Self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids

Abstract

A variety of liquids in containers can be cooled by a self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids. A system utilizes cooling devices placed inside, outside, or integrated into containers for liquids. The cooling devices can utilize endothermic or other reactions to rapidly cool the liquids by storing cooling reactants separately and then causing them to mix or react upon demand.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/832,759, entitled “Self-Contained System for Cooling Beverages” and filed on Jul. 24, 2006, which is specifically incorporated herein by reference for all that it discloses and teaches.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to cooling devices, and more particularly to self-contained systems for rapidly cooling liquids.

BACKGROUND

There are many liquids that need to be easily and quickly cooled. For example, in the world of consumable beverages, it is often a requirement that a beverage be cooled before a consumer will enjoy drinking the beverage. There are many methods currently utilized to cool a beverage, including: refrigerating a beverage in a drink cooler or refrigerator, putting a beverage on ice, transferring a beverage to a chilled container, putting ice in a beverage, etc. Perhaps the most common method of cooling a beverage is to place it in a refrigerator and then continuously power the refrigerator, keeping the beverage at a more-or-less constant, cool temperature. Thus, when a consumer purchases the beverage, it is already at the desired cool temperature and ready for consumption. This refrigeration of beverages, however, adds cost to the price of the beverage indirectly through the costs of operating and maintaining refrigerators.

Once a consumer has purchased a cooled beverage, if the beverage is not immediately consumed, the consumer then must either maintain the cool temperature or the beverage will begin to absorb heat from its surroundings and it will eventually warm to room temperature. Once again, costs are incurred to either maintain the cool temperature of the beverage or re-cool it at some time in the future. If the second option is chosen, there is also a time delay incurred while the consumer must wait for the chosen cooling method to sufficiently re-cool the beverage before consumption can occur.

One alternative to these problems of maintaining cooled beverages is to simply store the beverages at room temperature and then provide the consumer with a quick-cooling method or device at the time of sale. One example of such a device is a cold water bath that utilizes chilled, rapidly flowing water to draw the heat out of a beverage. However, this point-of-purchase cooling requires the consumer to once again consume the beverage immediately after removal from the water bath or risk allowing the beverage to warm back to room temperature. Furthermore, the cold water bath requires time to sufficiently cool the beverage, it leaves the outside of the beverage container in need of drying, and it must be continually powered in order to be cool and ready to accept beverages upon demand.

Therefore, there is a need for a rapid liquid cooling device that can be activated at any time and that will cool a beverage or other liquid as desired.

SUMMARY

Embodiments described and claimed herein address the foregoing problems by application of one or more devices that enable a cooling process to be applied to a liquid in a container. The cooling devices may utilize one or more endothermic processes, chemical reactions, combinations thereof, or any other process which results in a net cooling effect. The devices can be contained separately within a container, attached to the outside of a container, or integrated into the structure of the container. Additionally, methods of utilizing the above cooling processes to cool a liquid are described herein.

Other embodiments are also described and recited herein. Although materials and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the invention, suitable materials and methods are described below. Furthermore, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative and not intended to be limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling a liquid inside a container containing liquid.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling a liquid attached to a container containing liquid.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids that utilizes a mechanical activating agent which is in the closed state.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids that utilizes a mechanical activating agent which is in the open state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

One embodiment of the invention is a system comprising one or more devices that enable a cooling process to be applied to a liquid in a container and includes: 1) a liquid to be cooled; 2) a container in which the liquid is stored; 3) an apparatus by which the container is opened so that the liquid can be accessed; 4) one or more devices that are activated to cool the liquid; and 5) the cooling process which cools the liquid. The cooling system is a combination of one or more devices and one or more cooling processes integrated into the devices. The device(s) can have various levels of integration into a container that holds a liquid. For example, in one embodiment a device is simply placed inside a container; in another, a device is attached to the inner wall of a container; and in yet another, a device is placed against the outer wall of a container. Other configurations, such as integrating a device into a wall of a container, are also contemplated.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling a liquid inside a container containing liquid 100. A container 101 for liquids is shown. The container 101 can be of any size and of any shape, including, but not limited to: cylindrical, spherical, cubical, etc. The container 101 shown in FIG. 1 is of a cylindrical shape similar to that of a standard soft drink beverage container or can. FIG. 1 illustrates a system containing only a single cooling device 102.

