WO2005036076A1

WO2005036076A1 - Insulated refrigerated portable box for drinks

Info

Publication number: WO2005036076A1
Application number: PCT/FR2004/002549
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Luc Rossi
Original assignee: Jean-Luc Rossi
Priority date: 2003-10-10
Filing date: 2004-10-08
Publication date: 2005-04-21
Also published as: EP1745249A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an insulated refrigerated portable box for drinks in the technical field of liquid storage devices and, more particularly, transportable storage devices, used to house, refrigerate and keep cool all types of liquids, in particular, drinks contained in flexible or rigid containers (for example of the plastic bottle type) and for drawing off drinks. Said insulated refrigerated portable box comprises a parallelepiped box (1), enclosing a container (6) containing a liquid, said container being provided with a means for drawing off (8) the liquid which may be brought outside said box, detachable refrigerating blocks (2), arranged against the internal lateral walls of said box, a layer of lagging material, arranged between said refrigerating blocks and said lateral walls, said layer of lagging material being formed by lagging sheets (3), coupled to said refrigerating blocks, by means of mechanical fixings such as to form fixed refrigerating block/lagging sheet assemblies. The insulated refrigerated box thus obtained can be used for housing, refrigerating and keeping cool drinks before being consumed cool, for example, water and certain wines. By placing the refrigerating blocks in said box, the user can enjoy a cool drink for several days without the need to place the same in a refrigerator.

Description

PORTABLE INSULATED REFRIGERANT BOX FOR BEVERAGES

The present invention relates to a portable refrigerated insulated box for drinks.

It relates to the technical field of liquid storage devices and more particularly transportable storage devices, used to receive, refrigerate and keep fresh all types of liquids and in particular drinks contained in flexible or rigid containers (for example of the bottle type plastic) for filling beverages. It also relates to the technical field of storage devices used to receive, refrigerate and keep fresh drinks contained in flexible or rigid containers for racking beverages, convertible into storage devices for perishable goods.

