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US 2007/0163569 A1Published application
Arrangement for and method of selectably changing the temperature of a product by employing a snap action invertible actuator
OwnerMark Strachaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Axial pressure exerted against an invertible actuator breaks a membrane with a snap action and initiates a chemical reaction in which the temperature of a product in an inner container is changed.
Claims24
An arrangement for selectably changing a temperature of a product, comprising:
- a) an outer container having an upright axis and an interior;
- b) an actuator invertible between stressed and unstressed positions;
- c) an inner container mounted within the interior of the outer container and having a chamber for containing the product;
- d) a breakable membrane mounted on the actuator in the stressed position to bound a compartment therewith, and bounding another compartment within the interior of the outer container;
- e) a pair of reactants respectively contained in the compartments and kept apart by the membrane prior to use;
- and
- f) the actuator being invertible, upon exertion of axial pressure thereon, from the stressed to the unstressed position with a snap action to break the membrane and to allow the reactants to mix and form a chemical reaction that changes the temperature of the product in the inner container.
4 more elements
A method of selectably changing a temperature of a product, comprising the steps of:
- a) at least partly filling an inner container with the product;
- b) sealing the product within the inner container;
- c) fixedly mounting the sealed, product-filled inner container inside an outer container having an upright axis and an interior;
- d) forming an actuator of one-piece construction with one of the containers, the actuator being invertible between stressed and unstressed positions;
- e) mounting a breakable membrane on the actuator in the stressed position to bound a compartment therewith, and to bound another compartment within the interior of the outer container;
- f) at least partly filling a pair of reactants respectively into the compartments;
- and
- g) inverting the actuator, by exerting an axial pressure thereon, from the stressed position to the unstressed position with a snap action to break the membrane and to allow the reactants to mix and form a chemical reaction that changes the temperature of the product in the inner container.
5 more elements
A method of making an arrangement for selectably changing a temperature of a product, comprising the steps of:
- a) at least partly filling an inner container with the product;
- b) sealing the product within the inner container;
- c) fixedly mounting the sealed, product-filled inner container inside an outer container having an upright axis and an interior;
- d) forming an actuator of one-piece construction with one of the containers with an unstressed curvature;
- e) inverting the actuator to a stressed curvature opposite to the unstressed curvature;
- f) mounting a breakable membrane on the actuator with the stressed curvature to bound a compartment therewith, and to bound another compartment within the interior of the outer container;
- and
- g) at least partly filling a pair of reactants respectively into the compartments.
5 more elements
A bowl-shaped container for receiving a product whose temperature is to be changed, the container comprising:
- a) a bottom wall;
- b) a dome-shaped actuator of one-piece construction with, and integrally formed from, the bottom wall, the actuator being invertible between a concave curvature above the bottom wall and a convex curvature below the bottom wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.