ICE-COLORED HARDWARE WITH SOFT COVER
Background of the Invention Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to the field of insulated containers, such as ice chests or ice chests. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing a cooler having an integrated hard liner with a soft cover. Description of the Related Art Generally, it is known to provide an insulated container, such as a cooler or an ice chest. Ice chests and ice shelves can usually be categorized as hard sides or soft sides. Hard-side coolers include coolers that have an outer body made of hard plastic, such as blow molded or injection molded plastic, and thus the hard outer body provides a protective cover for the contents inside the cooler. Hickers with hard sides can be constructed with a lining inside the outer body. Such a lining of the state of the art is shown with the reference number 200 in figure 11. Insulating foam is placed between the liner and the outer body during the construction of these hard-side coolers, as known to a person skilled in the art. . The lining
it can also be composed of injection molded plastic, capable of providing a leak-proof cavity in which ice, liquids, beverages, food, etc. can be contained. The liner of the ice chest may include a plurality of pairs of channels 202 to allow a divider to be placed vertically within the liner, to divide the liner vertically to create vertical spaces or compartments within the liner. A divider can also be adapted to lie flat on a shelf 206 in the liner to divide the liner into compartments horizontally. As mentioned before, in order to build hard side ice chests, insulating foam can be placed between the lining and the hard outer body to better thermally insulate the cooler. The foam can be poured in liquid form between the outer body and the liner to form the cooler, the cooler being placed in a curing unit, to cure the foam to a solid state. A lid can be attached to the cooler via an article and a locking mechanism on the lid can be provided to secure the contents stored in the cooler. A rubber seal may be placed around the perimeter of the lid to securely link the perimeter 207 of the liner 200, thereby providing a leak-proof cavity within the cooler. In contrast to hard-side coolers, soft side coolers typically comprise coolers made of a flexible material, such as cloth, and may include thermal insulation between the flexible material and the food
and / or drinks inside the cooler. Coolers on soft sides tend to be popular because coolers on soft sides are often able to collapse and require less storage space when they are not being used. Coolers on soft sides can be more fashionable than a cooler on hard sides because a cooler on soft sides can contain bags, because coolers on soft sides can allow the attachment of accessories or accessories to the soft side material. Soft-side ice chests have multi-functionality advantages with storage compartments, storage bags, and other devices, which can easily be sewn to the sides of the soft side cooler. However, compared to hard side ice chests, soft side ice chests provide less protection to the contents inside the cooler, and may have a greater tendency to wear out over time compared to their hard side counterparts. On the other hand, in comparison with the coolers of soft sides, it is known that the current coolers of hard sides have an improved performance and durability due to the use of lining and plastic lids, in comparison with coolers made of other materials. As such, the hard side cooler offers enhanced protection against delicate content
(e.g., sandwiches, eggs or cake) compared to soft side ice chests. Also, clean the inside of the
Plastic lining is also relatively easy compared to cleaning the interior of soft side products. However, hard side ice chests may be more difficult to carry and store, as hard side ice makers have a hard outer body, which is typically not flexible. In addition, it can be problematic in some cases to attach components or attachments to the cooler on hard sides. Another type of cooler is a combination of a cooler with hard sides and a cooler with soft sides. This hybrid cooler comprises a hard liner 200 of the state of the art, typically injection molded, removable inside a bag of soft sides. The MaxCold 10 cooler, offered for sale by Igloo Products Corp., of Katy, Texas, United States, is an example of a cooler that has a removable hard liner, inside an outer carrier of soft sides (eg. cloth) . The benefits of such a design are that the hard liner is removable for easy cleaning. In addition, the soft side carrier can also be washed repeatedly. However, repeated removal of the cooler liner may prevent the soft side carrier from retaining its original shape; in this way, the liner can fall off the carrier if the cooler is tilted. Additionally, the soft top of the soft side carrier may not hold as surely as a hard sided cooler having a hard top, in some situations. In light of the above, it would be desirable to provide a
an insulated container, such as an ice chest or ice chest, that has the advantages of both hard and soft side ice chests, while minimizing the disadvantages of hard sides and soft sides. As an example, it would be desirable for the ice chest or ice chest to have a hard, durable inner surface that protects the contents of the cooler and is relatively easy to clean. In addition, it would be desirable to provide an external surface of the cooler with a material of soft sides to which accessories can be attached. Additionally, it would be desirable to have a hard cover that protects the internal contents and that is adapted to keep the lid closed securely. It would also be desirable to be able to attach wheels and an extendable handle to the insulated container or cooler to facilitate transportation of the device. The present invention is directed to overcome, or at least reduce, the effects of one or more of the aspects mentioned above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The insulated container, such as an ice chest or ice chest, described herein, is an "all-in-one" cooler that combines the advantages of both soft and hard side ice chests, and creates a solution to some of the disadvantages described above In some embodiments, the cooler uses a hard plastic liner and a plastic lid hingedly attached to the liner, similar to the
