Drinkware and plateware and active temperature control module for same
First Claim
1. An actively heated beverage container system, comprising:
- a container made of metal and having a body with an open top end, a circumferential wall and a base, the circumferential wall comprising an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall spaced from each other to define an annular gap therebetween, the body having a chamber defined by the inner circumferential wall and the base, the outer circumferential wall extending distally of the base and defining a cavity below the base and an opening at a distal end of the body;
a cap coupled to the outer circumferential wall and configured to seal the cavity and the opening at the distal end of the body, the cap defining a bottom surface of the beverage container; and
a temperature control module housed in the cavity comprisingat least one heating element in thermal communication with one or both of the base and a side surface of the inner circumferential wall to heat at least a portion of the chamber,control circuitry configured to control operation of the at least one heating element,at least one power storage element configured to provide power to one or both of the control circuitry and the at least one heating element,one or both of a wireless transmitter configured to transmit information of the module to a remote electronic device and a wireless receiver configured to receive information from the remote electronic device including one or more temperature settings, the control circuitry configured to operate the at least one heating element to heat a liquid in the chamber to said one or more temperature settings; and
a button disposed on a surface of the container and configured to actuate a switch of the control circuitry when pressed by the user, the button operable by the user to;
turn on power to the temperature control module,turn off power to the temperature control module,initiate a pairing operation of the container with the remote electronic device,and reset one or more operating parameters of the temperature control module.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An active temperature control module can be used with drinkware and plateware devices. The drinkware can be a mug made of metal, and optionally coated with a ceramic material. The active thermal control module can optionally be removably coupleable to a surface of the drinkware or plateware device. The module can include at least one heating element that can thermally communicate with a surface of the drinkware or plateware device to thereby effect heat transfer through the base to food stuff (e.g., a solid food, a liquid food) in the drinkware or plateware device. The module can include at least one sensor configured to sense a parameter of the foodstuff, and at least one power storage element configured to provide power to the at least one heating element. The module can include control circuitry configured to control operation of the one or more heating elements, and a transceiver configured to transmit operating information of the module to a remote electronic device and to receive operating instructions from the remote electronic device. Optionally, the module can include a heat transfer pack that can thermally communicate with the at least one heating element, and which can be interposed between the at least one heating element and a surface of the drinkware or plateware device.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An actively heated beverage container system, comprising:
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a container made of metal and having a body with an open top end, a circumferential wall and a base, the circumferential wall comprising an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall spaced from each other to define an annular gap therebetween, the body having a chamber defined by the inner circumferential wall and the base, the outer circumferential wall extending distally of the base and defining a cavity below the base and an opening at a distal end of the body; a cap coupled to the outer circumferential wall and configured to seal the cavity and the opening at the distal end of the body, the cap defining a bottom surface of the beverage container; and a temperature control module housed in the cavity comprising at least one heating element in thermal communication with one or both of the base and a side surface of the inner circumferential wall to heat at least a portion of the chamber, control circuitry configured to control operation of the at least one heating element, at least one power storage element configured to provide power to one or both of the control circuitry and the at least one heating element, one or both of a wireless transmitter configured to transmit information of the module to a remote electronic device and a wireless receiver configured to receive information from the remote electronic device including one or more temperature settings, the control circuitry configured to operate the at least one heating element to heat a liquid in the chamber to said one or more temperature settings; and a button disposed on a surface of the container and configured to actuate a switch of the control circuitry when pressed by the user, the button operable by the user to; turn on power to the temperature control module, turn off power to the temperature control module, initiate a pairing operation of the container with the remote electronic device, and reset one or more operating parameters of the temperature control module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An actively heated beverage container system, comprising:
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a container made of metal and having a body with an open top end, a circumferential wall and a base, the body having a chamber defined by the inner circumferential wall and the base, the circumferential wall including an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall spaced apart from the inner circumferential wall and defining an annular channel therebetween, the outer circumferential wall extending distally of the base and defining a cavity below the base and an opening at a distal end of the body; a cap coupled to the outer circumferential wall and configured to seal the cavity and the opening at the distal end of the body, the cap defining a bottom surface of the container; and a temperature control module housed in the cavity, comprising at least one heating element in thermal communication with a surface of the chamber to heat at least a portion of the chamber, control circuitry configured to control operation of the at least one heating element, at least one power storage element configured to provide power to one or both of the control circuitry and the at least one heating element; one or both of a wireless transmitter configured to transmit information to a remote electronic device and a wireless receiver configured to receive information from the remote electronic device including one or more temperature settings, the control circuitry configured to operate the at least one heating element to heat a liquid in the chamber to said one or more temperature settings; and a visual indicator disposed behind a surface of the cap and configured to illuminate in a plurality of colors, the visual indicator operable by the control circuitry to illuminate in a user selected color chosen via the remote electronic device to identify the container, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the visual indicator to illuminate at the user selected color upon receiving a sensed motion signal from a motion sensor indicating movement of the container. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An actively heated mug system, comprising:
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a container made of metal and having a body with an open top end, an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall spaced from each other to define an annular gap therebetween, the body having a chamber defined by the inner circumferential wall and a base, the outer circumferential wall extending distally of the base and defining a cavity below the base and an opening at a distal end of the body; a cap coupled to the outer circumferential wall and configured to seal the cavity and the opening at the distal end of the body, the cap defining a bottom surface of the container; and a temperature control module housed in the cavity comprising at least one heating element in thermal communication with one or both of the base and a side surface of the inner circumferential wall to heat at least a portion of the chamber, at least one power storage element configured to provide power to the at least one heating element, and control circuitry configured to control operation of the at least one heating element, the control circuitry being configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile electronic device paired with the container, including receiving one or more user selected temperature settings from the mobile electronic device, the control circuitry configured to operate the at least one heating element to heat a liquid in the chamber to said one or more user selected temperature settings, receive a motion detection signal from a motion sensor in the container indicating movement of the container, receive a liquid detection signal from a sensor in the container indicating the presence of liquid in the chamber, and operate the at least one heating element upon receiving the motion detection signal and liquid detection signal to heat the liquid in the chamber to the user selected temperature setting; and a button disposed on a surface of the container and configured to be depressed by user to actuate the control circuitry to perform one or more functions chosen from the group consisting of turning on power to the temperature control module, turning off power to the temperature control module, initiating a pairing operation with the mobile electronic device, and resetting the temperature control module. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification