Ice Cube Cooler Layout for Uniform Top-and-Bottom Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable coolers using ice cubes often fail to maintain consistent low temperatures across all layers of contents, as upper layers are insulated from ice temperature, leading to potential spoilage of temperature-sensitive items.
Innovation Solution
A portable insulated container design with a bottom space for ice cubes, a middle space for temperature-sensitive items, and a top space for additional ice cubes, featuring a removable perforated panel and a frame with cooling flasks that allow cooling from both top and bottom, keeping the middle space dry and maintaining temperature consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If ice cubes are placed only at the bottom of the cooler, then the bottom layer of food items is cooled effectively, but the upper layers of food items are insulated from the ice temperature and cannot be cooled sufficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The cooler is divided into distinct functional zones: a bottom space for ice cubes, a middle space for food storage, and a top space for additional ice cubes. This segmentation allows independent placement of cooling sources at multiple levels, ensuring that both bottom and upper layers of food items are exposed to cold temperatures simultaneously, resolving the temperature distribution uniformity issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling approach transitions from a single-dimensional (bottom-only) ice placement to a multi-dimensional configuration by adding ice cubes in the top space above the food items. This vertical dimensionality change enables cooling from both top and bottom simultaneously, eliminating the insulation problem in upper layers.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a perforated barrier is placed atop the ice cubes to prevent food items from contacting melting ice, then food items are protected from damage, but the barrier and water accumulation may interfere with effective cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful element (melting ice water) is extracted and isolated by directing it to drain through perforations in the panel into a collection area at the bottom of the cooler, away from the food items. This extraction prevents water accumulation around the food while maintaining the protective barrier function, resolving the conflict between food protection and cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
A removable panel with perforations serves as an intermediary structure between the ice cubes and the food items. The panel allows cold air to pass through to cool the food while preventing direct contact with melting ice water, and the perforations enable water to drain away. This intermediary resolves the contradiction by providing both protection and cooling efficiency.
3Loss of energy
If the cooler lid is insulated to reduce heat ingress, then overall heat resistance is improved, but the inner surface of the lid gradually warms up creating dangerous food storage conditions in upper layers
Solution Approach 1:
Ice cubes are placed in the top space above the food items before the cooler is closed and before heat ingress occurs. This preliminary placement of cold mass in direct contact with the lid's inner surface pre-cools the lid and maintains its inner surface temperature at safe levels throughout the cooling period, preventing the gradual warming problem while the insulation does its work.
4Temperature
If a removable frame with flasks is used to hold ice cubes above the middle space, then cooling from the top is achieved and accessibility is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The removable frame structure serves multiple functions: it holds the ice-containing flasks, provides structural support for the top space, and can be easily removed or adjusted to access the middle space. This multi-functionality justifies the increased structural complexity by delivering top cooling capability while maintaining ease of access to food items.
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 design effectively maintains temperatures below 34°F for 30 hours with a single ice cube filling, ensuring safety and accessibility of contents by providing simultaneous cooling from both top and bottom, reducing warming when accessing the contents.
Implementation Method 1
The middle space is held free of the water of the melting ice cubes, while being cooled from top and bottom by the ice cubes
Implementation Method 2
the water from the melting ice remains on the bottom of the cooler
Implementation Method 3
An insulated container with an insulated top
Data Source
AI summary
A portable insulated cooler has a bottom space adapted to hold ice cubes. A removable perforated panel suspended over the bottom space separates the bottom space from a central cooled storage area. A removable frame suspended above the central cooled areas holds ice cube containing flasks. Each flask has a large closable opening in its upper broad flat face to easily receive ice cubes. The lower broad face of the flask forms a cooling upper margin of the central cooled area so that the contents of the area are cooled from both top and bottom. The flasks have a flange around the upper face to rest upon the frame, while most of the flask is below the frame. This enables the insulated cooler top to close. By cooling from both top and bottom, the central area is more uniformly cooled. Opening the cooler top to access the central area creates less heat gain than with prior art devices.