Individuals who want to quickly chill a beverage in a beverage container are known to place the beverage container directly and loosely within the freezer compartment of an appliance. However, people frequently forget to remove the beverage container from the freezer compartment, which can result in the beverage within the container freezing solid and/or rupture of the beverage container resulting in a significant mess in the interior of the freezer compartment. The discharged liquid then freezes on the material within the freezer and/or on the wall(s) of the freezer and needs to be cleaned, which is often very time consuming and frustrating for a user.
An embodiment of the present invention is generally directed toward an appliance system that includes an appliance and a turbo-chilling chamber. The appliance typically has a rear wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, a top, a bottom and at least one door that, when the door is closed, either partially or completely encloses the interior of the appliance. When all doors of the appliance are closed the appliance contains at least one insulated section that is the same size or smaller than the interior volume of the appliance and suitable for refrigeration of fresh foods, and the rear wall, first side wall, second side wall, top, bottom, and the door each have an interior surface.
The turbo-chilling chamber for chilling a foodstuff(s), typically a beverage within a beverage container, is operably engaged to an interior surface of the appliance and typically includes a rigid outer wall; a flexible inner wall defining a coolant chamber; and at least one coolant spaced between the rigid outer wall and flexible inner wall in the coolant chamber during operation of the turbo-chilling chamber. The flexible inner wall defines a foodstuff (beverage container) receiving space, accommodates various sized foodstuffs (beverage containers), and moves between a first position and a second position. The coolant within the coolant chamber is typically at a higher than atmospheric pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the second position and at a lesser pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the first position.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a turbo-chilling chamber for chilling a foodstuff, typically a beverage within a beverage container, that is capable of being operably engaged to an interior surface of an appliance (freezer or refrigerator compartment). The turbo-chilling chamber typically has a rigid outer boundary perimeter that has a rear wall and side walls and is larger than a foodstuff (beverage container) and surrounds the side and bottom of a foodstuff (beverage container) when the foodstuff (beverage container) is spaced within the turbo-chilling chamber. The turbo-chilling chamber also includes a flexible inner wall spaced within the rigid outer boundary perimeter that typically surrounds the side and bottom of the foodstuff (beverage container) when the foodstuff (beverage container) is spaced within the turbo-chilling chamber. The rigid outer boundary perimeter and the flexible inner wall define a coolant chamber therebetween that has at least one coolant spaced in the coolant chamber. The flexible inner wall defines a foodstuff (beverage container) receiving space; is sized to receive various sized foodstuffs (beverage containers); and moves between a first position and a second position. The coolant within the coolant chamber is typically at a higher than atmospheric pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the second position and at a lesser pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the first position.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is generally directed toward a method of turbo-chilling a foodstuff and a method of turbo-chilling a beverage in a beverage container without the beverage within the beverage container freezing that includes the following steps: providing an appliance having a rear wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, a top, a bottom and at least one door having an interior surface such that when the door is closed it either partially or completely encloses the interior of the appliance and wherein when all doors of the appliance are closed the appliance contains at least one insulated section that is the same size or smaller than the interior volume of the appliance; providing a turbo-chilling chamber for chilling a foodstuff and/or a beverage within a beverage container operably engaged to an interior surface of the appliance where the turbo-chilling chamber includes a rigid outer wall; a flexible inner wall defining a coolant chamber; and at least one coolant spaced between the rigid outer wall and flexible inner wall in the coolant chamber. The flexible inner wall defines a foodstuff (beverage container) receiving space that accommodates various sized foodstuffs (beverage containers) and the chamber also typically further includes at least one coolant between the rigid outer wall and flexible inner wall in the coolant chamber.
The method typically also includes the steps of providing a coolant system positioned within the appliance where the coolant system includes a coolant tank; a coolant pump; at least two coolant utility conveying lines that operably connect the coolant tank with the coolant outlet and the coolant inlet of the turbo-chilling chamber; and an evaporator; operably connecting a first coolant utility conveying line to the coolant inlet; operably connecting a second coolant utility conveying line to the coolant outlet; placing a foodstuff (beverage container) within the foodstuff (beverage container) receiving space; activating the coolant pump to increase the coolant pressure in the coolant chamber above atmospheric pressure; engaging the flexible inner wall with the foodstuff (beverage container) such that at least substantially all of the side surfaces and the bottom surface of the foodstuff (beverage container) contact the flexible inner wall; and moving coolant through the coolant chamber using the coolant pump to thereby chill the foodstuff (beverage within the beverage container) via heat transfer by contact of the flexible inner wall and indirectly the coolant with the foodstuff (beverage container).
