GB2373566A

GB2373566A - Apparatus for dispensing liquid

Info

Publication number: GB2373566A
Application number: GB0020340A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Clive Frost; Ronald Charles Lawrence
Original assignee: ONSITE NORTH MIDLANDS Ltd; SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE GROUP PLC
Current assignee: ONSITE NORTH MIDLANDS Ltd; SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE GROUP PLC
Priority date: 2000-08-17
Filing date: 2000-08-17
Publication date: 2002-09-25
Also published as: GB0020340D0

Abstract

Apparatus for dispensing a cooled liquid comprises a cabinet (2) shaped to house a bottle or container (3) for storing a liquid to be cooled. The liquid is typically water in a container having walls of a light transmissive plastics material, such as blown polyethylene terephthalate. The container includes a tap (13), which may have a seal which is broken off before use. The seal is designed so that the tap is used once only. The cabinet includes a detachable lid (8) by which the containers are replaced. Two cooling plates (10 and 11) are set into the inner wall of the cabinet. The cooling plates are electrically powered via a plug connection (12). The same apparatus can be used to warm the liquid in the container by using the plates (10,11) as heating means eg by reversing the polarity through the plates. The cabinet (2) shields the container (3) from ambient light, thus prevention microbial growth within the container (3).

Description

LIQUID DISPENSER This invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing cooled or warmed liquids.

It is one object of the invention to provide a cabinet having cooling or a heating device to heat or cool a liquid contained in a bottle or other vessel to be stored within the cabinet.

Typically the vessel will have a volume greater than that which can be accommodated in the usual domestic refrigerator.

According to the invention in one aspect there is provided apparatus for dispensing cooled liquid, the apparatus comprising a cabinet having a compartment to receive a container of the liquid, the container having a wall of light transmissive material and a tap for dispensing the contained liquid; the walls of the compartment being shaped to shield the container from ambient light and having means for cooling the liquid.

It is preferred that the wall of the container (apart from the tap means) is formed of a plastics or other material; one example is blown polyethylene terephtalate (PET). It is also preferred that the container is adapted for single use only. In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus the container has a capacity of at least six litres. Preferably the container has a capacity of ten litres.

It is preferred that the compartment of the cabinet has a hinged or detachable wall which is removed for reception or release of the container, and which when engaged with the remainder of the cabinet shields the container from light. Conveniently, the wall in question is a lid.

It is also preferred that the cooling means comprises at least one plate of heat transfer material arranged for contact with a facing portion of the wall of the container received in the compartment. Preferably the plate is of the type known as a Koolatron (RTM).

Preferably, the cooling means includes a plug connection to an electrical supply for energising the plate. It is preferred that the wall of the container has flat portions to rest against a cooling plate by which the liquid therein can be cooled or warmed as appropriate.

Preferably the liquid to be cooled is water or wine.

According to the invention in another aspect there is provided apparatus comprising a cabinet having a compartment to receive a container of the liquid, the container having a wall of light transmissive material and a tap for dispensing the contained liquid ; the walls of the compartment being shaped to shield the container from ambient light and having means for warming the liquid.

Preferably the liquid is to be warmed or heated is water, wine, milk or milk formula or a soup, or a confectionery item such as drinking chocolate.

According to the invention in a further aspect there is provided a container for liquid, the container having a wall of light transmissive material and a tap for dispensing the liquid, the container being adapted for single use only, the tap having a seal which must be broken before the tap can be used to dispense the liquid contained therein.

It is also preferred that for some uses the container has a capacity of six litres up to ten litres.

It is preferred that the wall of the container (apart from the tap means) is formed of polyethylene terephtalate (PET) or other food quality material.

In order that the invention may be well understood it will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one bottle of the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section through a cabinet of the invention including a bottle as shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an elevation taken on arrow A of Figure 2.

The liquid dispenser 1 comprises a cabinet 2 defining a compartment to receive a liquid container 3 of a liquid, typically water. The cabinet 2 is comprised of a frame 4 made up of a base 5, a rear wall 6 and two side walls 7 which define the compartment in which the container 3 is received. A detachable lid 8 is of L-section and is made of a long leg 9 which acts as a roof but is longer than the base 5, and a downwardly projecting leg portion 10, which is approximately half the height of the rear wall 6. The lid 8 is slidably fitted to the top of the side walls 7, by a complementary groove and rib arrangement. The frame 4 and detachable lid 8 of the cabinet 2 is formed from a light shielding material, typically a solid plastics, wood, metal or composite.

Two cooling plates 10,11 formed of a heat transfer material such as that identified as Koolatron (RTM) are set into the inner wall of the frame 4. The first plate 10 is located in the base 5 and the second plate 11 is located in the rear wall 6. When the container 3 is received in the compartment the cooling plates 10,11 contact two walls of the container 3 for cooling of the water therein. The cooling plates are electrically powered from a suitable electrical supply via a plug connection 12.

