Patent Application
20080087674
In embodiments, container 20 may be a bottle with a cap 12. The space between outer wall 22 and inner wall 16 may form a sealed chamber that contains phase change material 24, in accordance with embodiments. In embodiments, seal 14 near an opening of container 20 may seal the sealed chamber so that phase change material is permanently maintained in the sealed chamber. In embodiments, the sealed chamber may be formed along at least a portion of the sides of container 20 and/or the bottom of container 20. In
One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other configurations of the sealed chamber can be appreciated. For example, there could be multiple sealed chambers, in accordance with embodiments. The sealed chamber could only be on a portion of the sides of a container, in accordance with embodiments. The sealed chamber could be only on the sides of a container, in accordance with embodiments. The sealed chamber could be on any portion of the sides and/or bottom and/or top of a container, in accordance with embodiments.
In embodiments, inner wall 16 may include material that is a good thermal conductor. In embodiments, inner wall 16 may contain glass or aluminum which are a good thermal conductors. In order to maintain liquid 18 at an ideal serving temperature, a good thermal conductor may be chosen to maximize thermal coupling between liquid 18 and phase change material 24, in accordance with embodiments. In embodiments, inner wall 16 is substantially transparent, so that liquid 18 inside container 20 can be seen from the outside when phase change material 24 is in a substantially transparent liquid state.
In embodiments, outer wall 22 may include a material that is a good thermal insulator. In embodiments, outer wall 22 may contain plastic which is a good thermal insulator. In order to maintain liquid 18 at an ideal serving temperature for the maximum amount of time, outer wall 22 being a good thermal insulator may prevent thermal coupling of phase change material 24 with the outside environment to maintain thermal energy inside container 20. In embodiments, outer wall 22 may be substantially transparent, so that the liquid 18 inside container 20 can be seen when phase change material 24 is in a substantially transparent liquid state.
Phase change material (e.g. phase change material 24) is a class of materials that use phase changes (e.g. melting or freezing) to absorb or release relatively large amounts of latent heat at relatively constant temperatures. Phase change material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,971 to Suppes, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Phase change materials allow for a micro encapsulation and a customized melt/freeze point. When the temperature becomes warmer than the freezing point, phase change materials liquefy and absorb and store heat. Conversely, when the temperature drops, the material will solidify and give off heat, warming the material coated or impregnated with phase change material.
Phase change materials are used for a wide range of applications in the industry, and are far superior to and comparable with ordinary ice or freeze gel for many applications. For example, the U.S. army uses a cold vest filled with a phase change material to keep soldiers cool in hot conditions; the material interacts with body heath. Phase change material may be used as an insulator for Pizza delivery packaging to keep the pizza hot during transport. It may be used in air conditioning devices to accumulate cold in order to save electricity consumption.
In embodiments, phase change material maintains alcohol (e.g. vodka) in a bottle between about at approximately 10° C. In embodiments, a liquid can be maintained at a prescribed temperature that is specifically tailored for the ideal temperature of the liquid. Phase change material used may be non-toxic and may be made out of food grade materials such as soy. Phase change material may be used for temperature moderation of vodka, and may be formulated to interact with the aroma flavor's ideal serving temperature at approximately 10° C. In embodiments, phase change material is tailored to have a melting and freezing point of approximately 10° C. In other words, at approximately 10° C. or below, the phase change material will be frozen and temperatures above approximately 10° C. the phase change material will be a liquid. When the phase change material is a solid and starts to melt to become a liquid, it may absorb large amounts of heat from its surroundings and thereby keep it cooler. Conversely when phase change material starts to go from a solid state to a liquid state it will release large amounts of heat and therefore aids in alcohol from getting too cold too quickly. It is the actual process of melting and freezing of phase change material that assists in temperature moderation.
In embodiments, phase change material 24 may maintain liquid 18 (e.g. Vodka) inside inner wall 16 of container 20 (e.g. a bottle) at a predetermined temperature (e.g. approximately 10° C. if the liquid is vodka). Phase change material 24 may interact with and absorb the temperature from liquid 18 through a physical reaction associated with phase change material 18. For example, when container 20 containing phase change material 24 is chilled at temperatures below the freezing point of the phase change material (e.g. 10° C. for a vodka container), phase change material will solidify. When container 20 is taken out of the chilled environment, phase change material 24 may absorb extra heat from its surroundings. The heat is absorbed and stored in the phase change material and not in the liquid. This may assist in keeping liquid chilled at a prescribed temperature (e.g. an ideal serving temperature of approximately 10° C. for Vodka).
In embodiments, phase change material 24 may act as a temperature control device for temperature maintenance and moderation of liquid 18 (e.g. Vodka or other beverage) inside container 20. For example, in the case of Vodka, phase change material 24 may keep and maintain Vodka for a prolonged period of time (e.g. 1.5-2 hours) at an ideal serving temperature at which the unique aroma comes in full blossom. Phase change material 24 may also keep liquid 18 inside container 20 from cooling down too fast. For example, low quality Vodkas sometimes mask their aroma and/or quality by over-cooling the Vodka. In the case of higher quality Vodkas, too cold a serving temperature may be undesirable as it would numb several of the aroma extracts and prevent the optimal taste experience of the formulation.
In embodiments, the appearance of phase change material 24 may indicate if the temperature of liquid 18 (e.g. Vodka) is at an predetermined set temperature (e.g. the ideal serving temperature of approximately 10° C. for Vodka). In embodiments, the appearance of phase change material 24 may be discriminated by the level of transparency and/or the color of phase change material 24. The level of transparency and/or color of the phase change material 24 may be a result of phase change material 24 transitioning from a liquid state to a solid state. For example, when liquid 18 in container 20 is maintained at a predetermine temperature (e.g. approximately 10° C. for Vodka), phase change material 24 is in a solid state (as shown in example
Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/829,263 (filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 12, 2006), which is herein incorporated by reference in entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60829263 | Oct 2006 | US |
