Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
13~
This invention relates to a portable thermoelectrically-
operated cooling and heating base unit to which any of a set of
food appliances can be detachably connected to cool or warm food
therein, the appliances having means for covering their cool or
heat exchange bot-tom portions to maintain the temperatures of
their cooled or heated space therein and a selective control
circuit therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INV2NTION
Thermoelectric hea~ transferring elements have been in use
in portable refrigerators, or coolers for some time for cooling
a food storage compartment to preserve food placed therein. One
example of such a portable cooler employing these solid
thermoelectric heat exchange elements operable on known Peltier
elements is disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,301,658 and the prior art
that was cited. The Peltier elements for refrigeration are
applied as cooling elements in the portable refrigerators but
by the nature of these elements they can equally be suitable for
supplying heat. These prior appliances have heretofore, only
been provided for cooling and refrigeration storage and have not
been adapted for the multiple appliances should one have to carry
out the ordinary procedures with foods and liquids.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided in
combination, a thermoelectric cool and heat base unit utilizing
Peltier-type elements having cold and hot faces when supplied
with direct current, and respective top and bottom faces of the
- 2 - ~
13~GSl~L
elements being cold or hot depending upon the direction of flow
of the direct cur.rent through the elements, a metal heat sink
block in flush engagement with the bottom faces of the element
and a top cold and heat conductive plate secured in flush
engagement with the top faces of the elements, and a separable
appliance having a bottom cold and neat conductive slab depending
from the bottom of the appliance and adapted to be disposed in
full flush engagement with -the top conductive plate of the base
unit upon -the appliance being assembled upon the cool and heat
base unit, said base unit having a top insulating plate overlying
the cold and heat conductive plate with a central opening therein
to provide a shallow pocket adapted to receive the depending cold
and heat conductive slab of the appliance for a full flush
engagement with the conductive plate of the base unit and said
appliance further having depending opposing grooved projections
adapted to receive the side edges of the top insulation plate of
the base unit to guide the appliance onto the base unit and the
depending cold and heat conducting slab of the appliance into the
shallow pocket of the base unit, whereby the appliance will be
retained upon the base unit against lateral and upward
displacement therefrom.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is
provided in combination, a thermoelectric heating and cooling
unit for use in a vehicle comprising one or more thermoelectric
elements having top and bottom faces, a top conducting plate in
thermal contact with the top faces of the said thermoelectric
elements, said top and bottom faces being cold or hot when said
current is applied depending on the direction of said current,
13~6511
and an insulating plate surrounding said top conductiny plate to
permit its flush exposure, an a~ppliance having hea-t or cold
transfer bottom, means for detachably mating said appllance so
as to he rigidly positioned upon the insulatin~ plate with itC
heat or cold trans~er bottom held in flush thermal contact with
said conductive plate of the unit and so that said appliance does
not ~ecome disconnected due to vibration of said vehicle, whereby
the continu~d supply of heat or cold to said appliance will be
insured to heat or cool any substance contained therein, said
mating means of said unit similarly enabling said unit to
interchangeably mate with corresponding means of a plurality of
different appliances so that said unit can be used
interchangeably to supply heat or cold to a plurality of
different appliances.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is
provided in combination an appliance for use in a vehicle, a
thermoelectric heat or cold unit having a first mating means for
receiving said appliance and including a thermally insulated
upper body portion with a heat or cold conductive plate therein,
said appliance having a bottom thermally conductive portion,
means for detachably mating the appliance with the heat or cold
unit in a rigid position so that the bottom surface of the
appliance lies in thermal contact with the conductive plate of
said unit despite vibration of said vehicle and to ensure the
supply of heat or cold to said appliance, said appliance
including a second mating means and a bottom cover attachable to
the second mating means of the appliance to enclose the bottom
conductive plate of the appliance.
., - 4 -
, . .
13U~s~
According to another aspect of the invention, there is
provided in comblnation, a ther~oelect:~ic cool and heat base unit
utilizing Peltier-type elements having cold and hot faces ~hen
supplied wi.th d.irect current, and respective top and bottom faces
of the elements being cold or hot depending upon the direction
o* flow of the direct current through the elements, a metal heat
sink block in flush engagement with the bottom faces of the
element and a top cold and heat conductive plate secured in flush
engagement with the top faces of the elements, and a separable
appliance having a bot-tom cold and heat conductive slab depending
from the bottom of the appliance and adapted to be disposed in
full flush engagement with the top conductive plate of the base
unit upon the appliance being assembled upon the cool and heat
base unit, sai.d base unit have a top insulating plate overlying
the cold and heat conductive plate with a central opening therein
to provide a shallow pocket adapted to receive the dependiny cold
and heat conductive slab of the appllance for a full flush
engagement with the conductive plate of the base unit and means,
for detachably mating the separable appliance with the base unit
and the retention of the conductive slab of the appliance with
the conductive top plate within the shallow pocket of the base
unit against lateral and upward displacement from the base unit
whereby heat or cool transfer of the base unit will be maintained
throughout the transport of the assembly and w.ill be held against
separating thereof due to vibration of the transport vehicle.
