초록 ▼

A water cooler with a rapidly detachable exterior panel. A water cooler with a detachable panel may have a wrapper with at least one detachable panel, and the wrapper may have multiple apertures to receive fasteners that may receive corresponding rear surface projections located on the rear surface

A water cooler with a rapidly detachable exterior panel. A water cooler with a detachable panel may have a wrapper with at least one detachable panel, and the wrapper may have multiple apertures to receive fasteners that may receive corresponding rear surface projections located on the rear surface of the panel. A water cooler with a detachable exterior panel may have a wrapper with at least one detachable panel, and one or more tensioning devices to cause the exterior panel to be placed in frictional and removable engagement against the wrapper.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A water cooler with a wrapper and at least one exterior, snap-fit panel which engages directly to the wrapper and is capable of being rapidly joined as well as rapidly detached from the wrapper without a need for using screws, the at least one exterior panel including a plurality of rear surface

1. A water cooler with a wrapper and at least one exterior, snap-fit panel which engages directly to the wrapper and is capable of being rapidly joined as well as rapidly detached from the wrapper without a need for using screws, the at least one exterior panel including a plurality of rear surface projections, wherein the wrapper has a plurality of apertures which receive a corresponding plurality of press-fit, expandable and compressible fasteners, the fasteners each comprising a hollow shaft, and wherein each of the projections insert into the corresponding wrapper apertures and pass through at least a portion of the hollow shaft of the corresponding fasteners, whereby due at least in part to the expandable and compressible nature of the press-fit fasteners, the at least one exterior panel is assembled to a wrapper in a snap-fit fashion, and rapidly joins and rapidly detaches from wrappers having varying wall thicknesses; wherein each press-fit fastener comprises: a body;a first end with an anchor adapter that is located on the outer surface of the wrapper and receives the corresponding rear surface projection;a tapered second end; anda gap on the body of the fastener, wherein the gap enables contraction and expansion of the body of the fastener. 2. The water cooler of claim 1, wherein each fastener comprises at least one hook on the body which grips the wrapper upon expansion of the fastener. 3. The water cooler of claim 1, wherein each fastener further comprises at least one hook, which is generally triangular-shaped in cross-section. 4. The water cooler of claim 1, wherein each fastener comprises at least one of the following: a hard plastic; a metal; and an elastomeric material. 5. The water cooler of claim 1, wherein each fastener comprises a grommet. 6. The water cooler of claim 1, wherein the panel comprises Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). 7. A water cooler, comprising: a wrapper having a plurality of apertures;at least one snap-fit exterior panel which directly engages the wrapper, wherein the at least one exterior panel carries rearwardly-extending projections which mate within the wrapper apertures, and the at least one exterior panel is capable of being rapidly joined as well as rapidly detached from the wrapper without a need for using screws; andone or more tensioning devices associated with the rearwardly-extending projections, wherein the one or more tensioning devices cause the exterior panel to be placed in frictional and removable engagement against the wrapper, whereby due at least in part to the use of the tensioning devices, the at least one snap-fit exterior panel rapidly joins and rapidly detaches from wrappers having varying wall thicknesses;wherein each wrapper aperture holds a corresponding tensioning device, and each rearwardly-extending projection comprises an L-shaped rear surface projection, and wherein each tensioning device is removably attached to the corresponding L-shaped rearwardly-extending projection. 8. The water cooler of claim 7, wherein the one or more tensioning devices each comprise a leaf spring. 9. The water cooler of claim 8, wherein each leaf spring has first and second ends. 10. The water cooler of claim 9, further comprising one or more shoes that are each removably attached to a respective end of the leaf spring. 11. The water cooler of claim 10, wherein each shoe comprises polyoxymethylene (POM). 12. The water cooler of claim 8, wherein an end of each leaf spring is a shoe. 13. The water cooler of claim 7, wherein the wrapper comprises High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). 14. The water cooler of claim 7, wherein the panel comprises Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). 15. The water cooler of claim 7, further comprising a securing means on the panel to prevent the panel from disengaging from the wrapper.