Self-contained beverage cooler

Abstract

A self-contained liquid beverage container chiller utilizing a compressed gaseous coolant discharging through a series of gas coolant carrying tubes arrayed about the interior of the container for chilling drinkable liquids with a straw closure mechanism and easy on/off bottom cap for removing and replenishing the liquid beverage containers.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A portable device for cooling liquid that is self-contained, using a compressible gas that creates a cooling atmosphere around the bottle as well as cooling the actual liquid from within the bottle as withdrawn through a straw.

Portable drink coolers are commonly used to maintain beverages at refrigerated temperatures. Various devices for cooling or maintaining the temperature of beverages have been previously described and used, such as gels and other chemical refrigerants, ice, metallic plates submerged within the beverage, cooling tubes or sticks, vacuum and air gap thermoses, and foam insulative jackets. Additionally, some earlier designs used high pressure gases such as carbon dioxide, but failed to show how to release the gas without danger to the user.

There are a number of problems associated with this approach. For example, ice or similar materials last only for a relatively short period of time and must be continuously replenished. The addition of ice can dilute the beverage with melt water and can alter the taste of the beverage. Moreover, coolant gases such as carbon dioxide are harmful to the environment. In all these cases, the design of the system necessitates that the liquid contents, a separate chamber, or the shell of the container be cooled, which can lead to excessive weight issues in addition to a liquid volume displacement loss within the container. In all of these cooling methods, the temperature of the liquid will tend to an equilibrium point between the temperature of the coolant and the original temperature of the liquid, but the liquid will eventually return to the exterior ambient temperature.

Some of the earlier devices are described in a series of patent disclosures. U.S. Pat. No. 6,952,934 [Lee] discloses a self-cooling liquid container that uses a helical coolant gas tube to control the emitting degrees of the coolant gas thereby controlling the temperature of the beverage and cooling the liquid by evaporation of the coolant gas. However, this device is designed to cool only the liquid; it does not attempt to cool the environment outside the liquid container but within the cooler.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0137244 [Provencher] discloses a cooling tube that lowers the temperature of a beverage as that beverage is drawn through the cooling tube by a user. The cooling material is comprised of water, gel or another suitable freezable substance contained within the tube. The cooling tube is placed into a freezer to chill the cooling material and when the cooling tube is ready to be used the user inserts it into a beverage container. The Provencher invention does not provide a way to cool the environment around the beverage container and requires the insertion of the tube into the actual beverage which can be cumbersome. Moreover, waiting for the coolant in the tube to freeze is time consuming.

Other patents that are directed to similar devices are described as follows. U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,604 [Pier, et al.] discloses a portable, handheld receptacle used for cooling beverages using natural ice as a coolant contained within insulating walls of the receptacle. The Pier invention only cools the environment outside the container for the beverage and does not chill the actual liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,110 [Worsham] discloses a bottle carrier/cooler that allows for a bottle and ice, or other refrigerant, to be placed into the carrier/cooler to keep the beverage cool. The Worsham invention does not have a cooling mechanism for the liquid inside the bottle as it only chills the exterior space surrounding the bottle. Moreover, the Worsham device does not cover the top of the bottle; the cooler only comes up to the neck of the bottle.

The problems that are perceived to exist are that there is no combination of a cooler/chiller that treats both the exterior space surrounding the liquid beverage container as well as the liquid so that the liquid is not cooled sufficiently except after the expiration of some period of time for an exterior chiller to operate effectively. Alternatively, a chiller straw device can only act on the liquid being drawn through it, which restricts the total amount of liquid that can be chilled so that as more liquid is being drawn through the device the temperature of that liquid increases for the reason that the coolant cannot act on the liquid except when the coolant and liquid are in direct contact for some period of time longer than instantaneously. Also, there does not appear to be any chilling mechanism or method for cooperatively chilling the liquid beverage simultaneously with the same coolant chilling the environment immediately surrounding the beverage container. Such apparatus and cooling method would tend to significantly reduce the overall time necessary for an external chiller to bring down the temperature of the liquid beverage operating only from the exterior of the container.

