Cooler for a vehicle

Abstract

A cooler includes a peripheral wall forming a chamber, wherein the chamber is configured to maintain foodstuff in a temperature controlled environment. The cooler can be removably inserted or integrated into the trunk, front trunk or frunk, or side compartment of a vehicle. The cooler optionally includes a partition that subdivides the chamber into a first sub chamber and a second sub chamber. The cooler optionally includes a cooling system that charges a phase change material in the peripheral wall of the cooler.

1 - 120 . (canceled). 
     
     
         121 . A cooler for a vehicle, the cooler removably insertable into a recess in a front trunk or a rear trunk of a vehicle, comprising:
 a peripheral wall forming a chamber, the peripheral wall comprising a phase change material, the peripheral wall having a shape corresponding to a shape of the recess,   an insulated cover movable between an open position and a closed position over the chamber, and   a cooling system operable to charge the phase change material, comprising:
 a conduit and a cooing fluid in the conduit, the conduit extending through the peripheral wall, 
 a first heat sink configured to cool the cooling fluid, the first heat sink comprising a flow path in fluid communication with the conduit, 
 a thermoelectric module configured to remove heat from the first heat sink, 
 a second heat sink, wherein the thermoelectric module is configured to transfer heat to the second heat sink, 
 a fan configured to dissipate heat from the second heat sink, 
 a pump configured to pump the cooling fluid through the conduit, and 
 electrical contacts on a bottom surface of the cooler configured to contact corresponding electrical contacts in the recess, wherein a connection between the electrical contacts of the recess and the electrical contacts of the bottom surface of the cooler is configured to transfer power from the vehicle to the cooling system, 
   wherein the cooling system is configured to operate only when connected to a power source, and wherein the chamber is configured to maintain foodstuff in a temperature-controlled environment.   
     
     
         122 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle. 
     
     
         123 . The cooler of  claim 122 , wherein the cooling system is configured to operate only when the electric vehicle is connected to a power source to charge one or more batteries of the electric vehicle. 
     
     
         124 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the connection between the electrical contacts of the recess and the electrical contacts of the bottom surface of the cooler is configured to transfer power from a battery of the vehicle to the cooling system. 
     
     
         125 . The cooler of  claim 121 , further comprising a partition positioned in the chamber, the partition subdividing the chamber into a first sub chamber and a second sub chamber, wherein the partition comprises a first surface that faces the first sub chamber and a second surface that faces the second sub chamber. 
     
     
         126 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the phase change material is housed in the peripheral wall, wherein the conduit extends through the phase change material so the cooling fluid absorbs heat from the phase change material to charge the phase change material. 
     
     
         127 . The cooler of  claim 126 , wherein the conduit extends through the phase change material in the peripheral wall in a coil like manner. 
     
     
         128 . The cooler of  claim 126 , wherein the conduit comprises fins that extend outward from the conduit into the phase change material. 
     
     
         129 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the peripheral wall has six sides. 
     
     
         130 . The cooler of  claim 129 , wherein the peripheral wall includes a rear wall, a front wall having a smaller width than the rear wall, a pair of sidewalls extending from the rear wall, and a pair of angled walls extending from the pair of sidewalls to opposite ends of the front wall. 
     
     
         131 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the recess is in the front trunk of the vehicle. 
     
     
         132 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the peripheral wall is insulated. 
     
     
         133 . The cooler of  claim 132 , wherein the peripheral wall comprises vacuum insulated panels. 
     
     
         134 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the cooler comprises one or more temperature sensors. 
     
     
         135 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the cooler is configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote electronic device. 
     
     
         136 . The cooler of  claim 135 , wherein the remote electronic device controls one or more functions of the cooler. 
     
     
         137 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the cooling fluid comprises a mixture of water and alcohol. 
     
     
         138 . The cooler of  claim 121 , wherein the cooling system further comprises a reservoir. 
     
     
         139 . The cooler of  claim 138 , wherein the reservoir comprises a valve configured to bleed cooling fluid from the cooling system and/or introduce cooling fluid into the cooling system.