PORTABLE COOLING UNIT

Abstract

The invention pertains to a portable cooling unit, the unit comprising a dimensionally stable casing having a wall that comprises macroscopic through holes, allowing a free flow of air through the wall, the casing defining an internal space, which space comprises a means for generating a stream of air directed to the wall, and an energy source which is operatively coupled to these means to provide the energy needed for generating the stream of air by the said means, wherein the casing is covered with a breathable fluffy layer. (fig. 1)

Description

GENERAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention in general pertains to a for use by a human person for getting into to sleep, typically by taking the unit to bed, grabbing it like a teddy bear or other soft toy and allowing the unit to provide a cooling action. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout life of any person. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect the mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety of a person. It has been known for a long time that during sleep, the body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise the risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well one thinks, reacts, works, learns, and gets along with others. That is why there is a continuous search forway to improve comfort during or in the process of getting into sleep. Already since prehistoric times, the concept of using a sleeping support such as a mattress or pillow has been used to provide comfort during sleep. By lying on piles of leaves, straw, and animal skins, early humans were able to sleep more comfortably and more soundly than they could have on hard surfaces. As greater numbers of people left a nomadic, hunting existence for a settled, agrarian lifestyle, primitive furnishings, including the bed, began to develop. Over the centuries however, mattresses, pillows etc, themselves remained unsophisticated. Until the twentieth century, pillows were simply sacks filled with feathers or straw, whereas mattresses generally consisted of lumpy pads filled with horse hair, cotton, or rags. Mattresses with stabilizing interior springs, probably the most significant advance in mattress design, were first developed during the mid-1800s. By placing a set of uniform springs inside one or more layers of upholstery, mattresses could be made a firm, resilient, and uniform texture. An important aspect of a comfortable sleeping support item is its ability to locally remove moist. People tend to lose a substantial amount of moist in the form of sweat while sleeping on a mattress. That is why cores of pillows, mattresses etc. are typically porous (i.e. they have voids that allow a liquid to be taken up by the core). This enables moist to easily penetrate the support item and make sure the top surface does not attain a wet feel. However, problems may arise when people sweat heavily, urinate, or do not move enough while sleeping: Moist than builds up at particular sites in the core which may become locally saturated, ultimately leading to a wet feel at the outer surface of the support item at these sites. A solution proposed in the art is to try and prevent that moist can enter into the porous core by using a barrier layer, for example an external rubbery sheeting. This way, moist stays on the outer surface and may be removed automatically by evaporation or simply taking away using a towel. However, this is only a solution for people that have a (very) low level of sweating. Next to this, such a barrier layer decreases the sleeping comfort: An outer barrier layer actually gets wet during sleeping which is very uncomfortable when trying to get back to sleep again in the night. Even when such a barrier is built in the support item, such as a barrier in the ticking of the mattress, such a barrier increases the local tension in the top layer of the mattress when it deforms locally. A different solution therefore is the use of a separate external comfort layer for covering a top surface of a ready-to-use sleeping support item, the external comfort layer comprising a resilient core for comfort and an outer layer for preventing moist to absorb the core and to spread the moist over the surface. An example of such a comfort layer is described in US 8,181,293. As the 293 patent describes, the comfort layer may be attached to the upper deck of the mattress by a releasable fastener, such as a zipper, and can be washed multiple times. The removable comfort layer, also denoted as a topperwhen used in conjunction with a mattress, is implemented as a padded upholstery layer with a quilted top that represents the actual sleeping surface. This quilted top is made from a water repellent fabric, such as the CoolMax® material available from the lnvista Company. CoolMax® is a tetra-channel polyester, which pulls, or "wicks", moisture away from the user's skin. The larger surface area of the tetra- channel fibre is understood to cause moisture to evaporate quickly and roll or shed from the fibre more quickly than other hydrophobic fibres. However, there is still a local moist build up and for higher amounts of locally produced liquid (for example saliva at the location of the mouth, sweat at certain locations, urine etc), the evaporation is too slow to keep up with the incoming amount of liquid. Another aspect of comfortable sleeping is to avoid too high temperatures. Temperature affects the processing of falling into sleep as well as the sleeping process itself. The ideal bedroom temperature varies from person to person, it will differ depending on individual preferences and environment. Some prefer to be cosy and warm under a thick duvet, while others prefer to sleep in a cooler environment. However, experts generally recommend keeping the temperature of your bedroom between 15.6 and 20 degrees Celsius. Typically, houses are heated too much to reach a good sleeping temperature in the bedrooms. A temperature thats too high can have a negative effect on sleep. Temperature, next to too much humidity also leads to restlessness, insomnia, and a disrupted sleep rhythm. