U.S. patent application number 13/109115 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-22 for non-woven cooler bag with speaker and mp3 hookup.
Invention is credited to Ellen Hassman, Patty Luts.
Application Number | 20120294550 13/109115 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47174970 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120294550 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hassman; Ellen ; et
al. |
November 22, 2012 |
NON-WOVEN COOLER BAG WITH SPEAKER AND MP3 HOOKUP
Abstract
A portable thermally insulated bag for maintaining contents
thereof in a desired thermal state comprises an enclosure having a
plurality of interconnected panels including a top, a bottom,
front, back, and sides. The enclosure defines an interior volume
for storing items to be kept in a desired thermal state and
includes a flexible outer shell, an inner insulative layer, a
zipper for at least partially separating one of the panels from the
enclosure, and a handle. The bag also has a speaker for
communicative connection to a personal playback device and a pocket
external to one of the panels and proximate to the speaker. The
pocket is sized to receive a personal playback device therein.
Inventors: |
Hassman; Ellen; (Hollywood,
FL) ; Luts; Patty; (Hollywood, FL) |
Family ID: |
47174970 |
Appl. No.: |
13/109115 |
Filed: |
May 17, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 15/00 20130101;
A45C 2011/001 20130101; A45C 2011/002 20130101; A45C 13/008
20130101; A45C 11/20 20130101; A45C 7/0077 20130101; A45C 3/001
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/6 |
International
Class: |
B65D 33/06 20060101
B65D033/06 |
Claims
1. A portable thermally insulated bag for maintaining contents
thereof in a desired thermal state, said insulated bag comprising:
an enclosure having a plurality of interconnected panels, said
panels including a top, a bottom, front, back, left side and right
side, said enclosure defining an interior volume for storing items
to be kept in a desired thermal state; said enclosure further
including: a flexible outer shell; an inner insulative layer; a
zipper for at least partially separating one of said panels from
said enclosure; and a handle; a speaker for communicative
connection to a personal playback device; and a pocket external to
one of said panels, said pocket proximate to said speaker and sized
to receive a personal playback device therein.
2. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said outer shell is formed of a non-woven material.
3. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 2 wherein
said non-woven shell is reinforced by a backing layer.
4. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said enclosure is collapsible for convenient packing and
storage.
5. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 4 wherein
said left side panel and said right side panel each includes a
folding pleat to facilitate folding said enclosure to said
collapsed state.
6. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said insulative layer is a bubble foil.
7. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said insulative layer is a gel pack.
8. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said insulative layer is formed from at least one of the group
consisting of aluminum foil, polyvinylchloride, and polyethylene
vinyl acetate.
9. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said speaker includes an electrical cable and a plug extending to
said pocket for interconnection with a personal playback
device.
10. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 9 wherein
said speaker is affixed to said outer shell.
11. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 10
wherein said speaker is affixed to an inner surface of said outer
shell.
12. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said handle extends from one panel around said bottom to an
opposing panel for supporting contents of said bag.
13. A portable thermally insulated bag for maintaining food items
in a desired thermal state, said insulated bag comprising: an
enclosure having a flexible outer shell formed of a non-woven
material, an inner insulative layer and at least one partially
separable panel to access an interior volume defined by said
enclosure; a handle affixed to said enclosure; a speaker for
communicative connection to a personal playback device; and a
pocket affixed to said outer shell, said pocket proximate to said
speaker and sized to receive a personal playback device
therein.
14. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 13
wherein said non-woven shell is reinforced by a backing layer.
15. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 13
wherein said enclosure is collapsible for convenient packing and
storage.
16. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 15
wherein said enclosure includes opposing folding pleats to
facilitate folding said enclosure to said collapsed state.
17. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 13
wherein said insulative layer is a bubble foil.
18. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 13
wherein said insulative layer is a gel pack.
19. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said speaker is affixed to an inner surface of said outer shell and
includes an electrical cable and a plug extending to said pocket
for interconnection with a personal playback device.
