WO2009043609A1

WO2009043609A1 - Improved refrigerating container for bottles

Info

Publication number: WO2009043609A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/056859
Authority: WO
Inventors: Piero Claudio Burato; Antonio Pieriboni; Maurizio Castellani
Original assignee: Cimatecno Studio Di Pieriboni Antonio & C. S.A.S.
Priority date: 2007-10-05
Filing date: 2008-06-03
Publication date: 2009-04-09
Also published as: ITVI20070270A1

Abstract

The invention is a refrigerating container (1) comprising a monobloc body (2) that defines an inner cavity containing a refrigerating means. The container is provided, on its visible surface (5), with two recesses (6a, 6b) having different curvature, each one of them being suited to house part of the shaped surface of a container.

Description

"IMPROVED REFRIGERATING CONTAINER FOR BOTTLES".

DESCRIPTION

The present invention concerns an improved refrigerating container for bottles, particularly suited to be used in bars, restaurants and in the field of refreshments in general.

It is known that bar keepers and restaurateurs in general need to refrigerate wine and beverages like mineral water or Coke.

For this purpose, buckets filled with ice are also used, in which the bottles to be refrigerated are placed.

This solution is adopted mainly during parties or receptions held at restaurants and similar places.

This type of buckets, however, poses the drawback that, during use of the containers mentioned above, when the bottle is taken out it continues to drip since the ice contained in the bucket melts and wets the outer surface of the bottle itself.

To prevent the bottle from dripping, vertical cylindrical containers have been designed that are provided with a heat-insulated shell open at the top to allow the bottle/s to be refrigerated to be introduced therein.

However, said refrigerating devices, even if they can refrigerate bottles in an optimal manner, cannot be used for bottles having different diameters and do not avoid the need to use several materials and several components to be assembled together.

The main object of the present invention is to carry out a refrigerating container for bottles that is capable of refrigerating in an optimal manner bottles having different diameters.

A further object of the present invention is to carry out a refrigerating container for bottles for the construction of which one material only is needed.

The objects described above are achieved by the present invention concerning a refrigerating container whose main characteristics are in accordance with the contents of the main claim.

Advantageously, the refrigerating container carried out according to the present invention allows a bottle to be refrigerated even in those parts that are not in direct contact with the recess where the bottle is housed.

Still advantageously, the refrigerating container carried out according to the present invention allows a bottle to be refrigerated by means of a device consisting of a monobloc body.

Still advantageously, the refrigerating container carried out according to the present invention allows the original label of the bottle to be always in sight. The objects and advantages described above will be highlighted in greater detail in the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention that is supplied as an indicative, non-limiting example with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 shows an axonomethc view of the refrigerating container carried out according to the invention; - Figure 2 shows a front view of the refrigerating container of Figure 1 ;

- Figure 3 shows a view from the bottom of the refrigerating container of Figure 1 ;

- Figure 4 shows the container of the invention in the same view of Figure 3 but with a bottle housed therein; - Figure 5 shows the container of the invention in the same view of Figure 3, housing a bottle with larger diameter than that shown in Figure 4;

- Figure 6 shows the container of the invention in the same view of Figure 3, housing a bottle with larger diameter than that shown in Figure 5.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the refrigerating container that is the subject of the invention, indicated as a whole by 1 , comprises a monobloc body 2 that is hollow and suited to define an inner chamber 3 containing a refrigerating means.

The body 2 of the container 1 is suited to house a supporting frame 7, visible in Figure 1 , which maintains the container 1 in an inclined position and is provided with a projection 8 that facilitates the positioning of the container 1 on a substantially flat surface like that of a table, a counter, etc. The supporting frame 7 is coupled with the container 1 through a pressure or snap closing action, according to the known technique, so that the container 1 can be separated from the supporting frame 7 simply and rapidly. Figure 1 shows that the frame 7 is also provided, on both sides and at the level of its lower terminal part, with wings 12, each defining a condensate collection chamber 11 included between the frame 7 and the body 2. According to a construction variant not illustrated in the figures, the supporting frame can also be carried out in a single body with the container that is the subject of the invention. The supporting frame 7 can also be constructed from the same material as that used for the container 1 or with a different material and can also have a colour shade different from the container 1 , in order to obtain particular aesthetic results. The introduction of the refrigerating means, generally a cooling fluid, in the chamber 3 takes place through the hole 4.

According to the present invention and to Figure 2, the container 1 is provided, on its visible surface 5, with two recesses 6a and 6b having different curvature, each one of which is suited to house part of the shaped surface of a container (not shown in the figure). The containers used are generally bottles.

Figures 1 and 2 show that the surface of the recesses 6a and 6b is provided with a plurality of channels 9 that run transversally to said recesses 6a and 6b and prevent them from being deformed during solidification, in the freezer, of the cooling fluid contained in the chamber 3. The bottle is rested on and slided into the container until its base stops against a bottom 10 that acts as a support for the base of the bottle itself. In particular, Figure 2 shows that the curvature of the recesses 6a and 6b is an arc of a circle and that the curvature of the recesses 6a and 6b is symmetrical with respect to an axis X longitudinal with respect to them. In particular, the cross section of the recess 6a has the configuration visible in Figure 3, consisting of a concave profile defined by an arc of a circle having a radius R1 with centre in point C.

