FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for organizing and supporting items in a cooler or ice chest. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for providing removable tray(s) with a cooler, permitting the organization and segregation of various items within the cooler.

BACKGROUND

Cooler and ice chests are known in the art.

However; there have long been many difficulties associated with packing and organizing items in ice chests. For example, when ice is used in an ice chest, the ice eventually melts and water collects in the bottom of the chest. This water can damage items that are sensitive to moisture or are not packaged appropriately. Therefore, it is desirable to pack some items at the top of the chest where they are less likely to be damaged by water. It is also desirable to have easier access to some items relative to other items. For instance, one may wish to access drinks more frequently than food. In this case, it is advantageous to place drinks at the top of the ice chest. When packing the ice chest, it is also very desirable to avoid damage that can occur when items contact each other in the ice chest. For example, it is usually better to place soft or fragile items above and separate from hard and heavy items.

What is required is an ice chest insert system for organizing the contents within an ice chest.

SUMMARY OF ONE OR MORE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Advantages of One or More Embodiments of the Present Invention

The various embodiments of the present invention may, but do not necessarily, achieve one or more of the following advantages.

First, the ability to segregate items of different heights in the cooler, such as cans and bottles, but not limited to such.

Second, the ability to drain water through organizer elements within the cooler.

Third, the ability to place trays with handles inside the cooler liner wherein the trays have a lip that would rest on an edge located about the perimeter of the top of the liner insert.

The ability to place trays with handles inside the cooler where the bottom of the trays rest on a ring that matches the height of the trays.

The ability to organize the internal body of a cavity to sections or compartments of different heights to account for different sized items.

These and other advantages may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification, claims, and abstract.

Brief Description of One or More Embodiments of the Present Invention

In one embodiment, there is cooler liner that would fit snugly inside a cooler. The cooler liner includes an edge pointing inward about the top interior perimeter of the cooler liner. The edge is designed to support trays of different heights inside the cooler liner that abuts the interior cooler sidewalls. Ice is placed in the bottom of the cooler liner, and there is an opening through the liner that permits melted ice to be discharged by an inwardly protruding drain to an external spout that is often found on the bottom exterior of many coolers.

In one aspect, there is provided an ice cooler having a body defining an internal cavity defined by an internal sidewall. A first organizer tray having a first height and a second organizer tray having a second height may be supported in side by side relationship within the internal cavity. One or both of the organizer trays may comprise a vertical divider that divides the respective tray into at least two compartments. A handle may be formed in the vertical divider.

In one aspect, there is provided an organizer system for an ice cooler, ice chest or the like. A first organizer tray having a first height and a second organizer tray having a second height different to the first height are configured to be arranged in side by side relationship. The first organizer tray and the second organizer tray may each comprise a vertical divider that divides the respective tray into at least two compartments. A handle may be formed in the vertical divider that enables the respective tray to be removed from the ice cooler.

In one aspect, there is provided an organizer system for an ice cooler, ice chest, or the like. The organizer system may include first organizer means defining a first tray having a first height. The first organizer means may include first divider means within the first organizer means, the first divider means comprising first handle means for allowing the first organizer means to be removed from an ice cooler. The organizer system may include second organizer means defining a second tray having a second height. Second divider means within the second organizer means may comprise second handle means for allowing the second organizer means to be removed from the ice cooler.

The above description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of one embodiment of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

