SELF-HEATING CONTAINER
Various embodiments of the present invention feature a self-heating or self-cooling container that is simple in design. The container includes an outer container body, an inner container body, a reactant vessel, a breakable barrier, and a breaking device. The outer container body defines a first chamber and includes a first reactant. The inner container body defines a second chamber. The inner container body is disposed within the first chamber and hold a substance to be heated or cooled. The reactant vessel is provided within the first chamber underneath the inner container body. The reactant vessel contains a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction. The breakable barrier covers the reactant vessel. The breaking device is disposed within the first chamber between the inner container body and the reactant vessel. The breaking device is capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react with the first reactant when activated.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/736,485, entitled “Self-Heating Container”, filed Nov. 14, 2005, which is herein referenced and incorporated in its entirety.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly, to a self-heating container.
2. Background of the Invention
For today's on-the-go consumer society, it would be convenient for consumers to be able to heat beverages, such as coffee, tea, or milk, and food products, such as soup, quickly without having access to any conventional source of heat. Consumers would be able to have hot cup of coffee anytime, anywhere regardless of whether there is a coffee maker, kettle, or a microwave.
Self-heating technology has been around for a while. A typical self-heating technology employs an exothermic reaction using two reagents, where one reagent is a solid material such as calcium oxide and the other reagent is a liquid such as water. Initially, the two reagents are separated by a barrier but when the heating is to be initiated, the barrier is broken and the two reagents are mixed together creating an exothermic reaction and thereby generating heat.
To date, many different containers using self-heating technology have been designed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,323 describes a self heating container which includes an outer insulating envelope and a plastic material vessel provided inside the envelope, where the vessel is divided into an upper and a lower compartments separated by a membrane. The upper compartment holds a solid reagent and the lower compartment holds a liquid reagent. The upper compartment and the lower compartment are separated by an aluminum barrier which is thermally welded to a toroidal surface of the upper compartment. The container further includes a metallic inner container for holding a solid or liquid substance situated within the upper container. A breaking member is integral with the lower compartment and able to break the membrane when pressure is exerted against it. To generate heat, the container is turned upside down and a manual pressure is exerted on the bottom of the lower compartment which causes the barrier to break and the two reagents to mix, thereby generating heat. A disadvantage of this container is that in assembly, placing and securing the membrane, which is a critical step, can be complicated, and sophisticated testing steps would be required to ensure that the seal is secure, Filling the lower compartment with water must be done with precision as any water present in the vicinity of the seal can adversely effect the quality of the seal.
PCT Publication WO 2004/022450 describes a container which includes an outer container containing the beverage inserted in a beverage container. The solid reactant is arranged in the upper compartment annularly about the beverage receptacle. Water is arranged in the lower compartment. A breakable diaphragm extends substantially against the base of the first receptacle. A breaking device is provided within the second compartment. A disadvantage of this container is that assembly is quite complicated. After the solid reactant is provided within the outer container, it must be moved out of the way using a complex spinning technology in order to make room for the beverage container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,407 describes a container which has an external cavity which has the heating means and an internal cavity which holds the beverage. The internal cavity extends within the external cavity. The heating means includes calcium oxide placed in the internal cavity and water provided in the water chamber below the external cavity. The water chamber is separated by the external cavity through a lid. A plunger is affixed to a button on the base of the container. When heating is desired, the container is inverted and the button is pressed. The depression moves the plunger in a direction to push the lid open and the water is quickly released to mix with calcium oxide creating a reaction and generating heat. A disadvantage of this container is that it requires many of the parts to be sealed. Seals can be easily broken when the container undergoes a temperature change, jeopardizing the integrity of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,879 describes a container which has a container body, a thermic module at one end of the body, and a closure at the other end of the body. The module has an elongated heat-exchanger portion that extends into the container body. The heat-exchanger portion has a corrugated or pleated wall to increase the surface area. A module cap is press-fit in the open end of the module body. A breakable barrier is adhesively attached to the open end of the module cap to seal a reactant inside. An actuator assembly is attached to the end of the container body and has an actuator button which is supported on spline-shaped fingers and further has a breakable actuator barrier. Pointed projections extend from the underside of outer actuator button toward the actuator barrier. To heat the substance inside the container, the user depresses the actuator button by exerting a force upon it which causes the fingers to puncture the barrier and causes the inner actuator button to move toward the barrier such that the distal end of the prong punctures the reaction barrier. Water flows through the barrier and mixes with solid reactant in the thermic module body. The container of the '879 patent has a complex design and too many parts.
