Cooler having freeze bottle insert

Claim 1

A portable cooler including: a hollow chest having a top lip adapted to be opened for rendering the interior of the chest accessible; a closed, ice-filled bottle for local application of cold to the contents of a plurality of individual containers to be placed in said chest; and means in the chest for retaining the bottle in a preselected position within the chest, said bottle having a corrugated, outer surface, presenting a series of spaced, elongated concavities, each cavity conforming in shape with the outer configuration of a corresponding container to be placed in the chest, whereby the containers directly engage the bottle in the concavities both longitudinally and transversely of the concavities, said bottle being waterproof whereby, as the ice melts in response to absorption of the heat of said container contents, the resultant liquid will be retained in the bottle, said chest having upwardly-facing shoulder means intermediate said lid and the bottom of the chest for supporting the bottle horizontally in the chest, said surface of the bottle facing upwardly when the bottle is resting on said shoulder means, said chest having a pair of opposed walls, each wall having an internal, upright, bottle-receiving groove for optional support of the bottle vertically in the chest.