Refrigeration – Processes – Fluid external of refrigeration producing cycle
Patent
1996-07-30
1998-12-08
Tapolcai, William E.
Refrigeration
Processes
Fluid external of refrigeration producing cycle
62339, 2221466, B67D 562
Patent
active
058455060
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to refrigerated storage reservoirs for drinks, also called "dispensers", particularly to such dispensers keeping or storing the drink in readily mixed form in a reservoir, to be taken out at refrigerated temperature by a user as required ("premix apparatus").
BACKGROUND
In a "premix apparatus" as dispenser, i. e. the storage reservoir is filled with a ready to drink beverage consisting for example of 1 part concentrate and 9 parts water, the drink is cooled down by a built-in cooling apparatus and held at the desired temperature by a thermostat. The drink is continuously stirred to on one hand distribute the temperatures and on the other hand to avoid that pulp particles deposit on the top. For this purpose, a magnetically coupled stirring device may be provided in said reservoir. Other apparatuses have stirring motors or pumps. DE-A 78 38 836 describes a "postmix apparatus" (the drink mixture is prepared only upon requiring a drink, e.g. in a mixing channel) comprising a carbonizer (reservoir for carbonized water, also being distributable as drink) and a cooling apparatus. Said carbonizer is firmly installed on an intermediate bottom and--according to the Figure--probably cooled by direct contact from the bottom or by cooling spirals directly engaging in the carbonizer.
SUMMARY
With the invention, better thermal conduction between a drink reservoir and a refrigerating source is to be achieved.
A liquid film, particularly a water film, which is provided between the cooling plate of the low-temperature conveyance section and the reservoir bottom, which is at least segmentally heat-conductive, which film freezes in operation, allows a superior transmission of the cold to be conveyed into the reservoir or the heat to be extracted from said reservoir. Said low-temperature conveyance section is supplied by a cooling apparatus. According to one embodiment, said reservoir is removable.
Ice as liquid freezing in operation has an even better thermal conductivity than water. Thus, together with said reservoir bottom and said cooling plate, a layered bottom is obtained, providing ideal thermal conduction and additionally being inexpensive. Unevennesses are almost completely compensated for and, additionally, an increased contact pressure between said removable reservoir and said cooling unit is achieved by the volume expansion of the frozen water, to further improve the heat or cold thermal conduction. In concrete terms: cooling plate. When installing the drink reservoir, the water is evenly distributed between the bottom of said reservoir and said plate to constitute a liquid film; or textile or paper layer, may be inserted into said reservoir bottom from its underside or laid upon the cooling plate. Said intermediate layer consists of a highly absorbent material to store as much liquid as possible. Thus, said liquid film is long-term homogenized and said water/ice is retained in the area of said cooling plate. If, in case of the sole use of freezing liquid, slight unevennesses still remains, said cellulose layer provides full surface contact and complete homogenization of the liquid which is still flowable before it freezes with said cellulose layer. Thus, inclusion of air bubbles is substantially avoided.
Thus, thermal conduction is substantially improved and unevennesses are compensated for. If said absorbent layer slightly protrudes on the edges (claim 4), it has the possibility to continuously renew its content of water and, thus, the water film in said "layered bottom", as it is supplied by condensed water dropping down--from the refrigerated reservoir. Evaporization or volatilization in switched-off condition is avoided.
Due to said better heat conduction, the cooling performance of said cooling apparatus is also yielded very quickly into the drink, so that correspondingly long on- and off-times improve the working life of said cooling apparatus. This is particularly noticeable in case of bottom/reservoir sections being geometrically shaped to fit together (
REFERENCES:
patent: 1709486 (1929-04-01), Ratterman
patent: 2231329 (1941-02-01), Goll
patent: 2513610 (1950-07-01), Williams
patent: 2608837 (1952-09-01), Leland
patent: 4293082 (1981-10-01), Matsueda
patent: 4429549 (1984-02-01), Randolphi
patent: 4563880 (1986-01-01), Cipelletti
Tapolcai William E.
Wolfgang Jobmann GmbH
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