Patent Application
20110041546
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to ice barrels adapted for holding ice and beverages and, more particularly, to ice barrels configured to reduce the amount of ice required to chill the beverages over an extended period of time.
Ice barrel containers or “beverage containers” are well-known in the art and are commonly utilized at retail markets, sporting events, and promotional events. The ice barrels are typically used to chill beverages at a location which typically does not offer refrigerated cooling. For instance, the ice barrels are frequently located close to check-out counters to entice purchases by departing customers.
The ice barrels generally include a receptacle having an open top, a bottom wall, and a continuous upright sidewall extending between the open top and the bottom wall to from an interior cavity. The interior cavity is generally sized to hold a plurality of beverages, i.e., soft drinks or beer in cans or bottles. It is generally desirable for the beverages to be served at a chilled temperature. Therefore, ice may also be placed within the cavity to chill the beverages.
Over time, the ice within the ice barrel melts, leaving a large volume of water. In order to keep the beverages chilled, the water is generally removed from the ice barrel and the barrel is refilled with fresh ice. However, the ice barrel may be positioned in a location which may not accommodate removal of the water from the barrel. For instance, if the ice barrel is placed at a checkout counter in a convenience store, the ice barrel is generally moved to an outdoor location or a location having a drain in order to remove the water from the interior cavity. Once the water is removed, the ice barrel may be refilled with ice to keep the beverages at a chilled temperature.
Although conventional ice barrels may allow the beverages to be maintained in a chilled temperature, the conventional ice barrels may be inefficient. For instance, the ice barrel may be filled with ice on numerous occasions in order to maintain the beverages at a chilled temperature. As such, the process of removing the water and refilling the ice barrels with ice may consume large amounts of water. In view of the importance of water conservation, it is typically desirable to limit the amount of ice used in the ice barrels. Furthermore, as was mentioned above, the process of draining the water from the interior cavity and refilling the ice barrel with ice may require movement of the ice barrel. Given the amount of water and beverages which may be located within the barrel, movement of the ice barrel may be a strenuous endeavor.
As is apparent from the foregoing, there exists a need in the art for an ice barrel configured to reduce the amount of ice required to chill beverages over an extended period of time. The present invention address this particular need, as will be discussed in more detail below.
Provided is a refreezable barrel configured to reduce the amount of ice used to chill beverages over an extended period of time. In this manner, the refreezable barrel may require fewer ice refills and thus conserve water to provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional ice barrels.
The refreezable barrel includes a cooler body defining an open end and a closed end portion. The cooler body defines a cavity extending into the cooler body from the open end towards the closed end portion. The cavity is configured to receive a plurality of items, such as ice and beverages. A cooling element is disposed within the cooler body and is refreezable to mitigate temperature rise within the cooler body. The refreezable barrel also includes a cooler stand defining a recess configured to engage with the closed end portion of the cooler body.
The refreezable barrel may advantageously be chilled to freeze/chill the refreezable elements before ice is placed within the cooler body. By freezing/chilling the cooler body, the temperature difference between the cooler body and the ice may be reduced. Consequently, the ice may last for a longer period of time before it melts, which may reduce the overall amount of ice used to chill the beverages. To facilitate that end, the refreezable ice barrel may have integrated therein an ice maker or refrigerator unit to produce ice or otherwise maintain refrigerated temperatures.
According to another embodiment, there is provided a refreezable barrel for use with a refreezable substance for chilling a plurality of items. The refreezable barrel includes a barrel shell having a shell outer wall and a shell inner wall defining a shell cavity. A barrel insert is disposable within the shell cavity to assume a nested position. The barrel insert includes a closed end portion and an open end portion, as well as an insert inner wall defining an insert cavity. The barrel insert is configured to receive the plurality of items. A cooling element is disposed between the insert inner wall and shell inner wall and in thermodynamic communication with the barrel insert, and is operative to freeze the refreezable substance.
