Portable thermal treatment and storage units for containing readily accessible food or beverage items and methods for thermally treating food or beverage items

Abstract

A portable thermal treatment and storage unit includes a housing with a thermal treatment chamber, and ports that provide a flow path between the chamber and an environment surrounding the unit to facilitate a flow of air into the housing, through the chamber, and out of the housing. The unit is configured to selectively open and close at least one port to limit or prevent the flow of air into the housing and through the chamber such that, when the at least one port is opened, the unit facilitates heat transfer between the flowing air and the food or beverage items supported by the support member so as to change the temperature of the food or beverage items. When the at least one port is closed, the unit insulates the food or beverage items to maintain the food or beverage items within a selected temperature range for a selected time period.

1 . A portable thermal treatment and storage unit comprising: 
 a housing including a thermal treatment chamber; and    a plurality of ports disposed on the unit, the ports providing a flow path between the chamber and an environment surrounding the unit to facilitate a flow of air into the housing, through the chamber, and out of the housing;    wherein the unit is configured to selectively open and close at least one port to limit or prevent the flow of air into the housing and through the chamber such that, when the at least one port is opened, the unit facilitates heat transfer between the flowing air and the food or beverage items supported by the support member so as to change the temperature of the food or beverage items and, when the at least one port is closed, the unit insulates the food or beverage items to maintain the food or beverage items within a selected temperature range for a selected time period.    
   
   
       2 . The unit of  claim 1 , further comprising a lid that is removably securable to an open end of the housing, wherein the lid includes at least one port and the housing includes at least one port disposed on a side wall of the housing.  
   
   
       3 . The unit of  claim 2 , wherein the lid is suitably dimensioned to fit over a bottom end of the housing so as to close the at least one port on the housing side wall.  
   
   
       4 . The unit of  claim 2 , further comprising a divider disposed within the thermal treatment chamber, wherein the divider separates the chamber into a plurality of sub-chambers.  
   
   
       5 . The unit of  claim 4 , wherein each sub-chamber corresponds with at least one port.  
   
   
       6 . The unit of  claim 4 , wherein each port corresponds with a single sub-chamber, and each sub-chamber corresponds with at least two ports.  
   
   
       7 . The unit of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a plurality of cups configured to be received and retained within the thermal treatment chamber, wherein each of the cups includes a food or beverage item disposed within the cups and a removable lid that encloses an opening in the cup, and the food or beverage item fills a selected portion of the cup while leaving an air gap between an upper portion of the food or beverage item disposed within the cup and an underside of the lid connected with the cup, the air gap having a thickness of between about 0.25 inch and about 0.5 inch.    
   
   
       8 . The unit of  claim 7 , wherein the food or beverage item disposed within the cups comprises one of a slush beverage product and a dairy product.  
   
   
       9 . The unit of  claim 7 , wherein the food or beverage item disposed within the cups comprises a slush beverage product including at least one fruit juice and at least one of a nucleating agent, pectin, carrageenan, cellulose gum, cellulose gel, xantham gum, locust bean gum and guar gum.  
   
   
       10 . A portable thermal treatment and storage unit comprising: 
 a housing including a thermal treatment chamber; and    a means for selectively opening and closing an airflow path between the chamber and an environment surrounding the unit, wherein opening of the flow path facilitates a flow of air into the housing, through the chamber, and out of the housing and a heat transfer between flowing air and the food or beverage items suspended within the chamber so as to change the temperature of the food or beverage items suspended within the chamber;    wherein the unit is suitably insulated such that, upon closing the airflow path after the food or beverage items to change the temperature of the food or beverage items, the unit maintains the food or beverage items within a selected temperature range for a selected time period.    
   
   
       11 . A method of thermally treating food or beverage items, the method comprising: 
 loading frozen food or beverage items in a unit such that each food or beverage item is disposed within a chamber of the unit;    thermally treating the frozen food or beverage items by facilitating a flow of air from an environment surrounding the unit through the unit chamber, wherein the air is at a higher temperature than the frozen food or beverage items such that the frozen food or beverage items are warmed over a selected warming time period to form partially frozen food or beverage items at a selected temperature range that is higher than the temperature of the frozen food or beverage items; and    upon achieving the selected temperature range for the partially frozen food or beverage items, limiting or preventing the flow of air through the unit chamber so as to maintain the partially frozen food or beverage items within the selected temperature range for a selected storage time period.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the partially frozen food or beverage items comprises one of a slush beverage product and a partially frozen dairy product.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the partially frozen food or beverage item comprises a slush beverage product including at least one fruit juice and at least one of a nucleating agent, pectin, carrageenan, cellulose gum, cellulose gel, xantham gum, locust bean gum and guar gum.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the frozen food or beverage items have a temperature within the range of about 10° F. to about −40° F. when the food or beverage items are loaded within the unit.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the air flowing from the environment surrounding the unit is at a temperature within a range of about 35° F. to about 41° F.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the warming time period is at least about 12 hours.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the warming time period is no greater than about 24 hours.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the food or beverage items are disposed within a plurality of cups that are loaded within the unit such that each cup is disposed within the chamber, each cup includes a removable lid that encloses an opening in the cup, and the food or beverage item fills a selected portion of the cup while leaving an air gap between an upper portion of the food or beverage item disposed within the cup and an underside of the lid connected with the cup, the air gap having a thickness of between about 0.25 inch and about 0.5 inch.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the unit comprises a housing including the chamber disposed therein and a lid that is removably secured over an open end of the housing, the lid includes at least one port and the housing includes at least one port on a sidewall of the housing.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the limiting or preventing of air flow through the unit chamber comprises removing the lid from the open end of the housing and securing the lid over a bottom end of the housing so as to close the at least one port on the housing side wall.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the unit further comprises a divider disposed within the chamber, wherein the divider separates the chamber into a plurality of sub-chambers.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein a single food or beverage item is placed within each sub-chamber.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein each sub-chamber corresponds with at least one port.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein each port corresponds with a single sub-chamber, and each sub-chamber corresponds with at least two ports.