plurality of support walls are coupled to the bottom 124; and a lip 127, the lip extending substantially horizontally from the support wall 126 at a distal end away from the bottom 124. According to an exemplary embodiment, the liner 122 is manufactured as a continuous and seamless single component. However, in other exemplary embodiments, at least one of the plurality of support walls 126 may be attached to an edge of the bottom 124 or another support wall 126, such as by an adhesive or some other similar attachment mechanism. At least one of the support walls 126 may include a completely flat surface. That is, the support wall 126 may be formed so that the surface of at least one support wall 126 is completely disposed in a single plane. In one example, two support walls 126 disposed on opposite sides of the bottom 124 may respectively include completely flat surfaces, while the other two support walls 126 disposed on opposite sides of the bottom 124 may respectively include non-completely flat surfaces, each of the other two support walls being substantially perpendicular to the two completely flat support walls 126. The support wall 126 and the bottom 124 can define an interior cavity 128 of the liner 122. The support wall 126 can extend upward from the bottom 124 to form an opening 129 at the upper end of the liner 122. The opening 129 can be in fluid communication with the interior cavity 128 of the liner 122. In some embodiments, a lip 127 extends outwardly away from the opening 129 at the distal end of each support wall 126.

[0022] According to some exemplary embodiments, once the liner 122 is disposed within the interior cavity 118 of the shell 112 such that the bottom 124 of the liner is positioned adjacent to the bottom 114 of the shell, the lip 127 of the liner is aligned with, located on top of, and supported by the lip 117 of the shell, particularly the horizontal lip wall 108. The lip 127 of the liner is not coupled to the lip 117 of the shell, i.e., the horizontal lip wall 108 of the shell; and therefore, the liner 112 is removable from the shell 112. This feature of making the liner 122 removable from the shell 112 allows an end user to easily clean those components and also replace any of the components that may need to be replaced in the future without having to purchase the entire cooler 100. Furthermore, once the liner 122 is disposed into the interior cavity 118 of the outer shell 112 such that the bottom 124 of the liner is positioned adjacent to the bottom 114 of the outer shell, a portion of the interior cavity 118 of the outer shell, which may be referred to as an air gap 106, remains disposed between the support walls 116 of the outer shell and the support walls 126 of the liner, and also between the bottom 114 of the outer shell and the bottom 124 of the liner. This air gap 106 may be empty, i.e., filled with air, or may be filled with some other material that may prevent or reduce heat transfer from the interior cavity 128 of the liner to the exterior of the outer shell 112. This air gap 106 maximizes cooling performance.

[0023] In some other exemplary embodiments, the liner 122 is disposed in the interior cavity 118 of the shell 112, wherein at least one of the bottom 124 of the liner and / or the support wall 126 of the liner is in contact with the bottom 114 of the shell and / or the support wall 116 of the shell. In these embodiments, the lip 127 of the liner is disposed above the lip 117 of the outer liner and does not contact the lip 117 of the outer shell, thereby defining a space between the lip 127 of the liner and the lip 117 of the outer shell when the liner 122 is disposed in the shell 112. Further, in some of these embodiments, the liner 122 may not have the lip 127 because the lip 127 of the liner does not need to rest on the lip 117 of the outer liner. In the embodiments described in this paragraph, the air gap 106 may or may not be formed between the bottom 124 of the liner and the bottom 114 of the shell and / or between the support wall 126 of the liner and the support wall 116 of the shell.

[0024] The cooler 100 may further include a cover 150 that can cover or substantially cover the opening 129 of the liner. In this regard, the cover 150 can be configured to be reversibly coupled to the body 110 of the cooler 100 in any of a variety of ways, some of which are described herein. The shape of the cover 150 can be consistent with the opening 129 of the liner, where the cover rests on the lip 127 of the liner and the inner side of the vertical lip wall 109 of the shell. Alternatively, the cover 150 can be formed to cover the lip 117 of the shell and be located on top and around it. According to some embodiments, the cover 150 is made entirely of disposable, biodegradable and / or recyclable materials, such as pulp-based materials, paper, sugar cane, bamboo or similar types of materials. According to an exemplary embodiment, the cover 150 is single-walled and includes an outer wall surface 152 and an inner wall surface (not shown); however, in other embodiments, the cover 150 can be double-walled. In this embodiment, the outer wall surface 152 can be formed to include various features. For example, the outer wall surface 152 of the cover can be formed with one or more cup holders 151. The one or more cup holders 151 can be formed into the outer wall surface 152 in any suitable configuration. The characteristics of the one or more cup holders 151, such as size, positioning, and number, can vary. Further, the cover 150 can include two or more centrally formed notches 154 that form handles 155 that an end user can use to place the cover 150 onto the body 110 of the cooler 100 or remove the cover 150 from the body 110 of the cooler 100.

