Cover for a Cooler

Abstract

Present embodiments relate to a cooler cover. More specifically, but without limitation, present embodiments relate to an insulated cooler cover which may be formed into a self-container to retain the cooler cover in an enclosed configuration when not being used with a cooler.

Claims

1. A cooler cover, comprising: a front side, a rear side, a top side, a first enclosure side, and a second enclosure side; the cooler cover having a first configuration configured to cover a cooler, and a second configuration configured to form a self-container for the cooler cover; the first enclosure side and the second enclosure side each having a fastener to: in said first configuration, connect to at least one of said other sides to form said cover; and, in said second configuration, connect to connect to each other to define said self-container.

2. The cooler cover of claim 1, the top side capable of being connectable to a cooler door.

3. The cooler cover of claim 2, said top side further comprising elastic straps and fastener structures.

4. The cooler cover of claim 2, said top side extending over a front edge and a rear edge of said cooler door.

5. The cooler cover of claim 1, said first enclosure side and said second enclosure side each having an aperture that allows passage of a cooler handle.

6. The cooler cover of claim 1, said front side and said rear side each having an aperture that allows passage of a cooler handle.

7. The cooler cover of claim 1, at least one of said front side, said rear side, said first enclosure side or said second enclosure side having a vent aperture for airflow.

8. The cooler cover of claim 1, further comprising at least one opening for control access.

9. The cooler cover of claim 1, said first enclosure side and said second enclosure side each having a rigid structure within a cover material.

10. The cooler cover of claim 1, said first enclosure side and said second enclosure side each having a lip.

11. The cooler cover of claim 10, said first enclosure side and said second enclosure side being connectable with each of said fasteners.

12. The cooler cover of claim 11, further comprising a space between said first and second enclosure sides in said second configuration.

13. The cooler cover of claim 12, said front side, said rear side, and said top side all being capable of folding and positioning in said space in said second configuration.

14. The cooler cover of claim 1, further comprising a bottom side.

15. The cooler cover of claim 13, further comprising a bottom side capable of being folded and positioned in said space.

16. A cooler cover, comprising: a front side, a rear side, a top side, a first side enclosure, a second side enclosure, and a bottom; a first fastener on a first one of said sides and a cooperating second fastener on a second one of said second side; said cover being configurable to cover a cooler in a first configuration and configurable to be a self-container in a second configuration; wherein said first side and said second side define said self-container and the remainder of said sides are dispersed within said self-container in said second configuration.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In order that the embodiments may be better understood, embodiments of a cooler cover will now be described by way of examples. These embodiments are not to limit the scope of the claims as other embodiments of a cooler cover will become apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon reading the instant description. Non-limiting examples of the present embodiments are shown in figures wherein:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one example embodiment of an insulated cooler cover disposed over an example cooler;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the cooler cover of FIG. 1 laid out;

[0014] FIG. 2A is a detailed view of an exemplary zipper tape of the cooler cover of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a detailed view of one side of the cooler cover of FIG. 1;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a view of a ventilation aperture of the cooler cover of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a view of an additional ventilation aperture of the cooler cover of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the cooler cover of FIG. 1;

[0019] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of an alternate cooler cover;

[0020] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the alternate cooler cover of FIG. 7;

[0021] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cooler shown in an open position; and,

[0022] FIGS. 10 and 10A are perspective views of self-containment configurations of the cooler covers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] It is to be understood that a cooler cover is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The described embodiments are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of including, comprising, or having and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms connected, coupled, and mounted, and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms connected and coupled and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

