SE542645C2 - Storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

A storage device (1) for a fatty food product, such as butter, margarine or cheese is provided. The storage device comprises a housing, a closeable food container (400), a tempering unit (900) and a control unit (800). The closeable food container (400) is configured to contain the fatty food product and to be removably arranged in the housing. The housing comprises an insulation (200) and a cooling box (300), the cooling box (300) being configured to removably receive the closable food container (400). The tempering unit (900) comprises a thermoelectric element (902) in the form of a Peltier element which is in direct contact with the cooling box (300). The tempering unit is configured to control the temperature of the interior of the closable food container (400) based on a signal from the control unit (800). The storage device (1) further comprises a scale (1000) configured to communicate, to the control unit (800), a detected weight information relating to the fatty food product to be contained in the closable food container (400). Further, the control unit (800) is configured to process and communicate information relating to the detected weight information of the fatty food product to a consumer.

Description

FÛGÜ STORAGE DEVICE *LÉÛÅfEPÉlSÉNG A THEÉÉXIÉCEELECTREC ELEiJÉENT ÅNÛ Ašš L 'u »sy i ~ i Technical fieldThe present invention refers to a storage device for a fatty food product.

Technical backgroundCertain solid food items such as butter is traditionally kept in a refrigerator or in an area in a building with a relatively low ambient temperature to maintain the foodproduct in a substantially solid form and also to prolong the storage life. However, inorder to make the butter easy to use, such as to spread on a sandwich, or tomeasure in during baking, it is also preferred in many situations that the butter canbe set to a required serving temperature. The time when the butter is at an idealserving temperature does typically not coincide with when the butter is actuallyrequired during the meal. There is hence a need for a storage device for food items,and especially fatty food products such as butter or cheese, which allows an easytemperature control during storage and also tempering before serving.

To meet this, it is well known in the art to provide portable storage devices forbutter. One example is by way of example found in WO2006/100476. The storagedevice comprises a closeable container, a means for maintaining a predeterminedtemperature with the container irrespectively of the ambient temperature and aninternal power source. The storage device further comprises a thermoelectricmodule.

Consumers are becoming more and more aware of raw material quality andalso cooking and baking. This also involves a healthy lifestyle. Thus, people want totake control on what they eat and amounts thereof. There is hence a need to providea storage device which overcomes or minimizes these problems.

SummaryOne object of the present invention is to provide a storage device suitable for a fatty food product such as butter or cheese that allows an easy temperature controlduring storage and also tempering before serving.

Another object is to provide a storage device that allows a good food hygiene.

Yet another object is to provide a storage device that allows the consumer tocontrol the amount of butter removed or remaining in the storage device.

Further, the storage device should allow a reduced waste of food.

These and other objects are solved by a storage device for a fatty foodproduct, such as butter or cheese, comprising: a housing, a closeable foodcontainer, a tempering unit and a control unit, wherein the closeable food containeris configured to contain the fatty food product and to be removably arranged in thehousing; the housing comprises an insulation and a cooling box, the cooling boxbeing configured to removably receive the closable food container¿--,__ï忧_§tg;_sj_§a_g§ Es cšwaracïëßršztezá än titat ahekthe tempering unit cohmršstzs a thermoelsxïtršc ešehweht är: the of a Peštšer ešeshserst vtfhšch än šfíšrect ccirsíact 't-*tfiíêï the ctwaššswtr; box. titat the ieinsseršho unit is configured to control the temperature of the interior ofthe closable food container based on a signal from the control unit,__-.---":'-t-:e storage drrøi 2:. charoctoršïeaš h; that the storage device further comprises a scale configured to communicate, to the control unit, a detected weight information relatingto the fatty food product to be contained in the closable food container; and that thecontrol unit is configured to process and communicate information relating to thedetected weight information of the fatty food product to a consumer. ln the context of the invention, the term “fatty food producffl should beunderstood to encompass any fatty food product having a substantially solidstructure at room temperature. Thus, the term should be understood to include anyanimal or vegetable fat based product, such as butter, margarine or cheese. ln the context of the invention, the term ”scale” should be understood as anarrangement that is configured to detect weight information. The detected weightinformation relates directly or indirectly to the weight of the fatty food product. Theweight information is detected by the scale comprising at least one load cellconfigured to act as a detector.

