Portable container with cooling or heating unit

Abstract

A portable cooler container is provided, with a payload chamber for one or more temperature sensitive or perishable goods. A heating or cooling unit is disposed in the payload chamber. The cooling unit includes a body of heat regulating material (e.g., PCM) and electronics (e.g., a controller, memory, a GPS sensor, parameter sensor(s), visual indicators, power storage elements and/or a wireless communication system) to sense information of the payload, heating or cooling module or portable cooler container and transmit said information to a remote electronic device or cloud-based data storage system.

1 . A heating or cooling module for use with a portable cooler container, comprising:
 a body of heat regulating material, the body configured to be removably disposed in a payload chamber of the portable cooler container proximate a payload of temperature sensitive or perishable goods; and   electronics attached to the body, the electronics comprising a controller and one or more of a memory, a GPS sensor, one or more parameter sensors, one or more visual indicators, one or more power storage elements and a wireless communication system.   
     
     
         2 . The module of  claim 1 , wherein the electronics are in a module configured to be detached from the body. 
     
     
         3 . The module of  claim 1 , wherein the heat regulating material is a phase change material. 
     
     
         4 . The module of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more electrical contacts on a surface of the heating or cooling module via which power is supplied to the electronics and via which data from the electronics can be downloaded. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The module of  claim 1 , wherein electronics comprise an inductive power receiver in electrical communication with the controller and configured to wirelessly receive power. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The module of  claim 1 , wherein the heating or cooling module comprises a handle configured to at least partially receive a user's hand to allow the heating or cooling module to be hand carried by the user. 
     
     
         9 . The module of  claim 1 , wherein the heating or cooling module includes one or more pathways through the body of heat regulating material that connect with a pair of connectors attached to the heating or cooling module, the one or more pathways configured to allow flow of a temperature conditioned fluid therethrough to condition or charge the heat regulating material. 
     
     
         10 . A portable cooler container system, comprising:
 an insulated vessel having a payload chamber configured to receive a payload of one or more temperature sensitive or perishable goods;   a lid configured to close the payload chamber of the vessel, the lid being movable relative to the vessel to access the payload chamber; and   a heating or cooling module configured to be removably disposed in the payload chamber proximate the payload, comprising
 a body of heat regulating material, and 
 electronics attached to the body, the electronics comprising a controller and one or more of a memory, a GPS sensor, one or more parameter sensors, one or more visual indicators, one or more power storage elements and a wireless communication system. 
   
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the heat regulating material is a phase change material. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising one or more electrical contacts on a surface of the heating or cooling module via which power is supplied to the electronics and via which data from the electronics can be downloaded. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein electronics comprise an inductive power receiver in electrical communication with the controller and configured to wirelessly receive power. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the wireless communication system includes one or more of a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a transceiver and an a radio antenna. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the vessel comprises a step or ledge configured to support the heating or cooling module over the payload. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the lid and a bottom portion of the vessel have one or more magnets or magnetic material, allowing for magnetic coupling of multiple portable cooler containers when stacked. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein one of the lid and a bottom portion of the vessel has one or more recesses and the other of the lid and the bottom portion of the vessel has one or more protrusions, allowing for coupling of multiple portable cooler containers when stacked. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the heating or cooling module includes one or more pathways through the body of heat regulating material that connect with a pair of connectors attached to the heating or cooling module, the one or more pathways configured to allow flow of a temperature conditioned fluid therethrough to condition or charge the heat regulating material. 
     
     
         23 . A charging unit for multiple heating or cooling modules that can be used with a portable cooler container, the charging unit comprising:
 a body comprising a plurality of slots, each of the slots configured to removably receive a heating or cooling module therein; and   electronics comprising
 a controller, 
 a power source operable to transmit power to the plurality of slots to transmit power to the heating or cooling modules when disposed in the slots, 
 a temperature conditioning module operable to circulate heated or cooled fluid to charge a thermally conductive material of the heating or cooling modules when disposed in the slots, and 
 a data communication module operable to download data or information from the heating or cooling modules when disposed in the slots. 
   
     
     
         24 . The charging unit of  claim 23 , wherein the power source is configured to simultaneously transmit power to multiple heating or cooling modules when disposed in the slots. 
     
     
         25 . The charging unit of  claim 23 , wherein the temperature conditioning module is configured to simultaneously charge the thermally conductive material of multiple heating or cooling modules when disposed in the slots. 
     
     
         26 . The charging unit of  claim 23 , wherein the data communication module is configured to simultaneously download data or information from multiple heating or cooling modules when disposed in the slots. 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . (canceled)