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Self-heating/cooling arrangement for beverage and/or foodRelated Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Chemical Reaction Or Solids DissolvingSelf-heating/cooling arrangement for beverage and/or food description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050279106, Self-heating/cooling arrangement for beverage and/or food. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to an arrangement for beverage and/or food in which the beverage and/or food can be heated or cooled by self-contained structure in the arrangement. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] A variety of arrangements for self-heating or self-cooling beverage and/or food have been proposed in the prior art. The arrangements typically include a reaction volume in which liquid and solid reactants combine, when desired, to create heat or cold, which is then imparted to a container for beverage and/or food. Often, such containers for beverage and/or food are proprietary in design. This usually increases the overall expense of manufacture since government regulations or standards must be specially met for the proprietary container. [0003] Other prior art arrangements do use containers that are pre-sealed, and possibly are not proprietary in design. But, such arrangements, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,235, for instance, have a somewhat complicated construction, which increases their cost. [0004] It would, therefore, be desirable to provide arrangements for self-heating or self-cooling beverage and/or food that use standard, commercially available containers for the beverage and/or food, and which are simple in construction. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] In one embodiment, the invention provides an arrangement for heating or cooling a pre-sealed container for beverage and/or food includes a reaction vessel with a reaction volume in which first and second reactants intermix when desired to change the temperature in the reaction volume. A pre-sealed beverage and/or food container thermally contacts the reaction volume, and has a generally tubular shape with a bottom, and a top with means for opening the container. A lid surrounds, and is sealed to, the top portion of the container, for enclosing part of the reaction volume. Confronting surfaces of the top portion of the container and the lid have respective cooperating, portions shaped in an overall tapering manner, more narrow towards the top of the container, so that downward pressure from the lid towards the container substantially aids in holding the container against a bottom support for the container. A seal is positioned between the confronting surfaces. [0006] In another embodiment of the invention, a mid-ring, separate from the reaction vessel is positioned generally mid-way between top and bottom of the reaction vessel. The mid-ring supports the bottom of the container and is interposed between the bottom of the pre-sealed container and the membrane. Stop structure within the reaction vessel provides a stop to downward movement of the mid-ring. [0007] The foregoing embodiments of the invention provide arrangements for self-heating or self-cooling beverage and/or food that can use standard, commercially available containers for the beverage and/or food. Such arrangements can beneficially have a simple construction. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] FIG. 1 is a side view, partially cutaway, partially in cross section and with portions removed, of an exemplary self-heating/cooling arrangement for beverage and/or food according to the invention. [0009] FIG. 2 is a side view, partially cutaway, of a container of the arrangement of FIG. 1. [0010] FIG. 3 is an exploded, top perspective view of the inventive arrangement of FIG. 1, without the temperature-changing reactants shown. [0011] FIG. 4a is an enlarged side view, partially in cross section, of an upper portion of the arrangement of FIG. 1, without the temperature-changing reactants shown; and FIG. 4b is an enlargement of the circled area in FIG. 4a labeled FIG. 4b. [0012] FIG. 5 is a side view, partially in cross section, of a lower portion of the arrangement of FIG. 1 [0013] FIG. 6 is s top perspective view of the mid-ring shown in FIG. 5. [0014] FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the lid of the arrangement of FIG. 1. [0015] FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view, partially in cross section, of a lid, taken at Arrows 8-8 in FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0016] FIG. 1 shows an overview of an inventive arrangement 10 for heating or cooling beverage and/or food in accordance with the invention. Arrangement 10 includes a beverage and/or food container 12 that may have a pop top 13 for opening the container, may be pre-sealed, and may be made of aluminum. Arrangement 10 also includes a reaction vessel 14, preferably of plastic. Reaction vessel 14 includes a reaction volume 16 in thermal contact with container 12, for heating or cooling the contents of the container, depending on the composition of liquid 18 and solid 20 reactants. Reactants 18 and 20 are normally separated from each other by a membrane 58 (FIG. 5), but intermix with each other when membrane 58 is breached by a breaching member 22. A lid 24 is sealed to the top portion of container 12, and is specially contoured to facilitate easy consumption of the contents of the container. The bottom portion of the container may rest, directly or indirectly, against a so-called "mid-ring" 26 (i.e., a shortened version of "mid-vessel ring"). A label 28, preferably of heat-shrink construction, covers the outside of generally tubular reaction vessel 14, and can provide enough thermal insulation to prevent a user's hand holding the label from uncomfortable temperatures. [0017] A spritz guard 29 is mounted over pop-top 13 for containing an outburst, or spritz, of beverage from container 12 that may occur after shaking the container in an operation (described below) for heating or cooling the contents of container 12. Spritz guard 29 preferably comprises a removable, pressure-sensitive label that is supple. One example is 2 mil thick polypropylene. A user pulls upwardly on tab 29a--which lacks adhesive--to remove the spritz guard. This would be accomplished, as written on the spritz guard itself, by instructions such as: "Break open the Pop Top [13] before peeling of this Spritz Guard consumer protection label." As will be apparent from the present specification, a consumer would open pop top 13 after a heating or cooling operation has occurred. [0018] Reaction vessel 14 and mid-ring 26 preferably comprise high impact polystyrene. Spritz guard 29 preferably comprises a pressure-sensitive, removable label. [0019] A typical heating or cooling operation of arrangement 10 proceeds in the following sequence: Invert the arrangement (i.e., turn it upside-down), and then breach membrane 58, which is explained below, which causes liquid reactant 18 to start intermixing with solid reactant 20. Then, shake the arrangement vigorously for at least about 45 seconds, which assists in thermal transfer between the reactants and the contents of container 12, so that the contents more uniformly become heated or cooled to a desired temperature. The beverage and/or food in the container will typically reach a desired temperature for consumption within a few minutes. Continue reading about Self-heating/cooling arrangement for beverage and/or food... Full patent description for Self-heating/cooling arrangement for beverage and/or food Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Self-heating/cooling arrangement for beverage and/or food 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. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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