Structural arrangement applied to a thermal box lid

Abstract

The present utility model application relates to the integration of an ice mold into the inner part of a thermal box lid. The structural arrangement disclosed herein pertains to the field of thermal boxes for storing, transporting, and preserving products or food items that must be kept at appropriate temperatures. The lid of the thermal box (01) has an integrated ice mold (02), which assembly is filled with water and placed in a household refrigerator. After the water has completely frozen, the lid containing the ice is placed on the thermal box. The openings of the mold cavities face downward when the thermal box is properly closed. Thus, as they begin to melt, the ice cubes detach from the mold and, by gravity, fall onto the contents of the box. The main advantage is the easy production of ice in an adequate volume, which eliminates the need for the user to purchase ice from commercial establishments and avoids the drawbacks caused by producing ice in improvised containers. A number of structural variants are also proposed within the scope of this technical-functional unit.

Description

CONSTRUCTIONAL ARRANGEMENT APPLIED TO THE LID OF A THERMAL BOX Technical field of the invention

[0001] The utility model now proposed consists of a thermal box with an ice tray integrated into its lid, and all the constructive arrangements that constitute this same inventive concept.

[0002] The proposed utility model falls within the segment of thermal boxes intended for the transport of food, beverages, medicines, vaccines, reagents, and any objects that require the maintenance of an appropriate temperature. The most common use of these thermal boxes is for the preservation of food and beverages, but the thermal box sector also serves the medical, veterinary, laboratory, and other fields. These thermal boxes are for ordinary use and do not have any electrical, electronic, or compression refrigeration system, relying solely on their thermal insulation properties to maintain the internal temperature for extended periods. Consequently, it is common to use refrigerants inside, such as ice packs, to ensure the maintenance of low temperatures for the packaged items.

[0003] The proposed utility model consists of a constructive arrangement applied to the lid of a cooler box. In this case, the inner face of the cooler box lid has an incorporated ice tray. Fundamentals of the invention: The State of the Art

[0004] Thermal boxes, also known as coolers, are widely used to keep food and drinks at appropriate temperatures during outdoor activities such as picnics, beach trips, camping, and sporting events. These boxes are designed with insulating materials that slow down the transfer of heat between the external environment and the interior of the box. This property Insulation is essential for maintaining a low internal temperature, ensuring the preservation of the quality of stored food and beverages.

[0005] In the state of the art and also on the market, there is a variety of models with different capacities and functionalities, some of which include additional features such as wheels for easy transport, an integrated auxiliary table, and internal dividers for organization. Other cooler models have peculiarities in their construction, such as different types of handles for carrying them, coolers with lids that also function as tables with cup holders, hinged, removable, or sliding lids.

[0006] Prior art documents are found in the literature, such as utility model patent BR 202016021246-0, which refers to a cooler box with a sliding lid designed to fit into the side handles on the surface of its lower container. Another example is WO 2014124479, where the cooler box lid can serve as a seat with a drawer allowing the user to access the contents of the cooler box while sitting on the lid. In US 09297568, the cooler box can include a storage box or a support for carrying camping chairs in its lid. These are some functionalities attributed to the cooler box lid present in the state of the art.

[0007] The thermal efficiency of coolers depends on several factors, including insulation thickness, material, type of seal used, and the presence of additional elements such as airtight lids. Recent innovations have focused on improving the energy efficiency and durability of these coolers, with some brands introducing vacuum technologies and advanced insulation materials. Despite these improvements, the entire range of coolers mentioned above still relies on the addition of refrigerants, such as ice packs, to maintain a low temperature for extended periods.

[0008] The main drawback of adding ice to coolers is that it needs to be purchased separately at supermarkets and other commercial establishments, or made in an improvised way in domestic refrigerators.

