WO2007045239A1

WO2007045239A1 - A box in a refrigerator for quick cooling of drinks

Info

Publication number: WO2007045239A1
Application number: PCT/DK2006/000528
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Sylvest Bergholt
Original assignee: Martin Sylvest Bergholt
Priority date: 2005-10-17
Filing date: 2006-09-28
Publication date: 2007-04-26
Also published as: DK200501450A

Abstract

It takes quite some time to cool down drinks in a refrigerator. 1 have improved this with my cooling cabinet. A cooling cabinet of plastic or aluminium for quick cooling of drinks. The cabinet is designed to be placed in refrigerators as an extra rack. The cooling cabinet consists of a water proof cabinet (1) containing an inner chamber filled with a cooling liquid. On the back of the cabinet there is a hole and plug in which the liquid can be filled (4). In the cabinet cylinders (2) or plastic bags are placed to encircle the drinks. On the surface of the cabinet there are stops preventing other foods from moving.

Description

A jsox in a refrigerator for quick cooling of drinks

The product is a cooling element, which can be used in all refrigerators to cool down cans and bottles quicker, than if they just were placed in the refrigerator.

When you place drinks with room temperature in a refrigerator, it takes a long time to cool down the can/bottles, because it is surrounded by air. This is especially a problem in the summer and in countries with a high average temperature, because drinks stored outside the refrigerator have a high temperature. Even when the drink is placed in the freezer, the cooling time is long, because the drink is surrounded by air.

Previous types of products solve this by a flexible wrap with or without a cooling liquid. The product has the purpose of isolating the drinks, so they stay cool and do not absorb heat from the surroundings. There also exist separate cooling elements and cooling bags, which are placed close to the drinks or between them, to keep them cool or to help cooling them down.

IMy product:

The characteristic of my product is:

A cabinet which can be placed in all refrigerators, it works as a refrigerator rack, and contains a cooling liquid for quick cooling of drinks. The cabinet consists of an inner chamber, which contains the cooling liquid and tunnel holes or plastic bags which completely surround the drinks. On the upper side of the cabinet it is possible to place other drinks.

The cabinet is made of plastic and filled with water or another approved liquid with a higher heat capacity than water. Two practical solutions of the tunnel exist:

1) The standard solution: A tunnel pipe integrated in the plastic cabinet, covering the can or bottle. The cooling liquid surrounds the pipe.

2) Each entrance is a kind of a waterproof plastic bag in which you can place cans and bottles of different sizes. The plastic bag is surrounded by the cooling liquid.

In order to get an even more effective and quick cooling the solution could be a compound melting about 5°C. Then it is possible to utilize the heat fusion as well as the heat capacity. If no can or bottle is inserted, the cooling material (liquid) reaches thermal equilibrium with the refrigerator. The cooling material then turns in a solid substance. If you insert a can or bottle with a temperature of e.g. 21-35°C, then the cabinet and liquid quickly rise to 5°C. Before it rises to 6°C the solid cooling material has to melt. In that way the heat of fusion is utilized.

The abovementioned proposal is only possible, if a compound melting at 5°C.can be found. This option is only an improvement and is not necessary.

The cabinet can be made in different sizes from 2-4 or 6 cans, and can be made of aluminium instead of plastic. The advantage in using aluminium is because of the stabilization of the material. The standard solution is a plastic cabinet, but the plate in the front ought to be made of aluminium to make the cabinet stable.

To prevent that the top of the cabinet is waste of space in the refrigerator, stops have to be placed. These prevent cans and other foods from moving. It is possible to place a detachable grating on the stops. This will provide opportunities of placing foods on the top of the cabinet. The function of the cabinet: After some times the actual cabinet and its contents will be in thermal equilibrium, that is 4°C. If you place a warm drink, a can or a bottle in one of the pipes, the drink and the cabinet will adjust to a common temperature. That is, the higher heat capacity the cooling liquid have, and the more cooling liquid, the more effective cooling. In the beginning the drinks cool down quickly, but as the cooling liquid get thermal equilibrium with the drinks the cooling decreases. Notice, that the cooling liquid continually receives coldness from the air in the refrigerator, as the cooling process goes on. If the whole system is placed in the cabinet in e.g. 4 hours, both the drink and cooling liquid will end at 4⁰C. as the thermal equilibrium.

If the principle has to work well, the drinks have to be in contact with the walls of the cylinder.

If solution 1 is chosen, the can has to fit exactly into the cylinder, of course is this possible.

For solution 1 it is also important, that the can is not pushed into the bottom of the tunnel as it can be difficult to pull it out again! You have to consider contraction and expansion of the cabinet, when the temperature varies.

For solution 2 the contact between drinks and the cylinder are always optimal.

Description of the figures:

(1) The product: a cabinet which can cool down drinks quicker than in the usual way, when the drinks are placed in the refrigerator.

(2) Cylinder entrance in which cans and bottles can be placed. Solution 1 as well as 2 are described above.

(3) A thin aluminium plate in the front side. This will give an impression of quality and durability. (4) Hole and stopper in which the liquid with a high heat capacity can be filled and sealed. (5) Stops, so the top of the cabinet can be used to place other foods. These will function as a grid so the foods will be stable.

Claims

Patent demands:

Demand 1:

A cabinet which is used as an integrated device in a refrigerator for quick cooling of drinks. The characteristic is, that the device is water proof with an inner chamber, which contains a liquid with a high heat capacity. A plug to seal the chamber (4). Cylinder or plastic bags (2) which accept drinks. Stops (5) on the top of the cabinet to place other foods.

Demand 2 According to demand 1 characterized by a cabinet which have a separate front of aluminium for stabilizing.