[0024] Reference throughout this specification to one embodiment, some embodiments or an embodiment means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases in one embodiment, in some embodiments or in an embodiment in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 1-10A, various examples of an insulated cooler cover are provided. The cooler cover improves thermal efficiency of the cooler and additionally provides an improved aesthetic appearance for the cooler. The cooler cover allows for self-containment of various panels which are utilized to cover the cooler. The cooler cover includes at least two sides which may be zipped together to form an enclosure therebetween and wherein other panels, or sides, of the cooler cover may be stored in a folded fashion for ease of use, clean maintenance and, in addition to limiting the possibility of losing portions of the cooling cover.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of an example cooler cover 10 is provided. The cooler cover 10 includes a top side 12, a bottom side 14, a front side 16, a rear side 18, a first enclosure side 20, and a second enclosure side 22. The fabric of cooler cover 10 may be a coarse material and resistant to tearing. The sides may also be referred to at times as panels which when constructed, define an enclosure 24 wherein a cooler 30 (FIG. 9) may be positioned or alternatively fit snuggly about a cooler 30 to cover exterior surfaces of the cooler structure. With brief reference to FIG. 9, an example cooler 30 having a plurality of walls 33 wherein a storage area 32 provides for storage of fresh or frozen food or drinks. The storage area 32 may be designed by one or more walls 33 which may be insulated. The cooler 30 may include a door or top 34 and one or more cooler handles 36. The cooler 30 may be a passive cooler of the type typically used with ice, for example the DOMETIC PATROL series of coolers, or may be actively cooled with a compression refrigeration system, for example the DOMETIC CFX series of coolers, either of which may be available from Dometic Corporation of Elkhart, Ind. These examples are non-limiting.

[0027] Referring again to FIG. 1, the cooler cover 10 may have a generally rectangular footprint about the edges of the bottom side, but may also be various other shapes depending on the cooler shape associated with the cover 10. In the instant embodiment, the front panel 16 and the rear panel 18 have a longer linear dimension than the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22 to define the rectangular footprint of the cooler cover 10. The cooler cover 10 also has a generally snug fit to the cooler 30 so as not to be loose and hanging from the cooler 30.

[0028] In this view, the top side, or panel, 12 may also include a flap 26 which overhangs the front edge of the cooler top or door 34 (FIG. 9) of the cooler 30 to provide a clean look for the cooler cover 10 and hide front edge of the cooler top 34. The flap 26 may be a single flap or may be more than one. This may be dependent upon the length of the top of the cooler 30 and whether the top of the cooler 30 includes one or more doors. Additionally, the top side 12 may also include a rear flap 27 to cover the rear upper edge of the cooler top 34. In the instant embodiment, the cooler 30 has the pivoting top or door 34 with a pivot axis shown generally by a broken line A-A. Thus the top side 12 may be formed to move with the pivoting of the cooler door 34. The top side 12 may also be connected to, or be separate from, the remainder of the cooler cover 10.

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 2, a top perspective view of the cooler cover 10 is shown in a layout view. In this view, the cooler cover 10 is laid out so that each side or panel is flat. The sides, or panels, are labeled to aid in understanding the arrangement of the cooler cover 10. The figure shows the front side 16, rear side 18, and bottom side 14 attached to one another in linear arrangement. That is, one edge of one side is connected to an adjacent edge of an adjacent side. The layout is depicted such that the front edge 15 and rear edge 17 of bottom panel 14 connect to the front side 16 and the rear side 18 respectively.

[0030] One or more of the sides, for example the front side 16 and/or the rear side 18 may have one or more ventilation air flow apertures 40, 42. The location or locations of these apertures 40, 42 may be dependent on the type of cooler used and the location for such compressor and condenser on an actively cooled system. The bottom side 14 may also include holes 43 for feet of the cooler to extend through. The feet (not shown) may be formed of rubber, plastic, or other skid-resistant material, for non-limiting example.

[0031] Shown adjacent to the panels 14, 16, 18 is the top panel 12. The top panel 12, as one skilled in the art can envision, connects by fastener to the pivoting top 34 (FIG. 9) of the cooler 30 (FIG. 9). The top side 12 also comprises flaps 26, 27 which overhang the front edges of the cooler top 34 to conceal any height of the cooler top 34 and makes the cooler cover 10 look uniform when fully assembled, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0032] Adjacent to the top panel 12 are the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22. The first and second enclosure sides 20, 22 may be formed of a fabric covering over an internal rigid structure so that the sides 20, 22 are not made entirely of fabric alone. Other materials may be utilized. Further, the fabric may have an internal insulating material within the exterior cover material. The first and second enclosure panels 20, 22, or ends, may also comprise a lip 28, 29 extending around each of the first and second enclosure panels 20, 22 to give each side a height or thickness dimension (FIG. 10). As will be described further herein, the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22 may be fastened to vertical edges of the front and rear sides 16, 18 and to the enclosure edges 19 of the bottom side 14. This provides, in a first configuration, the enclosure shape for the cover 10 wherein the cooler 30 is disposed and which is subsequently covered by the top side 12 with the cooler 30 disposed within the cooler cover 10. Alternatively, the lips 28, 29 may be fastened together, in the second configuration, to provide an enclosure or space between the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22. In this alternate configuration, the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22 provide a self-containing function so that the remainder sides or panels of the cooler cover 10 may be folded and placed therein for safe keeping. This also prohibits loss of the parts, damage, or soiling during storage.

