self cooling container and a cooling device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container for storing a beverage, the container having a container body and a closure and defining an inner chamber, the inner chamber defining an inner volume and including a specific volume of the beverage. The container further includes a cooling device having a housing defining a housing volume. The cooling device includes at least two separate, substantially non-toxic reactants causing an entropy-increasing reaction producing substantially non-toxic products in a stoichiometric number. The at least two separate substantially non-toxic reactants initially being included in the cooling device are separated from one another and causing an entropy-increasing reaction and a heat reduction of the beverage of at least 50 Joules/ml beverage. The cooling device further includes an actuator for initiating the reaction between the at least two separate, substantially non-toxic reactants.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A container for storing a beverage, comprising:
 a container body defining an inner chamber having an inner volume dimensioned to contain a specific volume of a beverage; and
 a cooling device operatively associated with the container body and having a housing defining a housing volume not exceeding approximately 33% of the specific volume and not exceeding approximately 25% of the inner volume, the cooling device including first and second separate, substantially non-toxic reactants that are capable of reacting with each other to cause a non-reversible, entropy-increasing reaction producing substantially non-toxic products in a stoichiometric number at least a factor of 3 larger than the stoichiometric number of the reactants, wherein the reaction is capable of producing a heat reduction in a beverage contained in the inner chamber of at least about 50 Joules/ml within a period of time of not more than about 5 minutes; 
 wherein the cooling device further includes an actuator operable for initiating the reaction between the first and second reactants. 
   
     
     
         22 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein the actuator includes a pressure transmitter operable for transmitting a pressure change within the inner chamber to the cooling device for initiating the reaction in response to the pressure change. 
     
     
         23 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein each of the reactants is contained within a separate compartment within the cooling device, the compartments being separated by a membrane that is breachable by the actuator. 
     
     
         24 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein each of the reactants is contained within a separate compartment within the cooling device, the compartments being separated by a plug that is displaceable by the actuator. 
     
     
         25 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein the container body further comprises a closure for the inner chamber, and wherein the actuator is located outside of the container body and is operable to initiate the reaction through the closure. 
     
     
         26 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein the reaction produces a volumetric change from the reactants to the substantially non-toxic products of no more than about ±5%. 
     
     
         27 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein the cooling device is vented to the atmosphere. 
     
     
         28 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein at least the first reactant is formed of granules having an external coating that allows the reaction of the first reactant with another reactant only in response to the dissolution of the coating by a solvent. 
     
     
         29 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein the cooling device further includes a chemical activator serving as a reaction-controlling agent. 
     
     
         30 . The container of  claim 29 , wherein the chemical activator is selected from the group consisting of one or more of water, alcohol, propylene glycol, and acetone. 
     
     
         31 . The container of  claim 29 , wherein the reaction-controlling agent is a selective adsorption-controlling agent. 
     
     
         32 . The container of  claim 29 , wherein the reaction-controlling agent is a retardation temperature setting agent. 
     
     
         33 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein the reactants comprise one or more salt hydrates deliberating in the non-reversible, entropy-increasing reaction a number of free water molecules. 
     
     
         34 . The container of  claim 21 , further comprising a third separate, substantially non-toxic reactant, wherein the second and third reactants are formed as separate granules, and wherein the first reactant is a coating covering the granules of the second and third reactants. 
     
     
         35 . The container of  claim 34 , wherein the second and third reactants generate a first non-reversible entropy-increasing reaction producing an intermediate reaction product, and wherein the third reactant reacts with the intermediate reaction product generating a second non-reversible entropy-increasing reaction. 
     
     
         36 . The container of  claim 35 , wherein the intermediate reaction product is a gas, and wherein the second non-reversible entropy-increasing reaction generates one of a complex and a precipitate. 
     
     
         37 . The container of  claim 34 , wherein the coating is dissolvable by a solvent, and wherein the first, second and third reactants are reactable with each other only in response to the dissolution of the coating. 
     
     
         38 . The container of  claim 21 , wherein the cooling device is accommodated within the container body. 
     
     
         39 . A cooling device for use with a container for storing a beverage, the container having a container body including an inner chamber defining an inner volume dimensioned to contain a specific volume of a beverage, the cooling device comprising:
 a housing defining a housing volume not exceeding approximately 33% of the specific volume and not exceeding approximately 25% of the inner volume;   first and second separate, substantially non-toxic reactants that are capable of reacting with one another to produce a non-reversible, entropy-increasing reaction producing substantially non-toxic products in a stoichiometric number at least a factor of 3 larger than the stoichiometric number of the reactants, wherein the reaction is capable of producing a heat reduction in a beverage contained in the inner chamber of at least about 50 Joules/ml within a period of time of not more than about 5 minutes; and   an actuator operable for initiating the reaction between the first and second reactants.   
     
     
         40 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the actuator includes a pressure transmitter operable for transmitting a pressure change within the inner chamber to the cooling device for initiating the reaction in response to the pressure change. 
     
     
         41 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein each of the first and second reactants is contained within a separate compartment within the cooling device, the compartments being separated by a membrane that is breachable by the actuator. 
     
     
         42 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein each of the first and second reactants is contained within a separate compartment within the cooling device, the compartments being separated by a plug that is displaceable by the actuator. 
     
     
         43 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the container body further comprises a closure for the inner chamber, and wherein the actuator is located outside of the container body and is operable to initiate the reaction through the closure. 
     
     
         44 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the reaction produces a volumetric change from the first and second reactants to the substantially non-toxic products of no more than about ±5%. 
     
     
         45 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the cooling device is vented to the atmosphere. 
     
     
         46 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein at least the first reactant is formed of granules having an external coating that allows the reaction of the first reactant with another reactant only in response to the dissolution of the coating by a solvent. 
     
     
         47 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , further comprising a chemical activator serving as a reaction-controlling agent. 
     
     
         48 . The cooling device of  claim 47 , wherein the chemical activator is selected from the group consisting of one or more of water, alcohol, propylene glycol, and acetone. 
     
     
         49 . The cooling device of  claim 47 , wherein the reaction-controlling agent is a selective adsorption-controlling agent. 
     
     
         50 . The cooling device of  claim 47 , wherein the reaction-controlling agent is a retardation temperature setting agent. 
     
     
         51 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the reactants comprise one or more salt hydrates deliberating in the non-reversible, entropy-increasing reaction a number of free water molecules. 
     
     
         52 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the cooling device is configured as a metal can of the size of a beverage can. 
     
     
         53 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the cooling device is configured as a box dimensioned to receive a plurality of beverage containers. 
     
     
         54 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the cooling device is configured as a stick to be positioned in a beverage bottle. 
     
     
         55 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the cooling device is configured as a sleeve to be positioned around a part of a container. 
     
     
         56 . The cooling device of  claim 39 , wherein the cooling device is configured as a part of a bottle closure.