[0009] Purchasing ice from commercial establishments incurs costs, demands available time, and requires transporting a cooler or a bag of ice cubes. Furthermore, the amount of ice sold in sealed packaging is often disproportionate to the size of the consumer's cooler, resulting in losses due to both excess and shortage of ice.

[0010] In a domestic setting, conventional refrigerator ice trays are small and do not produce enough ice at a time to cool coolers for extended periods. For this reason, the domestic production of ice cubes for coolers usually involves the use of improvised bottles or containers designed to freeze water. Improvised containers cause several inconveniences, such as the need to break ice cubes that are too large, blocks of ice that remain confined in bottles hindering heat exchange with the contents to be cooled, cracks in containers due to the thermal expansion inherent in freezing water, among others.

[0011] While coolers remain a practical solution for preserving food and beverages, the reliance on purchasing ice or improvising its production at home represents a challenge that encourages the development of more convenient and efficient alternatives. An analysis of the literature, commercial products, and patents that comprise the state of the art for the type of cooler defined in paragraph

[0002] revealed no proposal that would solve this problem.

[0012] Therefore, in the current state of the art, there is a need to provide improved thermal boxes whose design is geared towards producing ice cubes in a practical way and in the appropriate quantity. This would eliminate the need for the consumer to buy ice or improvise its production.

[0013] This patent application aims to fill this existing gap in the state of the art. The proposal in this application consists of a cooler lid with an integrated ice tray.

[0014] The first advantage offered by this proposal is the ability to easily and practically produce ice cubes for coolers in a domestic setting. Anyone with access to water and a domestic refrigerator is able to use this utility model.

[0015] The second advantage is using an ice tray specifically designed for coolers, which eliminates the inconveniences mentioned in the paragraph.

[0010] ,

[0016] The third advantage is producing ice in the right size. Since all the dimensions of the cooler are known, the ice mold integrated into the lid is manufactured in a size suitable for producing ice in a volume proportional to the internal volume of the cooler.

[0017] The fourth advantage is that the ice mold allows you to define the size and shape of the ice cubes. This makes it possible to produce ice cubes suitable for the application.

[0018] The fifth advantage is that the user produces ice in the appropriate volume and size at home and is relieved of the need to buy it from commercial establishments.

[0019] The functional improvement achieved consists of producing ice cubes using the lid of the cooler itself as a mold. It is a utility model that brings new functionality to the cooler lid without compromising the functionalities of conventional coolers. Therefore, the proposed utility model solves the aforementioned problem and fills the existing gap in the state of the art.

[0020] The inventive act consists of integrating an ice mold into the inside of the lid of thermal boxes. This lid, which is removable, acts as a water-fillable container that can be placed in a domestic refrigerator to produce ice cubes. This novel proposal justifies the utility model patent application now proposed. Brief description of the drawings

[0021] To better understand the constructive arrangement of the thermal box presented here, illustrative drawings are attached, which will be referenced in conjunction with the description.

[0022] Figures 1-3 illustrate the best, or preferred, way to realize the product now conceived. Through consecutive numbering, the figures clarify aspects that may be implied by the adopted representation, in order to clearly determine the protection now intended. Figures 4-10 show constructive variants of this utility model; in all variants, the technical-functional unity is maintained.

