WO2018237087A1

WO2018237087A1 - A wearable personal cooling device

Info

Publication number: WO2018237087A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/038620
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert LUPI
Original assignee: Lupi Robert
Priority date: 2017-06-21
Filing date: 2018-06-20
Publication date: 2018-12-27
Also published as: US20180372351A1

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a small, lightweight personal cooling device that provide localized cooling to the users. The air is sucked in from the top visible part of the device that funnels it down a vent where it passes over essential oils. After passing over essential oils, the cooler air is expelled out from the openings present in the basal body. The angle of the opening is designed to create the least resistance to the air flow. The openings are designed in form of honeycomb structured that allows maximum air to flow through it. Essential oils are present to enhance the cooling effect produced by device.

Description

A WEARABLE PERSONAL COOLING DEVICE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 62/523,093, filed June 21, 2017, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[001] The present invention generally relates to a wearable personal cooling device and more particularly, to a portable wearable personal cooling device that provides localized cooling experience to a user.

BACKGROUND

[002] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art which may be related to various aspects of the present invention which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

[003] Extreme hot weather and heat waves are mostly uncomfortable for people. Various cooling devices are available that increase volume of cool air flow in the home or around certain location so as to counter hot and dry weather. Keeping house cool can help lower body temperature. These devices are fixed and serve as excellent means to provide cooling to the user when they are at fixed location, such as in home and offices.

[004] Individuals spend a considerable time in outdoor activities apart from indoor activities. For instance, Children spend most of their time in school or tuition place or in playground, young people especially athletes spend their maximum part of day doing rigorous physical activities. It is not feasible to provide fixed cooling devices in these locations. Even office going people have less exposure to cooling devices to keep them cool. Individuals suffering from hot flashes at outdoor locations have a strong desire to remain cool.

[005] During outdoor activities, the option available to the Individual is to carry a cooling device. These cooling systems encompass a wide range of options such as mist systems, personal cooling systems, evaporating systems, etc. for providing comfort from hot and dry season to the user. However, the prevailing designs of the existing cooling systems involve various restrictive factors that hinder the use of such systems. The major restrictive factors include need for constant supply of external power, need of a reservoir with a pump, which can result in messiness due to spillage and leakage in the reservoir. The conventional cooling systems are usually large and bulky and could not be carried by the user from place to place in view of need. Another disadvantage associated with the use of misting fan or mister is that the use of misting fan may lead to the dispersion of excessive amount of water resulting in wetting of the users clothing and causes inconvenience when engaged in some activities such as eating and walking.

[006] In view of the disadvantages associated with prior art, there arises a need for a small and lightweight wearable cooling device that provides ease and comfort to the individual while carrying and using it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[007] The present invention provides a wearable cooling device which can be positioned on clothes at any chosen locations. The cooling device can be used while doing outdoor as well as indoor activities, and would be beneficial to anyone doing any sort of physical activity. The cooling device is small, lightweight and compact in size. The device provides advantageous features in terms of charging port by means of mini-USB or other charging device. The size of cooling device is small so that it can be used conveniently at any location.

[008] In an aspect of present invention, a portable wearable cooling device is provided. The portable wearable cooling device comprising: a main body having: a basal part with a front wall, a back wall and a pair of side walls; and an elongated circumferential annular part on top of the basal part, the circumferential annular part is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the basal part, the main body is hollow from inside and serves as a housing means for one or more components, said main body comprising: an air intaking unit positioned inside the main body part and below the circumferential annular part that intakes the air from outside and channel the air towards the basal part of the main body; at least one vent in the basal part of the main body to provide air outlet; a first V-shaped structure positioned in center of the main body below the air intaking unit, the first V-shaped structure has a small cavity where the air flow from the air intaking unit is forced into; a second V-shaped structure positioned above the first V-shaped structure and having an elongated shaft extensions towards the basal part, the second V-shaped structure orient the airflow coming from the cavity of the first V-shaped structure over the elongated shaft extension and output the air through the one or more vents. The air openings on the circumferential annular part of main body are structured in honeycomb pattern to provide maximum airflow. The portable wearable cooling device further comprises a removable essential oil insert that gets slotted into the main body below the air intaking unit. The portable wearable cooling device further comprises a rechargeable battery to power the cooling device. The portable wearable cooling device further comprises one or more clips on the main body that serves as an attachment point to clothes. The portable device may also comprise straps or fastener to serve as attachment points to clothes. The air intaking unit comprises a fan and a coreless motor. The angle of orientation of circumferential annular portion with the basal portion is between 30 to 60 degrees and more preferably at 45 degrees. The settings of the device can be configured through a mobile application.

