Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
  • A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
  • A47F3/0439—Cases or cabinets of the open type
  • A47F3/0443—Cases or cabinets of the open type with forced air circulation
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F1/00—Racks for dispensing merchandise; Containers for dispensing merchandise
  • A47F1/04—Racks or containers with arrangements for dispensing articles, e.g. by means of gravity or springs
  • A47F1/08—Racks or containers with arrangements for dispensing articles, e.g. by means of gravity or springs dispensing from bottom
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D31/00—Other cooling or freezing apparatus
  • F25D31/006—Other cooling or freezing apparatus specially adapted for cooling receptacles, e.g. tanks
  • F25D31/007—Bottles or cans
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
  • F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
  • F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2331/00—Details or arrangements of other cooling or freezing apparatus not provided for in other groups of this subclass
  • F25D2331/80—Type of cooled receptacles
  • F25D2331/803—Bottles
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2331/00—Details or arrangements of other cooling or freezing apparatus not provided for in other groups of this subclass
  • F25D2331/80—Type of cooled receptacles
  • F25D2331/805—Cans

Definitions

• This invention relates to a refrigerating counter for bottles, cans and similar containers, preferably containing beverages - a socalled bottle cooler - wherein the bottles, etc. are offered for sale while they are continuously cooled by means of cold air which is brought to pass a refrigerator and to circulate around the bottles, etc., and wherein the bottle cooler comprises an annulus forming filling member and storage for the bottles, etc., and wherein, immediately below the annulus, a bottle outlet place or bottle acces/removals place is situated, downwardly defined by a bottle support shelf, on which the bottles, etc. lie offered for sale, said annulus having an extent which at least approximately corresponds to 360° about a central, vertical axis, said bottle outlet place from outside being accessible from, preferably, all directions.
• a refrigerating counter/bottle cooler of the kind defined introductorily, is shown and described in NO patent application No. 940486.
• a great advantage of this bottle cooler is that the bottles are available from all directions, i.e. along 360° about a central, vertical axis.
• the main object of the present invention has been to counteract the building of undesired "bottle bridges" in the annulus of the bottle cooler.
• the invention is based on the idea of restricting the extent of the annulus in a horizontal direction at least in the storage but, preferably, also in the bottle take out place.
• a refrigerating counter/bottle cooler designed in accordance with the introduction section, distinguishes itself through the features as defined in the characterizing clause of claim 1.
• An important, but subordinate object of the present invention is to damp the movement/fall of the bottles from the annulus to the underlying bottle take out place.
• the invention aims in broad outline at enabling that at least the annulus, possibly also the underlying bottle take out place, is divided by means of at least one upright partition.
• two, three or more such upright partitions may be disposed, preferably using the same angular spacing.
• the upright partition or the upright partitions have, additionally to the primary function thereof, the extra function that it/they act bracingly and supportingly on the structure of the bottle cooler.
• Figure 1 shows a bottle cooler equipped with partitions according to the invention, seen from outside, in one side elevational view;
• Figure 2 shows a cross-section as viewed in the direction of the arrows II-II in figure 1;
• Figure 3 shows a bottle cooler equipped with dampers for bottle fall/movement and partitions according to the invention
• Figure 4 shows a cross-section as viewed in the direction of the arrows IV-IV in figure 3;
• Figure 5 shows a vertical section through a somewhat differently shaped and designed bottle cooler, equipped with partitions according to the invention
• Figure 6 shows a section as viewed in the direction of VI-VI in figure 5;
• Figure 7 corresponds to figure 5, but shows the bottle cooler equipped with bottle fall/movement damping means, bottle dampers, but without partitions.
• Figures 5 and 7 have deliberately not been combined to form one single figure, separate figures being more illustrative than if both partitions and bottle dampers were shown in one figure simultaneously;
• Figure 8 is a section as viewed in the direction of the arrows VIII-VIII in figure 7.
• a bottle cooler or refrigerating counter for bottles/cans comprises a central upwardly open square pipe 1 having a lower, upwardly tapering, truncated pyramid-shaped portion 1' .
• the pipe 1 is surrounded by a concentric jacket 2 which uppermost carries a hood 3, which can be removed in order to enable filling of the annulus 4 between jacket 2 and pipe 1 with bottles, not shown, which are intended to land in a bottle take out place 5 accessible from all directions and situated immediately below the annulus 4 as well as being defined below by a bottle support shelf 6.
