Abstract:
Method and apparatus for a thermos having a peltier or similar thermoelectric device mounted thereon wherein the peltier is operated by turning a generator assembly so that the peltier is actuated. The apparatus is designed for use in emergency or survival situations where there is no electricity available. The wall of the container is adapted to receive a peltier therein. The peltier comprises an aluminum block having fins thereon that forms a cooling or heating module to heat or cool liquid contained inside the container. The peltier may be attached to the container or operated at a distance therefrom. A battery may also boost the energy from the generator assembly.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/077,273 filed on Nov. 12, 2013. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to thermoses and, more particularly, is concerned with a thermos having a peltier mounted thereon. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Devices relevant to the present invention have been described in the related an, however, none of the related art disclose the unique features of the present invention. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 7,182,222 dated Feb. 27, 2007, Prabucki disclosed a solar panel and water dispenser for holding a liquid beverage. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,159 dated Jun. 6, 1995, Stokes disclosed a beverage cooler and dispenser. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,481 dated Mar. 7, 2000, Mosby disclosed a thermal regulating container. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,894 dated Oct. 24, 2000, Searle, et al., disclosed a method of making a beverage container with heating or cooling insert. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,024 dated Jun. 23, 2002, Foye disclosed an insulated beverage cooling container. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,954 dated Feb. 8, 2005, Liu, et al., disclosed a built-in electric heating structure for a travel mug or thermos bottle. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,258 dated Aug. 27, 1991, Sundhar disclosed a drinking container. In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0005626 dated Jan. 9, 2003, Yoneda, et al. disclosed a plant cultivator and control system therefor. In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0130156 dated Jul. 8, 2004, Hartman, et al. disclosed a mobile electrical power source. 
     While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described. As will be shown by way of explanation and drawings, the present invention works in a novel manner and differently from the related art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses a conventional thermos/container bottle having a peltier or similar thermoelectric device mounted thereon wherein the peltier is operated by turning a crank handle so that the peltier is actuated. The present invention is designed for use in emergency or survival situations where there is no electricity available. The present invention comprises a conventional thermos bottle having a wall thereof adapted to receive a peltier therein. The peltier comprises an aluminum block having fins thereon that forms a cooling or heating module to heat or cool liquid contained inside the thermos. The peltier of the present invention is attached to the thermos so as to firmly attach the peltier to the wall of the thermos. A battery is also provided and may be used to boost the energy level available from the generator assembly to the peltier. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a peltier onto a conventional thermos for use in emergency and/or survival situations. A further object of the present invention is to provide a peltier which can be manually operated for use in an emergency situation. A further object of the present invention is to mount the peltier having a portion extended into the liquid container area of the thermos so that the liquid contained within the thermos can be either heated or cooled. A further object of the present invention is to provide a heated or cooled thermos which can be easily operated by a user. A further object of the present invention is to provide a thermos having a peltier thereon which can be relatively inexpensively and easily manufactured. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
     The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective cutaway view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exterior perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the lower portion of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of portions of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an illustration of an exemplary electrical circuit and components for the present invention. 
     
    
    
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     With regard to reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the drawings.
           10  present invention     12  thermos/container     14  peltier assembly     16  generator assembly     18  interior space/area     20  inlet/outlet     22  outer wall     24  inner wall     25  liquid beverage/material     26  space     28  top     30  base     32  outer wall surface     34  adhesive     36  conduction fins     38  generator     40  hand grip     42  crank arm/handle     43  enclosure for gear assembly     44  gear assembly     46  central axis/axle     48  electrical connections     50  shaft     52  carrying handle     54  hinge     56  recess     58  bottom end portion     60  axle     62  compartment     64  light     66  switch     68  battery     70  cigarette lighter assembly     72  receptacle     74  plug     76  cord     78  input plug     80  control panel of switches     82  wall of compartment     84  male/female electrical jack.       

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following discussion describes in detail at least one embodiment of the present invention. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the present invention to the particular embodiments described herein since practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For a definition of the complete scope of the invention the reader is directed to the appended claims.  FIGS. 1 through 5  illustrate the present invention wherein a thermos having a peltier mounted thereon is disclosed and which is generally indicated by reference number  10 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 1-3 , therein is shown the present invention  10  including a thermos/container bottle  12  portion having a peltier assembly  14  or the like mounted thereon along with a generator assembly  16  and having a carrying handle  52  disposed thereon. The thermos bottle  12  has an internal area  18  having an inlet/outlet opening  20  on its upper end for putting materials into and removing them therefrom along with an outer wall  22  and an inner wall  24  for containing food items or liquid materials (not shown, see item  25  in  FIG. 4 ) therein along with a space  26  between the outer and inner wall which may be an air space or may comprise additional insulating materials, or, under certain circumstances, the inner and outer walls may be a single unitary wall so that no space is provided thereinbetween similar to inner wall  24 . Also shown is a cap or top  28  for sealing closed the inlet/outlet  20  provided on the upper end of the thermos. The peltier assembly  14  includes a base  30  which may be attached to the outer surface  32  of the outer wall  22  using many different methods, e.g., some sort of adhesive material or bolts, screws or the like for attaching the base to the outer wall  22  of thermos  12 . Also shown are the conduction fins  36  disposed internal the thermos  12  in interior space  18  so that the fins can heat or cool materials or food stuffs such as beverage inside the thermos. 
