US20080134714A1

US20080134714A1 - Removable cooler insert

Info

Publication number: US20080134714A1
Application number: US11/836,716
Authority: US
Inventors: Jose Luis Villanueva
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-09
Filing date: 2007-08-09
Publication date: 2008-06-12

Abstract

A removable cooler insert for a portable cooler, comprising an insert body having an outer peripheral surface proportional to an inner surface of the portable cooler, where the inner surface of the portable cooler defines a container. The removable cooler insert includes an elongate sealing member positioned on the outer peripheral surface to form a fluid tight seal between at least a compartment of the insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a non-provisional of U.S. provisional patent application 60/836,281 filed Aug. 9, 2006; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

INTRODUCTION

Coolers have been used for many years to hold and to chill food such beverages and other items that otherwise might perish unless kept cool. Oftentimes, coolers are designed in a manner that provides for a single compartment in which to store items such as ice and food. Because of such designs, foods that are mixed with ice can become saturated by the ice and thus, become undesirable to consume. Additionally, liquid foods, such as water and juice, present in the cooler can also become undesirable to consume if such liquid foods are mixed with solid foods such as sandwiches that are not properly wrapped or protected from the consumable liquid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The images provided in the figures are not necessarily to scale. In addition, some images in the figures may have been enlarged relative other figures to help show detail.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a removable cooler of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a removable cooler insert of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1C illustrates a cross-sectional view of a lip portion of a removable cooler insert taken along lines 1B-1B.

FIG. 1D illustrates a top-down view of a removable cooler insert of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1E illustrates an embodiment of a removable cooler insert of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1F illustrates an embodiment of a removable cooler insert of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1G illustrates an embodiment of a removable cooler insert of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates an embodiment of a portable cooler system of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2C illustrates an embodiment of a portable cooler having a removable cooler insert positioned therein.

