US20120137637A1

US20120137637A1 - Cool bags systems

Info

Publication number: US20120137637A1
Application number: US13/270,129
Authority: US
Inventors: Brenda Gillis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-10-12
Filing date: 2011-10-10
Publication date: 2012-06-07

Abstract

A reusable insulated flexible cooler bag comprising: a front wall having a first inner layer, at least one first insulating layer, and a first outer layer of plastic material; a rear wall having a second inner layer, at least one second insulating layer, and a second outer layer of plastic material; and a closure element. The front wall and the rear wall are joined together at their peripheral edges so as to create a pocket-like configuration with an inner volume. The closure element is able to close the pocket-like configuration to substantially ensure an airtight and watertight seal of the inner volume of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag and is located adjacent a top side of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag in order to provide access to contents of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to and claims priority from prior provisional application Ser. No. 61/392,087, filed Oct. 12, 2010 which application is incorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of portable insulating containers and more specifically relates to an airtight and watertight sealable cooler bag for keeping perishable items cool while storing or transporting them.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable ice chest or cooler box is most commonly an insulated box used to keep food or drinks cool. Unfortunately, cooler boxes often are quite bulky and not easy to transport or it is difficult to place them into a car, etc. On the other hand, smaller more compact cooler boxes tend to be too small for larger food or drink items, such as large bottles or plates. There are many items that individuals wish to keep cold, but are unable to find a suitable way to store and transport them in a convenient manner.
Therefore a need exist for a flexible cooler bag which may be used for various differently sized and shaped items, which is not bulky, but rather lean and flexible and easy to transport and store. A need exists for a reusable flexible cooler bag which may be used to keep a variety of items cold during outdoor activities, such as sporting events, picnics, camping and fishing, or during long drives.
Ice cubes are most commonly placed in cooler boxes to help the items inside stay cool. Therefore, another problem which is often encountered when it comes to storing items in cooler boxes is that the food and the ice are often stored in the same compartment. The melting ice may come into contact with the food when the food is not properly sealed and may contaminate the food and/or make the food soggy. Some of the food items may thus be rendered inedible if they happen to get wet. Therefore, a more efficient and hygienic method to store items inside a cooler box is needed. A need exists for an effective method for keeping food and drink items stored in a cooler box, while at the same time effectively isolating the food and drink items from the surrounding ice via a water- and air-impermeable sealable bag.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,371,643, 5,988,879, 2008/0066491 A1, 5,265,960, 5,078,508, and 6,874,938. This prior art is representative of portable insulating containers. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, an airtight and watertight sealable cooler bag for keeping perishable items cool during storage or transportation should be easy to use, could be used in combination with or without a cooler box, should operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable airtight and watertight sealable cooler bag for keeping perishable items cool while storing or transporting them, to avoid the above-mentioned problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known portable insulating containers art, the present invention provides a novel airtight and watertight sealable cooler bag. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an airtight and watertight sealable cooler bag for keeping perishable items cool while storing or transporting them.
A reusable insulated flexible cooler bag is disclosed herein comprising: a front wall having a first inner layer, at least one first insulating layer, and a first outer layer of plastic material; a rear wall having a second inner layer, at least one second insulating layer, and a second outer layer of plastic material; and a closure element. The front wall and the rear wall are joined together at their peripheral edges at a left side, a right side, and a bottom of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag so as to create a pocket-like configuration with an inner volume.
The first inner layer, the first insulating layer and the first outer layer of plastic material are attached to each other. The second inner layer, the second insulating layer and the second outer layer of plastic material are attached to each other. The closure element is able to close the pocket-like configuration to substantially ensure an airtight and watertight seal of the inner volume of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag and is located adjacent a top side of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag in order to provide access to contents of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag, the contents being insulated and stored within confines of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag.
A kit is also described herein including various reusable insulated flexible cooler bags in various shapes, sizes, and colors with various closure elements.
A preferred method of using a reusable insulated flexible cooler bag is further disclosed herein comprising the following steps: providing a reusable insulated flexible cooler bag comprising a front wall, a rear wall, and a closure element; opening the closure element of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag; placing contents into the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag; closing the closure element of the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag and thereby forming an airtight, watertight and insulated inner volume for use in insulating and storing contents; placing the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag into an ice/water filled cooler box and thereby preventing the contents placed into the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag from becoming wet and contaminated by the ice situated in the cooler box.
The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as a reusable insulated flexible cooler bag. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, Cool Bags Systems, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a side view illustrating a reusable insulated flexible cooler bag according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag in an in-use condition according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag in an in-use condition according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of using the reusable insulated flexible cooler bag according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a portable insulating container and more particularly to an airtight and watertight sealable cooler bag for keeping perishable items cool while storing or transporting them.
Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown in FIG. 1, a side view illustrating reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3, a side view illustrating reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 in an in-use condition 350.
Reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 preferably comprises front wall 120 having first inner layer 130, first insulating layer 140, and first outer layer of plastic material 150, rear wall 160 having second inner layer 170, second insulating layer 180, and second outer layer of plastic material 190, and closure element 200.
First inner layer 130 and second inner layer 170 preferably comprise flexible, waterproof, air-impermeable plastic material permitting easy cleaning of inner volume 260 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. First inner layer 130 and second inner layer 170 may preferably be made of a thin flexible sheet of waterproof plastic material, such as polyethylene, vinyl, or nylon. Plastic is easy to clean and leak proof and therefore provides a preferable material and surface for first inner layer 130 and second inner layer 170 which surround inner volume 260 and therefore come into contact with food items that have been placed into reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. First inner layer 130 and second inner layer 170 preferably have a thickness of no more than 0.3-1.0 mm
