Abstract:
A temperature-changing package is disclosed that has a compartment for a composition that will either raise or lower the temperature and a cover to protect the composition from accidental initiation. The package may be used to heat or cool a number of products and may be configured with a plurality of packages in a single unit. The package may also have a plurality of composition compartments as well as a number of product compartments.

Description:
[0001]     The present invention relates to a temperature changing package to heat and/or cool products, and more particularly, a temperature changing package that heats and/or cools when one portion of the package is exposed a liquid to induce the temperature changing materials to initiate a temperature change.  
         [0002]     There are a number of prior art temperature changing packages to heat and/or cool specific products. However, these packages are typically self contained and require no external substance (liquid or otherwise) to initiate the temperature changing reaction. Specifically, some of the products have chemicals in one compartment and a liquid in an adjoining compartment with a frangible seal therebetween. The temperature changing reaction is initiated when the frangible seal is broken. However, this can happen accidentally, causing the product to be heated or cool prematurely. This would be especially true when the package is put into luggage or stuffed into a diaper bag.  
         [0003]     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a temperature changing package that substantially obviates one or more of the problems and disadvantages in the prior art. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus and process particularly pointed out in the written description and claims, as well as the appended drawings.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention is directed to a temperature-changing package for changing the temperature of a product that includes a first product compartment containing the product, a first composition compartment to hold a first temperature-changing composition, the first composition compartment being in thermal contact with the first compartment and having at least one opening to allow entry of an external component to induce a temperature changing reaction, and a cover to cover the at least one opening.  
         [0005]     In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for changing a temperature of a product, the product disposed in a temperature-changing package, the method including the steps of providing a temperature-changing package, the package including a first product compartment containing the product, a first composition compartment to hold a first temperature-changing composition, the first composition compartment being in thermal contact with the first product compartment and having at least one opening to allow entry of an external component to induce a temperature changing reaction, and a cover to cover the at least one opening, removing the cover to expose the at least one opening, and introducing the external component into the at least one opening to initiate the temperature changing reaction.  
         [0006]     In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a temperature-changing package for changing the temperature of a product including a first composition compartment to hold a first temperature-changing composition, the first composition compartment having a first side and a second side, the first side having at least one opening to allow entry of an external component to induce a temperature changing reaction, and the second side configured for being in thermal contact with a product container, a cover to cover the at least one opening in the first side, and attachment means to attach the temperature-changing package to the product container.  
         [0007]     In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to temperature-changing package for changing the temperature of a product including a first composition compartment to hold a first temperature-changing composition, the first composition compartment having a first side and a second side, the first side having at least one opening to allow entry of an external component to induce a temperature changing reaction, and the second side configured for being in thermal contact with a product container, a cover to cover the at least one opening in the first side, and an attachment member for attaching the temperature-changing package to the product container.  
         [0008]     It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.  
         [0009]     The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front view of one embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a rear view of the temperature-changing package of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front view of another embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side view and partial cross section of the temperature-changing package in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side view of another embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a side view of another embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  side view of another embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is an front view of another embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is front view of another embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention with an attachment member;  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a partial front view of another embodiment of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention with another embodiment of an attachment member;  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a partial side view of the temperature-changing package and attachment member of  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is a top view of the temperature-changing package of  FIG. 10   
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is a top view of a temperature-changing package according to the present invention with another embodiment of an attachment member around a bottle;  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  is a top view of another a temperature-changing package according to the present invention with an alternative embodiment of an attachment member;  
         [0024]      FIG. 15  is a top view of another a temperature-changing package according to the present invention with an alternative embodiment of an attachment member;  
         [0025]      FIG. 16  is a top view of another a temperature-changing package according to the present invention with an alternative embodiment of an attachment member;  
         [0026]      FIG. 17  is a bottom view of another a temperature-changing package according to the present invention; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 18  is a cross sectional view of the temperature-changing package of  FIG. 17  attached to a separate product container. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0028]     One embodiment of a temperature-changing package  10  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  4 . The temperature-changing package  10  has a first side  12  and a second side  14 . The first side  12  has a plurality of openings  16  into a first composition compartment  18 , the first composition compartment  18  being sealed around the edges  20 , 22 , 24 , 26 . The plurality of openings  16  provide communication between the first composition compartment  18  and the outside of the temperature-changing package  10 . Inside first composition compartment  18  are the components  28  that initiate a chemical reaction to either increase or decrease the temperature of temperature-changing package  10 . Also inside first composition compartment  18  is a porous material  30  to prevent the chemical components  28  from leaving the first composition compartment  18 . The porous material  30  is preferably also an absorbent material to assist in wicking a liquid into the first composition compartment  18  to initiate the chemical reaction. Porous material  30  is preferably a cotton material, but any material that wicks the liquid into the first composition compartment  18  and prevents the chemical components  28  from falling out could be used.  