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the appliance as orientated in
The reference number 10 (
As shown generally in
When the turbo-chilling chamber(s) are removable, they are typically structurally held in place by a mounting bracket that helps support the turbo-chilling chamber and ensures proper engagement of the turbo-chilling chamber with the appliance to allow the turbo-chilling chamber to receive coolant, mechanical power, and/or electrical power as needed. The turbo-chilling chamber(s) optionally can engage a top or side of the appliance mounted bracket and slide into engagement with both the bracket and the appliance. Alternatively, grooves can be constructed in the liner (interior surface) of the appliance that receive, engage, and support the turbo-chilling chamber(s). These too can be positioned on the various surfaces of the interior of the appliance including the top, bottom, and/or sides, but most typically on the top and/or one or more sides of the appliance.
As shown in
According to one embodiment of the present invention shown in
The coolant system 69 (
In operation the turbo-chilling system is engaged to the coolant system contained within the appliance by connecting the coolant utility conveying lines 64 via drip-proof, quick connectors 71, 72, as shown in
The beverage container 50 can be any size and commercially available beverage container or a personal use article such as a refillable filtered or unfiltered water bottle. Non-limiting examples include: 12 ounce cans, 20 ounce plastic bottles, glass soda pop and beer bottles, wine bottles (typically ¾ liter), one liter bottles, and two liter bottles, typically soda pop bottles. The beverage containers are typically sealed and optionally resealable after opening. Other foodstuffs may also be chilled within the chamber. In the case of each embodiment of the turbo-chilling chambers discussed herein the beverage containers may be optionally rotated or shaken slowly with for example, an ultrasonic shaker, to further enhance the cooling of the beverage within the beverage container. A motor can optionally rotate or shake the container. Moreover, the coolant pump can provide the oscillatory motion by pulsing the pump flow and having the coolant inlet port 54 introduce coolant into the chamber approximately tangentially to the beverage container to provide a fluid shear force on the flexible interior wall or boundary 46. Additionally, the coolant flow can be linked to a drive member via a bulb or paddle so that oscillatory motion can be imparted using the coolant flow via the drive member to the beverage container—flexible wall combination thereby moving the beverage container, for example by rotating or shaking the container. When a motor is used to rotate the beverage container, the motor is typically run such that the beverage container makes about one-eighth to about one-quarter revolutions at an approximate rotational speed range of 10 to 30 revolutions per minute. Slow rotation or shaking the beverage container is one method that the present invention employs to facilitate the prevention of localized freezing of the contents of the beverage container while still allowing for turbo-chilling of the contents of the beverage container by promoting mixing of fluid layers within the beverage container.
In operation, as shown in
Other embodiments of the present invention are shown in
The embodiment of
In yet another version of this embodiment the apertures are all substantially located at the half way point from the end 175 of the inner wall 174. The end 175 typically has at least one, more typically a plurality of apertures to allow airflow therethrough where appropriate and allow the air to continue to be circulated and/or recirculated. The configuration of the apertures both in the end 175 and along the inner wall 174 may be set and/or configured for a particular use as well. The airflow 173 will travel in the airflow-chilling channel 178 between the middle wall 172 and the inner wall 174 to be chilled and then moved past the beverage container thereby chilling the beverage container and the beverage inside.
As with the previous turbo-chilling chamber of the present invention, the outer wall of this embodiment similarly has a coolant inlet 54 and a coolant outlet 56 for coolant to travel through the coolant chamber 152 adjacent the airflow-chilling channel 178 in the turbo-chilling chamber 136. Each of the inlet and outlet typically are connected to the coolant utility conveying lines 64 via quick connectors and the coolant run through a coolant system as discussed above.
In a slight variation of the embodiment shown in
In the case of each of the embodiments of the present invention, the turbo-chilling chamber may have one or more temperature sensors that sense the temperature of the interior of the chamber and/or the surface(s) of the beverage container and provide a signal or otherwise communicate with a processor of a computer system that has a memory subsystem storing code. The computer system has a user interface that is operably connected with the processor. The user interface receives input from the user and transmits a signal of that input to the processor. For example, the user of the appliance and turbo-chilling chamber can select a time period for cooling the beverage (foodstuff), cool the beverage (foodstuff) at a certain temperature and optionally keep the beverage (foodstuff) at a certain temperature, cool the beverage (foodstuff) to a predetermined temperature such as one temperature for white wine, one for red wine (or the particular type of wine) or one for a soda pop beverage. The user interface may be a touch screen panel proximate or remote to the turbo-chilling chamber. Conceivably, an alarm/reminder sound emitter may also be operably connected to and in communication with the computer system and/or processor such that, for example, a signal (audio and/or visual) is transmitted after a predetermined time has elapsed since the turbo-chilling chamber has been activated or a signal (audio and/or visual) is transmitted when the beverage or other foodstuff has reached a certain temperature or approximately a certain temperature.
It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
This application is related to U.S. Pat. No. ______, entitled “TURBO-CHILL CHAMBER WITH AIR-FLOW BOOSTER,” filed on the same day as the present application, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.