Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

A beverage cooling assembly for rapidly cooling a beverage container includes a cylinder for insertably receiving a beverage container. A base is rotatably coupled to the cylinder and a cooling unit is positioned within the base. A plurality of bristles is provided and each of the bristles is coupled to and extends inwardly on the cylinder. Each of the bristles is comprised of a thermally conductive material and each of the bristles is in thermal communication with the cooling unit such that the cooling unit cools the bristles when the cooling unit is turned on. Moreover, each of the bristles frictionally engages the beverage container when the beverage container is positioned in the cylinder. In this way the cooling unit cools the beverage container when the beverage container is positioned in the cylinder.

A system for holding multiple beverage containers may include a cooler or carrier with toting handles, closing tabs, and base. The base may be formed from a molded plastic, rubber or synthetic rubber material. The base may also include feet that hold the base a sufficient height from the ground. The base may have a generally conic tapering drain floor that makes up its top surface. The tapering drain floor may make draining the carrier easier by directing water toward a drain hole located in the base. Extending up from the base may be a multi-layer soft-sided wall where different layers perform different desired functions. For example, an inside layer closest to the internal cavity may be a waterproof layer, a middle layer may be an insulating layer, and an external layer may be a decorative layer.

A phase change apparatus has a generally tubular housing with an open upper and lower end and a sidewall having inner and outer surfaces with a chamber defined therein. At least one of the surfaces is convoluted, and a phase change material is disposed in the chamber. The upper end of the generally tubular housing engaged the upper end of an insulated cup. At least one passage is defined between the inner and outer surfaces of the generally tubular housing to allow the flow of liquid when the cup is tilted. The phase change material disposed in the chamber absorbs thermal energy from the liquid and then releases the thermal energy back to the liquid to maintain the temperature of the liquid.

A portable cooler container with active temperature control system is provided. The active temperature control system is operated to heat or cool a chamber of a vessel to approach a temperature set point suitable for a medication stored in the cooler container.

The present disclosure provides thermoelectric cooling devices, systems and methods. A thermoelectric system of the present disclosure may comprise a chamber configured to hold the beverage container; at least one actuator configured to rotate the beverage container within the chamber; a source of a thermal coupling medium in fluid communication with the chamber, wherein the thermal coupling medium is configured to thermally couple the beverage container to one or more walls of the chamber; a heat sink; and a plurality of thermoelectric cooling elements surrounding the chamber, wherein the plurality of thermoelectric cooling elements is configured to transfer heat from the beverage container to the heat sink upon application of power to the plurality of thermoelectric cooling elements, thereby cooling the beverage container.

A refrigerator (10) provides configurable storage in an interior area of a refrigerator door (16). Door shelves (32, 34) are releasably attachable to inside faces (20) of the door in a first configuration in which the door shelves hold items in a substantially vertical orientation, and in a second configuration in which the door shelves hold items in a tilted orientation. Foldout door shelves (64, 66) are rotatably positioned in operatively supported connection with the inside faces of the door. Each of the foldout door shelves is selectively movable between a retracted position in which the shelf is positioned adjacent to a vertically extending inside face of the door, and extended positioned in which an item supporting surface (68, 70) of the respective shelf extends outward to hold items in a tilted orientation.

A beverage dispenser for dispensing beverage containers includes an outer shell with an internal track that dispenses rolling beverage containers from the track and one or more internal ice liners that retain ice to keep the beverage containers chilled.

A stabilizing mat includes a first surface configured to inhibit movement of items placed thereon. The first surface includes a plurality of first parallelogram areas and a plurality of depressions. Each of the first parallelogram areas includes one of the depressions at a center of the first parallelogram area. Each of the first parallelogram areas further includes four first parallelogram corners and four first parallelogram sides. Each of the first parallelogram corners of the first parallelogram areas includes a protruding peak. Each of the protruding peaks is separated from an adjacent one of the protruding peaks by a concavity. Each of the concavities defines one of the depressions. The mat also includes a second surface including a plurality of substantially flat areas configured to rest on a flat foundation to provide support to the items placed on the first surface.

A beverage container holder assembly is adapted to be utilized in a vehicle for accommodating a beverage container. The beverage container holder assembly includes a duct pipe and a container holder. The duct pipe is disposed in front of an instrument panel of the vehicle and extended along a direction perpendicular to a front-rear direction of the vehicle. A first end of the duct pipe is connected to an air conditioner. The container holder is connected to a second end of the duct pipe opposite to the first end. The container holder has a recessed pocket facing an upper direction of the vehicle for removably inserting the beverage container therein, a first opening disposed between the container holder and the second end of the duct pipe, and a second opening facing toward the front-rear direction of the vehicle.