FIG. 2D illustrates a close-up view of the portable cooler having the removable cooler insert of FIG. 2C taken along line 2D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to portable coolers and removable cooler inserts that can be positioned within the portable coolers to preserve food and/or separate the food from liquids and other items in the container of the cooler. The removable cooler inserts can include various configurations and components that provide for a fluid tight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler when the insert is positioned inside the portable cooler. This fluid tight seal can prevent fluids such as water or gases, which may be present within the container of the portable cooler from entering the compartment of the removable cooler insert, and vice versa. In addition, such configurations and components of the removable cooler insert also provide stability to the removable cooler insert when the insert is positioned in the portable cooler. The stability imparted by such configurations and components can ensure that the fluid tight seal remains functional in situations where the portable cooler is dropped, tipped on its side, or otherwise is not in its upright position.
The Figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the first digit or digits correspond to the drawing Figure number and the remaining digits identify an element in the drawing. Similar elements between different figures may be identified by the use of similar digits. For example, 102 may reference element “102” in FIG. 1A and a similar element may be referenced as “202” in FIG. 2A. As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments herein can be added, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number of additional embodiments. In addition, discussion of features and/or attributes for an element with respect to one figure can also apply to the element shown in one or more additional Figures.
The Figures presented herein provided illustrations of non-limiting example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate an embodiment of a removable cooler insert 100 having certain features while FIGS. 1D and 1E illustrate another embodiment of the removable cooler insert 100 having some features that are similar and some that are different than those illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C.
Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C, a removable cooler insert for a portable cooler of the present disclosure is illustrated. In various embodiments, the removable cooler insert 100 includes an insert body 102. The insert body can be formed of a variety of materials including, but not limited to, rigid and/or flexible plastics, including food grade plastics, composites of plastics, rigid and/or flexible metals, composites of metals, for example, metal alloys, ceramics, foams, and inflatable materials, among others. In various embodiments, the insert body 102 can be formed in a molding process. For example, in some embodiments, the insert body 102 can be molded of a thermoset composite material. In other embodiments, the insert body 102 can be molded of a thermoplastic material. And in some embodiments, the insert body can be formed of an inflatable material such that the insert body takes on a predetermined shape when inflated.
The insert body 102 has a first end 104, a second end 106, an inner surface 108, and an outer surface 110. The inner and outer surfaces 108 and 110 respectively, extend longitudinally from the first end 104 toward the second end 106 of the insert body 102. Each of the inner and outer surfaces 108 and 110 respectively, define various features of the removable cooler insert 100. For example, in various embodiments, a portion of the outer surface 110 can include an outer peripheral surface 112. As will be described in more detail herein, in various embodiments, the outer peripheral surface can be proportional to an inner surface of a portable cooler. The proportionality between the outer peripheral surface and the inner surface of the portable cooler provides for the outer peripheral surface to be positioned proximal or adjacent the inner surface of the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned in the container of the portable cooler such that the outer peripheral surface or a portion thereof directly or indirectly contacts the inner surface to facilitate the formation of a fluid tight seal with the outer peripheral surface itself or with components on the outer peripheral surface. For example, one such component is an elongate sealing member positioned on the outer peripheral surface can form the fluid tight seal between at least a compartment of the insert body and at least a container of a portable container, as will be discussed in more detail herein. As used herein, the outer peripheral surface is that surface of the insert body that directly or indirectly contacts one or more portions of the inner surface of the portable cooler. In various embodiments, the inner surface of the portable cooler can include those surfaces that define the container and a rim portion of the portable cooler. As used herein, the outer peripheral surface that indirectly contacts one or more portions of the inner surface of the portable cooler means that an elongate sealing member is positioned on the outer peripheral surface such that the elongate sealing member is in direct contact with the inner surface of the portable cooler. And, as used herein, the outer peripheral surface in direct contact with one or more portions of the inner surface of the portable cooler means that the outer peripheral surface of insert body directly contacts at least a portion of the inner surface of the portable cooler.
