U.S. patent application number 13/115210 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-01 for personal beverage warmers and coolers for vehicle seats.
This patent application is currently assigned to B/E Aerospace, Inc.. Invention is credited to Qiao Lu.
Application Number | 20110289939 13/115210 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45004347 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110289939 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lu; Qiao |
December 1, 2011 |
PERSONAL BEVERAGE WARMERS AND COOLERS FOR VEHICLE SEATS
Abstract
Example personal beverage warmers and coolers for vehicle seats
are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus to regulate the
temperature of a beverage near a seat of a vehicle, the apparatus
includes: a base including a thermally conductive material that
conducts heat in a direction that is at least one of to or from a
container seated thereon, a thermoelectric device thermally coupled
with the base and to be energized to exchange heat with the base,
and a heat exchanger thermally coupled with the thermoelectric
device and a liquid medium to exchange heat therebetween.
Inventors: |
Lu; Qiao; (Placentia,
CA) |
Assignee: |
B/E Aerospace, Inc.
Wellington
FL
|
Family ID: |
45004347 |
Appl. No.: |
13/115210 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61347927 |
May 25, 2010 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
62/3.3 ; 62/3.2;
62/3.6; 62/3.61; 62/3.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B 21/04 20130101;
F25B 2321/0251 20130101; F25D 2331/805 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/3.3 ; 62/3.2;
62/3.7; 62/3.6; 62/3.61 |
International
Class: |
F25B 21/04 20060101
F25B021/04; F25B 21/02 20060101 F25B021/02 |
Claims
1. An apparatus to regulate the temperature of a beverage near a
seat of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a base including a
thermally conductive material that conducts heat in a direction
that is at least one of to or from a container seated thereon; a
thermoelectric device thermally coupled with the base and to be
energized to exchange heat with the base; and a heat exchanger
thermally coupled with the thermoelectric device and a liquid
medium to exchange heat therebetween.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid medium is air, the
apparatus further comprising a fan that blows air in thermal
contact with the heat exchanger.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric device is
to be energized by a power supply to heat the base.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric device is
to be energized by a power supply to cool the base.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch that
changes a polarity of a power supply that energizes the
thermoelectric device, wherein a first state of the switch causes
the power supply to cool the base, and a second state of the switch
causes the power supply to heat the base.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base further includes a
lock that mates with a key of an extension insert to secure the
extension insert on the base, the extension insert dimensioned to
receive a container holding the beverage.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base further includes a
recessed portion dimensioned to receive a container holding the
beverage.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a power supply;
and a processor to control the power supply to maintain a temperate
of the beverage.
9. A seating area of a vehicle, the seating area comprising a
temperature regulating apparatus including: a base including a
thermally conductive material that conducts heat at least one of to
or from a container seated thereon; a thermoelectric device
thermally coupled with the base and to be energized to exchange
heat with the base; and a heat exchanger thermally coupled with the
thermoelectric device and a liquid medium to exchange heat
therebetween.
10. The seating area of claim 9, further comprising a second
temperature regulating apparatus including: a second base including
second thermally conductive material that conducts heat to or from
a second container seated thereon; a second thermoelectric device
thermally coupled with the second base and energized to exchange
heat with the second base; and a second heat exchanger thermally
coupled with the second thermoelectric device and a second liquid
medium to exchange heat therebetween.
11. The seating area of claim 9, wherein the liquid medium is air,
the temperature regulating apparatus further comprising a fan that
blows air in thermal contact with the heat exchanger.
12. The seating area of claim 9, wherein the thermoelectric device
is to be energized by a power supply to heat the base.
13. The seating area of claim 9, wherein the thermoelectric device
is to be energized by a power supply to cool the base.
14. The seating area of claim 9, further comprising a switch that
changes a polarity of a power supply that energizes the
thermoelectric device, wherein a first state of the switch causes
the power supply to cool the base, and a second state of the switch
causes the power supply to heat the base.
15. The seating area of claim 9, wherein the base further includes
a lock that mates with a key of an extension insert to secure the
extension insert on the base, the extension insert dimensioned to
receive a container holding the beverage.
