Thermally neutral portable power sources
First Claim
1. A portable device that includes a housing,an energy source mounted within said housing,an energizeable load mounted within said housing being connected to said energy source which when energized converts at least some of the source energy into heat,thermal means disposed entirely in said housing, said thermal means being in heat transfer relationship with the load and the housing that contains a phase change material which changes state at a desired temperature to maintain the housing in a thermally neutral condition wherein the housing neither rejects or accepts heat energy from its surrounding environment, andmeans for initializing the phase change material to a desired state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A passive thermal mechanism for controlling the environmental temperature of a device having a battery and heat producing load contained within a portable housing so that the housing will remain in a thermally neutral condition and the battery will be maintained in an optimum operating condition.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A portable device that includes a housing,
an energy source mounted within said housing, an energizeable load mounted within said housing being connected to said energy source which when energized converts at least some of the source energy into heat, thermal means disposed entirely in said housing, said thermal means being in heat transfer relationship with the load and the housing that contains a phase change material which changes state at a desired temperature to maintain the housing in a thermally neutral condition wherein the housing neither rejects or accepts heat energy from its surrounding environment, and means for initializing the phase change material to a desired state.
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9. A portable device that includes
a housing, a battery mounted within said housing, an energizeable load also mounted within said housing that is connected to said battery which, when energized, converts at least some of the battery energy into heat, a first inner thermal means disposed entirely in said housing, said first inner thermal means being in thermal communication with the battery that contains a first phase change material that changes state at a first desired temperature to maintain the battery at an optimum operating temperature, a second outer thermal means disposed entirely in said housing, said second outer thermal means being in thermal communication with the load and the housing which contains a second phase change material that changes state at a second desired temperature to maintain the housing at a thermally neutral condition wherein the housing neither rejects nor accepts thermal energy from its surrounding ambient, and means for initializing said first phase change material and said second phase change material to a desired state.
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13. In combination,
a portable device having a housing, a rechargeable battery within said housing that is connected to a load that converts at least some of the battery energy to heat and thermal means containing a phase change material that changes state at a desired temperature that is in thermal communication with the load and the housing whereby the housing is maintained in a thermally neutral condition so that it neither rejects nor accepts energy from its surrounding ambient as the material changes state, a charging stand for removably receiving said housing, a first coacting means in the stand and the device for charging said battery when said housing is received within said stand, and a second coacting means in the stand and the device for placing the phase change material in communication with a heat pump means within the stand for initializing the phase change material to a desired state when the housing is received within said stand.
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15. A method of maintaining a thermally neutral environment in a portable device comprising the steps of:
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disposing an energy source in a housing; mounting an energizeable load within said housing; connecting said energizeable load to said energy source, which when energized converts at least some of the source energy into heat; disposing a first thermal means entirely in said housing, and placing said first thermal means in heat transfer relationship with the load and the housing; placing a first phase change material in said first thermal means, said first phase change material changing state at a desired temperature to maintain the housing in a thermally neutral condition, wherein the housing neither rejects or accepts heat energy from its surrounding environment; and initializing the first phase change material to a desired state with a heat pump. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification