CA2147105C - Combined seat-side by side cooler equipment storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a combination portable cooler and side-by-side seat-gear, equipment and food storage and transporting device. It includes a main housing having a closed bottom, sidewalls, a top and a front. The housing has inner walls and outer walls and has heat insulation therebetween. It includes an open front with at least one hinged door thereon, and it contains a plurality of horizontal drawer supports with a plurality of drawers slidably located within the housing. There a a seat located on the top of the housing, as well as handles for manually carrying same or straps for use as a backpack. In addition, located side-by-side and permanently attached thereto, either integrally or otherwise, is a top-opening cooler.
It may optionally include an external shelf which is movable relative to the housing so as to have a first position which is a rest position, and to have a second position which is an open position.

Description

~~~~~a~
COM.HINED SEAT/SIDE-3Y-SIDE COOKER/
EOUTP?~~IT STOR.~GE DEVICE . .
The present invention is directed to a combination device which acts as a portable seat and storage device and a side-by-side cooler.
More specifically, the present invention involves such devices as will permit access to various storage areas without removal o= other storage ~~1~~
areas. The present invention device may be used far sports activities or any other outdoor activities which may recuire waiting, seating, food storage and possible storage of gear or euuipment. It may be in the form of a backaack and may, for example, be used as a fishing tackle box-cooler-seat.
Campers, hunters, fishermen and other people involved in other outdoor activities have used various Dynes of coolers as well as various types of tackle boxes and snorts gear boxes. Coleman of Wichita, Kansas manufactures single area coolers and multiple compartment coolers, and Rubbermaid of Akron, Ohio likewise manufactures and sells multiple compartment coolers. However, ~. .;, ~;'~pH,~:.
>.
V~~: w~ ,..a..

2~~~10~
these all have lids which are hinged at the too horizontally and swing up to open or are removable upwardly to oven. A sales brochure from K-mart, from Winter of 1993, illustrates Coleman coolers as well as Rubbermaid coolers, all with oven tops. Tackle boxes have been separately sells rigid, top opening coolers with seats. These are shown on a one page sales brochure from the rr~all 1993 issue of Pro Bass Magazine.
The present invention is a comnination portable cooler and side-by-side seat-gear, ewuipment and food storage and transporting device. It includes a main housing having a closed bottom, sidewalls, a tan and a front. The housing has inner walls and outer walls and has heat insulation therebetaeen. It includes an open front with at least one hiwged door thereon, and it contaias a plurality of horizontal drawer supports with a plurality of drawers slidably located within the housing. There is a seat :, _, ; .

located on the top of the housing, as well as handles for manually carrying same or straps =or use as a backpack. In addition, located side-bv-side and permanently attached thereto, either integrally or other~rise, is a ton-ooening~cooler.
It may optionally include an external shelf which is movable relative to the housing so as to have a first position which is a rest position, and to have a second position which a an open position.
The present invention should be more fully understood when the specification herein is taken .
in conjunction with the drawings appended hereto, 2 ~. 4'~ 10 Figure 2 shows a right side view or the device shown in Figure 1; and, Figure 3 shows a partially cut Front view oz the device shown in Figures 1 and 2 With the door removed.
Refer=ing now to rFigure 1, there is shown a Front view of present invent_on device 1. Device 1 is a comi~ined cooler-seat-storage and transporting device with the Gaoler and the seat ~1~'~~.~' school or little league .football, soccer or baseball games, beach going, canoeing, boating, outdoor painting; temporary outdoor stands such as at flea markets, as well as thousands of other uses immediately foreseeable to the artisan once the device is described. The device can be used to provide a seat, waffle providing separate storage areas for sports gear, ammunition, fis:.ing tackle, lures, camping equipment, etc., and far food which may be treat cool due to the insulative Gaoler aspects of the present invention. .

~ ~:,~i a ~
There are handling means (shown in other rr~igures) located on sidewalls 7 and 9 respectively. also, front 5 has a door 1S, as shown, with opening finger recess 23 and hinges 17, 19 and 21. There is a left side section, cooler compari,.ment 27, 214'105 recessed handle is located on the oaoosite side (not shown). all other aspects that are shown in Figure I are identically numbered.
Figure 3 shows a pa_~-tially cut front view of the device shown in rFigure 1 and all identical ~~~ 1 ~~~
other known adjustable and/or telescopic mechanisms may likewise be used. Drawers 61, 63, 6S, 67, 69 and 71 are of various sizes and drawers 61 and 63 may be U-shaped to form around column support SI. The various drawers are opened, ~or example, by finger recesses such as finger recess 73 on d=aver 7I. Note that the cut portion o= bottom I4 and side wall 7 exaose insulation 47 anti, thus, these drawers may be used to store cold or hot items, as well as ambient temperature food, equipment or other items. Cooler section 27 is likewise insulated as exemplified by insulation 49 shown in the left hand lower corner. The drawers are supported by, for example, support 81 shown in the enlargement of Figure 3.
_II_ 7 ~~
The present invention devices afford access to different storage areas without removal of unneeded storage areas. Thus, unlike the prior art, top lid devices with seats recuiring the user to get up and then remove layers of boxes, bins, drawers or goods to get at lower goods, the present invention device pe~.i.ts immediate, direct access to anv level in the front section and access without getting up to to side-by-side cooler section. Also, these drawers may include ice or cooler packs or not, depending upon desired use, and the drar~ers themselves may be modular and have removable or movable sections so as to be adapted to specific needs, e.g. fishing lures, lunch, beer, caught fish, ammunition, cold food, room temperature food, maps, kni~e, paper _lZ_ or plastic products, e.g. plates, etc.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the carrying means may be straps instead of handles and could even be arranged with dual shoulder straps for transport as a backpack. It is therefore understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims (17)

1. A combination cooler-seat-equipment storage and transporting device, which comprises:
(a) a main housing having two separate main compartments, said first compartment being a front opening storage compartment and said second compartment being side-by-side to said first compartment and being a cooler, both of said compartments having a closed bottom, sidewalls, a top and a front, and having inner walls and outer walls and having heat insulation therebetween, said first compartment further having an open front with a hinged door thereon, said door having inner walls and outer walls with heat insulation therein, said first compartment further containing a plurality of horizontal drawer supports thereon, said second compartment being a top opening compartment having a top lid for access thereto;
(b) a plurality of drawers located within said first compartment and slidably connected to said drawer supports for horizontal opening and closing thereof;
(c) a seat located on said top of said first compartment of said housing so as to be side-by-side with said second compartment of said housing; and, (d) handling means on said housing for manually carrying same.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said main housing is generally rectangular in shape.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said housing further includes an external shelf which is movable relative to said housing so as to have a first position which is a rest position wherein said shelf is substantially contiguous to said housing, and to have a second position which is an open position wherein said shelf is in an exposed horizontal position.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said plurality of drawers are located inside said first compartment of said housing behind said door.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said seat is a swivel seat.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said seat includes a back support member.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said back support member is foldable.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein said seat includes a back support member.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said back support member is foldable.

10. The device of claim 3 wherein said external shelf is hingedly mounted on the outside of said housing in a vertical position for its rest position and is rotated into a horizontal position for its open position.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said shelf is attached to said first compartment of said main housing.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein said seat is an adjustable seat.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein said adjustable seat is telescopic.

14. The device of claim 5 wherein said seat is an adjustable seat.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said adjustable seat is telescopic.

16. The device of claim 6 wherein said seat is an adjustable seat.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein said adjustable seat is telescopic.