The subject invention provides an apparatus for cooling and/or freezing samples. In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus is a stackable chilling plate used in a comet assay. In specific embodiments, the chilling plate can accommodate glass slides deposited with an agarose gel suspension, wherein the gel is cured by a refrigerant disposed underneath a thermally-conductive top plate. Advantageously, the cooling/freezing apparatus provided herein can easily accommodate the placement of multiple cellular sample slides in a compact configuration.

A floating beverage holder designed to chill and maintain a cold beverage container in an upright position on water. The beverage holder includes an open cavity sized and shaped to accommodate a desired beverage container, or multiple beverage containers. A first sealed compartment substantially surrounds the cavity and includes a freezable material, such as water, refrigerant or a gel. A second compartment filled with a buoyant and insulative material, such as a polyurethane, substantially surrounds the first compartment. A hard outer shell protects the insulative material of the second compartment. The body of the holder is shaped to provide stability on the water surface.

A food service system is formed using a plurality of units capable of being interlocked together in a variety of customizable configurations. The units of the food service system include a food service bar with buffet pan chillers, a work table, a cashier station, and variety of connecting pieces for linking each of the units together. The food service bar comprises a sneeze guard that protects the food contained within the bar on three sides and can be broken down and folded down and into itself when the bar is being transported or stored. The buffet pan chillers are double sided and configured such that when frozen, may accommodate a shallow food pan on one side and then flipped over to accommodate a deep food pan on the other side while still maintaining the same serving height. Each unit is configured to receive multiple sizes of wheels or casters.

Delivering items to users by a delivery organization comprises a delivery container suitable to deliver multiple items that require storage at different temperatures for the duration of the delivery. The delivery container may be a cube or a rectangular prism constructed of an insulating material. The delivery organization may position a central panel in the delivery container to separate two compartments of the delivery container, each compartment to be cooled to a different temperature than the other. The delivery organization determines an appropriate coolant for each compartment based on heat transfer requirements of the compartment and positions the coolant in the bottom of each respective compartment. A panel is placed over each coolant and the items are placed in the appropriate compartments of the delivery container. A top panel is positioned on the delivery container to seal the delivery container.

A container insulating and cooling assembly includes an inner sleeve having an inner surface, an outer surface, a top edge and a bottom edge. The top and bottom edges each define openings extending into the inner sleeve. A dividing wall is attached to the inner sleeve and fluidly separates an upper portion from a lower portion of the inner sleeve. A cap is removably attached to the inner sleeve to close the bottom edge and define an ice receiving chamber between the dividing wall and a bottom wall of the cap. An outer covering is attached to the outer surface of the sleeve and covers the outer surface. The outer covering comprises a resiliently compressible material adhesively coupled to the outer surface. The resiliently compressible material is a thermally insulating material. The inner sleeve receives a beverage container such that the beverage container abuts the dividing wall.

A storage bin for a refrigerator appliance is provided. The storage bin defines a storage compartment for receiving food articles and may be removably received within a chilled chamber of the refrigerator appliance. The storage bin may further include a carrying handle, such that it is easily portable outside the refrigerator appliance. The storage bin may have cold pack material and/or insulating material in its walls such that the storage compartment remains cool for a period of time after the storage bin is removed from the refrigerator appliance. Due to the fact that the storage bin is chilled and easily portable, it is ideal for grocery shopping, for taking on a picnic, or for any other use involving travel with food items that must remain cool during transport.

Method and apparatus for thermally protecting a product, when storing and/or shipping a product, to control temperatures products are exposed to. Embodiments increase the amount of time portions of the product experience a desired temperature range and/or reduce the amount of time portions of the product experience temperatures outside a desired temperature range and/or experience an undesirable temperature range. Embodiments incorporate thermally conductive materials, referred to as conductive equalizers, positioned around and/or near the product positioned inside a packaging container, where the conductive materials conduct heat from locations in the package interior to other locations in the package interior. The conductive equalizers conductively transfer heat from hotter portions of the interior of the container to cooler portions of the interior of the container and/or from portions of the interior desired to be cooled to the cold bank, resulting in a more uniform temperature distribution around the product.

An insulated cooler with a submersible internal circulating pump is provided. The insulated cooler includes a base, a plurality of sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom, and an open upper end defining an interior volume. The insulated cooler further includes a lid that is removably secured over the open upper end, wherein the lid includes multiple recessed cup holders with sidewalls that extend downwardly into the interior volume of the insulated cooler. The insulated cooler includes a submersible internal circulating pump operably connected to a system of copper tubing that winds around the sidewall of the recessed cup holders. When activated, the submersible internal circulating pump transports melted ice water through the tubing, which cools the sidewall of the recessed cup holders. In this way, the insulated cooler can cool objects within the interior volume and can cool beverages that are supported within the exterior cup holders.

A cooling coaster includes a coaster body and an internal reservoir. The coaster body has an upper face, a lower face, a plurality of side faces between the upper and lower faces and a stabilizing structure. There is a lip at the upper face. A port communicates between the internal reservoir and one of the faces. A plug is configured to selective seal the port. A cooling substance is provided to the internal reservoir. A method for cooling a beverage includes providing a coaster body having an upper face, a lower face, and a plurality of side faces between the upper and lower faces, through a port, supplying a cooling substance to an internal reservoir in the coaster body and placing a plug in the port to seal the internal reservoir.

A transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods, including an interior for receiving the transport goods, is definable by an enclosure made up of several layers including at least one latent heat accumulator layer or at least one latent heat accumulator element, at least one energy distribution layer made of a highly heat-conductive material disposed on a side facing away from the interior, and/or on the side facing the interior, of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer and/or the at least one latent heat accumulator element.