[0033] The instant view also allows one skilled in the art to ascertain that the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22 are positioned along the lateral edges 19 of the bottom side 14. As the enclosure sides 20, 22 are fastened to the front side 16, bottom side 14, and rear side 18, the cooler cover 10 gains its shape to receive of the cooler 30 therein. According to the instant embodiments, a fastener 50 may be provided along each side of the three sides 14, 16, 18 which correspond to the edges of the lips 28, 29 of first and second enclosure sides 20, 22. In some embodiments, the fastener 50 may be defined by first and second zipper tapes 52, 54 each of which have a plurality of mating teeth for fastening. In the instant embodiment, the zipper tapes 52 are located on the sides 14, 16, 18 and the corresponding zipper tapes 54 are located about three sides of the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22.

[0034] The zipper tape 52 and/or the zipper tape 54 may also be hidden behind a seam or hem to reduce the visibility of either half of the zipper teeth associated therewith when the structure is assembled. As shown in FIG. 2A, a detailed view shows one zipper tape 54 which is disposed adjacent to a seam 56 and a slider 55 of the opposite zipper tape 52. When the slider 55 is connected to the zipper tape 54, the zipper structure may be at least partially hidden from view to improve aesthetic appearance of the arrangement.

[0035] Additionally, while the fasteners 50 are shown in the example as zippers, various other fasteners may be utilized, for example, including but not limited to, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, snaps, clasps, or any of various other fastener arrangements which will allow for connection of one side to an adjacent side of the cooler cover 10. Additionally, these fasteners may be hidden or exposed depending on the access needed and the location on the cover.

[0036] Referring now to FIG. 3, a detailed view of one side of one of the example sides of the cooler cover 10 is depicted. In this view, a user interface window or cutout 60 is shown. When the cooler 30 (FIG. 9) is positioned within the cooler cover 10, a user interface or control panel 37 may be disposed behind or within the window 60. Accordingly, the user interface 37 of the cooler 30 may be accessed to adjust one or more settings of the cooler 30 for operation.

[0037] With reference now to FIG. 4, a view of a ventilation aperture 64 is depicted. Within the ventilation aperture 64, may be a plurality of vents of the cooler 30, generally represented by grill structures 38 that allow air flow for the condenser of the cooler 30 (FIG. 9). The vent aperture 64 may also allow for positioning of plugs for powering a cooling system of the cooler 30. For example, in the instant embodiment, AC and DC inputs 39a, 39b are provided to power such cooler 30 within the vent aperture 64 of one of the sides 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 of the cooler cover 10. As depicted in FIG. 1, the vent aperture 64 is provided in a side 22 but may be located in any of the various sides.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 5 also shown on an example side 18 is an additional ventilation aperture 66. The ventilation aperture 66 allows airflow to or from a condenser which may utilized by the cooler 30 (FIG. 9) as part of a plurality of cooling mechanicals, i.e. compressor, evaporator, or condenser. It may be desirable to provide seams about these apertures 64, 66

[0039] With reference now to FIG. 6 and in addition including FIG. 1, attention is drawn to the first and second enclosure sides 20, 22. Each of the sides 20, 22 includes a handle opening 70, 72. The handle openings 70, 72 allow passage through of the cooler handles when the cooler handles are extended for carrying of the cooler 30 and the cooler cover 10. The fabric cover of sides 20, 22 may also have a rigid or firm understructure beneath the fabric. This may insulate, as well as define half of an enclosure each. When zipped together, the sides 20, 22 provide a space for storage of the remaining sides of the cooler cover 10. This provides a self-containment function.

[0040] Also shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, are openings or cutout areas 58 in the cooler cover 10 to allow access to a grasping area to allow grasping of the cooler top 34 (FIG. 9) to open and close.

