Abstract: For the purpose of automatically vending cups of cold drinks, ice being directly put into a cup, source powder or a concentrated source liquid, and cold water are required for mixture. Ice is made by an ice making machine. Cold water is prepared by cooling city water with ice made by the ice making machine. To that end, a cylinder for stocking ice formed of apertures at a portion of the peripheral wall thereof for allowing a flow of the water therethrough and a cold water tank for storing cold water around the cylinder are provided. Ice made by the ice making machine is selectively supplied into a cup for vending or into the ice storing cylinder for the cold water. The cold water is held in the cold water tank and is withdrawn through the ice storing cylinder while the same is in contact with the ice stored therein. The cold water is mixed with the source powder or the concentrated source liquid and the mixture is guided to a cup together with the ice.

Abstract: A cold plate system for an ice dispenser is characterized by an ice pan in communication with a potable ice hopper through an ice feed conduit. A cold plate is in the ice pan, and the arrangement is such that ice in the hopper is transported through the conduit to the ice pan to surround the cold plate. This maintains the ice in the hopper free from any contamination by the cold plate and in a sterile condition for dispensing into beverages, yet ensures that the cold plate will be continuously surrounded by ice, without manual intervention, to properly cool beverages flowing therethrough.

Abstract: A device for chilling fluids includes a cooling chamber for containing cooling media such as ice or the like. The wall of the cooling chamber includes a mounting arm for supporting a container of fluid generally in an inverted position. A fluid conduit is positioned within the cooling chamber in contact with the cooling media. The fluid conduit includes a removable coupler at its upper end for coupling the open end of the fluid container to the conduit and a check valve to prevent accidental spilling of the container. The lower end of the conduit includes a valve to allow selective flow of fluid from the container into the conduit for cooling and out through the valve into a suitable receptacle such as a drinking glass. In an alternate embodiment, the cooling chamber is generally rectangular in shape and the fluid conduit comprises a thin, sloping heat exchange element mounted within the cooling chamber.

Abstract: A heat exchanger-canister combination, the canister being used to hold a solid state refrigerant absorbing heat from a circulating fluid heated at a relatively remote source, the walls of the canister being used to transfer heat into the contained refrigerant.

Abstract: A container adapted to receive a beer keg includes a cup-like top section fitting telescopically into the upper portion of a cup-like bottom section having a ring-like rim rolled at opposite points to provide handles. The rim has pairs of slots therethrough for binding straps and also has holes for binding ropes. Each section has an outer skin of a tough plastic with inner and outer walls with the spaces between the walls filled with a plastic foam. The sections are adapted to nest in each other for shipping and handling, and the bottom section has lugs designed to engage the rim of the top section. The top section has an elliptical bung hole to provide access to bungs of different makes of kegs, and a tubular stack may be fitted therein to retain ice for cooling and sealing. The bottom section has a bung access hole in its side which can be sealed by a truncated hollow ball having an opening to receive a tap connected to a lower bung of a keg.

Abstract: A beer keg container of insulating material, such as styrofoam, subdivided into three parts, a lid with a hole through which the shaft of the tap extends, an upper half, and a bottom half, which halves are detachably connected by an interlocking joint. The bottom half is reinforced with a wire basket having handles to facilitate carrying of the insulating container and enclosed beer keg. The diameter of the beer keg is smaller and spaced from the inner diameter of the container so that the space therebetween may be packed with ice cubes or crushed ice to keep the beer keg cold.