Rapid Beverage Chilling Apparatus

A rapid beverage chilling apparatus includes an inner reservoir, an electrical compartment, an impeller, a control wire cord, an outer reservoir, and a plurality of attachments. The inner reservoir includes a concentrically positioned beverage cavity and a plurality of drain holes. The electrical compartment, which includes a battery and a motor, is electrically connected with the wire cord. The electrical compartment also connected with the impeller and connected within the beverage cavity by the plurality of attachments. In order to chill a beverage container, the beverage container has to be positioned within the beverage cavity and placed on top of the impeller. When the rapid beverage chilling apparatus is switched on, the battery powers the motor which rotates the impeller. The impeller transports cold water from the outer reservoir, through the plurality of drain holes, into the beverage cavity to chill the beverage container.

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Description

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/510,986 filed on Jul. 23, 2011. The current application is filed in the U.S. on Jul. 23, 2012 while Jul. 22, 2012 was on a weekend.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally an apparatus for rapidly cooling beverages in containers from room temperature to a desired temperature level. More specifically, the present invention utilizes a flow of chilled water to cool the beverage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most beverages, such as soda, beer, and water, consume by many people in the present society, and most of consumers' prefer to drink those beverages as cold beverages. Refrigerators and portable ice coolers use to chill beverage containers so that the cold beverages can be obtained anywhere. The refrigerators and the portable ice coolers have one main concern when it comes to chilling beverage containers. The refrigerators and the portable ice coolers can't chill the beverage containers at a rapid speed. Because of that, consumers often have to wait until the beverage is cold enough or add ice cubes in the beverage so that the beverage can be consumed at a cold stage. Waiting for a long time waste valuable time of the consumers and putting the ice cubes dilute the beverage by negatively affecting the flavor. As a solution for the above problems, the present invention allows the consumers to rapidly chill the beverage containers so that the consumers don't have to waste their valuable time waiting or comprise the flavor of the beverage. The present invention chills each of the beverage containers to a desired temperature within a short amount of time, once the beverage containers are placed within the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an outer reservoir of present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross section view of the FIG. 1, showing the inside components.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the present invention without the outer reservoir.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the present invention without the outer reservoir.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the present invention without the outer reservoir.

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the present invention without the outer reservoir.

FIG. 7 is a detail scale view of the control wire cord of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the present invention without the outer reservoir.

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the inner reservoir of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of an electrical compartment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the electrical compartment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross section view of the FIG. 11, showing the inside components.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the impeller of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the impeller of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the impeller of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross section view of the FIG. 15.

 DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is a beverage cooling apparatus that comprises an inner reservoir 1, an electrical compartment 2, an impeller 3, a control wire cord 4, an outer reservoir 5, and a plurality of attachments 6. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the outer reservoir 5 is made from an insulating plastic material. In reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, any type of insulated container that is bigger than the inner reservoir 1 can be considered as the outer reservoir 5. The control wire cord 4 is connected to the electrical compartment 2, and the electrical compartment 2 is connected with the impeller 3 and positioned inside the inner reservoir 1. In order for the present invention to function, the inner reservoir 1 has to be placed within the outer reservoir 5 and the outer reservoir 5 has to be filled with ice cubes and some amount of water. The impeller 3 in the present invention pumps cold water through the inner reservoir 1 and cools a beverage container.

In reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 9 the inner reservoir 1 comprises a plurality of drain holes 11, a beverage cavity 12, a base 13, and a plurality of attachment holes 14. The inner reservoir is made from hard plastic or any other kind of corrosion free materials that can withstand constant pressure. The beverage cavity 12 is concentrically positioned within the inner reservoir 1. The beverage cavity 12 is a recessed space on the top of the inner reservoir 1 that is shaped correspondingly to the shape of the beverage container. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the beverage cavity 12 is cylindrically shaped. The beverage cavity 12 is not limited only to the cylindrical shape and can be other shapes such as rectangular, triangular, or any other geometric shape. The beverage container that needs to be chilled is placed within the beverage cavity 12.