The multiple detachable appliances may include a
refrigerator or hot box assembly, a hostess tray and a carrying
case therefore, a bottom heating and cooling assembly, and an ice
13~6511
cube maker and air conditioner assembly. This air conditioner
assembly will utilize the already controlled low temperature of
piped cold conditioned air for making the ice cubes and will have
further lowered the air temperature within the vehicle. The
present ice cube making appliance thus incidentally allows the
same to become means for lowering the overall temperature of the
passenger space within the vehicle.
- 5a -
13~6S~ll
BRIEF DESCRI~TION OF THE DRAWINGS
Eor a better understanding of the invention, reference may be
had to the following detail construction taken in connection
with the accompanying drawingr in which
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the thermoelectric base
unit and a detachable storage appliance assembled in tight
fitting surface to surface cold and heat trans~er engagement
with one another adapted to be plugged with the dashboard
lighter receptacle.
Fig. 2 is a recycle convertor and cable conversion connection
for use with an alternating current household receptacle,
Fig. ~ is a top and front end perspective of the
thermoelectric base un:it free of an attached appliance and
looking upon the sink well cold and heat transfer surface
thereof,
Fig. 9 is an exploded view of the thermoelectric base unit
showing its separable parts in perspective, and the order in
which parts are assemble to make up the unit.
Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the heat and cold produclng
transfer plate and elements removed from their flnned block
support,
Fig. 6 iS an enlarged longitudinally-extending sectional view
of the s-torage appliance of Figure 1 as viewed along line 6-6
and looking in the direction of the arrows,
Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view of both the
storage appliance and base unit of Figure 1 as viewed on Iine 7-
7 thereof,
FTGS. 8 and 9 are respectively front and side end,
elevational views of the front end plate of the base unit,
FIGS. 10 and 11 are respectively rear and side end
elevational views of the rear end plate of the base unit,
Fig. 12 is a collective perspective view of the storage
appliance removed from the base unit and of a bottom insulating
cover adapted for use with the storage appliance to cover it's
cold and heat transfer plate in its bottom,
~3~iSll
Fig. 13 is a top perspective view of a bottle warming or
coollng appllance adapted to be assembLed to the base unit,
Fig. 14 ls a collective vertical sectional view of the
special bottle appliance being used in Fig. 13 with an
insulating bottom cover to close over the metal bottom of the
bottle,
Fig. 15 is a collective perspective view of an insulated
hostess tray appliance for receiving a metal covered cake tray
or an open ice cube tray with partitions and a top insulating
cover for closing tray appliance and along with a similar
insulated plate for covering the cold and heat transfer plate in
the bottom of the tray appliance,
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a base unit resting on the
front seat of the vehicle and connected to its dashboard to
receive controlled hot or cold air from the vehicle air
conditioner.
Fig. 17 is a side elevation view of the arrangement shown in
Fig. 16 but showing the connection of the air conduit with the
dashboard and the cable with its direct current supply plug
inserted in the cigarette lighter receptacle,
Fig. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view of the flexible air
conduit that can be slide fitted onto the base unit and
connected.
Fig. l9 is an end view of the end of the flexible air conduit
looking upon the attaching surface for affixing the conduit to
the dashboard surface bout the vent opening therein.
Fig. 20 is wiring diagram for the electric control circuit of
the thermoelectric base unit.
~3~i5~1
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OE' I'HE INVENTION
Referring now partlcularly to Figs. 1 to 6, a description of
a thermoelectric base unit 10 will be made. This base unit 10
comprises generally a molded channel-shaped housing part 11,
having a bottom portion 12, and opposing upstanding sidewalls 13
and 14 to which all the other parts are assembled. The inner
face of the sidewalls 13 and 14 respectively have
longitudinally-extending grooves 13' and 14' of the same level
and opposing one another. These grooves slidably support a
plate 16 having a large central opening 16' with which is
aligned an electric fan 17 with fan blades 18 serving to deliver
air under pressure upwardly through the opening 16. The motor
17 is attached by screws 19 that fasten the fan motor by its
flange 17' to the underface of the supporting plat 16 and can be
slidably removed from the housing part 11 therewith. Current
will be supplied to the electric fan 17 through lead wires 20.
Foot cylinders 21 are respectively fastened to the respective
corner of areas of the housing bottom portion 12 by fastening
screws 22.
Inwardly-extending molded projection 13a, 14a and 13b, 14b
respectively provided at opposite ends of sidewalls 13 and 19
serve to fix a top plate 23 of sheet insulation by fastening
screws 24 and to the underside of the top plate 23, there is
attached a thermoelectric heat sink or block assembly 26 by
means of fastening screws 27 so as to be suspended therefrom and
removable from the housing part 11 with plate 23.
