Rapid Cooling Dock
A method of and apparatus for accelerating the cooling of at least one beverage can and/or ice tray including at least one body that presents a thermal conductivity, defines a receiving receptacle preferably configured to form a minimum contact surface area of engagement with the can(s) and/or tray, and further including an air compressor operable to cause an airflow adjacent the can(s) and/or tray, so as to promote the accelerated cooling through conduction, and convection within a chilled compartment.
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This U.S. Non-Provisional patent application is a continuation-in-part from U.S. Ser. No. 16/210,556, which claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 15/215,419, which claims benefit of pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/194,293 filed on Jul. 20, 2015, and of the same title, said full disclosures being incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the InventionThe present invention relates generally to methods of and apparatuses for cooling a liquid in a compartment, such as a commercial or residential freezer; and more particularly, to a method of and apparatus for accelerating cooling that utilizes conduction, convection, and/or radiant heat transfer.
Discussion of Prior ArtMethods of cooling a stand-alone liquid, such as a beverage or water, in a residential or commercial grade freezer has long consisted of simply placing the liquid in a container, and placing the container on a flat surface or rack within the freezer. For example, ice trays have been used to cool water, so as to form ice cubs. Due to minimal contact surface area of engagement between the internal surfaces of the freezer and the container, thermal or radiant heat transfer between the outside surface of the container and its surroundings is the predominate method of conventional heat transfer in such systems. Standard beverage cans such as 1-4 shown in
The present invention offers a method of and apparatus for accelerating cooling of a liquid within a freezer that better utilizes conduction, and convection, in addition to conventional radiant heat transfer. The apparatus is preferably formed of a dense, non-reactive, metallic material so as to facilitate conductive heat transfer to a standard, less dense (e.g., aluminum) beverage can, and/or ice tray. The apparatus is configured to increase the contact surface area of engagement with the can and/or tray in comparison to prior art cooling apparatuses, and freezer surfaces. That is to say, the apparatus defines a receptacle that matches at least a portion of the outside profile of the can and/or tray. The apparatus may be a stand-alone dock that is removably placed within a freezer, or it may be integrated with an interior surface (e.g., the bottom floor) of the freezer itself. As such, the invention is useful for cooling aluminum beverage cans and their contents faster than before. By offering more rapid cooling, the invention is further useful for increasing the available storage space in refrigerators, by enabling beverage cans to be stored at room temperature. Where matched with a compatible ice tray, the invention is yet further useful for forming ice cubs faster than conventional ice trays. Lastly, it is appreciated that the dock may be removed from the freezer once cooled, to offer continued cooling as a heat sink outside of the freezer.
The disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following description of the drawings, and detailed description of the various features of the disclosure and the examples included therein.
A preferred embodiment(s) of the invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures of exemplary scale, wherein:
The present invention concerns a method of and apparatus for accelerating the cooling of standard beverage cans (
In operation, the dock 10 is placed in a compartment (e.g., freezer) (not shown) so that its core temperature is caused to lower to that of the air contained in the compartment through conventional refrigeration means understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The can and/or tray is then placed in a matching receptacle 16 defined by the dock and allowed to cool. Accelerated cooling, in comparison to conventional practices, occurs, because of conduction, and in some embodiments forced convection, in addition to normal heat transfer that would occur in the compartment. To promote conduction the dock is preferably formed of a material offering a predetermined thermal conductivity, and mass, such as a metal (e.g., aluminum, aluminum alloy, or more preferably, steel). It is appreciated that the tray may be, likewise, formed of a thermally conductive metal, such as aluminum. The body is preferably treated to prevent rust, corrosion, and other deleterious effects from being placed and stored within the compartment. It is appreciated that other metals offering greater thermal conductivity, corrosive resistance, and/or durability may be used. To promote convection along the side walls of the ice cube receptacles and/or can one or more through holes 18 are preferably defined by the dock, and configured to direct air flow along these areas. In a preferred embodiment, the ice tray defines a flat lowermost region that, in addition to offering stability when not used with the dock, further allows chilled air to flow beneath and adjacent the ice cube receptacles. The dock 10 and tray 14 preferably present chamfered and/or filleted edges so as to facilitate handling, and placement/removal of adjacent items in the freezer.