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a solution that stimulates the process of getting into sleep. SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION In order to meet the object of the invention, a was devised, the unit comprising a dimensionally stable casing having a wall that comprises macroscopic through holes, allowing a free flow of air through the wall, the casing defining an internal space, which space comprises a means for generating a stream of air directed to the wall, and an energy source which is operatively coupled to these means to provide the energy needed for generating the stream of air by the said means, wherein the casing is covered with a breathable fluffy layer. Vlth this unit a stream of air can be created by a person while lying in bed, wherein the person can direct the stream of air as wished, for example to certain parts of the body. This may help to mitigate two problems that complicate the process of falling into sleep. The first problem is a too high temperature, and the second problem is sweating leading to local moist build up. With the present invention both problems can be mitigated in a simple, convenient and comfortable way, having a substantial positive impact on the process of falling into sleep. In particular itwas found that the right temperature shortens the time it takes to fall asleep. If the temperature is correct, which temperature in the majority of the cases is a lower temperature than the room and blankets (plus nightwear) allow, it helps the body to lower its own temperature in preparation for a restful nights sleep. When the bodys temperature is lowered, it sends signals to the brain to enter sleep mode. Next to the stream of air leading to a lower temperature it may also help to take away any local moist, which increase the feel of comfort, thereby further improving the process of entering the sleep mode. By using a dimensionally stable casing covered with a fluffy layer, multiple goals can be reached at the same time: the internal mechanics (in particular the fan, or fan-like means, and battery) can be kept safe, and at the same time the unit may feel like a teddy bear or other soft toy, further increasing the feeling of comfort. The permeable (perforated) wall makes sure that the internally generated stream of air can flow through the wall to reach the person handling the unit. It is believed that the presence of such a unit with a soft feeling further stimulates the process of entering into sleep. DEFINITIONS An object being dimensional / y stable means that the object does not macroscopically deform under normal forces applied by an average human person by taking, lifting and moving the object. Such an object is typically denoted as rigid, meaning that it is capable of retaining its shape (as opposed to for example a pillow or mattress). Deformation using particular high forces such as those when applying a tool like a hammer is however not excluded. A portable object is an object than can be grabbed, lifted and moved by an average human person. Such an object typically has dimensions between 1 cm and 1 metre, and weighs no more than 15 kg. Typical dimensions for a are between 5 cm and 50 cm, having a weight between 100 grams and 3 kg. Macroscopic means having a size of at least 0.5 mm, preferably above 1 mm, or even above 2, 3, 4 or 5 mm. Fluffymeans soft, like wool or fur, to resemble the feel of a teddy bear or other soft toy. Breathable means allowing a stream of air to pass through. A fan is a device for generating a stream of air by the movement of a broad surface or a number of such surfaces. A battery is a container consisting of one or more cells, in which cells chemical energy can be converted into electricity. Reticu / atedmeans arranged or having a pattern like a net of lines and figures such as squares and triangles, thereby forming or resembling a net or network. FURTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION In a first embodiment of the of the invention, the through holes have an average cross section of at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm, such as for example 3, 4, 5mm or even larger. The larger the openings, the less restriction for the air flow are present, allowing an easier flow of air through the wall. Still, advantageously it should be prevented that the openings are larger than 2-5 cm since this brings the risk of a finger or other body part to penetrate though the wall and reaching the internals. Although such bigger openings are not excluded, since penetration can also be prevented by the fluffy covering, it is simply not preferred to have too large openings. In a second embodiment of the of the invention, the through holes are present in at least a part of the wall of the casing, in which part they cover at least 30% of the surface of the wall, preferably at least 50%. In this embodiment it is foreseen that the through holes are present at least locally, so that it is easier for a person handling the unit to direct the stream of air towards a desired location. The minimum covering of at least 30% of this part of the casing make sure that there is only a low resistance against the free flow of air. Openings that cover at least 60%, 70%, 80% or even 90% or more of the part of the wall that is foreseen with the through holes are further preferred. In another embodiment of the of the invention, the through holes are spread over substantially the whole wall, wherein they cover at least 30% of the surface of the wall, preferably at least 50%. Openings that cover at least 60%, 70%, 80% or even 90% or more of the part of the wall that is foreseen with the through holes are further preferred. In this embodiment, the stream of air generated inside the casing can leave the unit everywhere along the surface thereof. It may be that internally the stream is directed to a particular location, so that