Cooler with automatic product height adjustment mechanism

Abstract

A cooler has an upright housing with a sidewall. A product compartment disposed in the housing has a floor and a sidewall that is attached to the floor forming a watertight compartment and to the housing sidewall. Disposed in the product compartment is a product platform that is movable vertically relative to the floor and adapted to hold a plurality of product containers disposed within the product compartment. A telescoping pole has upper and lower end portions and is disposed in the product compartment between the product platform and the floor. A spring coiled about the telescoping pole and disposed between the floor and the product platform exerts an upward force on the product platform to maintain product containers on the product platform at a constant height as product containers are removed from the platform.

1 . A cooler, comprising:
 an upright housing having a sidewall;   a product compartment disposed in said housing, said product compartment having a floor and a sidewall attached to said floor forming a water tight compartment;   connecting means for connecting said housing sidewall and said product compartment sidewall to one another, said connecting means including a rim having a top surface and an underside with a groove therein and being disposed atop said sidewall, said groove receiving a top end portion of said sidewall, said rim being attached to said product compartment and said product compartment suspending from said rim;   a lid attached to said top surface of said rim;   a product platform disposed in said product compartment and automatically movable vertically relative to said floor, said product platform adapted to hold a plurality of product containers disposed within said product compartment;   a telescoping pole having an upper end portion and a lower end portion and being disposed in said product compartment between said product platform and said floor, said upper and lower end portions being slidably movable relative to one another, said telescoping pole adapted to add rigidity to prevent said product platform from tilting when unevenly loaded; and   a constant force spring coiled about said telescoping pole and disposed between said floor and said product platform exerting an upward force on said product platform to automatically maintain product containers on said product platform at a constant height as product containers are removed from said platform.   
     
     
         2 - 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . A cooler, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said pole includes:
 a hollow upper pole section;   a hollow lower pole section, said lower pole section adapted to fit inside said upper pole section and slide freely therein, said first spring being coiled about said upper and lower pole sections;   an intermediate pole section disposed inside said upper and lower pole sections and freely slidable therein; and   a coil spring inside said lower pole section exerting an upward force on said intermediate pole section to urge said intermediate pole section upward as product containers are removed from said platform and said upper pole section moves upward.   
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A cooler, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said upper end portion of said telescoping pole is attached to said product platform. 
     
     
         8 . A cooler, as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein said lower end portion of said telescoping pole is attached to said floor. 
     
     
         9 . A cooler, as set forth in  claim 7 , including a floor plate disposed on said floor, said lower end portion of said telescoping pole being attached to said floor plate. 
     
     
         10 . A cooler, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said pole includes:
 an upper pole section;   a hollow lower pole section, said upper pole section adapted to fit inside said lower pole section and slide therein, said constant force spring being coiled about said upper and lower pole sections;   a hollow intermediate pole section slidably disposed inside said lower pole section, said upper pole section being slidably disposed in said intermediate pole section, said lower pole section defining a longitudinal groove terminating near a top end portion of said lower pole section, said intermediate pole section defining a longitudinal groove terminating near a top end portion of said intermediate pole section;   an upper pin protruding from said upper pole section into said longitudinal groove of said intermediate pole section adapted to limit upward travel of said upper pole section, said upper pole section being freely slidable along the length of said longitudinal groove of said intermediate pole section; and   an intermediate pin protruding from said intermediate pole section into said longitudinal groove of said lower pole section adapted to limit upward travel of said intermediate pole section, said intermediate pole section being freely slidable along the length of said longitudinal groove of said lower pole section.   
     
     
         11 - 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . An automatic product height adjustment mechanism for a cooler, comprising:
 a product platform adapted to hold a plurality of product containers;   a telescoping pole having hollow upper and lower pole sections, one of said upper and lower pole sections adapted to fit inside the other of said upper and lower pole sections and slide freely therein, said upper pole section being attached to said product platform, said telescoping pole adapted to add rigidity to prevent said product platform from tilting when unevenly loaded;   a floor plate attached to said lower pole section;   a constant force spring coiled about said telescoping pole and disposed between said floor plate and said product platform exerting an upward force on said product platform to automatically maintain product containers on said product platform at a constant height as product containers are removed from said platform.   
     
     
         14 . A mechanism, as set forth in  claim 13 , including:
 an intermediate pole section slidably disposed inside said upper and lower pole sections; and   a second spring coiled inside said lower pole section exerting an upward force on said intermediate pole section to urge said intermediate pole section upward as product containers are removed from said platform and said upper pole section moves upward with said product platform.   
     
     
         15 . An automatic product height adjustment mechanism for a cooler, comprising:
 a product platform adapted to hold a plurality of product containers;   a floor plate;   a telescoping pole having a hollow lower pole section and an upper pole section, said lower pole section being attached to said floor plate, said upper pole section adapted to fit inside lower pole section and slide freely therein, said upper pole section being attached to said product platform, said telescoping pole adapted to add rigidity to prevent said product platform from tilting when unevenly loaded;   a constant force spring coiled about said telescoping pole and disposed between said floor plate and said product platform exerting an upward force on said product platform to automatically maintain product containers on said product platform at a constant height as product containers are removed from said platform.   
     
     
         16 . A mechanism, as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein said pole includes:
 an upper pole pole section;   a hollow lower pole section, said upper pole section adapted to fit inside said lower pole section and slide freely therein, said constant force spring being coiled about said upper and lower pole sections;   a hollow intermediate pole section disposed inside said lower pole section and slidable therein, said upper pole section being disposed in said intermediate pole section and slidable therein, said lower pole section defining a longitudinal groove terminating near a top end portion of said lower pole section said intermediate pole section defining a longitudinal groove terminating near a top end portion of said intermediate pole section;   an upper pin protruding from said upper pole section into said longitudinal groove of said intermediate pole section adapted to limit upward travel of said upper pole section, said upper pole section being freely slidable along the length of said longitudinal groove of said intermediate pole section; and   an intermediate pin protruding from said intermediate pole section into said longitudinal groove of said lower pole section adapted to limit upward travel of said intermediate pole section, said intermediate pole section being freely slidable along the length of said longitudinal groove of said lower pole section.   
     
     
         17 - 18 . (canceled)