Collapsible coolers
US8448813B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 5, 2010 |
| Grant date | May 28, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 20, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF25D2400/38
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
An expandable and collapsible cooler includes: a base defining a bottom portion of the cooler; an upper rim defining an upper portion of the cooler; and a collapsible cooler wall extending between and attached to the base and the upper rim and surrounding an interior storage space of the cooler. The cooler wall includes a flexible elastomeric membrane that includes a plurality of hinge lines at which the membrane is configured to bend such that the membrane is transitional between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The cooler is transitional between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration by bending of the membrane along the hinge lines. Each configuration is a stable configuration of the cooler. The collapsible cooler wall includes peripheral portions thereof that nest within each other when the collapsible cooler wall is fully collapsed. The collapsible cooler wall tapers in extending from the upper rim.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.