Flexible Gel Cooling Pack for Leak-Safe Headwear Cushioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice packs for headwear provide short-term cooling, risk leakage, contaminate the wearer and surroundings, and are cumbersome due to their size and need for refrigeration, while also lacking a cushion effect without volume variance.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, gel-based cooling pack integrated into headwear with a high-frequency lattice structure and thermally bonded synthetic resin film sheets, allowing for efficient cooling with a small amount of coolant, preventing leakage, and providing a cushion effect without altering the headwear's shape or design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional ice pack filled with coolant is used, then a cooling effect is provided, but the coolant may leak and contaminate the headwear or surroundings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible plated structure with multiple layers including an outer panel, inner panel, and heat transmission panel that are thermally bonded to form a sealed containment system. This flexible shell structure encloses the coolant while maintaining thermal contact with the headwear, preventing leakage while enabling cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling pack utilizes a composite structure combining synthetic resin film sheets with gel coolant and heat transmission panels. The outer and inner panels are made of thermally bonded synthetic resin films that provide both structural integrity and thermal conductivity, creating a composite material system that prevents leakage while maintaining cooling efficiency.
2Duration of action of moving object
If a large capacity ice pack is used to provide sufficient cooling effect, then cooling duration is extended, but the volume variance affects the shape and design of the headwear
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible plated structure with outer and inner panels allows the cooling pack to conform to the contours of the headwear and head without creating visible bumps or altering the external shape. The flexible shell adapts to the form factor requirements while containing sufficient coolant for extended cooling duration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent distributes the coolant volume across multiple thin layers (outer panel, inner panel, heat transmission panel) rather than using a single bulky chamber. This dimensional redistribution allows the cooling pack to maintain a flat, conformal profile that preserves headwear shape while providing sufficient cooling capacity.
3Reliability
If the coolant is maintained in gel state, then leakage is prevented, but the cooling effect duration is reduced compared to liquid coolant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the phase change properties of the coolant by maintaining it in a gel state that can transition between solid-like and liquid-like properties. The gel state prevents leakage while the phase change capability maintains effective cooling duration through latent heat absorption during melting.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the cooling pack is made with rigid structure to prevent deformation, then shape stability is maintained, but the cushion effect is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The outer and inner panels are constructed from flexible synthetic resin films that can deform to provide a cushioning effect against the head while maintaining overall structural integrity. The flexible shell structure allows localized deformation for comfort while preventing catastrophic failure or leakage.
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 flexible cooling pack maintains a consistent cooling effect for an extended period, is easy to carry and replace, and prevents coolant leakage, while offering a cushioning effect without volume variance, ensuring comfort and hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
high-frequency lattice structure and thermally bonded synthetic resin film sheets, allowing for efficient cooling with a small amount of coolant
Implementation Method 2
A flexible, gel-based cooling pack integrated into headwear with a high-frequency lattice structure, allowing for efficient cooling with a small amount of coolant
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a flexible plated cooling pack for headwear and a method for making the same that is capable of providing a sufficient cooling effect with a small amount of coolant, not causing worry about leakage of the coolant, and providing a cushion effect without a volume variance regardless of many uses, as well as the cooling effect.The flexible plated cooling pack has an inner and outer synthetic resin film sheet bonded each other and a coolant filled therein, wherein the outer synthetic resin film sheet has a shape respectively corresponding to a piece of the crown portion and a sweatband and the coolant is always maintained in at least a gel state. The flexible plated cooling pack may be disposed in an inner portion of the crown portion and the sweatband of the headwear or may be inserted in a pocket formed at an inner portion of the crown portion and the sweatband of the headwear.