Thermoelectric cooler and warmer

• US 5,319,937 A
• Filed: 04/26/1993
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Igloo Products Corporation (Dometic Group AB)
• Original Assignee: Igloo Products Corporation (Dometic Group AB)
• Inventors: Fritsch, Udo, Costello, James J. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennet, Henry A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOERRLER, WILLIAM CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US08/052,290
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 62/3.2, 62/3.3, 62/3.6, 62/3.61, 62/3.62, 62/457.9, 62/457.7, 62/455, 62/404, 62/426, 292/253, 292/DIG. 38
• US Class Current: 62/3.62
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/04 reversible
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/06 by forced circulation
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/062 along the inside of doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/16 Convertible refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/38 Plastic latch parts

Abstract

A thermoelectric cooler and warmer which has a unique ventilation system to distribute cool or warm air throughout the unit so that there are no hot or cool spots, a door which is mounted so that it can be easily opened whether the door is facing up or facing front, a lid or door latch which can be easily and reliably operated, and/or a handle configuration which does not unbalance the unit so that it can be advantageously placed with the door up or on an end with the lid or door facing front so that it can be advantageously used as a conventional chest or as a portable mini-refrigerator or warming unit.

Claims

1. A container comprising:

a main body have a base wall and four side walls extending from said base wall so as to define a product receiving compartment, each of said side walls having an outer surface and an inner surface with respect to said compartment;

means defining a door pivotally mounted along one edge thereof to one of said side walls, said door having an outer surface and an inner surface with respect to said compartment, said door having a length dimension and a width dimension, at least one of said dimensions being less than a respective dimension of said main body;

thermoelectric means mounted to one of said side walls, said base wall, and said door for selectively heating or cooling the contents of said product receiving compartment;

first and second handles at least one of pivotally and slidably mounted to two opposed side walls of said main body; and

latching means for releasably coupling another edge of said door to another side wall of said main body, said latching means comprising a mounting portion and a latch portion, said mounting portion being secured to said door, said latch portion being flexibly and resiliently interconnected to said mounting portion so that said latch portion is deflectable relative to said mounting portion, said main body having a catch element defined thereon, said latch portion selectively engaging said catch element to thereby couple said door to said main body.

2. A container as in claim 1, further comprising air circulating means for circulating air within said compartment.

7. A container as in claim 1, further comprising at least one shelf element mounted within said compartment.

10. A container as in claim 1, wherein each of said two opposed side walls has a handle receiving recess in which said handles are mounted, each said handle being substantially U-shaped having a transverse gripping element and first and second leg elements depending therefrom, each said leg element having an channel defined along at least a portion of the length thereof and a distal end wall, and further comprising first and second pin elements projecting into a respective channel so that the handle can slide in the plane of the side wall to which it is mounted and, when said pin elements engage said distal end walls, said main body can be lifted.

11. A container as in claim 10, wherein when said pin elements engage said distal end walls, said handle can be pivoted about said pin elements.

12. A container as in claim 10, wherein said length dimension of said door is less than a length of said main body and said door is mounted to said main body so as to be spaced from each longitudinal end of said main body, and wherein the side walls at the longitudinal ends of said main body terminate adjacent the outer surface of said door so as to define a rim at each longitudinal end of said main body, a said handle being exposed in each said rim and being slidable outwardly therefrom in the plane thereof.

3. A container comprising:

a main body have a base wall and four side walls extending from said base wall so as to define a product receiving compartment, each of said side walls having an outer surface and an inner surface with respect to said compartment;

means defining a door pivotally mounted along one edge thereof to one of said side walls, said door having an outer surface and an inner surface with respect to said compartment, said door having a length dimension and a width dimension, at least one of said dimensions being less than a respective dimension of said main body; and

thermoelectric means mounted to one of said side walls, said base wall, and said door for selectively heating or cooling the contents of said product receiving compartment;

air circulating means for circulating air within said compartment, said air circulating means comprising a fan element, a fan cover having first and second air flow openings and means defining an air flow duct which is operatively coupled to one of said air flow openings of said fan cover at least when said door closes said compartment.

4. A container as in claim 3, wherein said air flow duct comprises a channel defined along a portion of an inner surface of the door and a channel cover mounted thereto so as to define an elongated duct.

5. A container as in claim 4, further comprising at least one air outlet defined through said channel cover at a point along the length thereof.

6. A container as in claim 5, wherein at least two air outlets are defined at spaced locations along the length of the duct, one of said air flow outlets has at least one of more apertures and larger apertures than another of said air flow outlets.

8. A container as in claim 3, further comprising first and second recessed handles pivotally mounted to two opposed side walls of said main body.

9. A container as in claim 3, further comprising first and second recessed handles slidably mounted to two opposed side walls of said main body, said handles being slidable in a plane of the side wall to which it is mounted.

29. A container as in claim 3, further comprising latching means for releasably coupling another edge of said door to another side wall of said main body.