The plurality of drain holes 11 is traversed though the inner reservoir 1 from the bottom. The plurality of drain holes 11 is positioned around the inner reservoir 1, and the plurality of drain holes 11 allows cold water to enter into the inner reservoir 1. Since the plurality of drain holes 11 is much smaller than the ice cubes, the cold water penetrates into the inner reservoir 1 but the ice cubes do not enter into the inner reservoir 1.

The base 13 is positioned below the plurality of drain holes 11 and connected to the inner reservoir 1 from the bottom. The weight of the base 13 is considerably higher than all of the other components in the present invention so that the base 13 provides a stable platform for the inner reservoir 1. The plurality of attachment holes 14 is traversed through the base 13 where each of the plurality of attachment holes 14 is ninety degrees apart and equally spaced between each other.

The electrical compartment 2 is a hermetically sealed compartment which comprises a motor 21, a shaft 22, a plurality of compartment holes 23, and a battery 24. The plurality of compartment holes 23 is positioned on the bottom of the electrical compartment 2. In reference to FIG. 10, each of the plurality of compartment holes 23 is a cavity where the each of the plurality of compartment holes 23 is ninety degrees apart and equally spaced between each other. In reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 8, the plurality of compartment holes 23 is concentrically aligned with the plurality of attachment holes 14, and the plurality of attachments 6 traverses through the plurality of attachment holes 14 and into the plurality of compartment holes 23. The plurality of attachments 6 hermetically attaches the electrical compartment 2 into the base 13. In reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the battery 24 and the motor 21 are positioned within the electrical compartment 2. The battery 24 is adjacently positioned with the plurality of compartment holes 23 and the motor 21 is positioned above the battery 24. The battery 24 is electrically connected with the motor 21 where the battery 24 functions as the power source for the motor 21. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a 12 volt rechargeable battery is used as the battery 24. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, different voltage rechargeable batteries can be used as the battery 24. The shaft 22 is a rotatable component which traverses out of the motor 21. The shaft 22 is inserted through the electrical compartment 2 and connected with the impeller 3.

In reference to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the impeller 3 comprises a plurality of fins 31, a top surface 32, an inside surface 34, and an outer rim 35. The impeller is made from hard plastic or any other kind of corrosion free materials that can withstand constant rotational movements. The top surface 32 and the inside surface 34 are adjacently and oppositely positioned from each other. The top surface 32 comprises an outer edge 33 which securely keeps the beverage container on the middle of the top surface 32 by not allowing the beverage container to move around in the top surface 32. The top surface 32 is shaped into a slight dome so that the beverage container can be firmly positioned over the top surface 32 since most beverage containers have a round container bottom. The outer rim 35 is positioned around the top surface 32 and the inside surface 34 and extends towards the base 13 creating a hollow space inside of the impeller 3. In reference to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the outer rim 35 comprises a first outer rim 36 and a second outer rim 37 where the first outer rim 36 is larger than the second outer rim 37. The first outer rim 36 is adjacently positioned with the top surface 32 while the second outer rim 37 is adjacently positioned with the base 13. The electrical compartment 2 is centrally placed within the hollow space where the shaft 22 is concentrically connected with the inside surface 34, connecting the motor 21 with the impeller 3. In reference to FIG. 5, the plurality of fins 31 is equally spaced and positioned around the outer rim 35 at a 45 degree angle. Clearance space between the base 13 and the outer rim 35 is kept to a minimum distance so that the present invention is able to transfer a low level of cold water into the beverage cavity 12.

In reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the control wire cord 4 comprises a first end 44, a second end 45, a switch 41, a timer 43, a variable speed controller unit 46, and a power connector 42. The first end 44 is electrically connected with the electrical compartment 2. The switch 41, the timer 43, the variable speed controller unit 46, and the power connector 42 are electrically connected to the control wire cord 4 from the second end 45. The switch 41 allows the users to turn on and turn off the present invention by turning the switch 41 into an on position and an off position. The power connector 42 allows the users to recharge the battery 24 when the battery 24 is depleted. To recharge the depleted battery 24, users need to connect the power connecter with a correct power outlet. The users can set a specific amount of time on the present invention through the timer 43 so that the motor 21 can be stopped after the specific amount of time. Since different beverage containers contain different sizes, the variable speed controller unit 46 allows the users to control the rotational speed of the motor 21. For example, a smaller beverage container requires slower rotational speed compare to a bigger beverage container because of the weight difference of the beverage containers. The users are able to select the desired speed of the motor 21 through the variable speed controller unit 46.

Once the beverage container is placed within the beverage cavity 12, the beverage container sits on the top surface 32 of the impeller 3. Since some beverage containers have less buoyancy than others, those beverage containers may be unable to rotate within the beverage cavity 12, because those beverage containers do not sit on the top surface 32. By adding a rotational component between the floating beverage container and the top surface 32, any type of beverage containers can be rotated within the beverage cavity 12 for quicker chilling. The users of the present invention can activate the present invention by turning the switch 41 into the on position. When the present invention is activated, the battery 24 provides the necessary power to the motor 21, which rotates the impeller 3 within the beverage cavity 12. The rotation of the impeller 3 also rotates the beverage container within the beverage cavity 12 with respect to the beverage container's longitudinal axes for effective chilling. The output of the impeller 3 rotation pulls the cold water out from the outer reservoir 5 through the plurality of drain holes 11 and creates a whirling flow of cold water within the beverage cavity 12 that is also known as a whirlpool effect. The velocity of the cold water increases when the cold water travels from the second outer rim 37 of the impeller 3 to the first outer rim 36 of the impeller 3 creating a jet effect. The velocity difference takes place inside the beverage cavity 12 because the area between the first outer rim 36 and the beverage cavity 12 is smaller than the area between second outer rim 37 and the beverage cavity 12. Since the whirling flow of cold water continually flows through the beverage cavity 12, the beverage container rapidly cools down into lower temperatures due to the increase velocity of the cold water. When the whirling flow of cold water from the inner reservoir 1 envelops the beverage container, the cold water draws heat from the beverage container for a predetermined time period to effectively chill the beverage container. The predetermined time period for chilling a specific beverage container is dependent on the composition, the volume, the container material, and the desired temperature level of the beverage. Since the inner reservoir 1 only has one beverage cavity 12, the cold water over flows the inner reservoir 1 from the top. Then the overflowed water from the top of the inner reservoir 1 travels back into the outer reservoir 5 to be cycled. The heat from the beverage container is exchanged through the beverage container walls to the cold water as the cold water is cycled. As a result, the temperature of the beverage is lowered. This temperature exchange occurs rapidly due to the constant rotation of the beverage container within the beverage cavity 12 and the whirlpool effect of the cold water.

To ensure the ice and water in the present invention remains chilled, the present invention may optionally comprise of a cover to prevent any external heat from entering the outer reservoir 5 and the inner reservoir 1. As a result, the beverage chiller can be placed in a completely insulated environment for optimal cooling.

The inner reservoir 1 in the present invention may optionally have a downspout which may comprise a spout rim and a plurality of down spout cavities. The spout rim can be an angular rim which may comprise a higher end rim and lower end rim where the higher end rim can be positioned inside of the lower end rim. Due to the positioning of the higher end rim and the lower end rim, a downward slope can be created from the higher end rim to the lower end rim. The spout rim may be traversed through the inner reservoir 1 just below the top where the higher end rim can be positioned within the inner reservoir 1, and the lower end rim can be positioned outside of the inner reservoir 1. The spout rim can catch the splashing cold water from the present invention so that the cold water can be drained back into the outer reservoir 5. The plurality of down spout cavities allows the cold water to drain into the outer reservoir 5. The plurality of down spout cavities can be adjacently positioned with the spout rim from above and below. Due to the positioning of the higher end rim and the lower end rim, the plurality of down spouts can be hidden within the present invention to create an aesthetically pleasing look.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A rapid beverage chilling apparatus comprises,

