Personal heating and cooling device

• US 10,299,525 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Windmaker, LLC
• Original Assignee: Michael Buckman
• Inventors: Buckman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Norman, Marc E
• Application Number:
  US15/698,111
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 62 31, 62 32, 62 35
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 1/008 with means for heating or cooling ventilating arrangements for head coverings A42C5/04
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/286 with forced flow, e.g. by a fan
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/04 reversible

Abstract

Air from a heating or cooling unit stored in a backpack is blown by a fan into an extendable tube and through a delivery tube to deliver heated or cooled air to wearer. The delivery tube can be run into a hat, helmet, or cap to heat or cool the head of the wearer. Alternatively, the delivery tube can bifurcate to create a yoke from which two perforated delivery tubes extend that run over the shoulders of the wearer beneath their clothes to deliver heated or cooled air. The extendable tube allows the wearer to move freely, turning their head side to side or nodding up and down.

Claims

1. A personal cooling device comprising:

an insulated housing, the housing having at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet;

at least one air conditioning unit to cool air, the at least one air conditioning unit comprising, a Peltier module having a hot side and a cold side, heat dissipating means contacting the hot side of the Peltier module, and a cold element contacting the cold side of the Peltier module;

at least one blower disposed to move cooled air from the air conditioning unit; and

a delivery tube configured to deliver a portion of the cooled air through the air outlet; and

wherein said delivery tube is forked into a yoke outside the insulated housing.

2. The personal cooling device of claim 1, wherein said at least one air conditioning unit further includes a heat conductive plate contacting the cold side of the Peltier module.

3. The personal cooling device of claim 2, wherein a surface of said plate and a surface of said cold element are secured to form an air-tight seal between surfaces.

4. The personal cooling device of claim 1, wherein said at least one air conditioning unit is battery powered.

5. The personal cooling device of claim 1, further comprising a blower speed control switch.

6. The personal cooling device of claim 1, further comprising an on/off switch.

7. The personal cooling device of claim 1, wherein said delivery tube is fitted into headgear.