13~6513l
To projections 13a and 14a on the sidewalls 13 and 14 of
housing 11 and at the bottom 12 to similarly-arranged inwardly-
extending projections 13c and 14c, there is attached a ~ront
switch control panel plate 28 by screws 29 and that has elevated
ventilating openings ~8', an electric switch 32, an electric
plug receptac~.e 33 and other electric elements and wiring
carried on the rear face of plate 28. At the rear of the unit, a
rear panel 34 with ventilating openings 34' is attached by
screws 36 to inwardly-extending sidewall projections 13b, 14b
and 13d and 14d lying therebelow to the rear end of the housing
part 11. The ventilating openings 28' and 34' of the respective
plates 28 and 34 are essential to effect the cooling of the
thermoelectric assembly 26 by the ventilation fan 18 at times
when the assembly 26 is used for cooling the different
appliances.
13~6~
In Fig 5, the parts of the thermoelectric assembly 26 are
best shown and will be described with reference thereto. Two
solid state thermoelectric of Peltier type elements 41 and 42
are used to obtain the cooling and heating effects. These
Peltier elements 41 and 42 are mounted in flush contact with the
top surfaces 43' of a heat sink conductor block 43 of high
thermal conductivity aluminum and having a series of spaced
cooling fins 43' depending from its bottom face. To retain the
elements 41 and 42 in good conductive relationship they are
attached with a low melting point tin alloyed solder to ensure
the best performance of generated heat transfer of the element
to the block 43. The Peltier elements when supplied with direct
current as from a 12-volt vehicle battery or of other voltage
will pr~esent much cold on i-ts top cold face if heat is dragged
from ~t~s bottom hot face. For this purpose, the heat transfer
block 43 is put into use with operation of the electric motor
driven fan 17 to cause the flow of venting air over its fins 43
and through the air louvre openings of the front and rear end
plates 28 and 34 of the base unit. When heating is to be
effected the ventilating fan 17 is omitted from the Power supply
circuitry. The reversal of the direct current flow converts the
elements for cooling or heating. Their top surfaces can present
either cold or heat. The fan 17 is only brought into use when
effecting cooling by the elements.
13~5~1
Adhered to the top surface 43~ of the heat conducting block
93 is an insulated mass layer 94 that surrounds the
thermoelectric elements 41 and 42. The elements 41 and 42 will
be confined within square pockets 45 and 46 of the mass layer 44
in flush engagement with the block top surface 43' and with
their respective lead wires 41', 41~ and 92', 42" respectively
extending outwardly through corresponding parallel channel
grooves 45', 45" and 46', 46".
Spanning these thermoelectric elements 41 and 42 laying in
the pockets 45 and 46 and over the heat insulating mass layer 44
is a principal heat and cold conducting or transfer plate 47 of
highly conductive aluminum to expose and distribute the cold or
heat adequate to transfer the necessary cold or heat to the
appliances being used with the base unit at the time. This
conducting plate 47 is firmly held down in place in a flush and
compressive manner upon the top faces of the thermoelectric
elements 41 and 42 by fastening screws 50 into tapped holes 50'
in the element assembly 43 and from this conductive plate 47 the
cold or heat passes to any of the several applLances that will
be detachably and slidably fitted upon the base unit 10.
11
13(~65~1
At one side of the conducting or transfer plate 47 is a
laterally~extending side projection 47" to the underface of
which a housed thermoelectric switch 48 is flxed by top
fastening screw 49 entering side projections 98' of top
enclosure portion of the switch 48 so that the top face of the
switch housing will have cold and hot conductive enqagement with
the underface of the conducting plate 47 so as to ensure the
best heat exchange of the conductor plate to the thermoelectric
switch 48. This switch 48 is but a simple bimetallic snap
action switch and is worked into the circuit in a manner as will
be made apparent from a later description of the circuit
diagram. The purpose of this switch 48 is to prevent the
thermoelectric elements 41 and 42 from burning out and yet to
provide adequate temperature for the transfer plate 47 and the
appliance attached to the base unit 10. The elements 41 and 42
will stand prolonged heat at some 180 degrees Fahrenheit but
will become inoperable above 212 degrees F, the boiling point of
water. These present elements are accordingly inadequate to
provide high temperatures for cooking which is not the intent
with the present appliance since the present intent is merely to
keep pre-cooked food warm for final consumption or cold to
preserve it. Eventually, it is believed that with the advent of
new materials that elements of this type will be developed to
permit the elements to be used to effect food cooking
temperatures without being burned out. Wires 48" extend from
the thermostatic switch 48. While the pockets 45 and 46 and
wire outlets 45', 45" and 46', 46" as shown have been cut out of
rigid heat insulation this same insulation can be provided by
foam insulation poured into the space between the fastened
assembly of the heat conducting block 43, elements 41 and 42 and
the heat transfer plate 47 and permitting the foam to set. The
object is to fully contain the elements 41 and 42 so that there
will be little loss of heat or cold while being directed by the
elements to the heat conducting cooling block 43 and unit
transfer plate 97.
