Patent Application
20250164160
The invention is in the field of refrigeration and more specifically to a method, system and apparatus of a cuboidal portable-smart refrigerator.
Medicines and other products can degrade in certain conditions. For example, some temperatures need to be maintained in specified temperature ranges. Patients may not be able to constantly track medicine temperature. The same can be true for some testing instruments such as blood testing strips. Portable refrigerators can solve these issues. However, effective portable refrigerators need effective components that are sufficient. Accordingly, improvements to thermo-electric cooler pump design and use are desired.
In one aspect, a cuboidal portable-smart refrigerator comprising: a payload assembly comprising: a payload space configured for storage of an item to be refrigerated; and a cooling/PCB assembly coupled with the payload space and comprising: a cooling-coil assembly comprising one or more cooling coils coupled with the thermal-chemical chamber assembly; a thermal-chemical chamber assembly that holds at least one cooling coil, wherein the thermal-chemical chamber is placed within an outer surface of the payload space; and a thermo-electric cooler pump comprising a liquid pump with an integrated chiller and an integrated heater; and a radiator assembly configured to radiate heat via one or more fans from the payload assembly; and a lid assembly configured to provide access to payload assembly.
The Figures described above are a representative set and are not an exhaustive with respect to embodying the invention.
Disclosed are a system, method, and article of manufacture for a cuboidal portable-smart refrigerator. The following description is presented to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the various embodiments. Descriptions of specific devices, techniques, and applications are provided only as examples. Various modifications to the examples described herein can be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments.
Reference throughout this specification to ‘one embodiment,’ ‘an embodiment,’ ‘one example,’ or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment, according to some embodiments. Thus, appearances of the phrases ‘in one embodiment,’ ‘in an embodiment,’ and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art can recognize, however, that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
The schematic flow chart diagrams included herein are generally set forth as logical flow chart diagrams. As such, the depicted order and labeled steps are indicative of one embodiment of the presented method. Other steps and methods may be conceived that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more steps, or portions thereof, of the illustrated method. Additionally, the format and symbols employed are provided to explain the logical steps of the method and are understood not to limit the scope of the method. Although various arrow types and line types may be employed in the flow chart diagrams, and they are understood not to limit the scope of the corresponding method. Indeed, some arrows or other connectors may be used to indicate only the logical flow of the method. For instance, an arrow may indicate a waiting or monitoring period of unspecified duration between enumerated steps of the depicted method. Additionally, the order in which a particular method occurs may or may not strictly adhere to the order of the corresponding steps shown.
Example definitions for some embodiments are now provided.
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a common plastic polymer.
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum.
Peltier effect is the presence of heating or cooling at an electrified junction of two different conductors. When a current is made to flow through a junction between two conductors, A and B, heat may be generated or removed at the junction. Thermoelectric cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between the junction of two different types of materials. A Peltier cooler, heater, or thermoelectric heat pump is a solid-state active heat pump which transfers heat from one side of the device to the other, with consumption of electrical energy, depending on the direction of the current.
Thermal-chemical is a substance with a high heat of fusion which, melting and solidifying at a certain temperature, is capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy. Heat is absorbed or released when the material changes from solid to liquid and vice versa.
Polypropylene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene.
Press fit or friction fit is a fastening between two parts which is achieved by friction after the parts are pushed together, rather than by any other means of fastening.
Temperature sensors can include mechanical temperature sensors, electrical temperature sensors, integrated circuit sensors, medometers, etc.
Thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice versa via a thermocouple. A thermoelectric device creates voltage when there is a different temperature on each side. Conversely, when a voltage is applied to it, heat is transferred from one side to the other, creating a temperature difference. At the atomic scale, an applied temperature gradient causes charge carriers in the material to diffuse from the hot side to the cold side.
The portable smart refrigerator can include a thermo-electric cooler pump as provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/523,827, titled THERMO-ELECTRIC COOLER PUMP METHODS AND SYSTEMS and filed on 26 Jul. 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Thermo-electric cooler pump (not shown) includes a liquid pump with integrated chiller and heater. This liquid can be pushed through coiling assembly. The liquid pump with integrated chiller includes four components. The case component seals the liquid so that the liquid does not escape except by the inlet port and exit port which are also formed by case.
The motor component situated outside of the case, is not wetted by the liquid, and is fixed to the Case by attachments such as screws. A shaft of the motor enters the case through a sealed hole.
