Collapsible insulated container
First Claim
1. A collapsible insulative container comprising:
- a shell comprising a top, a bottom and at least one side wall, said container being biased into an operative position by at least one spring;
a liner affixed to said top and disposed within the interior of said shell;
a substantially sealed air space between said shell and said liner; and
a vent means for venting the air from said sealed air space when the bias of said spring is countered to collapse the container from said operative position to a collapsed position and fill said space when said container is released from said collapsed position to assume said operative position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a collapsible insulative container including a shell having at least one sidewall, a bottom, and a top, where the container is biased toward an operative position wherein the open top is distanced from the bottom to provide an interior defined by the shell. The container further includes a spring that provides the bias urging the container toward the operative position. A liner extends from the shell into the interior defined by the shell to define, in said operative position, a container volume for storing items. In the operative position, air space exists between the shell and the liner. The bias of the spring may be countered to collapse the container from the operative position to a collapsed position to facilitate storage of the container when not in use. Venting means is provided to allow the air to exit and fill the air space when the container is collapsed or moves to the operative position.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A collapsible insulative container comprising:
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a shell comprising a top, a bottom and at least one side wall, said container being biased into an operative position by at least one spring;
a liner affixed to said top and disposed within the interior of said shell;
a substantially sealed air space between said shell and said liner; and
a vent means for venting the air from said sealed air space when the bias of said spring is countered to collapse the container from said operative position to a collapsed position and fill said space when said container is released from said collapsed position to assume said operative position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A collapsible insulative container comprising:
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a shell including at least one sidewall, a bottom, and an top that is biased toward an operative position, wherein said top is distanced from said bottom to provide an interior defined by said shell and the shape of the container is cube-like;
at least one linear spring providing at least a portion of the bias affecting said open top, said at least one spring being located in at least one corner of said container;
at least one stabilizing means for supporting said at least one linear spring during the collapsing and return to operative position of said container;
a liner extending from said shell into said interior to define, in said operative position, a container volume for storing items; and
a substantially sealed air space between said shell and said liner, wherein the bias of said at least one spring may be countered to collapse the container from said operative position to a collapsed position. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A collapsible insulative container comprising:
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a shell comprising a top, a bottom and at least one side wall, said container being biased into an operative position by a single continuous spring;
a liner affixed to said top and disposed within the interior of said shell; and
a substantially sealed air space between said shell and said liner. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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Specification