US2228848A

US2228848A - Apparatus for cooling beverages

Info

Publication number: US2228848A
Application number: US292050A
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael P Reilly; Romeo S Denzer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1939-08-26
Filing date: 1939-08-26
Publication date: 1941-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 1958-01-14

Description

Jan. 14,1941. M, P, BELLY Em 2,228,848

APPARATUS FOR COOLING BEVERAGES Filed Aug. 26, 1939 3 Shasta-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. 1 1 011150 EZZENZE May/9'51. EFEJLL Y 9 I MATTORNEY.

Jan. 14, 1941. M. P. REILLY ETAL APPARATUS FOR COOLING BEVERAGES Filed Aug. 26, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VENTOR. .5 551x125]? FUMEU MCHHEL 1 REILLY @JM ATTORNEY.

Jan. 14, 1941. M. P. REILLY ETAL APPARATUS FOR COOLING BEVERAGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 26, 1939 INVENTOR. FUMEU 5129A! ZEH BY [511551; 1 5122 Y KM ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 14, 1941 2,228,848 APPARATUS FOR COOLING BEVERAGES Michael P. Reilly, shorewood, and Romeo S.

- Denzer, La Crosse, Wis.

Application August 26, 1939, Serial No. 292,050

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to an apparatus for cooling beverages and more particularly to a cabinet construction in which beverages containing dissolved gases, such as'beer, may be stored, cooled, maintained in such cooled state and dispensed I in the usual manner.

The efilciency of cabinets heretofore proposed has been materially impaired because of improper and ineflicient insulation and because of 1c multiplicity of joints or seams in such cabinets, which permitted large losses of refrigerated air, Accordingly, it is an object of our invention to provide a simple, sturdy and efllclent construction, properly insulated, in which a minimum of joints or seams are utilized. Another object of our 2. construction so designed'that while it is'a compact self-contained unit, it affords ample space within which any of the standard con-- tainers for such beverages, whether they are provided for'sideor-center V centered so as to be reached with the dispensing tap rod and faucet combination.

A further object of our invention resides in a cabinet so constructed that a gravity flow of cooled air at all times surrounds the beverage container stored within the cabinet of our invention. 4

In addition, our invention aflords a readily accessible cabinet opening for the replenishing of the coolerant, work space otherwise not available, and a unit usable with bars with which taverns are usually equipped, without disarrangement or cutting of the bar. With these and other objects in view, this invention may consist of certainnovel features of construction which willbe best understood from the following description, read in light of the accompanying drawings, illustrating specific emcuts ofour invention, and in which like numerals indicate like parts.

-It is to be understood that our invention is not to be limited by the exact embodiments of the device shown, which are merely. by way of illustration and not limitation, as various other forms of the device may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation with parts broken w y;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of one of the compartments of the cabinet embodying our invention, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 Figure 4 is a view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; Figure 5 is 'a detail of .the partition of the coolerant compartment; 50 Figure 6 is a view on the line B -B of Figure 1;

invention is to provide tapping can-easily be I or refrigerate compartment of the and the insert l8 are entirely 1 OFFICE wFigure 11 is a of the manner of Figure 12 is a section showing a modification icing the cabinet; detail of the crows foot.

but

discharge vent 21 of the cabinet through the drain I9, the trough 20 and its complementary -'drain 22. In addition, with the colander Il and insert l8 removed, cubed ice can be inserted through the port l8 into the ice cabinet. This manner of keeping the cabinet iced is used when the bar under which the cabinet of our invention is placed is of a height sufficient to provide ample clearance between the underside of the bar and the top wall of the cabinet.

When such space is not available and cutting of the bar would consequently result, the modification of Figure 11 is employed. ,In this modification, the rectangularopening [6, the colander I1 I eliminatedand in their place and stead the back drop or; sp1ash board of the ofiset portion of the top wall l5 has an opening it normally closed with the closure member 11', which while securely .fheld by the spring-clip I8, is manually removable as and when it becomes desirableto At the forward end of the top wall, adjacent the offset portion thereof, suitable openings for the usual direct draw tap rod 23 and faucet 24 are available. Medial of the back drop of the offset portion of the top wall l5, an opening for a water tap 25 is provided. In some instances it may be desirable to have the water tap opening located at either end of the cabinet, rather than medially off the back drop of the offset portion of the top wall l5, or at the forward edge of the top wall l adjacent its offset portion. It is to be understood that such arrangements are selective. The offset top wall is provided with a countersunk drip pan 26, sloped to its medial section, at which point a drain 2! is arranged, which extends through the wall of the offset portion and also discharges into the trough 20. While the full lines of Figure 2 show the drip pan 26 of one piece construction, extending substantially along the length of the offset portion of the top wall, it is to be understood that the drip pan may comprise two separate sections 26', as shown in the dotted lines of Figure 2. The drip pans 26 or 26' may be .made integral with that section of the offset portion of the top wall I5 by which they are supported, and in such a construction the entire section would be made removable so as to facilitate the centering and tapping of the beverage containers. As shown in Figures and 11, the side and end walls at their top edges are raised and curled to facilitate removal as the need arises. In addition, the pitch of the drip pans and the location of the drain 2'! is such that accumulation of slop" is drained quickly, thus eliminating a decidedly unsightly and unsanitary conditon that ha heretofore exsted. The back drop of the offset porton of the top wall is of a depth sufficient to give ample clearance between the