The impeller is contained within the case. The impeller is wetted by the liquid. The impeller is attached to shaft such that the motion of motor is transferred to impeller causing it to move. The movement of impeller causes liquid to enter the inlet port and move toward the exit port. The movement of the liquid is directed from inlet to exit port by the geometry of case and impeller. The chiller/heater is fixed to the case by attachments such as screws. Chiller/Heater penetrates the case such that one part of chiller/heater is inside the case and is wetted by liquid while the other part of chiller/heater is outside of the case and is dry. There is a seal around chiller/heater so that liquid does not escape in the vicinity of the chiller/heater. Chiller/Heater converts electron flow to thermal heat transfer by means of the Peltier effect. When electrons are made to flow in the positive direction, the wetted side of chiller/heater is driven to lower temperatures and the dry side to higher temperature. The Peltier effect causes heat to flow from cold side to hot side and is reversible with a reversal in electron flow.
Thermo-electric cooler pump can be managed by a computing system in the portable smart refrigerator. The computing system can be coupled with an exterior display. Exterior display can display various parameters (e.g. temperature, batter power, etc.) of the portable smart refrigerator. Computing system can also be coupled with various other systems such as, inter alia: temperature sensors, digital clocks, Wi-Fi systems, etc.
Cooling/PCB assembly 2508 can maintained the space in the payload assembly 2502 at a specified temperature range. As noted supra, Cooling/PCB assembly 2508 can include modified versions of a cooling-coil assembly (e.g. as discussed supra). In one example, cooling-coil assembly can include various cooling coils. By way of example, cooling-coil assembly can include, inter alia: a feeding tube, a top elbow, a bottom tube, a cooling coil (e.g. wrapping around the shape of the payload space that itself can be any shape such as a cube, a cylinder, etc.). The top elbow can be installed between n-lengths of tubing/pipe to enable a change of direction and couples the feeding tube with the cooling coil. The cooling coil can be coupled with the bottom tube. The thermal-chemical chamber assembly that holds the cooling coil. The thermal-chemical chamber is placed within an outer surface of the payload space of the payload assembly 2502. A thermo-electric cooler pump comprising a liquid pump with an integrated chiller and an integrated heater can be used to control the temperature of the payload space. Radiator assembly 2506 can radiate heat (e.g. via fans, etc.) from the payload assembly 2502. Lid assembly can provide access to payload assembly 2502. Honeycomb vent 2506 can protect access to the radiator assembly while enabling the removal of heat.
Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, various modifications and changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments. For example, the various devices, modules, etc. described herein can be enabled and operated using hardware circuitry, firmware, software or any combination of hardware, firmware, and software (e.g., embodied in a machine-readable medium).
In addition, it can be appreciated that the various operations, processes, and methods disclosed herein can be embodied in a machine-readable medium and/or a machine accessible medium compatible with a data processing system (e.g., a computer system), and can be performed in any order (e.g., including using means for achieving the various operations). Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. In some embodiments, the machine-readable medium can be a non-transitory form of machine-readable medium.
This application is a continuation in part of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/374,646, filed on Sep. 28, 2023 and titled THERMO-ELECTRIC SYSTEM COMPRISING CHAIN TRAPEZOID ELEMENTS WITH INCREASED FIGURE OF MERIT. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/374,646 is a continuation in part of and claim priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/205,488, filed on Jun. 2, 2023 and titled PORTABLE-SMART REFRIGERATOR METHODS AND SYSTEMS. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/205,488 claims priority to and incorporates by reference in its entirety U.S. Application No. 63/348,484 and filed on 2 Jun. 2022 and PORTABLE-SMART REFRIGERATOR METHODS AND SYSTEMS. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This application is a continuation in part of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/579,397, filed on Jan. 19, 2022 and titled PORTABLE-SMART REFRIGERATOR METHODS AND SYSTEMS. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/579,397 is a continuation in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/519,562 filed on Nov. 4, 2021. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/519,562 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/571,190 filed on Sep. 16, 2019. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/571,190 claims priority from U.S. provisional application 62/811,523 filed on Feb. 27, 2019. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/571,190 claims priority from U.S. provisional application 62/772,094 filed on Nov. 28, 2018. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/579,397 is a continuation in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/394,395 filed on Aug. 4, 2021. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/394,395 is a continuation in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/571,190 filed on Sep. 16, 2019. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/571,190 claims priority from a U.S. provisional application No. 62/811,523 filed on Feb. 27, 2019. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. These applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63348484 | Jun 2022 | US | |
| 62811523 | Feb 2019 | US | |
| 62772094 | Nov 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16571190 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Child | 17519562 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 18374646 | Sep 2023 | US |
| Child | 18772087 | US | |
| Parent | 18205488 | Jun 2023 | US |
| Child | 18374646 | US | |
| Parent | 17579397 | Jan 2022 | US |
| Child | 18772087 | US | |
| Parent | 17519562 | Nov 2021 | US |
| Child | 17579397 | US | |
| Parent | 17394395 | Aug 2021 | US |
| Child | 17579397 | US | |
| Parent | 16571190 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Child | 17394395 | US |