[009] Additional advantages and novel features will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The advantages of the present teachings may be realized and attained by practice or use of various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings primarily are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; in some instances, various aspects of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated or enlarged in the drawings to facilitate an understanding of different features. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to like features (e.g., functionally similar and/or structurally similar elements). In the drawings:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wearable cooling device in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the wearable cooling device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [0013] FIG. 3 shows a view of the honeycomb air intake present on the top of the wearable cooling device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment of invention. However, it will be obvious to a person skilled in art that the embodiments of invention may be practiced with or without these specific details. In other instances well known methods, procedures and components have not been described in details, so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of the invention.

[0015] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0016] It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0018] In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

[0019] Furthermore, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0020] The 'wearable cooling device', 'cooling device' and the 'device' may be inter- exchangeably used without departing from the meaning and scope of the present invention.

[0021] The present invention provides a small, lightweight, and rechargeable wearable cooling device that eliminates the use of water reservoir and uses essential oils as a medium for the cooling process. The wearable cooling device comprises a removable essential oil insert that allows the user to add any combination of essential oil to the insert and then inserting the insert back into device, a rechargeable battery, a small coreless motor, fan blades. The cooling device is having a unique design that maximize airflow in the device. The device protects runners, bikers, deliverymen, construction workers, etc. from outdoor overheating. The device can be made from high end plastic, aluminum, or carbon fiber. [0022] Another object of the invention is to provide a personal air conditioning system that can utilize replaceable existing oil insert which can use various essential oils with incredible smell with cooling properties.

[0023] The wearable cooling device is small, lightweight, and rechargeable with a mini -USB or by means of any dc power source. It comprises of a rechargeable battery, a small dc motor, blades and removable oil insert. There are two clips that allows device to be clipped onto clothing in any location the user chooses. The clipping is done in such a way that top part of device is visible and bottom part is inside the clothing.

[0024] The fan in the cooling device is designed from a groups of blades. The fan is coupled to a dc motor, preferably coreless motor. The coreless motor is highly preferable as it is small in size and produce rapid and constant acceleration. The DC motor is operated by means of rechargeable battery preferably lithium cells. The different components have been assembled on a circuit board. The circuit board contains conductive pads and electronic components embedded on it to enable user to adjust the speed of fan with touch of a button.

[0025] In another embodiment of present invention, the cooling device has a unique design to create airflow. The air is sucked in from the top visible part of the device that funnels it down a vent where it passes over essential oils. A removable insert is present to carry essential oils and further allows user to add any combination of essential oils and then insert it back into device. The top visible part has hexagonal openings structured in form of a honeycomb. The advantageous feature of such structures is to allow maximum air flow into device and limits the noise created by motor. After passing over essential oils, the cooler air is expelled out from the 3 openings present. Two openings are present sideways and one at bottom. The angle of the opening is inclined at 45 degrees with respect to horizontal base of device. This novel feature is designed to create the least resistance to the air flow inside from outside.

[0026] In another embodiment of present invention, the device is made from high end plastic, aluminum or carbon fiber. There are different version of cooling device which can be designed depending upon battery size. Smallest unit batteries will allow smooth functioning of device for around 3-6 hours. Larger unit batteries will work until 9-12 hours.