     Also shown in  FIG. 1  is a generator assembly  16  having a generator portion having a hand grip  40  for being gripped by the hand of a user mounted onto a crank arm or handle  42  connected to an assembly of gears  44  contained in enclosure  43  which handle and gears turn the central axle  46  of the generator on its central axis so as to provide energy to the peltier assembly  14 . Handle  42  is shown being movable between a first unfolded extended position suitable for cranking and a second folded position wherein the handle is stored out of the way wherein the movement between the first and second positions is indicated by direction arrows. 
     As best seen in  FIG. 3 , crank arm  42 , or the hand crank, includes a hinge  54  allowing the arm to be moved between the first and second positions so that the hand grip  40  can be stored away in recess  56  allowing the handle to be flush with the rotatable bottom end portion  58  of the thermos/container  12 . Central pivot/axle  60  of arm/handle  42  is also shown. The movement between the first extended position and second retracted position is indicated by direction arrows. 
     A compartment portion  62  is also shown being separated on the lower portion of the thermos  12  wherein some or all of the components of the present invention  10  are contained and mounted including the generator assembly  16 . Also shown inside the compartment  62  are other components including the battery  68 . Also shown are the electrical connecting wires  48  using single wire convention for electrically connecting the generator assembly  16  to the peltier assembly  14 . Shaft  50  is shown connecting an end of handle  42  to the gear assembly  44 . 
     Also shown are a plurality of lights  64 , e.g., such as a light emitting diode (LED), disposed on or about the container  12  for illuminating and facilitating use of the present invention  10  in poor light conditions; light switch  66  is also shown for controlling the light(s)  64 . Also shown are batteries  68 , which may be rechargeable batteries, which serve as an auxiliary power supply which can be used to boost the energy level delivered to the peltier assembly  14  by the generator assembly  16  and/or to supply power to a cigarette lighter assembly  70  which includes a receptacle  72  and a plug  74  attached on the end of a cord  76 . Energy from the battery  68  may increase the energy level from the generator assembly  16  so that together they can heat the contents of the thermos  12  faster than if only the generator assembly  16  alone is used. The cigarette lighter assembly  70  may be used to light cigarettes or to assist in starting a fire or for providing heat for other purposes related to a survival related situation or for primitive camping or the like. Batteries  68  may also be recharged by using the generator assembly  16 . 
     Also provided is an input plug or plug-in  78 , such as a pin-plug, for receiving direct current (DC) from an AC/DC adapter to be used for three things as follows: a) recharging the battery  68  directly from an alternating current (AC) supply such as a conventional 110 volt wall outlet; b) charging an external small electrical device, e.g., cell phones or the like, by using the cigarette socket output  72  as a source of direct current (DC) and using a conventional commercially available adapter plug having a USB output plug thereon; and, c) operating the LED lights  64  to use as, e.g., a night light for lighting a tent or the like. A panel of control switches are provided at  80  for controlling various functions of the present invention  10 , wherein “H” represents “heat,” and “C” represents “cold” which switches may be used to switch the generator assembly and control the peltier assembly  14  to either continually heat or cool thereby allowing the handle  42  to be turned in only one direction so that the operator does not have to reverse the turning direction from, e.g., clockwise to counterclockwise, in order to change the heating/cooling function of the peltier. This allows the operator to turn the generator handle  42  in only one user-selected direction while enabling the peltier to either heat or cool which is expected to make it physically easier for an operator to use the generator assembly  16  because, e.g., a right-handed operator may prefer a turning direction different from a left-handed operator. The control switch  80  labeled “G” represents “generator” which sets the generator assembly  16  to function for its basic purpose, i.e., a generator, so that the battery  68  can be recharged by operating the generator assembly  16  but without routing voltage to the peltier assembly  14 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 4 , therein is shown the present invention  10  being a thermos bottle  12  having a conventional peltier assembly  14  mounted thereon. The thermos bottle  12  has an internal area  18  having an inlet/outlet opening  20  at its upper end for allowing materials  25  to be placed into and removed from the thermos bottle along with an outer wall  22 , an inner wall  24  for containing the liquid materials  25  therein along with a space  26  between the outer and inner wall. The peltier assembly  14  having a base  30  capable of being attached to the outer surface  32  of the wall  22  as previously described, the lower end portion of the thermos/container portion having the interior space  18  therein, and in the top  28  which would be wired to the energy source in the standard manner as would be done by one skilled in the art. Also shown are the conduction fins  36  disposed internal the thermos  12  so that they can heat or cool beverage material  25  inside the thermos. Wall  82  of the lower compartment  62  is also shown. 
