Dynamic cooler configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coolers require users to find and manage ice or ice packs to create a cold environment, leading to inefficiencies and liquid waste from melting ice.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic cooler configuration with customizable liquid-filled cooling packs that can be affixed to the cooler using various attachment methods, allowing for flexible placement and efficient cooling or warming, and featuring adaptable shapes and materials for enhanced usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional ice or ice packs are used to create a cold environment, then cooling function is achieved, but ice melts and creates liquid waste that needs to be emptied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the cooling medium by using gel material instead of liquid water. The gel maintains a semi-solid state at cooling temperatures, preventing it from melting into liquid waste while still providing effective cooling through phase change at a higher temperature point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite gel material composed of water and gelling agents (such as sodium alginate, carrageenan, or gelatin) to create a material that combines the cooling properties of water with the structural stability of gel. This composite material provides both effective cooling and waste reduction by maintaining its form during the cooling process.
2Productivity
If ice packs are arranged to rapidly cool contents, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the arrangement becomes fixed and inflexible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the cooling pack arrangement dynamic by using reusable, reconfigurable gel packs that can be moved and repositioned within the cooler. The flexible bladder design allows the packs to be adjusted to different positions and configurations based on the specific cooling needs of different contents, enabling both rapid cooling and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the cooling system into multiple separate, modular gel packs that can be independently positioned and configured. Each pack can be placed in optimal locations around different items in the cooler, allowing for customized cooling arrangements that can be quickly adjusted for different cooling scenarios.
3Temperature
If multiple ice packs are used to ensure adequate cooling, then cooling coverage is improved, but device complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple cooling functions into a unified gel pack system where multiple packs can be used simultaneously but are managed as a coordinated system. The standardized design of interconnected bladders allows packs to be easily combined, separated, and reconfigured, simplifying the management of multiple cooling units while maintaining comprehensive cooling coverage.
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
Enables customizable and efficient cooling or warming of contents within a cooler, reducing waste and enhancing user convenience through adaptable pack configurations and materials.
Implementation Method 1
The gel material may be surrounded by a fabric or other material and placed in a cooler or other container. The gel material and configuration may be customized based on the items to be cooled or warmed by the ice packs.
Implementation Method 2
Each of the plurality of ice packs may include a gel material that includes water and a gelling agent.
Data Source
AI summary
An example device includes a first liquid container with a bladder and a number of flaps and a second liquid container with a bladder and a number of flaps, and one of the flaps of the second liquid container is affixed to one of the flaps of the first liquid container.