16. The seating area of claim 9, wherein the base further includes
a recessed portion dimensioned to receive a container holding the
beverage.
17. A method comprising: energizing a thermoelectric device at a
vehicle seat to a first state to cool a beverage container
thermally coupled to the thermoelectric device when a first user
input is received; and energizing the thermoelectric device to a
second state to heat the beverage container when a second user
input is received.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: exchanging first
heat between the thermoelectric device and a heat exchanger; and
exchanging second heat between the heat exchanger and a liquid
medium.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein energizing the thermoelectric
device to the first state comprises applying an electrical current
to a Peltier device, and energizing the thermoelectric device to
second state comprises applying an opposite electrical current to
the Peltier device.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first user input
corresponds to a first position of a switch, and the second user
input corresponds to a second position of the switch.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/347,927, filed on May 25, 2010, and
entitled "Beverage Warmer and Cooler for Aircraft Passenger Seats",
the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] Disclosed embodiments generally relate to apparatuses for
beverage temperature control, and, more particularly, to beverage
temperature control or regulation apparatuses for vehicle
seats.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Vehicles defined herein to include an automobile, a train, a
truck, a boat or an aircraft, typically provide cupholders for
holding beverage containers such as glasses, cups, bottles, cans
and/or mugs. The cupholders are generally provided in the vicinity
of crew member and passenger seats. For example, a cupholder may be
provided in an armrest or console adjacent to a person's seat, but
may also extend from a dashboard or other surface of the vehicle.
The cupholders generally include a recessed portion which holds the
beverage container in a stationary upright position relative to the
vehicle while the vehicle accelerates, decelerates, or tilts
forward, backward and to either side.
SUMMARY
[0004] Example beverage temperature control or regulation
apparatuses for vehicle seats are disclosed. A disclosed example
personal beverage warmer and cooler apparatus to regulate the
temperature of a beverage near a seat of a vehicle, the apparatus
includes: a base including a thermally conductive material that
conducts heat in a direction that is at least one of to or from a
container seated thereon, a thermoelectric device thermally coupled
with the base and to be energized to exchange heat with the base,
and a heat exchanger thermally coupled with the thermoelectric
device and a liquid medium to exchange heat therebetween.
[0005] A disclosed example seating area of a vehicle includes a
temperature regulating apparatus having a base including a
thermally conductive material that conducts heat at least one of to
or from a container seated thereon, a thermoelectric device
thermally coupled with the base and to be energized to exchange
heat with the base, and a heat exchanger thermally coupled with the
thermoelectric device and a liquid medium to exchange heat
therebetween.
[0006] The seating area may include an additional temperature
regulating apparatus.
[0007] A disclosed example method includes energizing a
thermoelectric device at a vehicle seat to a first state to cool a
beverage container thermally coupled to the thermoelectric device
when a first user input is received; and energizing the
thermoelectric device to a second state to heat the beverage
container when a second user input is received.
[0008] The method may also include exchanging first heat between
the thermoelectric device and a heat exchanger; and exchanging
second heat between the heat exchanger and a liquid medium.
[0009] Energizing the thermoelectric device to the first state may
include applying an electrical current to a Peltier device, and
energizing the thermoelectric device to second state may include
applying an opposite electrical current to the Peltier device.
[0010] The first user input may correspond to a first position of a
switch, and the second user input may correspond to a second
position of the switch.
[0011] For any of the examples, the liquid medium may be air, the
apparatus may also include a fan that blows air in thermal contact
with the heat exchanger.
[0012] For any of the examples, the thermoelectric device may be
energized by a power supply to heat the base and/or to cool the
base.
[0013] For any of the examples, a switch may be used to change a
polarity of a power supply that energizes the thermoelectric
device, wherein a first state of the switch may cause the power
supply to cool the base, and a second state of the switch may cause
the power supply to heat the base.
[0014] For any of the examples, the base may include a lock that
mates with a key of an extension insert to secure the extension
insert on the base, the extension insert may be dimensioned to
receive a container holding the beverage.