[0023] These figures are merely illustrative and may present variations, provided they do not deviate from the principle initially claimed. Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a cooler lid with an integrated ice tray in an inverted position. Figure 2 represents the bottom view of the thermal box lid from Figure 1, that is, the inside of the lid. Figure 3 represents a perspective view of the closed cooler box with the lid containing the integrated ice tray in its normal position. Figure 4 represents a constructive variant of the ice mold where some cavities have a circular shape to also act as cup holders. Figure 5 represents a constructive variant of the ice mold in which there are protrusions capable of delaying the detachment of the ice cube. Figure 6 represents another variant in which the ice tray dividers can be removed from the cooler lid. Figure 7 is an exploded view of the variant reported in Figure 6. Figure 8 represents another variant of a covered thermal box. Figure 9 is a perspective view and inverted position of the flat lid with integrated ice tray of the cooler box in Figure 8. Figure 10 illustrates the thermal box reported in Figure 8 with the lid off. The cooler with an ice tray integrated into its lid is best described using the following reference numbers: 01 - Cooler box lid. 02 - Ice cube tray. 03 - Body of the thermal box. 04 - Circular cavity that acts as an ice cube tray and also as a cup holder. 05 - Protruding ridge added to the cavity wall to delay the detachment of the ice cube. 06 - One of the cavities where an ice cube is produced. 07 - Removable dividers for the ice cube tray. 08 - Latches used to secure the removable ice tray dividers to the cooler lid. 09 - Flat lid for thermal box variant. 10 - Ice cube tray integrated into a flat cooler lid. Utility Model Description

[0024] The novelty proposed by this utility model application consists of integrating an ice mold on the inside of thermal box lids. By combining the initial melting of ice with the force of gravity, this system gradually deposits ice cubes onto the contents of the box. The constructive arrangement of this mold presents variations that allow its adaptation to various thermal box models. The operation of this proposal is detailed in the text that follows.

[0025] The lid (01) with integrated ice tray (02) (Figure 2) is removed from the cooler (03) (Figure 3) and placed in an inverted position (Figure 1) under a tap to be filled with water. All cavities of the tray are filled by the user so that a small part of the dividers between the cavities remain slightly above the water level. That is, each cavity is filled with water, but not to the point of overflowing into neighboring cavities. Then the lid of the cooler with water is taken in this same position to a domestic freezer. After the water freezes, the ice cubes in each cavity naturally adhere to the tray, even when the lid is placed on the cooler (03) in its normal position (Figure 3). At this point, the contents are deposited at the bottom of the cooler and the ice is adhered to the lid (01) on the inside of the cooler.

[0026] Thus, the air inside the cooler, in contact with the ice in the mold, becomes colder and denser, descending and coming into contact with the contents of the cooler, such as food or drinks. The heat exchange between the cold air and the contents of the cooler cools the latter as desired. The warmer, less dense air rises, comes into contact with the ice on the lid, becomes colder and denser, descending again over the contents of the cooler in a cyclical process. Therefore, the ice trapped at the top and the contents of the cooler at the bottom make up an efficient heat exchange system.

[0027] As the ice cubes inside the mold (02) on the lid (01) begin to melt, one by one they detach from the mold and, by gravity, begin to fall onto the contents of the box. At this second stage, heat exchange inside the box also occurs through direct contact with the ice cubes and the cold water resulting from their melting. This keeps the contents of the box at the appropriate temperature for long periods.

[0028] After a few minutes of the lid being removed from the refrigerator and placed on the cooler, all the cavities of the mold (02) will be empty and all the ice cubes will be on top of the contents of the box. Then the cooler behaves like a conventional cooler with all the proper functions. Examples of how the invention can be implemented

[0029] There are a plurality of distinct, additional, or constructive variants possible for a cooler with an ice tray integrated into the lid. However, the technical-functional unity of the object is maintained, which is to produce ice cubes on the lid of the cooler, which subsequently fall one by one onto the contents of the cooler naturally through melting and the action of gravity.

[0030] The preferred way of realizing the object is illustrated in Figures 1-3, but in the text that follows and in Figures 4-10 some constructive variants of this utility model are presented.

[0031] Figure 4 illustrates an inverted perspective view of a constructive variation of the thermal box lid with integrated ice tray in which the ice formation cavities are cylindrical (04). The advantage of this constructive variation is that after the ice cubes have been released with the box properly closed, the lid can be placed in an inverted position and the empty cylindrical cavities of the tray can be used as cup holders or can holders. This gives an extra use to some cavities of the ice tray.