drip pan

26 or 26 and the spout of the faucets 24 and the water tap 25 for the usual glasses into which beverages stored in the cabinet or water is dispensed.

Hinged insulated doors 28 of a size large enough to permit movement into and out of the cabinet interior of beverage half barrels are provided in the front wall I I. There is, at the present time, both wooden and steel half barrels being used as beverage containers. Barrels of these particular classifications vary in overall height and in addition may provide for side tapping as is best illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, as at 23, or have center tapping as at 30. It is, therefore, of material importance that sufficient internal cabinet space be provided to accommodate alignment of the beverage keg, regardless of whether it utilizes a side or center tap with the tap rod, as well as provision of suflicient internal height to accommodate either type of the two prevailent present day kegs.

The partition 3|. of Figure 5, comprising a foraminous lower section 32, suitably secured to a curved drawn upper section 33, corrugated for a purpose which will hereafter fully appear, is of such form that when it is suitably secured to the inner wall of the back drop of the offset portion of the top wall 15, as at 34, assumes the position best shown in Figure 3. In this position, the partition 3| is spaced from but adjacent to the inner face of the rear wall l2.

Ice, placed in the cabinet through the port I! or the opening [6, as the case may be, first contacts the corrugated upper portion 33 of the partition 3| along which it slides to rest on the inner face of the bottom wall of the 'cabinet 14, being held in position by the foraminous portion 32 of the partition. The retention of the ice is bestshown in Figures 3 and 4.

Adjacent the edge of the partition, in contact with the bottom wall i4, is a bumper 35, which prevents the beverage container from crushing or bending out of shape the lower portion of the partition as the container is placed in the cabinet. To facilitate the movement of the beverage containers into and out of the cabinet, skids 35 are provided.

Openings 31, properly spaced, complement the openings provided in the top wall of the cabinet for the tap rod'23 and its faucet 24. The particular form of the partition 3| assures a continued gravity flow of cooled air within the cabinet, since as warm air seeks the higher levers it comes in contact with the cubed ice held by the partition 3|, is cooled and drops to the bottom of the cabinet. This circulatory flow is indicated by the arrows shown in Figure 3.

The corrugations of the section 33 of the partition 3| afford a greater contact area for the warm air in its upward movement and provide a surface along which the cubed ice can be easily slid in filling the cabinet. Should forced air draft be a desirable feature in cabinets of larger capacities, a suitable fan can be easily secured to the inner periphery of the top wall l5 and its air current directed through the cooing medium of the cabinet.

Loosely fitted around the lower end of the drain 22, located as aforesaid, is a float member 38 which, as water forms from the melting ice, assures drainage thereof through the vent 2|, so that a relatively dry bottom cabinet is had under all operating conditions.

To assure a means of readily cooling the water drawn through the faucet 25, the water line 39 is coiled as at 40, within the open top coil box 4!, supported on brackets 42 secured to the portion. 33 of the partition 3|. Such water as forms from ice melting is caught and retained by the box 4! so that the water line coils are partially if not wholly submerged, and subjected to the conse quent cooling effect of the iced water bath.

The insulation and seam construction of our cabinet is best shown in Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9. In Figure 6, a view through the front wall of the cabinet proper and the top of the door 28, it is to be noted that the insulation material 43 is laid directly against the wood beam 44 and the cabinet lining and facing, 45 and 45 respectively, is formed only partially around the beam 44, leaving the gap 41. To seal this gap, Bakelite or Stripllite 48, suitably secured directly to the beam 44, is used. While the door section has its metal facing 49 and inner lining 50 formed contiguously, the door contact with the Bakelite 48 is additionally sealed against temperature transmission by the use of a tubular rubber strip 52 laid the length of the doors overlapped edges.

The section of Figure 7 illustrates a like insulation and seam construction of the hinged edge of the door 23 and the beam 54 to which it is hinged.

In Figure 8, the central mullion 55 of the cabinet has both of its side facings 56 broken at 51 and 58 respectively, with the breaks sealed by the Bakelite strips 59. While not shown, it is to be understood that the overlapped door edges, coacting with the Bakelite strips 59, have affixed thereto a tubular rubber strip similar to the strip 52.

