GB2604912A

GB2604912A - Wireless beverage cooler

Info

Publication number: GB2604912A
Application number: GB2103812.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sebastien O'Keefe Jack
Original assignee: Jack Sebastien Okeefe
Current assignee: Jack Sebastien Okeefe
Priority date: 2021-03-18
Filing date: 2021-03-18
Publication date: 2022-09-21
Also published as: GB202103812D0

Abstract

A wireless, battery powered beverage cooler comprises a cooling means such as a Peltier device within the base of the cooler and means such as a switch to turn the cooler on or off when a bottle is inserting or removed. A grip handle 2 is used to carry the cooler, and insulation is provided within hollow walls. The bottle is sealed from ambient temperature and the seal may be detachable, and a temperature control circuit manages power usage and the air temperature inside the cooler. A transparent window 7 allows a view of the bottle being cooled, and the unit is made visible in dark environments by light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Description

WIRELESS BEVERAGE COOLER

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a device for keeping a bottle of beverage cool in multiple locations including for example, restaurants, poolside, bars, hotels, homes and beaches. The device can be used with but is not limited to wine, champagne and spirit bottles.

The above venues predominantly use ice buckets to keep beverages cool at the point of consumption which has its flaws including: Constantly having to monitor and fill with ice which can be a time consuming and expensive activity for the hospitality industry; the production of excessive condensation at the point of use which looks unsightly and creates health and safety issues; the fact that when ice is exposed to ambient temperatures it will begin to melt and therefore struggle to keep beverages cool; the need to handle ice safely; the need to produce or purchase ice in advance and store it appropriately which has cost implications (particularly in the hospitality sector).

There are alternative (to an ice bucket) products on the market including wired beverage coolers, iceless wine coolers and cooling sleeves but these too have limitations and disadvantages as follows: non wireless/wired beverage coolers are not fully portable as they require access to a plug socket which is not always available or accessible at the point of use.

lceless wine coolers and chill sleeves only work for a limited timc. warm up quickly and must be returned to a fridge or freezer regularly for them to work.

The Wireless Beverage Cooler (WBC) can replace the need for ice buckets, iceless wine coolers, cooling sleeves and non-wireless/wired beverage coolers by re-solving the problems associated with their use as follows: There is no need to use ice; there is no condensation produced; the device can be handled safely without protective equipment; there is no need to purchase, store or produce ice; the device can keep drinks cool without being plugged into a power outlet; the device can function for long periods of time on one charge.

These solutions are made possible because of the WBCs unique and essential features which are: The Efficient cooling system; The completely wireless power source; The use of an integrated rechargeable battery; Being fully portable; Control circuitry to manage the usage of power from the power supply enabling it to have a usable battery life; The inclusion of insulated walls and a seal to prevent the ambient temperature from entering the area where the bottle sits and subsequently warming the beverage.

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 show a fully assembled WBC, Figure 3 shows a batten/ compartment lid, Figure 4 shows a bottle seal, Figure 5 shows a cross section of a bottle housing displaying the hollow walls which will be filled with insulation foam, Figure 6 shows a bottle housing from below, Figure 7 shows a bottle housing from above, Figure 8 shows an actuator plate, Figure 9 shows a base front below, Figure 10 shows a cooling module, Figure 11 shows base plate from above, Figure 12 shows a base plate from below, Figure 13 shows a bottle support sitting at the bottom of the bottle housing, Figure 14 shows a battery holder.

Figure 15 shows a cross section of the bottle housing displaying the battery slot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the description which follows, like elements are marked with bold numerals which match the drawings. Please refer to the drawings when reading the following description.

Figure 1 shows a. WBC formed using manufacturing processes such as but not limited to injection, rotational or silicone moulding from a material such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. And a space 2 which is used as a handle to carry the WBC.

The slot 3 located near the top of the bottle housing 5 in Figure 1 supports a seal 4 from Figure 4 made from a. flexible foam, rubber or plastic that is water resistant. The seal 4 allows most of the cool air to he retained around the bottle and keeps the ambient temperatures from entering the bottle housing 5 thus improving cooling efficiency.

The housing 5 has an internal diameter to accommodate a wide range of bottle sizes. The seal can be removed and inserted without the use of tools. The seal 4 from Figure 4 has slots 6 to allow the seal to accommodate the insertion of a range of bottle sizes. The outside edge of the seal has the same profile as the slot 3, so it stays in place when pushing or pulling a bottle through.

A transparent window 7 permits identification of contents being cooled, which is secured in place using silicone sealant.

Figure 2 shows the rear side of the \NIB( with a charging port hole 8 to house a DC power socket. A charging port connects to a 12v 10000mAh battery made up of 6 21700 li-ion 3.7v cells, with a battery management system (BMS) located in the battery slot 39 in Figure 13.

The BMS provides safety and improves the longevity of the battery by including the following protections: over voltage range: 4.25-4.35v+0.05v, over discharge voltage range: 2.3-3.0v±0.05v, maximum operating current: 6-8A, maximian transient current: 9-10A, charging voltage: 12.6v -13v. The integration of such a battery is one of the distinct technical features associated with this device that distinguishes it from other iceless beverage coolers on the market, allowing true portability which no other products like this have.