[0015] For any of the examples, the base may include a recessed
portion dimensioned to receive a container holding the
beverage.
[0016] Any of the examples may include a power supply and a
processor, the processor may control the power supply to maintained
a temperature of the beverage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary passenger seat environment
of a vehicle including a plurality of beverage holders.
[0018] FIG. 1B illustrates the plurality of beverage holders of
FIG. 1A in more detail.
[0019] FIG. 2A schematically illustrates an exemplary personal
beverage warmer and cooler including a thermoelectric device
configured to cool a beverage.
[0020] FIG. 2B schematically illustrates an exemplary personal
beverage warmer and cooler including a thermoelectric device
configured to warm a beverage.
[0021] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate opposite side views of an
exemplary personal beverage warmer and cooler.
[0022] FIG. 4A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the exemplary
personal beverage warmer and cooler of FIGS. 3A and 3B including a
beverage container seated therein.
[0023] FIGS. 4B and 4C illustrate exemplary beverage containers
including extension inserts and configured to be securely seated in
the beverage warmer and cooler of FIG. 4A.
[0024] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the exemplary personal beverage
warmer and cooler of FIG. 3A in which the extension inserts of
FIGS. 4B and 4C are seated, respectively.
[0025] FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of another exemplary personal
beverage warmer and cooler.
[0026] FIG. 7A schematically illustrates a side view of still
another exemplary personal beverage warmer and cooler.
[0027] FIG. 7B schematically illustrates a cut-away side view of
the exemplary personal beverage warmer and cooler of FIG. 7A.
[0028] FIG. 8A schematically illustrates a plurality of the
exemplary personal beverage warmer and cooler of FIG. 7A adjacent
to one another.
[0029] FIGS. 8B and 8C illustrate opposite side views of the
plurality of exemplary personal beverage warmer and cooler of FIG.
8A adjacent to one another.
[0030] FIGS. 9A-9F illustrate various views of the exemplary
personal beverage warmers and coolers of FIG. 8A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] A beverage in a beverage container held in a cupholder
generally does not stay at a desired temperature. Over time, the
temperature of the beverage generally trends toward the ambient air
temperature of a vehicle. For example, a hot beverage such as
coffee or tea may not be kept hot, and a cold beverage such as
fruit juice or soda may not be kept cold for a time period long
enough to enable the person to fully enjoy the beverage at their
desired or preferred temperature. Thus, a person may only have a
limited time to drink a beverage before its temperature becomes
undesirable. While insulated beverage containers may mitigate this
problem, insulated beverage containers are generally not convenient
because a beverage needs to be transferred from its original
container into the insulated beverage container prior to consuming
the beverage. Additionally, the temperature of a beverage in an
insulated beverage containers still trends toward the ambient
temperature, and a person may still only have a limited time to
drink a beverage before its temperature becomes undesirable, even
if that limited time is greater than if the beverage were not in
the insulated beverage container.
[0032] Embodiments of personal beverage warmers and coolers that
address at least some of the above problems are disclosed herein.
The disclosed personal beverage warmers and coolers may be included
in a vehicle to hold a beverage container and maintain a beverage
within the beverage container at a desired temperature until the
beverage has been consumed. The personal beverage warmers and
coolers disclosed herein may be, for example, located in the
vicinity of a person's seat, a sleeping cabin and/or at any another
location within the vehicle where a person may be present during a
journey, e.g., a lounge area where persons may gather to enjoy food
and beverages in each other's company. Additionally or
alternatively, the disclosed personal beverage warmers and coolers
may be located in a pilot's cabin and/or in a galley for use by the
crew of the vehicle. The personal beverage warmers and coolers may
be configured or enabled by each person to keep warm beverages such
as coffee, tea, and hot chocolate at their desired warm
temperature(s). Likewise, the personal beverage warmers and coolers
may be set or enabled by each person to keep cold beverages such as
soda, water, and wine at their desired cold temperature(s). In this
way, each person may consume their beverages at their own pace and
at their desired temperature(s).