The cooling device 102 contains a first unit 103 and a second unit 104. The units can be compartments, chambers, etc. designed to hold one or more cooling reactants. Other embodiments may have more than two units. The first unit 103 contains one or more cooling reactants. The second unit 104 contains one or more cooling reactants as well. The cooling reactants utilized in any particular embodiment can be selected from any of a number of possible reactants. For example, one embodiment utilizes water as a first cooling reactant and sodium nitrate as a second cooling reactant. As discussed in more detail below, other reactants are contemplated.

Endothermic chemical reactions that can lower the temperature of the liquid beverage in this invention include, but are not limited to, the following reactants reacting with and/or dissolving in water: ammonium nitrate, sodium acetate, acetate salts, sodium nitrate, nitrate salts, sodium thiosulfate, ammonium thiosulfate, thiosulfate salts, calcium chloride hexahydrate, chloride salts, and urea. These reactants may be available in the first unit 103 or the second unit 104 as free solids or as microencapsulated solids. Micro-encapsulation of the salts can be used to control the rate and duration of cooling. Micro-encapsulation entails placing the reactive solid within a slowly dissolving matrix thereby allowing the endothermic reaction with water to be slowed.

Alternative endothermic reactions may also be utilized to achieve cooling of the liquid beverage. These include, but are not limited to, the following: ammonium salt and barium hydroxide, and urea and ammonium chloride. Any other reactions or processes that result in a net reduction in temperature can also be utilized, including gels, phase-changes, etc. There are many net-cooling processes currently known or yet to be discovered in the art and any can be utilized in the present invention.

Between the first unit 103 and the second unit 104 is a conduit 105. The conduit 105 provides a means for the reactants in the units to react. In the embodiment described above, water in the first unit 103 flows down through the conduit 105 into the second unit 104 and reacts with the sodium nitrate to produce an endothermic reaction and cool the container 101 and any liquid inside the container.

The cooling device 102 can be constructed of any of a number of different materials. In the embodiment show in FIG. 1, a thin plastic film that is non-permeable is used. Other materials, such as rubber, metal, etc., could make up the cooling device 102 in alternate embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling a liquid attached to a container containing liquid 200. The system shown in FIG. 2 is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows a container 201 for liquids and a cooling device 202. The cooling device 202 has a first unit 203 and a second unit 204. Also, a conduit 205 is shown. In this embodiment, the conduit 205 in FIG. 2 has a seal 206. When initiation of a cooling process or reaction is desired, the seal 206 separates or peels open and the conduit 205 allows reactants in the first unit 203 and second unit 204 to mix. In alternate embodiments, a valve or other method can be utilized to control the flow of reactants through the conduit in place of a seal 206.

In addition, a non-peelable perimeter seal 207 is illustrated in FIG. 2. The perimeter seal 207 is used in this embodiment to attach the cooling device 202 to the container 201. In alternate embodiments, no seal is necessary as the cooling device 202 may not be attached to the container 201.

The first unit 203 is shown in FIG. 2 as having a left non-peelable, anti-inflation seal 208 and a right non-peelable, anti-inflation seal 209. The second unit 204 is shown in FIG. 2 as having a left non-peelable, anti-inflation seal 210 and a right non-peelable, anti-inflation seal 211. These anti-inflation seals are similar to the perimeter seal 206 in that they are used in this embodiment to attach the cooling device 202 to the container 201. However, the anti-inflation seals also serve another purpose: they ensure that the first unit 203 and the second unit 204 remain in place against the side of the container 201 instead of changing shape and/or location.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids 300. FIG. 3 shows a container 301, and a cooling device 302 having a first unit 303 and a second unit 304 as well as a conduit 305 separated from the first unit 303 by a seal 306. As can be seen from comparing the placement of the seal 306 in FIG. 3 to the seal 206 in FIG. 2, placement of the seal in various locations relative to the conduit 305 and the units 303 and 304 is contemplated. Furthermore, one or more seals can be used in place of the single seal 306 shown in FIG. 3.