In Figure 9, the cabinet facing break of the door jamb 60 is likewise carried into effect. The

breaking of the cabinet facing and lining as shown, together with the sealing of th breaks or gaps by a non-conductive material such as Bakelite and the use of another non-conductive material on the overlapped edge portions of the doors of the cabinets, efiectively reducesto a minimum transmission of room heat to the interior of the cabinet or 'difiusion of the cooled air of the cabinet outwardly from its interior through the seams or joints of, the cabinet, and also prevents the usual condensation present where cooled or cold metal is placed in a room with warmer l atmospheric conditions prevalent.

In addition, the insulation material used in-the cabinet is, in cross sectional area, in such ratio to the metal facing of the cabinet that transmission of heat or cold through the wall sections of the cabinet is efiectively guarded against.

Rubber gourmets 6|, which fit snugly around the upper enlarged section of the tap rod 23, are of such size as to tightly seal the tap'rod openings in the top wall l5 and thus the loss of any cooled cabinet air, or the admission of warm air through these openings, is prevented.

A crows foot 62 of a size that suitably fits into the tap rod opening in the top wall I5 has a port 83 through which the tap rod 23 is pressed and held centered. The particular design of the crows foot permits the infiltration of air through the openings 84 of the crows foot, into the space immediately surrounding the upper part of the tap rod, when the tap rod is of a construction that has an enlarged insulated shell, housing its upperadapted to hold a beverage container, an opening in said cabinet through which a beverage container may be moved into or out of said interior space, removable skids in the bottom of said space to facilitate said container movement, an insulated closure member for said opening, means for dispensing the beverage of said container from saidcontainer and cabinet, a partition comprising a foraminous lower section and a drawn corrugated upper section integral with each other secured adjacent a vertical wall of said cabinet in a substantially upright position and extending over said container space and defining a second space reserved for coolerant, a bumper secured laterally adjacent the lower edge of said foraminous lower section, a second opening in said cabinet through which coolerant may be placed in said second mentioned space, an insulated closure member for said second mentioned 'opening, and cooling media housed within said second mentioned space, whereby as warm air rises from the interior of said cabinet the same is cooled and returnedto the bottom of said cabinet.

2. In a cabinet of the character described, insulated front, side, rear, bottom and top walls, said top wall having an oil'set portion intermediate the front and rear walls, interiorspace adapted to hold a beverage container, an opening in said cabinet through which a beverage container may be moved into or out of said interior space, an insulated closure member for said opening, a partition comprising a foraminous lower section and a drawn corrugated upper section integral with each other secured adjacent a vertical wall of said cabinet in substantially upright position and extending over said container space and defining a second space reserved for coolerant, an opening in the vertical section of said top wall offset portion coacting with the upper corrugated section of said partition, whereby said second mentioned space may be filled with coolerant, a closure member for said second mentioned opening, and means fordispensing the beverage of said container from said container and cabinet extending from the container through said partition and top wall adjacent the offset section thereof.

3. In a cabinetconstruction comprising front, side, bottom, rear and'top walls having an inner metal lining and an outer metal facing with insulation between said lining and facing and horizontal and vertical beams spaced at predetermined points in said walls, breaks in the lining and facing of said wallsat certain of said beams, said breaks being sealed with material impervious to temperature transmission, an interior space adapted to hold a beverage container, an opening in said cabinet through which a beverage container may be moved into or out of said interior space, an insulated closure member for said opening, a partition comprising a foraminous lower section and a drawn corrugated upper section integral with each other sRured adjacent a vertical wall 'of said cabinet in substantially upright position and extending over said container space and defining a second space reserved for coolerant, a second opening in said cabinet coacting with the upper corrugated section of said partition whereby said second mentioned space may be filled with coolerant, a closure member for said second mentioned opening, means for dispensing the beverage of said container from said container and cabinet, and a port in the bottom wall of said cabinet through which such liquid.

as is formed by the coolerant may drain.

4. In a cabinet of the character described, comprising insulated front, side, rear, bottom and top walls, an opening in said cabinet through which a beverage container may be moved into or out of said interior space, an insulated closure member for said opening, a partition secured adjacent a vertical wall of said cabinet defining a second space reserved for coolerant, a second opening in said cabinet through which coolerant may be placed in said second mentioned space, an insulated closure member for said second mentioned opening, a beverage line and faucet for dispensing the beverage of saidcontainer from said container and cabinet, and a removable drip pan positioned beneath said faucet whereby with said pan removed the centering of a beverage container wlthin the space reserved therefor may be facilitated.

MICHAEL P. REILLY. ROMEO S. DENZER.