[0033] The example personal beverage warmer and cooler disclosed
herein may be an embodiment of a personal heating and cooling
device, which in various embodiments may also used for heating and
cooling storage of food and/or other personal items that may
benefit from or need to be stored at a temperature other than an
ambient air temperature. For example, some medications may need to
be stored at a temperature lower than ambient air temperature while
also being conveniently accessible to the person.
[0034] Embodiments of personal beverage warmers and coolers
disclosed herein feature a compact design and a light weight
structure, both of which facilitate their widespread deployment
throughout an aircraft for use by individual persons, unlike
traditional refrigeration systems that are typically concentrated
in galleys for use by cabin crew on behalf of all persons. In
various embodiments, the disclosed personal beverage warmers and
coolers may be integrated with aircraft heat-sink systems and/or
other aircraft components to increase operational efficiency.
[0035] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary passenger seat environment
100 of a vehicle including a plurality of beverage holders 110. The
passenger seat environment 100 may be, for example, a super first
class seat of an aircraft. The example passenger seat environment
100 of FIG. 1 includes a cushioned seat 120 in which a person may
be seated. To the left of the seat 120 is a doorway 130 through
which the person may enter and exit the passenger seat environment
100. In front of the seat 120 is a tray 140 on which the person may
place reading materials such as books, magazines, and catalogs,
food service items such as plates, silverware, napkins, cups,
glasses, laptop computers, and/or other items that a person may
desire to have ready access to during a journey. The tray 140 may
be collapsible or retractable so that the person may stow the tray
when not in use. The tray 140 may be coupled with a console 150
positioned to the right of the cushioned seat 120, or on an
opposite side of the passenger seat environment 100 than the
doorway 130.
[0036] FIG. 1B illustrates the example plurality of beverage
holders 110 of FIG. 1A in more detail. The example beverage holders
110 may each hold a different beverage container. In this way, a
person may conveniently have ready access to a plurality of
beverages during a journey. For example, the person may have
different brands of juice, water, and soda ready and available for
consumption whenever the person chooses. In the illustrated example
of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the beverage holders 110 are arranged in a row
within a beverage holder zone 160. However, the beverage holders
110 may be implemented in other arrangements. The beverage holder
zone 160 may also include a beverage holder zone lid 170 that may
be open when beverages are placed in the beverage holders 110, and
closed when no beverages are placed in the beverage holders 110.
One or more of the beverage holders 110 may include an embodiment
of the personal beverage warmers and coolers disclosed herein.
[0037] FIG. 2A schematically illustrates an exemplary personal
beverage warmer and cooler 210 including an example thermoelectric
device 220 configured to cool a beverage. A beverage container 225
containing a beverage, which a user wants to consume cool or cold,
may be seated on an example cooling plate or base 230. The cooling
plate 230 of FIG. 2A cools the beverage through thermal contact
with the beverage container 225 containing the beverage. The
cooling plate 230 is cooled by the thermoelectric device 220. The
thermoelectric device 220 of FIG. 2A may include a Peltier device
that uses a Peltier effect in which a voltage is applied across or
direct current (DC) is passed through two dissimilar conductors to
create an electrical circuit that transfers heat in a direction of
charge carrier movement. In this way, the thermoelectric device 220
provides direct heat transfer from the cooling plate 230 through
the thermoelectric device 220 into a heat sink or heat exchanger
240. The heat sink 240 of FIG. 2A is cooled by air circulation
driven by a fan 250. Thus, the example device 220 of FIG. 2A is
air-cooled. The thermoelectric device 220 is operated by an example
direct current power supply 260 electrically coupled with the
thermoelectric device 220 and having a polarity that causes the
thermoelectric device 220 to transfer heat in a direction from the
cooling plate 230 toward the heat sink 240. In some embodiments,
the DC power supply 260 is coupled with an aircraft's 28 volts of
direct current (VDC) power supply, or converted from aircraft's
fixed-frequency or variable-frequency alternating current (AC)
power.
