Portable cooler with active temperature control

• US 10,670,323 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2019
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Alexander, Clayton, Leith, Daren John, Timperi, Mikko Juhani, Wakeham, Christopher Thomas, Emmert, Jacob William, Koch, Joseph Lyle, Baumann, Frank Victor, Lin, Clifton Texas, Roknaldin, Farzam, Stabb, Mark Channing
• Primary Examiner(s): Russell, Devon
• Application Number:
  US16/389,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20190323756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/04 reversible
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0211 of fans
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0212 of electric power, current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0251 by a gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/003 Transport containers
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/06 by forced circulation
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/34 Temperature balancing devices
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/40 Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 31/00 Other cooling or freezing apparatus

Abstract

A portable cooler container with active temperature control system is provided. The active temperature control system is operated to heat or cool a chamber of a vessel to approach a temperature set point suitable for a medication stored in the cooler container.

Claims

1. A portable cooler container with active temperature control, comprising:

a container body having a chamber configured to receive and hold one or more volumes of perishable liquid, the chamber defined by a base and an inner peripheral wall of the container body, the container body comprises an outer peripheral wall and a bottom portion attached to the outer peripheral wall, the inner peripheral wall being spaced relative to the outer peripheral wall to define an empty gap under vacuum between the inner peripheral walll and the outer peripheral wall, the base spaced apart from the bottom portion to define a cavity between the base and the bottom portion;

a lid hingedly coupleable or removably coupleable to the container body; and

a temperature control system housed in the cavity of the container body, comprising

one or more thermoelectric elements configured to actively heat or cool at least a portion of the chamber,

one or more power storage elements,

circuitry configured to control an operation of the one or more thermoelectric elements to heat or cool at least a portion of the chamber to a predetermined temperature or temperature range, the circuitry further configured to wirelessly communicate with a cloud-based data storage system or a remote electronic device; and

an electronic display screen disposed on one or both of the container body and the lid, the display screen configured to selectively display shipping information for the portable cooler container.

2. The portable cooler container of claim 1, wherein the electronic display screen is an electrophoretic display screen.

3. The portable cooler container of claim 1, further comprising a button or touch screen manually actuatable by a user to automatically switch sender a nd recipient information on the display screen to facilitate return of the portable cooler container to a sender.

4. The portable cooler container of claim 1, further comprising means for thermally disconnecting the one or more thermoelectric elements from the chamber to inhibit heat transfer between the one or more thermoelectric elements and the chamber.

5. The portable cooler container of claim 1, wherein the temperature control system further comprises a first heat sink unit in thermal communication with one side of the one or more thermoelectric elements, a second heat sink unit in thermal communication with an opposite side of the one or more thermoelectric elements, one or more fans, and one or more air intake openings and air exhaust openings defined in the bottom portion of the container body the first heat sink configured to heat or cool at least a portion of the chamber.

6. The portable cooler container of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors configured to sense the one or more parameters of the chamber or temperature control system and to communicate the sensed information to the circuitry.

7. The portable cooler container of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature in the chamber and to communicate the sensed temperature to the circuitry, the circuitry configured to communicate the sensed temperature data to the cloud-based data storage system or remote electronic device.

8. The portable cooler container of claim 5, further comprising one or more electrical contacts on a rim of the container body configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on the lid when the lid is coupled to the container body so that the circuitry controls the operation of the one or more thermoelectric elements and one or more fans when the lid is coupled to the container body.

9. The portable cooler container of claim 1, further comprising a removable tray removably insertable in the chamber, the one or more volumes of perishable liquid comprising one or more containers of medicine removably received in one or more compartments of the tray to releasbly lock the containers of medicine in the tray to inhibit dislodgement of the containers of medicine from the tray during shipping of the portable cooler container.

10. The portable cooler container of claim 1, wherein the circuitry further comprises a transmitter configured to transmit one or both of temperature and position information for the portable cooler container to one or more of a memory of the portable cooler container, a radiofrequency identification tag of the portable cooler containers, the cloud-based data storage system, and the remote electronic device.

11. The portable cooler container of claim 1, wherein the electronic display screen comprises a display configured to display information indicative of one or more of a temperature of the chamber, ambient temperature and a charge level of the one or more power storage elements.

12. A portable cooler container with active temperature control, comprising:

a container body having a chamber defined by a base and an inner peripheral wall of the container body, the container body comprises an outer peripheral wall and a bottom portion attached to the outer peripheral wall, the inner peripheral wall being spaced relative to the outer peripheral wall to define a gap between the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall, the base spaced apart from the bottom portion to define a cavity between the base and the bottom portion;

a lid hingedly coupleable or removably coupleable to the container body; and

a temperature control system housed in the cavity of the container body, comprising

one or more thermoelectric elements configured to actively heat or cool at least a portion of the chamber,

one or more batteries,

circuitry configured to control an operation of the one or more thermoelectric elements to heat or cool at least a portion of the chamber to a predetermined temperature or temperature range, the circuitry further configured to wirelessly communicate with a cloud-based data storage system or a remote electronic device; and

an electronic display screen disposed on one or both of the container body and the lid, the display screen configured to selectively display shipping information for the portable cooler container.

13. The portable cooler container of claim 12, wherein the electronic display screen is an electrophoretic display screen.

14. The portable cooler container of claim 12, further comprising a button or touch screen manually actuatable by a user to automatically switch sender and recipient information on the display screen to facilitate return of the portable cooler container to a sender.

15. The portable cooler container of claim 12, further comprising means for thermally disconnecting the one or more thermoelectric elements from the chamber to inhibit heat transfer between the one or more thermoelectric elements and the chamber.

16. The portable cooler container of claim 12, wherein the temperature control system further comprises a first heat sink unit in thermal communication with one side of the one or more thermoelectric elements, a second heat sink unit in thermal communication with an opposite side of the one or more thermoelectric elements, one or more fans, and one or more air intake openings and air exhaust openings defined in the bottom portion of the container body, the first heat sink configured to heat or cool at least a portion of the chamber.

17. The portable cooler container of claim 12, further comprising one or more sensors configured to sense the one or more parameters of the chamber or temperature control system and to communicate the sensed information to the circuitry.

18. The portable cooler container of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature in the chamber and to communicate the sensed temperature to the circuitry, the circuitry configured to communicate the sensed temperature data to the cloud-based data storage system or remote electronic device.

19. The portable cooler container of claim 16, further comprising one or more electrical contacts on a rim of the container body configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on the lid when the lid is coupled to the container body so that the circuitry controls the operation of the one or more thermoelectric elements and one or more fans when the lid is coupled to the container body.

20. The portable cooler container of claim 12, wherein the circuitry further comprises a transmitter configured to transmit one or both of temperature and position information for the portable cooler container to one or more of a memory of the portable cooler container, a radiofrequency identification tag of the portable cooler containers, the cloud-based data storage system, and the remote electronic device.