~ 3n~
A central pocket 23' wit~lin the top plate 23 of the base unit
10 Figs. 3 and 4, is cut away to expose the cold and heat
transfer plate 47 for flush engagement with a corresponding cold
or heat transfer f ~ of each of the appliances. In Fig. 3, it
should be noted that the top surface of the base top of the
plate 23 is elevated above plate 47 to provide but a shallow
pocket area 23' into which the exact sized corresponding heat
transfer plate of the appliance will be dropped for flush
engagement with the transfer plate 47 and the appliance transfer
plate to be specifically mentioned in connection with each of
the appliances as they will be described. As viewed in Fig. 3,
it wil] be noted that a shoulder stop edge 23" will have been
provided against which leading edge of a depending
corresponding cold or heat transfer plate of an appliance will
be engaged to arrest the sliding movement of the appliance upon
the base unit on the appli.ance being assembled thereto so that
the appliance plate will fully settle down in the shallow pocket
23' for full flush engagement with cold or heat transfer plate
97 of the base unit 10. Otherwise there would be difficulty in
centering the appliance upon the base unit 10. It is critical
to have cold and heat transfer surfaces to have flush engagement
with ~ another. The stop edge 23" will position the appliance
properly upon the base unit 10 so that a plate of the appliance
drops automat.ically and properly into the base in the shallow
pocket 23' upon the appliance being placed upon the base unit
10 .
'13~651~
The insulating top plate 23 has side edges 23a and 23b, that
extend outwardly of the respec~ive walls 13 and 14 of the
channel-shaped housing part 11 to accommodate opposing grooved
portions 56' and 56" depending from the bottom of a storage or
ice chest appliance 56, ~igs. 1, 6 and 7. This storage
appliance 56 ls slid lnto place upon the base unit 10 ~rom the
front or rear of the base unit 10 by matching the grooves 56'
and 56" wlth the respective side edges 23a and 23b of the top
plate 23 of the base unit 10. The other appliances are to be
slmilarly assembled upon the base unit by the use of side edges
of the top plate 23 for flush engagement of their heat
conducting plate with the temperature conducting plate 47 of the
base unit 10 in the shallow pocket 23'. The sliding movement of
the appliance continues until interrupted by the engagement of
the leading edge of the appliance conductor plate with the
transverse stop edge 23" of the shallow pocket 23' of the
insulating top plate 23 when t~e appliance automatically drops
for full flush engagement of its depending conducting plate with
the base unit conducting (plate 4). The tolerances of the
groove projections 56' and 56" with side edges 56' and 56" of
the insulating top plate 23 of base unit 10 being such as to
permit the full flush engagement of the cold and heat conducting
plates of appliance and base unit with one another and the
assembly held tightly against separation due to vibration of the
vehicle and during transport.
The ice chest or heat storage appliance 56 is generally of
the size of the standard portable ice packed chests used for
picnics and by campers. With the present storage appliance cold
or heat will be supplied from the base unit 10 instead of
consuming much of the internal space for ice cubes for effecting
the same purpose. Ice cubes will not be needed to cool the
chest but can be included to further sustain the cool
temperature. So long as the chest 56 is on the base unit its
internal temperature will be maintained.
14
13~5~1
The storage appliance 56 is molded out of heat insulating
plastic rnaterial and is generally slightly tapered in contour
with a bottom 56a, Figs 6 and 7 from which the opposing grooved
portions 56' and 56" depend, and an upwardly and outwardly
flared surrounding sidewall 56b with an enlarged top opening 56c
into which a flat top detachable cover 57 also made of heat
insulating plastic material is tightly taper fitted. To lift
the cover for access to the appliance 56, a pull carry handle 58
normally lowered into a top slot 59 is pulled out of the slot to
the extent of its depending stop legs 58' and 58". Thls cover
57 is connected at one side of sidewall 56b by spaced hinges 61
and 62 and held closed by a latch keeper 63 on the opposite
sidewall and cover. The appliance when free of the basic unit
10 can be also carried by a long handle 6q extended over the
cover and having depending legs 64' and 64" respectively
pivotally connected to the respective opposite ends of the chest
appliance 56 by respective pivot pins 65 and 66. Also, hand
grip cut outs 67 and 68 are provided in the respective opposite
end wall portions of the appliance 56 by which the chest
appliance can be carried with both arms when heavily laden.