In some embodiments, the outer peripheral surface 112 of the insert body 102 can define a lip 114 that extends radially from the outer surface 110, as illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 1A-1C. As will be discussed in more detail herein, the lip defined by the portion of the outer peripheral surface can include an elongate sealing member on the lip where the elongate sealing member is positioned on a rim portion of the container of the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned in the container, the container being defined by the inner surface of the portable cooler. The elongate sealing member can then form the fluid tight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler when a removable cooler lid is coupled to the portable cooler, as will be discussed herein.
In other embodiments, such as the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1E-1G, the outer peripheral surface 112 can define a channel 115, best shown in FIG. 1F. In various embodiments, the channel 115 can extend transversely along the outer peripheral surface 112 of the insert body 102, as shown in FIG. 1F. The channel 115 can have a variety of cross-sectional shapes, the particular shape depending on a shape of a component, such as an elongate sealing member, positioned within the channel 115. For example, in various embodiments, the channel 115 can include a concave or semi-circular shape such that a portion of an elongate sealing member 136 having a circular cross sectional shape can be easily positioned within the channel 115, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1E and 1G. In such embodiments, the elongate sealing member positioned within the channel can provide for a fluid tight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned adjacent an inner surface of the portable cooler so as to compress the elongate sealing member against the inner wall of the portable cooler, as will be discussed in more detail herein. As the reader will appreciate, the channel can include other shapes such as a rectangular cross-sectional shape and a polygonal cross-sectional shape. In such embodiments, at least a portion of an elongate sealing member having the same or similar cross sectional shape can be positioned securely within the channel.
In various embodiments, the inner surface 108 of the insert body 102 defines a compartment 116. As best shown in FIGS. 1A, 1D, and 1E, the compartment 116 includes an opening 120 at the first end 104. The opening 120 is defined by a cylindrically shaped wall 122 of the inner surface 108 that extends longitudinally toward the second end 106 of the insert body 102. More particularly, the cylindrically shaped wall 122 of the inner surface 108 extends longitudinally from the first end 104 toward the second end 106 and abuts a first base 124 of the inner surface 108 proximal the second end 106 of the insert body 102.
In various embodiments, the compartment 116 of the removable cooler insert 100 can include at least one segmented sub-compartment 118. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1D-1G, for example, the compartment 116 includes six segmented sub-compartments 118. Each of the six segmented sub-compartments illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1D-1G are defined by a cylindrically shaped sub-wall 126 of the inner surface 108. The cylindrically shaped sub-wall 126 extends longitudinally from a sub-compartment opening 128 toward the second end 106 and abuts a second base 130 of the inner surface at the second end 106 of the insert body 102. In various embodiments, the compartment and/or segmented sub-compartments can include other shapes, for example, a square shape or rectangular shape. In various embodiments, each of the differing shapes can be formed based upon on a shape of a cooler in which the insert body is to be used. For example, in some embodiments, the compartment 116 can be formed of a rectangular shape where the cooler is rectangular such that the compartment can be positioned within the rectangularly shaped cooler.
As will be discussed herein, the compartment 116 and the segmented sub-compartment 118 defined by the inner surface 108 can hold one or more food items, for example, sandwiches and other food. In various embodiments, the segmented sub-compartments defined by the inner surface can hold one or more food items, for example, canned items containing liquids such as soda pop. As will also be discussed herein, the one or more food items can be kept at approximately a temperature attained inside the container of the portable cooler.
In various embodiments, the removable cooler insert 100 can include at least one handle 132. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, for example, two handles 132 are shown. In various embodiments, the handles 132 can extend inwardly away from the inner surface 108 of the insert body 102 so as to provide a grasping surface for removal of the removable cooler insert from a container of a portable cooler. The handles 132 can be coupled to the insert body in a variety of ways. For example, the handles can be mechanically coupled to the insert body with the use of coupling devices such as nuts and bolts, screws, staples, among others. The handles can also be chemically coupled to the insert body with the use of adhesives. In some embodiments, the handles can be formed as part of the removable cooler insert, for example, in a molding process to form the removable cooler insert as discussed herein.
In various embodiments of FIGS. 1A-1F, the insert body can include a number of grips 134 coupled proximal or adjacent each of the sub-compartment openings 128 of each segmented sub-compartments 118. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1D, the grips 134 extend inwardly over the sub-compartment openings 128. The grips can be formed of a semi-flexible or rigid material, for example, a semi-flexible or rigid plastic or rubber. Grips formed of such material will have a resistive bias and thus, a tendency to resist outward movement or movement away from the first base. As such, an object within a segmented sub-compartment can be held in the segmented sub-compartment by the grips due to the resistive bias imparted by the grips when they catch the object, or otherwise, are in contact with an object in the segmented sub-compartment. For example, food items such as a beverage container can be positioned within a segmented sub-compartment 118 and the grips 134 can contact and hold the beverage container to prevent the beverage from sliding out of the segmented sub-compartment 118.