[0027] In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device can be remotely controlled by means of a mobile application. Specifically, the users have this application installed on their mobile device. This application is usually designed by developers to control the working parameters of cooling device. Wireless communication technologies like Bluetooth enables mobile device to communicate with cooling device through installed mobile application on it.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wearable cooling device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 the wearable cooling device 100 comprises a main body having a basal part 101 and a top circumferential annular part 103. The basal part 101 is an elongated polygonal structure with a front wall 112, a back wall 114, a bottom shelf and a pair of side walls 116. The circumferential annular part 103 is at the top of basal part 101, and is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the basal part. The angle of orientation of circumferential part is between 30 degree to 60 degree and most preferably at 45 degrees. The main body is hollow from inside and serves as a housing for accommodating different components of the cooling device. The basal part has one or more openings in form of vent on front wall or pair of side walls that serve as outlet to expelled air. The component of cooling device comprises a removable essential oil insert, a honeycomb air intake, a battery, a motor, a blade, one or more clip and a unique design to create airflow. The wearable cooling device 100 has the honeycomb air intake structure 102 on the circumferential annular part 103 to allow maximum air consumption. The honeycomb air intake 102 sucks air in and expels it out from one or more vents present in the walls of the basal part 101. The honeycomb air intake 102 provided in the wearable cooling device may limit the noise created by the motor and allow the maximum air consumption. When the air is inhaled in the cooling device through the top visible part i.e. honeycomb air intake 102, the air passes over essential oils, which cools the air and the cooled air is expelled out from the plurality of openings present at different parts of the device. The angle of the air intake through the honeycomb 102 is 45 degrees so that it offers least resistance to the air flow. The wearable cooling device comprises two clips 104a and 104a in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The wearable cooling device 100 can be clipped by using clips 104a and 104b onto clothing in any location desired by the user. The clip 104a is mounted on the back of the device and uses screws to attach it. The clip 104b is mounted on the front of the cooling device. The two clips 104a and 104b offer flexibility so the user can clip it on collar, sleeve, shorts and the like. A push-on-push-off type power switch 106 is mounted on left side of the device 100. The power switch 106 is facing outward, and is protected with a rubber boot to prevent water from entering and corroding the internal contacts. The wearable cooling device 100 comprises three openings in which two openings are formed on the both sides/walls of the basal part 101 and one opening at the bottom shelf of the device in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows one of the side opening 108. The three openings are created in such a way that manages the least resistance to the air flow while also allowing the cool air to reach a larger surface area on the body. The essential oil insert is fitted in the cavity 110 provided alongside the each of the opening 108 in the wearable cooling device, in accordance with embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] In an embodiment of present invention, the basal part can be in a circular shape, where the one or more vents are provided on its circumferential surface and the bottom shelf.

[0030] The essential oil insert is placed into cavity with the plane of the essential oil insert being at a right angle to the direction of air flow over the essential oil insert to optimize evaporation efficiency and decrease load on motorized fan assembly. The shape and size of the essential oil insert fits cavity of main body substantially perfectly.

[0031] The wearable cooling device 100 has a unique design to create airflow over the essential oil insert filled with a combination of essential oils. The essential oils are filled in the essential oil insert, which is a removable insert that allows the user to add any combination of essential oils to it and then insert it back into the cavity of the wearable cooling device. When the air is inhaled in the cooling device from the top visible part (honeycomb air intake) 102 of the device, the air passes over essential oils, which cools the air and the cooled air is expelled out from the three openings present at different parts of the device.

[0032] The essential oil insert has unique components that can be removed from the device, a piece of cotton is inserted into the silicone insert and peppermint or other essential oil are added to the cotton and the insert is reinserted into the cooling device. The removal of old cotton and re-inserting the new material eliminates the microbial problem which is prevalent in case of use of conventional sponge. The cotton retains the scent of the essential oil and cooling properties for several days so there is no tedious process of constantly removing a sponge and wetting it throughout the day. The essential oil can be used for cooling purpose or for healing purpose. Certain essentials oil are beneficial in medicinal and health purposes. The essential oils have beneficial properties such as antidepressant, stimulating, detoxifying, antibacterial, antiviral and calming properties. Depending on the use of cooling device, essential oils can be selected from a wide varieties of properties. In a preferred example, the peppermint oil is used as essential oil with the cooling device, as the peppermint oil shows cooling property. The ambient air is funneled through the air intake 102, passes over the peppermint insert, is cooled by the peppermint and the cooler air is expelled through the vents in the walls of the basal part. The cooler air flows over the skin creating a cooling sensation instantly.

