Heating or cooling containers

Abstract

A self-heating or self-cooling container for food or drink comprises inner and outer vessels (1 ,2) defining a reaction cell between their mutually facing walls. The reaction cell is divided into first and second chambers (3,4) by a rupturable membrane (5). A liquid chemical reagent (17) is filled into the second chamber (4) which is at ambient pressure, and a solid chemical reagent (19) is placed in the first chamber (3) which is at sub-atmospheric pressure. The chemicals are chosen for their exothermic or endothermic heats of reaction after rupture of the membrane, and preferably result in a solid or semi-solid porous residue. The sub-atmospheric pressure in the first chamber (3) causes a rapid and thorough mixing of the chemical reagents, and shaking the container after the initial rupture of the membrane assists that rapid mixing. Preferably the second chamber (4) is elastically deformable to increase its internal volume, for example being formed with corrugated walls. That makes it possible to form the reaction cell as a totally sealed volume. Alternatively the reaction cell may be provided with pressure relief valve means. The use of a sub-atmospheric pressure in the first chamber permits the design of the container so that the contents of the inner vessel can be raised from ambient to 85 DEG C to 90 DEG C within three minutes, or alternatively cooled from ambient to 5 DEG C within the same or a shorter time.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a self-heating or self-cooling container, which has the function of heating or cooling solid or liquid food in the container without using external energy. Background technique [0002] Provide a double-walled (double-walled) container, which defines a reaction chamber (cell) between the two walls, and selectively mixes chemical reagents (reagents) in the reaction chamber, by generating The concept of exothermic or endothermic reactions to heat or cool the contents of containers is well known and documented. The supporting documents are based on the following patent specifications: EP-A-0084532, EP-A-0082834, FR-A-2231341, DE-A-2730243, DE-A-2606806, DE-A-2255405, IT-A-1002244, IT-A-942063, GB-A-2261501, GB-A-2089970, US-3653372, US-5628304, US-5255812, US-5220909, US-4809673, US-4793323, US-4733389 and US-4057047. [0003] Despite the extensive research on such self-heating and self-cooling containers, and even thoug...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Heat-dissipating or endothermic chemical reactions take place in this reaction chamber

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