(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.

: US 15,444,555
Salguero et al. (45) Date of Patent: Dec. 10, 2021

(54) HOT BEVERAGE COOLING SYSTEM (57) ABSTRACT

TO COLLECT USER TEMPERATURE
A hot beverage cooling system to collect user
PREFERENCE DATA
temperature preference data includes a cooling
element in communication with the mug for cooling
(72) Inventors: Victor M. Salguero,
a liquid contained in the cooling system container, a
Waltham, MA
temperature sensing in the mug collects preferred
Dancho D. Ivanov,
user’s drinking chosen temperature; then
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
communicates with the container for cooling and
monitoring the temperature of the liquid, there is
(73) Assignee: Victor M. Salguero,
controller integrally attached to an inner surface of
Waltham, MA
the mug and in communication with the
temperature sensor and the cooling system
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer,
container for sharing temperature preference data,
the term of this patent is
when the data are received, the cooling system uses
extended or adjusted under
fans and a vortex spinning method to cool the liquid
35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0
to the desired temperature. In operation, the
days.
controller receives temperature readings from the
temperature sensor and deactivates the cooling
(22) Filed: Dec. 10, 2021
when the monitored temperature of the liquid is
lower than or equal to the desired user shared data,
(52) U.S. Cl.
and the mug transfers temperature data of the
CPC .………….. 137/165/236/369/700/702
liquid. A user interface is integrally attached to the
outer surface of the mug and in communication
with the controller for establishing the desired
(56) References Cited
temperature of the liquid and sharing it with the
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
cooling system.
3,634,207 A 1/1972 Cornelius
4,470,999 A 9/1984 Carpiac 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Sheets
4,550,651 A 11/1985 Haynes
4,649,809 A 3/1987 Kanezashi
4,757,752 A 7/1988 Robins et al.
4,793,059 A 12/1988 Kerner et al.
6,460,735 A 8/2001 Greenwald et al.
7,268,698 A 5/2002 Bunn-O-Matic

Primary Examiner ー Dan Cole

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm ー Pro Se
1
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HOT BEVERAGE COOLING SYSTEM TO
Peltier effect, using this technology and
COLLECT USER TEMPERATURE
temperature sensors it was able to cool beverages at
PREFERENCE DATA
the preferred temperature. However, this
FIELD OF THE INVENTION technology, using a trademark serial number
88735300 was abandoned for not having a
This invention generally relates to a method
statement of use filed. Therefore, few inventions
of recording and transferring temperature data
exist to properly cool down hot liquids to desired
wirelessly. More particularly, it relates to processing
temperatures.
temperature profile data for purposes of
post-processing consumable hot beverages. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a system capable of

cooling a hot beverage to a preferred temperature
To ensure ideal flavor extraction, modern
which is qualitatively measured by the user and
coffee makers typically brew coffee at temperatures
specified to the apparatus. The beverage cooling
between 195°F and 205°F. This poses an issue for
system consists of a Smart Mug and a Cooler which
consumers, as any liquid consumed between 160°F
are capable of transmitting relevant user preference
and 185°F could cause significant burns or physical
data between each other.
damage. Consequently, drinkers of hot beverages
The Smart Mug would serve as the medium
typically have to wait up to twenty minutes for their
of communication between the user and the Cooler.
drinks to reach the average preferred consumption
As the hot beverage is sipped incrementally, the
temperature of 140°F. For coffee, further time is
user would determine an optimal temperature that
required to cool down to 120°F, the temperature at
best suits their taste. At that temperature, the user
which the taste and acidity of coffee are enhanced.
would press the “set” button, saving their
The field of beverage temperature control
temperature profile. When the Smart Mug is in
has been hot with a multitude of mechanical means
proximity to the Cooler, the former will transmit the
and prior patents aimed to regulate the temperature
saved user data to the latter.
of liquids. Some mechanical means of cooling
By means of a closed-loop feedback system
down beverages include stirring, blowing, and/or
based on real-time temperature measurements, the
adding ice or cold substances. When it comes to
Cooler will be able to operate until the hot beverage
inventions, most available technology chooses to
has been cooled to the temperature specified by the
heat up a beverage to get it to the set desired
user on their Smart Mug.
temperature. However, when it comes to cooling
down a hot beverage and keeping it hot but at a BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
drinking temperature, there are not multiple
The foregoing and other objects, features
products that cover that area. The technology and
and advantages of the invention will be apparent
systems currently in place are mostly relying on the
from the following detailed description of the
usage of cold or frozen water, which mostly cools
invention and accompanying diagrams and
down the drink at a drinking temperature, but not
drawings, in which:
necessarily the best drinking temperature for the
user unless they constantly check. FIG. 1 is a flowchart describing the steps
One method uses a TEC engine with a taken to program a desired beverage temperature
proprietary mixing mechanism to surround a chosen and communicate the data to the cooling system.
container with a liquid bath. This system uses the
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3 4
FIG. 2A demonstrates a side view of the
Cooler 1 showing the vortex spinner 2 and one of
the two integrated electric fans 3.
FIG. 2B depicts a top view of the Cooler
machine which wirelessly receives the recorded
temperature from the Smart Mug. The coffee flows
into the conical opening 4 of the Cooler, where it is
cooled by the vortex spinner and electric fans. The
invention cools the input hot beverage to the
specified temperature and then dispenses it.
FIG. 3 is a diagram describing the Smart
Mug 5 designed to record a user’s preferred
beverage drinking temperature. This is done when a
user activates a “set” button on the integrated
module 6, prompting the Smart Mug to remember
the optimal temperature. A “reset” option is also
available to clear the saved input.
FIG. 4 depicts the whole cooling system,
consisting of the Smart Mug 8 positioned
underneath the Cooler 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
INVENTION
The present invention is a method for hot
beverage consumers to cool beverages to the
desired temperature based on qualitatively observed
and set preferences.
The intent is to create an experience where
temperature preference is set through the drinking
experience itself based on qualitative feel and taste.
The preference temperature is recorded
directly on a smart mug which has the purpose of
reading, recording, and communicating a set
temperature to a cooling system.
The user-programmable Smart Mug is to be
an insulated mug which contains a series of
Micro-electromechanical systems. Included is a
microchip or microprocessor, a thermistor, or other
temperature reading method. Also included is a
module with set/reset buttons, and a low-energy,
short-range Bluetooth chip. These components
work together to achieve the task described. The
outer view of such a much can be seen in FIG. 3.
A smart mug may also be re-programmed
using a reset but present on the mug. This will
allow the user to repeat the initial preference
recording.
The microcontroller on the smart mug
quantitatively records the set temperature and
retains this data for future communications with the
beverage cooling component of the system. Once
placed in proximity to the cooling system, the smart
mug transfers the recorded temperature profile. The
cooling system now records and may display the
results. User interaction with an interface would
allow the user to set that temperature for future
beverage cooling operations or slightly adjust it.
In future cooling operations, the user pours
freshly made hot beverages, typically in the range
of 170-200F into the cooling system. When a user
re-uses the programmed smart mug, the cooling
system will automatically detect the preference
temperature associated with that mug. The option to
pour at the set temperature will be offered to the
user along with other pre-set temperature profiles.
This allows the user to easily and intuitively get
their beverage cooled to the preferred temperature
and also give additional options if a change is
desired. Any other container can also be used to
receive cooled-down beverages from the cooling
machine. A user would simply choose from
previously recorded temperature profiles on the user
interface, either from smart mug recordings or
default options. The initial set up process can be
seen in Fig 1.
The cooler unit will consist of an insulated
enclosure with an inlet for users to pour hot
beverages into the system, an internal fluid cooling
mechanism, and a fluid dispenser. The cooling unit
can be seen in FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b.
Similar to the Smart mug, the cooling unit
will be equipped with a microchip/microprocessor,
temperature reading device, and a low-energy,
short-range Bluetooth chip. The microprocessor and
temperature sensor will obtain continuous
temperature feedback as the cooling process is
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conducted. These devices would help ensure that
the specified temperature is reached accurately by
adjusting the process in real time.
Electromechanical actuators such as solenoids may
be used in the cooling or dispensing operations.
The cooling mechanism of the system may
work using a spinning mechanism and a series of
integrated electric fans directed at the fluid inside
the Cooler. This induces cooling via convection
within the hot beverage. A spinning mechanism that
may work well is the vortex cooler, which can
rapidly cool fluids.
Other cooling methods may be used such as
heat exchangers, static heat sinks, and/or refrigerant
methods.
To collect the cooled beverage, the user
must place the smart mug or any other mug under
the dispense location. Once a mug has been
detected, the cooling unit will deliver the
cooled-to-specification hot beverage into the user’s
mug. The placement can be seen in FIG. 4.

We claim:

1. A method of collecting data about a user’s

preferred beverage temperature

* * * * *