By the invention, a storage device is provided that first of all can ensure thatthe fatty food product, by the tempering unit may be stored at a proper temperatureto ensure expected life length and a good food hygiene. Further, by the storagedevice comprising a scale, the consumer may receive information relating to theamount of fatty food product present in the closeable food container. Since theinformation, by the scale, relates to detected Weight information, this information canbe presented to the consumer in a number of ways. As non-limiting examples, thedetected weight information can be used to provide information relating to removedamount of food at a specific occasion, remaining amount of food and/or calculation ofcalories related to the removed amount. The type of information and the way ofpresenting it to the consumer is determined by an inherent logic provided by thecontrol unit.

By the tempering unit, the fatty food product will have a temperature, whichmay be chosen to correspond to a desired serving temperature and also to a desiredstorage temperature. The control unit may be configured to allow the consumer toset one or both temperatures. The temperatures may be freely chosen by theconsumer, or by selecting one or several preset set-point temperatures. ln the caseof the fatty food product being butter, this means that it will be greatly facilitated toremove a desired amount of butter and especially remove tempered butter, withoutundue smearing of the closable food container. This allows a pleasant presentationto the consumer during serving in terms of visual appearance and also texture wise.Further, it also reduces food waste in the long term since the risk of the butter gettingtoo soft and smearing is greatly reduced.

By the closeable food container being removably arranged in the housing, itis easy to remove the container and clean the same in order to maintain a good foodhygiene.

The scale may comprise at least three load cells, each load cell beingconfigured to detect weight information relating to the fatty food product, and whereinthe control unit is configured to determine a sum of the weight informationdetermined by the individual load cells. By using several load cells and determining asum of the detected values, the accuracy of the determined weight information maybe improved. lt is to be understood that fewer of more than three load cells may beequally used. However, an advantage of using three load cells, is that this allows acompensation for any surface irregularities on the surface on which the storagedevice is intended to rest.

The at least three load cells may be arranged in a non-linear pattern.Thereby the load cells may better accommodate for any surface irregularities on thesurface on which the storage device is intended to rest.

The at least three load cells may be arranged in a horizontally extendinginterface between a support element and an outer shell which is configured to atleast partly enclose the insulation; in a horizontally extending interface between thesupport element and the insulation; in a horizontally extending interface between theinsulation and the outer shell; in a horizontally extending interface between thecooling box and the insulation; or in a horizontally extending interface between thefood container and the cooling box. By arranging the individual load cells in ahorizontally extending interface, the control unit must only consider the vertical forcecomponent from each load cell.

Each of the at least three load cells may be arranged to have a point-like contact with a support surface, the support surface being formed by the bottom wallof the outer shell, the insulation, the cooling box or the support element. lt is to beunderstood that the support surface depends on the position of the load cell. Theterm “point like contact” should in the context of the invention be understood as ahaving a contact area that is substantially smaller than the horizontal foot print of theindividual load cell.

The tempering unit may be configured to control the temperature of theinterior of the closable food container based on a signal from the control unit, whichsignal relates to a set-point temperature. The set-point temperature may representone of several fixed temperature values from which the consumer may chose on herown discretion. Alternatively, the set-point temperature may represent a temperaturevalue that the consumer may freely adjust via a user interface. Depending on inwhich position the temperature is measured, this temperature can either directly orindirectly relate to the temperature of the food product contained in the foodcontainer.

The control unit may be configured to process information relating tothe detected weight information to determine a weight or a weigh difference, and tofurther communicate information relating to this determined weight or weightdifference to the consumer. This may by way of example be performed beforeserving, during serving or at the time of filling the closeable food container with newcontents.

The control unit may further be configured to control the tempering unitand to process and communicate, to the consumer, information relating to at leastthe temperature of the interior of the closable food container.

The storage device may further comprise a user interface allowingpresentation of information to the consumer, and a setting unit allowing setting of thecontrol unit. As non-limiting examples, the user interface may be in the form of adigital display or one or more LED lights. The LED lights may have different colors.As non-limiting examples, the setting unit may be a key, a keypad or a touch display.