To overcome the problems described above, the present invention uses a disposable gas cylinder with a compressible gas, such as nitrogen, that passes through a system of tubes to cool the environment surrounding the liquid beverage container, as well as a chiller tube or tubes that helically surround the drinking straw inserted into the container and into the liquid beverage to chill the liquid inside the container. The present invention also uses a compressed gas that cools as it expands following release, and which is not harmful to the environment. The invention permits the expanding gas to chill both the overall container into which the liquid beverage container is inserted, as well as the chilling straw inserted directly into the liquid, and incorporates a means for allowing the gas to escape out of the container without harming the user.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling system that releases a cooling gas into the walls of an overall container for providing a cooled environment for a liquid beverage container housed therein, as well as employing tubing carrying the coolant surrounding the drinking straw placed inside the liquid beverage container in order to simultaneously cool the actual liquid; providing a more uniform cooling of the beverage for the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooling system that does not emit harmful gases into the environment. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight ergonomic cooling system for liquid beverages that is easily reusable and retains its cooling for an extended period of time.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a self-contained cooling system for liquid beverages that cools the environment surrounding the liquid beverage container, as well as cooling the liquid itself by releasing a compressed gas through a series of connected tubing that runs along and around the interior the container, also including connected tubing that surrounds the drinking straw to cool the liquid inside the container and as the liquid is being withdrawn through the straw. The container has the appearance of a mug, with a replaceable compressed gas cylinder located within the handle portion of the mug.

The present invention utilizes a disposable compressed gas cylinder, which releases the coolant in gaseous form through a tubing system that discharges the gas to expand throughout the tubing housed within the walls of the mug holding the liquid beverage container providing a cooled atmosphere for the exterior of the container within the mug. The gas, upon triggered release, exits the gas containing pressurized cylinder and enters the heat exchange manifold where it expands through a network of tubing that travels around the interior wall of the mug, chilling the entire interior space of the mug. The gas is permitted to exit from the top portion of the mug through the top cap.

The liquid beverage container fits within the outer shell of the mug. The cooling tubing is housed within the wall surrounding the container cooling it from all sides. The compressed gas cylinder is located within the outer shell of the container, which cylinder can release the coolant gas into the tubes once it is triggered. Additionally, tubing connected to the cooling tubing housed in the mug wall surrounds the drinking straw that extends from the top cap of the mug to the bottom of the liquid beverage container chilling the liquid inside the container, thereby, creating a two-fold chilling effect for the user. The straw is a permanent appliance in the mug and the beverage container is interchangeable through the screw on/off bottom of the mug. The threads for removing or reattaching the bottom cap can be continuous or a bayonet type mounting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a partial cut-away right side view of the liquid beverage cooling system of the present invention showing the compressed gas cylinder and pathway for the coolant gas through the tubing system inside the inner liner of the mug.

FIG. 2 is a partial cut-away left side view of the liquid beverage cooling system of the present invention showing the compressed gas cylinder and pathway for the coolant gas through the tubing system inside the inner liner of the mug, the path of the chiller tubes running along the sides of the drinking straw, and the exit route for the coolant gas through the top end of the mug.

FIG. 3 is a cut away top view of the upper portion of the mug showing the array of positions of the cooling tubes between the inner liner and the outer shell of the mug, the connections between the tubing sections, and the gas exhaust protruding through the top cap of the mug.

FIG. 4 is a partial cut away side view of the top portion of the mug showing the top cap and flip-up straw in the open position.

FIG. 5 is an exploded partial side view of the bottom end of the mug showing the removable bottom cap with cooperating threads for removing and reattaching the bottom cap of the mug.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. The description is not intended in a limiting sense, and is made solely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention. The various features and advantages of the present invention may be more readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, where like numerals refer to like parts or elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a self-contained cooling apparatus 10 for liquid beverages that cools the spatial environment surrounding the liquid beverage container housed within the apparatus, as well as simultaneously direct cooling the liquid beverage, by the release of a compressed gas through a series of gas coolant exchange tubes 26 that run along and around the sidewalls of the container 10 extending almost completely around the container, approximately 330° to 360°, that are housed within an inner liner 14 of the container 10. The container 10 has a shell 12 in the shape of a drinking mug, with a replaceable compressed gas cylinder 22 located within the handle portion of the mug 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, the partial cutaway view affords an interior view of the self-contained cooling system 10. The disposable compressed gas cylinder 22, housed in the handle 13 of the shell 12, releases the cooling gas through a compressed gas feed line 24, which connects to the stainless heat exchange tubes 26. The coolant tubes 26 carry the coolant gas throughout the inner liner 14 surrounding a liquid beverage container 30. The gas coolant tubes 26 surround the container 30 cooling it from all sides. The inner liner 14 is an insulative layer that fits within the outer shell 12 acting as a temperature gradient reflector retaining the internal environment within the mug 10 and the exterior environment outside of the mug.

The compressed gas cylinder 22 is located within the outer shell 12 of the container 10 in the handle portion 13 of the mug. The coolant exits the cylinder 22 when a manually triggered valve (not shown) is engaged entering and circulating through the coolant tubes 26 where the gas coolant expands throughout the tubing 26 traveling around inner liner 14 of the mug 10, chilling the entire interior of the mug 10. The coolant, still in gaseous form, is permitted to exit through the top portion of the mug 10 through an aperture 29 located in the top cap 17.

