Refrigeration – Cooled enclosure – Portable receptacle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-14
2001-07-31
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Cooled enclosure
Portable receptacle
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266974
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to beverage containers, and more particularly, to a refrigerated beverage mug having a self-contained mechanical refrigeration unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Refrigerated beverages are typically kept in a refrigerated compartment, such as an ice chest or a conventional refrigerator, and maintained in a chilled state at a desired temperature for consumption. The refrigerated beverage is then removed from the refrigerated compartment and consumed while it is in the chilled state. A problem arises in that beverages may not be completely consumed prior to ambient temperatures heating the beverage above a desired temperature. In order to impede the rate of heat transfer from ambient air to chilled beverages, various types of insulated beverage containers have been provided. Insulation layers for beverage containers have been provided by expanded foam materials, vacuum chambers, and the like. Ice has also been used to absorb heat from beverages to both reduce and maintain the temperatures of the beverages. However, this usually results in dilution of the beverages caused by the water from the melted ice. Beverages are often purchased and stored at ambient temperatures, and often ice, ice chests or other type conventional refrigerated compartments are not readily available.
The prior art also includes freezer mugs, which are beverage containers that typically have refrigerant filled annular chambers. The refrigerant filled annular chambers are disposed between a beverage compartment and an exterior shell of such beverage containers. The freezer mugs are placed in refrigerated compartments to chill the refrigerant disposed in the annular chambers to a low temperature state for use as a heat sink for absorbing heat from a beverage placed within the freezer mug. Some of the freezer mugs have refrigerants which freeze when placed in a freezer type refrigerated compartment. After the refrigerant is sufficiently chilled, the freezer mugs are removed from the refrigerated compartment, beverages are placed in the beverage compartments thereof, and the chilled refrigerant absorbs heat from the beverages. However, a freezer compartment has to be readily available for freezer mugs to be of use.
Refrigerated beverage mugs have also been provided which have a cooling coils disposed around a drink compartment for passage of compressed gases released from cartridges. The compressed gases, after release from the cartridges, will expand and pass through the cooling coils to absorb heat from beverages disposed in the mugs. Expansion of the gases causes cooling of the beverages disposed in the mugs. The compressed gases were discharged to the atmosphere. The energy available during expansion of the compressed gases was not utilized to perform work, but rather to cool through expansion resulting from release of the gases from being in a compressed state within the cartridges to being in an expanded state at atmospheric pressures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention disclosed and claimed herein comprises a refrigerated beverage mug which includes a self-contained mechanical refrigeration unit that is powered by a power unit mounted onboard the beverage mug. The mechanical refrigeration unit is a closed loop system which is mounted to the beverage mug and includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion flow passage and an evaporator. The condenser and the evaporator are integrally formed with the main body of the beverage mug. The compressor is mounted to the beverage mug for circulating a refrigerant through the condenser, the expansion flow passage and the evaporator. The power unit includes a chamber which contains a pressurized, expansible fluid such as liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide, which is selectively released for passing through the compressor to power the mechanical refrigeration unit. A manifold is integrally formed into the compressor housing for passing the expansible fluid from the compressor and across a portion of the condenser.
In another aspect of the present invention, a portion of the condenser overlaps a portion of the evaporator to provide a common heat exchanger section in which heat is transferred from the condenser directly to a portion of the evaporator.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a diaphragm compressor is utilized to compress the refrigerant and circulate the refrigerant through the condenser, the expansion passage and the evaporator. The compressor includes a manifold control head having a shuttle valve for controlling operation of the manifold control head and the diaphragm pump type compressor.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a release valve is mounted to the handle for selectively actuating to release the pressurized, expansible material for passing into a central housing core and powering the compressor to operate the mechanical refrigeration unit of the refrigerated beverage mug. The valve may be activated by a thumb operated lever or push button, or it may be actuated by a lever which forms the handle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2805556 (1957-09-01), Wang
patent: 2900808 (1959-08-01), Wang
patent: 4006606 (1977-02-01), Underdue
patent: 5115940 (1992-05-01), Friedman
patent: 5636522 (1997-06-01), Ramos
patent: 6035660 (2000-03-01), Craft
Doerrler William
Howison, Chauza, Thoma, Handley & Arnott LLP
W. C. Linden, Inc.
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