In the upper portion of the first unit 303, an activating agent 320 is illustrated above a first cooling reactant 340. The activating agent 320 shown in this embodiment is a nitrogen gas. Other activating agents 320 are contemplated. The first cooling reactant 340 shown in this embodiment is a liquid, preferably water. Once again, other cooling reactants are contemplated. The second unit 304 is illustrated containing a second cooling reactant 350. In one embodiment, a dry chemical makes up the second cooling reactant 350.

There are a number of ways in which the seal 306 can be peeled open, including, but not limited to: the activating agent 320 forcing the seal open using pressure, the activating agent 320 forcing the seal open using a mechanism, etc. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the activating agent 320 is a nitrogen gas. The liquid 330 in the container 301 is under pressure from carbonization. This pressure holds the seal 306 closed against the force exerted by the activating agent 320 and, by extension, the first cooling reactant 340. However, once the container 301 is opened, the carbonation pressure is reduced, thus allowing the pressure exerted by the activating agent 320 and the first cooling reactant 340 to peel open the seal 306 allowing the mixing of the first cooling reactant 340 with the second cooling reactant 350 through the conduit 305.

It should be noted that during a manufacturing process to construct the components show in FIG. 3, various difficulties may arise. For example, before carbonated liquid 330 is added to the container 301 containing the cooling device 302 and the container 301 is sealed, the pressure exerted by the activating agent 320 could peel open the seal 306. In order to prevent this, a small clamp hinged on one end and cemented together on the other can be attached over the seal 306. Food grade cement can be used to hold the clamp closed. When the liquid 330 is added to the container 301 and the container 301 is sealed, the cement can then dissolve in the liquid 330 and thereby release the clamp and prepare the seal 306 to be peeled open when the container 301 is subsequently opened. Other possible clamping or temporary sealing methods can be utilized including any of the many methods currently employed in the art or yet to be discovered.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids that utilizes a mechanical activating agent which is in the closed state. FIG. 4 shows a cooling device 402 having a first unit 403 and a second unit 404 as well as a conduit 405 separating the first unit 403 from the second unit 404 by a seal 406. Placement of the conduit 405 in various locations relative to the units 403 and 404 is contemplated. Furthermore, one or more conduits can be used in place of the single conduit 405 shown in FIG. 4.

The first unit 403 and the second unit 404 shown in FIG. 4 form two halves of a spherical-shaped cooling device 402. The shape of the cooling device 402 can be a cube, cylinder, or any other workable shape in other embodiments. Furthermore, alternate embodiments can have more than two units containing reactants, with one or more conduits between them.

In the first unit 403, an activating agent 420 is illustrated. The activating agent 420 shown in this embodiment has a head 421, a plunger 422, and a spring 423. The plunger 422 rests in a hole in the top wall of the first unit 403. Connected to the bottom of the plunger 422 is the seal 406. The seal 406 appears in the example illustrated in FIG. 4 as a cylinder attached to the bottom of the plunger 422. The seal 406 extends through a hole in the conduit 405 that is aligned with the hole in the top wall of the first unit 403 such that the plunger 422 and the attached seal 406 can slide up and down through the two holes. The diameter of the plunger 422 and the hole in the first unit 403 should be such that the plunger 422 fits tightly within the hole to prevent the contents of the first unit 403 from leaking out. The diameter of the seal 406 and the hole in the conduit 405 should be such that the seal 406 seals tightly against the hole in the conduit 405 to prevent the contents of the first unit 403 from leaking into the second unit 404, and vice-versa. The plunger 422 as shown in this illustration is of a cylindrical shape, other shapes are contemplated.