In various embodiments of FIGS. 1A-1G, the removable cooler insert 100 can include the elongate sealing member 136, as discussed herein. Also as discussed herein, in various embodiments, the elongate sealing member can be positioned at various locations on both the outer surface and on the outer peripheral surface of the insert body. For example, in some embodiments, the elongate sealing member 136 can be positioned on the lip 114 defined by outer peripheral surface as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. And, in other embodiments, the elongate sealing member 136 can be positioned within channel 115, as shown in FIGS. 1F and 1G.
In various embodiments, the elongate sealing member 136 can include at least one of the following: a flexible gasket, a flexible o-ring, a rigid gasket, and a rigid o-ring. As discussed herein, the elongate sealing member can also include various cross-sectional shapes, including, but not limited to, planar, circular, oval, and polygonal cross-sectional shapes, for example, a U-shaped cross sectional shape, as shown in FIG. 1C or a circular cross-sectional shape, as shown in FIGS. 1E and 1G. In addition, the elongate sealing member can be formed of a number of materials including, but not limited to, rubbers, plastics, metals, metal alloys, and shape memory plastics, metals, and metal alloys. Other embodiments can include inflatable elongate sealing member where the elongate sealing member is formed of air tight plastic or rubber such that the elongate sealing member forms a predefined shape when inflated.
In the various embodiments of the insert body described herein, the type of elongate sealing member used with the various insert bodies can depend on the particular embodiment of the insert body. For example, as shown in FIG. 1C, the elongate sealing member 136 is a flexible rubber gasket having a U-shaped cross sectional shape positioned on the lip 114 defined by the outer peripheral surface 112. As will be discussed in more detail herein, the elongate sealing member provides for a fluid tight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at least the container of the portable.
Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2D, a portable cooler system of the present disclosure is illustrated. In various embodiments, the portable cooler system 250 includes a portable cooler 252 having at least a container 258 a lid 264. In various embodiments however, the portable cooler can include other components, for example, a water dispenser and handles, among other things. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2D, the portable cooler includes an outer surface 254 and an inner surface 256, the inner surface 256 defining the container 258 as discussed herein. The container 258 includes an opening 260 which is bounded by a rim portion 262 of the inner surface 256 of the container 258 of the portable cooler 252, as discussed herein. Portable cooler system 250 also includes a removable cooler insert 200. The removable cooler insert 200 illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2B can include the insert 200 which was illustrated and described in connection with FIGS. 1A-1D.
As discussed herein, the outer peripheral surface 212 of the insert body 202 defines the lip 214 that extends radially from the outer peripheral surface 212, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. In various embodiments, the lip allows the insert body to be suspended within the container as the lip rests on a rim portion of the inner surface of portable cooler to suspend the compartment and sub-compartments in the container of the portable cooler. And, in embodiments that include an elongate sealing member positioned on the lip, the elongate sealing member can rest on the rim portion of the inner surface of the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned in the container of the portable cooler. For example, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a cross sectional view of an insert body 202 positioned in a container 258 of a portable cooler 252. As shown in FIG. 2A, the elongate sealing member 236 having a U-shape cross-sectional shape is positioned on the lip 214 of the insert body 202, which is positioned in the container 258 of the portable cooler 252. In FIG. 2A, the elongate sealing member 236 is shown positioned proximal the rim portion 262 of the inner surface 256 of the portable cooler 252 for purposes of simplicity in illustration of FIG. 2A.
FIG. 2B illustrates a cross sectional view of the portable cooler system 250 with a lid 264 positioned on portable cooler. In this embodiment, the fluid tight seal is formed between at least the compartment 216 of insert body 202 and at least the container 258 of the portable cooler 252. As shown in FIG. 2B, the insert body 202 includes the lip 214 having the elongate sealing member 236 positioned on the lip 214 such that the lip 214 and elongate sealing member 236 are resting on the rim portion 262 of the portable cooler 252 thereby suspending the insert body within the container 258 of the portable cooler 252. Also shown in FIG. 2B is lid 264 positioned on the portable cooler. In this embodiment, lid 264 is positioned on the portable cooler by the use of male threads 272 positioned on the outer surface 254 portable cooler 252 to receive correspondingly shaped female threads 274 positioned on an inner surface 276 of the lid 264. In various embodiments however, the male and female threads can be reversed such that the cooler has female threads and the lid has male threads. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2D, the removable cooler lid 264 closes the compartment 216 of the removable cooler insert 200 inside the container 258 of the portable cooler 252.