GB2522018A

GB2522018A - Instant drinks chiller

Info

Publication number: GB2522018A
Application number: GB1400269.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neil Ward
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-01-08
Filing date: 2014-01-08
Publication date: 2015-07-15
Anticipated expiration: 2034-01-08
Also published as: GB2522018B; WO2015104534A1; GB201400269D0

Abstract

An apparatus includes a vessel 1 which has a loose fragmented solid mass 7 contained between a first mesh 8 and a second mesh 9. The apparatus has an inlet opening 2 and an outlet opening 3, and the outlet opening may also include a lip 4. The apparatus can be used to chill a beverage which requires cooling, and in use the apparatus is initially pre-cooled by placement in a refrigerator, and once cooled the beverage can be supplied into the inlet opening, travelling through the cooled fragmented solid mass, and out the outlet opening. As the warm drinking liquid is in direct contact with the chilled fragmented solid mass 7, rapid heat transfer occurs and the drinking liquid is expelled from the vessel at a significantly lower temperature. The apparatus can include a flow guide (10 fig 3) which directs the flow of liquid through the vessel and across the chilled fragmented solid mass in a predetermined path in order to maximise heat exchange. The apparatus may also include means to attach the vessel to a drinks container or beverage source, such as a mains water tap.

Description

Instant Drinks Chiller This invention relates to the instant drinks chiller

Background

Drinks can be chilled with the use of refrigeration units or by adding ice.

However, using a refrigeration unit to chill drinks may take a longer time than desired.

Also the use of ice to chill drinks can dilute the drink, adversely altering the taste.

Many devices have been previously proposed to cool drinks without dilution such as Rist (U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,872), Tetreault & Jodoin (U.S. Pat. No. US 2008/0302822 Al) and Williams (U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,831). These previous devices all contain a conduit or tube which hydraulically separates the drink to be cooled from a chilled substance.

Heat is transferred between the chilled substance and the drink via the tube or conduit.

The heat transfer rate between the chilled substance and the liquid to be chilled can be greatly increased by having them in direct contact. This direct contact also simplifies the heat exchange mechanism, greatly decreasing the complexity of manufacture.

Tubes and conduits used in such devices also produce excessive resistance against the flow of liquid to be cooled causing flow and air locking problems.

Statement of Invention

This invention will enable the user to chill a drink significantly within a small amount of time, without altering the taste. The invention is a heat exchanger device that utilises the low temperatures within refrigeration units such as house hold freezers. The device consists of a loose fragmented solid mass contained within a vessel. The loose fragmented solid mass is chilled whilst the device is stored within a freezer refrigeration unit. The device can then be removed from the refrigeration unit when required and held above a drinking vessel. A drinking liquid can then be poured through the device, and into a drinking vessel. As the liquid is poured through the device, heat is transferred between the drinking liquid and the chilled loose fragmented solid mass causing wami liquids to be expelled at lower temperatures than they were poured in at.

Advantages The device can be constructed of an open ended vessel containing a loose fragmented solid mass. Heat energy is transferred between the solid mass and liquids poured through the vessel. The solid mass within the vessel is fragmented to maximise surface area for heat exchange. The fragmented solid mass is loose within the vessel and contained by the vessel walls and mesh at the openings located at both ends of the vessel. The openings within the mesh are small enough to contain the loose fragmented solid mass within the vessel but also large enough to allow liquid to freely flow through. The liquid poured through the vessel for cooling comes in direct contact with the loose fragmented solid mass so that heat can be rapidly exchanged between the chilled solid mass and the liquid. During heat transfer there is no physical separation between the loose chilled fragmented solid mass and the liquid to be cooled.

The fragmented solid mass can be constructed of any material. In the preferred embodiment of the invention it is constructed of a metallic substance to enable rapid heat exchange due to the high thermal conductivities found in metals. Stainless steel can be used so that the solid mass does not corrode from contact with the drinking liquid. The fragmented solid mass can be of any other shape but in the preferred embodiment of the invention are small balls that resemble ball bearings.

The main vessel of the device can be of any shape. The main vessel of the device can be of any material but in the preferred embodiment of the invention the material is plastic. The typically low thermal conductivity properties of plastic would prevent excessive heat transfer occurring between the users hand and the chilled vessel which could cause the user discomfort.

