Heat Transfer Apparatus and Container

• US 20130059259A1
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kismet Design Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kismet Design Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Oldani, Charmayne, Bull, David John, Wyatt, Andrew Richard, Batty, Michael John, Spencer, Peter Charles, McNeil, Sandy
• Granted Patent: US 9,802,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 432/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2411 Baby bottle warmers; Devices for warming baby food in jars
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/10 Bag-type containers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/42 Heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/00 Feeding-bottles in general
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/44 having means for cooling or heating the devices or media
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/18 Arrangements of closures with protective outer cap-like covers or of two or more co-operating closures B65D51/247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/24 combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/18 providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient with thermal insulation B65D81/38; ice-boxes with cooling means F25D
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/34 for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package

Abstract

A container for holding liquid is described. The container defines an inner region inside which liquid is adapted to be held and includes one or more walls for facilitating heating or cooling of the liquid therethrough, the one or more walls being adapted for invagination by a temperature control probe such that the temperature control probe extends into the container without directly contacting contents of the inner region of the container.

Claims

1. A closure for a container, the closure comprising:

an engagement portion to facilitate sealing engagement with an opening region of a container; and

a crown portion including an inner surface adjacent to an inner region of the container and an outer surface opposed to the inner surface, the crown portion attached to or integral with the engagement portion and adapted to form a recess which extends into the inner region of the container to facilitate heat transfer to or from contents of the container;

wherein an overcap is provided to facilitate engagement with the opening region of the container and the overcap includes an access aperture so that the crown portion is accessible without removing the overcap.

2. The closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the crown portion is a resilient material.

3. The closure in accordance with claim 2 wherein the crown portion is a membrane.

4. The closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the crown portion is integral with the engagement portion and is a substantially rigid material.

5. The closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the crown portion includes one or more projections increasing a surface area for facilitating heat transfer between the contents and the crown portion.

6. The closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the crown portion is adapted to be punctured for access to the contents of the container.

7. The closure in accordance with claim 6 wherein the crown portion includes a weakened portion to facilitate controlled puncturing.

8. The closure in accordance with claim 1 further including a tamper evident device operatively connected to the overcap.

9. The closure in accordance with claim 1 further including the container, the container in use being attached to the closure.

10. The method of heating or cooling the contents of a container, the method including the step of:

providing a container including an operatively attached closure in accordance with claim 1; and

inserting the bottle into a dock which includes a temperature-controlled probe for insertion into the recess or invaginating the crown portion.

11. The method of heating or cooling the contents of a container in accordance with claim 10 wherein the method includes the step of inserting the temperature controlled probe into the recess or invaginating the crown portion.

15. The container in accordance with claim 12 wherein the container is a bottle which includes an opening adapted to be closed by a closure in accordance with any claim 1.

18. An apparatus for controlling temperature of liquid within a container, the apparatus comprising:

one or more temperature control probes;

a temperature controller operatively connected to the one or more temperature control probes, the temperature controller adapted for controlling temperature in the one or more temperature control probes wherein the one or more temperature control probes are adapted to invaginate or be otherwise inserted into a wall, or window, or crown of a closure according to of claim 1.

19. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein a dock is provided which is adapted to receive a container.

20. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein the dock includes a dock base and the one or more temperature control probes extends upwardly from the dock base.

21. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein a temperature sensor is provided to sense an initial temperature of a liquid in the container prior to control of the temperature of the liquid.

22. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein the temperature sensor is selected from the group consisting of a thermocouple, a thermistor, an infrared thermometer, and a solid state temperature sensor.

23. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein a user input terminal is provided to receive user inputs including those selected from the group consisting of final desired temperature of the liquid, a specific heat capacity of the liquid, a mass of the liquid in the container, and a maximum permissible liquid temperature.

24. The apparatus in accordance with claim 23 wherein a processor is provided which is adapted to calculate an output energy based on user inputs to the user input terminal.

25. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 which includes a mass sensor to sense the mass of the liquid in the container.

26. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 further including a power source.

32. The closure in accordance with claim 3 wherein the crown portion is constructed from a metal.

33. The closure in accordance with claim 6 wherein a discrete seal is provided, the seal being disposed between the engagement portion and the container or disposed between the crown portion and the container.

34. The closure in accordance with claim 1 including a teat connectable to the overcap to sealingly connect to the opening region of the container to facilitate extraction of container contents from the container.

12. A container for holding liquid, the container defining an inner region inside which liquid is adapted to be held, the container including one or more walls for facilitating heating or cooling of the liquid therethrough, the one or more walls being adapted for invagination by a temperature control probe such that the temperature control probe extends into the container without directly contacting contents of the inner region of the container;

wherein the one or more walls include a crown forming a recess or invagination for insertion by the temperature control probe in use.

14. The container in accordance with claim 12 wherein the crown is substantially rigid and formed into a closed hole substantially corresponding in shape to the temperature control probe.

16. The container in accordance with claim 12 adapted to contain milk.

17. The container in accordance with claim 12 adapted to contain blood.

13. (canceled)

27. A method of controlling temperature of a liquid in a container adapted to receive a temperature control probe, the method including the steps of:

providing a temperature control probe to the container via an invagination in a wall of the container;

and

generating the amount of energy required in the temperature control probe to raise the temperature of the liquid to the desired temperature.

28. The method in accordance with claim 27 further wherein the method includes the following steps:

measuring an initial temperature of liquid in the container;

obtaining one or more of the following data;

i. the final desired temperature of the liquid in the container;

ii. a specific heat capacity of the liquid in the container;

iii. a mass of the liquid in the container;

iv. a heat loss correction factor; and

calculating an amount of energy required to heat or cool the liquid to the desired temperature as a function of the initial temperature and the data.

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein one or more of the desired temperature of the liquid, specific heat capacity of the liquid, mass of the liquid, and heat loss correction factor are input by a user.

30. The method according to claim 27 wherein the liquid is milk.

31. The method according to claim 27 wherein the liquid is blood.