Portable boxes are usually formed by a parallelepipedal cardboard box containing a container containing a liquid, said container being provided with a means for withdrawing the liquid which can exit from said box through a wall. Some examples of refrigerated boxes are exposed in the patents US 2,088,376 (KASKEY), US 4,483,157 (HUMAN) or US 4,528,439 (MARNEY). These documents disclose complex refrigeration devices where the cold is brought in by the addition of ice, gel or cooling plates inside the box. Document DE 9110483U (HOLEWIK, WALTER) is more particularly known for an insulating covering for beverage containers, in particular mini-kegs equipped with racking devices, formed by a rigid wall and an insulating coating provided with housings for install removable cooling plates. Although correct cooling of the drink is obtained, this solution is however not satisfactory. In fact, only the cooling plates are removable, the insulating coating being made in one piece etr remaining permanently against the rigid wall. This characteristic implies the use of a large quantity of insulating coating, a high overall weight even when the cooling plates are removed, a complex installation of the different elements and a high manufacturing price. In addition, only the cooling plates are reusable by the user. Another drawback lies in the fact that the specificity of the housings produced in the insulating coating means that the refrigerating plates have a limited width. The quantity of coolant is therefore necessarily reduced and the duration of keeping it cool cannot be optimal. In addition, the above-mentioned refrigeration devices do not keep the drinks cool for more than a few hours, the insulation and / or the mode of transfer of the frigories to the liquid being often imperfect.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this state of affairs, in particular because it makes it possible to obtain a portable box receiving liquids which can be drawn off, in which is installed a refrigeration device of simple design associated with a system of efficient and space-saving insulation, facilitating the assembly of the various elements and being able to maintain the cold for several days. Another object of the invention is to be able to use, without modifying the design, or a minimum, a parallelepipedal cardboard box usually used in transportable beverage storage devices and in which is easily integrated the refrigeration device associated with the system insulation. Another object of the invention is to improve the mode of transfer of frigories and the duration of supply of frigories to the liquid contained in the container. The invention also aims to allow the refrigerating properties of the insulated box to be used without the container containing the liquid being present. These objects are achieved by an insulated portable refrigerating box comprising a parallelepipedal box containing a container containing a liquid, said container being provided with a means for withdrawing the liquid which can exit from said box, removable refrigerating plates being arranged against the side walls. inside said box, a layer of heat-insulating material being arranged between said cooling plates and said side walls, characterized in that said layer of heat-insulating material is formed by heat-insulated plates coupled to said cooling plates by mechanical fixing means so forming removable plate-cooler / plate-insulated assemblies. The user can thus recover and reuse the plate-cooler / plate-insulated sets, the only consumables being the box and the container. To reduce manufacturing costs, the box is advantageously of the type produced by folding a single blank in a semi-rigid material having four side walls adjoining them by longitudinal and parallel fold lines, bottom flaps and opening flaps adjoining said side walls by transverse fold lines intended to overlap each other to respectively form a bottom wall and an opening wall perpendicular to said side walls, cutouts being provided on said flaps opening to let said drawing means pass out of said box. To facilitate the establishment and removal of the various constituent elements of the invention, the opening flaps are advantageously assembled in a non-permanent manner by fixing means. To improve the insulation of the box without using other elements or increasing manufacturing costs, at least two bottom flaps advantageously have surfaces substantially equal to the surface of the bottom wall. Likewise, at least two opening flaps advantageously have dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of the opening wall. In an alternative embodiment, to improve the insulation of the box and keep the liquid cool longer, an opening plate and a heat-insulated bottom plate are advantageously arranged respectively against the opening wall and against the bottom wall of the box. In another alternative embodiment and to improve the supply of frigories into the box and the duration of keeping the liquid cool, other cooling plates coupled to heat-insulating plates are advantageously arranged respectively against the opening wall and / or against the bottom wall of the box. When transporting the box according to the invention, from the place of manufacture to the point of sale, the plate-cooler / plate-insulated assemblies are not inserted in the box. A large free volume is then inevitably present around the container. To prevent the latter from being shaken too much during transport, a means for holding the container in position in the box when the plate-cooler / plate-heat-insulated assemblies are not positioned in said box is advantageously used. To facilitate the installation of the plate-cooler / plate-heat-insulated sets in the box, a means for guiding the introduction of these sets is advantageously employed. So that the user can choose the liquid cooling temperature, the box object of the invention advantageously comprises means for controlling the supply of frigories from the refrigerating plates to the liquid. To simplify the design, the means for holding the container in position, the means for guiding the introduction of the plate-cooler / plate-heat-insulated assemblies into the box and the means for controlling the supply of frigories from the cooler plates to the liquid. are advantageously produced by means of a removable, parallelepipedic holding card, arranged in said box, inside which said container is positioned. To force the assembly of the cooling plate / insulating plate assemblies, the cooling plates and the insulating plates are advantageously arranged so as to form a key. To protect the walls of the box against the humidity of the cooling plates and possibly against condensation, the walls of said box are advantageously covered with a layer of paraffin or varnish. So that the user can easily remove and replace the container or use the insulated box to receive, refrigerate and keep fresh perishable foodstuffs when said container is removed, said container is advantageously rigid, rectangular, its dimensions depending on the internal dimensions of said box. According to another characteristic of the invention, the cooling plates advantageously contain a cooling liquid capable of maintaining a drink contained in the container at a temperature of around 10 ° Celsius for at least forty-eight hours, regardless of the type of drink and for an outside temperature of around 30 ° Celsius.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following description, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the box object of the invention open, showing the arrangement of plate-cooler / plate-insulated assemblies, the container containing the liquid is not shown;

- Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a cooling plate coupled with an insulated plate; 3 shows a vertical sectional view of the closed box according to the invention showing the arrangement of the various constituent elements. - Figure 4 shows a plan view of the blank for making the box;

- Figure 5 shows a plan view of the blank for making the box, in a design variant; - Figure 6 shows a vertical sectional view of the closed box according to the invention showing the arrangement of the rectangular holding carton and the container, the plate-cooler / plate-insulated assemblies not being shown; - Figure 7 shows a plan view of the blank intended for the realization of the rectangular holding carton.