[0025] Note that the outer shell 112, liner 122, and cover 150 of the cooler 100 can be made entirely of disposable, biodegradable, and / or recyclable materials, such as pulp-based materials. Alternatively, one or more of the above components can be made entirely of disposable, biodegradable, and / or recyclable materials, such as pulp-based materials, and one or more of the remaining components can be made of non-biodegradable and / or non-recyclable materials, such as plastics, other polymer materials, or other known material types that can be used in coolers.

[0026] As is well known in the art, pulp is a fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibers from wood, recycled paper, straw, grass or other raw fibrous materials. Pulp is considered more environmentally friendly than polystyrene because pulp can be biodegradable (i.e., capable of breaking down into harmless materials), recyclable (i.e., capable of being reused or treated for reuse), and / or compostable (i.e., capable of breaking down within 90-180 days) without releasing toxic residues when breaking down.

[0027] In some cases, the pulp-based material used to make the cooler 100 can be entirely from pre-consumer recycled paper. In other cases, the pulp-based material used to make the cooler 100 can be a combination of recycled paper and a wax additive (e.g., paraffin), which is added to enhance the water resistance of the cooler 100. In other cases, a small amount of rosin (resin in solid form) can be added to the pulp-based material to enhance the durability of the cooler. However, it should be understood that the pulp-based material can be from any suitable material for producing pulp that is generally known in the art. In addition, any one or more of the shell 112, the liner 122, and the cover 150 can be formed from other disposable, biodegradable and / or recyclable materials, such as paper, sugar cane, jute, bamboo, and other similar types of materials.

[0028] Figure 3 The second embodiment of the present disclosure is shown without a cover 150 ( Figure 1A ) is a cross-sectional view of a sliding-fit double-wall cooler 300. Figure 3 , a slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler 300 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0029] The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler 300 includes a body 310 and a cover 150 ( Figure 1A ). Cooler 300 is similar to cooler 100 ( Figure 1A ).

[0030] The body 310 includes an outer shell 112 and an inner liner 322. The outer shell 112 of the cooler 300 is similar to the cooler 100 ( Figure 1A ) housing 112 ( Figure 1A ), so it will not be described in detail herein. The liner 322 of the cooler 300 is similar to the cooler 100 ( Figure 1B ) lining 122 ( Figure 1B ); however, the size of the liner 322 is set so that when the liner 322 is set in the shell 112, there is no air gap between them and the liner 322 is in direct contact with the bottom 114 and the plurality of support walls 116 of the shell 112. The absence of an air gap between the liner 322 and the shell 112 maximizes the strength and stability of the cooler 300.

[0031] Accordingly, the slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler described herein can be made of disposable, biodegradable and / or recyclable materials, such as compostable, recyclable and / or biodegradable pulp-based materials. As a result, the cooler can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, wherein the cooler decomposes faster in a composting environment relative to conventional polystyrene coolers without leaving toxicity in the soil. The disposable, biodegradable and / or recyclable materials (such as pulp-based materials) used to make the slide-fit double-wall cooler described herein can comply with modern regulations prohibiting the sale of polyethylene products, while providing consumers with a disposable storage solution through biodegradability and / or recyclability. In addition, the slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler described herein can include convenient features (such as cup holders, handles, etc.) and reliably retain water for several days when wax additives are added to the pulp-based materials used to construct the cooler.