30. A container as in claim 29, wherein said latching means comprises a mounting portion and a latch portion, said latch portion being flexibly and resiliently inner-connected to said mounting portion so that said latch portion is deflectable relative to said mounting portion.

13. A container comprising:

a main body having a base wall and four side walls extending from said base wall so as to define a product receiving compartment;

means defining a door pivotally mounted along one edge thereof to one of said side walls;

thermoelectric means mounted to one of said side walls, said base wall, and said door for selectively heating or cooling the contents of said product receiving compartment; and

latching means for releasably coupling another edge of said door to another side wall of said main body, said latching means comprising a mounting portion and a latch portion, said mounting portion being secured to said door, said latch portion being flexibly and resiliently interconnected to said mounting portion so that said latch portion is deflectable relative to said mounting portion, said main body having a catch element defined thereon, said latch portion selectively engaging said catch element to thereby couple said door to said main body, said door having a length dimension and a width dimension, at least one of said dimensions being less than a respective dimension of said main body.

14. A container as in claim 13, wherein said door has a latch recess defined in said another edge, said mounting portion being disposed in said latch recess, and said main body has a catch recess defined in said another side wall, said catch element being defined in said catch recess.

15. A container as in claim 14, further comprising a cover element coupled to said door so as to cover said latch recess and said mounting portion disposed therein.

16. A container comprising:

a main body having a base wall and four side walls extending from said base wall so as to define a product receiving compartment, each of said side walls having an outer surface and an inner surface with respect to said compartment;

means defining a door pivotally mounted along one edge thereof to one of said side walls, said door having a length dimension and a width dimension;

means mounted to one of said side walls, said base wall and said door for selectively heating or cooling the contents of said product receiving compartment; and

air circulating means for circulating air within said compartment, said air circulating means comprising a fan element, a fan cover having first and second air flow openings, and means defining an air flow duct which is operatively coupled to one of said air flow openings of said fan cover at least when said door closes said compartment.

17. A container as in claim 16, wherein said means defining an air flow duct extends along at least a portion of one of the dimensions of the door.

18. A container as in claim 17, wherein one of said air flow openings is an air inlet and the other of said air flow openings is an air outlet, and said air flow duct is operatively coupled to said air outlet when said door is closed.

19. A container as in claim 16, wherein at least one of said dimensions of said door is less than a respective dimensions of said main body.

20. A container as in claim 17, wherein said air flow duct comprises a channel defined along a portion of an inner surface of the door and a channel cover mounted thereto so as to define an elongated duct.

21. A container as in claim 20, further comprising at least one air passage defined through said channel cover at a point along the length thereof.

22. A container as in claim 21, wherein at least two air passages are defined at spaced locations along the length of the duct, one of said air passages being defined by at least one of more apertures and larger apertures than another of said air passages.

24. A container as in claim 22, wherein when said pin elements engage said distal end walls, said handle can be pivoted about said pin elements.

25. A container as in claim 22, further comprising latching means for releasably coupling another edge of said door to another side wall of said main body, said latching means comprising a mounting portion and a latch portion, said latch portion being flexibly and resiliently interconnected to said mounting portion so that said latch portion is deflectable relative to said mounting portion.

26. A container as in claim 22, further comprising air circulating means for circulating air within said compartment, said air circulating means comprising a fan element, a fan cover having first and second air flow openings and means defining an air flow duct which is operatively coupled to one of said air flow openings of said fan cover at least when said door closes said compartment.

28. A container as in claim 26, wherein said means defining an air flow duct extends along at least a portion of one of the dimensions of the door, said air flow duct comprising a channel defined along a portion of an inner surface of the door and a channel cover mounted thereof so as to define an elongated duct, at least one air outlet being defined through said channel cover at a point along the length thereof.

23. A container comprising:

a main body having a base wall and four side walls extending from said base wall so as to define a product receiving compartment, each of said side walls having an outer surface and an inner surface with respect to said compartment;

means defining a door pivotally mounted along one edge thereof to one of said side walls, said door having an outer surface and an inner surface with respect to said compartment, said door having a length dimension and a width dimension, said length dimension being less than a length of said main body, said door being mounted to said main body so as to be spaced from each longitudinal end of said main body, the side walls at the longitudinal ends of said main body terminating adjacent the outer surface of said door so as to define a rim at each longitudinal end of said main body; and

first and second recessed handles mounted to the side walls at the longitudinal ends of said main body, each of said side walls having a handle receiving recess in which said handles are mounted, each said handle being substantially U-shaped having a transverse gripping element and first and second leg elements depending therefrom, each said leg element having an channel defined along at least a portion of the length thereof and a distal end wall, and further comprising first and second pin elements projecting into a respective channel so that the handle can slide in the plane of the side wall to which it is mounted and, when said pin elements engage said distal end walls, said main body can be lifted, a said handle being exposed in each said rim and being slidable outwardly therefrom in the plane thereof.

27. A container as in claim 23, further comprising means mounted to one of said side walls for selectively heating or cooling the contents of said product receiving compartment.