U.S. patent application number 10/892855 was filed with the patent office on 2005-01-20 for coolable container.
Invention is credited to Letton, Alan Paul.
Application Number | 20050011216 10/892855 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27764095 |
Filed Date | 2005-01-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050011216 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Letton, Alan Paul |
January 20, 2005 |
Coolable container
Abstract
A coolable container comprises a base and a wall or walls,
depending on the container shape, upstanding from and surrounding
the base, the base and/or wall(s) being hollow so as to provide a
cavity therein with the cavity containing a freezable material.
Inventors: |
Letton, Alan Paul; (Sutton,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BEEM PATENT LAW FIRM
53 W. JACKSON BLVD., SUITE 1352
CHICAGO
IL
60604-3787
US
|
Family ID: |
27764095 |
Appl. No.: |
10/892855 |
Filed: |
July 16, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/371 ;
62/457.7; 62/530 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2303/0831 20130101;
F25D 3/08 20130101; B65D 81/382 20130101; F25D 2303/0843 20130101;
F25D 2331/804 20130101; F25D 2303/0845 20130101; F25D 2201/14
20130101; F25D 2303/0844 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/371 ;
062/457.7; 062/530 |
International
Class: |
F25D 003/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 18, 2003 |
GB |
0316878.8 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A coolable container comprising a base and a wall or walls,
depending on the container shape, upstanding from and surrounding
said base, said base and/or said wall(s) being hollow so as to
define a cavity therein with said cavity containing a freezable
material.
2. A container as claimed claim 1, wherein said container is
provided with a lid.
3. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base is hollow
defining a cavity and said wall or walls are solid.
4. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein both said base and
said wall(s) are hollow and define a cavity or cavities.
5. A container as claimed in claim 4, wherein said base is full of
the freezable material while said wall(s) are only partly filled
with said freezable material.
6. A container as claimed in claim 4, wherein both said base and
said wall(s) are filled with said freezable material.
7 A container as claimed claim 5, wherein said container is
provided with a lid.
8. A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein said lid is hollow
and is filled with freezable material.
9. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base and/or said
wall(s) are formed with three skins so as to form an inner and an
outer cavity, said inner cavity containing freezable material while
said outer cavity contains a vacuum.
10 A container as claimed claim 9, wherein said container is
provided with a lid.
11. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein said container has a
lid formed with three skins so as to provide inner and outer
cavities therein, said inner cavity having freezable material
therein and said outer cavity containing vacuum.
12. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein said base is formed
with three skins and said wall(s) being formed with two skins, said
base having both a freezable material cavity and a vacuum cavity
and said wall(s) having only a vacuum cavity.
13. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein said container has a
lid which is hollow defining a cavity containing vacuum.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to the United Kingdom
Patent Application Serial No.0316878.8, filed on Jul. 18, 2003 in
the British Patent Office.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a coolable container which is
particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for use with food
and/or drink.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] One of the purposes of the invention is to provide a
container in which food and/or drink can be placed to keep cool and
fresh. Various types of container are currently available ranging
from vacuum type flasks and foam insulated containers to plain
containers in which can be placed, in addition to the food and/or
drink, ice or other frozen blocks. Some containers in this latter
category may be provided with pockets to receive the ice or other
frozen blocks and keep them away from the food and/or drink to be
stored in the container.
[0006] Containers of the vacuum flask or foam insulated type are
reasonably good at maintaining their contents at their original
temperature, whether cold or hot, but they cannot contribute to any
lowering effect of the temperature of the contents.
[0007] On the other hand, containers using insertable ice or other
frozen blocks can reduce the temperature of the contents of the
container but they suffer from a number disadvantages. Using these
blocks reduces the storage space of the container and, in most
cases, cooling from the blocks is uneven, leaving warm spots. Also,
in order to use these containers successfully, it is necessary to
place the blocks in the freezer for a considerable time and this
can lead either to the blocks being forgotten altogether or the
blocks being frozen insufficiently for the length of time for which
the container will be in use. Food or drink kept for too long a
period in conditions which are too warm tend to spoil and, if
eaten, can cause food poisoning which, in the worst scenario, can
be fatal.
[0008] The present invention seeks to provide a coolable container
in which the above problems are significantly reduced or
obviated.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] According to the invention, there is provided a coolable
container comprising a base and a wall or walls, depending on the
container shape, upstanding from and surrounding the base, the base
and/or wall(s) being hollow so as to provide a cavity therein with
the cavity containing a freezable material.
[0010] Either the base is hollow and the wall or walls are solid or
both the base and the wall(s) are hollow.
