Heated or cooled portable drinkware

• US 9,782,036 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Alexander, Clayton
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US15/050,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 219494, 219497, 219442, 219438, 219439, 219441
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2288 with means for keeping liquid cool or hot
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/166 sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2433 with electrical heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/42 Heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/003 Vacuum feeding-bottles vacuum bottles in general A47J41/02
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/02 using latent heat
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0269 For heating of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/0014 Devices wherein the heating current flows through particular resistances
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/06 Heater elements structurally combined with coupling elements or holders
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/82 Fixedly-mounted immersion heaters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 Thermal energy storage

Abstract

An actively heated or cooled portable container is provided. The container has a portable body with a receiving portion defined by an inner wall that receives a liquid. A heating and cooling system housed in the portable body has a cooling element in thermal communication with at least a portion of the inner wall to remove heat from the liquid. The heating and cooling system also has a heating element in thermal communication with at least a portion of the inner wall, control circuitry to control the operation of the heating element and one or more power storage elements to provide electrical energy to the heating element and/or control circuitry. The control circuitry controls the heating element to add heat to the liquid in the receiving portion to maintain the temperature of the liquid at a predetermined temperature or increase the temperature of the liquid above said predetermined temperature. Optionally, the control circuitry can calculate a volume of the liquid in the receiving portion of the portable body based on sensed information indicative of a temperature of the liquid in the receiving portion.

Claims

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

a portable body having a chamber configured to receive and hold a liquid; and

an active heat transfer module removably coupleable to a bottom portion of the portable body, the module comprising

one or more heating elements configured to be in thermal communication with a base of the body when the module is coupled to the body,

control circuitry configured to control the operation of the one or more heating elements,

one or more power storage elements configured to provide electrical energy to one or both of the control circuitry and the one or more heating elements, and

one or more electrical contacts on a bottom surface of the module configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on a charging base configured to receive the module thereon, the charging base configured to transmit power to the one or more power storage elements in the module via the one or more electrical contacts in the charging base and in the module,

wherein the control circuitry is configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote electronic device to one or both of wirelessly transmit information to the remote electronic device associated with the operation of the module and wirelessly receive instructions from a user via the remote electronic device.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to wirelessly receive a user selected temperature from the remote electronic device, the control circuitry configured to control power delivery to the one or more heating elements to adjust a temperature of the liquid in the chamber toward the user selected temperature.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to calculate a volume of the liquid in the chamber of the portable body based on sensed information indicative of a temperature of the liquid in the chamber.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is a baby bottle and further comprises a nipple connector coupleable to a proximal end of the receiving portion.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the module comprises one or more magnets configured to couple to one or more magnets on the bottom portion of the portable body to couple the module to the portable body.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the module comprises a threaded portion configured to threadably couple to a threaded portion on the bottom portion of the portable body to couple the module to the portable body.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein the module comprises one or pins configured to couple to one or more slots on the bottom portion of the portable body to couple the module to the portable body in a twist-lock manner.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein the module comprises one or more electrical contacts configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on the bottom portion of the portable body to provide power to one or more sensors and one or more heating elements in the portable body via said electrical contacts.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of the body comprises a recess configured to receive at least a portion of the module so that the one or more heating elements contact a bottom surface of the body.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein the one or more heating elements comprise a generally planar surface.

11. The container of claim 9, wherein the recess is sized to receive said at least a portion of the module so that the module sits generally flush with the body, where an outer side surface of the body and an outer side surface of the module are generally aligned.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein the one or more heating elements include a resistive heater.

13. An actively heated portable baby bottle system, comprising:

a body having a chamber configured to receive and hold a liquid; and

an active heating module removably coupleable to a bottom portion of the body, the module comprising

one or more heating elements configured to be placed in thermal communication with a base of the body when the module is coupled to the body,

control circuitry configured to control the operation of the one or more heating elements,

one or more power storage elements configured to provide electrical energy to one or both of the control circuitry and the one or more heating elements, and

one or more electrical contacts on a bottom surface of the module configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on a charging base configured to receive the module thereon, the charging base configured to transmit power to the one or more power storage elements in the module via the one or more electrical contacts in the charging base and in the module,

wherein the control circuitry is configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote electronic device to perform one or both of wirelessly transmit information to the remote electronic device associated with the operation of the module and wirelessly receive instructions from a user via the remote electronic device.

14. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to wirelessly receive a user selected temperature from the remote electronic device, the control circuitry configured to control power delivery to the one or more heating elements to adjust a temperature of the liquid in the chamber toward the user selected temperature.

15. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to calculate a volume of the liquid in the chamber of the portable body based on sensed information indicative of a temperature of the liquid in the chamber.

16. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the module comprises one or more magnets configured to couple to one or more magnets on the bottom portion of the portable body to couple the module to the portable body.

17. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the module comprises a threaded portion configured to threadably couple to a threaded portion on the bottom portion of the portable body to couple the module to the portable body.

18. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the module comprises one or pins configured to couple to one or more slots on the bottom portion of the portable body to couple the module to the portable body in a twist-lock manner.

19. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the module comprises one or more electrical contacts configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on the bottom portion of the portable body to provide power to one or more sensors and one or more heating elements in the portable body via said electrical contacts.

20. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the bottom portion of the body comprises a recess configured to receive at least a portion of the module so that the one or more heating elements contact a bottom surface of the body.

21. The baby bottle of claim 13, wherein the one or more heating elements comprises a generally planar surface.

22. The baby bottle of claim 20, wherein the recess is sized to receive said at least a portion of the module so that the module sits generally flush with the body, where an outer side surface of the body and an outer side surface of the module are generally aligned.