[0038] The DC power supply 260 of FIG. 2A may be controlled by
switches, electronic circuitry, or an electronic control system
265. The electronic circuitry or electronic control system 265 may
be equipped with temperature sensors (not shown) to monitor a
temperature of the cooling plate 230 and, thus, control the
thermoelectric device 220 to maintain a desired preset or
user-selectable temperature of the cooling plate 230. The
electronic control system 265 may also include a processor and a
memory (not shown) storing a software program executable by the
processor for performing a method of controlling the personal
beverage warmer and cooler 210 to maintain a desired temperature of
a beverage container 225 seated thereon. Additionally or
alternatively, the electronic control system 265 may include one or
more circuit(s), programmable processor(s), fuses,
application-specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable
logic device(s) (PLD(s)), field-programmable logic device(s)
(FPLD(s)), and/or field-programmable gate array(s) (FPGA(s)), etc.
configured to control the personal beverage warmer and cooler 210
to maintain a desired temperature of a beverage container 225
seated thereon.
[0039] FIG. 2B schematically illustrates another exemplary personal
beverage warmer and cooler 270 including the thermoelectric device
220 configured to warm a beverage. A beverage container 275
containing a beverage, which a user wants to consume hot or warm,
may be seated on an example heating plate or base 280. The personal
beverage warmer and cooler 270 of FIG. 2B is similar to the
personal beverage warmer and cooler 210 of FIG. 2A except that a
polarity of the DC power supply 260 is reversed in the personal
beverage warmer and cooler 270 compared to the personal beverage
warmer and cooler 210. In this way, the heating plate or base 280
may heat the beverage through thermal contact with the beverage
container 275 containing the beverage. In some embodiments, the
heating plate 280 may be identical to the cooling plate 230. In
other words, a single thermal plate or base may be functional as
either the cooling plate 230 or the heating plate 280 depending
upon the operational conditions of the thermoelectric device 220,
that is, the selected polarity of the DC power supply 260. The
heating plate 280 may be heated by the thermoelectric device 220.
The thermoelectric device 220 may use a Peltier effect to provide
direct heat transfer to the heating plate 280 through the
thermoelectric device 220 from a cold side or heat exchanger 290.
In some embodiments, the cold side 290 includes a heat exchanger
substantially identical to that of the heat sink 240. In other
words, a single heat exchanger may function as either the heat sink
240 or the cold side 290 depending upon the operational conditions
of the thermoelectric device 220, that is, the selected polarity of
the DC power supply 260. The cold side 290 of FIG. 2B is warmed by
air circulation driven by the fan 250. The thermoelectric device
220 is operated by the DC power supply 260 electrically coupled
with the thermoelectric device 220 using a polarity that causes the
thermoelectric device 220 to transfer heat in a direction from the
cold side 290 toward the heating plate 280. The polarity of the DC
power supply 260 in the personal beverage warmer and cooler 270 of
FIG. 2B is opposite that of the polarity of the DC power supply 260
in the personal beverage warmer and cooler 210 of FIG. 2B.
[0040] The DC power supply 260 of FIG. 2B may be controlled by
switches, electronic circuitry, or an electronic control system
265. The electronic circuitry or electronic control system 265 may
be equipped with temperature sensors (not shown) to monitor a
temperature of the heating plate 280 and, thus, control the
thermoelectric device 220 to maintain a desired preset and/or
user-selectable temperature of the heating plate 280. The
electronic control system 265 may also include a processor and a
memory (not shown) including a software program executable by the
processor for performing a method of controlling the personal
beverage warmer and cooler 270 to maintain a desired temperature of
a beverage container 225 seated thereon. Additionally or
alternatively, the electronic control system 265 may include one or
more circuit(s), programmable processor(s), fuses, ASIC(s), PLD(s),
FPLD(s), and/or FPGA(s), etc. configured to control the personal
beverage warmer and cooler 270 to maintain a desired temperature of
a beverage container 225 seated thereon.
