WO2025189049A1

WO2025189049A1 - Multipurpose cooler

Info

Publication number: WO2025189049A1
Application number: PCT/US2025/018819
Authority: WO
Inventors: James F. Caruso; Corey R. BARNES
Original assignee: Coleman Co Inc
Current assignee: Coleman Co Inc
Priority date: 2024-03-07
Filing date: 2025-03-06
Publication date: 2025-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2026-09-07
Also published as: WO2025189049A8

Abstract

Provided herein is a multipurpose cooler which may be opened and/or closed in a variety of ways to access and/or view contents in the cooler. The cooler may comprise a body and one or more lids hingedly connected to the body. The body may include any number of compartments for storing contents, and the compartments may be separated via divider(s). The one or more lids may be hingedly connected to the body and tabletop portions may be hingedly connected to the one or more lids. When at least one of the one or more lids is in an open position, a user may access contents in the body of the cooler. The tabletop portions may be independently rotatable from the one or more lids, such that the tabletop portions may be opened even when the one or more lids are closed.

Description

MULTIPURPOSE COOLER

Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/562,283, filed March 7, 2024, entitled, “MULTIPURPOSE COOLER,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Field of Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a multipurpose cooler. More specifically, the invention relates to a cooler with multiple uses and functions.

Background of Invention

[0003] Consumers frequently use coolers to store and transport food and beverages and other items. Coolers may be used to keep food and beverages cold when transporting the food and beverages, and when ice is added to a cooler, the cooler may cool the food and beverages as desired by a consumer. Additionally, consumers may use a cooler as a table of sorts and may store food, beverages, and other items on the top of the cooler.

[0004] However, typical coolers present different issues when used. As a first example, standard lids are hinge-able only at one point, and as such, a user cannot access contents in the cooler via different sides of the cooler. As a second example, consumers must remove food, beverages, or other items from the top of the cooler in order to open the lid of the cooler and access what is stored. As a third example, typical coolers that include cup holders are only useable in one manner and are not engageable in different positions. As such, a need exists for a cooler that addresses the problems present in current coolers and can be used for multiple purposes as desired by consumers. Summary of Invention

[0005] The present invention overcomes many of the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art devices discussed above. The invention described herein includes several embodiments of a multipurpose cooler.

[0006] The multipurpose cooler as provided herein may address the need for a cooler that may be used for a variety of different functions. The cooler may include a body with one or more compartments where a user can store food, beverages, and other contents. The compartments may be divided via divider(s), which may help with keeping different contents separated.

[0007] A user may access contents inside of (or load contents into) the multipurpose cooler by opening the cooler via a main lid or secondary lids. The main lid may be selectively opened to access all of the compartments, while the secondary lids may be used to access only a portion of the compartments. The main lid may also include tabletop portions which may be used for storing food, beverages, or the like. The tabletop portions may be usable even when the secondary lids are opened. As such, a user may not need to move her drink when accessing contents in the cooler. The lid described herein may be multi-functional and may be attachable to a variety of different coolers or other containers.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0008] Fig. 1 is a first perspective view of a cooler constructed according to the teachings of the present application;

[0009] Fig. 2 is a front view of the cooler of Fig. 1;

[0010] Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the cooler of Fig. 1; and

[0011] Fig. 4 is a second perspective view of the cooler of Fig. 1. [0012] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed Description

[0013] The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.

[0014] Turning first to Fig. 1, a cooler 1 may include handles 5 which may be used to carry or adjust the positioning of the cooler 1. The handles 5 may be pivotable about handle attachments 10 attached to or integrally formed with a body 15 of the cooler 1. The handles 5 may be positioned on any suitable portion of the cooler 1. In one embodiment, the handles 5 may be on each end 20 of the body 15 of the cooler 1. In one embodiment, the ends 20 have a shorter length than lengths of the front 21 and/or back 22 of the cooler 1. In one embodiment, the ends 20 may be measured along the width the cooler 1, while the front 21 and back 22 may be measured along the length of the cooler 1. The handles 5 may be positioned in a stow position (as illustrated in Fig. 1) when the handles 5 are not in use. The handles 5 may be adjusted to a carry position when a user may desire to carry the cooler 1. The cooler 1 may include a plug 25 for draining an interior 30 of the cooler 1. The cooler 1 may or may not include wheels on a bottom portion 35 of the cooler 1, such that the cooler 1 may be rolled from one location to another.