[0011] The base may be full of the freezable material while the
wall(s) may be filled or only partly filled with the freezable
material.
[0012] The container may be provided with a lid and the lid may be
hollow and filled with freezable material.
[0013] The base and/or the wall(s) may be formed with three skins
so as to form an inner and an outer cavity, the inner cavity
containing freezable material while the outer cavity contains a
vacuum.
[0014] Alternatively, the base may be formed with three skins and
the wall(s) may be formed with two skins, the base having both a
freezable material cavity and a vacuum cavity and the wall(s)
having only a vacuum cavity.
[0015] The container may have a lid formed with three skins so as
to provide inner and outer cavities therein, the inner cavity
having freezable material therein and the outer cavity containing
vacuum.
[0016] The invention will now be described in greater detail, by
way of example, with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective exploded view of a
container and lid in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a view of the container similar to that shown in
FIG. 1 but in accordance with a second embodiment of the
invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing a container
in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view taken on the line IV-IV
of FIG. 3.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but in
accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Referring firstly to FIG. 1 there is shown a coolable
container 1 of a rectangular construction having a base 3 and four
upstanding walls 5 extending upwardly from and surrounding the base
3. The container is preferably made from a suitable plastics
material of a type able to withstand the temperatures of a freezer
without becoming brittle. Although, for descriptive purposes, the
container 1 is shown as transparent, it may nevertheless be
suitably opaque and of any desirable colour.
[0023] The side walls 5, in this embodiment, are solid and at their
upper ends are provided with a rib 11 on which can be seated a lid
13 so as to close and seal the container.
[0024] The base 3 of the container 1 is hollow so as to form a
sealed cavity 7 which is filled with a suitable freezable material
9 such as a suitable freezable gel.
[0025] In order to use the container, the whole container 1,
including the lid 13, is placed inside a freezer and left there for
a suitable time to allow the freezable material 9 in the cavity 7
to freeze. Once this has happened, the container can then be
removed from the freezer and is ready to receive its desired
contents.
[0026] Once the contents have been used, the container can be
washed in the usual way and the container can be returned to the
freezer for re-freezing of the freezable material 9.
[0027] There are a number of different solutions to the problem.
These will now be discussed.
[0028] A second embodiment of the container 1 is shown in FIG. 2.
Here not only is the base 3 hollow but the walls 5 are also hollow
and are provided with cavities 7. While the base 3 is filled with
the freezable material as before, in this case, the wall cavities 7
are half filled with the freezable material 9. This embodiment will
produce a greater cooling effect on the contents of the container 1
than is the case of the first embodiment which only has the
freezable material 9 in the base 3.
[0029] To even further increase the cooling capacity of the
container 1, the entire cavities 7 in the walls 5 can be filled
with the freezable material 9. this arrangement is shown in the
embodiment of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.
[0030] A still further improvement can be made by surrounding the
entire container 1 with a vacuum. This is shown in the embodiment
of FIG. 5. Here both the walls 5 and the base 3 have inner and
outer cavities formed by using a three skin structure. The inner
cavity 7 is filled with the freezable material 9 while the outer
cavity 15 contains a vacuum.
[0031] All of the embodiments described will normally use the lid
13 to shut off the container. This may be a plain lid as shown in
FIG. 1 but may also be a hollow two skin lid containing freezable
material. Even a three skin construction could be used to form two
cavities, the one nearest to the inside of the container having
freezable material and the other cavity containing a vacuum.
[0032] It will be appreciated that additions to and modifications
of the above described coolable containers are possible within the
scope of the invention. For example, instead of the rectangular
shape of the container, the container could be of any other
suitable shape such as square, circular and oval. The container
could be rendered more suitable for containing drinks by having
either an elongated upright cylindrical form or be of a lidded jug
shape.
[0033] If the containers are made to be stackable one on top of the
other, then a plurality of containers could be stacked needing only
one lid for all the stacked containers.
[0034] While the container has been shown with what amounts to a
single cavity stretching, where applicable through the base and
walls, separate cavities could be formed in each of the walls and
the base.
[0035] It should also be borne in mind that various combinations of
the features described may be used. For example, in the embodiment
of FIG. 1, the base could have a three skin structure so as to have
both freezer material and vacuum. The plain walls of this
embodiment could be replace by walls having a single cavity
containing vacuum. The lid could have a single cavity containing
vacuum.
[0036] While the invention has been described as mainly suitable
for food and drink, the container could be used for any other
things that require to be kept cold such as medicines.
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