PORTABLE HAND-HELD DEVICE FOR ACCOMMODATING AND TRANSPORTING FOOD OR A BEVERAGE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A portable hand-held device for accommodating and transporting food or a beverage, comprising a thermally insulated container which is set up to accommodate for food or a beverage in an accommodating space and which comprises, enclosing the accommodating space, an inner and an outer wall as well as an insulating space arranged therebetween, which is of closed and sealed design and evacuated; and a container closure, which is set up to close a container opening of the thermally insulated container; wherein a working medium is arranged in the insulating space, which, by means of thermal energy being supplied from the outside via the outer wall, can be transferred in a reversible manner between a thermally insulating initial state, in which the working medium is in a solid state and is in physical contact with the outer wall and is not in physical contact with the inner wall, and a thermally conductive state, in which at least a part of the working medium is in a fluid state and has expanded and is in thermally conductive contact with both the outer wall as well as the inner wall.

2. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein, in the thermally conductive state, the working medium is in physical contact with the base of the inner wall and side wall sections of the inner wall abutting thereon as well as with the base of the outer wall and side wall sections of the outer wall abutting thereon.

3. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein, in the thermally conductive state, the physical contact of the working medium is limited to the base of the inner wall and the base of the outer wall.

4. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein, in the thermally conductive state, the physical contact of the working medium is designed to completely cover the base of the inner wall and/or the base of the outer wall.

5. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein, in the thermally conductive state, the insulating space is essentially free of working medium in a gaseous state.

6. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the inner and the outer wall are made of a material from the following group: metal, glass, and plastic.

7. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall at least portionally comprises a wall material at the base with a higher heat transfer coefficient than another material which is different from the wall material in a region outside of the base of the outer wall.

8. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the base of the outer wall and/or the base of the inner wall comprise surface-enlarging wall structures.

9. The portable hand-held device according to claim 8, wherein, in the thermally insulating state, at least one part of the working medium is accommodated in the surface-enlarging structures.

10. The portable hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein a heating device is arranged on the thermally insulated container which is set up to supply thermal energy to the working medium via the outer wall in order to carry the working medium out of the thermally insulating state into the thermally conductive state and to heat the food or the beverage within the accommodating space.

11. The portable hand-held device according to claim 10, wherein the heating device is arranged on the thermally insulated container in a positive-locking manner.

12. The portable hand-held device according to claim 10, wherein the heating device is arranged on the thermally insulated container in the region of the outer wall.

13. The portable hand-held device according to claim 10, wherein a control device is provided that is set up to control the heating device during operation.

14. The portable hand-held device according to claim 13, wherein a sensor device is provided which functionally pairs with the control device and that the control device is set up to control the heating device depending on sensor signals of the sensor device.

15. A method for controlling the temperature of food or of a beverage in a portable hand-held device comprising: provisioning of a good to be temperature-controlled and pertaining to food or a beverage within an accommodating space of a thermally insulated container, wherein the thermally insulated container comprises, enclosing the accommodating space, an inner and an outer wall as well as an insulating space arranged therebetween, which is of closed and sealed design and evacuated, and wherein a container closure is provided which is set up to close a container opening of the thermally insulated container; provisioning of thermal energy by means of a heating device; transferring of the thermal energy to the outer wall of the thermally insulated container; and heating the good to be temperature-controlled by means of the thermal energy, wherein: a working medium which is arranged in the insulating space is heated by means of the thermal energy and the working medium is hereby transferred in a reversible manner from a thermally insulating initial state, in which the working medium is in a solid state and is in physical contact with the outer wall and is not in physical contact with the inner wall, into a thermally conductive state, in which at least a part of the working medium is in a liquid state and expanded, and is in heat-conductive contact with both the outer wall as well as the inner wall, such that the thermal energy is transferred to the inner wall via the liquid working medium and from there to the good to be temperature-controlled.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0034] In the following, other exemplary embodiments are explained taking figures of a drawing into consideration. The figures show:

[0035] FIG. 1 a schematic cross-sectional illustration of a portable hand-held device with a thermally insulated container, wherein a working medium is in a thermally insulating state;

[0036] FIG. 2 a schematic cross-sectional illustration of the portable hand-held device in FIG. 1, wherein the working medium is in a liquid state and in an expanded thermally conductive state;

[0037] FIG. 3 a schematic cross-sectional illustration of the portable hand-held device in FIG. 1, wherein the working medium is now again in the thermally insulating initial state;

[0038] FIG. 4 a perspective schematic illustration of a thermally insulated container;

[0039] FIG. 5 another partial perspective illustration of thermally insulated container in FIG. 3; and

[0040] FIG. 6 a perspective illustration of the base section of the thermally insulated container.

