Heated or cooled drinkware
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drinkware containers fail to retain the temperature of heated liquids for an extended period, requiring users to reheat beverages inconveniently, especially when a microwave is not available.
Innovation Solution
A beverage container with active temperature control, featuring a phase change material (PCM) and heating elements, controlled by circuitry and sensors to maintain or adjust the liquid's temperature, allowing for extended temperature retention while portable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional drinkware containers are made of ceramic, plastic or metal materials, then the container structure is simple and portable, but the temperature of heated liquid is not retained for extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase change material (PCM) that transitions between solid and liquid phases to absorb and release thermal energy. The PCM is contained in a separate chamber with selective thermal communication - thermally coupled to the liquid chamber when cooling is needed, and thermally isolated when heating is needed. This phase transition mechanism enables extended temperature retention without requiring complex active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is divided into functionally independent chambers: a liquid chamber for holding the beverage, a PCM chamber for temperature regulation, and an insulation layer for thermal isolation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system portability and simplicity.
2Temperature
If no active temperature control system is used, then the container structure remains simple and portable, but the liquid temperature cannot be maintained or adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs a dynamic thermal communication mechanism where the PCM chamber can be selectively thermally coupled or isolated from the liquid chamber. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt between passive cooling mode (PCM coupled) and passive insulation mode (PCM isolated), providing temperature control functionality without requiring complex active systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase change material automatically absorbs excess heat from the liquid when it transitions from solid to liquid phase, and releases stored thermal energy when transitioning back, without requiring external control. This self-regulating mechanism provides temperature control through the material's inherent thermodynamic properties rather than complex control systems.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If passive insulation alone is used, then the device remains portable and simple, but the temperature control duration is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The phase change material is pre-cooled and stored in the PCM chamber before use. When hot liquid is added to the container, the pre-cooled PCM immediately begins absorbing heat through phase transition, providing extended cooling duration without requiring continuous energy input. This preliminary preparation of the thermal management system enables prolonged temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The PCM undergoes reversible phase transitions between solid and liquid states, absorbing latent heat during melting and releasing it during freezing. This phase change process stores and releases large amounts of thermal energy efficiently, extending the duration of temperature control while consuming minimal energy compared to continuous active refrigeration.
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 container effectively maintains a heated beverage at a desired temperature for several hours, enabling convenient consumption over time, even when not near a microwave.
Implementation Method 1
a phase change material (PCM) configured to transition from one phase to a second phase to remove heat from a liquid disposed in the chamber that has a temperature above a temperature of the phase change material to lower the temperature of the liquid
Implementation Method 2
one or more heating elements in thermal communication with at least a portion of the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A container with active temperature control is provided. The container has a body with a chamber that receives a liquid. A temperature control system housed in the portable body has one or more heating element in thermal communication with at least a portion of the chamber to heat the liquid. Control circuitry controls the operation of the one or more heating elements and one or more power storage elements to provide electrical energy to the one or more heating element and/or control circuitry. The control circuitry controls the one or more heating elements to add heat to the liquid in the receiving portion to maintain the temperature of the liquid at a predetermined temperature or increase the temperature of the liquid above said predetermined temperature. The container can have a cooling element (e.g., a phase change material) that can remove heat from the liquid poured into the chamber.