An Automatic Beverage Cooler and a Method for Cooling Beverages

Abstract

One describes an automatic beverage cooler and a method of cooling beverages, the cooler comprising: housing ( 1 ) with a peripheral wall forming a tank with a top access opening, the tank being at least partially filled with a cooling liquid; a support platform assembly for a plurality of beverage containers ( 100 ), the platform assembly being displaceable into and out of the tank; a displacement mechanism coupled to the platform assembly, capable of displacing it into and out of the tank; a cooling circuit for the cooling liquid; temperature detectors for detecting the temperature of beverage inside at least one container when the latter is immersed in the cooling liquid in the tank, and a control station that control the displacement mechanism and the cooling circuit, with a user's interface for input of a determined beverage-cooling temperature; wherein the control station receives information about the temperature of the beverage in the container, sent by the temperature detectors, and actuates the displacement mechanism to displace the platform assembly out of the housing ( 1 ) when the beverage temperature reaches the value of the determined cooling temperature.

1 . An automatic beverage cooler, characterized by comprising:
 housing ( 1 ) with a peripheral wall forming a tank with a top access opening, the tank being at least partially filled with a cooling liquid;   a support platform assembly for a plurality of beverage containers ( 100 ), the platform assembly being displaceable into and out of the tank;   a displacement mechanism coupled to the platform assembly, capable of displacing it into and out of the tank;   a cooling circuit for the cooling liquid;   temperature detectors for detecting the temperature of beverage inside at least one container when the latter is immersed in the cooling liquid in the tank, and   a control station that controls the displacement mechanism and the cooling circuit, with a user's interface for input of a determined beverage-cooling temperature;
 wherein the control station receives information about the temperature of the beverage in the container, sent by the temperature detectors, and actuates the displacement mechanism to displace the platform assembly out of the housing ( 1 ) when the beverage temperature reaches the value of the determined cooling temperature. 
   
     
     
         2 . The automatic cooler according to  claim 1 , characterized by comprising a cover ( 9 ) coupled to the displacement mechanism and being displaceable together with the platform assembly up and down until it comes in contact with the top border of the opening of the housing in downward direction. 
     
     
         3 . The automatic cooler according to  claim 2 , characterized by comprising contact sensors at the lower part of the cover ( 9 ) and/or at the border of the access opening of the housing ( 1 ), which generate a signal for interruption of the displacement of the mechanism in downward direction in the event of detection of contact of a body with the lower part of the cover ( 9 ) and/or with the border of the opening of the housing ( 1 ). 
     
     
         4 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  3 , characterized in that the cooling liquid comprises glycol, ethanol, water or a mixture of these elements. 
     
     
         5 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  4 , characterized in that the cooling liquid is kept at a temperature ranging from −10° C. to −33° C. 
     
     
         6 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  5 , characterized in that the cooling circuit comprises an expansion valve ( 16 ) with external equalization, a compressor ( 18 ), a plate heat-exchanger ( 17 ), and a microchannel condenser ( 19 ) actuated by an axial motor. 
     
     
         7 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  6 , characterized in that the cooling circuit comprises R404 ecologic gas as a cooling fluid. 
     
     
         8 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  7 , characterized in that the cooling circuit is arranged inside the housing ( 1 ) outside the tank with cooling liquid. 
     
     
         9 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  8 , characterized by comprising means for circulating cooling liquid inside the tank. 
     
     
         10 . The automatic cooler according to  claim 9 , characterized in that the means for circulating the cooling liquid comprise a pump ( 21 ) actuated by an electric motor, wherein the pump is in fluid communication with the tank and with the heat exchanger ( 17 ) of the cooling circuit, and pumps the cooling liquid out of the tank through the heat exchanger ( 17 ) and back into the tank. 
     
     
         11 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  10 , characterized in that the beverage-temperature detector comprises at least two transducers that emit signals that cross themselves within the beverage inside a container immersed in the cooling liquid, at the point where the temperature is measured. 
     
     
         12 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  11 , characterized in that the platform assembly has:
 a platform base ( 52 ) for placing the beverage containers, this platform base ( 52 ) being submersible into the cooling liquid inside the tank; 
 a guide tube ( 5 ) to which the platform base ( 52 ) is fixed; and 
 a guide plate ( 6 ) for beverage containers, fixed to the guide tube ( 5 ) above the platform base ( 52 );
 the platform base ( 52 ), the guide tube ( 5 ) and the guide plate ( 6 ) being displaceable together with the displacement mechanism. 
 
 
     
     
         13 . The automatic cooler according to  claim 12 , characterized in that the guide plate ( 6 ) is provided with orifices for fitting the beverage containers. 
     
     
         14 . The automatic cooler according to either of  claim 12  or  13 , characterized in that the displacement mechanism comprises an electric motor ( 3 ) and a bar ( 4 ) provided with a helical screw, wherein the guide tube ( 5 ) of the platform assembly is coupled to the helical screw of the bar ( 4 ) and displaced up and down with respect to the bar ( 4 ) by the motor ( 3 ). 
     
     
         15 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  14 , characterized in that the control station controls the operation of the displacement mechanism and of the cooling circuit. 
     
     
         16 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  15 , characterized by comprising a smoke machine ( 22 ) arranged inside the housing ( 1 ), which is actuatable by the control station to emit smoke when the displacement mechanism is actuated to displace the platform assembly out of the tank. 
     
     
         17 . The automatic cooler according to any one of  claims 1  to  16 , characterized in that a display viewer is arranged on the outer face of the housing and displays the beverage temperature and/or the remaining time until the beverage is cooled to the predetermined temperature 
     
     
         18 . A method of cooling beverages by means of an automatic cooler as defined in any one of  claims 1  to  17 , characterized by comprising the steps of:
 inputting a determined beverage-cooling temperature into the control station; 
 positioning beverage containers ( 100 ) on the platform assembly; 
 displacing the platform assembly ( 2 ) into the tank of the housing ( 1 ) until the beverage containers ( 100 ) remain immersed in the cooling liquid; 
 measuring the beverage temperature inside a container immersed in the cooling liquid by means of the temperature detectors; 
 monitoring, by means of the control station, the temperature of the beverage inside the container measured by the temperature detectors; 
 actuating the displacement of the platform assembly ( 2 ) out of the container when the measured temperature of the beverage reaches the determined cooling temperature. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , characterized in that the cooling liquid is kept continuously at a temperature ranging from −10° C. to −33° C. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to either of  claim 18  or  19 , characterized in that the cooling liquid circulates continuously inside the tank ( 1 ) and contacts the heat exchanger ( 17 ) of the cooling circuit arranged outside the tank during the circulation. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to any one of  claims 18  to  20 , characterized in that the beverage temperature detectors send the information on the measured beverage temperature to the control station and, when the beverage temperature reaches the determined cooling temperature, the control station sends an actuation signal to the displacement mechanism to displace the platform assembly out of the tank. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to any one of  claims 18  to  21 , characterized in that the downward displacement of the platform assembly is interrupted in the event of detection of contact of a body with the lower part of the cover ( 9 ) and/or with the border of the housing opening ( 1 ). 
     
     
         23 . The method according to any one of  claims 18  to  22 , characterized by comprising a step of emitting smoke upon displacement of the platform out of the housing.