[0015] Turning now to Fig. 2, the cooler 1 may include a main lid 40 that opens to a plurality of compartments 45 within the interior 30 of the cooler 1. The main lid 40 may span the length of the body 15 of the cooler 1 such that, when the main lid 40 is opened, a user may access the entirety of the cooler 1. The main lid 40 may be hingedly attached to the body 15 of the cooler 1 and may be opened and/or closed to access the compartments 45. In one embodiment, the main lid 40 may include hinges attached to the front 21 or back 22 of the cooler 1, such that the main lid 40 may hinge about the front 21 or back 22 of the cooler 1. In one embodiment, the main lid 40 may include hinges attached to an end 20 of the cooler 1, such that the main lid 40 may hinge about the end 20 of the cooler 1.

[0016] A user may open the main lid 40 when loading or unloading the cooler 1. As illustrated, the cooler 1 may include two compartments 45, which may be separated via a divider 50. The divider 50 may be useful to separate different types of food and beverages within the cooler 1. In various embodiments, the divider 50 may be removable, such that the cooler 1 includes a singular compartment 45. According to one embodiment, an underside of the main lid 40 may include accessories (e.g., bottle openers). In yet other embodiments, more or fewer compartments 45 and/or dividers 50 may be provided.

[0017] Turning to Fig. 3, a top portion 60 of the main lid 40 may include tabletop portions 65. The tabletop portions 65 may be hingedly attached to the main lid 40. Only one tabletop portion 65 is shown in Fig. 3, but the cooler 1 may include two or more tabletop portions 65. The tabletop portions 65 may rotate about the top portion 60 into an “open” position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, or into a “closed” position. The tabletop portions 65 may include hinges 67 positioned in any suitable fashion, including on the ends 20 of the cooler 1, such that the tabletop portions 65 may hinge about an end 20 of the cooler 1. In various embodiments, the hinges 67 may be positioned on the front 21 or back 22 of the cooler 1, such that the tabletop portions 65 may hinge about the front 21 or back 22 of the cooler 1. According to various embodiments, the tabletop portions 65 may be secured in place via any suitable mechanism, such that adjustment of the main lid 40 may not cause the tabletop portions 65 to adjust. The securing mechanism may permit a user to selectively open or close the tabletop portions 65.

[0018] The tabletop portions 65 may include cupholders 70, which may be made of silicone or any other suitable material. The cupholders 70 may take an expanded position or retracted position. The cupholders 70 may be expanded or retracted when the tabletop portion 65 is in an “open” or “closed” position, such that they may be used even when the tabletop portion 65 is not opened. Even when the tabletop portion 65 is in a “closed” position and positioned over and on top of the top portion 60, the cupholders 70 may be expanded such that the cupholders 70 extend downward toward the top portion 60 and create a “pop-out” to create a recess (not illustrated) for a beverage to be placed. In one embodiment, the recess created may have a first depth.

[0019] When expanded while the tabletop portion 65 is in an “open” position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the cupholders 70 may “pop-out” to create a recess for a beverage to be placed. In such an expanded position, the recess created may have a second depth. In one embodiment, the second depth is greater than the first depth. In such an embodiment, when the tabletop portion 65 is in an “open” position and the cupholder 70 is expanded, the depth of the created recess may be greater than when the tabletop portion 65 is in a “closed” position and the cupholder 70 is expanded. When retracted or in a second position, as illustrated by cupholder 70a in Fig. 4, the cupholder 70a may be substantially flat and congruent with a top surface 75 of the tabletop portions 65. In such a second position, the cupholders 70 have a third depth. In one embodiment, the third depth is less than each of the first depth and the second depth.

[0020] A user may access contents in the compartments 45 of the cooler 1 (or may fill the cooler 1) via secondary lids 80. The secondary lids 80 may be hingedly attached to the body 15 and may include lifting mechanisms 85 (e.g., handles) which may be used to open and/or close the secondary lids 80. The secondary lids 80 may include hinges 87 for hinging the secondary lids 80 about the body 15. In various embodiment, the hinges 87 may be positioned on the ends 20 of the cooler 1. In various embodiments, the hinges 87 may be positioned on the front 21 or back 22 of the cooler 1. In one embodiment, the secondary lids 80 may hinge about the cooler 1 from the same or different side of the cooler 1 (i.e., an end 20, front 21, or back 22) as the main lid 40 hinges about the cooler 1. Such positioning of the hinges 87 may allow for a user to access contents in the cooler 1 from either the front or back of the cooler 1. The secondary lids 80 may rotate about the body 15 into an “open” position, as illustrated by secondary lid 80a, or into a “closed” position, as illustrated by secondary lid 80b.