         [0029]     The plurality of openings  16  are covered by a cover  32  that preferably has an adhesive on one side to be removably attached to the first side  12 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the temperature-changing package  10 ′ may also have a single opening  16 ′ that is typically larger in area than each of the plurality of openings  16  in the first embodiment. A cover  32 ′ is also provided for the single opening  16 ′. The covers may be clear or may be opaque.  
         [0030]     The temperature-changing package  10  also has a first product compartment  34  that is in thermal communication with the first composition compartment  18  and contains a product  36  to be either heated or cooled. The first product compartment  34  is also sealed at its edges  38 , 40 , 42 , 44 , which may be the same as edges  20 , 22 , 24 , 26  as the first composition compartment  18 , or, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , may be different edges. The first product compartment  34  may also have a tear notch  46  or a perforation as described in conjunction with other embodiments below. The tear notch  46  allows the consumer to gain entrance to the product  36  in first product compartment  34  without gaining access to the components  28  in first composition compartment  18 .  
         [0031]     The temperature-changing package  10  is preferably made of a disposable, environmentally friendly material so that the consumer may appropriately discard the package when finished with it. Such materials include paper, thin metals (such as aluminum), or any other materials. It should be noted that since the components  28  react to water, as indicated in more detail below, the materials should be anhydrous and prevent water from entering into the first composition compartment  18  accidentally, since that would initiate a reaction. The materials, especially in the case of paper, may also be lined with a plastic or wax material, as long as they are anhydrous.  
         [0032]     The components  28  may be activated to either increase or decrease the temperature of the product  36  in first product compartment  34 . In the event that the product  36  is to be heated, the chemicals are preferably a mixture of iron, magnesium, with salt (NaCl) added to enhance the thermal dissipation of the external component that initiates the chemical reaction. These materials were chosen due to their superior safety, cost, ease of availability, and environmental qualities. However, other materials may also be used, including potassium permanganate with glycerol added to initiate the reaction. If the iron/magnesium materials are used, the ratio of the mixture of iron and magnesium may be from 30/70 to 70/30. However, in order to keep the cost down, the ratio of 70/30 is preferred since iron is cheaper than magnesium. Typically, the same amount (weight) of salt is added to the iron/magnesium mixture in first composition compartment  18 , depending on the amount of heat that is required to heat the product  36 . It is also preferred that the components are ball milled to produce a larger surface area for better reaction. To initiate the chemical reaction, an external component is added, which is water in the preferred embodiment. The components  28  are exposed by removing the cover  32 . The consumer then adds water to the openings  16 , which is wicked to the components  28  by the porous material  30 . The source of water can be any external source, i.e., running it under the faucet, pouring a liquid that contains water (e.g., coffee, tea, etc.) into the openings  16 .  
         [0033]     It is envisioned that the product  36  is a consumer cosmetic product, such as a shaving cream or gel, but it could be any consumer product that could be heated or cooled, as explained below. For example, if shaving gel were used, then a 0.17 oz sample would have the temperature raised to 158° F. in 12 seconds with 0.25 g of a 70/30 mixture of iron/magnesium with 0.25 g of salt and 1.0 ml of water. If, however, the potassium permanganate and glycerol were used, then 0.5 g of each raised 0.3 oz of shave cream to about 140° F.  
         [0034]     Similarly, the components  28  in first composition compartment  18  could also cause the temperature of temperature-changing package  10  to decrease instead. It is known that mixing ammonium nitrate and water will cause an endothermic reaction, causing the temperature to decrease. Therefore, the components  28  would be ammonium nitrate and the external component would once again be water.  