[0041] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate opposite side views of an
exemplary personal beverage warmer and cooler 300. The example
personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 of FIGS. 3A and 3B includes
a control panel region 310 including control switch 312 and an
indicator 314. The control switch 312 may include a toggle switch,
a rocker switch, a button, a dial, or any other user input
mechanism (e.g., a three-way switch having states of "cold", "warm"
and "off") by which a person may set operational parameters for the
personal beverage warmer and cooler 300. The indicator 314 may
include an incandescent light, a light emitting diode (LED), an
liquid crystal display (LCD) device, or other form of display
device. For example, a person may set the control switch 312 to a
desired heating position or user-selectable temperature, and the
indicator 314 may indicate that the personal beverage warmer and
cooler 300 is set to a heating mode (e.g., glow red).
Alternatively, the person may set the control switch 312 to a
desired cooling position or user-selectable temperature, and the
indicator 314 may indicate that the personal beverage warmer and
cooler 300 is set to a cooling mode (e.g., glow blue). Otherwise,
the person may set the control switch 312 to an off position, and
the indicator 314 may indicate that the personal beverage warmer
and cooler 300 is turned off (e.g., glow yellow or not glow at
all).
[0042] The personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 of FIGS. 3A and
3B includes an air inlet 320 through which circulating air enters
and is blown by an air circulating fan 330 onto a heat exchanger
such as the heat sink 240 or 290 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) coupled with a
thermoelectric device such as the thermoelectric device 220. After
the circulating air has exchanged heat with the thermoelectric
device 220 via the heat exchanger 240 or 290, the circulating air
exits the personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 via an air outlet
340. When the personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 is operating
in a heating mode, the circulating air exiting the air outlet 340
may be cool. When the personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 is
operating in a cooling mode, the circulating air exiting the air
outlet 340 may be warm. The personal beverage warmer and cooler 300
may also include a recessed portion which holds a beverage
container such as a cup or mug 350, and the personal beverage
warmer and cooler 300 may also include a notch 360 for a handle of
the cup or mug 350.
[0043] FIG. 4A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the exemplary
personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 of FIGS. 3A and 3B
including an example mug 410 seated therein. The cross-sectional
view of FIG. 4A is vertically at a lowest point of the notch 360.
FIGS. 4B and 4C illustrate exemplary beverage containers including
extension inserts 450 and 460 and configured to be securely seated
in the personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 of FIG. 4A. The mug
410 may be designed and used to hold a beverage after being poured
out of a separate beverage container into the mug 410. The
extension insert 450 may be designed and used to hold a tall
beverage container such as a bottle of wine, while the extension
insert 460 may be designed and used to hold a shorter beverage
container such as a soda can.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 4A, an example locking mechanism 420 is
positioned in a central area of an example recessed portion or base
425 of the personal beverage warmer and cooler 300 under the mug
410. The locking mechanism 420 of FIG. 4A includes a cut-out region
of the base 425 in which a matching key 430 of a beverage container
or extension inserts 450 and 460 to lock or secure the beverage
container or extension inserts 450 and 460 into position within the
base 425 of the personal beverage warmer and cooler 300. In some
embodiments, the extension inserts 450 and 460 click into place
when the key 430 is inserted into the locking mechanism 420.
Additionally or alternatively, the extension inserts 450 and 460
may be held in place in the base 425 by friction between the key
430 and the locking mechanism 420, and/or when the extension
inserts 450 and 460 are rotated within the base 425. In other
embodiments, the locking mechanism 420 and the key 430 are
interchanged, such that the extension inserts 450 and 460 include
the locking mechanism 420 while the base 425 includes the key
430.
[0045] The mug 410 and extension inserts 450 and 460 of FIGS. 4A-4C
include thermal insulation material 440 to insulate a beverage
contained within the mug 410 and the extension inserts 450 and 460
such that the beverage does not quickly lose heat or cold due to
ambient temperature conditions, and to keep a surface temperature
of an outside of the mug 410 and extension inserts 450 and 460
comfortable for a person to touch. In order to provide efficient
thermal transfer between the personal beverage warmer and cooler
300 and a beverage contained within the extension inserts 450 and
460, the extension inserts 450 and 460 may include a thermal
conductive material 470 at their base. The thermal conductive
material 470 may be in thermal contact with the personal beverage
warmer and cooler 300 when the extension inserts 450 and 460 are
inserted into the base 425 of the personal beverage warmer and
cooler 300.
