The present application is related to a portable refrigeration apparatus for vaccines, food items, beverage containers, or any other item. The apparatus includes a refrigerated container comprised of a plurality of substantially identical chilling panels interconnected to form a sealed container that defines an internal volume, each of the chilling panels containing a cooling element. The refrigerated container encloses an internal storage space and has a generally modular design to facilitate packaging and transportation. The apparatus permits the internal storage space to maintain a temperature in the range of 4 C.8 C. for a long period of time following a loss of electrical power.

Double-walled crockery comprising a first wall (610) to be heated or cooled, and a second wall (620), wherein between the first wall and the second wall is located a space (630) in which a pouch (640) filled with a phase-change material is accommodated, wherein the pouch is arranged against the first wall of the crockery and wherein a thermally insulating layer is present between the pouch and the second wall of the crockery.

A portable thermal insulated apparatus for cooling or heating items stored therein. The thermal insulated apparatus includes a container having a lid that removably secures to an open first end thereof and a reservoir unit that removably secures to an open second end. The container includes an inner tube and an outer tube forming an insulated double-wall sealed at both ends in which the lid and reservoir unit can be connected thereto. The reservoir unit removably receives a thermal unit that provides cooling or heating to the contents of the container when affixed thereto. The thermal unit is separable from the reservoir unit, such that the thermal units are interchangeable as needed. In some embodiments, the thermal unit is directly securable to the lid and the second end of the container is permanently sealed.

The Smarter Cooler with its Insert Isolator design will provide cooling from four different large areas surrounding the food on all sides, as well as providing a cooler and better insulated bottom area of the cooler, and once the Ice starts to melt and be stored in the Ice Water Reservoir below the food and beverage storage area, an additional surface, five areas, not only has insulation qualities, but also cooling properties, to help keep food and beverages colder longer. The result will be a cooler that keeps the ice water isolated from the food and beverages in the cooler to prevent spoilage of the food, that inevitably drops into the melted ice water in any other cooler on the market.

An actively heated or cooled food container can have a lid movable between an open and a closed position and an insulated body to which the lid can be attached. The insulated body can have a sidewall that defines a perimeter of the container body and a base, the sidewall and base defining one or more chambers that can be sealed by the lid. The food container can have a temperature control system that can include one or more heating or cooling elements in thermal communication with one or both of the sidewall and the base and operable to heat or cool one or both of the sidewall and the base to thereby heat or cool the one or more chambers in the food container.

An apparatus is described herein for storing and transporting food and beverages, comprising a rigid housing configured to fit within a container, the housing comprising a base and a wall extending outwardly from the base, the wall having an inner layer and an outer layer defining a space therebetween, a refreezable material disposed in the space, and a divider panel configured to be removably mounted in the housing. Other products, systems and methods also are disclosed.

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.

The present application is related to a portable refrigeration apparatus for vaccines, food items, beverage containers, or any other item. The apparatus includes a refrigerated container comprised of a plurality of substantially identical chilling panels interconnected to form a sealed container that defines an internal volume, each of the chilling panels containing a cooling element. The refrigerated container encloses an internal storage space and has a generally modular design to facilitate packaging and transportation. The apparatus permits the internal storage space to maintain a temperature in the range of 4 C.8 C. for a long period of time following a loss of electrical power.

A bottle storage includes a housing portion that houses a bottle therein, a cooling-warming portion that is provided around the housing portion, a sensor which detects insertion of the bottle into the housing portion, an image capture portion that captures an image of the bottle housed in the housing portion, a controller that causes the image capture portion to perform image capture for capturing the image of the bottle when the bottle is sensed to be inserted into the housing portion by the sensor, an information manager that identifies at least a brand of the bottle, based on recognition result of the bottle image captured by the control of the controller, and an output portion that outputs characteristics of a beverage of the brand identified by the information manager.

A bottle storage includes: a housing portion that houses a bottle therein; a cooling-warming portion (cooling-warming devices) that is provided around the housing portion; a rotation portion (rotation motor) that rotates the bottle housed in the housing portion; an image capture portion that captures an image of the bottle housed in the housing portion; a controller that controls the bottle rotation performed by the rotation portion and the image capture performed by the image capture portion, based on the bottle image captured by the image capture portion; an information manager (storage manager) that identifies at least a brand of the bottle, based on the bottle image captured by the control of the controller; and an output portion (display portion) that outputs at least one of the brand identified by the information manager and relevant information regarding the identified brand.