         [0035]     Other configurations of temperature-changing package are illustrated in  FIGS. 5-7 , with different groupings of the temperature-changing package illustrated in  FIG. 8 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a temperature-changing package  40  with a product compartment  42  is contained between two composition compartments  44 , 46 . The composition compartments are similar to those in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , i.e., they have at least one opening with a porous material disposed therein. Each of the openings would also have a cover  48  for each of the composition compartments  44 , 46 . The consumer may choose to only use one of the two composition compartments  44 , 46  or may use them both together to get a higher temperature more quickly. It should be noted that the product compartment  42  has a perforation  50  along one edge  52  of the temperature-changing package  40  to allow access to the product. The perforation  50  does not intersect the two composition compartments  44 , 46  so that the consumer does not access the chemicals contained therein.  
         [0036]     The temperature-changing package  60  in  FIG. 6  is similar to the previous embodiments, but illustrates two product compartments  62 , 64  with two composition compartments  66 , 68  to heat and/or cool either or both of the product compartments  62 , 64 . The operation and construction is similar to the prior embodiment, except that there are two product compartments  62 , 64  rather than one. It should also be noted that each of the two product compartments  62 , 64  have a perforation  70 , 72  to gain access to the product in the compartments. Similarly, the two composition compartments  66 , 68  each have a cover  74 , 76 . While a composition compartment  66 , 68  is illustrated on each side of the two product compartments  62 , 64 , each of the composition compartments  66 , 68  could further be divided to provide for four composition compartments to allow only the composition compartments that are immediately adjacent the product compartments to be initiated.  
         [0037]     Another embodiment of a temperature-changing package is illustrated in  FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, temperature-changing package  80  has at least two product compartments  82 , 84 , with a corresponding composition compartment  86 , 88 . Each of the composition compartments  86 , 88  has a cover  90 , 92 , which cover at least one opening (not shown, but similar to those illustrated and described above) in the composition compartments  86 , 88 . The two product compartments  82 , 84  are shown to be connected to one another; however, they may also be separable from one another, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0038]     The temperature-changing package  100  illustrated in  FIG. 8  has  4  separate product/composition packages connected to one another. Each of the packages  102 , 104 , 106 , 108 , have the same general construction, e.g., as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . However, each of packages  102 , 104 , 106 , 108  may have the same or different products in each of the product compartments. Similarly, the composition in the composition compartments may also be the same or different, e.g., some be cooling and some be heating. The packages  102 , 104 , 106 , 108  may also be permanently connected to one another, or have perforations along the lines  110 , 112 . If there are perforations, then each of the packages  102 , 104 , 106 , 108  could be detached and used separately by the consumer.  
         [0039]     Another embodiment of a temperature-changing package  200  is illustrated in  FIG. 9 . In this embodiment, the temperature-changing package  200  has only a composition compartment  202  and no product compartment. As with the other embodiments, the composition compartment  202  has a composition within the compartment  202 , at least one opening  204 , porous material  206  disposed within the compartment  202  and adjacent the at least one opening  204  to prevent the composition from exiting the compartment  202 , and a cover  208 . The at least one opening  204  and cover  208  are on a first side  210  of the temperature-changing package  200 , while the second side  212  is typically used to be placed against the object to be warmed or cooled. The temperature-changing package  200  preferably has a way to be attached to the object to be warmed and/or cooled. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the temperature-changing package  200  also has two corresponding parts  214 , 216  of a hook and loop fastener at opposite ends  218 , 220 . The temperature-changing package  200  can be wrapped around an object and the two corresponding parts  214 , 216  are brought together to hold temperature-changing package  200  in close proximity to the object. The object may be, for example, a baby&#39;s bottle that needs to be warmed, requiring that the composition in the composition compartment  202  increase in temperature upon activation. Similarly, the object may be a soft drink or other drink container that needs to be chilled, and the composition in the composition compartment  202  causes a decrease in temperature upon activation.  