As shown in this embodiment, the head 421 attaches to the top of the plunger 422 and rests outside the first unit 403. The head 421 can be any suitable shape that prevents the plunger 422 from completely entering the first unit 403. Furthermore, when the head 421 is in contact with the outer surface of the top wall of the first unit 403, the two form a second seal that prevents the contents of the first unit 403 from escaping out of the first unit 403 or anything that is outside the first unit 403, such as a liquid to be cooled, from invading the first unit 403.

The spring 423 is shown in FIG. 4 as surrounding and fitting over the seal 406 attached to the bottom of the plunger 421. Alternate placements are contemplated. As shown in FIG. 4, the spring 423 provides a downward tension that holds the head 421 in contact with the outer surface of the top wall of the first unit 403. And, since the plunger 422 is connected to the head and the seal 406 is connected to the plunger 422, the spring holds the seal 406 in the hole in the conduit 405 and seals the first unit 403 from the second unit 404. When a force is applied to the head 421 and the head 421 is pulled up and away from the first unit 403, the plunger 422 pulls on the seal 406 and the seal 406 is pulled up and out of the hole in the conduit 405, allowing the contents of the first unit 403 and the second unit 404 to mix. In an alternate embodiment, a change in the external pressure pushing against the cooling device 401 can be used to move the head 421, plunger 422, and seal 406.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary self-contained system for rapidly cooling liquids that utilizes a mechanical activating agent which is in the open state. FIG. 5 shows a cooling device 502 having a first unit 503 and a second unit 504 as well as a conduit 505 separating the first unit 503 from the second unit 504 by a seal 506. Placement of the conduit 505 in various locations relative to the units 503 and 504 is contemplated. Furthermore, one or more conduits can be used in place of the single conduit 505 shown in FIG. 5.

In the first unit 503, an activating agent 520 is illustrated. The activating agent 520 shown in this embodiment has a head 521, a plunger 522, and a spring 523. The plunger 522 rests in a hole in the top wall of the first unit 503. Connected to the bottom of the plunger 522 is the seal 506. The seal 506 appears in the example illustrated in FIG. 5 as a cylinder attached to the bottom of the plunger 522. The seal 506 extends downwards towards a hole in the conduit 505 that is aligned with the hole in the top wall of the first unit 503 such that the plunger 522 and the attached seal 506 can slide up and down through the two holes. Since the activating agent 520 is shown open or activated in FIG. 5, the seal 506 is slid into the up position and does not rest in the hole through the conduit 505. The diameter of the plunger 522 and the hole in the first unit 503 should be such that the plunger 522 fits tightly within the hole to prevent the contents of the first unit 503 from leaking out. The diameter of the seal 506 and the hole in the conduit 505 should be such that the seal 506 seals tightly against the hole in the conduit 505 to prevent the contents of the first unit 503 from leaking into the second unit 504, and vice-versa. The plunger 522 as shown in this illustration is of a cylindrical shape, other shapes are contemplated.

As shown in this embodiment, the head 521 attaches to the top of the plunger 522 and is outside the first unit 503. The head 521 can be any suitable shape that prevents the plunger 522 from completely entering the first unit 503. Furthermore, when the head 521 is in contact with the outer surface of the top wall of the first unit 503, the two form a second seal that prevents the contents of the first unit 503 from escaping out of the first unit 503 or anything that is outside the first unit 503, such as a liquid to be cooled, from invading the first unit 503. Even when the cooling device 502 is in the open or activated position, as shown in FIG. 5, the second seal remains intact and the liquid to be cooled can not invade the first unit 503.

The spring 523 is shown in FIG. 5 as surrounding and fitting over the seal 506 attached to the bottom of the plunger 521. Alternate placements are contemplated. As shown in FIG. 5, the spring 523 provides an upward tension that acts to push the head 521 away from the outer surface of the top wall of the first unit 503. And, since the plunger 522 is connected to the head and the seal 506 is connected to the plunger 522, the spring tension acts to push the seal 506 out of the hole in the conduit 505. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, an external pressure—that of the carbonated liquid to be cooled—presses against the head 521 and counteracts the spring tension, holding the seal 506 in place in the hole in the conduit 505. When the container holding the carbonated liquid to be cooled and the cooling device 502 is opened, a reduction in the external pressure that is holding the head 521 against the outer surface of the top wall of the first unit 503 causes the tension in the spring 523 to be able to overcome the pressure holding the head 521 against the first unit 503. The spring 523 extends, pushing the plunger 522 up through the hole in the first unit 503 and the attached seal 506 up and out of the hole in the conduit 505, allowing the contents of the first unit 503 and the second unit 504 to mix. The illustration in FIG. 5 shows the cooling device 502 in this opened or activated state. As detailed above, a food grade cement that dissolves in liquids can be used during the manufacturing process to keep the head cemented to the first unit 503 until the container is sealed. Other possible clamping or temporary sealing methods can be utilized including any of the many methods currently employed in the art or yet to be discovered.