According to another aspect, the invention relates to use of a storage deviceaccording to any of claims 1 to 9 to store and temper butter, margarine or cheese.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious to aperson skilled in the art reading the detailed description given below describingdifferent embodiments.

Brief description of the drawinqs The invention will be described in detail with reference to the schematicdrawings.

Fig. 1 discloses a partially exploded view of one embodiment of a storagedevice according to the invention.

Figs 2a, 2b discloses tvvo views of the outer shell.

Fig. 3 discloses one embodiment of the insulation.

Fig. 4 discloses one embodiment of the cooling box.

Fig. 5 discloses one embodiment of the closable food container.

Fig. 6 discloses one embodiment of the lid.

Fig. 7 discloses an exploded view of the housing and the tempering unit.

Detailed descriptionln the following one embodiment of the storage device will be described. The storage device 1 will be described in its normal use as standing on a horizontallyextending support surface, such as a kitchen worktop (not disclosed). The storagedevice 1 will be exemplified as containing butter.

Starting with Fig. 1 the overall design of the storage device 1 will bedisclosed. The storage device 1 comprises a housing 2. The housing 2 maystructurally be divided, starting from below, into an outer shell 100, an insulation 200and a cooling box 300. The outer shell 100, the insulation 200 and the cooling box300 are provided to the consumer as one unitary piece by being connected by fixingmeans such as screws 110.

The cooling box 300 is configured to removably receive a closeable foodcontainer 400. The food container 400 is closeable by a lid 500. The storage device1 may further comprise an optional kitchen tool 1200, such as a butter knife.

Now turning to Figs. 2a and 2b, the outer shell 100 is formed as a rectangularbox 101 comprising a bottom wall 102 and four side walls 103 which together definea cavity 104 having an access opening 105 opposite the bottom wall 102.

The bottom wall 102 comprises fourfeet 106 formed as recessed cavities.The feet 106 are arranged in the corner portions, i.e. on a distance from each other.The feet 106 form a vertical gap 107 between the bottom wall 102 of the outer shell100 and a support surface on which the storage device 1 is intended to stand duringnormal use.

The bottom wall 102 comprises a plurality of through-going holes 108allowing an air-flow (to be discussed below) to pass into the outer shell 100. As canbe seen when comparing the top and bottom views of the bottom wall 102, only some of the hole 108, those forming a circular pattern, are through-going holes for afan to be discussed below. The other are blind holes.

The outer shell 100 may be formed by injection molding a plastic material orby press forming a metallic material. The outer surface of the outer shell 100 may beprovided with a visually appealing design and surface.

Now turning to Figs. 1 and 3, the outer shell 100 is configured to at leastpartially enclose the insulation 200. The insulation 200 is preferably made of aninsulating material such as an expanded cellular plastics material. The insulation 200comprises a bottom wall 201 and four side walls 202 which together define a cavity203 having an access opening 204 opposite the bottom wall 201. The insulation 200is configured to receive and partially enclose the cooling box 300.

The bottom wall 201 of the insulation 200 comprises a through-going opening205. The through-going opening 205 is preferably arranged in a central positionthereof. The purpose of the opening 205 is to allow receipt of a thermoelectricelement,_i_g__iåge_jçg_ggïg_gqf_-,-s-ueëæ-as--a Peltier element to be discussed below. lt is to beunderstood that more than one thermoelectric element may be used, and that thesecan be received in one and the same opening 205 or in individual openings. ln a position when the insulation 200 is arranged in the outer shell 100, acompartment 206 is formed in an interface between one side wall of the insulation200 and one side wall of the outer shell 100. ln the disclosed embodiment, thiscompartment 206 has a vertical extension formed by a recess in the side wall 202 ofthe insulation 200. The compartment 206 is configured to receive a control unit to bedescribed below.

The compartment 206 is configured to be arranged in communication with athrough-going hole in a flange of the closeable food container 400 to thereby allowreceipt of wiring from a user interface and a setting unit which are configured to besupported by the flange of the food container 400. This will be discussed below.

The bottom wall 201 of the insulation 200 comprises recesses 207 extendingalong the opposing short sides. The recesses 207 are configured to receive optionalsupport elements to be discussed below.

