Beverage cooler having a cold plate and plastic ice bin

An improved ice cube hopper for securement to a cold plate, comprising

• (a) an open ended tubular plastic hopper having plastic walls for forming the upright sides of the ice cube bin;
• and
• (b) a rigid materially discrete structural adaptor around one end of the hopper for permanent and sanitary connection of the hopper to a cold plate, said adaptor having
• (1) a tongue permanently adjoined and sealed to the plastic walls,
• (2) means below the tongue for securement of the adaptor to the cold plate,
• (3) means for fluid tightly sealing the adaptor to the cold plate, and
• (4) means for smoothly blending the plastic walls into a flat upper surface which will be generally co-planar with an upper surface of the cold plate when said hopper is mounted and secured to the cold plate.

A rigid adaptor for sanitary connection of a thermo plastic ice cube hopper to a cast aluminum cold plate, comprising

• (a) a plate flange for securement to a peripheral side of the cold plate;
• (b) a tongue extending above and from the plate flange, said tongue being permanently adjoinable into the plastic hopper and having means for positive up-down and fore-aft locations and securement of the plastic hopper to the adaptor;
• (c) an L-shaped plate arm in between the tongue and the plate flange, said arm having an inner arm extending generally outward from the tongue and an upward extending outer arm which is spaced from and is generally alongside of the tongue;
• and
• (d) a foam arm in between the tongue and the plate flange, said foam arm being on an opposite side of the adaptor from the plate arm.

An improved beverage cooler, comprising

• (a) a cast aluminum cold plate;
• (b) a tubular open ended thermo plastic ice cube hopper having an open bottom end permanently and sanitarily secured to a peripheral surface of the cold plate;
• (c) a thermo plastic exterior shell spaced from and not in contact with the cold plate;
• (d) foamed-in-place thermal insulation between the shell and the cold plate-ice cube hopper;
• and
• (e) a rigid structural top molding on the hopper and the shell;
• said molding having
• (1) an outer flange permanently secured to the shell,
• (2) an inner flange permanently secured to the inside of a top end of the hopper, and
• (3) a peripheral rim extending outward beyond the shell and the outer flange, said cooler being supportable in a countertop by said rim.