As shown in Figures 1, 3 and 6, the portable refrigerated insulated box object of the invention is formed by a parallelepiped box 1 made of a rigid or semi-rigid material, comprising a carrying handle (not shown). In the following description, the interior walls of the box 1 are defined as follows: - the opening wall is the wall through which the valve 8 exits; - The bottom wall is the opposite wall and parallel to the opening wall; - the side walls are the walls perpendicular to the opening and bottom walls. According to a preferred embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, the box 1 is of the type produced by folding a single blank in a semi-rigid material, preferably in corrugated cardboard, having four side walls, respectively A, B , C and D, adjoining each other by longitudinal fold lines 18 and parallel, bottom flaps 12, 12 'and opening flaps 10, 10' adjoining said side walls by transverse fold lines 19 intended for overlap each other to respectively form a bottom wall and an opening wall perpendicular to said side walls, cutouts 16, 16 'being provided on certain opening flaps 10, 10' to allow the withdrawal means to pass 8 through the precut 9. A bonding tab 17, adjoining the last side wall, respectively D, is intended to be glued to the first side wall, respectively A, to maintain the box 1 by volume. Preferably, the opening flaps 10, 10 ′ are assembled non-permanently to close the box 1 and so that the user can easily open and close, as many times as necessary, said box. These flaps can be assembled by fastening means 15 of the type with clips, straps or flexible hook-and-loop fastener consisting of hook and loop bands, or any other equivalent means. In a variant embodiment not shown, the opening wall of the box 1 is removable and includes a fixing means, of the type described above, allowing the opening and closing of the box 1.

The box 1 is intended to receive the refrigeration device and a removable container 6, containing a liquid to be refrigerated. The container 6 can be flexible, of the addition type, or else be rigid, of the plastic bottle type. In the case where the container 6 is rigid, it will preferably be parallelepipedic, its dimensions depending on the internal dimensions of the insulated cooling box according to the invention, so that the user can easily remove an empty container and replace it with a new full container. In addition, by removing the container 6 from the box 1, the insulated box object of the invention equipped with the refrigeration device can receive, refrigerate and keep fresh other products, for example perishable goods. In a well known manner, the container 6 is provided with a withdrawal means constituted by a retractable tap 8 which can exit outside the opening wall of the box 1 (FIGS. 3 and 6) thanks to a pre-cutting 9 located on one of the opening flaps 10, 10 'of said opening wall (Figures 1, 4 and 5).

The refrigeration device consists of four refrigerating plates 2 placed inside the box 1. The refrigerating plates 2 are of the type which is placed usually in a domestic freezer or fridge freezer for a few hours to store frigories, then store in box 1 to return these frigories in order to refrigerate and keep cool the liquid contained in the container 6. However , these cooling plates contain a cooling liquid capable of maintaining a drink contained in the container 6 at a temperature of between 6 ° and 15 ° Celsius, preferably at 10 ° Celsius, for at least forty-eight hours, whatever the type of drink and for an outside temperature of around 30 ° Celsius. According to a preferred embodiment, the cooling plates 2 are identical so that said plates are interchangeable.

According to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 3, the cooling plates 2 are arranged on the inner side walls of the box 1 so as to surround the container 6, the faces whose surface is the largest being preferably oriented towards the inside the box 1 so that the cold surface in contact with said container 6 is maximum and that the transfer of frigories from said cooling plates to the liquid is optimal.

A heat-insulated plate 3, made of polyurethane or any other equivalent insulating material preventing cold loss through the side walls of the box 1, is fixed to each refrigerating plate 2. Securing the heat-insulating plates to the refrigerating plates means being able to use a box 1 usually used in transportable drink storage devices, without modifying the design, or a minimum, and therefore without increasing production prices too much. The fixing of the heat-insulating plates 3 to the cooling plates 2 is preferably done by a mechanical fixing means of the clip type, by coupling by male and female elements, by gluing or welding, or by any other equivalent means. As shown in Figure 1 and more particularly in Figure 2, the dimensions of the heat-insulating plates 3 and their arrangement on the cooling plates 2, make it possible to form a polarizing device 4 serving to force the assembly of the plate-refrigerant / plate-insulated assemblies in the box 1. In fact, when the first set plate-refrigerant / heat-insulated plate is positioned in box 1, the other same assemblies can only be inserted in one direction, which facilitates assembly. This arrangement keeps the plate-cooler / plate-heat-insulated assemblies in place, which improves the heat insulation of the box 1 and keeps the liquid cool.

Advantageously, the walls of the box 1 will be covered with a layer of paraffin or varnish or any other equivalent material making it possible to protect said walls against humidity and / or condensation. This coating can also be used to improve the insulation of box 1.