13U6~
~ or best transfer o~ cold and heat t}-e interlor of chest
appl~ance 5~ 19 llned ~th a sheet 71 of good cold and heat
conduct~n~ metal o~ thfrl gauge alumlnum having a bottom 71' to
which i9 conductively fixed a thick metal alumlnum block 72 that
depends through a central opening in the bottom lnsulation 56a
to a point below the bottom face thereof and that wlll depend,
when the chest appliance ha3 been slid in place upon base unit
10, into shallow pocket 23' for f:Lush engagement of the block 72
w~th the cold or hot metal plate 97 of the bage unit 10. There
will be some tolerance provided in the grooved projections 56'
and 56" to allow slld~ng movement, of the forward edge 72' of
the depending block 72 to be llfted over the starting rear edge
of the hot plate 23 of the base unit 10. The dependlng block 72
of the appliance 56 1s the exact size area of the shallow pocket
23' of the base unit 10 so that once the block edge 72' engages
stop edge 23" of shallow pocket 23' the block 72 will drop into
the Yhallow pocket 23' fox flush enqagement with metal plate 47
of the base un~t whereby the assembly will be made ready for use
and efficient transfer of the cold or heat is ensured. Slnce
the Ahallow pocket Z3' 1~ 90 shallow that the chest appl~ance 56
would not be restrained for detachment from the base unit but
for the depending slide groove projection 56' and 56" overlying
the side edges of the top plate 23 of the base unit. The
grooves of the depending projections may not be essential to the
mounting of the appliance of the base unit. The projections may
be om.~tted from the appliance and the appliance merely lowered
into place upon the base unit. Upon thickening the block 72 of
the chest appliance and deepening of the shallow pocket 23 to a
greater extent, the retention of the appliance so mounted upon
the base unit would be greatly enhanced. The appliance 56 is
rested upon the depending projections when freed of the base
unit with the depending metal block 72 being protected and
raised from chest bottom face. With the grooves properly
fashioned, the conducting plates of the appliance and the base
wlll be effectively wedged down upon the base unit to further
enhance their best flush engagement for conduction of cold and
heat and prevent release of the appliance from the base unit due
to vibrations of the vehicle. In F~g. 12r there is shown the
chest appliance 56 removed from the base unit 10 after it has
been treated with cold or heat. Upon the removal of the chest
from the base unit, the metal block 72 in the bottom 56a of this
chest appliance 56 will have become exposed to external
temperatures and in order to maintain this temperature attained
within the appliancer an insulating bottom cover 74 is slid
between the grooved projections 56' and 56" to provide extra
insulation thereunder. This bottom cover 74 has a top portion
75 of hard insulation material and a bottom portion 76 of soft
lnsulation material adhered to the hard top portion 75.
16
The assembly of the two portions constitutes the bottom slide
cover 74. The hard top portion 75 has a hand grip extension 75'
to faci.litate the insertion and rernoval of the bottom cover 74
within the depending grooved projections 56' and 56". This same
bottom cover 74 will be usable with the other appliances to be
presently described for the same purpose of covering the bottom
conducting plate of each appliance when they are removed from
the base unit 10. Other appliances equally usable in a like
manner with the base unit 10 will now be described. In Figs. 13
and 14, there is shown a bottle cooling or heating appliance
indicated generally at 77 adapted to be slid onto the base unit
10. This appliance 77 includes a slide plate 78 of hard
insulating material having depending opposing grooved
projections 78' and 78" that respectively receive opposite side
edges 23a and 23b of the top plate 23 of the base unit 10. The
plate 78 has a hole 78a through which a special bottle assembly
79 can be dropped onto the cool or hot plate 47 of the base unit
10 and to better confine the bottle 79 which being cooled or
heated. A cylindrical transparent sleeve extends upwardly from
slide plate 78 from about the opening 78a and having an internal
diameter to snugly accommodate the bottle 79 free of its bottom
insulating cover 80 that is threaded upon the bottom of the
bottle 79 after the contents have been cooled or heated to
maintain the temperature of the contents within the bottle. The
metal bottle 79' is coated about its side with thick insulation
81 that is threaded at its lower end 81 to receive internal
threads 80' of bottom cap 80. The metal bottle 79' has a flat
exposed bottom 79" when the insulati.ng cap 80 is removed and
that rests in flush cold or heat conducting engagement with the
metal conducting plate 47 of the base unit 10. The bottom cap
80 when connected will thread flush against the flat metal
bottom portion 79". The top of the internal metal bottle 79'
has a threaded top neck portion 79 to which an insulating cap 82
is threaded to close the bottle.
13~Jfi~
In E'ig. 15, there ls shown a hostess rnetal tray recelvlng
appliance 85 having a semblance of the chest appllance but of
less depth and adapted to accommodate either a metal cake pan 86
with its windowed cover 87 or an ice cube tray 98. This cake
pan receiving appliance 85 formed of plastic insulation material
wlth a continuous side wall 85' and a bottom 85" with a
centrally-disposed cold and heat conducting slab or plate 88
that in turn depends from the bottom face to en-ter the shallow
pocket 23' of the base unit 10 in the manner alre2dy set forth
in connection with description o~ the chest applian~e 56. The
metal cake pan and ice cube tray receiving appliance 85 will
rest by its bottom upon cold and heat conducting plate 88. This
hostess appliance 85 has depending opposing side grooved
projections 85a and 85b adapted to receive respective side edges
23a and 23b of the base unit 10. With -the hostess tray
appliance 85 slid over the top plate 23 of the base unit 10 from
the rear thereof, the leading edge of the appliance plate 88 is
arrested on engagement with the drop edge 23" of the shallow
pocket 23' of the base unit 10. Both appliances 56 and 85 are
accordinqly easily assembled upon the base unit 10 to ensure
flush engagement of their cool and heat conducting plates 72 and
88 with the cool and heat conducting plate 47 of the base unit.