         [0040]     The temperature-changing package  200 ′ illustrated in  FIG. 10  shows that an adhesive tab  222  could be used to secure the ends  218 , 220  of the temperature-changing package  200 ′. The adhesive tab  222  is attached to itself on one side of the temperature-changing package  200 ′, and as seen in  FIG. 11  the tab  222  is lifted off of the temperature-changing package  200 ′, exposing the sticky surface. The tab  222  is then rotated about 180° to attach to the other side of the temperature-changing package  200 ′. The tab  222  can be attached to either side  210 , 212  of the temperature-changing package  200 ′. As illustrated in  FIGS. 10-12 , the tab  222  is preferably attached to the second side  212  of the temperature-changing package  200 ′, so that the openings  204  are on the outside when the temperature-changing package  200 ′ is secured around the can or other object.  
         [0041]     Other methods of securing the temperature-changing package are also possible and are illustrated in  FIGS. 13-16 . In each of these embodiments, the temperature-changing package is similar to that in  FIG. 9 . However, in  FIG. 13 , there is an elastic insert  226  that joins the two ends of the temperature-changing package. This allows the temperature-changing package to closely fit the object, such as a bottle  228 , as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . The elastic insert  226  could be welded or otherwise secured into the seams at the ends of the temperature-changing package or could be attached to either of the sides of the temperature-changing package by any method.  
         [0042]     In  FIG. 14 , there is a tab  230  that can be inserted into an opening  232  to secure the temperature-changing package around an object. The tab  230  has a number of slots  234  to allow the temperature-changing package to be adjusted appropriately around the object. The tab  230  is inserted into the opening  232  and then the slots  234  engage the temperature-changing package to prevent the temperature-changing package from falling away from the object that is to be either heated or cooled.  
         [0043]      FIG. 15  illustrates a temperature-changing package that has an elastic member  240  secured to one side. The temperature-changing package is placed around the object to be heated or cooled, and the elastic member  240  may be extended around the object and the temperature-changing package, in a manner similar to the elastic insert  226  noted above. The manner in which the elastic member  240  is attached to the temperature-changing package is not important and may be done in any appropriate manner, i.e., secured with an adhesive, etc.  
         [0044]     The temperature-changing package in  FIG. 16  has two metallic members  246 , 248 , that are embedded in the temperature-changing package and may be formed around the object to be heated or cooled. The two metallic members  246 , 248  may either simply be wires that are malleable and bendable. However, the wires must be of a sufficient strength to hold the temperature-changing package against the object once formed around it. Alternatively, two metallic members  246 , 248  may already have a curvature, causing the temperature-changing package to roll up on itself. The user will then simply unroll it and place it around the object to be heated or cooled, and it will remain around the object.  
         [0045]     Another embodiment of the temperature-changing package is illustrated in  FIGS. 17 and 18 . The temperature-changing package  250  has the same construction as the embodiments in  FIGS. 9-16 , but is larger in size and has more attachment members  252 . The temperature-changing package  250  also has a cover  254  for access to the composition compartment. The attachment members  252  are preferably adhesive members as with adhesive tab  222  in the embodiment above. The attachment members  252  can be used to attach the temperature-changing package  250  to a larger object  256 , such as a dish, plate, bowl, etc., to either heat or cool the contents of the object  256 . While there are four attachment members  252 , there could be as many as would be needed for the object to which the temperature-changing package  250  would be attached. The temperature-changing package  250  could also be of any shape, even though it is illustrated in a square configuration in  FIG. 17 .  
         [0046]     The shapes and sizes of the temperature-changing package according to the present invention could be of any shape and any size, so that the temperature-changing package is suited to heat or cool the object. For example, the temperature-changing package  40  may be large enough to hold and heat  6  ounces of distilled water in the product compartment  42  so that a parent could mix the heated, distilled water with formula to feed a baby on the run. The parent no longer needs to find a cup of hot water to heat premixed formula or worry about how long the formula has been mixed prior to use. The parent only needs to have a relatively small amount of water to initiate the reaction to heat the distilled water, which can be obtained at a water fountain, restroom faucet, or a glass of water or even tea at a restaurant.  
         [0047]     The packages may also have advertising printed on the first and second sides. While the covers have been illustrated as being transparent, they need not be. For example, if the temperature-changing package  10  has shaving cream, a hotel or resort operator could print their logos or other information on either or both sides and include them in the usual toiletries provided in the room. Similarly, businesses could print information on the packages and hand them out as promotional items.  
         [0048]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the multi-fiber ferrule of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.