[0046] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the exemplary personal beverage
warmer and cooler 300 of FIGS. 3A and 3B in which the extension
inserts 450 and 460 of FIGS. 4B and 4C are seated,
respectively.
[0047] FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of another exemplary personal
beverage warmer and cooler 600. The personal beverage warmer and
cooler 600 of FIG. 6 is similar to the personal beverage warmer and
cooler 300 illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B except that the personal
beverage warmer and cooler 600 includes a notch 610 for a handle of
a beverage container (e.g., the mug 350) on both sides of a
recessed portion 615 in which the beverage container may be seated.
The personal beverage warmer and cooler 600 of FIG. 6 includes a
thermally conductive material 620 surrounding the recessed portion
615 and a base 630 (e.g., the cooling plate 230 and/or the heating
plate 280 of FIGS. 2A and 2B). The thermally conductive material
620 may improve thermal conduction between the base 630 of the
personal beverage warmer and cooler 600 and a beverage container
such as the mug 350 or the extension inserts 450 and 460.
[0048] FIG. 7A schematically illustrates a side view of still
another exemplary personal beverage warmer and cooler 700. FIG. 7B
schematically illustrates a cut-away side view of the personal
beverage warmer and cooler 700 of FIG. 7A. The personal beverage
warmer and cooler 700 of FIGS. 7A and 7B includes a thermally
conductive material 705 forming a recessed portion 710 in which a
cup, mug and/or extension inserts may be seated. The conductive
material 705 may be functionally similar to the conductive material
620 described with reference to the personal beverage warmer and
cooler 600 of FIG. 6. The personal beverage warmer and cooler 700
also includes an air inlet 720 on a side, and an air outlet 730 on
a bottom of the personal beverage warmer and cooler 700. A fan 740
within the personal beverage warmer and cooler 700 circulates air
from the air inlet 720, into operational proximity with a heat
exchanger 760 such as the heat sink 240 or cold side 290 (FIGS. 2A
and 2B) coupled with a thermoelectric module 750 (e.g., the
thermoelectric device 220), and out through the air outlet 730. The
personal beverage warmer and cooler 700 may make more efficient use
of space in an installation than the personal beverage warmer and
coolers 300 and 600 and may, therefore, be well suited for use in
the passenger seat environment 100 illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0049] FIG. 8A schematically illustrates a plurality of the
exemplary personal beverage warmer and coolers 700 of FIGS. 7A and
7B assembled or situated adjacent to one another. As shown in FIG.
8A, the plurality of personal beverage warmer and coolers 700 may
be assembled within the beverage holder zone 160 (FIGS. 1A and 1B)
to serve as the plurality of beverage holders 110 illustrated in
FIG. 1. FIGS. 8B and 8C illustrate opposite side views of the
plurality of exemplary personal beverage warmer and coolers 700 of
FIG. 8A assembled or situated adjacent to one another. As
illustrated in FIG. 8C, the personal beverage warmer and coolers
700 may hold beverage containers such as the mug 350 and/or the
extension inserts 450 and 460. As illustrated in FIGS. 8B and 8C, a
control panel 810 including a control switch and an indicator may
be disposed at a top surface of the personal beverage warmer and
cooler 700 adjacent to the recessed area in which the mug 350
and/or the extension inserts 450 and 460 may be seated. The example
control panel 810 may be substantially similar to the control panel
310, and may include a control switch similar to the control switch
312 and an indicator similar to the indicator 314 as described
elsewhere herein.
[0050] FIGS. 9A-9F illustrate various views of the exemplary
personal beverage warmer and coolers 700 of FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B,
and 8C.