Although various self-heating technology and self-heating container designs have been around for a while, self-heating containers have not be widely commercialized in the marketplace. This is because none of the existing designs are sufficiently simple to enable manufacturing at a reasonable cost.
The present invention overcomes one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a self-heating container that is simple in design and easy and cost efficient to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect, the preferred embodiments of the invention features a self-heating or self-cooling container which includes an outer container body which defines a first chamber, an inner container body which defines a second chamber, and a reactant vessel provided within the first chamber underneath the inner container body. The outer container body includes a first reactant. The inner container body includes a substance to be heated or cooled. The reactant vessel includes a second reactant. The first reactant and the second reactant are capable of reacting to generate an exothermic or an endothermic reaction. In a preferred embodiment, the first reactant is provided annularly around the inner container body to maximize the heat transfer to the substance. The reactant vessel is covered with a breakable barrier. The container further includes a breaking device provided within the first chamber between the inner container body and the reactant vessel. The breaking device is capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react with the first reactant when activated.
In one embodiment, the breaking device is a puncture ring substantially surrounding an outer bottom surface of the inner container body. For example, the breaking device may include multiple blades and a point. In another embodiment, the breaking device is disposed within the first chamber between the inner container body and the reactant vessel in a spaced relationship and separates the first chamber into an upper compartment and a lower compartment. The breaking device is capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the upper compartment when activated. The breaking device includes an outer rim, a hub, and multiple spokes which extend radially from the hub to the outer rim. In another embodiment, the breaking device is secured to an outer surface of the lower portion of the inner container body and the breaking device includes an outer rim, an inner rim, multiple openings between the two, and a cutter extending from the inner rim. In one embodiment, the breaking device has a rim separating the first chamber into an upper compartment and a lower compartment. The rim is sized and shaped to secure the reactant vessel within the outer container body and also to keep the first reactant substantially within the upper compartment.
In another embodiment, the invention features a container which includes an outer container body defining a first chamber, an inner container body defining a second chamber, and a reactant vessel secured to a lower end of the inner container body. The outer container body includes a first reactant. The inner container body is provided within the outer container body and includes the substance to be heated or cooled. The reactant vessel includes a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction. A breakable barrier covers a lower end of the reactant vessel. A breaking device is secured to a lower surface of the outer container body. The breaking device includes a piston wiper and at least one longitudinally extending pin capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react with the first reactant when the breaking device is pushed toward the barrier and turned.
In still another aspect, the preferred embodiments of the invention features a container which includes an outer container body defining a first chamber, an inner container body defining a second chamber, an activator disposed at a lower surface of the outer container body, and a reactant vessel secured to the activator within the first chamber underneath the inner container body. The outer container body includes a first reactant. The inner container body is provided within the outer container body and includes the substance to be heated or cooled. The activator includes a piston wiper. The reactant vessel contains a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction. A breakable barrier covers an upper end of the reactant vessel. A breaking device is secured to a lower surface of the inner container body. The breaking device includes a serrated blade and is capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react with the first reactant when the activator, along with the reactant vessel, is pushed toward the breaking device and turned.