[0033] The vents or openings in the walls of the basal part 101 of cooling device provide localized cooling to the user's body. The cool air is blown from the vents at pressure which cools the body part instantly. When one part of body cools, then the rest of the body acclimates and cools of as well.

[0034] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the wearable cooling device in accordance with an embodiment of present invention. The wearable device 200 comprise front body part 213 and a back body part 203 which gets locked with each other to form external body of the cooling device 200. The front body part 213 and the back body part 203 can be locked through any locking means, such as screw or an interlock mechanism to snuggly fit the back body part over the front body part. The front body part 213 and the back body part 203 are hollow from inside and when locked create a housing to accommodate different components of the cooling device. A clip 215 is attached to the front body part and a clip 201 is attached to the back body part. Both the clips 215 and 201 are attached in opposite orientation with each other which facilitates the cooling device to clip onto the clothing in any location desired by the user. There are three air expulsion vents on the front body part and the back body part which are used to expel the air with force and aids in localized cooling of the user. The two clips 201 and 215 offer flexibility so the user can clip it on collar, sleeve, shorts and the like.

[0035] The external body of the cooling device has a top portion inclined at an acute angle with respect to horizontal base. The top portion has air inlet in form of honeycomb structure. A fan 211 is positioned beneath the air intake unit of main body and is connected to a motor 210. The motor is generally a small size motor, preferable, a coreless motor. The fan 211 sucks the air from top of the main body and divert it towards the bottom side. The front body part 213 has a slot just beneath the top potion for inserting essential oil insert 214. When the air is flowing towards the bottom of main body, it gets contacted with the essential oil insert 214, which further cools down the blowing air.

[0036] A battery 212 is provided in the housing to provide power to the motor 210. The air flowing downward after contacting the essential oil insert will contact with a first V-shaped structure 206 and a second V-shaped structure 204. The first V-shaped structure 206 and the second V-shaped structure 204 are conjoined together to constrict the airflow by means of process called Venturri effect. This phenomenon causes a change in pressure where the airflow is forced into a smaller cavity. The air is then ejected from the cavity back up the V- shaped structures at a higher velocity and goes over the second V-shaped structure 204 and comes down the backside of the larger V-shaped structure 204. The cooler air then comes out the two sides and the bottom of the device. The air inlet pressure gets reduced before air expulsion from the respective spaces located sideways and bottom of body and thus cooling effect is increased.

[0037] For assembling different electric components inside the main body 200, a PCB circuit 205 is employed. A printed circuit board is actually a metallic plate on which wired connections are soldered on it. A small electric DC motor assembly comprising components bottom motor cover 207 top motor cover 208, motor foam 209 and motor with shaft 210 mounted on PCB 205 inside the main body 200 for spinning a fan 211. Moreover, a switch 202 is embedded on side part of main device 200 to turn it on or off. The honeycomb intake attached at the top of the main body 213 permits a free flow of air into the cooling device. The electric motor 210 is preferably a DC coreless motor but other versions of motors can also be used. The fan 211 is mounted on the output shaft of a DC motor for conjoint rotation therewith. The DC motor and the fan are mounted on a forward side of the main body front wall, substantially centrally thereof; so that motor-driven rotation of the fan constrains air to follow a path of travel through the air honeycomb intake, the elongate air ducts, the essential oil insert means, and the three openings formed in the different walls. A motor attached assembly 207 fix the DC motor on circuit board 205 in the main body 200.