According to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 3, an opening plate 11 and a heat-insulating bottom plate 14, preferably made of cardboard or polyurethane, are arranged inside the box 1, respectively against the wall of opening and against the bottom wall of said box, to avoid the loss of cold by these walls and improve the insulation of the insulated box according to the invention. These opening plates 11 and bottom plates 14 preferably comprise the same insulating material as the heat-insulating plates 3, but can also be made of rigid ribbed cardboard thick enough to keep the liquid cool under the conditions described above. To let the tap 8 pass through the opening plate 11 and take the said tap out of the opening wall of the box 1, the said opening plate has a notch 13. The dimensions of the cooling plates 2, of the plates insulated

3, the opening plate 11 and the bottom plate 14 depend on the interior dimensions of the box 1 so that all the interior walls of said box are insulated, and that the side walls of the insulated box thus formed are covered with said cooling plates. In this embodiment, the box 1 is made from the blank shown in Figure 4 and which is usually used in transportable drink storage devices. On this type of blank, the surface of the bottom flaps 12 is generally less than the surface of the bottom wall, and for aesthetic considerations, only the opening flap 10 comprising the pre-cut 9 has an area substantially equal to the surface of the opening wall, the other opening flaps being of smaller dimensions.

In an alternative embodiment not shown, the opening and bottom plates as described above are no longer used. To improve the insulation, the box 1 is produced from the blank shown in FIG. 5. The bottom flaps 12 ′ have a surface substantially equal to the surface of the bottom wall so that they overlap each other. the others to form a bottom wall made up of four superimposed cardboard layers ensuring effective insulation. Depending on the thickness or the type of cardboard used, only two or three bottom flaps will have an area substantially equal to the surface of the bottom wall. Similarly, the opening flaps 10 'have dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of the opening wall, the cutouts

16 'then being adapted to allow the withdrawal means to leave the box. Depending on the thickness or the type of cardboard used, only two or three opening flaps will have dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of the opening wall.

Referring to Figure 6, a holding carton 20 is arranged inside the box 1 to hold the container in position in said box when the plate-cooler / plate-insulated assemblies are not put in place. This holding cardboard is produced by folding a single flute made of corrugated cardboard (FIG. 7), comprising four side walls, E, F, G and H respectively, adjoining them by fold lines. longitudinal 23 and parallel, and comprising retaining flaps 22 adjoining said side walls by transverse fold lines 24. A bonding tongue 21, adjoining the first side wall, E respectively, is intended to be glued to the last wall lateral, respectively H, to hold the holding carton 20 in volume. Each side wall is perpendicular to the other adjacent side walls so as to form a rectangular holding box. The length of these walls is substantially equal to the length of the box 1 or less in the case where the bottom plates 14 and opening 11 are used. Their width is such that when the container 6 is positioned inside the holding carton 20, it is kept fixed relative to said carton (FIG. 6). The holding flaps 22 are articulated perpendicularly to the side walls E, F, G and H, towards the outside, so as to come into contact with the inner side walls of the box 1. Their width is substantially equal to the thickness plate-cooler / heat-insulated plate assemblies so that the holding carton 20 is kept fixed relative to the box 1. In this way, the container 6 is kept fixed relative to the box 1 and the risks of shaking during transport are decreased. The holding flaps 22 can be replaced by removable wedging elements which are placed between the holding card 20 and the inner side walls of the box 1. It is obvious that other equivalent holding means can be used, for example elements projecting from the inner side walls of the box 1 between which the container 6 is wedged.

The holding cardboard 20 can also serve as a guide during the introduction of the plate-cooler / plate-insulated assemblies into the box 1, the user simply having to fold down the holding flaps 22 located at the opening of the box 1 for sliding the plate-cooler / plate-heat-insulated assemblies inside said box. Other equivalent guide means can obviously be used, independently of the holding carton 20 to perform this function, for example example by directly placing on the inner side walls of the box 1, projecting guide elements.

When the plate-cooler / heat-insulated plate assemblies are put in place in the box 1, the retaining carton 20 can be left in place to screen the cooling effect of the cold plates 2 and reduce the supply of frigories to the liquid. In this case and to prevent the holding cardboard from degrading on contact with the cooling plates, the walls of said cardboard can be coated with a layer of paraffin or varnish. Other means for controlling the supply of frigories from the cooling plates to the liquid can be employed, for example by placing a protective film at the level of the faces of the cooling plates 2 in contact with the container 6.

The use of the insulated box object of the invention is extremely simple and comprises the following steps: The manufacturer sets up the box 1, positions the holding carton 20 in said box and introduces the container 6 into said carton so that it is not shaken during transport;

- According to the design of the box 1, the manufacturer positions or not a bottom plate 14 and an opening plate 11 insulated respectively at the bottom wall and the opening wall;

- The user introduces the refrigerated plate / heat-insulated plate assemblies previously cooled;

- The user holds in place or removes the holding card 20 relative to the refresh temperature he wishes.