The containers of the preferred embodiments of the present invention are simple in design and cost efficient to manufacture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
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The dimensions of the reactant vessel 16 shown in
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In one embodiment, the lower end of the reactant vessel 16 is sized and shaped to fit snuggly within the bottom 26 of the outer container body 14, such that when the bottom 26 is pushed towards the inner container body 14, the reactant vessel 16 is also moved towards the inner container body 14. The lower end of the reactant vessel 16 can be fastened to the inner surface of the bottom 26 to maintain the two in relative positions. The lower end of the reactant vessel 16 includes a radius of curvature which coincides with the radius of curvature provided in the bottom 26. This configuration allows the bottom 26 to propel upward easily when force is exerted against it and flex back to its original position.
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In one embodiment, the parts of the above-described container 10 are made of materials that can withstand the maximum temperature that would be reached from the exothermic reaction, which can be at least two hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit (250° F.).
To heat the substance provided in the container 10, the container 10 is inverted upside down as shown in
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In one embodiment, the containers described above are manufactured and assembled as follows. The reactant vessel can be separately manufactured using any conventional manufacturing method such as thermoforming or injection molding. In one embodiment, the reactant vessel is filled with the solid reactant such as calcium chloride, and covered with a foil sealed to the reactant vessel. This allows the manufacturer to check the seal of the reactant vessel prior to assembling the rest of the container. The outer container body and the inner container body are also separately manufactured using conventional manufacturing methods such as injection molding. The breaking device, which can also be made using injection molding or other methods, is secured to the inner container body. The pieces are assembled as follows. The outer container body is placed into a holder in a filling line. An adhesive is provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the outer container body where the reactant vessel will contact. The reactant vessel is placed inside the outer container body and secured to the bottom. Water is placed in the outer container body. The inner container body is dropped into the outer container body and the beverage or substance is placed inside. One advantage of having water in the outer container body and not the reactant vessel is that water naturally moves out of the way when the inner container body is dropped into the outer container body and therefore no additional step, such as a complex spinning step, is necessary to move the reactant out of the way. A pull tab lid is placed on top of the inner container body, rolled, and the inner container and the pull tab lid are crimped to the outer container body making a seal using a conventional method. The underside of the pull tab lid can be coated with any FDA approved coating to protect the beverage or food products from contacting raw aluminum. A snap-on drinking lid is placed on top of the outer container. Other appropriate manufacturing and assembling methods well known to those skilled in the art may also be employed to manufacture and assemble the containers of the present invention.
The containers described in
Other embodiments and uses of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to several preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in the form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A container comprising:
- an outer container body defining a first chamber comprising a first reactant;
- an inner container body defining a second chamber for holding a substance to be heated or cooled, wherein the inner container body is disposed within the first chamber of the outer container body;
- a reactant vessel provided within the first chamber underneath the inner container body, wherein the reactant vessel contains a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction when activated;
- a breakable barrier covering the reactant vessel; and
- a breaking device extending substantially along an outer surface of a lower end of the inner container body above the reactant vessel to maximize contact with the breakable barrier and to break the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react the first reactant when activated.
2. The container of claim 1 wherein the breaking device comprises a puncture ring secured to the outer surface of the lower end of the inner container body.
3. The container of claim 1 wherein the breaking device comprises a plurality of blades and a point.
4. The container of claim 1 wherein the outer container body has a flexible bottom in contact with a lower portion of the reactant vessel capable of pushing the reactant vessel toward the breaking device when pressure is exerted on the flexible bottom.
5. The container of claim 1 further comprising an insulating layer disposed inside the outer container body.
6. The container of claim 1 wherein the first reactant is disposed substantially annularly about the inner container body when the container is inverted.
7. A container comprising:
- an outer container body defining a first chamber comprising a first reactant;
- an inner container body defining a second chamber for holding a substance to be heated or cooled, wherein the inner container body is disposed within the first chamber;
- a reactant vessel provided within the first chamber underneath the inner container body, wherein the reactant vessel comprises a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction when activated, the reactant vessel further comprising a rim separating the first chamber into an upper compartment and a lower compartment and the rim being sized and shaped to secure the reactant vessel within the outer container body and to keep the first reactant substantially within the upper compartment;
- a breakable barrier covering the reactant vessel; and
- a breaking device disposed within the first chamber between the inner container body and the reactant vessel, the breaking device capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react with the first reactant when activated.