Now turning to Figs 1 and 4, the cavity of the insulation 200 is configured toreceive and at least partially enclose the cooling box 300. At least a portion of abottom wall 301 of the cooling box 300 is configured to abut the bottom wall 201 ofthe insulation 200.

The cooling box 300 is formed as a rectangular box comprising the bottomwall 301 and four side walls 302 which together define a cavity 303 having an accessopening 304 opposite the bottom wall 301. The access opening 304 is surrounded by a circumferential flange 305. The flange 305 extends substantially in parallel withthe bottom wall 301. The flange 305 preferably has a width that is sufficient to coverand hide an inevitable interspace that is formed between the side walls 202 of theinsulation 200 and the side walls 302 of the cooling box 300.

One side of the flange 305, in the disclosed embodiment the part of theflange that extends along a short wall, comprises a depression 306. The depression306 is configured to receive a user interface 600, which user interface is best seen inFig. 7. The user interface 600 allows presentation of information to the consumer. Asnon-limiting examples, the user interface 600 may be in the form of a digital displayor one or more LED lights 602. The LED lights 602 may have different colors. Thedepression 306 is further configured to receive the setting unit 700. As non-limitingexamples, the setting unit 700 may be a key 701, a keypad or a touch display. Thefunction of the user interface 600 and the setting unit 700 will be discussed below.The user interface 600 and the setting unit 700 may be provided as separate units orbe integrated in one unit.

The depression 306 further comprises at least one through-going opening307 allowing passage of necessary wiring allowing the user interface 600 and thesetting unit 700 to communicate with the control unit 800 to be arranged in thecompartment 206 in the interface between the outer shell 100 and the insulation 200,see Fig 7.

The cooling box 300 is preferably formed in one piece by e.g. injectingmolding a plastic material. lt is to be understood that the cooling box 300alternatively may be provided by press forming a metallic material. lt is preferred thatthe inner walls are smooth to allow an easy cleaning by wiping-off with a cloth.

Now turning to Fig. 5, the closeable food container 400 is disclosed. The foodcontainer 400 is a formed as a rectangular box comprising a bottom wall 401 andfour side walls 402 which together define a cavity 403 having an access opening 404opposite the bottom wall 401. The access opening 404 is surrounded by acircumferential flange 405. The flange 405 extends substantially in parallel with thebottom wall 401 and also in parallel with the flange 305 of the cooling box 300. Whenthe food container 400 is arranged in the cooling box 300, the flange 405 of the foodcontainer 400 overlaps and covers the flange 305 of the cooling box 300. Thereby,the electronics in the storage device 1 is fully separated from the food container 400.The food container 400 may be lifted off to be cleaned.

At least a portion 406 of the flange 405 of the food container 400 that isconfigured to overlap the user interface 600 and the setting unit 700 in the flange305 of the cooling box 300 may be made of a transparent material. Thereby, when the food container 400 is arranged in the storage device 1, the consumer can easilyaccess information communicated by the control unit 800 via user interface 600since this is made visible through the transparent material.

The thickness and/or the flexibility of a portion 406a of the flange 405 that isconfigured to overlap the setting unit 700 in the flange 305 of the cooling box 300may be adapted so that that the consumer may operate the setting unit 700 throughthat portion 406a. Alternatively, a through-going hole for the setting unit 700 may bearranged in that flange portion.

The food container 400 may be formed in one piece by e.g. injecting moldinga plastic material. Alternatively, the food container 400 may be formed by pressforming a metallic material. lt is to be understood that the food container 400 may beformed in a number of ways and that the design and choice of material should not berestricted to the one disclosed. No matter type of material and forming method, it isessential that the chosen material is suitable for food and also easy washable.

The access opening of the food container 400 is configured to be closed by aremovable lid 500, see Fig. 6. The lid 500 preferably rests on and covers the flange405 of the food container 400. lt is to be understood that at least a portion of the lidmay be made by a transparent material to allow visual access to the informationcommunicated by the control unit 800 via the user interface 600.

Now turning to Fig 7, an exploded view of the storage device is disclosed. Toease understanding, the outer shell 100, the food container 400 and the lid areomitted.

