WO2000036959A1

WO2000036959A1 - Device by cooler for drinks

Info

Publication number: WO2000036959A1
Application number: PCT/NO1999/000379
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tom Hansen
Original assignee: ZYNERGY AS
Current assignee: ZYNERGY AS
Priority date: 1998-12-21
Filing date: 1999-12-14
Publication date: 2000-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 2001-06-21
Also published as: NO986009D0; NO308521B1; NO986009L; AU1587600A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device by a cooler for drinks in packaging (2) such as a bottle, tin or similar. The object of the invention is to provide a cooler, in which the drink is cooled by means of e.g. water which evaporates. This is realised in the way that the cooler which is wetted with liquid, is formed by an elastic textile piece (1), said elastic textile piece (1) being suited so that the cooler, whenever it is placed on the packaging (2), encloses at least a side surface (3) of the packaging (2).

Description

DEVICE BY COOLER FOR DRINKS

The invention relates to a device by a cooler for drinks in packaging such as bottle, tin or similar.

It is well known that drinks are heated relatively fast when they are taken out of e.g. the refrigerator on a warm summer's day. The drink may be kept cold by means of cooling bags with cooled cooler bricks. The drawbacks of such cooling bags are that they are impractical to carry around. Neither is it given that a freezer is available for cooling the cooling elements. The drink may also be kept cold by means of e.g. a towel or similar which is wrapped around the drink packaging, and which is wetted with water. The evaporation of the water from the towel will then result in loss of heat from the drink, so that the drink is cooled and kept cold. This is a simple means for cooling drinks as far as it goes, but it suffers from several deficiencies . Of such may be mentioned that the towel may have to be removed before drinking can take place, it is difficult to wrap the towel tight enough on the packaging, the towel is so big that the evaporation takes place without the intended loss of heat from the drink etc. Besides, an extra towel for this purpose only, unduly occupies space in the luggage in that a wet towel cannot be used for its originally envisaged purpose. These are all conditions contributing to the cooling of the drink being much weaker than desirable.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a device by a cooler for drinks in packaging, in which there is made use of e.g. water which evaporates so that the drink can be kept cold. As appears from the characterizing part of the present independent claim, this is realised in the way that the cooler which is wetted with liquid, is formed of an elastic preferably absorbent piece of textile or cellular plastic (in the following just called textile piece) , said elastic textile piece being suited so, that the cooler, when it is placed on the packaging, preferably surrounds the majority of the side faces of the packaging. Other advantageous features of the invention appear from the other claims and the rest of the specification. Thereby a very good cooling is provided by the textile piece tightly surrounding the packaging and not being larger than necessary. Besides, it will be far more easy to check when the textile piece needs to be rewetted with liquid, so that the cooling is maintained. The cooler is unproblematic to bring along, since it requires fairly little space, and it is not necessary for it to be removed from the packaging before the drink is consumed .

In the following part of the specification and with reference to the set of figures, embodiments of the invention will be explained in further detail, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a longitudinal section through a bottle for a drink, with a cooler surrounding the side face of the bottle;

Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a section through the bottle and the cooler on the line A-A in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows the same as Fig. 1, except that the cooler is closed at the end by the bottom of the bottle; and

Fig. 4 shows the cooler with a two-part storing box arranged thereto, the cooler being secured to one of the box elements. In the figure the box elements are taken apart and the cooler is pulled out of said box element.

The present cooler for a drink in a packaging 2, e.g. a bottle, tin or similar, is formed by an elastic textile piece 1, and the textile piece 1 is suited to surround at least the essential part of the side face 3 of the packaging 2. The cooling of the drink happens, as mentioned, by the textile piece 1 first being wetted with e.g. water. Then the drink inside the packaging 2 will be cooled as a consequence of heat being emitted from the drink in the evaporating of the water of the textile piece 1.

The textile piece 1 is preferably formed so that it is a continuous piece, seen in the transverse direction, e.g. by circular knitting or weaving in the manufacturing. But, of course, this may just as well be done in the way that the textile piece 1 is sewn or glued together etc. lengthwise.

Normally the textile piece 1 is open at both ends, but it may also be closed at one end, so that one bottom piece of the packaging 2 is surrounded by the slipped on cooler. Further it is advantageous that the textile piece 1 is chosen to be in a material well capable of absorbing and retaining liquid.

The cooler, i.e. the textile piece 1, may with advantage be placed in a two-part storing box 5, 6, arranged thereto, when it is not used. The textile piece 1 may lie loose in the box 5, 6. Alternatively one end of the textile piece 1 may be secured to one of the box elements 5 by means of a locking piece 7, or be secured in another convenient manner, e.g. by gluing. Said locking piece 7 is preferably suited so that the textile piece 1 is clamped against the side wall of the box element 5, whenever the locking piece 7 is pressed down inside the box element 5. Possibly the locking piece 7 may be fixed by gluing to the box element 5 or be secured in another suitable manner. One of the box elements 5 may be given such a cross-sectional shape that the box part 5 may be pressed onto the bottom end of the packaging 2, so that the packaging 2 with the cooler 1 will stand more stably on a surface.

To give the cooler an appearance, for example corresponding to the appearance of the packaging 2, the textile piece 1 is formed with a corresponding pattern. Alternatively, the textile piece 1 may be formed with a totally different pattern, simple dyeing, advertising message, logo or other. This helps to make the contents of the packaging 2 visible, also to enable the cooler to be used to promote a product etc.

Claims

C L A I S

1. A device for cooling a drink in a packaging (2) such as a bottle, tin or similar container, in which the cooling of the drink, by way of the packaging (2) , is based on wetting a fabric-like material, for example a liquid- absorbing piece of textile (1) , placed immediately next to the outer surface, or considerable portions of the outer surface, of the packaging (2) , and in which said cooling is effected by the evaporation of said liquid from the wetted, fabric-like material, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d i n that the textile piece (1) that a particular cooling element is formed of, forms an elastic hose-section-/stocking-like cooling body which may be pulled over the packaging (2) and be kept thereon by its elasticity in the transverse direction of the hose-sec ion/stocking.

2. A device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the textile piece (1) is formed with a pattern corresponding to the appearance of the packaging (2) .

3. A device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 and 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the textile piece (1) is formed with an advertisement or a logo.

4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the textile piece (1) has a two-part storing box (5, 6) arranged thereto.

5. A device according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that a box part (5) has such a cross-sectional shape that the box part (5) may be pressed onto the bottom end of the packaging (2) .

6. A device according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that one end of the textile piece (1) is secured to the box part (5) by means of a locking piece (7) .