Cooler container, cold tray, and red wine server

Abstract

There are provided a cooler container, cold tray, and red wine server in which it is possible to adjust the temperature of an outer surface on the buffer layer side of the container to a temperature that differs from the melting point of a freezing material. The cooler container adjusts temperature of an object to be cooled that includes a beverage or food product, the cooler container having at least a region with a hollow structure, the cooler container including: a thermal storage layer in the region, the thermal storage layer containing a freezing material that changes phase at a specific temperature; and at least one buffer layer in the region, the at least one buffer layer being separated from the thermal storage layer in the region and containing an antifreeze material that is a fluid at a phase transition temperature of the freezing material. The provision of the at least one intervening buffer layer enables the temperature of the outer surface on the buffer layer side of the container to differ from the melting point of the freezing material.

1 . A cooler container that adjusts temperature of an object to be cooled that includes a beverage or food product, the cooler container comprising:
 a container body having therein at least a region with a hollow structure;   a thermal storage layer in the region, the thermal storage layer containing a freezing material that changes phase at a specific temperature; and   a buffer layer in the region, the buffer layer being separated from the thermal storage layer in the region and containing an antifreeze material that is a fluid at a phase transition temperature of the freezing material,   wherein:   the buffer layer transfers heat from the object to be cooled to the thermal storage layer and vice versa; and   the container body is formed of a material that maintains a shape of the region.   
     
     
         2 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , wherein the antifreeze material has a lower specific gravity than does the freezing material. 
     
     
         3 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , wherein the freezing material comprises water. 
     
     
         4 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , wherein the antifreeze material comprises air. 
     
     
         5 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooler container has at least one through hole extending through the region to an outside of the cooler container,
 the cooler container further comprising a plug configured to close the through hole.   
     
     
         6 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , having a scale for a volume of the freezing material or of the antifreeze material or for a predicted temperature of a surface to be in contact with the object to be cooled, the predicted temperature corresponding to the volume. 
     
     
         7 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , the buffer layer decreases in thickness in steps or gradually. 
     
     
         8 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , wherein the region includes: a first container section forming the thermal storage layer containing the freezing material; and a second container section forming the buffer layer containing the antifreeze material. 
     
     
         9 . A cold tray comprising the cooler container according to  claim 1 , the cooler container having a surface to be in contact with the object to be cooled, the surface providing a food placement section on which the object to be cooled is to be placed with a surface of the buffer layer intervening therebetween. 
     
     
         10 . The cold tray according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 an external packaging section configured to house the cooler container; and   a fixing section configured to fix the cooler container and the external packaging section.   
     
     
         11 . A red wine server comprising the cooler container according to  claim 1  for red wine temperature management using the cooler container, the cooler container comprising:
 a first container section including the thermal storage layer in the hollow structure region; and 
 a second container section enclosed by the first container section, the second container section including the buffer layer, the freezing material changing phase at a specific temperature that falls in a range of temperature suitable for cooling of red wine; and 
 a lid member configured to close the first container section, 
 wherein the second container section, when used, is in contact with a wine bottle. 
 
     
     
         12 . The red wine server according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the freezing material and the antifreeze material, when combined, weigh not more than 300 grams, and   the antifreeze material weighs not less than 100 grams and not more than 200 grams.   
     
     
         13 . The red wine server according to  claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second container sections is made of a material having a thermal conductivity of not less than 1.0 W/m·K and not more than 250.0 W/m·K. 
     
     
         14 . The red wine server according to  claim 11 , wherein
 each of the first and second container sections is a deep-drawing container with a flange section, and   the first container section has the flange section thereof joined to the lid member.   
     
     
         15 . The red wine server according to  claim 14 , wherein the flange section of the first container section has in a part thereof a through hole in which the second container section has the flange section thereof directly joined to the lid member. 
     
     
         16 . The red wine server according to  claim 11 , wherein the freezing material contains an aqueous solution of tetrabutylammonium bromide that has a concentration of not less than 20 wt % and not more than 41 wt %. 
     
     
         17 . The red wine server according to  claim 11 , wherein the freezing material additionally contains 2.0 to 5.0 wt % sodium carbonate and either 1.5 to 5.0 wt % sodium tetraborate or 3.0 to 10.0 wt % disodium hydrogen phosphate. 
     
     
         18 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , wherein the material of the container body contains a thermochromic substance that changes color in accordance with temperature. 
     
     
         19 . The cooler container according to  claim 1 , further comprising a sticker attached to the container body, the sticker being formed of a thermochromic substance that changes color in accordance with temperature. 
     
     
         20 . The cooler container according to  claim 9 , wherein the thermal storage layer increases in thickness in steps or gradually so as to match the buffer layer and has a flat surface to be in contact with the object to be cooled.