at this location most of the air will flow through the wall, but in essence, the air can flow out of the unit everywhere. This may also be helpful when a very larger volume of air is created per unit of time. In that case it may be more comfortable that air can escape form the unit along its compete surface. In yet another embodiment of the of the invention, the means for generating the stream of air is a fan. A fan is a means that is able to create a stream of air using a relatively low amount of power. This means that it takes longer before the energy source is depleted. In yet again another embodiment of the of the invention, the energy source is a battery, preferably a rechargeable battery. A battery is a very convenient, safe and efficient energy source. Modern technology allows recharging of a battery without using wires (for example by putting the unit on a charging station, as is known commonly in the art of mobile phones), which makes the unit very easy for continuous use without needing to interfere with its internals. In yet again another embodiment of the of the invention, the wall is made of a polymer. A polymer, e.g. a polyester polymer such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or PC (polycarbonate), PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene), is light, easy to form into a particular shape, and recyclable. This is an ideal material from which a perforated casing for use in the present invention can be made. In still again another embodiment of the of the invention, the wall of the casing is reticulated. A reticulated wall is strong while at the same time having a very large open / close ratio of 5:1 or even above such as 6:1, 7:1, 8:1, 9:1 or 10:1 or even above. In again another embodiment of the of the invention, the wall is constituted of at least two separate parts that are releasably connected to each other. This means that the casing can be opened easily, allowing repair or replacement of any of the internals, or removal before ethe casing is recycled at its end of life. The above embodiments do not exclude further refinement of the cooling unit according to the invention such as wireless control (e.g. via an application on a mobile phone or other portable device), e.g. for controlling the flow (its level and / or direction), a timer for the air flow generating means, potential further properties such as a local heater, etc. Of course, such control can also take place via buttons or sensors on or in the device such as tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory or other types of sensors. The invention will now be further illustrated by the following non limiting example. EXAMPLE Figure 1 a schematically shows a colling unit according to the invention, opened up. Figure 2 schematically shows the colling unit of figure 1 when ready for use. Figure 1 Figure 1 a schematically shows a cooling unit 1 according to the invention, opened up (which means that the fluffy cover layer is not depicted, for thiswe refer to figure 2). The unit in this case comprises an egg-shaped casing, comprising two halves 2 and 3, which are releasably connected via hinge 4. Both casings are made of PET polymer and have reticulated walls withy openings that have an average diameter of 5 mm. The polymer lines of the net have a thickness of about 2 mm. The upper casing half has a surface that is 100% reticulated, the bottom casing half has a small part that is fully closed for connection of the fan 6 and battery 5. The battery is a of the rechargeable type, being able to be recharged wirelessly. The fan has an internal controlling unit (not shown) which can be controlled via an application that runs on a mobile phone. The fan can be controlled not only for the level of blowing, but also for directing the stream of air in a particular direction according to the users desire. Figure 2 Figure 2 schematically shows the colling unit of figure 1 when ready for use. In this case the two halves 2 and 3 are closed, and the case is covered with a fluffy layer, such as one that is used to cover soft toys. However, the fluffy layer is such that it allows a free flow of air from the fan to the outside surroundings of the unit. The units 5 and 6 taken up in the casing are shown in dashed lines in figure 2.

Claims

1. A portable cooling unit, the unit comprising a shape-fixed rigid housing with a wall containing macroscopic through holes which a free allow airflow through the wall, whereby the housing has an internal space defines which space includes a means for generating an airflow that is directed at the wall, and an energy source that is actively connected to this agent to provide the energy required to generate the airflow by the said agent, whereby the housing is covered with a soft, breathable low.

2. A unit within the meaning of claim 1, characterized in that the through holes a have an average cross-section of at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm.

3. A unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the through holes are present in at least part of the wall of the housing, in which part they cover at least 30% of the surface of the wall, preferably at least 50%.

4. A unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the through holes are distributed over essentially the entire wall, whereby they at least Cover 30% of the wall surface, preferably at least 50%.

5. A unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the A fan is the means for generating airflow.

6. A unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the The energy source is a battery, preferably a rechargeable battery.

7. A unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the wall is made of a polymer.

8. A unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the wall is formed as a network.

9. A unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the wall is composed of at least two separate parts that are detachable from each other confirmed.

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