Portable container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable coolers fail to maintain temperature-sensitive products in a cooled state over long distances due to ice melting and potential leakage, making them unsuitable for transporting items like vaccines, insulin, and organ transplants, and they are often single-use, contributing to waste.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum-insulated double-walled cooler with a phase change material, temperature sensors, and active temperature control using thermoelectric elements, along with a cooling fan and electronic display for monitoring and addressing temperature fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If ice is used to cool the chamber, then the chamber can be cooled, but the ice eventually melts and soaks the products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an evaporative cooling system as an intermediary between the heat source and the chamber. Instead of using ice directly in contact with products, the system uses water evaporation through a wick material to absorb heat from the chamber air, maintaining cooling without direct contact between cooling medium and products.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical system of ice melting with an evaporative cooling system. Instead of relying on phase change of ice (solid to liquid), the system uses evaporation of water (liquid to gas) to achieve cooling, eliminating the harmful liquid accumulation while maintaining temperature control.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single-use cooler is used, then it can be disposed of after one use, but it ends up in landfills creating waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the discarding and recovering principle by making the cooler components reusable. The container body, lid, and cooling system can be cleaned and reused multiple times. Only consumable items like the water reservoir need periodic replacement, significantly reducing waste compared to single-use coolers.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooler is designed with universal features that allow it to serve multiple purposes and be reused indefinitely. The stackable design allows multiple coolers to be nested together for storage and transport, and the modular components can be separated and reused in different configurations, maximizing utility and reducing waste.
3Length of moving object
If existing coolers are used for long distance transport, then products can be transported, but the temperature cannot be maintained and products become unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates temperature sensors that continuously monitor the chamber temperature and provide feedback to the control system. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect temperature changes and adjust the evaporative cooling rate accordingly, maintaining reliable temperature control over long transport distances.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is designed to be dynamic rather than static. The evaporative cooling rate can be adjusted by controlling water flow to the wick material, allowing the system to adapt to changing environmental conditions during transport and maintain consistent chamber temperature despite external temperature variations.
4Volume of moving object
If stackable coolers are used, then space efficiency is improved, but the upper cooler may impede the cooling function of the lower cooler
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cooling system into independent modular units. Each cooler has its own evaporative cooling system, so the cooling function of one unit is not dependent on or impeded by adjacent units. This segmentation allows stackable design while maintaining independent cooling reliability for each module.
Solution Approach 2:
The coolers are designed with uniform dimensions and stacking interfaces that create equipotential stacking conditions. This ensures that when coolers are stacked, they are at equal levels with proper alignment, preventing any single cooler from impeding the cooling function of others while maximizing space efficiency.
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
Maintains desired temperatures for extended periods, allows for stackable power transfer, and facilitates reusable shipping with electronic address switching, enhancing the usability and sustainability of temperature-controlled transport.
Implementation Method 1
The container can optionally have a vacuum-insulated double wall chamber that can be sealed with a lid
Implementation Method 2
The container has an insulated outer housing (e.g., made of foam, such as lightweight foam)
Implementation Method 3
the chamber can hold perishable contents (e.g., medicine, food, other perishables, etc.) therein and a phase change material (e.g., one or more ice packs, a phase change material sleeve) in thermal communication (e.g., thermal contact) with the perishable contents
Implementation Method 4
The container can have a cooling fan and one or more air intake openings. The cooling fan is operable to cool the chamber and/or the phase change material in the chamber
Implementation Method 5
The container comprises a temperature control system comprising one or more thermoelectric elements configured to actively heat or cool at least a portion of the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A portable container has a payload chamber for holding medicines, vaccines, biological samples or other medical goods and a lid operable to access the payload chamber. The portable container also has an electronic system with one or more power storage devices, circuitry that wirelessly communicates via a cell radio with a cloud-based data storage system or a remote electronic device, and an electronic display screen. The electronic system can a) automatically switch sender and recipient information on the electronic display screen to facilitate return of the portable container to the sender or b) automatically contact a parcel carrier to alert the parcel carrier that the portable container is ready for pickup.