[0021] Even when the secondary lids 80 are opened, when the tabletop portions 65 are in an “open” position, the tabletop portions 65 and the items stored on the tabletop portions 65 may remain in place. This may be particularly useful as a user may not need to move her beverage in order to access contents in the cooler 1. Further, in various embodiments, even when one tabletop portion 65 of one secondary lid 80 is opened, the other secondary lid 80 may be opened, such that a user may access contents in the cooler.

[0022] Each of the secondary lids 80 may include a seal such that, when the secondary lids 80 are in the “closed” position, the secondary lids 80 create a substantially airtight and/or watertight seal for the cooler 1. According to various embodiments, the secondary lids 80 may be secured in place via any suitable mechanism, such that adjustment of the main lid 40 may not cause the secondary lids 80 to adjust. The securing mechanism may permit a user to selectively open or close the secondary lids 80.

[0023] As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications, applications, variations, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. Many such changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. All such changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present inventions are deemed to be covered by the inventions which are limited only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A multipurpose cooler comprising: a body comprising one or more compartments for storing contents; and a main lid hingedly connected to the body, wherein the main lid comprises: one or more secondary lids hingedly connected to the body; and one or more tabletop portions hingedly connected to the one or more secondary lids; wherein rotation of the one or more tabletop portions is independent of rotation of the one or more secondary lids; wherein when a first of the one or more tabletop portions associated with a first of the one or more secondary lids is opened, a second of the one or more secondary lids is configured to be opened or closed; and wherein when the second of the one or more secondary lids is open, contents in the body are accessible to a user.

2. The multipurpose cooler of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tabletop portions comprise one or more cupholders.

3. The multipurpose cooler of claim 2, wherein the one or more cupholders are configured to be in one of an expanded position or retracted position.

4. The multipurpose cooler of claim 3, wherein, when in the expanded position, the one or more cupholders create a recess for a beverage to be placed.

5. The multipurpose cooler of claim 2, wherein, when one of the one or more secondary lids is in an open position, contents in the body are accessible to a user.

6. The multipurpose cooler of claim 1, wherein, when at least one of the one or more secondary lids is in an open position, contents in the body are accessible to a user.

7. The multipurpose cooler of claim 1, further comprising one or more handles configured for carrying the cooler.

8. The multipurpose cooler of claim 1, further comprising one or more wheels connected to a bottom portion of the body.

9. A multipurpose cooler comprising: a body comprising one or more compartments for storing contents; one or more lids hingedly connected to the body; and one or more tabletop portions hingedly connected to the one or more lids; wherein rotation of the one or more tabletop portions is independent of rotation of the one or more lids.

10. The multipurpose cooler of claim 9, wherein the one or more tabletop portions comprise one or more cupholders, and wherein the one or more cupholders are configured to be in one of an expanded position or retracted position.

11. The multipurpose cooler of claim 10, wherein, when in the expanded position, the one or more cupholders create a recess for a beverage to be placed.

12. The multipurpose cooler of claim 9, wherein, when one of the one or more lids is in an open position, contents in the body are accessible to a user.

13. The multipurpose cooler of claim 9, further comprising one or more handles configured for carrying the cooler.

14. The multipurpose cooler of claim 9, further comprising one or more wheels connected to a bottom portion of the body.

15. The multipurpose cooler of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more lids includes a seal such that, when the one or more lids are in a closed position, the one or more lids form a substantially airtight seal.

16. The multipurpose cooler of claim 9, wherein: when a first of the one or more tabletop portions associated with a first of the one or more lids is opened, a second of the one or more lids is configured to be opened or closed; and when the second of the one or more lids is open, contents in the body are accessible to a user.

17. A multipurpose cooler comprising: a body comprising one or more compartments for storing contents; one or more handles configured for carrying the cooler; and a main lid hingedly connected to the body, wherein the main lid comprises: one or more secondary lids hingedly connected to the body; and one or more tabletop portions hingedly connected to the one or more secondary lids; wherein, when the main lid is in a main lid open position, contents in the body are accessible to a user; wherein, when one of the one or more secondary lids is in a secondary lid open position, contents in the body are accessible to the user; and wherein rotation of the one or more tabletop portions is independent of rotation of the one or more secondary lids.

18. The multipurpose cooler of claim 17, wherein the one or more tabletop portions comprise one or more cupholders.

19. The multipurpose cooler of claim 18, wherein the one or more cupholders are configured to be in one of an expanded position or retracted position.

20. The multipurpose cooler of claim 19, wherein, when in the expanded position, the one or more cupholders create a recess for a beverage to be placed.