| Arrangement for and method of selectably changing the temperature of a product by employing a snap action invertible actuator -> Monitor Keywords |
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  Arrangement for and method of selectably changing the temperature of a product by employing a snap action invertible actuatorRelated Patent Categories: Stoves And Furnaces, Liquid Heater, Chemical, Liquid In Contact With Solid (e.g., Water And Lime), Including Separate Solid And Liquid Compartments, Including Means To Rupture Or Open Solid Or Liquid CompartmentThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070163569. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention generally relates to an arrangement that adds or removes heat from a product, such as a food, soup, beverage, medicine, or like product and, more particularly, to promoting user acceptance of the arrangement by enhancing its operation. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Self-heating or self-cooling arrangements are known in which a product, typically a beverage, is heated or cooled by employing two chemical reactants which are stable when separated, but which produce an exothermic or an endothermic reaction when mixed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,323 shows one example of a single-use, self-heating container for liquids or solids, in which a breakable membrane keeps the reactants apart, and a breaking member is moved by a user to break the membrane and allow the reactants to mix to form the chemical reaction that changes the temperature of the product. Other examples of such single-use, self-heating containers that utilize breaking members can be found in my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/175,818, filed Jul. 6, 2005, and in my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/225,320, filed Sep. 13, 2005. [0005] As advantageous as the known self-heating containers are, experience has shown that the actuation by the user is difficult for at least some users to perform. More specifically, the user is required to exert physical force to move the breaking member through a distance required to break the membrane and initiate the self-heating action. Some users, particularly the elderly and children, do not have the strength to activate the self-heating action. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] 1. Objects of the Invention [0007] Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to promote user acceptance, and to enhance the operation, of arrangements that add or remove heat from a product. [0008] More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate a separate breaking member and to reduce the amount of physical force required to activate the temperature-changing action. [0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a reliable arrangement for, and method of, selectably changing the temperature of a product. [0010] 2. Features of the Invention [0011] In keeping with the above objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in an arrangement for, and a method of, changing a temperature of a product, typically a food, soup or a beverage, comprising an outer container, preferably made of a thermally insulating material, having an upright axis and a side wall bounding an interior; and an inner container, e.g., a bowl or a cup, preferably made of a thermally conductive material, for example, a polyethylene coating over an aluminum core, fixedly mounted within the interior of the outer container and having a bottom wall bounding a chamber for containing the product. Preferably, the containers have juxtaposed flanges crimped together, or fused together by spin-welding, ultrasonic welding or high frequency welding. [0012] In accordance with one feature of this invention, an actuator is invertible between stressed and unstressed positions, as described below. The actuator is preferably integrally formed with the side wall of the outer container, or the bottom wall of the inner container. [0013] A breakable membrane, for example a circular, thin foil, is fixedly mounted on the actuator in the stressed position to bound a compartment therewith. A circular periphery of the membrane is adhered to an internal shoulder of the outer container. The membrane also bounds another compartment within the interior of the outer container. A pair of reactants is respectively contained in the compartments, and the reactants are kept apart by the membrane prior to use. For example, the reactants may be water and anhydrous calcium oxide or calcium chloride which, when mixed, produce an exothermic chemical reaction. [0014] In accordance with this invention, the actuator is invertible upon exertion of axial pressure thereon by the user, and this axial pressure causes the actuator to invert from the stressed to the unstressed position with a snap action, and to break the membrane and allow the reactants to mix and produce the chemical reaction that changes the temperature of the product in the inner container. [0015] In contrast to the known art, a separate breaking member is not mounted within the interior of the outer container in a juxtaposed relationship with the membrane. This simplifies assembly and cost, as well as the careful handling previously required to avoid injury due to pointed barbs on the breaking member. Moreover, the temperature changing action is not initiated by requiring expenditure of a significant amount of force by the user. Instead, the user need only lightly axially push on the actuator, which then seeks to self-return to its unstressed position with an abrupt, sudden force of a relatively large magnitude. [0016] In the preferred embodiment, the actuator is a dome integrally formed, by molding or stamping, with one of the containers and has a so-called "natural" (i.e., unstressed) position with a certain curvature (e.g., concave) when removed from its forming tool, i.e., an injection mold or a stamping press. During assembly of the arrangement, the dome is pushed and inverted to a so-called "unnatural" (i.e., stressed) position with an opposite curvature (e.g., convex), thereby storing energy in the dome. One of the reactants is introduced into the dome in the stressed position, and the breakable membrane is then fixedly mounted over the dome in the stressed position to seal the one reactant therein. The dome maintains itself in the stressed position until the user lightly pushes on the actuator to initiate the self-heating action. Thereupon, the dome seeks to release the energy stored therein, and the self-return to the unstressed position occurs with a sudden, snap-action, and explosive force sufficient in magnitude to break the overlying membrane, again without the aid of any breaking member. [0017] The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one embodiment of an arrangement in accordance with this invention; [0019] FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cutaway, perspective view of the arrangement of FIG. 1 after assembly; [0020] FIG. 3 is a reduced scale, front elevational view of the arrangement of FIG. 1 after assembly; [0021] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3; Continue reading... Full patent description for Arrangement for and method of selectably changing the temperature of a product by employing a snap action invertible actuator Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Arrangement for and method of selectably changing the temperature of a product by employing a snap action invertible actuator patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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