Drinking container with different temperature zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional thermally insulating beverage containers are inefficient in maintaining beverages at desirable drinking temperatures for an extended period, typically only maintaining temperatures within the desired range for 15 to 30 minutes.
Innovation Solution
A phase change container system with multiple temperature zones, utilizing a phase change material (PCM) module that creates a low temperature zone (LTZ) and a high temperature zone (HTZ) within the beverage chamber, allowing for the adjustment and maintenance of beverage temperatures between 36° F. to 160° F. (2° C. to 71° C.), enabling beverages to be quickly brought to and kept at ideal drinking temperatures for several hours.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional thermal insulating beverage containers are used, then the container structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the beverage temperature can only be maintained within the desired range for 15 to 30 minutes
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage container is divided into multiple temperature zones: a first temperature zone (hot zone) for maintaining hot beverages and a second temperature zone (cold zone) for cooling. This segmentation allows different portions of the beverage to be maintained at different temperatures simultaneously, extending the useful duration of the beverage from 15-30 minutes to several hours.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the container are assigned different thermal properties. The first temperature zone uses insulation materials to retain heat, while the second temperature zone incorporates phase change materials or cooling elements to maintain cold temperatures. This local differentiation of thermal characteristics enables extended temperature maintenance without uniformly complicating the entire container structure.
2Ease of operation
If hot beverages are poured into conventional insulated containers, then the initial temperature is high, but the beverages become too hot to consume for extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The container creates separate temperature zones where the second (cold) zone actively cools the beverage portion that needs to be consumed, while the first (hot) zone maintains the remaining beverage at serving temperature. This allows users to drink cooled beverages immediately while preserving hot beverages for later consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling zone is pre-prepared with phase change materials or cooling elements before the beverage is poured in. When the hot beverage is added, the cooling zone immediately begins cooling a portion of the beverage, proactively preparing drinkable temperature portions before the user needs to consume them.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If thermal insulation is provided to slow down heat transfer, then the container provides basic insulation, but the liquid beverage is not maintained at desirable drinking temperature for an extended period
Solution Approach 1:
The container applies different thermal management strategies to different zones: the first zone uses passive insulation to maintain heat, while the second zone employs active phase change materials or thermoelectric elements to actively cool. This localized application of appropriate thermal technologies ensures reliable temperature maintenance in each zone for extended periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The container incorporates phase change materials in the second temperature zone that absorb or release heat during phase transitions (e.g., ice melting, phase change materials transitioning between solid and liquid states). This phase change mechanism provides reliable and sustained cooling over several hours, significantly extending the duration of drinkable temperature maintenance compared to conventional insulation alone.
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 system effectively maintains beverages at desired drinking temperatures for several hours, allowing for simultaneous steeping and consumption of beverages like tea, with the LTZ cooling the beverage to a suitable temperature for drinking while the HTZ maintains the desired flavor, extending the drinkable period to approximately 1 to 15 hours.
Implementation Method 1
a phase change material (PCM) module having a sidewall that defines a beverage chamber... The PCM module sidewall is at least partially filled with a phase change material and is structured and operable to provide a plurality temperature zones within the beverage chamber
Implementation Method 2
the container system can cause the beverage establish and maintain at least two temperature zones within the beverage, e.g., a low temperature zone (LTZ) for maintaining a first or LTZ portion of the beverage at a relatively lower temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking container system with multiple temperature zones, wherein the container system includes a main body having a sidewall and a bottom that define a phase change material (PCM) module receptacle, and a phase change material (PCM) module having a sidewall that defines a beverage chamber. The PCM module is disposable within the PCM module receptacle such that a beverage egress flow path is defined between the main body sidewall and the PCM module sidewall. The flow path formed in the container can make the beverage achieve the desired drinking temperature. The PCM module sidewall is at least partially filled with a phase change material and is structured and operable to provide a plurality temperature zones within the beverage chamber. Each temperature zone is operable to maintain a temperature of a respective portion of a liquid disposed within the beverage chamber within a respective temperature range.