Serving Stand Cooler

Abstract

A portable insulated cooler device useful as a self-contained cold food/beverage serving stand. The cooler has a main lid selectively closing a top opening, the top opening supporting one or more removable food container trays with apertures for holding separately sealed food containers. A cold compartment is located below the trays and is in direct thermal communication with the underside of the trays. The trays preferably fill the top opening to seal and insulate the cold compartment relative to the top opening. An access door is formed in a side wall of the cooler for direct access to the cold compartment, and a movable shelf can be folded down flat over the access door when not in use, and folded up to a convenient serving position above the access door that also shields the access opening when the door is open.

1 . A cooler for serving cold foods and beverages, comprising:
 an insulated cooler body with a top opening and a main lid attached to the body to selectively cover the top opening;   a removable food container tray supported in the top opening, and a plurality of removable, separately-sealed food containers mounted in recessed fashion in mating apertures in the tray;   a thermal compartment below the food container tray and in thermal communication with an underside of the food container tray and with lower portions of the food containers mounted in the tray;   an access opening in a side wall of the cooler at a height below the removable food container tray, the access opening communicating directly with the thermal compartment and further including a selectively closeable door; and,   an exterior shelf movable between a lowered storage position stored essentially flat against the side wall over the access opening and the door when the door is closed, and a raised serving position projecting horizontally from the cooler above the access opening above the door with sufficient clearance to allow the door to be opened underneath the shelf.   
     
     
         2 . The cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the cooler body is mounted on a wheeled support frame, the cooler body movable on the frame between a lowered transport position and a raised serving position. 
     
     
         3 . The cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the access opening is in a front sidewall of the cooler and the main lid opens to a back side of the cooler. 
     
     
         4 . The cooler of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of removable food container trays supported in the top opening. 
     
     
         5 . The cooler of  claim 4 , wherein the removable food container trays cover the top opening of the cooler to seal and insulate the cold compartment beneath. 
     
     
         6 . The cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the removable food container tray covers the top opening of the cooler to seal and insulate the cold compartment beneath. 
     
     
         7 . The cooler of  claim 1 , wherein upper ends of the food containers mounted in the food container tray include individual covers. 
     
     
         8 . The cooler of  claim 1 , wherein upper end of the food containers mounted in the food container tray are covered by the main lid when the main lid is in a closed position on the cooler body. 
     
     
         9 . The cooler of  claim 1 , wherein the food container tray is supported on peripheral edges of the tray by an upper edge of the top opening of the cooler body.