The storage device 1 comprises a tempering unit 900 to allow tempering ofthe cooling box 300 and thereby indirectly the fatty food product to be contained inthe food container 400. The tempering unit 900 comprises a heat sink 901, athermoelectric element 902, a fan 903 and a non-disclosed temperature sensor. Thenon-disclosed temperature sensor may by way of example be configured to detectthe temperature of the cooling box 300. The skilled person will understand a suitableposition of such temperature sensor. Also, the skilled person will understand how tocorrelate temperature of the cooling box 300 with the temperature of the fatty foodproduct.

The heat sink 901 is in the disclosed embodiment formed as a unitary bodywith a substantially flat upper surface 904 configured to face and contact the exteriorsurface of the bottom wall 201 of the insulation 200, and a lower surface 905configured to face away from the bottom wall 201 of the insulation 200. The lowersurface 905 of the heat sink 901 is provided with a plurality of cooling flanges 906.

The heat sink 901 is preferably formed by a metallic material such asAluminum.

Now turning to Fig. 7 anew, the thermoelectric element 902, being a Peltier element, is s" arranged in the interface between and in direct contactwith the upper surface 904 of the heat sink 901 and the bottom wall 301 of the cooling box 300. This direct contact is allowed by the thermoelectric element 902 being received in the through-going opening 205 in the bottom wall 201 of theinsulation 200. This opening 205 is best seen in Fig. 3.

The thermoelectric element 902 is arranged to communicate with and becontrolled by the control unit 800 via non-disclosed wiring.

To facilitate and enhance thermal dissipation from the heat sink 901, the fan903 is arranged in a position below the heat sink 901. The fan 903 is arranged todirect an air flow towards the heat sink 901, whereby the air will be guided along thecooling flanges 906 towards their outer edges while removing heat. Since thestorage device 1 is configured to be standing on its feet 106 on a support surface, agap 107, see Fig. 2 is formed between the bottom wall 101 of the outer shell 100 andthe support surface. Further, by the bottom wall 101 of the outer shell 100 beingprovided with a plurality of through-going holes 108, the fan 903 may draw airfromthe ambience into the interior of the outer shell 100 and towards the heat-sink 901.The air is allowed to return to the ambience via openings arranged in the side wallsof the outer shell 100.

The fan 903 is arranged to communicate with and be controlled by the controlunit 800 via non-disclosed wiring.

Now turning to Fig. 7 anew, the storage device further comprises a scale 1000. ln the disclosed embodiment, the scale 1000 comprises four load cells 1001. tis preferred that at least three load cells 1001 are used. lt is preferred that the loadcells1001 are distributed in an array, forming a non-linear pattern. Additionally, it ispreferred that the load cells 1001are arranged on a distance from each other, suchas in the corner portions of the storage device 1, to allow accommodation of anysurface irregularities. ln the disclosed embodiment, the load cells 1001 are arranged in horizontallyextending interfaces between the insulation 200 and support elements 1002 that arearranged between the bottom wall 201 of the insulation 200 and the inner bottomwall 101 of the outer shell 100. Two support elements 1002 are arranged, oneextending along each short side of the insulation 200. Each support element 1002has a U-shape forming two projections 1003 configured to extend into thecorresponding projections in the outer shell 100.

Each load cell 1001 has a point-like contact 1004 with its lower supportsurface. The point-like contact 1004 has a contact area that is substantially smallerthan the horizontal foot print of the individual load cell. ln the disclosed embodimentthe lower support surface is formed by the interior of the respective support elements1002.

EachloadceH1001isconnededtotheconuolunH800\AanonǦsdosedwiring. Each load cell 1001 is configured to detect weight information relating to thefatty food product to be contained in the food container 400.

As given above, the control unit 800 is arranged in the compartment 206 thatis formed between the outer shell 100 and the insulation 200. lt is to be understoodthat the control unit 800 may be arranged in other positions with remained function.

TheconuolunH800conufißes(notmsdosed)atæastalogmtmcumy,aninputdewce(notüsdosed)andanrmfiputdewce(notüsdosed)aHomAngtheconuounit 800 to communicate with features in the storage device 1 such as the fan 903,the thermoelectric element 902, the load cells 1001, the user interface 600, thesetting unit 700 and one or more temperature sensor.

The logic circuitry may, in a manner well known to the skilled person, bearranged to comprise (not disclosed) a processor, a memory device, a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Thelogic circuitry may be arranged on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board).