As an additional chilling mechanism, a pair of chiller tubes 32 (shown in phantom lines) surround the drinking straw 20 to cool the liquid inside the container 30. The drinking straw 20 runs from the top cap 17 of the mug 10 to the bottom of the container 30. The straw 20 is a permanent appliance in the mug 10 and the container 30 is interchangeable through the bottom of the mug 10 by using a screw on/off bottom cap 16.

FIG. 3 shows, with a cutaway view of the top of the mug 10, the coolant dispersal tubes 26. The coolant dispersal tubes 26 are located between the inner liner 14 and the outer shell 12 of the cooling system 10 with the distal end of the tube 26 connecting to the aperture 29 allowing the gas to escape from the container 10. The compressed gas feed line 24 (shown in phantom lines) connects the compressed cylinder 22 to the coolant tubes 26 by fitting 28. The various undulations of the coolant tubes 26 are shown by varying the lines from solid to phantom and back again depicting the traveling of the tubes within the liner 14 from the top of the cooling system 10 to the bottom. In this manner the greatest surface area is being covered by the coolant tubes to achieve the desired temperature reduction within the mug 10.

Referring to FIG. 4, an enlarged view of the top portion of the container 10, the top cap 17 and a flip-up straw cap or valve 19 is shown in the open position. The flex straw 20 exits the container 10 and is engaged and disengaged by use of the straw cap or valve 19. The straw 20 also extends downward into the container 30, shown here as a bottle. The flex straw 20 protrudes from within the bottle 30 and through the top cap 17 of the mug 10. The straw cap 19 folds down to seal off the straw 20 and is designed to fit within a curved extension on the top of the cap 17. Also shown is the top of the container or bottle 30 that is pressed against the inside of the top cap 17 of the mug 10 so that liquid does not leak from within the container. A sealing mechanism, such as a gasket 23, is shown on the underside of the cap assembly to provide the anti-leaking mechanism.

FIG. 5 shows, in an exploded view of the bottom of the mug 10, the bottom cap 16 separated from the mug 10. The bottom cap 16 is removed to insert or remove the liquid beverage container 30. To properly secure the bottom cap 16 to the mug 10 circumferential threads 34 may be used with cooperating threads on both the shell 12 of the mug 10 and the inner surface of the bottom cap 16. An alternative method of attachment of the bottom cap 16 can be a bayonet mounting with the appropriately configured extensions and receivers. When engaged the bottom cap 16 holds the liquid beverage container in a fixed position within the mug 10, upward and tightly against the sealing means 23, so that liquid cannot spill in the interior of the mug 10. Further, with the bottom cap 16 securely in place, the interior space of mug 10 is completely insulated from the external environment so that the gaseous coolant can effectively chill the contents.

Thus, when the gas coolant is permitted to flow from the cylinder 22 and through the coolant tubes 26, the interior space of the mug 10, along with the liquid beverage container 30 placed therein, will be chilled accordingly. As an added cooling effect, the drinking straw 20 has small diameter tubes 32 with the coolant gas contained therein, along the length of the straw 20 that is inserted into the container 30. When the straw 20 is engaged (opened) by flipping upward the valve closure 19 on the top 17 of the mug 10, liquid can be drawn upward into the straw 20 and that liquid is chilled further by the heat transfer effect between the liquid and the coolant tubes 32 on the exterior of the straw 20. In this manner, when the liquid beverage reaches the drinker, it is sufficiently chilled to afford a pleasing, cooling effect on the drinker.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as being illustrative and not restrictive, with the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing detailed description, as indicating the scope of the invention as well as all modifications which may fall within a range of equivalency which are also intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. A self-contained cooling system for beverages using compressible gas releasable through a series of gas exchange tubes that run along the front, back and sides of a container to cool the exterior of a bottle and chiller tubes running on both sides of a drinking straw inside the bottle to cool the liquid contained within the bottle.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the compressible gas is located within the outer shell of the container which releases the coolant in gaseous form into the tubes once it is engaged.

3. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the container has an inner liner which contains the bottled beverage, which fits into an outer shell.

4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the gas exchange tubes are located between the inner liner and outer shell of the container and cover 330-360 degrees of the inner liner space.

5. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the top end of the container has a flexible drinking straw which enters into the bottle to allow the user to drink the beverage.

6. A self-contained cooling system for beverages using compressible gas releasable through a series of gas exchange tubes to cool the exterior of a bottle and having a top cap located at the top end of the container and a bottom cap at the bottom end of the container.

7. The self-contained cooling system of claim 6, wherein the top cap contains a heat exchange manifold, a flip-up cap and an aperture which allows the coolant gas to escape once it has passed through the gas exchange tubes.

8. The self-contained cooling system of claim 6, wherein the bottom cap is removable to insert or remove a bottle.

9. The self-contained cooling system of claim 6, wherein the threads of the bottom cap can be continuous or bayonet mount.