Cabinet for keeping bottles, in particular bottles of wine

Abstract

This cabinet comprises an enclosure for horizontally storing unopened bottles, and electric means for refrigerating the internal volume of this enclosure. To make it easier to keep opened bottles in the cabinet, while increasing the keeping quality of these opened bottles, the cabinet comprises stoppers for aspirating opened bottles arranged vertically in the internal volume of the enclosure. These vacuum stoppers are incorporated so as to be freely movable inside the enclosure and each delimit an aspiration passageway which emerges in a sealed manner in the neck of the opened bottle and which is connected to an electric vacuum pump via a flexible circuit. In addition, this pump is controlled by a manual on/off switch, supported by the vacuum stopper, so as to be activated when the air pressure in the vacuum stopper is greater than a predetermined value, for example equal to approximately 300 millibars below atmospheric pressure.

1 . A cabinet for keeping bottles, in particular bottles of wine, comprising:
 an enclosure for horizontally storing unopened bottles,   electric means for refrigerating the internal volume of the enclosure,   at least one vacuum stopper for an opened bottle arranged vertically in the internal volume of the enclosure, this vacuum stopper being incorporated so as to be freely movable inside the enclosure and delimiting an aspiration passageway that is suitable for emerging in a sealed manner in the neck of the opened bottle, and which is connected to an electric vacuum pump via a circuit that is at least partly flexible, and   control means for controlling the vacuum pump, which are suitable for activating the vacuum pump when the air pressure in the aspiration passageway is greater than a predetermined value and which comprise a manual on/off switch supported by the vacuum stopper.   
   
   
       2 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the control means comprise a vacuostat which is sensitive to the air pressure in the aspiration passageway and which is suitable in service for switching off and reestablishing the electric supply of the vacuum pump depending on whether this air pressure is respectively below or above the predetermined value. 
   
   
       3 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the circuit, which connects the aspiration passageway and the vacuum pump, and electric wires, which connect the switch and the vacuum pump, run inside the same flexible sheath arranged in a freely movable manner in the internal volume of the enclosure. 
   
   
       4 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum stopper is provided with a lighting means activated by the control means so that, when the aspiration passageway emerges into the neck of the opened bottle and the switch is on, this lighting means is on and lights this opened bottle. 
   
   
       5 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the lighting means is a diode. 
   
   
       6 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum stopper is provided with a magnet and wherein the internal volume of the enclosure is at least partially delimited by a ferromagnetic wall. 
   
   
       7 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the cabinet is internally provided with a specific support for placing vertically and in a stable manner an opened bottle to be aspirated by the vacuum stopper, this support being situated vertically beneath the ferromagnetic wall. 
   
   
       8 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum stopper is provided with a magnet and wherein the internal volume of the enclosure contains a ferromagnetic element. 
   
   
       9 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the cabinet is provided internally with a specific support for placing vertically and in a stable manner an opened bottle to be aspirated by the vacuum stopper, this support being situated vertically beneath the ferromagnetic element. 
   
   
       10 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the enclosure comprises, in its internal volume, an accommodating housing for accommodating the vacuum stopper, suitable for fixedly holding the stopper in the absence of a bottle to be aspirated. 
   
   
       11 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the cabinet is internally provided with a specific support for placing vertically and in a stable manner an opened bottle to be aspirated by the vacuum stopper, this support being situated vertically beneath the accommodating housing. 
   
   
       12 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least two vacuum stoppers are provided, situated at different respective levels in the vertical direction so that one of these two stoppers can be used to aspirate a vertical bottle, notably of white wine, situated in a bottom portion of the internal volume of the enclosure, while the other stopper can be used to aspirate another vertical bottle, notably of red wine, situated in a top portion of this internal volume, and wherein the refrigeration means are suitable for supplying a flow of cooled air which is admitted into the internal volume of the enclosure essentially, or even exclusively, in the bottom portion of this internal volume. 
   
   
       13 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the refrigeration means and the vacuum pump are electrically mounted in parallel from one and the same source of electricity supply. 
   
   
       14 . The cabinet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the refrigeration means and the pump are arranged jointly in one and the same region of the cabinet.