Race car cooler

• US 8,297,070 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Greg L. Pryor
• Original Assignee: Greg L. Pryor
• Inventors: Pryor, Greg L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US12/658,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20110197613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 622/39, 622/44, 622/593, 623/14, 624/19, 624/571, 624/579, 220/562, 220/577, 454/338, 454/341, 454/903, 165/41, 165/46, 165/80.1
• US Class Current: 62/259.3
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/26 Refrigerating devices for cooling wearing apparel, e.g. garments, hats, shoes or gloves
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/14 portable, i.e. adapted to be carried personally

Abstract

A portable, self-contained race car cooler comprises an enclosure divided interiorly by vented baffles into separate cooling and fan compartments. A removable top covers the enclosure. Air is drawn through the enclosure and between adjacent cooling compartments by an electric fan. A plurality of removable canisters, frictionally fitted through orifices in the top, store “dry ice” for cooling. Each canister is peripherally restrained by a plurality of radially spaced-apart J-hooks emanating from the top that are biased inwardly by an elastic band. The J-hooks peripherally grasp the canisters and provide a detent for snappingly engaging or releasing the canisters. A heat-exchange standoff is secured beneath each canister upon the enclosure floor and comprises a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel rails with air passageways defined between them. Cooler lids removably coupled to the canisters are externally serviceable. Carbon dioxide venting is provided.

Claims

1. A portable cooler comprising:

a rigid enclosure generally adapted to be disposed upon a supporting surface, the enclosure comprising an interior, an internal floor, a removable top for covering the interior, and an air inlet and an air outlet in fluid flow communication with said interior;

fan means for drawing air through said inlet into said interior and out of said interior via said outlet;

battery means for powering said fan means;

a plurality of baffles within said enclosure for dividing it into a fan compartment and a plurality of cooling compartments, the baffles each comprising a plurality of venting holes;

a plurality of canisters for storing a coolant, the canisters penetrating spaced-apart orifices defined in said enclosure top and entering said cooling compartments, the canisters comprising a body operationally disposed within said enclosure and lids disposed externally of said enclosure, the lids removably coupled to said canister bodies;

mounting means for resiliently and removably mounting said canisters to said enclosure, said mounting means comprising a plurality of radially spaced apart, vertically extending supports disposed about the peripheries of said orifices in said top and extending downwardly towards said cooling compartments, and an encircling elastic band for normally biasing the supports inwardly such that they firmly frictionally contact the surface of a canister when inserted.

2. The cooler as defined in claim 1 wherein said supports comprise J-hooks with curved bottoms adapted to clear a rim defined in bottoms of said canisters for forming a detent such that the canisters releasably snap fit to said cooler.

3. The cooler as defined in claim 2 further comprising means for removing condensate from said enclosure interior and means for venting carbon dioxide gas from said canisters.

4. The cooler as defined in claim 1 further comprising standoff means disposed upon said enclosure floor within each cooling compartment beneath a cooling canister for supporting canister weight and promoting heat exchange.

5. The cooler as defined in claim 4 wherein said standoff means comprise a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel rails with air passageways defined between them, the rails extending from said enclosure floor into contact with the bottoms of said cooling canisters.

6. The cooler as defined in claim 5 wherein the enclosure comprises a longitudinal centerline, and at least one set of venting holes in at least one of said baffles is offset from said centerline to form a serpentine air path through said enclosure for promoting heat exchange.

7. A cooler for comforting racecar drivers, the cooler comprising:

a rigid enclosure generally in the form of a parallelepiped that is adapted to be disposed upon a supporting surface, the enclosure comprising an interior, an internal floor, a centerline bisecting said interior, a removable top normally covering the interior, and an air inlet and an air outlet in fluid flow communication with said interior;

a plurality of baffles within said enclosure for dividing it into a fan compartment and a plurality of adjacent cooling compartments, the baffles each comprising a plurality of venting holes;

fan means for drawing air through said inlet into said interior and out of said interior via said outlet;

battery means for powering said fan means;

a plurality of canisters for storing a coolant, the canisters penetrating spaced-apart orifices defined in said enclosure top, the canisters comprising a body normally disposed within said enclosure and lids removably coupled to said canister bodies disposed externally of said enclosure;

means for resiliently snap-fitting said canisters to said enclosure, said mounting means comprising a plurality of radially spaced apart, vertically extending J-hooks disposed about the peripheries of said orifices in said top and extending downwardly towards said cooling compartments, and an encircling elastic band for normally biasing the J-hooks inwardly such that they firmly frictionally contact the surface of a canister when inserted;

hose means for conducting cooled air to said driver.

8. The cooler as defined in claim 7 wherein said J-hooks comprise curved bottoms adapted to clear a peripheral rim defined in bottoms of said canisters for forming a detent such that the canisters releasably snap fit to said cooler.

9. The cooler as defined in claim 8 further comprising means for removing condensate from said enclosure interior.

10. The cooler as defined in claim 8 further comprising means for venting carbon dioxide gas from said canisters.

11. The cooler as defined in claim 7 further comprising standoff means disposed upon said enclosure floor beneath said canisters for supporting canister weight and promoting heat exchange.

12. The cooler as defined in claim 11 wherein said standoff means comprise a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel rails with air passageways defined between them, the rails extending from said enclosure floor into contact with the bottoms of said canisters.

13. The cooler as defined in claim 7 wherein spaced-apart baffle orifices in different baffles are variably offset from said centerline to form a serpentine air path through said enclosure interior to promote heat exchange.

14. A cooler for comforting racecar drivers, the cooler comprising:

a rigid enclosure generally in the form of a parallelepiped that is adapted to be disposed upon a supporting surface, the enclosure comprising an interior, an internal floor, a centerline bisecting said interior, a removable top normally covering the interior, and an air inlet and an air outlet in fluid flow communication with said interior;

a plurality of baffles within said enclosure for dividing it into a fan compartment and separate, generally rectangular cooling compartments, the baffles each comprising a plurality of venting holes for passing air between adjacent compartments;

fan means associated with said fan compartment for drawing air through said inlet into said interior and out of said interior via said outlet;

battery means for powering said fan means;

a plurality of canisters for storing a coolant, the canisters comprising a cylindrical body normally disposed within said enclosure and lids removably coupled to the body;

receptacle means for receiving the canisters, the receptacle means comprising;

spaced-apart orifices defined in said enclosure top into which the cooling canisters are frictionally inserted;

friction rings coaxially fitted to said orifices;

a plurality of radially spaced apart, vertically extending J-hooks disposed about the peripheries of said orifices and extending downwardly towards said cooling compartments; and

,

an encircling elastic band for normally biasing the J-hooks inwardly such that they firmly frictionally contact the surface of a canister when inserted;

hose means for conducting cooled air to said driver.

15. The cooler as defined in claim 14 wherein said J-hooks comprise curved bottoms adapted to clear a peripheral rim defined in bottoms of said canisters for forming a detent such that the canisters releasably snap fit to said cooler.

16. The cooler as defined in claim 15 further comprising means for removing condensate from said enclosure interior.

17. The cooler as defined in claim 15 further comprising means for venting carbon dioxide gas from said canisters.

18. The cooler as defined in claim 15 further comprising standoff means disposed upon said enclosure floor beneath said canisters for supporting canister weight and promoting heat exchange.

19. The cooler as defined in claim 18 wherein said standoff means comprise a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel rails with air passageways defined between them, the rails extending from said enclosure floor into contact with the bottoms of said canisters.

20. The cooler as defined in claim 19 wherein spaced-apart baffle orifices in different baffles are variably offset from said centerline to form a serpentine air path through said enclosure interior to promote heat exchange.