coolers of hard sides. Flexible material, such as soft cloth and / or flexible closed cell foam, can be attached to the hard liner to create the external walls of the body, in some embodiments. The flexible material can be directly attached to the liner, via glue or via direct seam, in some embodiments. Fabric and foam can provide thermal benefits, such as keeping heat away from cold contents or preventing heat from escaping when the cooler contains a hot content. In another embodiment, the insulated container may use a hard container and a hard cover. The container and the lid may comprise plastic, as is typically used in hard-side coolers and the like. The lid is capable of being attached to the container in such a way as to house the container in one position and to provide access to the container in another position. A flexible material is attached to the outside of the container to become an integral part of the cooler. Flexible material with soft sides can be nylon, polyester, or other material similar to the material typically used in a cooler on soft sides. In yet another embodiment, separate flexible material may be attached to the lid and may be nylon, polyester, or other material similar to the materials typically used in a cooler on soft sides. It should be understood that the container can be of any shape, e.g., cylindrical, square, rectangular, as long as it contains a
cavity, as would be appreciated by a technician in the field having the benefit of this disclosure. In some embodiments, an insulated cooler is provided having a hard liner, which contains a cavity, a hard cover hingedly joined to the hard liner, and a soft side cover attached to the exterior of the liner. In some embodiments, the flexible material creates a soft side cover, and is fastened directly to the outside of the liner. The flexible material can be attached to the outside of the liner by sewing the flexible material to the outside of the liner; gluing the flexible material to the outside of the lining; providing sailboat type straps (mechanical fastener) in the flexible material to hold through openings in the liner; providing ribbons that mate in the flexible material and the outside of the lining; or by providing the flexible material and the exterior of the lining with ribbons that pair with a zipper, for example. In other embodiments, a cooler has a lid that is hingedly attached to a liner that has a cavity and a soft side is also attached to the outer side wall of the liner. The cooler can also include a flexible material (or "soft side" material) attached to the lid to create a cooler with soft sides. In some embodiments, the material of soft sides can be sewn directly to the liner. In other embodiments, the soft side can be elastically adjusted or joined by a zipper on
the lining. The cooler can also have wheels and an extendable handle attached to the liner. In some embodiments, the soft side may contain a side bag or a front bag with an accessory such as a carabiner, a key chain, or an insulated sheave, for example. The front bag or side bag may include a portion of mesh material. In one embodiment, the ice chest may also have a slip-resistant base connected to the bottom of the liner. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a cooler 100 of the present disclosure, including a handle 10"T-shaped" in the extended position, among other things. Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present disclosure having a cooler 100 having a portion of a bag 95 composed of 96 mesh material. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present disclosure of a cooler 100 having an extensible handle 10 '. Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the present disclosure of a cooler 100 having a portion 201 of a liner 200 adapted to secure a lid 220. Figure 5 shows a side view of a form of
embodiment of Figure 4 of the present disclosure. Fig. 6 is a rear view of an embodiment of Fig. 4 of the present disclosure of a cooler 100 having four wheels 20. Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of the present disclosure of a cooler 100 with lid 220 in the open position. Figure 8 shows the front view of an embodiment of the present disclosure of the ice chest 100 having at least a portion of a front bag 40 comprising 96 mesh material. Figures 9A and 9B show an embodiment of the present disclosure of the cooler 100 having an elastically adjusted lid 220 and a liner 200. Fig. 10A shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure having a slip resistant base 94. Fig. 10B shows a top view of the alternative embodiment of the present disclosure of Figure 10A. Fig. 10C shows a rear perspective of the alternative embodiment of Fig. 10A of the present disclosure. Figure 10D shows a rear perspective of an alternate embodiment of Figure 10A of this