[0051] Functions of the exemplary personal beverage warmer and
coolers disclosed herein may be controlled by a controller
according to instructions of a software and/or firmware program
executed by a processor of the controller. Alternatively, some or
all of the disclosed embodiments may be implemented using any
combination(s) of fuses, ASIC(s), PLD(s), FPLD(s), FPGA(s),
discrete logic, hardware, firmware, etc. Also, some or all of the
disclosed embodiments may be implemented manually or as any
combination of any of the foregoing techniques, for example, any
combination of firmware, software, discrete logic and/or hardware.
The software program (e.g., machine-readable instructions) may be
stored in any number and/or type(s) of tangible computer-readable
storage media or non-transient computer-readable storage media. As
used herein, "computer-readable storage medium" expressly excludes
any medium on which a signal propagates. The software program may
be written in a computer-programming language (e.g., C, C++, etc.)
compiled to be executable by the processor of the controller.
Examples of types of computer-readable storage media include, but
are not limited to, a magnetic storage media (e.g., a floppy disk,
a hard disk drive, and a magnetic tape), optical recording media
(e.g., a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), etc.),
an electronic storage media (e.g., an integrated circuit (IC), a
read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an
electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and
a flash memory), a quantum storage device, a cache, and/or any
other storage media in which information may be stored for any
duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently, brief
instances, for temporarily buffering, or for caching). The storage
medium may also be distributed over network-coupled computer
systems (e.g., a network-attached storage device, a server-based
storage device, and/or a shared network storage device) so that the
program instructions are stored and/or executed in a distributed
fashion.
[0052] Embodiments may be disclosed in terms of functional block
components and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may
be realized by any number of hardware and/or software components
configured to perform the specified functions. For example, the
embodiments may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g.,
memory elements, processing elements, logic elements, look-up
tables, and the like, which may carry out a variety of functions
under, for example, the control of one or more microprocessors or
other control devices. When elements of the embodiments are
implemented using software programming or software elements, the
embodiments may be implemented using any programming or scripting
language such as C, C++, Java, assembler, or the like, with the
various algorithms being implemented by any combination of data
structures, objects, processes, routines and/or other programming
elements. Furthermore, the embodiments could employ any number of
conventional techniques for electronics configuration, signal
processing and/or control, data processing and the like. The word
"mechanism" is used broadly herein and is not limited to mechanical
or physical embodiments, but can include software routines in
conjunction with processors, etc.
[0053] The particular implementations shown and disclosed herein
are illustrative examples or embodiments of the invention and are
not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any
way. For the sake of brevity, conventional electronics, control
systems, software development and other functional aspects of the
systems (and components of the individual operating components of
the systems) may not be described in detail. Furthermore, the
connecting lines, or connectors shown in the various figures
presented are intended to represent exemplary functional
relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the
various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or
additional functional relationships, physical connections or
logical connections may be present in a practical device. The use
of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as" or
"for example") provided herein, is intended merely to better
illuminate the disclosed embodiments and does not pose a limitation
on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. Moreover,
no item or component is essential to the practice of the invention
unless the element is specifically described as "essential" or
"critical".
[0054] As the disclosed embodiments are described with reference to
illustrations, various modifications or adaptations of the methods
and or specific structures described may become apparent to those
skilled in the art. All such modifications, adaptations, or
variations that rely upon the teachings of this disclosure, and
through which these teachings have advanced the art, are considered
to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Hence, these
descriptions and drawings should not be considered in a limiting
sense, as it is understood that the invention is in no way limited
to only the illustrated embodiments.
[0055] It will be recognized that the terms "comprising,"
"including," and "having," as used herein, are specifically
intended to be read as open-ended terms of art. The use of the
terms "a" and "and" and "the" and similar referents in the context
of describing the embodiments (especially in the context of the
following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular
and the plural. Furthermore, recitation of ranges of values herein
are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring
individually to each separate value falling within the range,
unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is
incorporated into the specification as if it were individually
recited herein. Finally, the steps of all methods described herein
can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated
herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
* * * * *