Patent Application
20190191925
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The disclosure and prior art relates to heated fluid container devices and more particularly pertains to a new heated fluid container device for regulating the temperature of a fluid positioned therein.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cup that has a bottom wall and a perimeter wall that extends upwardly therefrom. The perimeter wall has an upper edge that defines an opening into the cup. The cup has a dividing wall positioned therein that is spaced from the bottom wall to define a compartment between the dividing wall and the bottom wall. A temperature regulating unit is mounted on the cup and is positioned in the compartment. The temperature regulating unit is in thermal communication with an interior of the cup and is configured to detect a temperature of fluid that is positioned within the cup. The temperature regulating unit is configured to heat the fluid when a temperature of the fluid falls below a predetermined temperature wherein the predetermined temperature is between 120° F. and 160° F.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A temperature regulating unit 26 is mounted on the cup 12 and is positioned in the compartment 24. The temperature regulating unit 26 is in thermal communication with an interior of the cup 28 and detects a temperature of fluid positioned within the cup 12. The temperature regulating unit 26 heats the fluid when a temperature of the fluid falls below a predetermined temperature wherein the predetermined temperature is between 120° F. and 160° F.
The temperature regulating unit 26 comprises a processor 30 that is mounted in the cup 12. The processor 30 is programmed to allow the selection of the predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature includes a minimum temperature sequence, a medium temperature sequence and a maximum temperature sequence. A thermostat 32 is coupled to the cup 12 and is electrically coupled to the processor 30. The thermostat 32 is in thermal communication with the fluid in the cup 12 and relays the temperature of the fluid to the processor 30.
A heating element 34 is positioned in the compartment 24. The heating element 34 is in thermal communication with the cup 12 such that the heating element 34 heats the cup 12 wherein the heating element 34 heats the fluid. The heating element 34 heats the fluid to the predetermined temperature wherein the heating element is heated to a minimum temperature when the processor 30 generates the minimum temperature sequence, to a medium temperature when the processor 30 generates the medium temperatures sequence, and to a maximum temperature when the processor 30 generates a maximum temperature sequence. The minimum temperature is equal to 130° F., the medium temperature is equal to 140° F. and the maximum temperature is equal to at least 150° F.
A power switch 36 is mounted on the cup 12. The power switch 36 is electrically coupled to the processor 30 and is actuated to turn on the processor 30 and the heating element 34. The power switch 36 is actuated sequentially to turn on the processor 30 and initiate the maximum temperature sequence, to initiate the medium temperature sequence, to initiate the minimum sequence and to turn the processor 30 off.
A light emitter 38 is mounted on the cup 12 and is electrically coupled to the processor 30. The lighter emitter 38 emits a first color when the thermostat 32 detects the temperature of the fluid to be higher than the predetermined temperature and a second color when the thermostat 32 detects the temperature is equal to or less than the predetermined temperature wherein the first color is red and the second color is green.
A power supply 40 is mounted on the cup 12 and is electrically coupled to the processor 30. The power supply 40 comprises at least one rechargeable battery. A charge port 42 is positioned on the cup 12 and is electrically coupled to the power supply 40. The charge port 42 is electrically coupled to a power source.
A lid 44 is removably positioned on the upper edge 18 to cover the opening 20. The lid 44 has a top surface 46 and a bottom surface 48. The lid 44 has a dispensing aperture 50 that extends through the top surface 46 and the bottom surface 48. A cover 52 is slidably positionable over the dispensing aperture 50.
In use, the assembly 10 is used conventionally as a cup 12. A fluid is poured into the opening 20 of the cup 12. For fluids intended to be consumed while warm, the power switch 36 is pressed to selected the desired temperature sequence. The heating element 34 is warmed to the temperature of the temperature sequence thereby 34 heating the cup 12 and to heat the fluid to the selected temperature. The thermostat 32 detects the temperature of the fluid wherein the processor 30 actuates the light emitter 38 to emit a first color if the fluid is too hot to be consumed or a second color if the fluid is equal to or less than the temperature of the selected temperature sequence.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements. I claim:
