Patent Application
20230003439
The technology discussed below relates generally to a beverage cooling device, and more particularly, a device for mounting on containers to expedite the cooling of a beverage within the container.
Beverages of all kinds are often more desirable when consumed at cold temperatures. Such beverages are often distributed in and consumed from beverage containers, but these beverages are not always obtained at a cold temperature; and even if obtained when cold, their containers typically offer little to no insulation for maintaining the cold temperatures desired by consumers. Furthermore, refrigeration of the beverage containers in a refrigerator or cooler can take a substantial amount of time.
Beverage containers can be more rapidly cooled by exposure to cooled gas or liquid in motion. For example, a beverage container can be submerged into a drum containing a supercooled liquid that is pumped to flow around the beverage container. However, as with the refrigerator or portable cooler, consumers must be near the drum, ready to consume the beverage before the poorly insulated beverage container allows the temperature to rise. In addition, supercooled liquid is often expensive to procure and maintain at desired temperature, and the pump can be costly to run and keep in service.
Manual rotation of beverage containers in a suitable cooling medium, such as ice water, can be an effective solution, speeding up the cooling process. However, this can be time consuming and inefficient because it is difficult to obtain, and maintain a high rotation speed. Motorized rotational devices have been developed to assist in the rapid chilling of beverage containers; for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 10,034,565 for several such devices developed by the applicant of this document. However, there remains room for improvement and advancement in such devices' functionality and performance.
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects of the present disclosure, in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
This disclosure describes and enables a beverage cooling device that rotates or spins a beverage container in a cooling medium (e.g., ice), to provide rapid cooling of the contents of canned or bottled beverages. In some embodiments, the beverage cooling device is a hand held, buoyant, water tight device that easily engages the top of a can, bottle, or other suitable beverage container. The beverage cooling device includes a housing for a motor, and an attached container engagement member for engaging or holding the beverage container. The container engagement member is coupled to the motor and rotatably engaged with the housing, such that the container engagement member is able to freely rotate relative to the housing. The container engagement member may be attached to a drive shaft of the motor such that it is able to rotate when the motor is actuated. In some examples, the motor is actuated by an on/off switch or button. The motor rotates the container engagement member when actuated, thus enabling the rotation of an engaged bottle, can, or other container. Rapid rotation of the beverage container in contact with a chilling substance such as ice or ice water results in a rapid chilling of the contents of the beverage container.
These and other aspects of the invention will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows. Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific, exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features of the present invention may be discussed relative to certain embodiments and figures below, all embodiments of the present invention can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various embodiments of the invention discussed herein. In similar fashion, while exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as device, system, or method embodiments it should be understood that such exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.
The invention may be better understood by referring to the following figures.
The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.
Further, a plurality of divots 112 are radially spaced about a circumference of the side wall 106; and each divot 112 extends approximately from the upper end 110 to the lower end 108. The divots 112 further extend into the side wall 106 to define a concavely curved profile, allowing for ergonomic interaction between a user's fingers and the side wall 16 by way of the divots 112. In addition, the divots 112 allow for engagement with a cold medium (e.g. ice) so as to reduce or prevent rotation of the housing 102 and, combined with the buoyant properties of the housing 102, to maintain a stable posture during operation. As illustrated in
A power button 114 is located on the side wall 106 within one of the plurality of divots 112 for on/off actuation of the motor (not shown). As illustrated in
Additional features of the present invention are contemplated. For example, the top wall 104 may carry a number of indicia, or a label, or branding, or ornamentation, or a screen or display, or a pattern, or lights (e.g., LED lights), or a hook onto which a tether may be fastened, or a transmitter or a receiver. It is contemplated that the divots 112 may be shaped differently than as depicted herein, disposed at a different angle, and differently sized. In the present example, there are five divots 112, but it is contemplated that there may be any number of divots 112 disposed along the side wall 106 of the housing 102. For example, there may be three, four, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more divots 112 provided on the housing 102, to improve grip and stability during operation. It is further contemplated that the housing may take any other suitable form or shape that provides for engagement with a cooling medium, not being limited to a form that includes divots as described herein. It is contemplated that the power button 114 and the plug 116 may be located elsewhere on the housing 102, such as on the top wall 104 or on the side wall 106 between the divots 112. It is further contemplated that the power button 114 and the plug 116 may be spaced apart from the housing 102 along a tether or cord (not shown). In some aspects, the beverage cooling device 100 may be controlled remotely via an internet or Bluetooth® connection with a controller or a smart phone.
In the present example, the drive ring 132 is annularly disposed along the lower end 108 and extends or projects inward from the lower end 108 at a downward angle relative to the top wall 104. The drive ring 132 carries a plurality of teeth 134 that connect to a plurality of ramps 136 spaced radially apart therealong. The plurality of teeth 134 and the plurality of ramps 136 are disposed adjacent one another, such that each tooth 134 is positioned adjacent each ramp 136. In the present example, the plurality of teeth 134 and the plurality of ramps 136 extend inwardly as inward projections into a receptacle 138 defined within the chassis 130, with each ramp 136 sloping inwardly toward each tooth 134 and each tooth 134 extending farther inwardly toward the rotation axis A and into the receptacle 138 than each ramp 136.