The descriptions above illustrate exemplary components that can make up a cooling system. In addition, the acts of creating the components; integrating them in, out, or into a container; opening the container; and causing the cooling to occur are another aspect of this invention.

The technology described herein can be described as methods and/or actions in one or more systems. Accordingly, the methods making up embodiments of the technology described herein can be referred to as operations, steps, objects, or modules. Furthermore, it should be understood that the methods may be performed in any order, unless explicitly claimed otherwise or a specific order is inherently necessitated by the claim language.

The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended. Other embodiments are therefore contemplated.

Claims

1. A system for cooling liquids, comprising:

a first unit containing a first plurality of cooling reactants;

a second unit containing a second plurality of cooling reactants;

an activating agent;

a conduit attached to both the first unit and the second unit wherein the conduit provides a means for the activating agent to cause the first plurality of cooling reactants to contact the second plurality of cooling reactants; and

wherein contact between the first plurality of cooling reactants and the second plurality of cooling reactants initiates a reaction that cools the first unit and the second unit and a liquid in proximity to the first unit and the second unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the conduit is a channel between the first unit and the second unit, and wherein the channel is held closed by a seal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the system is placed inside a container containing a liquid under a pressure.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the activating agent causes the seal to open in response to a reduction of the pressure in the container when the container is opened.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first unit and the second unit comprise a pouch, the pouch being separated into the first unit and the second unit by application of a seal between the first unit and the second unit.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the pouch is located inside a container containing the liquid and the seal peels open in response to the container opening.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the pouch is attached outside a container containing the liquid.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the pouch is integrated into a container containing the liquid.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein an activating agent pushes the seal open in response to a drop in pressure within the container caused by opening the container.

10. A system for cooling liquids, comprising:

a container containing a liquid to be cooled;

a pouch device, the pouch device having a first compartment and a second compartment separated by a seal;

the first compartment containing a first cooling reactant and an activating agent;

the second compartment containing a second cooling reactant;

the activating agent causing the seal to peel open in response to the container being opened and the cooling reactants from the first compartment and the second compartment to mix; and

wherein mixing the cooling reactants initiates a reaction that cools the pouch device and the liquid in the container.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the pouch device is located within the container.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the pouch device is located outside the container.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the pouch device is integrated into the container.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the activating agent is a pressurized nitrogen gas.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein a plurality of anti-inflation seals attach the pouch device to the container such that the pouch device is maintained in a flat configuration against the side of the container.

16. A method for cooling a liquid in a container, the method comprising:

inserting a pouch device into the container, the pouch device having a first compartment and a second compartment separated by a seal;

enclosing a first cooling reactant inside the first compartment;

enclosing a second cooling reactant inside the second compartment;

adding an activation means to the pouch device;

opening the container;

activating the activation means; and

mixing the cooling reactants to initiate a reaction that cools the pouch device and the liquid in the container.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the operation of opening the container initiates the activating operation which causes the activation means to act on the seal, peeling the seal open and mixing the cooling reactants.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the liquid in the container is under a pressure.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the activating operation causes the seal to open in response to a reduction of the pressure in the container when the container is opened.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the operation of inserting a pouch device into the container comprises:

placing the pouch device inside the container; and

attaching the pouch device to the container by adding a plurality of anti-inflation seals between the pouch device and the container such that the pouch is maintained in a flat configuration against the side of the container.