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, a fluid tight seal 270 is formed between at least the compartment 216 of insert body 202 and at least the container 258 of the portable cooler 252 as result of lid 264 being positioned on the portable cooler. This is so because when the lid 264 is positioned on the portable cooler, for example, by threading the lid 264 to the container 258 of the portable cooler 252, the inner surface 276 of the lid 264 compresses the elongate sealing member 236 against the lip 214 defined by the outer peripheral surface 212 of the insert body 202 when the lid 264 is positioned on the portable cooler 252. This compression creates the fluid tight seal 270 between at least the compartment 216 of the insert body 202 and the container 258 of the portable cooler 252. As such, fluids are prevented from moving from the container 258 into the compartment 216 and vice versa. In addition, the compression of the elongate sealing member provides stability to the removable cooler insert when the insert is positioned in the portable cooler. This stability can help to ensure that the fluid tight seal remains functional in situations where the portable cooler is dropped, tipped on its side, or otherwise is not in its upright position.
As the reader will appreciate, the lid can be positioned on the portable by other means, and is not limited to the use of male and female threads. For example, in some embodiments, the lid can be positioned on the portable cooler using other mechanical components such as hinges, snaps, among others.
FIG. 2C illustrates an embodiment of a portable cooler system having a removable cooler insert positioned within a container of the portable cooler, and FIG. 2D illustrates a close-up view of the portable cooler having the removable cooler insert of FIG. 2C taken along line 2D.
As illustrated in FIG. 2C, portable cooler system 250 includes portable cooler 252 having at least the container 258. In various embodiments however, the portable cooler 252 can include other components, for example, a water dispenser and handles, among other things. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2C can also include all or some of the features of the portable cooler system illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, for example, a lid, among other things. Portable cooler system 250 includes a removable cooler insert 200. In this embodiment of the removable cooler insert 200, the insert body includes the embodiment of the insert body illustrated in FIGS. 1E-1G. In this embodiment, the elongate sealing member 236 positioned within the channel 215 provides for the fluid tight seal 270 between at least the compartment 216 of insert body 202 and at least the container 258 of the portable cooler 252 when the insert body 202 is positioned adjacent the inner surface 256 of the portable cooler 252 so as to compress the elongate sealing member 236 against the outer peripheral surface and the inner surface 256 of the portable cooler.
While the present disclosure has been shown and described in detail above, it will be clear to the person skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, in an alternative embodiment of the removable cooler insert, the segmented sub-compartments can be inverted such that the sub-compartment openings of the segmented sub-compartments are positioned at the second end of the removable cooler insert. In such embodiments, the inner surface of the compartment does not have sub-compartment opening. In addition, the grips positioned proximal or adjacent the sub-compartment openings function to preclude objects, such as beverages, from falling out of the segmented sub-compartments under gravitation force since such force will be constantly applied to objects within segmented sub-compartments that are inverted. In various embodiments, the segmented sub-compartments can be inverted 180 degrees, more than 180 degrees, or less than 180 degrees. In addition, in various embodiments, other components can be used in lieu of grips for holding objects within the segmented sub-compartments regardless of whether the sub-compartments are inverted or not. For example, in some embodiments, the sub-compartment openings can include covers movably coupled to the insert body. In such embodiments, the covers can include hinges and the like and latch mechanisms and the like to enclose and hold objects in the segmented sub-compartments such as canned beverages. In other embodiments, the covers can be removably coupled to the insert body such that they are completely removed from the insert body when placing or removing objects from the segmented sub-compartments.
In other alternative embodiments, the removable cooler insert of the portable cooler can include an insert body formed either entirely of an inflatable material or a portion thereof being formed of an inflatable material. In such embodiments, when the insert body is inflated, its outer peripheral surface compresses against the inner surface of the container of the portable cooler to provide for the fluid tight seal between at least the compartment of the insert body and the container of the portable cooler. In addition, the compression can stabilize the insert body when the insert body is inflated and positioned within the portable cooler. Moreover, the inflatable insert body can include many of the features of the insert body illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1G, for example, segmented sub-compartments and grips, among other features. As such, that which is set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the following claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate on reading and understanding this disclosure that other variations for the invention described herein can be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the removable insert body can be used with portable water coolers having a variety of inner surface shapes, for example, square and rectangular portable coolers.