     Turning to  FIG. 5 , therein is shown an illustration of an exemplary circuit diagram or schematic for the present invention  10 , however, it is not represented that  FIG. 5  discloses a circuit providing therein all of the possible functions disclosed in this application for the present invention  10 . One skilled in the art would realize that numerous circuit diagrams different from  FIG. 5  could also be used with the present invention  10 . It is also possible to provide an embodiment for the present invention  10  wherein the generator assembly  16  is located remote from the thermos  12  wherein the generator assembly and the thermos are separated from each other as indicated by a pair of male/female electrical jacks  84  wherein the generator assembly is a stand-alone piece of equipment unlike the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . Generator assembly  16  and gear assembly  44  are also shown in  FIG. 5 . Previously disclosed elements are also shown including the control panel of switches  80  which is expected to contain many if not all of the switches necessary for proper functioning of the electrical components of the present invention as previously disclosed including the peltier assembly  14 , light  64 , battery  68 , cigarette lighter assembly  70 , and input plug  78 . Also shown are generator  38  with central axis/axle  46 , hand grip  40 , crank arm/handle  42 , and gear assembly  44 . The control panel  80  includes a double pole double throw switch expected to be used for reversing current for providing the hot or cold feature and a multi-position selector switch for allowing the user to choose the electrical input for providing other electrical functions as previously disclosed. Input plug  78  is expected to be used for receiving the input jack from a AC/DC adapter that supplies energy/voltage, e.g., 9 volts, to charge the battery  68  using conventional alternating current with care being taken to assure that any power source used will not supply enough instantaneous amperage to overpower the peltier module  14 . 
     The peltier effect of the present invention  10  occurs whenever electrical current flows through two dissimilar conductors. Depending on the direction of current flow, the junction of the two conductors will either absorb or release heat. Regarding the present invention  10 , when handle  42  is turned, e.g., clockwise, the generator assembly  16  would cause the peltier assembly  14  to, e.g., absorb heat, thereby cooling the liquid material  25  contained in the thermos  12 . Likewise, when handle  42  is turned in the opposite direction, i.e., counterclockwise, the liquid  25  would be heated in the thermos  12 . Also, battery  68  can be used to assist in boosting the energy level provided to the peltier assembly  14  to a level greater than the energy level from the generator assembly  16  alone as previously disclosed. 
     By way of additional information, the present invention  10 , provides a thermos  12  for which the contents  25  are either heated or cooled with a peltier assembly (heat pump) or module  14 . Using a conventional thermos  12 , a hole is cut or otherwise provided through the side to accommodate an aluminum block that has its fins  36  milled out to in essence form a cooling/heating dissipation conducting module. On this would be attached a peltier (heat pump) module  14  via screws or the like to firmly attach it to the aluminum block with no less than three foot pounds of force and no more than five foot pounds of force, with thermal paste to assure adequate thermal bonding. The peltier (heat pump)  14  is expected to be powered by a  23  turn electric motor/generator  38  that will be hand cranked by gearing  44  to achieve roughly 13 volts. It is expected that the operator will have to achieve at least 100 revolutions per minute which will spin the electric motor  38  at least 2100 revolutions per minute, which will give 13 volts and 3 amps worth of power for 39 watts of energy. The higher the revolutions per minute of the electric motor/generator  38  the higher the energy output and the higher the temperature from the peltier (heat pump) assembly  14 . Of course, the booster battery  68  would increase the voltages/energy referenced herein. All of the above numerical values are approximate. 
     By way of general explanation, a peltier or thermoelectric device or module is in essence a heat pump, meaning that it will take heat from one side and transfer it to the other side. The thermoelectric effect (or peltier effect) is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice versa. A thermoelectric device creates voltage when there is a different temperature on each side. Conversely, when a voltage is applied to it, it creates a temperature difference, the presence of heating or cooling at an electrified junction of two different conductors. Also, because of the low efficiency it heats more and better than it cools.