First insulating layer 140 and second insulating layer 180 comprise at least one material having low thermal conductivity, such as an insulating foam sheet. First insulating layer 140 and second insulating layer 180 preferably comprise a polyethylene foam sheet. However, first insulating layer 140 and second insulating layer 180 may comprise any material having low thermal conductivity, such as polyethylene foam, polyurethane foam, open-cell foam, closed-cell foam, foam in combination with foil reflectors, etc. First insulating layer 140 and second insulating layer 180 may further comprise a multitude of sheets or layers, such as a foam layer encapsulated by plastic material, or a foam layer in combination with an aluminum layer, etc. First insulating layer 140 and second insulating layer 180 preferably have a thickness of no more than 1.0-5.0 mm
First outer layer of plastic material 150 and second outer layer of plastic material 190 preferably comprise durable, puncture-proof, waterproof, air-impermeable and flexible plastic material, such as such as polyethylene or vinyl. However, first outer layer of plastic material 150 and second outer layer of plastic material 190 may comprise any suitable, durable and puncture proof plastic material. First outer layer of plastic material 150 and second outer layer of plastic material 190 may be variably colored or may bear decorative indicia. First outer layer of plastic material 150 and second outer layer of plastic material 190 preferably have a thickness of no more than 1.0-3.0 mm
First inner layer 130, first insulating layer 140, and first outer layer of plastic material 150 comprise the same length and the same width and are welded or otherwise joined to each other and thereby form front wall 120. Second inner layer 170, second insulating layer 180, and second outer layer of plastic material 190 comprise the same length and width and are welded or otherwise joined to each other and thereby form rear wall 160.
Front wall 120 and rear wall 160 thereby preferably each have a thickness of no more than 9.0 mm
Front wall 120 and rear wall 160 are joined together at their peripheral edges 210 at left side 220, right side 230 and bottom 240 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 so as to create pocket-like configuration 250 with inner volume 260. Front wall 120 and rear wall 160 may be joined together by heat-welding. Since front wall 120 and rear wall 160 preferably each have a thickness of no more than 9.0 mm and are made of thin, bendable sheets of material, front wall 120 and rear wall 160 are flexible to accommodate insertion of different shaped products into inner volume 260 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110.
Front wall 120 and rear wall 160 preferably comprise rectangular shape 330 or square shape 340 so as to facilitate filling reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 with items, or to make it easy for user 310 to place and stabilize reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 inside a cooler box. Since front wall 120 and rear wall 160 are joined together so as to form reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110, inner volume 260 is surrounded by front wall 120 and rear wall 160 and varies with the condition of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. When reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 is empty, inner volume 260 is zero or close to zero, and when reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 contains items it may tend to take on a shape so as to best accommodate objects placed within inner volume 260.
Closure element 200 is located at top side 270 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 in order to provide access to contents 280 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. Contents 280 are insulated and stored within confines of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. Front wall 120 and rear wall 160 in combination with closure element 200 form an airtight, watertight and insulated inner space comprising inner volume 260. Inner volume 260 may thus be filled with food and drink items as to keep them cool.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a top view illustrating reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.
Closure element 200 may close pocket-like configuration 250 to substantially ensure an airtight and watertight seal of inner volume 260 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. Closure element 200 is located at top side 270 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 so as to provide access to contents 280 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. Closure element 200 is welded to, or otherwise attached along, the length of top side 270 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. Closure element 200 preferably comprises plastic sliding zipper 300. Alternatively closure element 200 may comprise a continuous mating plastic tongue and groove which may be manually pressed against each other so as to seal reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 in a watertight and airtight manner.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a perspective view illustrating reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 in an in-use condition 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.
Closure element 200 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 may be opened and contents 280 may be placed into reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110. Subsequently closure element 200 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 may be closed and airtight, watertight and insulated inner volume 260 is created. Reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 may be placed into an ice/water filled cooler box 320 and contents 280 placed into reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 are thereby prevented from becoming wet and contaminated by the ice located within cooler box 320. Alternatively, Reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 may be used without cooler box 320.
Carrying straps 290 may be attached to first outer layer of plastic material 150 and second outer layer of plastic material 190. Carrying straps 290 may preferably be made of plastic material and may be welded to the upper region of the outside surface of first outer layer of plastic material 150 and second outer layer of plastic material 190
Cool Bags Systems 100 may be sold as kit 400 comprising the following parts: various reusable insulated flexible cooler bags 110 in various shapes, sizes, and colors with various closure elements 200, and at least one set of user instructions. Cool Bags Systems 100 may be manufactured and provided for sale in a wide variety of sizes and shapes for a wide assortment of applications. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other kit contents or arrangements such as, for example, including more or less components, customized parts, different color combinations, parts may be sold separately, etc., may be sufficient.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart 550 illustrating method 500 of using reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.
In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention a preferred method of use 500 is disclosed herein comprising: step one 501 providing reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 comprising front wall 120, rear wall 160, and closure element 200; step two 502 opening closure element 200 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110; step three 503 placing contents 280 into reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110; step four 504 closing closure element 200 of reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 and thereby forming airtight, watertight and insulated inner volume 260 for use in insulating and storing contents 280; step five 505 placing reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 into an ice/water filled cooler box 320 and thereby; step six 506 preventing contents 280 placed into reusable insulated flexible cooler bag 110 from becoming wet and contaminated by ice situated within cooler box 320.
It should be noted that step five 505 and step six 506 are optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in FIG. 5 so as to distinguish them from the other steps of method 500.
It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use 500 can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements such as different orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.

