Container with integrated media display

1. A cooler container having an integrated media display, the container comprising:

a base forming an ice chest with an insulated water-tight storage compartment for holding ice and a plurality of beverages as contents and an orifice at a top for receiving the contents into the insulated storage compartment, the base having a monolithic structure formed from a plurality of insulated side walls and an insulated floor coupled to each of the side walls and opposing the top;

a cover having an exposed top surface, a bottom surface, and an insulated body, the cover being adapted for coupling to the base and closing the top orifice of the ice chest and enclosing the insulated storage compartment; and

a cavity having a rectangular shape integrated between the outer surface and the bottom surface of the cover and having a top opening in the top surface of the cover having an oval shape that is operatively coupled to the cavity, the top opening configured for receiving a rectangular shaped media insert by flexing the media insert including each of four corners that are curved inward for placement of the flexed media insert through the oval top opening and into corresponding corners of the rectangular cavity and the cavity configured for receiving and storing the media insert after being received by the top opening in a substantially planar position, wherein the top opening is configured for displaying a visual display of the media insert received within the cavity.

2. The cooler container of claim 1 wherein the cover is flexibly attached to the base for enabling a user to open the cover and access the storage compartment without separating the cover completely from the base.

3. The cooler container of claim 1 wherein the oval shaped opening and the cavity are each molded as a monolithic cavity in the outer surface of the cover, the cavity having a larger cross-sectional area than the oval shaped opening for receiving the media insert with the flexed corners, and wherein the smaller cross-sectional area of the oval shaped opening is adapted for retaining the media insert within the cavity in the substantially planar position.

4. The cooler container of claim 3 wherein the cavity defines an opposing parallel surface offset from the exposed top surface of the cover for receiving and retaining the media insert.

5. The cooler container of claim 4 wherein the oval shaped opening is dimensioned for receiving the media insert with its corners flexed through the opening and guiding the flexed corners of the media insert into the planar position within the cavity and securing the media insert within the cavity in the substantially planar position.

6. The cooler container of claim 1 , wherein the oval shaped opening and the cavity are each molded in the outer surface of the cover, the cavity having a larger cross-sectional area than the oval shaped opening for receiving the media insert with the flexed corners, and wherein the smaller cross-sectional area of the oval shaped opening is adapted for retaining the media insert within the cavity in the substantially planar position, further comprising a frame insert defining at least a portion of the oval shaped opening and adapted for releasable attachment for securing the oval shaped opening to the top surface of the cover.

7. The cooler container of claim 1 , further comprising a transparent window pane having a rectangular shape and being of a flexible material for substantially closing the oval shaped opening after receiving of the media insert, the top opening being configured for receiving the transparent window pane which is flexed with one or more flexed corners following receipt of the media insert, the window pane being received with each of the four flexed corners being curved inward for placement through the oval top opening and into corresponding corners of the rectangular cavity and the cavity configured for receiving and storing the window pane in addition to the media insert in a substantially planar position.

8. The cooler container of claim 1 wherein the base of the ice chest has a shape selected from the group consisting of a rectangular-shaped box, a cube, and a cylinder.

9. The cooler container of claim 1 , further comprising a stencil adapted for enabling a user to prepare the media insert having proper dimensions for flexing of the media insert including one or more corners for insertion into the oval shaped opening and into the cavity.

10. The cooler container of claim 9 wherein the stencil is adapted for enabling the user to cut the media insert from a packaging containing the contents to be stored in the storage compartment.

11. The cooler container of claim 10 wherein the bottom surface of the cover defines an inner surface of the storage compartment, further comprising a retaining fixture positioned to the bottom surface of the cover adapted for receiving and releasably retaining the stencil.

12. The cooler container of claim 1 wherein the cavity includes a surface adapted as a dry erasable surface.

13. The cooler container of claim 1 wherein the base forming the ice chest and the cover are composed of integrally molded materials.

14. The cooler container of claim 1 wherein a perimeter of the oval-shaped opening has a tapered profile from the outer surface towards the inner rectangular cavity, the tapered profile directionally guiding the corners of the media insert downwardly toward the corners of the recessed rectangular base when the media insert is inserted into the cavity.

15. A cooler having an integrated media display comprising:

a base forming an ice chest having a thermally insulated water-tight storage compartment defined as a monolithic structure by insulated sides and an insulated floor for holding ice and a plurality of beverages as contents and a top orifice opposing the insulated floor for receiving the contents into the storage compartment;

a cover adapted for coupling to the base and closing the top orifice and enclosing the storage compartment;

means for receiving a media insert having a visual display with the media insert being flexed including one or more corners of the media insert being flexed inward, wherein said means for receiving includes receiving the flexed media insert through an oval opening, said means for receiving the media insert being formed in at least one of an outer surface of one of the insulated sides of the base of the cooler and an outer surface of the cover; and

means for storing and displaying the visual display of the received media insert external to the cooler.

16. The cooler container of claim 15 wherein the base forming the ice chest and the cover are composed of integrally molded materials.

17. A method for identifying contents of a cooler comprising:

cutting a flexible media insert having at least one visual display to a rectangular shape four corners that can be flexed inward and having outer dimensions about equivalent to a cavity having a rectangular shape that is integrated between a top surface and a bottom surface of a cover of the cooler, the cooler having a base forming an ice chest with an insulated water-tight storage compartment for holding ice and a plurality of beverages as contents and an orifice at a top for receiving the contents into the insulated storage compartment, the base having a monolithic structure formed by a plurality of insulated side walls and an insulated floor coupled to each of the side walls and opposing the top, the cover having the top surface that is exposed and an insulated body and is adapted for coupling to the base and closing the top orifice of the ice chest and enclosing the insulated storage compartment, and the cavity having a top opening in the top surface of the cover having an oval shape that is operatively coupled to the cavity, the top opening configured for receiving a rectangular shaped media insert by flexing the media insert including one or more of the four corners to be curved inward for placement of the flexed corners through the oval top opening and into corresponding corners of the rectangular cavity and the cavity configured for receiving and storing the media insert after being received by the top opening in a substantially planar position, wherein the top opening is configured for displaying a visual display of the media insert received within the cavity;

inserting the flexed media insert including the one or more flexed corners through the oval-shaped opening on the top surface of the cover; and

positioning the media insert in the cavity in a substantially planar position for displaying the visual display through the oval-shaped opening on the top surface of the cover.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising positioning a stencil on packaging associated with the contents of the cooler, wherein cutting includes cutting about an outline of the positioned stencil.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising storing the stencil in a holding fixture on an underside of the cover enclosing a storage compartment of the cooler.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein inserting includes flexing the media insert including flexing each of the four corners of the media insert inward and positioning the flexed media insert including the inwardly flexed corners through the oval-shaped opening and expanding the four flexed corners into corresponding corners of the rectangular shaped cavity.

21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising releasably attaching a frame insert into a portion of the cavity for securing the inserting and positioned media insert within the insert cavity.

22. The method of claim 17 , further comprising forming the insert cavity into the outer surface of the cover.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein inserting the media insert through an oval-shaped opening by flexing the media insert including each of four corners of the media insert includes placing the media insert through the oval top opening with each of four corners flexed to be curved inward and each flexed corner being placed into corresponding corners of the rectangular cavity.

24. The cooler container of claim 17 wherein a perimeter of the oval-shaped opening has a tapered profile from the outer surface towards the inner rectangular cavity, the tapered profile directionally guiding the corners of the media insert downwardly toward the corners of the recessed rectangular base when the media insert is inserted into the cavity.