Configurable container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11242175-B2
Application number	US-202016995948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2020
Priority date	Aug 21, 2019
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A portable insulated storage container includes a first divider and an insulated body. The first divider includes a first projection defining a length having a first dimension and a width having a second dimension. The insulated body has an internal cavity adapted for storing items and at least partially bounded by a bottom, a first wall, and a second wall opposite the first wall. The first wall includes a first groove adapted to receive the first projection in a first orientation. One of the first wall and the second wall includes a second groove adapted to receive the first projection in a second orientation. The first groove has a width adapted to receive the width of the first projection and the second groove has a width adapted to receive the length of the first projection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A configurable insulated storage container for storing items, the configurable insulated storage container comprising:
a first divider having a divider body and a first projection extending from the divider body, wherein the first projection has a length having a first dimension and a width having a second dimension, and wherein the divider body includes a contained temperature control material;
an insulated container body having an internal cavity configured for storing the items, wherein the internal cavity is at least partially bounded by a bottom, a first wall, and a second wall opposite the first wall, wherein the first wall includes a first groove facing inward toward the internal cavity, wherein the first groove has a width configured to receive the width of the first projection of the first divider in a first orientation, wherein at least one of the first wall and the second wall includes a second groove also facing inward toward the internal cavity, wherein the second groove has a width configured to receive the length of the first projection in a second orientation, wherein the width of the second groove is different than the width of the first groove; and
an insulated lid configured to engage the insulated container body to close the internal cavity.

2. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 1 wherein the first wall includes both the first groove configured to receive first projection of the first divider in the first orientation and the second groove configured to receive the first projection of the first divider in the second orientation, wherein the first groove will not receive the first projection in the second orientation.

3. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 2 wherein the first projection is positioned on a first side of the first divider and the first divider further comprises a second projection positioned on a second side of the first divider opposite the first side, wherein the second projection has a length having the first dimension and a width having the second dimension.

4. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 3 wherein the second wall includes a third groove configured to receive second projection of the first divider in the first orientation and a fourth groove configured to receive the second projection of the first divider in the second orientation.

5. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 1 wherein the first groove is parallel to the second groove.

6. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 1 wherein the first divider is configured to be positioned in a vertical orientation in the first orientation and a horizontal orientation perpendicular to the vertical orientation in the second orientation.

7. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 6 wherein the second groove extends from a top having a top width to a bottom having a bottom width configured to receive the length of the first projection, the top width being larger than the bottom width.

8. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 7 wherein the second groove has a length longer than a length of the first groove.

9. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 8 wherein the first groove is configured to contact the first divider above the bottom of the insulated body in the second orientation.

10. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 7 wherein the first groove is configured to suspend the first divider above the bottom of the insulated body in the second orientation.

11. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 1 further comprising a second divider wherein the second divider includes a first projection, wherein the first projection has a length having the first dimension and a width having the second dimension, wherein the first groove is configured to receive the first projection of the second divider in a first orientation and wherein the second groove is configured to receive the first projection of the second divider in a second orientation.

12. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 11 wherein the first divider is identical to the second divider.

13. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 12 wherein the second divider is configured to be positioned between the first divider and the bottom of the insulated body when the first divider is in the first orientation and the second divider is in the second orientation.

14. The configurable insulated storage container of claim 1 wherein the first divider comprises one of an ice pack or a liquid cold pack.

15. An insulated storage container system comprising:
a first divider having a divider body, a first projection, and a second projection, wherein the first projection and the second projection extend from the divider body in opposite directions from opposite sides of the first divider, and wherein each of the first projection and the second projection have a length having a first dimension and a width having a second dimension; and
an insulated container body having an internal cavity adapted for storing items, wherein the internal cavity is at least partially bounded by a bottom, a first wall, and a second wall opposite the first wall,
wherein the first wall includes a first groove facing inward toward the internal cavity, wherein the first groove has a width adapted to receive the width of the first projection of the first divider in a first orientation, wherein the first wall includes a second groove also facing inward toward the internal cavity, wherein the second groove has a width adapted to receive the length of the first projection in a second orientation, wherein width of the first groove of the first wall is different than the width of the second groove of the first wall, and
wherein the second wall includes a first groove facing inward toward the internal cavity, wherein the first groove has a width adapted to receive the width of the first projection of the first divider in the first orientation, wherein the second wall includes a second groove also facing inward toward the internal cavity, wherein the second groove has a width adapted to receive the length of the first projection in the second orientation, wherein width of the first groove of the second wall is different than the width of the second groove of the second wall.

16. The insulated storage container system of claim 15 wherein the first orientation is a vertical orientation and the second orientation is a horizontal orientation and wherein the first divider contacts the bottom of the internal cavity in both the vertical orientation and the horizontal orientation.

17. The insulated storage container system of claim 15 further comprising a second divider identical to the first divider, wherein the first divider and the second divider are adapted to stack on top of each other in the internal cavity when both the first divider and the second divider are in the second orientation.

18. The insulated storage container system of claim 17 wherein a bottom edge of the first divider contacts a side surface of the second divider and an opposing side surface of the second divider contacts the bottom of the internal cavity when the first divider is in the first orientation and the second divider is in the second orientation.

19. The insulated storage container system of claim 17
wherein the first wall includes a third groove facing inward toward the internal cavity, wherein the third groove has a width adapted to receive the width of the first

Assignees

• Otter Products Llc

Inventors

• Barfoot Grady E
• Cornish Joshua R
• Smith W Travis

Classifications

• B65D81/18

  providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient (with thermal insulation B65D81/38) · CPC title

• F25D3/08

  portable, i.e. adapted to be carried personally · CPC title

• B65D81/3818

  formed with double walls, i.e. hollow · CPC title

• F25D3/06

  Movable containers · CPC title

• B65D81/382 Primary

  provided with liquid material between double walls · CPC title