The storage device 1 is configured to be powered by being connected to aDC power source. ln the disclosed embodiment, the storage device 1 and its controlunit 800 may be configured to be connected to the power source via an input device801 arranged in one of the support elements 1002. This input device 801 is in turnconnededtotheconUolunH800. lt is to be understood that the control unit 800 optionally may be provided witha (non-disclosed) battery. ln the following the operation of the storage device 1 will be explained. Theinvention will be exemplified with the fatty food product being butter. The consumeranangesalflockofbuüer(notmsdosed)mthefoodconKfiner400,anangesthefood container 400 in the cooling box 300 and puts on the lid 500.

TheskfiagedeWce1isconnededtothepowersowce,whmebytheconumunit 800 together with the tempering unit 900 is powered.

Theconsumerseß,vbtheuserkfiefiace600andthesemngunH700adesired set-point temperature of the cooling box 300 and hence indirectly the desiredsebpdnfiempmauueofmebufien 11 The tempering unit 900 tempers the cooling box 300 to reach and maintainthe desired set-point temperature. This is made by the thermoelectric element 902being in direct contact with the cooling box 300 which thereby tempers the same andindirectly the butter in the food container 400. The thermoelectric element 902 iscontrolled by the control unit 800. Further, the control unit 800 is configured to startand stop the fan 903 to dissipate heat by an air flow towards the heat sink 901 whendetermined to be necessary in view of the desired set set-point temperature.

At the point of serving, the storage device 1 is optionally intended to bedisconnected from the power source and be moved to the serving place, such as adining table.

The skilled person understands that the complexity of the logic circuitry of thecontrol unit 800 determines the type and amount of information sharing between thecontrol unit and the consumer. The invention is accordingly not limited to how thetemperature or any other information is set or presented.

As non-limiting examples, the consumer may by way of example be able toset, via the user interface 600 and the setting unit 700, a set-point temperature whichrepresents the desired temperature of the butter. The set-point temperature may bepresented in a number of ways. ln one example the set-point temperature ispresented digitally, i.e. in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit on the user interface 600.The consumer can be by way of example be asked to choose from a limited numberof set-point temperatures representing well recognized and recommended servingtemperatures and hence recommended set-point temperatures. ln another embodiment, the set-point temperature may be presented to theconsumer via the user interface 600 as a number of lit LED lamps 601 or differentcoloring representing a hardness of the butter from soft to hard. No matter way, theconsumer can communicate with the control unit 800 via the setting unit 700. Theinformation is made visible to the consumer via the transparent flange portion in thefood container 400.

The storage device 1 further comprises the scale 1000 comprising the loadcells 1001. Each load cell 1001 is configured to detect weight information relating tothe fatty food product. This information is communicated to the control unit 800 whichin turn is configured to process and communicate information relating to the detectedweight information of the fatty food product to the consumer via the user interface600. This is done by the control unit 800 calculating the sum of the weightinformation received from the individual load cells 1001. By determining the sum, abetter accuracy in the detected weight information can be provided. 12 The weight information can be presented to the consumer in a number ofways. ln one example the weight information is presented digitally, e.g. in grams, viathe user interface. The weight information can by way of example be presented asweight of the removed amount of butter or the weight of the amount of butterremaining in the food container 400. The weight information may also be i||ustratedby the LED |amps 601 in combination with numbers in grams (not shown) printed onthe f|ange 405 of the food container 400. Thus, lit |amps together with the numberspresent the weight information.

The control unit 800 may be configured to process the detected weightinformation and convert the same to ca|ories and present the same to the consumeron the user interface 600. lt is to be understood that the invention is not to be limitedas to how the detected weight information is processed or presented.