[0032] Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of a constructive variation of a cooler lid with an integrated ice tray. In this version, there are some protrusions (05) in some cavities (06). The function of the raised protrusion (05) is to increase the time it takes for the ice cube to detach from the tray and fall onto the contents of the cooler. It is known that the direction of melting of ice cubes is from the outside in, that is, ice cubes become smaller as they melt. The melting of the ice cubes inside the cooler, in turn, occurs as a function of time. Therefore, the greater the height of the protrusion (05), the longer it will take for the ice cube to decrease in size enough to detach from the cavity.

[0033] Thus, the constructive variant of Figure 5 has the main advantage of ensuring that the ice cubes do not all fall at once if the cooler is moved abruptly. This reduces the chances of damage to any glass contents present in the cooler. If the height of the protrusion (05) has a different value in each cavity, it will also be possible to control the time it takes for each ice cube to fall. It detaches from the mold and falls onto the contents of the box. This is a particularly useful advantage in more demanding applications.

[0034] Figure 6 illustrates another constructive variant where the set of dividers that make up the ice mold (07) is fixed to the lid by additional elements consisting of latches (08). Figure 7 shows each element of this same constructive variant in exploded view. The user fills the lid (01) with water to a certain level without the set of dividers, then the user places the set of dividers (07) on the lid (01), locking it with the additional elements (08), and takes this assembly to the domestic refrigerator. The first advantage of this variant is the ease of filling the lid with water without the set of dividers; thus, the user fills only one compartment. The second advantage is being able to remove the dividers after all the ice cubes have been released, thus increasing the usable volume inside the cooler.

[0035] Most of the thermal boxes available on the market have flat lids (09). Because they are flat, these lids cannot form containers, as shown in Figure 8. Therefore, it is not possible to add an ice tray inside. The constructive variant illustrated in Figure 9 solves this limitation. In this proposal, an ice tray (10) fixed to the inner face of the lid (09) fits into the opening of the thermal box when it is closed. Figure 10 is the exploded view of the box illustrated in Figure 8; note how this thermal box variant closes. The tray of this constructive variant can also be filled with water, placed in the refrigerator, and then put back in the box; that is, it has the same technical-functional unity as the other variants.

[0036] It should be noted that while the patent application in question has been described with reference to the intended embodiment, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications may be made herein. Therefore, modifications relating to the use and / or combination of various materials, in a wide variety of dimensions, are included. Such characteristics are duly covered in this device, without it departing from the spirit and scope explained herein.

[0037] In view of the foregoing, it is clear that the constructive arrangement revealed here, applied to a thermal box lid, offers significant advantages, perfectly fitting the criteria that define a utility model. This proposal combines and modifies already known elements, incorporating a new arrangement that results in a functional improvement in its use. In this way, it fully meets the necessary requirements for its intended purpose, fully achieving the intended objectives. This utility model simultaneously presents novelty, inventive step, and industrial application, thus justifying the privilege now requested.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Constructive arrangement applied to the lid of a thermal box characterized by having an ice tray (02) integrated into the lid of the thermal box (01), the ice tray has cavities and joins the lid of the thermal box on the inside; the openings of the cavities of the tray face downwards when the thermal box (03) is properly closed.

2. Constructive arrangement applied to a thermal box lid (01), according to claim number 1, characterized by being a constructive variant of an ice mold with the presence of circular cavities (04).

3. Constructive arrangement applied to a thermal box lid (01), according to claim number 1, characterized by being a constructive variant of an ice mold that contains protrusions (05) in the walls of cavities (06).

4. Constructive arrangement applied to a thermal box lid (01), according to claim number 1, characterized by being a constructive variant in which the dividers of the mold are removable (07); the dividers of the ice mold (07) are fixed to the lid (01) by additional elements consisting of latches (08).

5. Constructive arrangement applied to a thermal box lid (01), according to claim number 1, characterized by being a constructive variant in which the ice tray (10) is protruding and attached to a flat thermal box lid (09).

Images