Wine bottle cooler and organizer system

Abstract

The wine bottle cooling and organizer system is a modular set of interlocking spacers that securely hold and chill bottles within a cooler. Each spacer has a hollow interior for liquid cooling and interlocks to form a stable grid, preventing movement and breakage during transport.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wine bottle cooling and organizer system for protecting and cooling fluid containers during transport, comprising:
 a spacer disposable within a cooler, the spacer defining a hollow interior and having an opening for filling the hollow interior with liquid, the spacer further having a generally flat front surface and back surface and an outer perimeter defining a rectangular or square configuration, the spacer including one or more slots configured to interlock with a corresponding slot of another spacer to form a grid structure, the one or more slots being generally equally spaced apart or positioned in the middle; and   a removable cap configured to seal the opening of the spacer, wherein the cap is threaded to the opening to seal the hollow interior, and the spacer includes a notch where the opening is positioned, the notch being disposed within the outer perimeter of the spacer; wherein when interlocked, the spacers define a plurality of cavities, each cavity sized to receive a fluid container.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the number of cavities formed by the interlocked spacers is configured to accommodate 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, or 12 fluid containers. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the slots extend at least half the height of each spacer, allowing two identical spacers to interlock when one is inverted relative to the other. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the spacers are configured to interlock to form two rows by two or more columns, three rows by two or more columns, or four rows by two or more columns of cavities. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow interior is configured to be filled with water or a saline solution. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising salt sufficient to drop the freezing point of the water disposed within the spacer to a freezing point below 0° F. to prevent expansion of the liquid when the spacer is stored in a freezer. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the opening is disposed on a side surface of the spacer. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a max fill line on the spacer to indicate an appropriate fill level to allow for liquid expansion when frozen. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the interlocked spacers, when placed within the cooler, cooperate with the walls of the cooler to define the cavities. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the slots have a width equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the spacer to provide a secure interlocking fit. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the slot is defined by tongue portions on opposed sides of the spacer, the tongue portions configured to fit within corresponding grooves on an interlocking spacer. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to be used with wine bottles, beer bottles, soft drink containers, or other fluid containers. 
     
     
         13 . A method for assembling and using a wine bottle cooling and organizer system for protecting and cooling fluid containers during transport, the method comprising:
 filling a hollow interior of at least one spacer with liquid through an opening of the spacer;   sealing the opening with a cap; placing the spacer in a freezer to cool the liquid;   interlocking at least two spacers together by engaging slots in each spacer to form a plurality of container-receiving cavities; and   inserting the interlocked spacers into a cooler, such that walls of the cooler and the spacers cooperate to define the cavities for receiving fluid containers.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising adding salt into the hollow interior of the spacer so that the liquid is a saline solution with a freezing point below 0° F. to prevent the liquid from transitioning into ice and expanding. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the opening is located on the side surface of the spacer and positioned within a notch such that the cap remains within the outer perimeter of the spacer when assembled. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the spacers are interlocked to form two rows by two or more columns, three rows by two or more columns, or four rows by two or more columns of cavities. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising inserting a set number of fluid containers into the wine bottle cooling and organizer system after the interlocked spacers are placed within the cooler. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising removing the cap and draining the liquid from the spacer after use. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising marking the spacer with a max fill line to prevent overfilling of the liquid. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the container is a cooler.