The present invention is best understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same,
Referring now to
The refreezable barrel 10 may additionally include a cooler stand 14 for supporting the cooler body 12. The cooler stand 14 includes a stand base 36 and a stand sidewall 38 protruding from the stand base 36. The stand sidewall 38 includes a sidewall inner surface 40 defining a stand recess 42. The stand recess 42 is sized and configured to receive the closed end portion 20 of the cooler body 12 to support the cooler body 12. In the embodiment depicted in
The cooler stand 14 depicted in
The refreezable barrel 10 further includes one or more refreezable cooling element(s) 46 disposed within the cooler body 12. The cooling element 46 is freezable/chillable to chill the cooler body 12 to prolong the melting of ice disposed within the cooler body 12. In other words, the temperature difference between the temperature of the cooler body 12 and the melting temperature of the ice may be reduced to prolong the lifespan of the ice. In this regard, the cooler body 12 may be disposed in a remote, non-refrigerated location (i.e., adjacent a counter at a convenience store or in a stadium) at a chilled temperature. Therefore, when ice and beverages are disposed within the cavity 34, the initial chilled temperature of the cooler body 12 prolongs melting of the ice. Instead of the ice and beverages being disposed within an ice barrel at an elevated temperature (i.e., at a temperature well above the freezing point of ice), the cooler body 12 is freezable to a temperature at or near the freezing point of the ice to extend the melting period of the ice. As used herein, the melting period is defined as the time period beginning when a quantity of ice is disposed within the refreezable barrel 10 and ending when the all of the quantity of ice has melted.
In the particular embodiment illustrated in
The cooling elements 46 may be integrally formed within the cooler body 12. In this manner, the cooling elements 46 may be molded within the cooler body 12 during formation of the cooler body 12 to enclose the refrigerant within the cooler body 12. According to another embodiment, and referring now specifically to the embodiment illustrated in
The refrigerant disposed within the cooler body 12 may include liquids or gels commonly used in the art. It is also contemplated that water/ice may be used to cool the cooler body 12. Referring now to the embodiment depicted in
Although the cooler body 12 may be configured to prolong the melting of ice disposed within the cavity 34, at some point, the ice will likely melt leaving water in the cavity 34. The cooler body 12 may include one or more drains 54 formed therein to facilitate removal of the water from the cavity 34. The drains 54 extend from the sidewall inner surface 24 to the sidewall outer surface 26. The drains 54 may also extend from the base inner surface 30 to the sidewall outer surface 26 or base outer surface 32. The drains 54 may include plugs 55 to restrict fluid flow through the drains 54. As shown in
Various implementations of the refreezable barrel 10 may include a lid 56 disposable over the open end 22 of the cooler body 12. The lid 56 may temporarily cover the open end 22 of the cooler body 12 to prevent foreign objects or debris from entering the cavity 34. The lid 56 may be connected to the cooler body 12 via a hinge 58 to enable pivotal movement of the lid 56 relative to the cooler body 12 between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the cavity 34 is substantially covered by the lid 56. As the lid 56 moves from the closed position toward the open position, the cavity 34 becomes uncovered.
The lid 56 may include a handle 60 to facilitate movement of the lid 56 between the open and closed positions. The lid 56 may further include a seal 62 which engages with the cooler body 12 when the lid 56 is in the closed position to create a substantially air-tight seal between the lid 56 and the cooler body 12 when the lid 56 is in the closed position. Although
As stated above, the refreezable barrel 10 may be filled with ice to chill beverages for an extended period of time. To this end, one embodiment of the refreezable barrel 10 includes an ice maker or refrigeration unit 64 disposed therein. As depicted in
The ice maker or refrigeration unit 64 may be connected to a water input, or the cooler stand 14 may include a water reservoir disposed therein. As ice is produced by the ice maker 64, the ice may fall into an ice storage chamber within the cooler stand 14. The cooler stand 14 may further include an access door which may be opened or closed to provide access to the ice storage chamber.