With continued reference to
In addition, due to its geometry and material, the chuck 150 can accommodate beverage containers of varying materials, such as, e.g., glass, metal or metal alloy, cardboard, polymeric, composite, or any other material suitable for containing a beverage. That is, some implementations of a beverage cooling device according to the aspects and features disclosed herein may be capable of securely gripping and spinning a wide range of beverage container shapes and sizes, such as a small, rectangular cardboard juice box, a long-neck glass bottle, a cylindrical aluminum can, and/or many other sizes, shapes, and materials.
Further, the chuck 150 may be designed to resiliently return to its original shape, to be water resistant and quick-drying, to be easily cleaned, to remain sanitary, to withstand exposure to wide-ranging temperatures for prolonged periods, to provide sufficient friction and sealing function with a container so as to maintain a firm grip while being submersed in liquid or gaseous mediums, or a combination thereof, and to have appealing aesthetic or optical properties. For example, the chuck 150 may have multiple colorations or patterns thereon, or may contain phosphor that can be energized by exposure to light to allow some or all of the chuck 150 to radiate visible light in the dark (e.g., glow in the dark), or the chuck 150 may be partially or entirely transparent or translucent.
Referring to
As illustrated in
Each spring 162 has a spring force that can be manipulated by the particular geometry, thickness, and material selected. In combination, the spring force of each spring 162 compounds to cause compression (e.g., symmetrical compression) of a beverage container inserted into the mouth 160 of the chuck 150. In some examples, a non-linear spring constant may be desired, such that the insertion force (i.e., the force required to insert a beverage container into the mouth 160) remains relatively constant from start to finish. However, in other examples, a linear spring constant may be utilized, such that the amount of insertion force may vary linearly as a function of deformation or deflection distance of the springs 162. In a similar fashion, the tube 152 may be generally frusto-conical to define a narrowing inner diameter and, thus, a narrowing mouth 160. Likewise, the springs 162 may have inwardly facing walls that are angled relative to the rotational axis A, such that the springs 162 project farther outwardly from the outer surface 158 of the tube 152 near the flared lip 154.
Turning back to the present example illustrated in
As illustrated in
With continued reference to
Still referring to
Turning to
Because the chuck 150, including the tabs 198 and the hooks 200, may be formed of an elastic polymer material offering substantial flexibility, a user can manipulate the tabs 198 and the hooks 200 as needed to facilitate assembly with the chassis 130. However, because the material properties of the chuck 150 also include substantial resilience, the chuck 150 is securely fastened to the chassis 130, even against forces experienced during rotation of the chuck 150 during use and during repeated insertion and removal of a beverage container. In this manner, and in combination with its unique geometry, the chuck 150 is designed to grip, spin, and release a variety of beverage containers, while further being adapted for use within a variety of cooling mediums.
As illustrated in
Further, the outer gap 166 may also be reduced by the outward expansion of the outer surface 158 of the tube 152, but potentially, to a lesser extent than the inner gap 164. Accordingly, the outer gap 166 may leave room for further expansion or deformation or even asymmetrical expansion of deformation of the chuck 150. In this way, the chuck 150 may be configured to accommodate various sizes of beverage containers 300, or even irregularly shaped beverage containers 300.
Further, each spring 402 is configured to exert a compressive force, i.e., a gripping force, when the beverage container 300 is inserted. In some examples, a non-linear spring constant may be desired, such that the insertion force remains relatively constant from start to finish. However, in other examples, a linear spring constant may be utilized, such that the amount of insertion force may vary linearly as a function of a deformation or deflection distance of the springs 162. For example, each inner wall 404 may be sloped or tapered in a direction parallel to the rotation axis A to provide a discontinuous frusto-conical aperture into which the beverage container 300 can be received, thereby gradually increasing the compressive force. Each of the springs 402 may be radially symmetrically spaced about the hub 172, when installed within the chassis 130 of the beverage cooling device 100. In this manner, each of the springs 402 is configured to be rotatably coupled to the motor (not shown) via the drive shaft 176, thereby imparting the rotation to the beverage container 300 when installed.
Within the present disclosure, the word “exemplary” is used to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation or aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects of the disclosure. Likewise, the term “aspects” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. The term “coupled” is used herein to refer to the direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically touches object B, and object B touches object C, then objects A and C may still be considered coupled to one another—even if they do not directly physically touch each other. For instance, a first object may be coupled to a second object even though the first object is never directly physically in contact with the second object.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. A phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b and c. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the invention has been described above in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure and claims. The entire disclosure of each patent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as if each such patent or publication were individually incorporated by reference herein.
