Heated or cooled drinkware

• US 10,383,476 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Alexander, Clayton, Wakeham, Christopher Thomas, Leith, Daren John, Timperi, Mikko Juhani
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbitsky, Gail Kaplan
• Application Number:
  US15/705,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20180084943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2205 Drinking glasses or vessels A47G19/23 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2288 with means for keeping liquid cool or hot
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/441 Warming devices or supports for beverage containers warming devices not being part of the beverage-making apparatus A47J36/24; stands or holders for beverage containers not being part of the beverage-making apparatus A47J47/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2444 Drinking cups with heating means drinking vessels with means for keeping liquid hot without integral heating means A47G19/2288
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2466 with integral heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2472 of the cordless type, i.e. whereby the cup can be plugged into an electrically-powered base element
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2494 using heat storage elements or materials, e.g. lava stones
• 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 41/0094 Indicating means, e.g. for level or temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/0202 without integral tamper element
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 53/02 Collars or rings

Abstract

An actively heated or cooled beverage container includes a body chosen from a group consisting of a mug, a cup and a travel mug, the body having a chamber configured to receive and hold a food or beverage therein. The container has a temperature control system that includes a phase change material positioned about at least a portion of the chamber that removes heat from the beverage disposed in the chamber that has a temperature above a predetermined drinking temperature to lower the temperature of the beverage toward the predetermined drinking temperature. One or more heating elements positioned in thermal communication with a different portion of the chamber than the phase change material. The temperature control system also has control circuitry configured to control the operation of the heating element. The temperature control system also includes a ring rotatably coupled to a distal end of the body, the ring configured to rotate about a central axis of the container relative to a proximal portion of the body and to communicate with the control circuitry.

Claims

1. An actively heated or cooled beverage container, comprising:

a body chosen from a group consisting of a mug, a cup and a travel mug, the body having a chamber configured to receive and hold a food or beverage therein; and

a temperature control system, comprising

a phase change material positioned about at least a portion of the chamber, the phase change material configured to transition from one phase to a second phase at a predetermined temperature, the phase change material configured to remove heat from the beverage disposed in the chamber that has a temperature above a predetermined drinking temperature to lower the temperature of the beverage toward the predetermined drinking temperature,

one or more heating elements positioned in thermal communication with a different portion of the chamber than the phase change material,

control circuitry configured to control the operation of the heating element, and

a ring rotatably coupled to a distal end of the body, the ring configured to rotate about a central axis of the container relative to a proximal portion of the body and to communicate with the control circuitry, where rotation of the ring adjusts a temperature setpoint of the temperature control system,

wherein the distal end of the body comprises one or more Hall Effect sensors configured to sense information indicative of one or both of a direction and an amount of rotation of the ring and to communicate one or more signals to the control circuitry of the sensed information, the control circuitry configured to control the one or more heating elements based at least in part on the one or more signals, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the one or more heating elements to add heat to the beverage in the chamber to maintain the temperature of the beverage at approximately the predetermined drinking temperature or to increase the temperature of the beverage above said predetermined drinking temperature based upon the rotation of the ring.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the ring comprises a plurality of magnets on an inner surface of the ring, the one or more Hall Effect Sensors configured to sense the location of the plurality of magnets to generate the one or more signals of the sensed information indicative of one or both of the direction and amount of rotation of the ring.

3. The container of claim 1, further comprising one or more power storage elements configured to provide electrical energy to one or both of the heating element and control circuitry.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein the heating element is disposed below a base of the chamber.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the heating element is disposed circumferentially about at least a portion of the chamber at a location below the phase change material.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the heating element extends around an entire circumference of the chamber.

7. The container of claim 1, further comprising one or more electrical contacts on an outer surface of the body configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on a charging base.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to communicate wirelessly with a remote mobile electronic device.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein the ring and the body are co-axial.

10. The container of claim 1, further comprising a lid removably coupleable to the top end of the body, the lid having a circumferential lip and a base disposed below the lip that is selectively movable relative to the circumferential lip, wherein in a closed position a circumferential edge of the base contacts a bottom of the circumferential lip to inhibit fluid flow through the lid, and wherein in an open position the circumferential edge of the base is spaced apart from the bottom of the circumferential lip to define a circumferential gap therebetween that allows fluid flow through the lid irrespective of the angular orientation of the vessel.

11. The container of claim 10, wherein the base of the lid is spring loaded relative to a distal housing of the lid.

12. The container of claim 10, wherein the base of the lid has a circular shape with and the circumferential edge of the base of the lid has a diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the circumferential lip.

13. The container of claim 10, wherein the base of the lid and the circumferential lip are co-axial.

14. The container of claim 1, further comprising a visual display comprising one or more light emitting diodes configured to display one or more images and a gasket with one or more openings configured to at least partially receive the one or more light emitting diodes therethrough, the gasket configured to inhibit light from the one or more light emitting diodes being directed sideways from the one or more light emitting diodes to inhibit blurring of the one or more images on the visual display.

15. The container of claim 14, wherein the one or more light emitting diodes are a plurality of light emitting diodes and the gasket has a plurality of openings configured to at least partially receive the plurality of light emitting diodes.