A food delivery enclosure for delivering groceries includes a low insulation zone and a high insulation zone. The low insulation zone includes energy packs, such as chill packs or hot packs and food items suitable for contact with the energy packs. The high insulation zone is above the low insulation zone and includes food items that are not suitable for contact with the energy packs.

The present invention relates to a portable thermal container (1) for consumer products (2′) comprising at least a storing chamber (2) of the consumer products (2′) and at least a reaction chamber (4) of a reagent component (5′) and a of a reactive component (5″), wherein the reaction chamber (4) extends substantially entirely along the dimension of the largest dimension of the portable thermal container (1) and the storing chamber (2) is arranged side-by-side to the reaction chamber (4) to maximize the thermal exchange between the reaction chamber (4) and the storing chamber (2) in an homogeneous way, and the reaction chamber (4) comprises at least a storing portion and at least an expansion portion, wherein the total volume of said expansion portions is greater than the total volume of said storing portions to allow the safe expansion of the chemical reaction gases in said reaction chamber (4).

Beverage cooling device (2) for rapidly cooling a beverage and serving the beverage when cooled, after having been dispensed from a beverage preparation machine (100) in the device, comprising a heat exchange container (3) comprising a closed chamber (4) containing a phase-change coolant capable of accumulating and restoring cooling energy and a beverage cavity (5) with an open upper end (6) for receiving the beverage; the closed chamber (4) and cavity (5) being separated by at least one heat conductive inner wall (8). The device is arranged to be handled separately from the beverage preparation machine and comprises a control unit (13) comprising a communication module (14) arranged for communicating to the beverage preparation machine information representative of the presence of the device at proximity of the beverage preparation machine and/or of a cooling state of the coolant in the chamber. The invention also relates to a system comprising a beverage preparation device and the cooling device.

Drinkware with active temperature control can be a mug made of metal, and optionally coated with a ceramic material. At least one heating element that can thermally communicate with a surface of the drinkware to thereby effect heat transfer through the base in the drinkware. At least one sensor is configured to sense a parameter of the liquid in the drinkware, and at least one power storage element is configured to provide power to the at least one heating element. Control circuitry is configured to control operation of the one or more heating elements, and a transceiver is configured to transmit operating information to a remote electronic device and to receive operating instructions from the remote electronic device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container for cryopreservation and transportation which is excellent in maintainability and can appropriately control the temperature of an object to be frozen. The present invention provides a container for cryopreservation and transportation (1A) used to transport an object to be frozen, including: a thermal insulation container (2) having an upper opening (2a); a thermal insulation lid (3) which closes the upper opening (2a) of the thermal insulation container (2); and a cooling unit (4) which is held in the thermal insulation container (2) while absorbing liquid nitrogen, wherein a housing space (K) for accommodating a storage tool (50) for storing the object to be frozen is provided inside the thermal insulation container (2), and the cooling unit (4) is detachable through the upper opening (2a) of the thermal insulation container (2) while the storage tool (50) located in the housing space (K) is housed in the thermal insulation container (2).

An actively heated or cooled mug has a body with a chamber that can receive and hold a beverage and a heating or cooling system disposed at least partially in a cavity below the chamber. The heating or cooling system has a heating or cooling element to actively heat or cool the chamber, power storage devices, and circuitry that controls the operation of the heating or cooling elements. A user interface is electrically connected to the circuitry and has one or more selection members actuatable a) to turn off the one or more heating or cooling element or b) to adjust a temperature setting to one of multiple temperature settings configured to control the one or more heating or cooling elements to heat or maintain the liquid at a user selected temperature.

A tray (1) for releasably engaging a trolley, the tray (1) comprises a body (2) describing a sealed volume (V), the sealed volume (V) having a phase change material (PCM) received therein, the tray (1) comprising an engagement means (4) for releasably engaging a trolley.

A temperature-regulating apparatus is provided to rapidly cool a beverage to a desired temperature. In some variations, the geometry of the temperature-regulating apparatus is configured to rapidly cool a beverage incorporating one or more inner portions that contain a temperature regulating material, such as a phase change material having a high heat capacity. The geometry of the interior of the container may be configured to aid in rapid heat transfer between the beverage therein and the outer shell of the inner portion and may have a length to width aspect ratio of at least 4:1. The inner portion may be formed between the exterior wall of the container and by a single piece of formed metal that extends along the length, width and base walls to form the interior for receiving a beverage. The cavity formed between the outer shell and the exterior wall may be at least 15 mm deep.

The invention relates to a portable hand-held device for accommodating and transporting food or a beverage, having a thermally insulated container (2), which is intended to accommodate food or a beverage in an accommodating space (7) and which has an inner and an outer wall (8), and an insulating space (9) arranged therebetween, enclosing the accommodating space, the insulating space being of closed and sealed design and having been evacuated; and having a container closure (3), which is intended to close a container opening (4) of the thermally insulated container (2), wherein the insulating space (9) contains a working medium (11) which, by means of thermal energy being supplied from the outside via the outer wall (8), can be transferred in a reversible manner between a thermally insulating, initial state, in which the working medium (11) is in the solid state and is in contact with the outer wall (6), and is not in contact with the inner wall (5), and a thermally conductive state, in which at least some of the working medium (11) is in the liquid state and has expanded and is in thermally conductive contact both with the outer wall (6) and with the inner wall (5). The invention also provides a method for controlling the temperature of food or of a beverage in a portable hand-held device.

An actively heated or cooled cup or mug has a body with a chamber that can receive and hold a beverage and a heating or cooling system disposed in a cavity below the chamber. The heating or cooling system has a heating or cooling element to actively heat or cool the chamber, power storage devices, and circuitry that controls the operation of the heating or cooling elements. A sensor can detect a presence of a liquid in the chamber, the circuitry configured to turn on power to the heating or cooling elements after said liquid is detected and further configured to automatically turn off power to the heating or cooling elements upon receiving a signal indicating that the liquid in the chamber has dropped below a predetermined liquid level or been depleted completely.