[0041] Additionally, one or more pockets 76 may be located on one or more sides of the cooler cover 10. The pockets 76 may be opened or may have a pocket fastener such as a zipper or other fastening structures to allow for closing of the pocket when desired.

[0042] Referring now to FIG. 7, a perspective view of an alternate example is provided. In the instant example, the cooler cover 110 is shown. The cooler cover 110 is provided for a cooler which has a pivoting door that opens along a short wall of a cooler rather than a long wall as with the previous embodiment of cooler 30. Axis A-A shows an approximate location of the axis. In such embodiment, a front face 116 is provided along a short wall of the cooler cover 110 and includes a user interface window 160 along such side 116. The cooler cover 110 comprises first and second enclosure sides 120, 122 which have first and second configurations as previously described to either allow for use as a cooler cover or to be fastened together in order to self-contain or encapsulate the remaining portions of the cooler cover 110. The cooler cover 110 also comprises a top 112 and a bottom 114 and other panels, all of which may be stored between the enclosure sides 120, 122 when the sides 120, 122 are fastened together. As with previous embodiments, the structure may also comprise handle apertures 170 and various ventilation apertures 164, 166 for cooling airflow to the condenser or other elements.

[0043] Referring now to FIG. 8, a lower rear perspective view of cooler cover 110 is shown depicting the rear side 118 and the air ventilation apertures 164, 166.

[0044] With reference to FIGS. 7-8, the cooler cover 110 also has two configurations. In one configuration, the cover 110 forms an insulated enclosure for the cooler 30. In a second configuration, the more rigid sides 116, 118 may be fastened to store the remaining sides of the cover 110.

[0045] Referring now to FIG. 9, the cooler 30 is shown with the cooler top 34 in an open position. In this example, the top side 12 may comprise straps 62 with hook fasteners 65 to retain the top side 12 to the cooler top 34. This allows the top side 12 to continue engagement with the cooler top 34 whether or not the top 34 is open or closed, and inhibits the top side 12 from loosely flopping around. The straps 62 may be elastic to further aid in retaining the top side 12, while also allowing movement of the cooler top 34 for opening and closing, while not inhibiting motion.

[0046] Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 10A, the cooler covers 10, 110 are depicted in a configuration for storage or self-containment. Specifically, with reference first to FIG. 10, the sides 20, 22 are fastened together. As previously described, this may be by way of various types of fasteners including, but not limited to, zippers, as shown by slider 55. The sides 20, 22 may have a more rigid structure than the remaining sides 12, 14, 16, and 18 (FIG. 1), which may be folded and stored between the two sides 20, 22 when fastened together. Thus, the cover 10 is self-containing of the remaining sides 12, 14, 16, and 18.

[0047] With additional reference to FIG. 10A, a perspective view of a similar configuration is provided. The sides 120, 122 are partially fastened together so that a space is formed between the two. The space provides a storage location for the softer sides of the cover 110. Additionally, the remaining sides may be folded if necessary, in either embodiment, for storage.

[0048] Further, the embodiments show one of the two configurations for use which provide protection from soiling, damage, and/or loss.

[0049] It should be understood that any of the sides may be considered a front side or a rear side and the use of such terms should not be limiting as these are merely sides of the covers 10, 110. Any pair of sides, including the front and rear sides may define the enclosure sides of the storage configuration.

[0050] While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the invent of embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

[0051] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms. The indefinite articles a and an, as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean at least one. The phrase and/or, as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean either or both of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases.

[0052] Multiple elements listed with and/or should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., one or more of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the and/or clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to A and/or B, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as comprising can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

[0053] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, or should be understood to have the same meaning as and/or as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, or or and/or shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as only one of or exactly one of, or, when used in the claims, consisting of, will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term or as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. one or the other but not both) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as either, one of, only one of, or exactly one of. Consisting essentially of, when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0054] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase at least one, in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase at least one refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, at least one of A and B (or, equivalently, at least one of A or B, or, equivalently at least one of A and/or B) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

[0055] It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.

[0056] In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as comprising, including, carrying, having, containing, involving, holding, composed of, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases consisting of and consisting essentially of shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures.

[0057] The foregoing description of methods and embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention and all equivalents be defined by the claims appended hereto.