TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CARRYING CASE

• US 20100264048A1
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gabriel Sharkey Gunsberg
• Original Assignee: Gabriel Sharkey Gunsberg
• Inventors: Gunsberg, Gabriel Sharkey
• Application Number:
  US12/425,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20100264048A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/314
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/001 Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/02 Interior fittings; Means, e.g. inserts, for holding and packing articles
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 15/00 Purses, bags, luggage or other receptacles covered by groups A45C1/00 - A45C11/00, combined with other objects or articles A45C1/08, A45C3/14, A45C11/321, A45C13/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 5/04 Trunks; Travelling baskets
• CPC Class Codes: G10G 7/005 Carrying cases for musical instruments interior fittings for luggage A45C13/02

Abstract

A temperature-controlled musical instrument carrying case for storing a musical instrument is provided. The musical instrument carrying case includes an insulated outer housing and an interior storage compartment that can store the musical instrument. In addition, the musical instrument carrying case includes a temperature sensitive device, a power source, a controller, and a heat-transfer device. The temperature sensitive device provides an indication of a temperature in the interior storage compartment to the controller. Based on the indication of the temperature, the controller generates and transmits a drive signal to the heat-transfer device. The heat-transfer device receives the drive signal from the controller and, based on the drive signal, at least selectively cools the interior storage compartment.

Claims

1. A temperature-controlled musical instrument carrying case having an interior storage compartment for storing a musical instrument, the case comprising:

an insulated outer housing surrounding the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case;

a temperature sensitive device disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to provide an indication of a temperature in the interior storage compartment;

a power source disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to supply electrical power;

a controller disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to receive electrical power from the power source, to receive the indication of the temperature from the temperature sensitive device, to obtain a determination of whether the temperature in the interior storage compartment is within a predetermined temperature range based on the indication of the temperature, and to generate a drive signal based on the determination; and

a heat-transfer device disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to receive the drive signal from the controller and at least selectively cool the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case based on the drive signal.

2. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 1 wherein the heat-transfer device is a bidirectional heat-transfer device to selectively heat and cool the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case based on the drive signal from the controller.

3. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 2 wherein the drive signal has a predetermined polarity and the bidirectional heat-transfer device selectively heats and cools the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case based on the predetermined polarity of the drive signal.

4. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 2 wherein the controller generates the drive signal having a first predetermined polarity when the determination indicates the temperature in the interior storage compartment is below the predetermined temperature range and generates the drive signal having a second predetermined polarity when the controller determines the temperature in the interior storage compartment is above the predetermined temperature range, the first predetermined polarity being opposite the second predetermined polarity.

5. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 2 wherein the bidirectional heat-transfer device is a solid-state active heat pump that transfers heat from the interior storage compartment to outside the insulated outer housing of the musical instrument carrying case.

6. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 1 further including an inner housing disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment, the inner and outer housings defining a ventilation passage to transfer air between the heat-transfer device and the interior storage compartment, and the heat-transfer device including a fan to move the air between the heat-transfer device and the interior storage compartment.

7. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 6 wherein the inner housing defines a plurality of vent holes through which the fan of the heat-transfer device transfers the air between the heat-transfer device and the interior storage compartment.

8. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 7 wherein the plurality of vent holes are distributed in an uniform pattern through the inner housing to provide uniform distribution of heat transference between the interior storage compartment and the ventilation passage.

9. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 1 wherein the heat-transfer device transfers heat outside the insulated outer housing of the musical instrument carrying case to cool the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case.

10. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 9 further including a cover enclosing the insulated outer housing and including a vent to channel air storing heat from outside the insulated outer housing to outside the cover.

11. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 1 further including a user interface electrically connected to the controller to allow a user of the musical instrument carrying case to control the operative mode of the controller.

12. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 11 wherein the user interface provides a notification indicating an amount of electrical power stored in the power source.

13. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 11 further including an audio recording system electrically connected to the power source to record audio signals from outside the insulated outer housing of the musical instrument carrying case, the audio recording system being in electrical communication with the user interface.

14. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 1 further including a global positioning system embedded between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment, the global positioning system being electrically connected to the power source to generate a signal having positioning information of the musical instrument carrying case.

15. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 1 further including an electrical plug electrically connected to the power source for insertion into an electrical outlet, the electrical plug providing an electrical connection between the electrical outlet and the power source when the electrical plug is inserted into the electrical outlet.

16. A temperature-controlled musical instrument carrying case having an interior storage compartment for storing a musical instrument, the case comprising:

an inner housing surrounding the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case;

an insulated outer housing enclosing the inner housing;

a bidirectional thermoelectric heat-transfer device having an inner thermal conductor and an outer thermal conductor to establish a thermal gradient between the inner thermal conductor and the outer thermal conductor;

the inner and outer housings defining a ventilation duct to transfer air storing heat between the inner thermal conductor of the thermoelectric heat-transfer device and the interior storage compartment;

a battery disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to supply electrical power;

a fan receiving electrical power from the battery to move the air in the ventilation duct to the interior storage compartment;

a temperature sensitive device disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to provide an indication of a temperature in the interior storage compartment;

a controller disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to receive electrical power from the battery, to receive the indication of the temperature from the temperature sensitive device, to obtain a determination of whether the temperature in the interior storage compartment is within a predetermined temperature range based on the indication of the temperature, and to generate a drive signal based on the determination;

wherein the bidirectional thermoelectric heat-transfer device receives the drive signal from the controller to establish the thermal gradient between the inner and outer thermal conductors and the fan moves the air in the ventilation duct across the inner thermal conductor of the heat-transfer device towards the interior storage compartment to selectively heat and cool the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case.

17. A temperature-controlled musical instrument carrying case having an interior storage compartment for storing a musical instrument, the case comprising:

an inner housing surrounding the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case;

an insulated outer housing surrounding the inner housing such that the insulated outer housing and the inner housing define a ventilation duct to transfer air to the interior storage compartment;

a battery disposed between the outer housing and the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case to supply electrical power;

a temperature sensor disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to sense a temperature in the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case and generate a temperature signal indicating the temperature in the interior storage compartment;

a controller disposed between the insulated outer housing and the interior storage compartment to receive the electrical power from the battery, to receive the temperature signal from the temperature sensor, and to generate a drive signal based on whether the temperature in the interior storage compartment is within a predetermined temperature range; and

an electrically-controllable heat-transfer device at least partially disposed in the ventilation duct as well as being configured to receive the drive signal from the controller and selectively transfer heat to and from the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case based on the drive signal thereby selectively heating and cooling the interior storage compartment of the musical instrument carrying case.

18. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 17 wherein the drive signal has a predetermined polarity and the heat-transfer device selectively transfers heat to and from the interior storage compartment based on the predetermined polarity of the drive signal, the heat-transfer device transferring air storing the heat from the ventilation duct to the interior storage compartment when the drive signal has first predetermined polarity, and the heat-transfer device transferring air storing the heat from the interior storage compartment to the ventilation duct when the drive signal has second predetermined polarity, the first predetermined polarity being opposite the second predetermined polarity.

19. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 17 wherein the heat-transfer device is a thermoelectric heat-transfer device to establish a thermal gradient between the ventilation duct and outside the musical instrument carrying case to change the temperature in the interior storage compartment.

20. The musical instrument carrying case of claim 17 further including a fan and wherein the inner housing defines a plurality of vent holes through which the fan moves the air between the heat-transfer device and the ventilation duct to transfer heat between the heat-transfer device and the interior storage compartment.