In an example, the dock may present a width of approximately 8 cm, a maximum height of approximately 3 cm, and a length of approximately 20 cm, so as to facilitate manual handling (e.g., removing from and placement within a freezer, etc.).
The dock 10 has been described as a stand-alone item. Alternatively, it is appreciated that the dock 10 may be integrated with a fixture or otherwise compartment defining surface, for example, a fixed or pull-out shelf, bin, drawer, or the lower floor of a cooling appliance, such as a cooler, merchandiser, freezer, refrigerator, etc. The dock may be uniformly constructed therewith or may be affixed thereto, such that the receptacle composes an inner surface of the compartment. The refrigerator or freezer may be a stand-alone or a walk-in type, and may be commercial or residential. In such permanent configurations, it is appreciated that the extents and mass of the dock may be drastically increased by tying it into the framework or structure of the appliance itself, thereby, enabling multiple dedicated receptacles, and providing greater heat sink ability.
More particularly, the invention includes a rapid cooling dock adapted for use within chilled air encased, enclosed, or otherwise conditioned within a compartment, and for accelerating the cooling of a standard beverage can, wherein the air presents an average temperature less than room temperature. Conventional residential freezer, refrigerator achievable temperatures are suitable for use herein. The can presents an outside surface area, including the side walls, bottom and top caps. The can and the air cooperatively produce a first heat transfer rate from the can and to the air when the can is placed within the air conventionally.
The dock 10 comprises at least one body 12 defining a first surface. The body is generally illustrated as an elongated rectangular cube, with the first surface being a coplanar top surface; however, it is well within the ambit of the invention to use bodies of differing configuration. The first surface defines at least one receptacle 16 for receiving the can and/or ice tray 14. The receptacle 16 is cooperatively configured with the can (e.g., present generally congruent radii of curvature, wherein the “generally” equals, for example, within 3% of each other) to present a contact surface area of engagement with at least 5 percent, more preferably at least 10 percent, and most preferably at least 20 percent of the outside surface area of the can (“outside can surface area”) when the can is placed within the receptacle and the receptacle has been caused to achieve the average temperature of the encased air.
The preferred body presents a mass, density, composition, and thermal conductivity that causes heat transfer from the can and to said at least one body at a second heat transfer rate greater than, more preferably 25 percent greater than, and most preferably 50 percent greater than the first heat transfer rate when the can is placed within the receptacle 16 and said at least one body 12 is at the average temperature.
More preferably, where the can is formed in part by a sidewall having a width, and presents a cylinder defined by a first radius and a first length, the receptacle 16 defines a concavity defined by a second radius generally equal to the first radius plus the width of the sidewall and a second length greater than the first length.
More preferably, and as shown in
In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle 16 defines a complex profile 20 (e.g.,
Continuing in part, and as shown in
This invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments; it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to a particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A rapid cooling dock adapted for use within a compartment producing chilled air encased within the compartment, and for causing a flow of said chilled air adjacent at least one standard beverage can defining a continuous side wall, so as to accelerate the cooling of said at least one can when said at least one can is placed therein, wherein the air presents an average temperature, the temperature produces a first heat transfer rate from said at least one can and to the air when said at least one can is placed within the air, and the flow produces a second and greater heat transfer rate from said at least one can and to the air when said at least one can is placed within the dock, said dock comprising:
- at least one body having a first surface defining a receptacle, said receptacle being configured to enable the placement and removal of said at least one can within the receptacle, said at least one body and said at least one can cooperatively defining at least one channel adjacent said at least one can, when said at least one can is placed within the receptacle; and
- an air compressor fixedly connected to the body, communicatively coupled to said at least one channel, and operable to selectively cause the chilled air to flow adjacent the sidewall of said at least one can, when said at least one can is placed within the receptacle.
2. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one body is tubular, said at least one can is longitudinally placed within the receptacle, and the chilled air flows in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said at least one can.
3. The dock as claimed in claim 2, wherein the body and said at least one can are cooperatively configured to define a gap therebetween when said at least one can is placed within the receptacle, the gap presents a maximum thickness not more than the diameter and not less than two percent of the diameter of said at least one can, and the chilled air is caused to flow within the gap by the compressor.
4. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receptacle is configured to receive a plurality of cans stacked laterally.
5. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body, receptacle, and compressor are configured to cause the chilled air to flow transversely to the longitudinal axis of said at least one can.
6. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressor is operable to cause an airflow of at least 20 CFM.
7. The dock as claimed in claim 1, further including a protective overlay configured to protect the compressor.
8. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second heat transfer rate is at least twenty-five percent greater than the first heat transfer rate.
9. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the can comprises a continuous sidewall, the sidewall presents an outside surface area, the receptacle is cooperatively configured with the sidewall to present a contact surface area of engagement with at least five percent of the outside surface area when the can is placed within the receptacle, and said at least one body presents a mass, density, and thermal conductivity operable to cause a third heat transfer rate greater than the second heat transfer rate when the can is placed within the receptacle and said at least one body is at the average temperature.
10. The dock as claimed in claim 9, wherein the third heat transfer rate is at least fifty percent greater than the first heat transfer rate.
11. The dock as claimed in claim 9, wherein the receptacle is cooperatively configured with the can to present a contact surface area of engagement with at least ten percent of the outside surface area of the can, when the can is placed within the receptacle.
12. The dock as claimed in claim 11, wherein the receptacle is cooperatively configured with the can to present a contact surface area of engagement with at least twenty percent of the outside surface area of the sidewall, when the can is placed within the receptacle.
13. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one body is formed of a metallic material.
14. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one body is treated to prevent rust.
15. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dock is integrated with and cooperatively defines the compartment.
16. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body defines first and second receptacles configured to engage first and second cans comprising sidewalls having differing radii, outside surface areas, and/or lengths respectively, and said first and second receptacles are each configured to form a contact surface area of engagement with at least five percent of the outside surface area of first and second cans having differing radii.
17. The dock as claimed in claim 1,
- said receptacle defining a complex profile, wherein said profile is cooperatively configured with a plurality of cans having differing radii, so as to present a contact surface area of engagement with at least five percent of the outside surface area of each can, when either can is placed within the receptacle.
18. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receptacle is configured to receive an ice cube tray, and the airflow is operable to accelerate the cooling of the tray.
19. A rapid cooling dock adapted for use within a compartment producing chilled air encased within the compartment, and for causing a flow of said chilled air adjacent at least one standard beverage can defining a continuous side wall, so as to accelerate the cooling of said at least one can when said at least one can is placed therein, wherein the air presents an average temperature, the temperature produces a first heat transfer rate from said at least one can and to the air when said at least one can is placed within the air, and the flow produces a second and greater heat transfer rate from said at least one can and to the air when said at least one can is placed within the dock, said dock comprising:
- at least one body presenting a tubular configuration, having a first surface defining a receptacle, said receptacle being configured to enable the placement and removal of said at least one can within the receptacle, said at least one body and said at least one can cooperatively defining at least one channel adjacent said at least one can, when said at least one can is placed within the receptacle;
- an air compressor fixedly connected to the body, communicatively coupled to said at least one channel, and operable to selectively cause the chilled air to flow adjacent the sidewall of said at least one can, when said at least one can is placed within the receptacle; and
- a protective overlay fixedly connected to said at least one body adjacent the compressor.
20. The dock as claimed in claim 19, wherein first and second mated parts compose said at least one body, and are manually separable so as to facilitate can removal.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 26, 2021
Publication Date: Oct 14, 2021
Applicant: (Kansas City, MO)
Inventor: William A. Jacob (Kansas City, MO)
Application Number: 17/241,058