divulgation. Fig. 10E shows a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of Fig. 10A with the cooler 100 with its lid 220 open. Figure 11 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a lining 200 of the state of the art. Figure 12A shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present disclosure of a cooler 100 having the flexible material, such as in the lid 220, open to expose a dry storage bag 70. Figure 12B is a view in FIG. approaching an area of the dry storage bag 70 sketched in Figure 12A and showing an embodiment of the present disclosure. Although the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. Description of Illustrative Embodiments Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below as they could be used in the use of
designs for an insulated container, coolers, or ice chests. As used herein, an insulated container may be used interchangeably with an ice chest, ice chest or the like, and each term (insulated container, ice chest, cooler) must receive its ordinary meaning. In the interest of clarity, not all aspects of a real implementation are described in this description. Of course it will be appreciated that in the development of any of such real embodiments, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific metals, such as the observance of restrictions related to the system and to the business, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort can be complex and time consuming, but nevertheless it would be a routine work for the technicians in the field who have the benefit of this disclosure. Additional aspects and advantages of the various embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the consideration of the following description and drawings. As shown in Figure 1, an insulated container or cooler 100 comprises a liner 200 with a lid 220 hingedly joined to the liner 200. The liner 200 may be injection molded plastic typical of liners that are currently on the market , and shown in isolation in the
Figure 11. Inside the cooler 100 is a cavity for placing ice, food and drinks, so that the insulated container or cooler 100 operates to keep the contents cool - alternatively, the insulated container 100 can be used to keep warm the content inside. On the outside of the cooler 100 a flexible (or soft sided) material 240 is shown. The flexible material of the mushroom cooler can comprise fabric, flexible polyester, and closed cell foam, for example. Insulating material can be placed between the lining 200 and the flexible material. The flexible material 240, such as closed cell foam, shown on the outside of the cooler 100, can be directly attached to the hard plastic of the liner 200 to create the external walls of the body in this embodiment. For example, flexible material 240, such as closed cell foam, can be directly attached to liner 200, via glue or adhesive placed therebetween. Alternatively, the flexible material can be sewn directly into the liner 200. The open cell foam provides insulation for the liner 200. Further, the closed cell foam is adapted to not absorb liquid if the liner 200 or the flexible material 240 will suffer a leak or a tear. As shown in Figure 1, the cooler 100 may include an extendable telescopic handle 10. It should be appreciated that in the embodiment shown, a view is shown in FIG.
front and right perspective; A front and left perspective view may be identical. The telescopic handle 10 may comprise a telescopic handle type "T" as shown in figures 1 and 2. Alternatively, the handle may comprise a telescopic handle in a U or double 10 ', as shown in figures 3 -6. As will be explained in more detail below with respect to the U-shaped handle 10 ', the liner 200 may include a bracket 205 (as shown in FIG. 5) which is attached to or accommodates a portion of the extensible handle 10'.; and the handle may be attached to a base 19 of the insulated container 100. The base 19 comprises a pair of wheels 20, such that when the insulated container 100 is tilted backward, the weight of the insulated container 100 rests on the wheels 20 to facilitate the transport of the insulated vessel 100 from place to place. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1-6, the cooler 100 includes the telescopic handle 10, 10 'and the wheels 20. However, the handle 10, 10' and the wheels 20 are not used in other embodiments . As shown in the embodiment of Figure 1, the insulated container 100 includes coil handles 30 and a front bag 40. The coil handles 30 can rotate to multiple positions and angles to assist in the transport of the insulated container 100 of place to place. An insulated sheave 50 for hearing aids is shown in Figure 1 and is adapted to be attached to the front bag 40. The
front bag 40 may include an accessory such as a carabiner or key ring, for example. The insulated container 100 may further comprise support brackets for molded cups 60, such as those disclosed in patent application US 10 / 852,662, entitled "Insulated Ice Chest with Accessory Holders" (ice box isolated with accessory holders), presented on May 25, 2004, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The cup holders can be provided and attached to these clamps 60. As shown in FIG. 1, a dry storage bag 70 can also be provided on the upper portion of the insulated container 100. A cover 80 of flexible material of Soft sides are also provided for the cooler 100, which can be isolated. Or the flexible material of soft sides 240 can be sewn directly to the liner 200, as described above. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the liner 200 of the insulated container 100 of Figure 1 includes a collar 207 located on the top and the outside of the liner 200, the lining 200 of the state of the art being shown in isolation in Figure 11. In the embodiment of Figure 1, collar 207 includes a downward protruding lip 208, which bends backward on the upper outer perimeter of liner 200. A circumferential pouch is thus created between the interior of lip 208 and the exterior of the upper perimeter of liner 200.
