Cooler with Raised Rack

Abstract

A cooler with a raised rack. The cooler with raised rack is a cooler having a base, sidewalls and a pivotally attached lid, forming an interior volume. A raised ledge is placed on the base and around a perimeter of the interior volume, forming a reservoir. A rack rests on an upper surface of the ledge. The rack is designed to support items, such as packages of food and ice, while allowing liquid to pass through openings in the rack, toward the reservoir below. This allows for food and other items to be in contact with cubes of ice while separating them from the melted water, keeping the contents of the cooler both cold and dry.

1 ) A cooler with raised rack, comprising:
 a housing having a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume with an open upper end;   a lid pivotally secured to a top end of a sidewall and configured rotate between an open position and closed position;   a raised ledge disposed within the interior volume of the housing and along an interior perimeter thereof;   a rack having a frame with an outer perimeter dimensioned to fit within the interior volume to a close tolerance and rest on the raised ledge.   
     
     
         2 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is rectangular in shape. 
     
     
         3 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , wherein the housing and lid comprise an insulating material having low heat conductance. 
     
     
         4 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 3 , wherein the insulating material of the housing and the lid comprises a shell having an outer layer and an inner layer and insulating material disposed therebetween; 
     
     
         5 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 4 , wherein the insulting material comprises air. 
     
     
         6 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 4 , wherein the insulating material comprises foam. 
     
     
         7 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , the lid further comprising a protruding rim running along an outer border thereof, the protruding rim configured to fit within the upper end of the housing to a close tolerance when the lid is in the closed position. 
     
     
         8 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , further comprising handles disposed on an exterior surface of the housing. 
     
     
         9 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , further comprising a latch disposed on the sidewall and the lid configured secure the lid in the closed position. 
     
     
         10 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , further comprising an aperture disposed on a bottom end of a sidewall, wherein the aperture opens into the interior volume and is configured to drain liquids therefrom. 
     
     
         11 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 10 , further comprising a plug configured to fit within the aperture to a close tolerance, sealing the aperture shut. 
     
     
         12 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , wherein the rack further comprises a plurality of rods configured to support solid items while allowing liquid to drain therethrough. 
     
     
         13 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , wherein the raised ledge comprises a frame of insulating material. 
     
     
         14 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , wherein the raised ledge is removable. 
     
     
         15 ) The cooler with raised rack of  claim 1 , wherein the raised ledge is integral to the interior of the sidewall of the housing and protrudes therefrom.