Over the base unit plat 47 a lining similar to lining 71 of the
chest appliance 56 may be used with this tray appliance 85 and
attached to its bottom slab 88 to distribute the cold or heat
taken therefrom within the appliance.
18
l3n~,tj~.3~
The bottom of the appliance 85 is accordingly provided with
depending opposing groove projections 85a and 85b to accommodate
the respective side edges 23a and 23b of the top plate 23 of the
base unlt 10 for the assembly of the appliance 85 thereto
corresponding to the way the other appliances have been
assembled thereto. The grooves of the depending projections 85a
and 85b will have some tolerance to permit the lifting of the
lowered portion of the appliance slab 88 to be passed over the
base unit plate 23 into the shallow pocket 23' for flush
engagement with the conducting plate 47 of the base unit 10.
The tolerance of the appliance grooves should only be slight if
at all, for the purpose of getting the leading edge of the
depending appliance plate 88 over the end edge of the top plate
23 of the base unit 10.
With the cake pan 86 and it cover 87 within the appliance 85
it will be covered b a slide cover 89 made of a hard sheet of
insulating material 91 and a layer 92 of soft insulation
material adhered thererto. The hard sheet 91 has a rearwardly-
extended handle portion 91' by which the cover is manipulated
into opposing top groove portions 85c and 85d to enclose the
appliance 85 while being cold or heat treated upon the base unit
10 and thereafter upon being removed therefrom. This cover 89
can also be used as as a bottom cover adapted to slide similar
to the bottom cover 74 of the chest appliance 56, see Fig 12.
Better yet it is to have another cover 94 to be placed in the
bottom of the tray appliance 85 between the grooved depending
projections 85a and 85b thereof so as to cover the appliance
bottom conducting plate 88 upon the appliance being removed from
base unit 10. This bottom cover comprises a hard top sheet 95
with a handle portion 95 and a soft insulating layer 96 adhered
thereto. With both covers 92 and 95 in place, the temperature
cool or warm will be maintained for a long time in the hostess
tray appliance 85.
19
13~
The present basic unit 10 ls intended to operate on 12-volt
vehicle storage battery and with the specific Peltier elements
41 and 42 being used in the base unit 10, a temperature of up to
180 degrees F can be obtained within the appllances and the food
held at a temperature suitable for serving. Cooking
temperatures are not intended with the present assembly thus if
the temperature of the base unit is maintained at substantially
180 degrees F by the bimetallic thermostat 48 carried by the
base unit cold and heat conducting plate 47 there is little
likelihood of the Peltier elements being disintegrated and
burned out. While the elements could have a temperature of 220
degrees F to boil water, there is no necessity to risk the loss
of the elements for more than to maintain a warming temperature.
Accordingly, a thermostat heat control for the base unit has
been provided. Should it be desired to have a thermostat to
operate the cool temperature it can be included in the
circuitry. When the unit 10 is used for cooling, there will be
no concern for disi.ntegrated and burned out. While the elements
could have a temperature of 220 degrees F to boil water, there
is no necessity to risk the loss of the elements for more then
to maintain a warming temperature. Accordingly, a thermostat
heat control for the base unit has been provided. Should it be
desired to have a thermostat to operate the cool temperature it
can be included in the circuitry. When the uni-t 10 is used for
cooling, there will be no concern for the disintegration of the
elements. However, if the voltage were increased for the
operation of the unit a cool control thermostat would be
incorporated. Another thermostat would be applied to the
conduction plate 47 of the base unit lO with enlargement similar
to 97" that supports the present heat control thermostat 48, as
say at the opposite side of the plate 47, but free of the
shallow pocket 23'. The several cold and heat conducting plates
for the base unit and the appliances are made of aluminum and
conduction of cold and heat is effected through joined plates in
flush engagement with one another within the base unit and
between the base unit 10 and the appliances. The top faces of
the elements are cold while their bottom plates run hot with
heat spread over the top faces of the elements 41 and 42 and
transferred to plate 47, the thermostat 48 registering the
temperature of the top plate and the elements.
13~6S3~1
Should the temperature run higher than around 180 degrees F
the supply circuit will be temporarily shut off by the
thermostat 48. When the underfaces of the Peltier elements 41
and 42 normally run hot at times of effecting a cooling
condition, the fan 18 must be operated to take off the heat from
the block 43 on which the bottom faces of the elements rest.
