Lighted cooler device

Abstract

A lighted cooler device for illuminating an interior of the cooler includes a housing having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall that is attached to and extends upwardly from the bottom wall defining an interior space. The peripheral wall has an upper edge defining an opening into the interior space. A lid is positionable on the housing and abuts the upper edge to selectively cover the opening. A lighting mechanism that illuminates the interior space is coupled to at least one of the housing and the lid. A power mechanism is coupled to the lighting mechanism to power the lighting mechanism. An activation mechanism is coupled to the lighting mechanism and the power mechanism to actuate the lighting mechanism when the lid is not covering the opening.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An illuminated cooler assembly comprising:
 a housing having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall being attached to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall defining an interior space, the peripheral wall having an upper edge defining an opening into the interior space;   a lid being positionable on the housing and abutting the upper edge to selectively cover the opening;   a lighting mechanism being coupled to at least one of the housing and the lid, the lighting mechanism illuminating the interior space;   a power mechanism being coupled to the lighting mechanism; and   an activation mechanism being coupled to the lighting mechanism and the power mechanism, the activation mechanism actuating the lighting mechanism.   
     
     
         2 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , the peripheral wall further comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall. 
     
     
         3 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 2 , further comprising a pair of handles being pivotably coupled to one of the first and second side walls; 
     
     
         4 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lid is pivotably coupled to the peripheral wall. 
     
     
         5 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , the lighting mechanism further comprising a plurality of housing lights being coupled to an interior surface of the peripheral wall. 
     
     
         6 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of housing lights is vertically arranged on the interior surface. 
     
     
         7 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 5 , the power mechanism further comprising a housing power source being electronically coupled to the plurality of housing lights. 
     
     
         8 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 7 , the activation mechanism further comprising:
 a housing processor being coupled to the housing power source and to the plurality of housing lights, the housing processor being configured to actuate the plurality of housing lights;   a housing contact plate being coupled to the peripheral wall, the housing contact plate being electronically coupled to the housing processor;   a lid contact plate being coupled to the lid, the lid contact plate being aligned with and touching the housing contact plate when the lid is covering the opening; and   the housing processor actuating the plurality of housing lights when the housing contact plate is separated from the lid contact plate whereby the plurality of housing lights illuminates the interior space.   
     
     
         9 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , the lighting mechanism further comprising a plurality of lid lights being coupled to an interior side of the lid. 
     
     
         10 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 9 , the power mechanism further comprising a lid power source being electronically coupled to the plurality of lid lights. 
     
     
         11 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 10 , the activation mechanism further comprising:
 a lid processor being coupled to the lid power source and to the plurality of lid lights, the lid processor being configured to actuate the plurality of lid lights;   a housing contact plate being coupled to the peripheral wall;   a lid contact plate being coupled to the lid, the lid contact plate being electronically coupled to the lid processor, the lid contact plate being aligned with and touching the housing contact plate when the lid is covering the opening; and   the lid processor actuating the plurality of lid lights when the housing contact plate is separated from the lid contact plate whereby the plurality of lid lights illuminates the interior space.   
     
     
         12 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 10 , the lid power source further comprising:
 a solar panel being coupled to an exterior side of the lid; and   a battery being electronically coupled to the solar panel.   
     
     
         13 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a pair of handles being pivotably coupled to an exterior surface of the peripheral wall. 
     
     
         14 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a lip being coupled to an interior surface of the peripheral wall. 
     
     
         15 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the lip is positioned proximate to the upper edge. 
     
     
         16 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 14 , further comprising a basket being removably positionable within the interior space, the basket being removably coupled to the lip when the basket is positioned in the interior space. 
     
     
         17 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , wherein an exterior side of the lid has a well being formed therein, the well being configured to hold a beverage container. 
     
     
         18 . The illuminated cooler assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a latch having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being positioned on an exterior surface of the peripheral wall, the second portion being positioned on the lid, the first portion aligning with and being engageable with the second portion when the lid is covering the opening. 
     
     
         19 . An illuminated cooler assembly comprising:
 a housing having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall being attached to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall defining an interior space, the peripheral wall having an upper edge defining an opening into the interior space, the peripheral wall having a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall;   a lid being positionable on the housing and abutting the upper edge to selectively cover the opening, the lid being pivotably coupled to the peripheral wall;   a lighting mechanism being coupled to at least one of the housing and the lid, the lighting mechanism illuminating the interior space, the lighting mechanism comprising:
 a plurality of housing lights being coupled to an interior surface of the peripheral wall, the plurality of housing lights being vertically arranged along each junction between the front wall, the first and second side walls, and the rear wall; 
 a plurality of lid lights being coupled to an interior side of the lid, the plurality of lid lights being arranged across the interior side of the lid; 
   a power mechanism being coupled to the lighting mechanism, the power mechanism comprising:
 a housing power source being coupled to the peripheral wall, the housing power source being electronically coupled to the plurality of housing lights; 
 a lid power source being coupled to the lid, the lid power source being electronically coupled to the plurality of lid lights, the lid power source comprising:
 a solar panel being coupled to the exterior side of the lid; 
 a battery being electronically coupled to the solar panel; 
 
   an activation mechanism being coupled to the lighting mechanism and the power mechanism, the activation mechanism actuating the lighting mechanism, the activation mechanism comprising:
 a housing processor being coupled to the housing power source and the plurality of housing lights, the housing processor being configured to actuate the plurality of housing lights; 
 a lid processor being coupled to the lid power source and to the plurality of lid lights, the lid processor being configured to actuate the plurality of lid lights; 
 a housing contact plate being coupled to the peripheral wall, the housing contact plate being electronically coupled to the housing processor, the housing contact plate being positioned on the upper edge along the rear wall; 
 a lid contact plate being electronically coupled to the lid processor, the lid contact plate being coupled to the lid, the lid contact plate being aligned with and touching the housing contact plate when the lid is covering the opening; 
 the housing and lid contact plates closing an electrical circuit between the housing processor and the lid processor when the housing contact plate is touching the lid contact plate, the electrical circuit transferring the electrical charge from the battery to the housing power source when the electrical circuit is closed; 
 the housing and lid processors actuating the plurality of housing lights and the plurality of lid lights when the electrical circuit is opened whereby the plurality of housing lights and the plurality of lid lights illuminate the interior space; 
   a pair of handles, each of the pair of handles being pivotably coupled to one of the first and second side walls;   a lip being coupled to the interior surface of the peripheral wall;   a basket being removably positionable within the interior space, the basket being removably coupled to the lip when the basket is positioned in the interior space;   wherein an exterior side of the lid has a well being formed therein, the well being configured to hold a beverage container; and   a latch having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being positioned on an exterior surface of the front wall, the second portion being positioned on the lid, the first portion aligning with and being engageable with the second portion when the lid is covering the opening.