Flow of the drinking liquid through the loose fragmented solid mass within the vessel can be directed with the use of a flow guide. The flow guide would aid the flow of the drinking liquid around the vessel of the device. The loose fragmented solid mass would surround the flow guide within the vessel. The flow guide is shaped to ensure that the flow of drinking liquid is through all areas of the loose fragmented solid mass.

The flow guide can be shaped in many different ways. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the flow guide is shaped to induce a spiral like flow of drinking liquid around the full area of the vessel and loose fragmented solid mass.

Detailed Description

The invention will now be described by the way of example and reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 shows a drinks chiller unit Figure 2 shows a cross section of a drinks chiller unit Figure 3 shows a cross section of the drinks chiller unit with an alternative flow guide Figure 4 shows an alternative vessel with a drinks container attachment device Figure 1 shows the open ended cylindrical vessel 1. Contained within the vessel 1 is the loose fragmented solid mass 7 which can be seen in figure 2. The entire device is placed within a refrigeration unit prior to use. Within the refrigeration unit the loose fragmented solid mass is chilled. Once the solid mass is chilled, the device is ready for use. The user removes the device from the refrigeration unit and holds the device above a drinking vessel. The device is held at such an angle so that the lip of the vessel 4 directs the flow of the drinking liquid into the drinking vessel. The warm drinking liquid is poured into the device at opening 2. The flow direction of the warm liquid is illustrated by the arrow 5 in both figures 1 and 2. The liquid then passes through opening 2 to the inside of the vessel through a group of small holes in the vessel or by a mesh as shown by 8 in figure 2. The small holes or mesh 8 allow the drinking liquid through the vessel but contain the loose fragmented solid mass within the vessel. Figure 2 shows the area at opening 2 where the drinking liquid can accumulate due to any resistance against flow in the vessel caused by the liquid being poured at a high flow rate. The user can reduce the flow rate at which they are pouring drinking liquid into the vessel should the user visually observe too much liquid accumulating in the opening area 2. The liquid then passes through the chilled loose fragmented solid mass 7 shown in figure 2 within the vessel. Rapid heat transfer then occurs between the drinking liquid and the chilled fragmented solid mass due the two substances being in direct contact and the high surtace contact area between them. The chilled drinking liquid can then pass through the group of holes or mesh at 9 shown in figure 2 and out of the vessel opening 3. The vessel lip 4 aids the user to direct the chilled drinking liquid into a drinking vessel. The flow of chilled drinking liquid is illustrated by the arrow 6.

Figure 3 shows a cross section of an alternative arrangement that has a flow guide 10.

This flow guide 10 can direct the flow of the drinking liquid around the vessel in a spiral motion and through a larger area of the loose fragmented solid mass 7 to maximise heat exchange. The loose fragmented solid mass 7 has not been drawn in figure 3 so that the flow guide can be seen but this would surround the flow guide 10 filling the space shown in the vessel.

Figure 4 shows an alternative vessel that has a drinks container attachment device 13.

This device is used to attach the drinks chiller unit to a drink container to avoid any spillage of drinking liquid. Alternatively the attachment device 13 can be made to attach directly to a tap such as a mains water supply tap to allow liquid from a tap to be cooled directly.

Claims

Claims 1. Drinking liquids can be chilled instantaneously by passing them directly through a chilled loose fragmented solid mass, which is contained within an open ended vessel with the use of a strainer type meshes at two openings that are both small enough to contain the loose fragmented solid mass within the vessel and large enough to allow the drinking liquid to flow through freely, where both said vessel and contained loose fragmented solid mass have been previously chilled within a refrigeration unit.
2. Alternative to claim 1, the vessel can contain flow guides to channel the flow of drinking liquid around the vessel and through a greater amount of the loose fragmented solid mass to maximise heat exchange.
3. Alternative to claim 1 and 2, the vessel inlet is equipped with an attachment device which allows the vessel to be close coupled to a drinks container prior to the pouring of the drinking liquid to avoid spillages of drinking liquid.
4. Alternative to claim 1, the vessel inlet is equipped with an attachment device which allows the vessel to be close coupled to a water source such as a mains water tap so water can be chilled directly from the tap.
5. Alternative to claim 3 and 4, an air vent tube can be used to aid and regulate flow through the device.