In addition, the flexible material 240 may include a ring or ring of hardened material (eg, plastic) attached to the upper end of the material 240 and located on the upper perimeter of the flexible bag-shaped material for assembly purposes. The upper end of the flexible material 240 can be sewn around the ring or ring. To construct the insulated container 100 of Figure 1, the ring or ring can be inserted into the circumferential pouch at the upper end of the liner to attach the upper end of the soft side flexible material 240 to the upper end of the liner 200. In other words , the ring and the upper end of the flexible material 240 can be sandwiched between the circumferential lip 208 and the perimeter of the liner 200. In this way, the soft side flexible material 240 can be attached to the liner 200. Alternatively, the ring or plastic ring can be elastically adjusted in only the corners of the circumferential pouch at the perimeter of the liner 200. In other embodiments, the plastic ring ring can elastically adjust around the perimeter of the lip 208 of the collar 207. Alternatively, the soft side flexible material 240 can be sewn directly into the liner 200, or glued to the liner 200, as discussed above. Independently of the means for joining, insulation material such as foam can be placed between the material the flexible material 240 and the liner 200 to improve the function of insulation.
In addition, the lid 220 of the cooler 100 may contain a soft sided material 240 attached to the lid 220. For example, the soft side material 240 may be attached directly to the lid, such as stuck or stitched on the lid. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the flexible material or the soft side material can be attached to the lid 220 and / or the liner 200. The flexible material or soft side material can be nylon 91, PVC 93, or polyester, for example. Any flexible material or soft side material can be used, as would be realized by a person skilled in the art who has the benefit of this disclosure. The direct bonding of the material from soft sides 240 to the liner 200 advantageously prevents premature detachment of the liner 200 from the soft side flexible material 240. In addition, the direct attachment of the flexible material from soft sides 240 to the liner 200 creates an insulated container 100, which It is more robust than the coolers of typical soft sides that are currently on the market. The outer cover of the soft side material 240 may also include a side sheath bag 95. In the embodiment of Figure 2, a portion of the side sheath bag 95 may be constituted by a 96 mesh material. Embodiment of Figure 3, the side sheath bag 95 is made of a flexible non-mesh material, such as fabric.
As shown in Figures 1-5, the disclosed cooler 100 may include a plurality of legs 300. The legs 300 may operate to prevent rotation of the cooler 100 around the wheels 20, which may be simple plastic wheels, or for larger isolated containers, the wheels can be made of rubber. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the legs 300 allow the insulated container 100 to remain level when a user releases the handle 10. In the embodiments of Figures 2 and 3, an insulated sheave 50 located in the upper part of a front bag 40 to allow a cable (not shown) for an electronic device, such as a hearing aid cord, to extend into the front bag 40. It is also shown in Figures 2 and 3 at least a cup support clamp 20 on the perimeter of the upper surface of the liner 200 for connecting a removable cup holder (not shown) to the liner 200. Alternatively, the insulated container may include at least one cup holder 61 formed in the upper part of the lid 220, as shown in Fig. 10A and is described in the following. In addition, as shown in Figure 10E, the insulated container may include a compartment
62 to selectively secure the removable cup holder
(not shown) in the lid 220, shown on the underside of the lid 220 of FIG. 10E. Also shown in Figure 10E is the underside of the at least one cup holder 61 before
described. It should be mentioned that the cup holder 61 can also be formed on the bottom of the lid 220, for use when the lid 220 is open. The lid 220 rests against the upper perimeter of the liner 200 when the lid is closed. The upper perimeter of the liner 200 of the insulated container 100 may include a recess 201, as shown in Figure 4, to facilitate opening the lid 220. In operation, the recess 201 allows an operator to more easily apply an upward force. on the lower side of the lid 220 to open the lid 220, that if the upper perimeter of the liner 200 had no recess. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the liner 200 of the cooler 100 includes a bracket 205 capable of being joined to a portion of an expandable handle 10 '. In some embodiments, the wheels 20 and the extendable handle 10 can be constructed of an integral, molded component and capable of being joined to the liner 200 through the soft-sided flexible material 240 by means of fasteners, such as screws, glue, and Similar. Figure 6 shows a rear view of another embodiment of the insulated container 100 having wheels 20 (e.g., two sets of two wheels are shown) capable of being joined to the liner 200 through the soft side flexible material 240. wheels 20 are rotatably mounted on a shaft 21, which is capable of being connected via a clamp 22 to the liner 200.