20. A portable thermally insulated bag according to claim 1 wherein
said handle extends around a bottom to an opposing side for
supporting contents of said bag.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to thermally insulated bags in
general, and more particularly to a portable insulated bag
incorporating an integral speaker connectable to a personal music
playing device.
[0003] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0004] Leisure time for many individuals includes enjoyment of open
air and outdoors environments. For some, this may include hikes
through a forest or landscaping the back yard. For others, a round
of golf or a sightseeing trip is the preferred activity.
Frequently, these activities also include the enjoyment of eating
snacks or entire meals outdoors. Alternatively, individuals may
prepare lunches to be taken to their place of employment as a cost
saving measure precluding the expense of daily purchasing a
restaurant or cafeteria prepared meal. In other leisure time
instances, an individual may desire to bring one or more beverages
to a location for use and enjoyment throughout a given time period.
In these instances, the beverages are often desired to be kept at a
preferred thermal state, either cool or hot. To facilitate
maintaining either food or beverage at a desired thermal state,
these items are transported and temporarily stored in a portable
enclosure that exhibits thermal insulative properties.
[0005] In recent years, personal music playing devices have become
increasingly popular. The players permitted the user to privately
play pre-recorded selections while listening with headphones or ear
buds electronically connected to the player. Initially, these
playing devices took the form of magnetic tape players using
exchangeable pre-recorded cassettes. As technology evolved, the
players were centered on playing pre-recorded compact discs. The
latest evolution of personal music players are commonly referred to
as "MP3" players or iPods .RTM., generally referring to the
recorded format of the individual musical compositions. Instead of
receiving pre-recorded tapes or discs, these players have internal
electronic memory. The musical compositions for these players are
typically electronically transferred to the device's internal
memory and may then be selectively played back in any desired
sequence or even erased as the user desire. Again, the selections
are typically listened by the user over personal headphones or ear
buds. As the popularity of these players has expanded, electronic
units have also been developed that include amplifiers and stereo
type speakers to which the player can be electronically connected
so that multiple individuals can listen to the recordings being
played.
[0006] However, when an individual wishes to engage in activities
wherein the use of both an insulated enclosure for maintaining food
or drink in a desired thermal state and also listen to recordings
are desired, they must carry both the insulated container and the
portable amplification system in addition to other items they may
be transporting for a particular activity. In such instances, the
exercise becomes cumbersome at best and may require multiple trips
of carrying items to the site where they are to be enjoyed. Thus
what is desired is a way to minimize the number of items needed to
be carried for an outing, and to provide convenience, portability,
and ease of use to insulatively maintain food and drink at a
desired thermal state while also providing entertainment for the
activity. Specifically, a combination of a thermally insulated
enclosure and a means of providing entertainment in a single unit
is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is directed to a portable thermally
insulated bag that satisfies the need for maintaining contents
thereof in a desired thermal state and aids to provide
entertainment in a single unit. The portable thermally insulated
bag comprises an enclosure having a plurality of interconnected
panels including a top, a bottom, front, back, and sides. The
enclosure defines an interior volume for storing items to be kept
in a desired thermal state and includes a flexible outer shell, an
inner insulative layer, a zipper for at least partially detaching
one of the panels from the enclosure, and a handle. The bag also
has a speaker for communicative connection to a personal playback
device and a pocket external to one of the panels and proximate to
the speaker. The pocket is sized to receive a personal playback
device therein.
[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a portable
thermally insulated bag for maintaining contents thereof in a
desired thermal state. The insulated bag includes an enclosure
having a flexible outer shell formed of a non-woven material, an
inner insulative layer and at least one partially separable panel
to access an interior volume defined by the enclosure. Affixed to
the enclosure is a handle and a speaker for communicative
connection to a personal playback device. A pocket is affixed to
the outer shell wherein the pocket is proximate to the speaker and
sized to receive a personal playback device therein.
