Disposable Container Sleeve With Air-Activated Heating Pocket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current disposable sleeves for containers either fail to maintain the temperature of heated contents or provide insufficient heat, lacking a solution that effectively preserves temperature while protecting users from extreme heat.
Innovation Solution
A disposable sleeve with a liner, housing, and heating element that generates heat through an oxygen-activated reaction, allowing for temperature maintenance and user safety by exposing the heating element to air, while being removably coupled to the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a disposable sleeve uses vacuum-insulation technology or insulating substances to preserve temperature, then the temperature of contents is maintained, but the sleeve cannot produce its own heat
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two previously separate functions into a single integrated sleeve: (1) thermal insulation function through the insulating substance layer, and (2) active heat generation function through the heating element. This merging allows the sleeve to both maintain temperature and produce heat, resolving the contradiction between temperature maintenance and heat generation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable sleeve is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides thermal insulation to maintain temperature, contains a heating element for active heat generation, and offers user protection from extreme heat. This multi-functionality approach allows a single device to address both the temperature maintenance requirement and the heat generation deficiency
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a disposable sleeve provides temporary protection from heated contents, then user safety is improved, but the sleeve is not designed to effectively preserve the temperature of heated contents
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve structure is segmented into distinct functional layers: an outer protective layer for user safety, an insulating substance layer for temperature preservation, and a heating element for active heat generation. This segmentation allows each layer to specialize in its specific function, with the insulating layer effectively preserving temperature while the outer layer provides user protection
3Reliability
If the heating element is enclosed in a sealed housing, then the heating element is protected, but the heating element cannot be activated to generate heat
Solution Approach 1:
The housing transitions from a sealed state to an open state, allowing the heating element to go from a protected inactive state to an activated heat-generating state. This dynamic design enables the housing to provide protection when sealed and allow activation when opened, resolving the contradiction between protection and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element is pre-positioned within the housing and pre-protected before use. The housing is designed in advance to provide protection during storage and transport, and the activation mechanism is pre-configured to allow easy initiation of heat generation when needed
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sleeve effectively maintains the temperature of heated contents for an extended period, providing safe warmth to users and protecting them from extreme heat, with the heating element generating heat for 1 to 10 hours.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element disposed within the pocket, and a cover disposed over the opening and coupled to the housing to enclose the pocket. The cover is at least partially removable from the housing to uncover at least a portion of the opening and to enable activation of the heating element to generate heat upon exposure to air.
Data Source
AI summary
A disposable sleeve for a container including a liner having inner and outer surfaces; a housing coupled to said inner surface of said liner with said housing defining a pocket and an opening to access said pocket; a heating element disposed within said pocket; and a cover disposed over said opening and coupled to said housing to enclose said pocket, wherein said cover is at least partially removable from said housing to uncover at least a portion of said opening and to enable activation of said heating element to generate heat upon exposure to air.