Claims

1. A reusable insulated flexible cooler bag comprising:

a front wall having a first inner layer, at least one first insulating layer, and a first outer layer of plastic material;

a rear wall having a second inner layer, at least one second insulating layer, and a second outer layer of plastic material; and

a closure element;

wherein said front wall and said rear wall are joined together at their peripheral edges at a left side, a right side and a bottom of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag so as to create a pocket-like configuration with an inner volume;

wherein said first inner layer, said first insulating layer and said first outer layer of plastic material are attached to each other;

wherein said second inner layer, said second insulating layer and said second outer layer of plastic material are attached to each other;

wherein said closure element is able to close said pocket-like configuration to substantially ensure an airtight and watertight seal of said inner volume of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag; and

wherein said closure element is located adjacent a top side of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag in order to provide access to contents of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag, said contents being insulated and stored within confines of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag.

2. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said first and said second inner layer comprise flexible, waterproof, air-impermeable plastic material permitting easy cleaning of said inner volume of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag.

3. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said first and said second insulating layer comprise at least one material having low thermal conductivity.

4. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 3 wherein said material having low thermal conductivity comprises an insulating foam.

5. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 4 wherein said insulating foam comprises a polyethylene foam sheet.

6. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said front wall and said rear wall are flexible to accommodate insertion of different shaped products into said inner volume of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag.

7. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said first and said second outer layer of plastic material comprise carrying straps.

8. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said first and said second outer layer of plastic material comprise durable, puncture-proof, waterproof, air-impermeable and flexible plastic material.

9. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said first and said second outer layer of plastic material are colored.

10. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said front wall and said rear wall comprise a square shape.

11. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said front wall and said rear wall comprise a rectangular shape.

12. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said closure element comprises a plastic sliding zipper.

13. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said closure element comprises a continuous mating plastic tongue and groove.

14. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 1 wherein said front wall and said rear wall in combination with said closure element form an airtight, watertight and insulated inner space comprising said inner volume.

15. A reusable insulated flexible cooler bag comprising:

a rear wall having a second inner layer, at least one second insulating layer, and a second outer layer of plastic material;

said front wall and said rear wall being joined together at their peripheral edges at a left side, a right side and a bottom of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag so as to create a pocket-like configuration with an inner volume, said front wall and said rear wall being flexible to accommodate insertion of different shaped products into said inner volume of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag, said first inner layer, said first insulating layer and said first outer layer of plastic material being attached to each other, said second inner layer, said second insulating layer and said second outer layer of plastic material being attached to each other, said first and said second inner layer comprising flexible, waterproof, air-impermeable plastic material permitting easy cleaning of said inner volume of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag, and said first and said second outer layer of plastic material comprising durable, puncture-proof, waterproof, air-impermeable and flexible plastic material; and

a closure element;

said closure element comprising a plastic sliding zipper and being able to close said pocket-like configuration to substantially ensure an airtight and watertight seal of said inner volume of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag, said closure element being located adjacent a top side of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag in order to provide access to contents of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag, said contents being insulated and stored within confines of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag;

wherein said front wall and said rear wall in combination with said plastic sliding zipper form an airtight, watertight and insulated inner space comprising said inner volume.

16. The reusable insulated flexible cooler bag of claim 15 further comprising a kit comprising various reusable insulated flexible cooler bags in various shapes, sizes, and colors with various said closure elements.

17. A method of using a reusable insulated flexible cooler bag comprising the steps of:

providing a reusable insulated flexible cooler bag comprising a front wall, a rear wall, and a closure element;

opening said closure element of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag;

placing contents into said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag; and

closing said closure element of said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag and thereby forming said airtight, watertight and insulated inner volume for use in insulating and storing contents.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

placing said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag into an ice/water filled cooler box and thereby;

preventing said contents placed into said reusable insulated flexible cooler bag from becoming wet and contaminated by said ice situated in said cooler box.