[0038] The Fan 211 is mounted on an output shaft of DC coreless motor 210 and rotates conjointly therewith. Said fan 211 and motor collectively form motorized fan assembly. The fan assembly is preferably adapted to operate at more than one speed.

[0039] The wearable cooling device has a unique design to create airflow over the essential oil insert 214 filled with a combination of essential oils. The essential oils are filled in the essential oil insert 214, which is a removable insert that allows the user to add any combination of essential oils to it and then insert it back into the device. When the air is inhaled in the cooling device from the top visible part (honeycomb air intake) of the device, the air passes over essential oils, which cools the air and the cooled air is expelled out from the three openings present at different parts (two openings at the pair of the side walls and one at the bottom) of the device. The three openings are created in such a way that manages the least resistance to the air flow while also allowing the cooler air to reach a larger surface area on the body. The essential oil insert 214 is filled with essential oils which may be but not limited to sweet orange, peppermint, cedar wood, lemon, clove, spearmint, jasmine and the like. The essential oil insert 214 can be filled be any combination of aforementioned essential oils.

[0040] Battery compartment 212 is secured to main body 200 at the lower end thereof. Battery frame is fixedly secured to front main body 213 that provides a frame for removable battery cover which has a conventional structure to facilitate access to battery. Battery compartment and battery can be detached from main body resulting in a weight reduction of main body bearing on the wearer's body.

[0041] The fan assembly used in the wearable cooling device 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention has conventional configuration draws ambient air through the honeycomb structure on the top on the main body. A low-medium-high or variable power switch can be useful for varying fan speed according to the user's need.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a view of the honeycomb air intake present on the top of the wearable cooling device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The wearable cooling device has the honeycomb air intake structure 300 formed on the top to allow maximum air consumption. The honeycomb air intake 300 sucks air in and the same air is expelled out from plurality of openings present in the wearable cooling device. The honeycomb air intake 300 provided in the wearable cooling device may limit the noise created by the motor and allow the maximum air consumption. When the air is inhaled in the cooling device through the top visible part i.e. honeycomb air intake 300, the air passes over essential oils, which cools the air and the cooled air is expelled out from the plurality of openings present at different parts of the device. The angle of the air intake through the honeycomb 300 is 45 degrees so that it offers least resistance to the air flow.

Claims

I Claim:

1. A portable wearable cooling device comprising: a main body having: an elongated basal part with a front wall, a back wall and a pair of side walls; and an elongated circumferential annular part on top of the basal part, the circumferential annular part is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the basal part, the main body is hollow from inside and serves as a housing means for one or more components, said main body comprising: an air intaking unit positioned inside the main body part and below the circumferential annular part that intakes the air from outside and channel the air towards the basal part of the main body; at least one vent in the basal part of the main body to provide air outlet; a first V-shaped structure positioned in center of the main body below the air intaking unit, the first V-shaped structure has a small cavity where the air flow from the air intaking unit is forced into; a second V-shaped structure positioned above the first V-shaped structure and having an elongated shaft extensions towards the basal part, the second V-shaped structure orient the airflow coming from the cavity of the first V-shaped structure over the elongated shaft extension and output the air through the one or more vents.

2. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1, wherein the air openings on the

circumferential annular part of main body are structured in honeycomb pattern.

3. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1 further comprising a removable essential oil insert that gets slotted into the main body below the air intaking unit.

4. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1 further comprising a rechargeable battery to power the cooling device.

5. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1, further comprising one or more clips on the main body that serves as an attachment point to clothes.

6. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1, wherein the portable device comprises straps or fastener to serve as attachment points to clothes.

7. The portable wearable device of claim 1, wherein the air intaking unit comprises a fan and a corel ess motor.

8. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1, wherein the angle of orientation of

circumferential annular portion with the basal portion is between 30 to 60 degrees.

9. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1, wherein the angle of orientation of

circumferential annular portion with the basal portion is preferably at 45 degrees.

10. The portable wearable cooling device of claim 1, wherein the settings of the device can be configured through a mobile application.