The cooling fan 18 by blowing cooking air over block fins 43'
reduces the temperature of the sink block 43 and the elements to
within 15 to 20 degrees F of the ambient room temperature, the
top cooling faces of the elements and the conducting plate 47
imparting the necessary low cooling temperatures to the
appliances. By reversal of direct current through the elements
and omitting the operation of the fan 28 the elements will
become sufficiently hot to impart warming temperatures to the
appliances and maintain some 180 degrees within them. The
elements are well embedded in insulation within the base unit 10
to prevent indirect cool or heat losses, and cool or heat
escapes only through conductor plate 47 to operate the
appliance. It should be now apparent that the several
appliances can be rapidly assembled upon this
thermoelectrically-operated heart and cool generation base unit
lO, and that any number of different designed appliances can be
put to use with this base unit. With the insulating top and
bottom covers of the appliance in place, the gathered
temperatures in the appliance can be maintained for a
considerable period of time.
~3C~S~
When it is desired to make lce cuhes to be used for cooling food
and liquids this can be easily effected with the use of a cube
tray 98 havillg the usual ice cube size partitions 99 and placed
in the hostess tray 85. This tray is made of cool conducting
material which will be set flat upon the metal conducting slab
88 within the hostess tray 85, the metal cake pan 86 having been
removed, and the tray 85 with the ice cube tray slide assembled
upon the base unit 10 with its slab 88 in flush engagement with
conducting plate 97 thereof in the manner above described. The
base unit 10 will be switched to cold operation with its ~an 18
directing cooling air through the block fins 43' with air
suitable for freezing ice.
Since this assembly likely could not normally be used in summer
atmosphere to produce a freezing temperature, it has been found
that with the assembly placed in a vehicle whiCh iS air
conditioned and directly using the air from one of the air
conditioner outlets for cooling the block fins 93', the tray
temperature with the appliance 85 and about the ice tray 98
therein can be brought sufficiently low to effect the freezing
of the water within the ice tray and the formation of the ice
cubes within the divider partitions 99.
~3`06~11
To carry out this ice free7ing operation, the ice cube tray
98 is placed in appliar,ce 85 covered by the cover 89 and slide
the assembly fitted upon the base unit 10 located upon a front
seat 100 within a vehicle, Figs. 16 and 17, where there is easy
access to a cooling air outlet in a dashboard 101 of a vehicle
to which the base unit is connected by a collapsible tube 102 of
rectangular or round cross-sectioned shape that can be collapsed
for the purpose of storing under a car seat or elsewhere and
made preferably of suitable flexible plastic material. At the
end of the tube 102 that connects with the dashboard 101, there
is a rectangular-shaped flange 103 that is coated with a
material 105 for adhering the flange and the tube 102 over the
ventilation outlet in the dashboard 101 so that cold air will be
delivered into the tube 102 from the vehicle air conditioning
system at temperatures of some 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
~3t~
The other end of the tu~e 102 that connects w~th the base unit
10 also has a flange 106 that can be slide fitted laterally into
sets of opposing upper and lower grooves 107 and 108 on the rear
end plate 34 of the base unit 10. This cold air is delivered by
muffin-type fan 17 which in turn delivers outlet air upwardly
from the bottom compartment of the unit through plate opening
16' of slide plate 16 from which the fan 17 is supported and
over the block fins 43", the cooling air divides in the upper
compartment of the unit, passes outwardly through the upper
louvers of both end plates 28 and 34 into the ambient
surroundings of the vehicle. 5uch air will be warmed on passing
through the fins 43" and will be brought to as close as possible
to the ambient temperature of the vehicle. The temperature
within the appliance 85 by the use of this cold air conditioner
air will be lowered more effectively in the appliance by some 40
degrees F or more to permit and effect the freezing of the water
so as to provide the ice cubes. With the cold air from the air
conditioner, frigid temperatures are possible so that when
exhausted air into the cold ambient air of the vehicle from the
base unit 10 it incidentally lowers the ambient temperatures of
the vehicle to some extent. Only when ice is to be made is the
air conditioning air used. The assembly can be located on the
floor in back of the front seat by passing the flexible tube 102
flatwise under the front seat instead of on the front seat of
the vehicle.
For example, with a forced cold air flow from the air
conditioning system of the vehicle at a temperature of some 40
degrees F feeding into the base unit 10 thru the heat sink fins
93' is exhausted from the base unit at approximately 60 degrees
F. The normal ambient temperature of a vehicle by the base unit
thus reduces the vehicular ambient temperature by some extent.
24
13~j5~
The Elange encl 106 of the tube 102 can be laterally slid into
in opposed grooves 110 and 111 to supply ~he air through
louvered openings 28' of the front end plate 28 that carries the
electric controls also, the flange 106 can be attached over the
upper louvered openlngs 34' ln the rear end plate 3~ by sliding
the flange end 106 between opposlng upper and lower grooves 112
and 113 thereof. Louvre openlngs can be closed by slidlng
closure plates, not shown, between the correspondlng sets of
grooves for them. The warm air from the vehicle heat
ventilatlng system rather than from ambient alr would assist ln
the raising the temperature of the transfer for heat a~d
accelerate the heating of top plate 47.
