Food and beverage storage and serving vessel comprising an integral phase change material

• US 7,431,174 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arcticwerx, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rafael K. Thissen
• Inventors: Thissen, Rafael K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stashick; Anthony D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grosso; Harry A
• Application Number:
  US10/818,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20050218146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: 220/23.87, 220/23.89, 220/62.13, 220/62.22, 220/506, 220/573.4, 220/573.5, 220/574.2, 220/592.16, 220/592.17, 220/592.28, 220/703, 220/739
• US Class Current: 220/574.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 41/0044 comprising heat or cold storing elements or material, i.e. energy transfer within the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 41/0077 made of two vessels inserted in each other
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2303/0831 the liquid is disposed in the space between the walls of the container
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/804 Boxes
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/08 portable, i.e. adapted to be carried personally

Abstract

A food and beverage storage and serving vessel includes an inner container, an outer container, and a removable lid. The outer container has a hollow chamber that extends through a bottom wall and a side wall of the outer container. The chamber is filled with a phase change material that stays cold for an extended period of time when chilled, or stays hot for an extended period of time when heated. The inner container is removably assembled into the outer container, where surface contact between the inner container and outer container transfers the cold/heat of the phase change material to a food or beverage contained in the inner container.

Claims

1. A food and beverage, storage and serving vessel comprising:

an inner container having an inner container bottom wall and an inner container side wall that surrounds and extends upwardly from the inner container bottom wall to a top edge of the inner container side wall; and

an outer container formed from an interior layer of material suspended above an exterior layer of material, the outer container having an outer container bottom wall and an outer container side wall that surrounds an extends upwardly from the outer container bottom wall to a top edge of the outer container side wall, wherein a top edge of the interior layer of material is secured to a top edge of the exterior layer of material, the outer container being dimensioned to receive the inner container nested inside the outer container with the outer container bottom wall engaging with a majority of the inner container bottom wall and with the outer container side wall engaging with a majority of the inner container side wall;

an exterior surface of the exterior layer of material provides an elevating apron to elevate the vessel above a supporting surface; and

a locking assembly between the inner container and the outer container is positioned on the outer container side wall and the inner container side wall that removably attaches the inner container to the outer container;

a hollow chamber inside the outer container bottom wall and a hollow chamber inside the outer container side wall; and

,

a phase change material in the outer container bottom wall chamber and a phase change material in the outer container side wall chamber.

2. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

the outer container bottom wall chamber and the outer container side wall chamber are connected together as one continuous chamber.

3. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

the outer container side wall having a height dimension between the outer container bottom wall and the top edge of the outer container side wall; and

the chamber inside the outer container side wall extends upwardly through the outer container side wall for a majority of the height dimension of the outer container side wall.

4. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

the inner container bottom wall and side wall being a single continuous material.

5. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

the inner container bottom wall and side wall being a single continuous piece of metal.

6. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

the locking assembly positioned on the outer container side wall and the inner container side wall adjacent to the top edges of outer container side wall and the inner container side wall.

7. The vessel of claim 6, further comprising:

the locking assembly including a plurality of projections on one of the inner container and outer container and a plurality of recessed slots on the other of the inner container and outer container, the plurality of slots being dimensioned to receive the plurality of projections to removably attach the inner container to the outer container.

8. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

a layer of insulating material on the exterior surface of the outer container, the layer of insulating material being positioned on an opposite side of the outer container bottom wall and the outer container side wall from the inner container.

9. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

the inner container side wall top edge being spaced above the outer container side wall top edge with the inner container nested inside the outer container.

10. The vessel of claim 9, further comprising:

a lid having a peripheral rim that is dimensioned to resiliently fit over the inner container top edge in removably attaching the lid to the inner container.

11. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature indicator on the outer container providing a visual indication of a temperature of the phase change material.

12. A food and beverage, storage and serving vessel comprising:

an inner container formed from a single layer of material with a bottom wall and a side wall that surrounds the bottom wall and extends upwardly from the bottom wall to a top edge of the inner container side wall;

an outer container formed from an interior layer of material suspended above an exterior layer of material, the interior and exterior layers together form the outer container with a bottom wall and a side wall surrounding and extending upwardly from the bottom wall to top edges of the interior and exterior layers that come together at a top edge of the outer container side wall, wherein the top edge of the interior layer is secured to the top edge of the exterior layer, the interior layer being dimensioned to receive the inner container nested inside the interior layer with a majority of the inner container being in surface contact with the interior layer, and the interior and exterior layers being dimensioned to form a hollow chamber between the interior and exterior layers in the outer container bottom wall and the outer container side wall;

an exterior surface of the exterior layer of material provides an elevating apron to elevate the vessel above a supporting surface, and,

a phase change material in the hollow chamber.

13. The vessel of claim 12, further comprising:

the phase change material extending continuously through the hollow chamber in the outer container bottom wall and the outer container side wall.

14. The vessel of claim 12, further comprising:

the hollow chamber and phase change material extend upwardly through the outer container side wall to adjacent the top edges of the interior and exterior layers of material.

15. The vessel of claim 12, further comprising:

a locking assembly between the inner container and the interior layer of the outer container that removably attaches the inner container to the outer container with the inner container in surface contact with the interior layer of the outer container.

16. The vessel of claim 15, further comprising:

the locking assembly including a plurality of projections on one of the inner container and interior layer of the outer container, and a plurality of slots on the other side of the inner container and the interior layer of the outer container, the plurality of slots being dimensioned to receive the plurality of projections to removably attach the inner container to the interior layer of the outer container.

17. The vessel of claim 12, further comprising:

a coating of an insulating material on a side of the exterior layer of the outer container that is opposite the interior layer.

18. The vessel of claim 12, further comprising:

the inner container top edge being spaced above the top edges of the outer container interior and exterior layers with the inner container nested inside the interior layer of the outer container.

19. The vessel of claim 18, further comprising:

a lid constructed of a resilient material and having a resilient peripheral rim that is dimensioned to resiliently fit over the inner container top edge.

20. The vessel of claim 12, further comprising:

a temperature indicator of the exterior layer of the outer container and communicating with the phase change material in the hollow chamber to provide a visual indicator of a temperature of the phase change material.

21. A food and beverage, storage and serving vessel comprising:

an inner container formed from a single layer of material with a bottom wall and a side wall that surrounds the bottom wall and extends upwardly from the bottom wall to a top edge of the inner container side wall;

an outer container formed from an interior layer of material suspended above an exterior layer of material, the interior and exterior layers together form the outer container with a bottom wall and a side wall surrounding and extending upwardly from the bottom wall to top edges of the interior and exterior layers that come together at a top edge of the outer container side wall, wherein the top edge of the interior layer is secured to the top edge of the exterior layer, the interior layer being dimensioned to receive the inner container nested inside the interior layer with a majority of the inner container being in surface contact with the interior layer, and the interior and exterior layers being dimensioned to form a hollow chamber between the interior and exterior layers in the outer container bottom wall and the outer container side wall;

a locking assembly between the inner container and the outer container positioned on the outer container side wall and the inner container side wall that removably attaches the inner container to the outer container; and

a phase change material in the hollow chamber.