Refrigeration – Portable – commodity-containing – Mutually supported commodity and solid coolant
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-04
2001-12-18
Doerrler, William (Department: 2859)
Refrigeration
Portable, commodity-containing
Mutually supported commodity and solid coolant
C062S457800, C062S530000, C062S457400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330808
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a device for regulating the temperature of the contents of a container, for example, a beverage container, such as a can, bottle or the like, for example, a wine bottle.
It is desirable that white wines, champagne, and other such beverages, as well as beer and the like should be served chilled. In general, it is not feasible in a restaurant environment to maintain an entire stock of white wines and champagnes at the desired chilled temperature. Restaurateurs tend to store the more popular white wines in a cool cabinet which maintains the temperature of those wines at the desired chilled temperature. However, when a less popular wine is requested, it is necessary to chill the wine from room temperature to the desired chilled temperature. This, in general, is achieved by immersing the bottle of wine in an ice bucket or the like. Needless to say, this can be inconvenient, and in general, the time required to chill the wine to the desired chilled temperature from room temperature is excessive. Additionally, in a restaurant environment, the temperature of a bottle of wine already chilled, if left on a table for any length of time tends to rise while the diners are partaking of their meal, and towards the end of the meal, the temperature of the wine may have risen to an undesirably high temperature. To overcome this problem, it is common to keep the wine bottle immersed in an ice bucket for the duration of the meal, or alternatively, to place the wine bottle in a flask type device which comprises a container having an inner compartment for receiving the wine bottle, surrounded by a double skinned wall, and the area between the skins of the wall is evacuated. While such flask type devices do tend to retard the rate at which the temperature of the wine rises, in general, they tend to be relatively unsatisfactory, and besides, if the wine is placed in the flask type device before it has been reduced to the desired temperature, these flask type devices have no cooling facility, and thus, the temperature of the wine commences to slowly rise from its temperature when initially placed in the flask device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,354 of Barnwell discloses a device for cooling a beverage can, such as, a beverage beer can. The device comprises a cylindrical container having a base and a cylindrical side wall extending upwardly from the base. The side wall is of an insulating material, and defines with the base a hollow interior region of circular transverse cross-section. A sleeve-like insert is located within the hollow interior region and extends around the inner side of the side wall for receiving the can. The sleeve-like insert forms an annular storing chamber within which a temperature conditionable liquid is stored for chilling the contents of the beverage can when the beverage can is inserted into the sleeve-like insert. The sleeve-like insert is removeable from the container for placing in a freezer or a deepfreezer for chilling or freezing the temperature conditionable liquid in the storing chamber. On the temperature conditionable liquid being frozen or chilled to the desired temperature, the sleeve-like insert is then inserted in the container and the beverage can is in turn inserted into the sleeve for chilling thereof.
While the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,354 chills the contents of a beverage can to a desired chill temperature, nonetheless, the device suffers from a number of disadvantages, firstly, the device of the U.S. Specification provides little control over the temperature of the contents of the beverage can. In general, once the contents of the beverage can have been chilled to the desired temperature, it is essential to remove the beverage can from the container, otherwise chilling continues, and the temperature of the contents of the beverage can are reduced to an unacceptably low temperature. This is particularly so if it is desired to chill the contents of the beverage can relatively rapidly. In such a case, it is essential that the temperature of the temperature conditionable liquid in the sleeve-like insert be reduced to a temperature, which is significantly lower than the temperature to which it is desired to chill the contents of the beverage can. Thus, should the beverage can be left in the container after its contents have reached the desired chilled temperature, further chilling continues, and thus, the contents of the beverage can are reduced to an unacceptably low temperature. Alternatively, if the temperature conditionable liquid of the sleeve-like insert is chilled to a temperature which would be such that when the contents of the beverage can are at the desired chilled temperature, the temperature of the temperature conditionable liquid is in equilibrium with the beverage temperature in order to avoid chilling of the contents of the beverage can below the desired chilled temperature, the time required to reduce the temperature of the contents of the beverage can, in general, is unacceptably long. Another problem with the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,354 is that it is only suitable for use with a beer can of a specific size.
There is therefore a need for a device for chilling the contents of containers, for example, beverage containers of various sizes to a desired chill temperature. Indeed, there is also a need for a device for regulating the temperature of the contents of containers of various sizes, whether the temperature is to be regulated upwardly or downwardly.
The present invention is directed towards providing such a device for regulating the temperature of the contents of a container.
According to the invention there is provided a device for regulating the temperature of the contents of a container, the device comprising a support means, and a temperature regulating means located within the support means for regulating the temperature of the contents of the container at a desired temperature, the temperature regulating means comprising a storing means for storing a temperature conditionable fluid and defining an elongated receiving compartment for receiving the container, wherein the receiving compartment is of variable transverse cross-sectional area for accommodating containers of different cross-sectional area.
In one embodiment of the invention the transverse cross-sectional area of the receiving compartment is variable for facilitating operation of the device in a first mode with the temperature regulating means abutting the container for altering the temperature of the contents of the container, and in a second mode with the temperature regulating means spaced apart from the container for maintaining the temperature of the contents of the container substantially constant.
Ideally, the receiving compartment defines a central axis which in use substantially coincides with the central axis of the container. Preferably, the receiving compartment is in the form of an elongated receiving bore. Advantageously, the receiving compartment is of circular transverse cross-sectional area.
In one embodiment of the invention the support means is co-operable with the temperature regulating means for varying the transverse cross-sectional area of the receiving compartment.
In another embodiment of the invention a means for varying the transverse cross-sectional area of the receiving compartment is provided. Preferably, the means for varying the transverse cross-sectional area of the receiving compartment is co-operable with the support means and the temperature regulating means for varying the transverse cross-sectional area of the receiving compartment.
In one embodiment of the invention the support means comprises a first part and a second part which are moveable relative to each other. Preferably, the first part of the support means comprises a hollow housing which forms a container defining a hollow interior region for receiving the temperature regulating means therein, the housing defining a longitudinally extending central axis which substantially coincides with the central axis of the receiving compartment, and the se
Kouwenberg Robert J
Kouwenberg Tineke C
Loughnane Cathal
Morgan David L
Petersen Soren
Doerrler William
Shulman Mark S.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Tineke Charlotte Kouwenberg
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