The container 3 is a square shaped 10 litres bottle having walls of a light transmissive plastics material such as blown polyethylene terephtalate (PET). The bottle has a horizontal floor 14 and parallel but longer roof 15, and a vertical rear wall 16. The front wall is made up of a vertical top part 17 and a rearwardly sloping lower portion 18. Two side walls 19 are present. The bottle 3 has a liquid holding capacity of ten litres. The bottle 3 is fitted with a tap 13 for dispensing water, the tap 13 having a seal (not shown) which is broken off before use. This has the advantage of ensuring that there is no infection. The seal is designed so that the tap 13 should be used once only, and must be disposed of or the bottle returned to the supplier for refilling after use. The sides of the bottle 3 to contact the cooling plates 10,11 are flat for efficient cooling. Because the lower front wall 18 is angled inwardly there is clearance to allow a beaker B to be placed directly under the tap 13. In use, the detachable lid 8 is slidably removed, and the bottle 3 is placed in the compartment defined by the frame 4 until the flat surfaces 14,16 of the bottle 3 contact the cooling plates 10,11 and the tap is facing towards the front. The lid 8 is then replaced and the cooling plates 10,11 activated by inserting the plug 12 into an electrical supply socket and switching the apparatus on. When the water is chilled to a predetermined temperature it can then be dispensed via the tap 13 into a beaker B or the like which is placed under the tap 13.

The same apparatus can be used to warm the fluid in the container 3 using the plates 10, 11 as a heating means, e. g. by reversing the polarity through the plates 10,11.

The shape of the frame 4 permits a large proportion of the bottle 3 to be shielded from ambient light. This is useful as it may reduce microbial growth within the water bottle 3.

This is a solution to a significant problem as many water borne bacteria are attracted to the plasticisers used in such bottles and tend to be cultivated rapidly if the conditions are not carefully controlled. It also minimises the effect of heat transfer to and from the external environment, which increases the efficiency of the heating or cooling system. Another advantageous feature of the liquid dispenser 1 of the invention is that it is suitable for domestic use, for example, it is small enough in length to fit between the front and back of a work surface, and its height is short enough to fit in the vertical clearance between the work surface and overlying wall-mounted units.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown. The frame 4 and lid 8 may be formed of a light transmissive material, which may or may not be painted with a light shielding paint. In some cases a material which is opaque may be used for the bottle. As shown, the container has an installed tap. In an alternative structure the container is solid and the tap is fitted in the cabinet. When such a container is placed in the cabinet the tap is arranged to pierce the container wall ; this has the advantage that the container is sealed against contamination when in storage.

The container may have a dust proof air inlet for ingress in air to allow liquid flow as the container is emptied. A source of carbon dioxide may be provided to gasify the liquid, i. e. to produce a sparkling drink. The housing may be used to cool or chill boxes of wine.

The lid 8 may be attached to the frame 4 using hinges or clips. The frame 4 may be extendable to accommodate bottles with a capacity of above ten litres. Alternative forms of container may be used, for example, collapsible bags as used commonly in wine boxes.

The container need not contain a liquid. For example, the cabinet may contain a radioactive material and be used to transport that harzardous material under cooled conditions.

In the embodiment shown two cooling plates are shown but only one may be present. A thermostat or other temperature control may be fitted.

The housing may be dimensioned to receive more than one bottle and be arranged to cool one while the other is in use.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for dispensing cooled liquid, the apparatus comprising a cabinet having a compartment to receive a container of the liquid, the container having a wall of light transmissive material and a tap for dispensing the contained liquid ; the walls of the compartment being shaped to shield the container from ambient light and having means for cooling the liquid.
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the wall of the container (apart from the tap means) is formed of polyethylene terephtalate (PET) or other food quality material.
3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is adapted for single use only.
4. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, wherein the container has a capacity of at least 6 litres.
5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein the container has a capacity of 10 litres.
6. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, wherein the compartment of the cabinet has a detachable wall which is removed for reception or release of the container, and which when engaged with the remainder of the cabinet shields the container from light.
7. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, wherein the cooling means comprises at least one plate of heat transfer material arranged for contact with a facing portion of the wall of the container received in the compartment.
8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein the plate is a Koolatron (RTM).
9. Apparatus according to Claim 7 or 8, including a plug connection to an electrical supply for energising the plate.
10. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, wherein the liquid is water or wine.
11. Apparatus for dispensing warmed liquid, the apparatus comprising a cabinet having a compartment to receive a container of the liquid, the container having a wall of light transmissive material and a tap for dispensing the contained liquid ; the walls of the compartment being shaped to shield the container from ambient light and having means for warming the liquid.
12. Apparatus according to Claim 11, wherein the warming means comprises at least one plate of heat transfer material arranged for contact with a portion of the wall of the container received in the compartment.
13. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the liquid is water, milk or milk formula or a soup.
14. A container containing a liquid, the container having a wall of light transmissive material and having a tap for dispensing the liquid, the container being adapted for single use only, the tap having a seal which must be broken before the tap can be used to dispense the liquid container therein.
15. A container according to Claim 14, wherein the wall of the container has flat portions to rest against a cooling plate by which the liquid therein can be cooled.
16. A container according to Claim 15 or 16, having a capacity of 10 litres.
17. A container according to Claim 14, wherein the wall of the container (apart from the tap means) is formed of polyethylene terephtalate (PET) or other food quality material.
18. A container according to Claim 14, wherein the container is adapted for single use only.