[0041] FIGS. 1 to 3 show schematic cross-sectional illustrations of a portable hand-held device 1 with a thermally insulated container 2 and a container closure 3, which closes a container opening 4 of the thermally insulated container 2. A thermos or a cooking utensil can be provided with the portable hand-held device 1 for example.

[0042] In the case of the thermally insulated container 2, an inner and an outer wall 5, 6 enclose an accommodating space 7, in which a liquid or solid good 8 to be temperature-controlled is accommodated, for example, food or a beverage.

[0043] The inner and outer wall 5, 6 enclose an insulating space 9, which is of closed and sealed design, having been evacuated. By means of the evacuation, a vacuum is established, as is known as such for thermally insulated containers or Dewar vessels.

[0044] In accordance with FIG. 1, a working medium 11 in a solid state is arranged at the base 10 of the outer wall 6, wherein, in the illustration shown, the working medium 11 is arranged covering the base 10 of the outer wall 6 completely. In FIG. 1, the working medium 11 in the thermally insulating state is in physical contact with the base 10 of the outer wall 6. However, the working medium 11 is spaced from a base 12 of the inner wall 5, i.e., not in physical contact.

[0045] In order to heat the good 8 to be temperature-controlled in the accommodating space 7, thermal energy is supplied from the outside onto the outer wall 6 so that the working medium 11 is liquefied in accordance with FIG. 2 and expands with regard to its volume so that a contact is now established with the base 12 of the inner wall 5. In the case of the exemplary embodiment shown, the contact extends into the region of the side wall sections 13, 14, which directly abut the base 12 of the inner wall 5 and the base 10 of the outer wall 6. As an alternative, the contact can be limited to the region of the bases 10, 12, wherein these can be partly or fully covered by the contact.

[0046] Within the region of the side wall sections 13, 14, a partition wall (not shown) can be provided, which separates a lower partial space in the insulating space 2, which accommodates the working medium, and an upper partial space, which is free of the working medium 11. Both partial spaces are evacuated; as an alternative, also only one of the partial spaces. The partition wall can extend horizontally in the insulating space 2 between the inner wall 5 and the outer wall 6. The partition wall can be impermeable for the working medium 11. The partition wall, the provision of which is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures, can be designed with a collar.

[0047] A region 15 above the liquefied 11 remains free of the working medium 11. Via the contact, which is established for the working medium 11 between the inner and the outer wall 5, 6, now the thermal energy from the outside via the outer wall 6 can be transmitted to the inner wall 5, and from there, to the good 8 to be temperature-controlled ranging as far as to cooking the good 8 to be temperature-controlled.

[0048] If the heating process has ended, the thermal-energy supply ends. After this, in accordance with FIG. 3, the working medium 11 passes back into the thermally insulating initial state again, in which the working medium 11 is arranged in the solid state and on the base 10 of the outer wall 6 without being in contact with the base 12 of the inner wall 5. In this state, the evacuated insulating space 9 can fully unfold its thermally insulating effect again.

[0049] For example, the following materials are used as a working medium 11: paraffin or paraffin derivative.

[0050] In FIG. 3, a heating device 20 is schematically shown which is set up to generate thermal energy and, in the exemplary embodiment shown, to emit the thermal energy at the base 10 of the outer wall 6.

[0051] FIGS. 4 to 6 show schematic illustrations of an embodiment of a double-wall thermally insulated container 30, which can be designed with the same characteristics as the thermally insulated container 2 in FIGS. 1 to 3 and which can be the component of a portable hand-held device. The thermally insulated container 30 comprises surface-enlarging wall structures 32 in the base region 31 (as is also the case in the embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 3), which form inner depressions 34 between wing-like recesses 33 (in the insulating space 9). If the thermally insulated container 30 is combined with a heating device (not shown), it can be provided that the former engages into the wall structures in a positive-locking manner.

[0052] The features of the invention described in the aforementioned description, the claims as well as the drawing can be of significance both individually, as well as in any combination for the implementation of various embodiments.