The recess 6b has a concave profile visible again in Figure 3 and defined by an arc of a circle having a radius R2, shorter than the radius R1 , with centre in point C

Figure 3 shows that the centres C and C are arranged along an axis of symmetry Y that is transversal to the two curves, so that the curve with radius R2 is completely contained in the curve with radius R1 and is symmetrical to the axis of symmetry Y. In particular, the radius R2 ensures that the bottle 20 shown in Figure 4 can be housed in the container, said bottle 20 having such a shape that its curvature radius coincides with the curvature radius R1 of the recess 6b. In this case, refrigeration is achieved by contact between the surface of the bottle resting on the recess 6b and the surface of the recess 6b itself. Furthermore, the curvature radius R1 makes it possible to house in the container the bottle shown in Figure 6 and indicated by 40.

In this case, the curvature radius of the bottle 40 coincides with the curvature radius R1 of the recess 6a, so that the entire profile of the recess 6a is in contact with the corresponding part of the lateral surface of the bottle 40. In this way, the entire surface of the recess 6a is used to refrigerate the bottle 40 by contact.

On the contrary, there is no direct contact between the recess 6b and the lateral surface of the bottle.

Therefore, an air space 41 is created between the surface of the recess 6b and the surface of the bottle, and in this last case refrigeration takes place through convection.

Even in this case, optimal refrigeration of the bottle 40 is obtained, since the entire useful surface of the recesses 6a and 6b is used to achieve the thermal exchange. Finally, the bottles having an intermediate curvature radius compared to the bottles 20 and 40 are shown in Figure 5 and indicated by 30.

In the case of the bottles 30, their surface will be partially in contact with the surface of the recess 6a.

On the surface of the bottle 30 included between the extreme points in contact with the surface of the recess 6a, refrigeration will take place by contact, while on the remaining surface of the bottle 30 that isn't in contact with the recess 6a, refrigeration will take place by convection.

As regards refrigeration in the portion of surface at the level of the recess 6b of the bottles 30, analogously to what occurred with the bottles 40, an air space 31 will be created between the surface of the bottle at the level of the recess 6b and the surface of the recess 6b.

In this last case, refrigeration takes place by convection.

Obviously, as an alternative to the described construction form of the container having two recesses, according to the present invention the refrigerating container may also be provided with a larger number of recesses that may also have different curvature radiuses.

The cooling fluid generally used in all the embodiments of the invention will be glycol or gel or a similar fluid capable of reaching operating temperatures below -25 °C. The refrigerating container carried out according to the present invention will be mass-produced as a hollow monobloc body, preferably made of plastic through a moulding or blowing or injection-blowing process, according to the known technique.

Obviously, according to a different embodiment of the invention not represented herein, the refrigerating container may be provided with a plurality of recesses spaced from one another, in each one of which it is possible to identify portions having different curvature, analogously to what has been described above.

As can be understood from the above description, according to the present invention it is possible to produce a refrigerating container having two or more recesses with different curvature, suited to refrigerate bottles of different dimensions with no risk of dripping of the cooling fluid.

Furthermore, the refrigerating container carried out according to the present invention allows the use of a single shaped piece with no need to use different materials and at the same time keeping the bottle label in sight.

The refrigerating container carried out according to the present invention can be subjected to modifications that must all be considered protected by the present patent, provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference sings have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1 ) Refrigerating container (1 ) comprising a monobloc body (2) that defines at least one inner cavity containing a refrigerating means, characterized in that it is provided, on its visible surface (5), with two or more recesses (6a, 6b) having different curvature, each one of them being suited to house at least part of the shaped surface of a container.

2) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 1 ), characterized in that said recesses (6a, 6b) are contained one (6b) inside the other (6a).

3) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 1 ) or 2), characterized in that said recesses (6a, 6b) are arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis (X).

4) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said curvature of each one of said recesses (6a, 6b) is an arc of a circle. 5) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 2), characterized in that the contained recess (6b) has a curvature radius (R2) that is smaller than the curvature radius (R1 ) of the recess (6a) that contains it.

6) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 1 ), characterized in that said refrigerating means is a cooling fluid. 7) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 1 ), characterized in that it is provided with one or more holes (4) made in the surface of said container (1 ) for introducing said cooling means into said at least one cavity.

8) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 1 ), characterized in that it is provided with a plurality of channels (9) arranged in a transversal direction with respect to said recesses (6a, 6b).

9) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 1 ), characterized in that it is provided with a supporting frame (7) suited to house said monobloc body (2).

10) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to claim 9), characterized in that said supporting frame (7) is provided, on both sides, with wings (12), each defining a condensate collection chamber (11 ) included between said frame (7) and said body (2).

1 1 ) Refrigerating container (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containers are bottles (20; 30; 40).