soft side flexible material 240 can be sandwiched between the clamp 22 and the liner 200. As mentioned before, the handle 10 of the insulated container 100 can be constituted by a single "T" member 10, as shown in figures 1 and 2, having a grip handle at an upper end. The member can only be adapted to have a length that is adjustable. As shown in Figure 1, the member only of the handle 10 is telescopic. Alternatively, the handle 10 'of the insulated container 100 may be constituted by a pair of members substantially parallel to each other, as shown in Figures 3-6. Each member may have a length that is adjustable, e.g., each member may be comprised of telescopic sections. With reference to figure 6, a lower section
11 of the extendable handle 10 'is shown secured to the upper end of the liner 200 by means of clamps 205. The lower section 11 of the handle 10' is shown secured to the liner 200 in an area proximate the clamp 22 for added support. In operation, an upward force on the handle 10 causes the telescopic members to increase the length of the handle 10 ', to facilitate the movement of the insulated container 100 from one place to another. Accessory supports can be provided in the insulated container 100. For example, as shown in
6, the cooler 100 includes a cup support bracket 60 in each upper corner of the liner 200. These brackets 60 are adapted to mate with removable cup holders, as described above. Figure 7 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the insulated container 100 having a lid 220 in the open position. The insulated container 100 shown has soft side flexible material 240 attached to the liner 200 as described above (ie, the upper perimeter of the soft side flexible material 240 includes a plastic ring or ring, which is sandwiched between the lip that is extends downwards 208 and the upper perimeter of the lining 200). Figure 8 shows the front view of another embodiment of the cooler 100 having a front bag 40 constituted partially by a 96 mesh material. It should be noted that, up to now, the joining of the flexible material of soft sides 240 to the side lining Hard 200 was problematic; however, with the improvements in manufacturing and sewing technology described above, the soft side exterior can be attached directly to the inside of hard sides. For example, means for joining the material from soft sides 240 to the hard side liner 200 comprises sewing the soft side material 240 directly into the hard side liner 200. Other means for joining the soft side material 240 to the liner 200 are via tail. Still others
Edios for attaching the soft side material 240 to the liner 200 is incorporating ribbons that mate on both the soft side material 240 and the hard liner 200. Still other means for joining the soft side material 240 to the liner 200 are sailboat-type webs. the material of soft sides or hook and loop straps (mechanical fasteners) in the material of soft sides that are fed through an opening in the liner 200 or are clamped around an outer element of the liner 200. Meanwhile, still others means for joining may be to provide the soft side material 240 and the hard side liner 200 with mating parts of a zipper and to zipper the material of soft sides around the outside of the hard side liner. In brief, other means may be used to join the material from soft sides. A preferred method of attaching the flexible material 240 to the liner 200 is via the rim at the upper perimeter of the flexible material 240 that is being elastically adjusted in the circumferential pocket formed between the lip 208 and the upper perimeter of the liner 200 as described above. In this way, the insulated container 100 has the benefits of soft side ice chests (e.g., cooler 100 can contain bags 95 and bags 40 and is attractive) and also has the benefits of a hard side cooler (such as offering the protecting the contents in the container and allowing the rigid attachment of attachments, such as the wheels 20, the legs 300 and the extensible handle 10).
