THERMOELECTRIC COOLER AND WARMER FOR FOOD WITH TABLE TOP TRAY

A container useful for keeping food or beverages warm or cold includes a combination lid and tray door assembly. The lid and tray are both coupled to the container and to each other. The tray may be pivoted independently of the lid in to a table top position and it may be separated from the container and used as a sepa rate tray. The tray and lid are also pivotable together as an integral door assembly, and the lid is pivotable independently of the tray when the tray is removed or deployed as a table top. The overall height of the container is less than the overall length a nd the overall width so that the container has a low, stable center of gravity which pe rmits it to be used on an unstable surface, such as an automobile seat, and so that the c ontainer does not obstruct movement or view of occupants of an automobile when it is used in an automobile. A handle of the container includes a holder for wrapping a power cord thereon, and, when disposed in a downward stowed position, provides a clearance between the bottom of the door and a supporting surface when the container is tu rned on its side to be used as a front opening cooler or warmer. The thermoelectric e ngine of the cooler/warmer is constructed as an integral cassette which can be install ed or removed from the main body of the container in one piece. Finally, a finned heat sink used in the thermoelectric engine in conjunction with a centrifugal fan is forme d as an oblique parallelogram to produce uniform air flow velocity across the width of t he heat sink.