[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
invention will be further understood and appreciated by those
skilled in the art by reference to the following written
specification, claims and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present
invention, reference should be made to the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of portable thermally insulated
bag embodying the present invention, wherein the bag includes a
speaker and a pocket for a personal playback device;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the portable thermally
insulated bag illustrating a cover opened to permit access to an
interior;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the portable thermally
insulated bag shown in FIG. 2 illustrating the layered construction
of the enclosure and the installation of the pocket and
speaker.
[0014] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the portable thermally
insulated bag illustrating a cover opened to permit access to an
interior and further illustrating pre-defined pleats to aid in
collapsing the bag to a folded state;
[0015] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the portable thermally
insulated bag in a partially folded state;
[0016] FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the portable thermally
insulated bag in a folded state for convenient storage.
[0017] Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the
several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] For purposes of description herein, the terms "upper",
"lower", "left", "rear", "right", "front", "vertical",
"horizontal", and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention
as oriented in FIG. 1. However, one will understand that the
invention may assume various alternative orientations and step
sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. While
the present invention has been shown and described in accordance
with preferred and practical embodiments thereof, one will also
recognize that departures from the instant disclosure are fully
contemplated within the spirit and scope of the invention. Hence,
specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to
the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as
limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
[0019] Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a portable thermally
insulated bag 20 which is one of the preferred embodiments of the
present invention and illustrates its various components. Insulated
bag 20 generally has an enclosure 22 which is formed of a number of
panels typically including a top 24, a bottom 26, a front 28, a
back 30, and left and right sides 32 and 35 respectively. Panels
24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 are arranged in a rectilinear form thereby
defining an interior volume 23 (FIG. 2) although different numbers
of panels and geometrical configurations are contemplated herein. A
handle 36 is attached to enclosure 22 by straps 38 to aid the user
in carrying insulated bag 20. Specifically, the geometry of
enclosure 22 can correspond to convenient housing of beverages in
6-pack, 12-pack, 24-pack, or 36-pack sizes common and known within
the beverage industry.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, additional details of insulated
bag 20 are illustrated. Enclosure 22 has an outer shell 44 that is
formed of a non-woven material. Non-woven materials such as, but
not limited to, felts are well known in the material arts and are
neither woven nor knitted. Non-woven material is a fabric-like
material made from long fibers extruded from dies. The fibers are
randomly accumulated and intertwined in a non-woven manner forming
a web-like structure which is then bonded together by chemical,
mechanical, heat or solvent treatments. The non-woven fibers being
collected from the fiber forming dies are heated by a hot air
stream and the material is then further formed by stretching as the
fibers are cooled. The resultant non-woven web is collected into
rolls for conversion to finished products. The non-woven material
of outer shell 44 typically lacks sufficient strength to support
the weight of the contents of insulated bag 20. Consequently,
straps 38 of handle 36, here shown on front 28, can extend into an
interior of enclosure 22 and around bottom 26 to an opposite side,
such as back 30, to provide additional support for the carried
contents of insulated bag 20.
[0021] An inner insulative layer 26 is affixed to an interior
surface of outer shell 44. Insulative layer 26 generally exhibits
properties whereby the transfer of thermal energy is resisted. In
this manner, warm or hot items that are of an elevated temperature
relative to external ambient conditions are maintained at the
elevated temperature longer than if the items were directly exposed
to the exterior ambient conditions. Insulative layer 26 resists the
transfer of thermal energy from the items through insulated bag 20
to the external ambient conditions. In like manner, items that are
cooler than external ambient conditions are maintained at lower
temperatures by insulative layer 26 resisting the transfer of
thermal energy from the external ambient conditions through
insulated bag 20 to the items stored therein. Some common materials
used for insulative layer 26 can be bubble foil forming a plurality
of trapped air bubbles, or a series of gel packs wherein the
enclosed gel layer of the gel pack can be either heated or cooled
to assist in maintaining the desired interior thermal conditions.
Also, insulative layer 26 can be formed of materials known to be
resistive to the transfer of thermal energy such as aluminum foil,
polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or
other similar materials. Insulative layer 26 also functions to
render insulated bag 20 waterproof to prevent items spilled within
interior 23 of insulated bag 20 from leaking to the exterior.