Claims

1. A removable cooler insert for a portable cooler, comprising:

an insert body having an outer peripheral surface proportional to an inner surface of the portable cooler, where the inner surface of the portable cooler defines a container; and

an elongate sealing member positioned on the outer peripheral surface to form a fluid tight seal between at least a compartment of the insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler.

2. The removable cooler insert of claim 1, wherein a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the insert body defines a lip that extends radially from the outer surface, the elongate sealing member positioned on the lip, the lip and the elongate sealing member resting on a rim portion of the container when the insert body is positioned in the container of the portable cooler.

3. The removable cooler insert of claim 2, including a lid having an inner surface, the inner surface to compress the elongate sealing member against the lip when the lid is positioned on the portable cooler.

4. The removable cooler insert of claim 1, wherein the elongate sealing member includes at least one of the following: a flexible gasket, a flexible o-ring, a rigid gasket, and a rigid-o-ring.

5. The removable cooler insert of claim 1, including a channel defined by a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the insert body, wherein a portion of the elongate sealing member is positioned within the channel.

6. The removable cooler insert of claim 1, wherein the insert body includes an inner surface defining the compartment.

7. The removable cooler insert of claim 6, wherein the compartment includes at least one segmented sub-compartment.

8. The removable cooler insert of claim 6, wherein the compartment and segmented sub-compartment defined by the inner surface hold one or more food items, the segmented sub-compartment having at least one grip positioned coupled proximal or adjacent an opening of the at least one segmented sub-compartment.

9. A portable cooler system, comprising:

a portable cooler having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a container within an opening, the opening bounded by a rim portion of the container, wherein the portable cooler includes a removable cooler lid;

a removable cooler insert, the removable cooler insert including:

an insert body having an inner surface and an outer peripheral surface, the inner surface of the insert body defining a compartment, the compartment positioned in the container of the portable cooler, the outer peripheral surface defining a lip that extends radially over the rim portion of the inner surface of the portable cooler;

an elongate sealing member positioned on the lip, the elongate sealing member positioned on the rim portion to suspend the compartment in the container of the portable cooler; and

wherein the elongate sealing member forms a fluid tight seal between at least the compartment of insert body and at least the container of the portable cooler when the removable cooler lid is positioned on the portable cooler.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the removable cooler insert includes a handle positioned on the inner surface of the insert body.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the elongate sealing member forming the fluid tight seal provides stability to the removable cooler insert when the insert is positioned in the portable cooler.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the insert body positioned inside the container of the portable cooler allows the removable cooler lid to be positioned on the portable cooler.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the compartment defines a shape sufficient to receive one or more food items.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more food items are kept at approximately a temperature attained inside the container of the portable cooler.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the removable cooler lid closes the compartment of the removable cooler insert inside the container of the portable cooler.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the compartment includes one or more segmented sub-compartments sized to hold a beverage container.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the insert body is formed of a food grade plastic.

18. A removable cooler insert for use with a portable cooler, comprising:

an insert body having an inner and outer surface, the inner surface defining at least one compartment and at least one handle, a portion of the outer surface defining an outer peripheral surface having an elongate sealing member positioned on the outer peripheral surface to form a fluid tight seal between at least the compartment of the insert body and at least a container of the portable cooler, wherein the elongate sealing member stabilizes the insert body relative the portable cooler when the insert body is positioned in the container of the portable cooler.

19. The removable cooler insert of claim 18, including a channel defined by a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the insert body, wherein a portion of the elongate sealing member is positioned within the channel.

20. The removable cooler insert of claim 18, wherein the outer peripheral surface extends radially from the outer surface of the insert body to define a lip, the elongate sealing member positioned on the lip to form the fluid tight seal and to stabilize the insert body relative the portable cooler when the elongate sealing member is compressed against the outer peripheral surface by an inner surface of a portable cooler lid when the lid is positioned on the portable cooler.