Now turning to Fig. 1 anew. One side of the storage device 1 is provided withan optiona| recess 1201 configured to receive a tooling, such as a knife 1200.Complementary recesses are formed in the food container 400, the cooling box 300,the insu|ation 200 and the outer she|| 100. The recess 1201 preferably has suchwidth that a waist portion 1210 of a handle 1220 of the knife 1200 fits by friction inthe recess 1201 without the knife blade 1230 contacting the fatty food product. Thisallows maintenance of food hygiene. lt is to be understood that other means than friction may be used to hold theknife 1200 in position in the recess 1201. One example is a magnet. lt is to be understood that the load cells 1001 with remained function may bearranged in other positions. The load cells 1001 may by way of example be arrangedin a horizontally extending interface between a support element 1002 and an outershe|| 100 which is configured to at least partly enclose the insu|ation 300.Alternatively, the support elements 1002 may be omitted, whereby the load cells1001 may be arranged directly in a horizontally extending interface between theinsu|ation 200 and the outer she|| 100. The load cells 1001 may also be positioned ina horizontally extending interface between the food container 400 and the coolingbox 300 or in a horizontally extending interface between the cooling box 300 and theinsu|ation 200.

The storage device 1 has been described as being generally rectangular. ltis to be understood that the same principle is equally applicable to other geometries.

The fatty food product to be contained in the food container 400 can bearranged therein either freely, or be contained in a cup, such as a butter cup in whichthe fatty food product is provided by the supplier. 13 Depending of the complexity of the logic circuitry of the control unit 800, thecontrol unit 800 may be configured to communicate with other devices via systemssuch as WiFi, NFC and Bluetooth.

Claims (10)

1. A storage device (1) for a fatty food product, such as butter or cheese, comprising: a housing (2), a closeable food container (400), a tempering unit (900) and acontrol unit (800), wherein the closeable food container (400) is configured to contain the fatty foodproduct and to be removably arranged in the housing (2), the housing (2) comprises an insu|ation (200) and a coo|ing box (300), thecoo|ing box (300) being configured to removably receive the closable food container(400), and characterized by that the tempering unit (900) comprises a thermoelectric element (902) in theform of a Peltier element which is in direct contact with the coo|ing box (300), that the tempering unit (900) is configured to control the temperature of theinterior of the closable food container (400) based on a signal from the control unit(800), that the storage device (1) further comprises a scale (1000) configured tocommunicate, to the control unit (800), a detected weight information relating to thefatty food product to be contained in the closable food container (400), and that the control unit (800) is configured to process and communicateinformation relating to the detected weight information of the fatty food product to a COHSUmGF.

2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the scale (1000) comprisesat least three load cells (1001 ), each load cell (1001) being configured to detectweight information relating to the fatty food product, and wherein the control unit(800) is configured to determine a sum of the weight information determined by theindividual load cells.

3. The storage device according to claim 2, wherein the at least threeload cells (1001) are arranged in a non-linear pattern.

4. The storage device according to claim 2, wherein the at least threeload cells (1001) are arranged in a horizontally extending interface between asupport element (1002) and an outer shell (100) which is configured to at least partlyenclose the insu|ation (šåšš-tïšgå-SÅQ; in a horizontally extending interface between the support element (1002) and the insulation (200); in a horizontally extending interfacebetween the insulation (200) and the outer shell (100); in a horizontally extendinginterface between the cooling box (300) and the insulation (200); or in a horizontallyextending interface between the food container (400) and the cooling box (300).

5. The storage device according to claim 4, wherein each of the at leastthree load cells (1001) is arranged to have a point-like contact (1004) with a supportsurface, the support surface being formed by the-jçgbottom wall (101; 201; 301) of theouter shell (100), the insulation (200), the cooling box (300) or the support element(1002).

6. The storage device according to any of the preceding claims, whereinthe tempering unit (900) is configured to control the temperature of the interior of theclosable food container (400) based on a signal from the control unit (800), whichsignal relates to a set-point temperature.

7. The storage device according to any of the preceding claims, whereinthe control unit (800) is configured to process information relating to the detectedweight information to determine a weight or a weight difference, and to furthercommunicate information relating to this determined weight or weight difference to the consumer.

8. The storage device according to any of the preceding claims, whereinthe control unit (800) is further configured to control the tempering unit (900) and toprocess and communicate, to the consumer, information relating to at least the temperature of the interior of the closable food container (400).

9. The storage device according to any of the preceding claims, whereinthe storage device (1) further comprises a user interface (600) allowing presentationof information to the consumer, and a setting unit (700) allowing setting of the controlunit (Iš-figíg).

10. Use of a storage device according to any of claims 1 to 9 to store and temperbutter, margarine or cheese.