• a refrigerator (not shown in figures 1 - 4) is placed, cooling air which is put in circulation by a fan, not shown, preferably upwards through the pipe 1 and downwards into the annulus 4 as well as in between the bottles in the annulus 4 and in the take out place 5 for bottle ⁇ .
• An additional effect associated with the partition(s) is/are its/their bracing and supporting effect on the structure of the bottle cooler.
• one or more flexible damper means 8, 9 may be disposed according to the invention, such as viewed in figures 3 and 4, but which, in principle, also are intended to be used in combination with the partition(s) 7 in figure 1 and 2.
• Each flexible damper means 8, 9 consists of freely projecting flaps 8' attached at the inner end thereof to the pipe 1, but which, otherwise, are self-supporting, elastically resilient and deflectable. Such damper flaps 8' are disposed along a ring to form the respective annular damper means 8, 9.
• the overlying annular, flexible damper means 8 may advantageously have a larger diameter than the underlying damper means 9.
• the damper means 8, 9 could have been formed to be attached to the inner side av the jacket 2 in lieu of to the outside of the pipe 1.
• the main point is that the damper means are flexible and project into the fall/movement path of the bottles within the annulus 4, where the bottles come into contact with the damper means 8, 9 and deflect them elastically.
• the bottles are damped in their movement, before they continue their movement downwardly to the bottle take out place 5.
• the movements of the bottles become controlled, disallowing free fall and uncontrolled movement of bottles down to the take out place 5.
• the bottle cooler according to figures 5 - 7 comprises also a central upright pipe 1 having a conical, upwardly tapering lower portion 1• with an inwards arched wall which is perforated in order to let through cooling air, from outside and into the refrigerator of the bottle cooler.
• the pipe 1 has an underlying extension pipe 10 having a lower widening 11.
• reference numeral 13 denotes a fan for carrying cooled air upwardly through the pipe 1 which, uppermo ⁇ t, ha ⁇ radial aperture ⁇ 1" and i ⁇ surrounded by a hood 3.
• the hood 3 is divided at 14, the uppermost hood part 3' being removable for allowing bottles to be filled into the lower hood part 3" which, thus, forms a bottle accommodating chamber or storage, from where the bottles through said damper means 8 and 9 slide down into the bottle take out place 5, which below is defined by the bottle support shelf 6, which in this embodiment is annular and slopes upwardly in a direction radially outwardly.
• the perforated portion 1 » of the pipe 1 forms a 360° lateral support face for the bottles.
• an evaporator 14 incorporated in said refrigerator which, moreover, below a horizontal plate 15, includes an air-cooled condenser 16 assigned a fan 17 and a compressor 18.
• an air-cooled condenser 16 assigned a fan 17 and a compressor 18.
• a horizontal heating plate 19 for evaporating condensate supplied through a central, vertical pipe 20 extending through the horizontal plate 15.
• the lower annular or rather sleeve-shaped hood part 3" is stationary in relation to the central pipe 1 and is attached to the same through spokes 21 and a ring 22 as well as rests with a socket-shaped, lower end portion 3a on a radially projecting portion 7' of the partitions 7.
• the upper hood part 3' is displaceable along the central pipe 1 through spokes 23 and a guide sleeve 24.
• the partitions 7 extend along a vertical extent corresponding to the substantially full height of the annulus 4 together with the height of the bottle take out place 5. A satisfactory effect will be achieved upon providing the annulus 4 only with one or more partitions.
• One bottle damper means e.g. 8, is often sufficiently efficient to perform the damping of the bottle movement all by itself; or it may be disposed two or more damper means 8, 9.
• Air is cooled in the refrigerator 14,16,17,18 and brought to flow upwardly through the pipe 10,1 where the air flows out through the upper radial opening ⁇ l" and pa ⁇ ses downwardly through the annulus 4, which is defined between the pipe 1 and the jacket 2, and during this circulation, the air strokes along the bottles in annulus 4 and take out place 5, accumulating heat from the bottles, whereafter the air passes ⁇ through the perforation ⁇ of the lateral support member 1' into the interior of the bottle cooler, in order to be cooled once more in ⁇ aid refrigerator 14,16,17,18, and so forth, for continuous cooling of the bottles.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19898315

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1995
  • 1995-06-19 NO NO952434A patent/NO300187B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1996
  • 1996-06-12 WO PCT/NO1996/000141 patent/WO1997000038A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-06-12 EP EP96921166A patent/EP0833581A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-06-12 AU AU62455/96A patent/AU6245596A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-06-12 JP JP9502957A patent/JPH11507569A/ja active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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