8. The container of claim 7, wherein the breaking device comprises a puncture ring substantially surrounding the outer bottom suffice of the inner container body.
9. The container of claim 7, wherein the inner container body is constructed of a polymeric material.
10. The container of claim 7 further comprising an insulating layer disposed inside the outer container body.
11. A container comprising:
- an outer container body defining a first chamber comprising a first reactant;
- an inner container body defining a second chamber for holding a substance to be heated or cooled, wherein the inner container body is disposed within the first chamber;
- a reactant vessel provided within the first chamber underneath the inner container body, wherein the reactant vessel comprises a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction;
- a breakable barrier covering the reactant vessel; and
- a breaking device disposed within the first chamber between the inner container body and the reactant vessel in a spaced relationship and separating the first chamber into an upper compartment and a lower compartment, the breaking device capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the upper compartment when activated.
12. The container of claim 11 wherein the breaking device comprises an outer rim, a hub and a plurality of spokes extending radially from the hub to the outer rim.
13. The container of claim 12 wherein the outer rim is sized and shaped to maintain the first reactant substantially within the upper compartment.
14. The container of claim 12, wherein each spoke includes a blade and the hub includes a sharp point.
15. The container of claim 11 further comprising an insulating layer disposed inside the outer container body.
16. A container comprising:
- an outer container body defining a first chamber comprising a first reactant;
- an inner container body defining a second chamber to contain a substance to be heated or cooled, wherein the inner container body is disposed within the first chamber;
- a reactant vessel provided within the first chamber underneath the inner container body, wherein the reactant vessel contains a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction;
- a breakable barrier covering the reactant vessel; and
- a breaking device secured to an outer surface of a lower portion of the inner container body, wherein the breaking device comprises an outer rim, an inner rim, a plurality of openings between the outer rim and the inner rim, and a cutter extending from the inner rim.
17. The container of claim 16, wherein the breaking device extends an entire circumference of the first chamber and separates the first chamber into an upper compartment and a lower compartment.
18. The container of claim 16, wherein the outer rim is sized and shaped to maintain the first reactant substantially within the upper compartment.
19. A container comprising:
- an outer container body defining a first chamber comprising a first reactant;
- an inner container body defining a second chamber for holding a substance to be heated or cooled, wherein the inner container body is disposed within the first chamber;
- a reactant vessel secured to a lower end of the inner container body, wherein the reactant vessel contains a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction;
- a breakable barrier covering a lower end of the reactant vessel; and
- a breaking device secured to a lower surface of the outer container body, the breaking device comprising a piston wiper and at least one longitudinally extending pin capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react with the first reactant when the breaking device is pushed toward the barrier and turned.
20. A container comprising:
- an outer container body defining a first chamber comprising a first reactant;
- an inner container body defining a second chamber for holding a substance to be heated or cooled, wherein the inner container body is disposed within the first chamber;
- an activator disposed at a lower surface of the outer container body, the activator comprising a piston wiper;
- a reactant vessel secured to the activator within the first chamber underneath the inner container body, wherein the reactant vessel contains a second reactant capable of reacting with the first reactant to generate an exothermic or endothermic reaction;
- a breakable barrier covering an upper end of the reactant vessel;
- a breaking device secured to a lower surface of the inner container body, the breaking device comprising a serrated blade, wherein the breaking device is capable of breaking the barrier to release the second reactant into the first chamber to mix and react with the first reactant when the activator, along with the reactant vessel, is pushed toward the breaking device and turned.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 14, 2006
Publication Date: Jun 7, 2007
Applicant: Heat Wave Technologies LLC (Marina Del Rey, CA)
Inventors: John Ford (Cordova, TN), Douglas Lund (Hillsbourgh, NJ)
Application Number: 11/559,873
International Classification: F24J 1/00 (20060101);