As described above with respect to Figure 4, the upper perimeter of the liner 200 may include a recess 201 to facilitate the opening of the lid 220. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1-8, the lid 220 is shown a level with the liner 200 when it is in the closed position. As such, the cap 220 rests on the liner and, due to gravity, closes the cooler. No additional means are necessary to secure the lid 220 to the liner 200. In the embodiment of Figs. 9A and 9B, a portion of each of the surfaces of the lid 220 and the liner 200 mate to create an elastic fit. The lid 220 contains a staple 221, which contains an external side 222 and an internal side in the form of a ramp 223. The upper end of the liner 200 includes an area 201 that is recessed or has a reduced wall thickness relative to the rest of the body. liner 200, as shown in Figure 9B. When the lid 220 is closed, the staple 221 snaps onto the recessed portion 201 of the upper end of the liner 200. The lid 220 then elastically closes, the contact fit on the front of the lid 220 acting to prevent the lid 220 from closing. it opens accidentally. When closed, the upper portion of the recess 201 is gripped between the outer side 222 and the inner side 223. In this manner, the lid 220 advantageously prevents premature opening of the insulated container 100. In addition, this method of selectively securing the lid 220 Increase manufacturing capacity
of the insulated container 100, as the inner side 223 and the outer side 222 can be molded when the lid 220 is molded (ie, the single lid mold can be designed to include the inner 223 and outer 222 sides without increasing the cost to manufacture the lid 220); no subsequent operations are required. Likewise, the lid 220 can be opened more quickly than when other fastening means are used, such as racks of the state of the art. Furthermore, the stress induced on the upper perimeter of the liner 200 is relatively low and affects only a percentage of the perimeter of the upper end of the liner 200. That is, the entire upper end of the liner 200 is not subjected to a stress cycle. when the lid 220 opens and closes, as would be the case if the lid 220 had a perimeter barely slightly larger than the upper perimeter of the liner 220, creating an interference fit all the way around the perimeter. In this way, with reduced tension, the durability of the container is increased simultaneously. The resulting tension is applied only to a small area in comparison with other applications to secure the lid 220 and the liner 200, such as creating a seal ring around the entire perimeter of the liner 200. Additionally, this form of embodiment does not cause excessive wear on the opening and closing mechanism or on the mechanism that the operator would take to open the lid, e.g., the flexible material of sides
soft . The lid 220 may also include other types of mechanisms for securing the lid 220 in a closed position relative to the liner 200, as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art to have the benefit of this disclosure. For example, the lid 220 may contain an internal surface that resiliently fits within the liner 200 when the lid 220 is closed on the liner 200. Referring to Fig. 10A, the insulated container or cooler 100 is shown with other means for hold lid 220 in a closed position. The fastener means, such as an elastic wire 250, can be provided for securing articles, eg, a towel (not shown), to the top of the lid 220. The elastic cord 250 can be extended between the hooks 255 and 260 that can be attached to or be integral with the liner 200. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 10D, the means for securing the lid, such as the elastic cord 250, can be attached to a bracket 205 and can be extendable to the hook 255 on the front of the insulated container 100 to secure an article to the lid 220. The elastic cord 250 can further act to secure the lid 220 to the liner 200. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 10C, the elastic cable 250 may be extended between the hook 260 located in the rear part of the cooler 100 and the hook 255 located in the front of the cooler 100, as HE
shown in Figures 10A and 10B. Each of the hooks 255 and 260 can be attached to the liner 200, e.g., by screws, glue, etc., or it can be integral with the liner 200. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10A-10E, the insulated container 100 has a slip-resistant base 94 and wheels 20 attached to the bottom of a liner 200. The slip-resistant base 94 can be made of hard plastic, adapted to provide protection to the flexible material of soft sides 240 in the part bottom of the cooler 100. The sliding resistant base 94 can be formed of injection molded plastic. As shown, the slip-resistant base 94 can be bonded onto the soft side material 240 via fasteners, such as screws, which pass through the soft side flexible material, and into the liner. Alternatively, the sliding resistant base 94 may be glued to the bottom of the insulated container 100. Referring to FIG. 10A, the soft side material 240 of the cooler 100 may contain open pouches 41 and a bag capable of being closed 42 on the front of the cooler 100. The cooler shown in Fig. 10A also includes a side mesh bag 96. Referring to Fig. 10B, the top portion of the lid 220 is shown containing a pair of circular recesses 61 in which the bottom of a beverage container can be placed. In the
For the embodiment of Figure 10E, the lower part of the lid 220 contains a circular recess 61 for storing a beverage container when the lid 220 is opened. Alternatively, the lower part of the lid 220 may include a recess 62 for storing a cup holder (as described above) when the cup holder is not attached to a cup holder clamp 60. Figure 11 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a lining of the state of the art 200, as described above. The liner 200 may comprise grooves 202 that can be used to insert a divider (not shown) to divide the liner 200 into different compartments. In some embodiments, the liner 200 may comprise a spine 206 in which a divider (not shown) may be placed to divide the liner 200 into two horizontal compartments. Figure 12A shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a cooler 100 having a dry storage bag 70 located under the soft side material 240, capable of being joined to a lid 220. In some embodiments, the bag dry storage 70 may be accessible via a rack 270. In other embodiments, the dry storage bag 70 may be accessed via hook and loop closures or elastic closures. Figure 12B is an approximate view of a portion of Figure 12A and shows in some embodiments that the flexible material
of soft sides 240 can be sewn in 300 directly to the lid 220. Although various embodiments have been shown and described, the invention is not limited and will be understood to include all those modifications and variations that would be apparent to a person skilled in the art. .