The refrigerated insulated box thus obtained can be used to receive, refrigerate and keep fresh drinks to be consumed fresh, for example water and certain wines. By placing the cooled cooling plates in the container object of the invention, the user has for several days a cold drink without him be necessary to place it in the refrigerator.

According to an alternative embodiment not shown in the accompanying figures, the opening plates 11 and / or bottom 12 are replaced by cooling plates on which are fixed, as described above, heat-insulating plates. In this way, the supply of frigories to the liquid is effected by all of the faces of the container 6 and the cooling time of said liquid is optimal.

The presence and positioning of the various constituent elements give the object of the invention a maximum of useful effects which had not, to date, been obtained by similar devices.

Claims

1. Portable refrigerated insulated box comprising a parallelepipedic box (1) containing a container (6) containing a liquid, said container being provided with a means for withdrawing (8) the liquid which can come out of said box, removable cooling plates (2) being arranged against the interior side walls of said box, a layer of heat-insulating material being arranged between said cooling plates and said side walls, characterized in that said layer of heat-insulating material is formed by heat-insulating plates (3) coupled to said refrigerating plates by mechanical fixing means so as to form removable plate-cooling / plate-insulating assemblies.

2 °. Portable refrigerated insulated box according to claim

1, characterized by the fact that the box (1) is of the type produced by folding a single blank in a semi-rigid material comprising four side walls (A, B, C, D) adjoining them by lines longitudinal (18) and parallel folding flaps, bottom flaps (12, 12 ') and opening flaps (10, 10') adjoining said side walls by transverse folding lines (19) intended to overlap the each other to respectively form a bottom wall and an opening wall perpendicular to said side walls, cutouts (9, 16, 16 ') being provided on said opening flaps to allow the withdrawal means (8) to pass out of said box.

3 °. Portable refrigerated insulated box according to claim

2, characterized in that the opening flaps (10, 10 ') are assembled in a non-permanent manner by fixing means (15).

4 °. Portable refrigerated insulated box according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that at least two flaps bottom (12 ') have surfaces substantially equal to the surface of the bottom wall.

5 °. Portable refrigerated insulated box according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that at least two opening flaps (10 ') have dimensions substantially equal to the dimensions of the opening wall.

6 °. Portable cooler insulated box according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an opening plate (11) and a heat-insulating bottom plate (14) are arranged respectively against the opening wall and against the bottom wall of the box (1).

7 °. Portable refrigerated insulated box according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that other refrigerating plates coupled to heat-insulating plates, are arranged respectively against the opening wall and / or against the bottom wall of the box (1). 8 °. Portable cooler insulated box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for holding the container (6) in the box (1) when the plate-cooler / plate-heat-insulated assemblies are not not positioned in said box.

9 °. Portable cooler insulated box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a means for guiding the introduction of the plate-cooler / plate-insulated assemblies in the box (1).

10 °. Portable refrigerated insulated box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a means for controlling the supply of frigories from the refrigerating plates (2) to the liquid.

11 °. Portable cooler insulated box according to claims 8, 9 and 10, characterized in that the means for holding the container (6) in position, the means for guiding the introduction of the plate-cooler / plate-heat-insulated sets into the box (1) and the means for controlling the supply of frigories from the cooling plates (2) to the liquid are produced by means of a removable, parallelepipedic holding card (20) arranged in said box, at the inside of which said container is positioned.

12 °. Portable cooler insulated box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooler plates (2) and the heat-insulated plates (3) are arranged so as to form a polarizing device (4) forcing the mounting of said plates in the box.

(1).

13 °. Portable cooler insulated box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the walls of the box (1) are covered with a layer of paraffin or varnish.

14 °. Portable refrigerated insulated box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container (6) is rigid, parallelepiped, its dimensions depending on the internal dimensions of said box so that the user can easily remove and replace said container or use said insulated box for receiving, refrigerating and keeping fresh perishable goods when said container is removed. 15 °. Portable cooler insulated box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooler plates (2) contain a coolant capable of maintaining a drink contained in the container (6) at a temperature of about 10 ° Celsius for at least forty-eight hours, whatever the type of drink and for an outside temperature of around 30 ° Celsius.