DROP-STITCH INFLATABLE COOLER

• US 20170119116A1
• Filed: 01/09/2017
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swell Industries, LLC
• Original Assignee: Swell Industries, LLC
• Inventors: Bradley, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 10,799,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/20 Lunch or picnic boxes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/008 for making water- or air-tight
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/103 Arrangement of zip-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/26 Special adaptations of handles A45C13/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/36 Reinforcements for edges, corners, or other parts
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 7/004 inflatable and deflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 7/0081 inflatable and deflatable
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3897 formed of different materials, e.g. laminated or foam filling between walls
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/062 Inflatable walls
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/08 portable, i.e. adapted to be carried personally

Abstract

An article of manufacture, comprising an inflatable cooler having at least a portion with a drop-stitch construction is provided. The inflatable cooler may comprise a first inflatable drop-stitch chamber defining a bottom wall, a second inflatable drop-stitch chamber defining a plurality of side walls, and a third inflatable drop-stitch chamber defining a lid of the inflatable cooler.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a first pair of sides extending from a bottom portion;

a plurality of foldable sections extending through a second pair of sides, the foldable sections enabling an angular position, with respect to the bottom portion, of each of the sides in the first pair of sides to be adjusted; and

an inflation valve connected to an inflation chamber positioned between an interior storage compartment and an external layer, the inflation chamber positioned in one or more sides in the first pair of sides and the second pair of sides.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, where the plurality of foldable sections enable the first pair of sides to be arranged in an expanded configuration and a condensed configuration, in the expanded configuration distal ends of a first and second side in the first pair of sides are further away from the bottom portion when compared to distal ends of the first and second sides in the first pair of sides in the condensed configuration.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 2, where, when the first pair of sides is in the expanded configuration, a first and a second foldable section included in the plurality of foldable sections and positioned in one of the sides in the second pair of sides extend towards one another.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 2, where, when the first pair of sides are in the condensed configuration, the inflation chamber is at least partially deflated.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 2, where a volumetric size of the interior storage compartment is smaller in the condensed configuration than the expanded configuration.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 2, where, when the first pair of sides is in the expanded configuration, the plurality of foldable sections extend from an intersection between the bottom section and the second pair of sides to an intersection between the second pair of sides and a top portion.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 1, where the plurality of foldable sections are configured to crease in the condensed configuration.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 1, where the first pair of sides includes a first side opposing a second side and the second pair of sides includes a third side opposing a fourth side.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 1, where the inflatable chamber is included in the first and second pairs of sides.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 1, where a range of the angular position may be at least from 0 to 80 degrees when measured from the bottom portion.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 1, where a range of the angular position may be at least from 0 to 90 degrees when measured from the bottom portion.

12. An inflatable cooler comprising:

a first pair of sides extending from a bottom portion;

a first and a second foldable section extending through a second pair of sides, the first and second foldable section enable the first pair of sides to be arranged in an expanded configuration and a condensed configuration, in the expanded configuration a first and second side in the first pair of sides are spaced away from the bottom portion and in the condensed configuration the first and second sides in the first pair of sides are adjacent to the bottom portion; and

an inflation valve connected to an inflation chamber positioned between an interior storage compartment and an external layer, the inflation chamber positioned in one or more sides in the first pair of sides and the second pair of sides.

13. The inflatable cooler of claim 12, where, when the first pair of sides is in the expanded configuration, the plurality of foldable sections extend towards one another and in the vertical direction.

14. The inflatable cooler of claim 12, where the first pair of sides includes a first side opposing a second side and the second pair of sides includes a third side opposing a fourth side.

15. The inflatable cooler of claim 14, where the inflation chamber is included in each side in the first and second pairs of sides.

16. The inflatable cooler of claim 12, where inflation of the inflation chamber moves the first pair of sides into the expanded configuration and deflation of the inflation chamber moves the first pair of sides into the condensed configurations.

17. A method for manufacture comprising:

constructing an inflatable cooler including;

a first pair of sides extending from a bottom portion;

a plurality of foldable sections extending through a second pair of sides, the foldable sections enabling an angular position, with respect to the bottom portion, of each of the sides in the first pair of sides to be adjusted; and

an inflation valve connected to an inflation chamber positioned between an interior storage compartment and an external layer, the inflation chamber positioned in one or more sides in the first pair of sides and the second pair of sides.

18. The method of claim 17, where the first pair of sides includes a first side opposing a second side and the second pair of sides includes a third side opposing a fourth side and where the inflation chamber is included in the first and second pairs of sides.

19. The method of claim 17, where, when the first pair of sides is in the condensed configuration, the inflation chamber is at least partially deflated and the plurality of foldable sections are creased.

20. The method of claim 17, where, when the first pair of sides is in the expanded configuration, the first pair of sides are substantially vertically oriented.