an inner reservoir;
an electrical compartment;
an impeller;
a control wire cord;
an outer reservoir;
a plurality of attachments;
the inner reservoir comprises a plurality of drain holes, a beverage cavity, a base, and a plurality of attachment holes;
the electrical compartment comprises a motor, a shaft, a plurality of compartment holes, and a battery;
the impeller being centrally connected with the electrical compartment;
the electrical compartment being attached to the inner reservoir by the plurality of attachments;
the control wire cord being connected to the electrical compartment; and
the inner reservoir being positioned within the outer reservoir.

2. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the beverage cavity being concentrically positioned within the inner reservoir;
the plurality of drain holes being traversed through the inner reservoir from the bottom;
the base being positioned below the plurality of drain holes and connected to the inner reservoir; and
the plurality of attachment holes being concentrically traversed through the base.

3. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the plurality of compartment holes being positioned on the electrical compartment from the bottom;
the battery being located within the electrical compartment and positioned above the plurality of compartment holes;
the motor being located within the electrical compartment and positioned above the battery;
the battery being electrically connected with the motor;
the shaft being movably connected to the motor and positioned above the motor; and
the shaft being inserted through the electrical compartment.

4. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the plurality of compartment holes being aligned with the plurality of attachment holes; and
the plurality of attachments being inserted into the plurality of compartment holes through the plurality of attachment holes.

5. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the impeller comprises a plurality of fins, a top surface, an inside surface, and an outer rim;
the top surface being positioned above the inside surface and comprises an outer edge;
the outer edge being connected around the top surface;
the outer rim being positioned around the top surface and the inside surface;
the plurality of fins being equally spaced around the outer rim;
the plurality of fins being connected to the outer rim; and
the inside surface being concentrically connected with the shaft.

6. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 5 comprises,

the outer rim comprises a first outer rim and a second outer rim;
the first outer rim being larger than the second outer rim; and
the first outer rim being adjacently positioned with the outer edge and the second outer rim being positioned below the first outer rim.

7. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the control wire cord comprises a first end, a second end, a switch, a timer, a variable speed controller unit, and a power connector;
the first end being electrically connected with electrical compartment;
the switch, the timer, the variable speed controller unit, and the power connector being connected to the second end;
the switch being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end;
the variable speed controller unit being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end;
the timer being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end; and
the power connector being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end.

8. A rapid beverage chilling apparatus comprises,

an inner reservoir;
an electrical compartment;
an impeller;
a control wire cord;
an outer reservoir;
a plurality of attachments;
the inner reservoir comprises a plurality of drain holes, a beverage cavity, a base, and a plurality of attachment holes;
the electrical compartment comprises a motor, a shaft, a plurality of compartment holes, and a battery;
the impeller comprises a plurality of fins, a top surface, an inside surface, and an outer rim;
the control wire cord comprises a first end, a second end, a switch, a timer, and a power connector;
the impeller being centrally connected with the electrical compartment;
the electrical compartment being attached to the inner reservoir by the plurality of attachments;
the control wire cord being connected to the electrical compartment; and
the inner reservoir being positioned within the outer reservoir.

9. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 8 comprises,

the beverage cavity being concentrically positioned within the inner reservoir;
the plurality of drain holes being traversed through the inner reservoir from the bottom;
the base being positioned below the plurality of drain holes and connected to the inner reservoir; and
the plurality of attachment holes being concentrically traversed through the base.

10. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 8 comprises,

the plurality of compartment holes being positioned on the electrical compartment from the bottom;
the battery being located within the electrical compartment and positioned above the plurality of compartment holes;
the motor being located within the electrical compartment and positioned above the battery;
the battery being electrically connected with the motor;
the shaft being movably connected to the motor and positioned above the motor; and
the shaft being inserted through the electrical compartment.

11. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 8 comprises,

the plurality of compartment holes being aligned with the plurality of attachment holes; and
the plurality of attachments being inserted into the plurality of compartment holes through the plurality of attachment holes.

12. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 8 comprises,

the top surface being positioned above the inside surface and comprises an outer edge;
the outer edge being connected around the top surface;
the outer rim being positioned around the top surface and the inside surface;
the plurality of fins being equally spaced around the outer rim;
the plurality of fins being connected to the outer rim; and
the inside surface being concentrically connected with the shaft.

13. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 12 comprises,

the outer rim comprises a first outer rim and a second outer rim;
the first outer rim being larger than the second outer rim; and
the first outer rim being adjacently positioned with the outer edge and the second outer rim being positioned below the first outer rim.

14. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 8 comprises,

the control wire cord comprises a first end, a second end, a switch, a timer, a variable speed controller unit, and a power connector;
the first end being electrically connected with electrical compartment;
the switch, the timer, the variable speed controller unit, and the power connector being connected to the second end;
the switch being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end;
the variable speed controller unit being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end;
the timer being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end; and
the power connector being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end.

15. A rapid beverage chilling apparatus comprises,

an inner reservoir;
an electrical compartment;
an impeller;
a control wire cord;
an outer reservoir;
a plurality of attachments;
the inner reservoir comprises a plurality of drain holes, a beverage cavity, a base, and a plurality of attachment holes;
the electrical compartment comprises a motor, a shaft, a plurality of compartment holes, and a battery;
the impeller comprises a plurality of fins, a top surface, an inside surface, and an outer rim;
the control wire cord comprises a first end, a second end, a switch, a timer, and a power connector;
the impeller being centrally connected with the electrical compartment;
the electrical compartment being attached to the inner reservoir by the plurality of attachments;
the control wire cord being connected to the electrical compartment; and
the inner reservoir being positioned within the outer reservoir.

16. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 15 comprises,

the beverage cavity being concentrically positioned within the inner reservoir;
the plurality of drain holes being traversed through the inner reservoir from the bottom;
the base being positioned below the plurality of drain holes and connected to the inner reservoir; and
the plurality of attachment holes being concentrically traversed through the base.

17. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 15 comprises,

the plurality of compartment holes being positioned on the electrical compartment from the bottom;
the battery being located within the electrical compartment and positioned above the plurality of compartment holes;
the motor being located within the electrical compartment and positioned above the battery;
the battery being electrically connected with the motor;
the shaft being movably connected to the motor and positioned above the motor;
the shaft being inserted through the electrical compartment;
the plurality of compartment holes being aligned with the plurality of attachment holes; and
the plurality of attachments being inserted into the plurality of compartment holes through the plurality of attachment holes.

18. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 15 comprises,

the top surface being positioned above the inside surface and comprises an outer edge;
the outer edge being connected around the top surface;
the outer rim being positioned around the top surface and the inside surface;
the plurality of fins being equally spaced around the outer rim;
the plurality of fins being connected to the outer rim; and
the inside surface being concentrically connected with the shaft.

19. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 18 comprises,

the outer rim comprises a first outer rim and a second outer rim;
the first outer rim being larger than the second outer rim; and
the first outer rim being adjacently positioned with the outer edge and the second outer rim being positioned below the first outer rim.

20. The rapid beverage chilling apparatus claimed in claim 15 comprises,

the control wire cord comprises a first end, a second end, a switch, a timer, a variable speed controller unit, and a power connector;
the first end being electrically connected with electrical compartment;
the switch, the timer, the variable speed controller unit, and the power connector being connected to the second end;
the switch being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end;
the variable speed controller unit being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end;
the timer being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end; and
the power connector being electrically connected with the control wire cord from the second end.
Patent History
Publication number: 20130019630
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 23, 2012
Publication Date: Jan 24, 2013
Inventor: George Andrew BUSBY (Tierra Verde, FL)
Application Number: 13/555,608
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Gas Forcing Means, E.g., Cooler Unit (62/426)
International Classification: F25D 31/00 (20060101); F25D 17/06 (20060101);