[0022] Referring again to FIGS. 1-3, one of the panels such as top
24 can be partially separable from enclosure 22 so that a user can
access interior volume 23 to place items into or remove items from
insulated bag 20. Top 24 can be integrally affixed to or be part of
a panel forming top 24 and back 30 and rotates about a crease 42
which functions as a hinge-like area for top 24. Further, top 24
can be selectively fastened to the remainder of enclosure 22 with a
zipper 40 extending about a periphery of top 24. Alternatively,
zipper 40 can be positioned on front 28 and on sides 32 and 34 near
top 24. Zipper 40 can be either a one-way zipper, or a two-way
zipper for ease of access.
[0023] Insulated bag also has mounted thereto, preferably front 28,
a speaker 50, although speaker 50 can be mounted to any of panels
24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 as desired by the manufacturer.
Specifically, speaker 50 is a low power speaker of any quality that
is compatible with being electrically driven by the output of a
personal playback device 12 (FIG. 1) such as those generically
referred to as an MP3 player or as an iPod .RTM.. These players
store pre-recorded pieces of entertainment such as musical
compositions on internal electronic memory devices for subsequent
playback for the enjoyment of the listener. Often the player 12 is
listened to with headphones or ear buds, however, the player 12 can
also be listened to via a speaker such as speaker 50 so that
multiple individuals close to speaker 50 can listen simultaneously.
Speaker 50 is permanently affixed to enclosure 22 and is preferably
attached to the non-woven outer shell 44 from the interior of
enclosure 22. Speaker 50 includes a conductive cable 52 extending
therefrom and terminates at a plug 54. Plug 54 is of a known
configuration that is compatible to being received in a speaker
jack or headphone jack of the personal playback device 12. A pocket
60 is affixed to an exterior of insulated bag 20 proximate to
speaker 50 such that the personal playback device 12 can be
inserted into slot 62 defined by pocket 60 when attached to speaker
50 with cable 52. In such manner, a user can carry beverages or
food or a combination of both in insulated bag 20 and also have a
convenient means of listening to personal playing device 12 without
being tethered by headphones or ear buds.
[0024] Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4C, insulated bag 20 can be folded
for convenient packing or storage when not in use to thermally
insulate items contained therein. To facilitate the folding of
insulated bag 20, left and right sides 32 and 24 respectively
include preformed pleats 70, here shown as being in an inverted "Y"
configuration. Such a pleat 70 is commonly used in paper `grocery`
bags. Also, front 28 includes a horizontal preformed crease 72
close to bottom 26.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 4A, when a user wishes to collapse
insulated bag 20 for storage or for ease of empty transport, zipper
40 can be opened and top 24 rotated away from front 28. Left and
right sides 32, 34 are then pushed toward one another in an
opposing manner to begin collapsing insulated bag 20 with front 28
translating toward back 30 and bottom 26 rotating upwardly at front
28.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 4B, as insulated bag 20 continues to
collapse, preformed pleat 70 folds along crease 74 and bottom 26
continues to rotate upwardly toward top 24 as preformed crease 72
in front 28 folds. This collapsing action continues until bottom 26
is substantially parallel to back 30 as illustrated in FIG. 4C
wherein insulated bag 20 is completely collapsed and folded upon
itself. Top 24 can be tucked into preformed crease 72 as
illustrated or alternatively, top 24 can be lapped over bottom 26.
A fastening mechanism such as a hook and loop fastener (not shown)
can be used to fasten top 24 to bottom 26 to maintain insulated bag
20 in a folded state until use of bag 20 is again desired. When
insulated bag 20 is again desired to be used, bag 20 is unfolded in
reverse of the above steps and is again ready to receive items for
thermal insulation.
[0027] The above description is considered that of the preferred
embodiments only. Modifications of the invention will occur to
those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the
invention. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown
in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative
purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention,
which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according
to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of
equivalents.
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