As seen in Figs 1, 16, and 17, the base unit lO is supplied
with direct current from a vehicle battery by round plug 115
adapted to be inserted in a cigarette li.ghter receptacle
normally Eound on the vehicle dashboard 101 and a cable 116 that
is connected by a block plug 117 inserted in input receptacle 33
carried on -the front plate 28.
For home use a cable 120 as seen in Fig. 2, having a
converter plug 121 is inserted into an alternating current
household receptacle 122 and a cable plug 123 is inserted i.n the
base unit receptacle 33 on front plate 28 and in lieu of the
plug 115 of the cable 116 for the cigarette lighter. Thus, the
appliances can be used with an alternating currents source free
of the need for a direct current battery as in a motel, or
household.
~3(~
In F.ig 20, there is shown the wiring of the control circuit
for the base unit 10 and the operation of the therrnoelectric
elements 41 and ~2 from a direct current 12-volt vehicle
battery, the positive and negative terminals being respectively
indicated at 125 and 126. The thermoelectric elements 41 and 42
are connected together in parallel relationship with positive
leads 41' and ~2' joined and negative leads 41" and 42"
similarly ~oined and by positive and negatlve lines 127 and 12~
respectively running toward the respective positive and negative
battery terminals 125 and 126 by way of the swltch 32 on the
front end plate 28 of the base unit 10, such switch being a
double pole and throw switch a diagrammatically illustrated.
The thermostat ~8 is contained in the line 127 and will on
being overheated open the current supply from the battery to
save the thermoelectric elements 41 and 42 from disintegration
and damage. The circuitry will be opened up until the elements
are cooled. This interruption occurs only when the unit is
conditioned for heating and when fan 17 is not being used.
The fan 17 is connected by line 129 from line 127 outside of
switch 32 and line 132, line 128' and to negative terminal 126.
Positive and negative terminals 125 and 126 by wires 127' and
128' are respectively connected to respective pole arms 32' and
32", the positive terminal 125 by a wire 127' to pole arm 32'
and the negative terminal 126 by a wire 128' to pole arm 32".
26
~3~
With the pole arms 32' and 32" in full line positions as
shown, the electric fan 17 is shunted from wire 128 and by
passing of current from positive terminal 125 will cross by
switch wire 131 become a positive wire and wire 127 becomes the
negative wire through switch wire 133 to negative terminal 126.
Fan light 135 will be across positive and negative wires to
indicate heating. Current then passes through the elements so
that their top faces become hot and heat is delivered to the
appliances. The over-heated thermostat will turn off the
heating.
When cold is to be delivered by the top faces of the elements
41 and 42 the switch pole arms are turned to the dotted line
positions and terminal 125 and 126 are put through 127 ' and 128'
directly to the wire 127 and 128. Positive current flows up
wire 127 to elements 41 and 42 and then down wires 128 to
negative terminal 126. Fan 17 and signal light 136 are put
across the wires 127 and 128 by wires 129 and 130 and wire 132
to wire 128 ' and terminal 126. Signal light 135 will have been
extinguished. Since the fan 17 is operating to pass air over
block fins 43 ' heat is drawn over the bottom face of the
elements 41 and 42 so as to allow the top face to be cold
without interference from heat.
13~
In order to give indication of the voltage of the direct
current being supplied at the terminals 127' and 128', a printed
circuit board 13~ has been provided and on the front end plate
that will take current by use of wires 139 and 140 from
respective battery wires 127' and 128' and terminals 125 and 126
and deliver it through the various electronic circuitry
indicated generally at 141 that will turn on signal light 142 if
the battery should need charging. This signal 142 appears on the
front panel of the base unit, see Figs. 1 and 3.
This low voltage battery trouble light remains off during
normal operating times and will blink only when the battery
voltage drops below its normal output voltage needed for
efficient operation of the base unit 10.
When the cold mode is being effected, the light 136 which is
green will be activated and the fan 17 under the sink block 43
will be operated to cool the fins 93' to reduce this temperature
and accelerate the cooling process in the cold plate area.
When the warm mode is in effect, the light 135 which is red
will be activated, but the fan 17 will not be activated. The
heat sink block 43 and its fins 43' will become warm and will
accordingly accelerate the heating of the top conductive plate
47 and the thermostat 48 operable to prevent overheating and
injury to the elements. The temperature of the elements and the
plates are kept at some 180 degrees F that is the average
temperature at which food is eaten.
~a3~fi~
It should now be apparent that there has been provided an
arrangement of a cold or heat base unlt to which many different
appliances can be quickly detachably attached to be either
cooled or heated by the base unit 10 and by which with
utili~ation of cold air from the vehicle air vent, ice cubes may
be obtained. The base unit 10 in operation of itself, will
still give off air of less temperature than the ambient air
temperature within the vehicle, thereby -to assist in the cooling
of the passenger space.
While various changes may be made in the detail construction,
it shall be understood that such changes shall be made within
the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the
appended claims.
