Insulated container with thermal storage liner

Abstract

A container assembly has a soft-sided insulated wall structure. It has an internal chamber in which to place objects, such as foodstuffs, to be kept cool or warm. There is a removable liner that is sized to nest snuggly within the outside wall structure. The liner and the outside wall structure have mating mountings. The liner is foldable in a paper bag style to facilitate compact placement in a refrigerator. The liner has thermal storage elements. The bottom wall panel may have two thermal storage elements, and a fold between them. The side walls may be bi-folding, and may have thermal storage elements to either side of the fold. The liner may be waterproof. The liner may be self-folding when placed on its rear face or on its front face, as may be.

1 . A container assembly comprising:
 a soft-sided insulated wall structure defining therewithin a chamber in which to receive objects, said wall structure having a closure operable to govern access to said chamber;   a removable liner mountable within said wall structure;   said wall structure and said liner having mating mountings by which to fix location of said liner when mounted within said wall structure;   said liner being a folding collapsible liner;   said liner having at least a first thermal storage element.   
     
     
         2 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein said liner folds on a paper bag folding pattern. 
     
     
         3 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein, with said liner nested within said soft-sided insulated wall structure, said wall structure and said liner are collapsible and foldable together in a paper bag folding pattern. 
     
     
         4 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein when laid sideways, said liner is biased to self-fold. 
     
     
         5 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein said liner is opaque. 
     
     
         6 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein said liner is open topped and water holding. 
     
     
         7 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein said liner has a base wall, a front wall, a rear wall and folding side walls, and at least one of said thermal storage elements is provided in each of said folding side walls. 
     
     
         8 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein said liner has a base wall and an upstanding peripheral wall; and said base wall has at least one said thermal storage element. 
     
     
         9 . The container assembly of  claim 8  wherein said base wall has first and second ones of said thermal storage elements, and a fold line between said first and second thermal storage elements. 
     
     
         10 . The container assembly of  claim 1  wherein said liner has a base, a front wall, a rear wall, a left hand side wall, and a right hand side wall; said base has a pair of first and second thermal storage elements separated by a transverse fold line running cross-wise between said side walls; said front wall has at least one said thermal storage member; said rear wall has at least one said thermal storage member, and each of said side walls has at least first and second ones of said thermal storage elements separated by a fold line extending in an up-and-down direction. 
     
     
         11 . The container assembly of  claim 10  wherein each of said side walls of said liner is foldable, and mounting hardware is mounted to an upper portions of said side walls distant from said base wall, and said hardware is asymmetrically mounted. 
     
     
         12 . A soft-sided insulated container assembly comprising:
 a soft-sided insulated container and a removable liner, said liner being nestingly matable within said collapsible soft-sided insulated container;   said soft-sided insulated container having a body having a base wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a left-hand side wall, a right-hand side wall, and a top wall;   said base wall, front wall, rear wall, left-hand side wall and right-hand side wall being co-operable to define five sides of a box having a chamber defined therewithin, said box having a top opening;   said lid defining a closure member of said box, and being movable to govern access to said chamber through said opening;   said liner having a bottom wall, front wall, rear wall, left-hand side wall, and right-hand side wall co-operable to define an open-topped receptacle;   said liner being waterproof;   said left-hand side wall and said right-hand side wall being foldable;   said liner being foldable from a deployed position to a folded position;   in said folded position of said liner said left-hand and right-hand sidewalls are folded and said front wall of said liner and said rear wall of said liner are brought closer together than in said deployed position; and   said liner having a thermal storage member defined in a least one of (a) said bottom wall of said liner; (b) said front wall of said liner; and (c) said rear wall of said liner.   
     
     
         13 . The soft-sided insulated container assembly of  claim 12  wherein said soft-sided insulated container is also foldable. 
     
     
         14 . The soft-sided container assembly of  claim 12  wherein said soft-sided insulated container and said liner are foldable together when said liner is nested within said soft-sided insulated container and said assembly is empty. 
     
     
         15 . The soft-sided insulated container assembly of  claim 12  wherein any of said left-hand side wall and said right-hand side wall has a thermal storage element. 
     
     
         16 . The soft-sided insulated container assembly of  claim 12  wherein said soft-sided insulated container and said liner have mating mountings by which to fix location of said liner within said soft-sided insulated container. 
     
     
         17 . The soft-sided insulated container assembly of  claim 12  wherein both said insulated container and said liner are collapsible in a paper bag folding pattern. 
     
     
         18 . The soft-sided insulated container assembly of  claim 12  wherein said liner bottom wall is a bi-folding bottom wall having a fold line extending cross-wise between said left-hand side wall and said right-hand side wall, a first thermal storage member and a second thermal storage member, the fold line extending between said first and second thermal storage members of said bottom wall. 
     
     
         19 . The soft-sided insulated container assembly of  claim 12  wherein:
 said liner bottom wall is a bi-folding bottom wall having a fold line extending cross-wise between said left-hand side wall and said right-hand side wall; a first thermal storage member and a second thermal storage member, the fold line extending between said first and second thermal storage members of said bottom wall; 
 each of said left-hand side wall and said right-hand side wall is bi-folding, and has a fold line extending length-wise away from said bottom wall, a first thermal storage member and a second thermal storage member, the fold line extending between said first and second thermal storage members of each of said side walls; 
 said front wall has at least a first thermal storage member; and 
 said rear wall has at least a first thermal storage member. 
 
     
     
         20 . The soft-sided insulated container assembly of  claim 12  wherein said liner is biased to self-fold.