The battery is connected to a temperature control circuit which measures the air temperature insIde the bottle housing and outputs power to a cooling module shown in Figure 10 when the temperature exceeds a predefined set point The WBC bottle housing shown in the CIOSS-SeetiOnal view of Figwe 5 has a hollow wait 1 for the inclusion of insulation foam.

The battery compartment cover 10 shown in Figure 2 and as Figure a 15 secured m place using two screws 11 to contain the circuitry. It also incorpointes a temperature probe holder 12 which houses a probe connected to the temperature control circuit. The hole 13 allows the conductors to he fed through to the cooling unit where they can be soldered together.

Figure 6 shows the underside oldie bottle housing. A dithliser 14 is used to diffuse light coming from an LED secured in the channel 15 which enhances the design mid makes die device visible in dark environments.

A cable channel 16 makes war for the conductors exitnig from the hole 17 connected to the tactile oniott switch 18 from Figure Figure X shows an orilcifl switch actuator 19 which is positioned into the two slots 20 in Figure which illovvs e130 1.11M 1:10;:vms7aEds force to energise WC i)nt'off switch when a bottle. is inserted WBC or de-energise when a bottle is removed.

Countersunk holes 21 guide screws to attach the base 22 from Figure 9 to the cooling 'module from Figure 16 and the bottle housing 5. The compression forces caused by the screws creates a seal due to the foam gasket's 23 location against the base heat plate 24 in Figure 9, which stops warm air travelling into the bottle housing.

Figure 10 shows a cooling module used to generate cool air, which_ is housed within the base 22. The cooling module includes a small axial fan 25 attached to a small heatsink 26 Eve screws. The small heatsink attaches to a haute heatsink 27 with a Peltier module 28 held in between by compression forces generated by the screws used to hold the base 22 bottle housing 5 and cooling module together. The large heatsink 27 is attached by screws to a large axial fan 29. The large axial tbn pulls ad through the base plate's 30 from Figures 11 and 12 ventilation slots 31 and onto the large heatsink 27 then out of the base's 22 ventilated slots 32 in Figure 9, The base plate 30 in Figure 11 may be attached to the base 22 in Figure 9 by a compression like Fit or adhered together by a bonding 31.35111-113I3Cer usiniz the outer ridge 33 in Figure I I to locate the plate into position. The base plate 30 provides the \\IBC with stability due to its feet 34 in Figure 12 also giving the cooler enough lift from the surface to allow enough air to the cooling modulo.

Figure 13 shows a bottle support 35 sitting at the bottom of the bottle housing 5. This functions as a stable base for a bottle, as well as an actuator by pressing down onto the small actuator plate 19 shown in Figure 8 when a bottle is inserted.

The column supports 36 hold bottles at the correct height, allowing air to circulate around the inside of the bottle housing and for users to easily reach the neck of a bottle.

In Figure 14, a battery' holder 37 which includes a charging port hole 38 is inserted into the battery slot 39 shown in Figure 15.

Claims

Claims 1. A wireless beverage cooler unit comprising of integrated power means for full wireless portability with a battery life that fulfills the user's needs such that beverages can be cooled, a means for cooling, a means for energizing or deenergizing the unit when a bottle is inserted or removed, a grip handle so that the unit can be carried, a window which allows the user' to look at a bottle inside, insulation means such that the ambient air has little effect on the cool air inside, a sealant means such that the ambient air is unable to penetrate into cooler, a temperature control circuit which keeps the temperature of the bottle at an optimum temperature, power management means such that the battery life is used as efficiently as possible, a means to give the unit visibility in dark environments.
2. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 1, in which Integrated power means is provided by a powerful battery in a housing within the main body of the unit.
3 A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 1 in which cooling means is provided by a cooling module housed within the base.
4. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 1, in which energizing and deenergizmg means is provided by an integrated switch, actuated by inserting or removing a bottle.
A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim I, in which the grip handle means is provided by an opening to allow the users fingers to grip it enough to carry.
6. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 1, in which the means to look at the bottle inside is provided by a transparent material located in such a position to allow the user to visualize the bottle being cooled.
7. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 1 in which the insulation means is provided by any form of insulation within the hollow walls.
8. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 1, in which the sealant means is provided by any form of seal which seals the bottle from the ambient air.
9. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 6, in which the seal is detachable so that it can be cleaned or replaced easily.
10. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim I, in which the temperature control means is provided by an electronic circuit that uses a probe to measure and feedback the temperature, so the circuit can decide when to energize or de-energize a relay supplying power to the cooling module.
[1. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim S. that the temperature control circuit which is used to control the temperature of the cooler is also the means to manage the power and efficiency of the cooler.
12. A wireless beverage cooler unit according to claim 1, in which the unit is complimented by light emitting diodes to enhance the design and make it visible in dark environments.