Rigid collapsible liner for insulated container

Abstract

A soft-sided cooler having a rigid liner configured to removably fit within said cooler, wherein said liner comprises panels of rigid material that are collapsible and foldable along seams of flexible material located between the rigid panels to maintain the waterproof condition of the liner and allow for folding, said liner further comprising a drain element for fluid communication with the exterior of the cooler.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 451,973, entitled “Rigid Collapsible Liner for Insulated Container,” filed Mar. 11, 2011 (Attorney Docket No. Orgpls-2-6386); and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 537,736, entitled “Rigid Collapsible Liner for Insulated Container With Drain,” filed Sep. 22, 2011 (Attorney Docket No. Orgpls-2-6543), the entire disclosure of each is hereby incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Insulated containers, sometimes called “coolers” are quite popular, and are used in numerous activities. Large coolers are often used for picnics and other social gatherings, and individual users may utilize smaller coolers to keep a fewer number of items at a desired temperature.[0003]Typically, the walls of contemporary coolers include hard outer and inner shells, and an insulating central layer. The central layer is usually a product having a high insulation v...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a soft-sided insulated container with a collapsible and water-tight liner that has rigid walls. It includes a flexible top panel that can be opened and closed, a removable liner that can be collapsed from a first expanded configuration to a second folded configuration, and a bottom panel that is connected to the liner by flexible seams. The liner also has flexible seams and angled seams to provide strength and durability. The container can be transported using a foldable cart. The technical effects of the invention include improved insulation, durability, and flexibility of the soft-sided insulated container.

Problems solved by technology

While hard-sided coolers are useful and popular, they can be heavy and awkward to carry and, once the contents have been consumed, the empty hard-sided cooler can be inconvenient to transport and store.

While these liners are water-tight and can additionally provide desired structure to a soft-sided cooler, they are not easy to store when not in use and must be removed and stored separately from the soft-sided insulated container if the user wishes to fold up the soft-sided cooler.

While these liners do fold up for easy storage, the seams are not water-tight and the liners do not provide much structure to the soft-sided cooler.

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