[0032] The foregoing description has been directed to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it is apparent that other changes and modifications may be made to the described embodiments to obtain some or all of their advantages. Accordingly, this description is intended to be taken as an example only and not to otherwise limit the scope of the embodiments herein. Therefore, it is the purpose of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the embodiments herein.

Claims

1. A sliding fit disposable double wall cooler comprising: The body comprises: a housing formed of a biodegradable material, the housing comprising a bottom, a plurality of support walls coupled to the bottom, and a lip formed at a distal end of the support walls away from the bottom, the lip of the housing comprising a horizontal lip wall and a vertical lip wall, the horizontal lip wall extending horizontally from a distal end of each of the support walls of the housing and extending outwardly away from the support walls and an internal cavity of the housing, the vertical lip wall extending vertically from an end of the horizontal lip wall, the bottom and the plurality of support walls defining an internal cavity therein; and a liner formed of a biodegradable material, the liner comprising a bottom, a plurality of support walls coupled to the bottom, and a lip extending substantially horizontally from the support walls at a distal end away from the bottom, the bottom and the plurality of support walls defining an interior cavity therein and forming an opening at an upper end of the plurality of support walls, wherein the liner is removably disposed within the shell, and the lip of the liner is disposed on top of and supported by a horizontal lip wall of the lip of the shell; and A cover is formed to fit in the range enclosed by the vertical lip wall of the lip of the shell in the horizontal direction and a part of the cover overlaps with the vertical lip wall of the lip of the shell in the vertical direction and basically covers the opening of the liner.

2. The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: One or more of the plurality of support walls are continuously and seamlessly coupled to the base.

3. The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: The housing is manufactured as a single component and is continuous and seamless.

4. The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: The liner is manufactured as a single component and is continuous and seamless.

5. The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: At least one of the body and the cover is made entirely of a biodegradable material.

6. The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler of claim 5, wherein: The biodegradable material on the body is a pulp-based material.

7. The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: The cover is formed such that an outer edge of the cover is substantially flush with a lip of the outer shell when the cover at least substantially covers the opening of the liner.

8. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: The outer surface of the cover includes one or more cup holders.

9. The slide-fit disposable double-wall cooler of claim 5, wherein: The biodegradable material is a pulp-based material from recycled paper.

10. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 5, wherein: The biodegradable material is a pulp-based material made with a combination of recycled paper and wax.

11. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 5, wherein: The biodegradable material is a pulp based material including a wax additive.

12. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 5, wherein: The biodegradable material is a compostable pulp-based material.

13. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: Once the liner is positioned within the shell and the lip of the liner is located on top of and rests on the horizontal portion of the lip of the shell, an air gap is formed between the liner and the shell.

14. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: Once the liner is disposed within the shell, the bottom and support walls of the liner are in contact with the bottom and support walls of the shell.

15. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 14, wherein: The lip of the liner is located on top of and rests on the horizontal portion of the lip of the shell.

16. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 1, wherein: The cover covers the lip of the housing and is located on top of and around it.

17. A slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler comprising: The body comprises: a housing formed of a biodegradable material, the housing comprising a bottom, a plurality of support walls coupled to the bottom, and a lip formed at a distal end of the support walls away from the bottom, the lip of the housing comprising a horizontal lip wall and a vertical lip wall, the horizontal lip wall extending horizontally from a distal end of each of the support walls of the housing and extending outwardly away from the support walls and an internal cavity of the housing, the vertical lip wall extending vertically from an end of the horizontal lip wall, the bottom and the plurality of support walls defining an internal cavity therein; and a liner formed of a biodegradable material, the liner comprising a bottom and a plurality of support walls coupled to the bottom, the bottom and the plurality of support walls defining an internal cavity therein and forming an opening at an upper end of the plurality of support walls, wherein the liner is removably disposed within the shell; and A cover is formed to fit in the range enclosed by the vertical lip wall of the lip of the shell in the horizontal direction and a part of the cover overlaps with the vertical lip wall of the lip of the shell in the vertical direction and basically covers the opening of the liner.

18. The slip-fit ​​disposable double-wall cooler of claim 17, wherein: The liner further includes a lip formed at a distal end of the support wall of the liner, and wherein, once the liner is disposed within the shell, a space is defined between the lip of the liner and the lip of the shell.

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