Referring now to
One embodiment of the refreezable barrel 110 includes a barrel shell 112 having a shell outer wall 114 and a shell inner wall 116 defining a shell cavity 118. A barrel insert 120 is disposable within the shell cavity 118, and includes a closed end portion 122 and an opposing open end portion 124. The barrel insert 120 includes an insert inner wall 126 and insert outer wall 128 defining an insert cavity 130. The barrel insert 120 is disposable within the shell cavity 118 to assume a nested position within the barrel shell 112. The insert cavity 130 is sized to receive the beverages, or other food items that are to be chilled. A cover 125 may be disposed over and between the barrel shell 112 and the barrel insert 120 to cover any gap therebetween. A cooling element 132, such as a refreezable gel, is disposable between the insert inner wall 126 and the insert outer wall 128 to place the refreezable gel in thermodynamic communication with the barrel insert 120. As used herein, the phrase “thermodynamic communication” refers to the ability of the cooling element 132 to change the temperature of the barrel insert 120. Therefore, the cooling element 132 is disposable in a position to influence the temperature of the barrel insert 112. This may be done by conduction, convection or radiation. In this regard, the refreezable gel may be chilled to keep items disposed within the barrel insert 120 at a chilled temperature.
According to one implementation, the cooling element 132 may include evaporator lines 134 for improved heat transfer. The evaporator lines 134 may be coated or have a protective barrier disposed thereon to mitigate undesirable chemical reactions between the cooling gel and the evaporator lines 134.
It is additionally contemplated that insulation 136 (See
During use of the refreezable barrel 110, it is contemplated that ice may be disposed within the insert cavity 130 to further chill items disposed therein. The chilled refreezable gel slows the melting of the ice, thereby reducing the overall amount of ice used to chill the products, and making the refreezable barrel 110 an environmentally friendly device that conserves water by reducing ice usage. However, once the ice melts, water may undesirably accumulate within the insert cavity 130. Therefore, one embodiment of the refreezable barrel 110 includes a drain 140 formed within the barrel insert 120 to remove the water from the insert cavity 130. A hose 142 may be connected to the drain 140 to direct fluid to a drip tray 144, as shown in
It is also contemplated that the hose 142 may be connected to a drain valve 150 located on an external portion of the barrel 110, as depicted in
It is additionally contemplated that various embodiments of the refreezable barrel 110 may be configured for use without ice. Certain implementations of the refreezable barrel 110 have been able to maintain an ambient product temperature of approximately 38° F. for more than twelve hours after an initial twelve hour “freezing cycle.” The feature of the refreezable barrel 110 that allows the barrel 110 to accommodate ice, or keep products chilled without ice makes the barrel 110 a hybrid between a traditional ice barrel and a traditional refrigerated barrel cooler.
The electric cooling unit 146 may be disposed at the base of the barrel shell 112. The electric cooling unit 146 may include R-134A, CO2, or alternative refrigerant to cool the cooling gel. The electric cooling unit 146 may employ a thermo-electric compressor, or a variable speed energy efficient compressor. The electric cooling unit 146 may include a power cord for receiving power from an external power source. The power cord may be retractable in nature to reduce the likelihood that the cord catches, or snaps when the barrel 110 is moved.
It is contemplated that the refreezable barrel 110 may define a wide range of shapes and sizes. In the embodiment depicted in
The refreezable barrel 110 may include advertising or decorative indicia located on external surfaces thereof. The indicia may be used as advertising for products located within the barrel 110. The indicia may also create an aesthetic appearance to attract customers to the barrel 110.
Various embodiments of the refreezable barrel 110 may include wheels for facilitating movement of the barrel 110. In one implementation, small caster-type wheels may be placed on the bottom of the barrel 110 to allow the barrel 110 to be moved by an individual. In another implementation, larger, bicycle-type wheels may be connected to the barrel 110, along with a push-pedal to enable movement of the barrel 110 over larger distances.
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of prior application Ser. No. 12/490,243, filed Jun. 23, 2009, and entitled, Refreezeable Ice Barrel, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12490243 | Jun 2009 | US |
| Child | 12940946 | US |
