text: The present invention generally relates to refrigeration units. More particularly, the present invention relates to a food cooling container which is designed in size so as to be portable for placement on counter tops, used for picnics, pot-luck events and the like.
  While the refrigerator is an excellent tool for keeping perishable food items fresh, there are certain drawbacks associated with their use. Foremost is the fact that the perishable foods must be kept inside the refrigerator in order to last any period of time. However, items such as fruit and vegetables which are stored in areas of the refrigerator which are not readily seen or frequently accessed can go unnoticed until they begin to spoil. However, placing fruit or vegetables on a kitchen counter, while more easily noticed, severely limits their life span as spoilage occurs at a faster rate. Moreover, such foods are often more desirable when cool. Furthermore, salad greens and vegetables tend to wilt and dry out when stored in conventional vessels.
  Similar problems are often encountered while hosting a dinner, or during pot-luck events. Lettuce tends to wilt and cheese dries out when serving such perishables in the traditional manner. Foods containing mayonnaise, eggs, or milk are particularly susceptible to food spoilage even within an hour or two.
  In restaurants and other places with self-service buffets, tables and counters are often provided with cooling wells in the table or countertop for such food that must be kept cold to preserve its quality. Such cooling wells comprise box-shaped recesses or depressions in a table or counter top with external surrounding cooling tubes or a cooling jacket. However, such commercial cooling wells are often not available to the typical home owner or dinner host. Moreover, such cooling wells and tables are very expensive, occupy a significant amount of space, are not portable and also have disadvantages. For example, even in such restaurant settings, the displayed food will gradually become wilted, dried out or otherwise drab and unappetizing.
  Picnics and cookouts are popular recreational pastimes during the summer months. Oftentimes, food is catered, such as to the movie industry, in an outdoor setting as well. A potential hazard for outdoor eating, however, is food spoilage. Such foods are often kept in a picnic cooler up until serving time. However, once people begin to eat, such foods are usually moved from the cooler and placed on the serving table, where it may sit for several hours while people eat, talk, play games, etc. Particularly in the summer months, the food is very susceptible to drying out, wilting and spoilage.
  Attempts have been made in the past to overcome these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,633 relates to a salad bowl having a relatively flat interior partition separating the bowl into an upper food containing receptacle and a lower ice-containing chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,784 discloses a salad bowl comprising interior and exterior bowls, with a cooling chamber filled with cold water or the like therebetween. However, these devices only serve to keep food cool for a very short period of time. Moreover, these devices do not address the problems associated with wilting and drying of the surface of the food to be served. Moreover, these devices can be messy in that the water can spill from these devices on the serving table as the food is removed from the containers, or they are transported.
  Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a food cooling container which overcomes the problems discussed above and takes into account the drawbacks associated with prior devices and systems. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
  The present invention resides in a portable refrigeration apparatus which is sized such so as to be placed upon one""s counter top, or even transported in one""s car or the like. The refrigeration apparatus of the present invention can be used for prolonged periods of time so long as a power source, such as an electrical outlet or battery power, is supplied thereto. The apparatus of the present invention is intended to overcome the problems associated with forgotten food in refrigerators, unappetizing drying and wilting of exposed foods, as well as spoilage of foods left out for prolonged periods of time.
  The refrigeration apparatus of the present invention generally comprises a base having a circumferential wall defining an open interior cavity. The base is preferably insulated, and may comprise a dual wall having an insulating space therebetween. An electric refrigeration unit is operably disposed in the base for cooling the contents of the interior cavity. The refrigeration unit typically comprises a compressor, a cooling coil coupled to the compressor, and a fan for directing cool air into the interior cavity. A temperature control mechanism and dial may be coupled to the refrigeration unit to alter the temperature of the interior cavity.
  A food container is provided which is configured to be removably disposed within the interior cavity of the base. A wall having apertures may be disposed, or formed, in the base between the refrigeration unit and the food container. The food container may be generally solid, or include a plurality of apertures therethrough for permitting cool air to flow into the food container. The food container may also be compartmentalized to accommodate different food items.
  A lid is positionable over the food container, and is preferably configured to form a generally air-tight seal between it and an upper edge of the base.
  A vent is formed between the base and the food container to permit cool air to flow above the food container. The vent can take many forms, including an irregular ledge supporting a rim of the food container to permit passage of cool air between the base and the rim of the food container. More preferably, however, the vent comprises apertures formed in an upper portion or rim of the food container for permitting cool air to flow therethrough.
  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.