Patent Publication Number: US-2019191925-A1

Title: Temperature Regulating Fluid Container Assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to heated fluid container devices and more particularly pertains to a new heated fluid container device for regulating the temperature of a fluid positioned therein. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cup that has a bottom wall and a perimeter wall that extends upwardly therefrom. The perimeter wall has an upper edge that defines an opening into the cup. The cup has a dividing wall positioned therein that is spaced from the bottom wall to define a compartment between the dividing wall and the bottom wall. A temperature regulating unit is mounted on the cup and is positioned in the compartment. The temperature regulating unit is in thermal communication with an interior of the cup and is configured to detect a temperature of fluid that is positioned within the cup. The temperature regulating unit is configured to heat the fluid when a temperature of the fluid falls below a predetermined temperature wherein the predetermined temperature is between 120° F. and 160° F. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top side view of a temperature regulating fluid container assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic box diagram of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new heated fluid container device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the temperature regulating fluid container assembly  10  generally comprises a cup  12  that has a bottom wall  14  and a perimeter wall  16  that extends upwardly therefrom. The perimeter wall  16  has an upper edge  18  that defines an opening  20  into the cup  12 . The cup  12  has a dividing wall  22  positioned therein that is spaced from the bottom wall  14  to define a compartment  24  between the dividing wall  22  and the bottom wall  14 . 
     A temperature regulating unit  26  is mounted on the cup  12  and is positioned in the compartment  24 . The temperature regulating unit  26  is in thermal communication with an interior of the cup  28  and detects a temperature of fluid positioned within the cup  12 . The temperature regulating unit  26  heats the fluid when a temperature of the fluid falls below a predetermined temperature wherein the predetermined temperature is between 120° F. and 160° F. 
     The temperature regulating unit  26  comprises a processor  30  that is mounted in the cup  12 . The processor  30  is programmed to allow the selection of the predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature includes a minimum temperature sequence, a medium temperature sequence and a maximum temperature sequence. A thermostat  32  is coupled to the cup  12  and is electrically coupled to the processor  30 . The thermostat  32  is in thermal communication with the fluid in the cup  12  and relays the temperature of the fluid to the processor  30 . 
     A heating element  34  is positioned in the compartment  24 . The heating element  34  is in thermal communication with the cup  12  such that the heating element  34  heats the cup  12  wherein the heating element  34  heats the fluid. The heating element  34  heats the fluid to the predetermined temperature wherein the heating element is heated to a minimum temperature when the processor  30  generates the minimum temperature sequence, to a medium temperature when the processor  30  generates the medium temperatures sequence, and to a maximum temperature when the processor  30  generates a maximum temperature sequence. The minimum temperature is equal to 130° F., the medium temperature is equal to 140° F. and the maximum temperature is equal to at least 150° F. 
     A power switch  36  is mounted on the cup  12 . The power switch  36  is electrically coupled to the processor  30  and is actuated to turn on the processor  30  and the heating element  34 . The power switch  36  is actuated sequentially to turn on the processor  30  and initiate the maximum temperature sequence, to initiate the medium temperature sequence, to initiate the minimum sequence and to turn the processor  30  off. 
     A light emitter  38  is mounted on the cup  12  and is electrically coupled to the processor  30 . The lighter emitter  38  emits a first color when the thermostat  32  detects the temperature of the fluid to be higher than the predetermined temperature and a second color when the thermostat  32  detects the temperature is equal to or less than the predetermined temperature wherein the first color is red and the second color is green. 
     A power supply  40  is mounted on the cup  12  and is electrically coupled to the processor  30 . The power supply  40  comprises at least one rechargeable battery. A charge port  42  is positioned on the cup  12  and is electrically coupled to the power supply  40 . The charge port  42  is electrically coupled to a power source. 
     A lid  44  is removably positioned on the upper edge  18  to cover the opening  20 . The lid  44  has a top surface  46  and a bottom surface  48 . The lid  44  has a dispensing aperture  50  that extends through the top surface  46  and the bottom surface  48 . A cover  52  is slidably positionable over the dispensing aperture  50 . 
     In use, the assembly  10  is used conventionally as a cup  12 . A fluid is poured into the opening  20  of the cup  12 . For fluids intended to be consumed while warm, the power switch  36  is pressed to selected the desired temperature sequence. The heating element  34  is warmed to the temperature of the temperature sequence thereby  34  heating the cup  12  and to heat the fluid to the selected temperature. The thermostat  32  detects the temperature of the fluid wherein the processor  30  actuates the light emitter  38  to emit a first color if the fluid is too hot to be consumed or a second color if the fluid is equal to or less than the temperature of the selected temperature sequence. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements. I claim: