BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Apparatus for thermally insulating bottles and the like are known in the art. Typical thermal insulation devices involve placing a material which acts as a thermal barrier at the exterior of the object which is to be insulated.

Examples include soft-shelled packs which have a metallic foil coating, typically used as wine bottle coolers'.

These devices contain an insulating fluid which is usually refrigerated prior to use, however can be of limited value, particularly if frozen into an awkward shape. Other examples of thermal barriers include flexible beer bottle coolers, typically made of neoprene or other flexible rubber or plastic material. These insulating devices have no inherent capability to be prior heated or cooled and are of limited usefulness. Such cover devices can provide some thermal or physical protection for the vessel, or conceal the vessel itself. The known apparatus usually provides these features to a limited extent.

US Patent No. 3,998, 072 discloses a portable wine cooler including a series of flasks located about an annular flange provided at the base of the cooler. The flasks are free to float or rotate within the case and the cooler includes a removable ring or cap which rests upon the flasks at the opening of the carry case. The removable ring or cap is not secured to the case and does not restrict axial or other movement of the flasks on

inversion of the case.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a thermal control apparatus comprising: a vessel being adapted to contain dispensable contents of which the temperature is to be controlled; means for removably receiving a plurality of thermal container elements which are adapted to directly exchange heat with the vessel contents to thus control the temperature of said contents, said receiving means being connected to an interior surface of the vessel; and means for retaining the thermal container elements within the vessel, said retaining means being removably mounted to the vessel and together with the receiving means being designed to inhibit movement of the container elements with respect to the vessel.

Preferably the dispensable contents are contained in a container which is adapted to be removably received in the vessel. More preferably the container is a bottle.

Alternatively the dispensable contents include liquid, part-liquid or solid contents contained in and dispensed from the vessel itself.

Preferably the retaining means are locatable at an open end of the vessel where the container elements and contents are received, and are arranged to hold the container elements in a fixed position in the vessel. More preferably the retaining means is a lid for the vessel.

Even more preferably the lid is threadably engagable with the open end. Most preferably the lid has a hole of a size so that a portion of the container or bottle is able to be passed therethrough.

Preferably the receiving means includes a plurality of elongate and inwardly protruding ribs each being formed

continuous with and circumferentially spaced about the interior surface of the vessel and adapted to retain the container elements.

Generally the ribs are each substantially parallel with an axis of the vessel.

More preferably each of the ribs is in the form of a T- shaped flange.

Alternatively each of the ribs is in the form of an L- shaped flange.

Preferably the vessel is shaped cylindrical or is in the form of a sleeve having an oval or circular internal cross-section. Alternatively the vessel is generally box- shaped.

Preferably the or each container element is of a crescent- shaped cross-section. More preferably the container elements are a pair of container elements positionable on opposing sides of the object when the object is placed in the vessel.

Preferably at least one of the container elements is positionable in a close facing relationship both with a surface of the object when the object is placed in the vessel, and with an interior surface of the vessel and located therebetween.

The apparatus of this embodiment of the invention can provide both improved thermal and physical protection for an object such as a bottle in which the dispensable contents are contained, whether or not the contents are required to be maintained in a hot or cold condition. The containers for the conductive solid or fluid may be removed and replaced at will in the thermal control

apparatus in order that the fluid in the bottle placed in the apparatus can be maintained in a heated or cooled state. Conveniently, once its contents have been consumed, the bottle may be readily replaced in the apparatus without the need to remove the retaining means. If the cooler is used in a hand-held fashion, when the bottle is inclined to the drinker's mouth, or oriented for pouring, the retaining means prevents the coolant containers from sliding out.

Where the term container elements is referred to in this specification it is to be understood that these elements need not only be arranged to contain a thermally conductive substance such as a solid or a fluid but can themselves be made of a solid material itself being thermally conductive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective exploded schematic view of one embodiment of a thermal insulation apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective schematic view of one embodiment of a storage container for holding the container elements of the invention; and Figure 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the thermal insulation apparatus together with variants of the lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, and in particular to Figure 1, there is a thermal control apparatus which in this example is in the form of a bottle cooler 10 designed to contain dispensable contents. When the term cooler is used in

this specification it is acknowledged that the apparatus can also be used interchangeably to retain thermal heat in an object as well as to cool the object. The cooler 10 includes a vessel in the form of an elongate cylindrical sleeve 12 with a sealed base to support dispensable contents in the form of a bottle placed in the sleeve 12, the sleeve 12 at its upper end 14 being open and in use being able to receive within it at least a lower portion of a bottle (not shown).

The bottle cooler 10 also includes a pair of removable and rigid thermal container elements in the form of crescent- shaped elements 16 which contain a thermally conductive fluid. The crescent shaped elements 16 are able to be received in the sleeve 12 via its open upper end 14 and are retained in a fixed position in the sleeve 12 by retaining means in the form of a lid 18 which is threadably engaged with the rim 20 of the open end 14 of the sleeve. The lid 18 has a hole 22 in it of a size so that the bottle is able to be passed therethrough and in and out of the cooler 10 while the lid 18 remains fitted to the sleeve 12.

When positioned in the sleeve 12 the crescent-shaped elements 16 are located in a close facing relationship both with the external surface of a bottle placed in the cooler 10 and also with an interior surface 24 of the sleeve 12 and located therebetween. Typically the interior of the cooler 10 is circular in cross-section in order to be shaped complementary to a common round-shaped bottle, although in further embodiments the cooler 10 can also be internally shaped as an oval or other shape complementary to the external shape of the bottle or object to be thermally controlled. In other embodiments of the invention the exterior of the cooler 10 can be of a different shape to the interior and can be square, rectangular etc in cross-section.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the pair of crescent- shaped elements 16 are positioned in the sleeve 12 on opposing sides of the bottle when the bottle is placed in the cooler 10. The thermal container elements 16 need not be cylindrical or elongate but can be of various shapes, for example cubes, rectangular prisms or spheres, all being retained in the sleeve by the lid of the cooler in use. In still further embodiments the lid of the vessel can be one or more straps or strips, for example, of a material such as Velcro, which act to retain the container elements within the sleeve.

The sleeve 12 has receiving means in the form of a pair of elongate and inwardly protruding ribs 26 located on opposing sides of the interior surface wall 24. The ribs in this example are in the form of generally T-shaped flanges 26. The flanges 26 are spaced from the respective interior wall 24 by a distance approximately equivalent to the width of the vertical sides 28 of each of the crescent-shaped elements 16 so that when the cylinders are slidingly inserted, a frictional or interference fit locates them in a fixed position in relation to the sleeve 12. In use, such flanges 26 conveniently position the cylinders 16 containing the thermally conductive fluid around the periphery of the bottle to inhibit rotational movement of the thermal container elements 16 about the sleeve 12. The T-shaped flange 26 is only one of a number of possible embodiments of a receiving means for this purpose.

Any sort of coolant fluid or thermal retention fluid can be used in the thermal container elements, for example refrigerant liquid, salt-containing fluids having elevated melting temperatures and other phase change materials with raised or suppressed melting points and heat capacities, depending upon the application.

The external face 30 of the sleeve 12 of the cooler 10 can also have external insulating material attached thereto to improve its thermal insulation characteristics. Typically panels of neoprene, rubber or other material can be attached for this purpose which additionally can provide a better gripping surface for the user of the cooler as well as reducing the incidence of burning or chilling the hands of the user. Furthermore, such panels can provide physical protection for the bottle and cooler if accidentally dropped or bumped. The thickness of the external layer of material may reduce the incidence or accidental breakage of glass bottles or flasks contained within the apparatus, a property again not known in available bottle coolers'.

The lid 18, sleeve 12 and rigid thermal container elements 16 of the cooler apparatus 10 can be made of any materials which can be fitted in the manner so described such as metals or hard plastics.

The apparatus of this embodiment of the invention can provide both improved thermal and physical protection for the bottle placed therein, whether or not the contents are required to be maintained in a hot or cold condition. The thermal container elements for the conductive fluid may be removed and conveniently stacked in a space-efficient fashion in a freezer or heating chamber in order that they be suitably cooled or heated prior to their use for their intended purpose. The rigid elements do not change shape or freeze into an awkward shape when frozen, as is the problem with the prior art devices. The thermal container elements may be selected and replaced at will in the thermal control apparatus in order that the fluid in the bottle placed in the apparatus can be maintained in a heated or cooled state. Conveniently also, once its contents have been consumed, the bottle may be readily replaced in the cooler without the need to unscrew the

lid. If the cooler is used in a hand-held fashion, when the bottle is inclined to the drinker's mouth, or oriented for pouring, the lid 18 prevents the coolant container elements 16 from sliding out.

Also disclosed herein and illustrated in Figure 2 is a device 40 for storing a plurality of the thermal container elements 16 for thermal insulation. The device 40 includes a rectangular shaped chamber 42 able to receive the container elements via its open (top) end 44. When positioned in the chamber 42, the crescent-shaped elements 16 are located in a close facing relationship to one another and oriented in a single direction. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the chamber 42 has receiving means in the form of a pair of elongate ribs or L-shaped flanges 46 located on opposing sides of the interior surface wall 48. The flanges 46 are spaced from the respective interior wall 48 a distance approximately equivalent to the width of the vertical sides 28 of each of the crescent-shaped elements 16 so that when the cylinders are slidingly inserted into the flanges 46, a frictional or interference fit locates them in a fixed position in relation to the chamber 42.

The chamber 42 has a lid 50 positionable at the open (top) end 44 and the lid may include air vents. The interior wall 48 of the chamber 42 can also be fitted with retractable air vents which in use are opened to aid the ingress or egress of thermal energy into the chamber 42.

This storage device 40 can be used to retain a plurality of thermally conductive container elements in a freezer, esky, hot oven and the like in order that they remain chilled or heated until being individually selected for insertion into the thermal insulation apparatus 10.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the thermal insulation apparatus 10 with variants of the lid 18. The

four (4) variants are designed to complement or substitute the lid 18 and are used when the dispensable contents are contained in the vessel itself. In order to avoid repetition and for ease of reference like components of the variants of the lid 18 have been designated with the same reference numeral. For example, the dispensing aperture has been designated as 52. The uppermost lid 50 includes no such aperture 52 but rather is designed to fit to the vessel 12 to prevent spillage of its contents during transportation. The other variants of the lid 50 are screw threaded or otherwise securely fitted to the vessel or sleeve 12 and include a cap or the like 54 designed to seal the dispensing aperture 52.

Whilst the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in many other forms.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word"comprising", or grammatical variations thereof, is used in the sense of"including", i. e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.