Thermoelectric heat pump appliance with carbon foam heat sink

A personal thermoelectric Peltier effect heating and cooling device for heating or cooling a portion of a user's body, comprising:

• a flexible thermal transfer band formed of thermally conductive material having a user-facing surface adapted to engage a portion of the user's body, an outer-facing surface, and means for releasably securing said thermal transfer band on said portion of the user's body;
• a miniaturized Peltier thermovoltaic member having a first surface secured on said thermal transfer band outer-facing surface in thermal transfer relation and a spaced apart second surface in which the application of a voltage difference creates a cold surface and hot surface opposite each other;
• a porous carbon foam heat sink member secured on said Peltier thermovoltaic member second surface in thermal exchange relation, said carbon foam heat sink member formed of a thermally conductive open cell foam medium through which air can pass;
• a shroud partially enclosing said porous carbon foam heat sink member;
• a small enclosure with means for releasably securing said enclosure on another portion of the user's body remote from said thermal transfer band;
• a motorized vacuum air pump contained in said enclosure having an inlet and an outlet;
• a battery contained within said enclosure electrically connected with said motorized vacuum air pump through switch means on said enclosure for selectively energizing said air pump;
• a flexible tubular conduit having a first end connected to said air pump inlet and a second end connected in fluid communication with said shroud for drawing ambient air through said thermally conductive open cell foam medium;
• and
• electrical leads having first ends electrically connected with said battery and second ends connected with said Peltier thermovoltaic member through a polarity reversing switch on said enclosure for supplying selective polarized electrical energy thereto to energize said Peltier thermovoltaic member.