Apparatus for and methods of rapidly chilling a beverage

Abstract

Apparatus for and method of rapidly chilling a beverage in which a vessel having high thermal mass relative to the amount of beverage to be introduced into the vessel is cooled through contact with a cooling module to a temperature low enough that a volume of beverage introduced into the vessel is rapidly cooled.

1 . Apparatus for chilling a fluid, the apparatus comprising:
 a base;   a cover connected to the base, the cover comprising at least one cooling station; and   a cooling unit connected to the base and positioned to be in thermal communication with the cooling station;   the cooling station being adapted to receive a heat conductive bottom portion of a vessel such that the bottom portion is in thermal communication with the cooling unit when the bottom portion is received by the cooling station, the cooling unit being adapted to cool the vessel when empty and when the bottom portion is received by the cooling station to a temperature below −5° C. in less than about four minutes, the cooling station including at least one vapor chamber.   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cooling unit comprises a thermoelectric element having a ΔT in the range of about 80° C. to about 90° C. when a hot side temperature of the thermoelectric element is in a range of about 25° C. to about 35° C. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cooling unit comprises a thermoelectric element having a heat transport capacity of more than 50 watts. 
     
     
         4 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the at least one cooling station comprises a cooling element with an exposed top surface essentially flush with a top surface of the cover. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for altering a temperature of a vessel, the apparatus comprising:
 at least one preparation surface; and   a heat transferring unit positioned beneath the preparation surface to be in thermal communication with the preparation surface, the heat transferring unit comprising a first thermally conductive layer, a second thermally conductive layer and a thermoelectric element arranged between and in thermal communication with the first and second thermally conductive layers,   the preparation surface being adapted to receive a thermally conductive bottom portion of a vessel such that said bottom portion is in thermal communication with the heat transferring unit when the bottom portion is placed on the preparation surface and the apparatus further comprising a vessel presence sensor configured to detect the presence of a vessel on the preparation surface.   
     
     
         6 . An apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said vessel presence sensor includes an inductive sensor. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus according to  claim 6  wherein said vessel presence sensor includes a reference sensor for measuring a background signal and wherein said vessel presence sensor detects the presence of a vessel by subtracting the backroad signal from a signal from the inductive sensor. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a temperature sensor. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature of the preparation surface. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature of a vessel placed on the preparation surface. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus according to  claim 7  wherein the apparatus further comprises a control system configured to control the function of the thermoelectric element in dependence of at least one of said vessel presence sensor and said temperature sensor. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus according to  claim 7  wherein the apparatus further comprises a physical condition sensor configured to detect a presence of an object other than a vessel on or in the immediate vicinity of the preparation surface and wherein the control system is configured to shut down the thermoelectric element if the physical condition sensor indicates the presence of an object other than a vessel. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus according to  claim 11  further including a system status sensor for generating a status sensor signal indicating whether an overall temperature of the apparatus falls outside of a predetermined range and the control system is configured to receive the status sensor signal and to cause the apparatus to shut down when the status sensor signal indicates the overall temperature of the apparatus falls outside of the predetermined range. 
     
     
         14 . An apparatus according to  claim 5  wherein the apparatus is adapted to decrease a temperature of a vessel. 
     
     
         15 . An apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein the apparatus is adapted to reverse a polarity of the thermoelectric element so that the thermoelectric element heats rather than cools when an amount of ice accumulates on or around a vessel which would trap the vessel. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus comprising:
 at least one preparation surface;   a heat transferring unit positioned beneath the preparation surface to be in thermal communication with the preparation surface, the heat transferring unit comprising a first thermally conductive layer, a second thermally conductive layer and a thermoelectric element arranged between and in thermal communication with the first and second thermally conductive layers;   a vessel placed on the preparation surface, the vessel having a thermally conductive bottom portion and the vessel being placed such that said bottom portion is in thermal communication with the heat transferring unit when the bottom portion is placed on the preparation surface; and   a vessel presence sensor configured to detect the presence of the vessel on the preparation surface.   
     
     
         17 . A system according to  claim 16 , wherein the vessel is made of a material having a specific heat capacity in the range of about 0.2 J/g° C. to about 4 J/g° C. 
     
     
         18 . A system according to  claim 16 , wherein the vessel is at least partially coated with a surface treatment to protect the vessel from corrosion. 
     
     
         19 . A system according to  claim 18  wherein the surface treatment is a beverage container coating. 
     
     
         20 . A system according to  claim 18  wherein the surface treatment comprises a varnish.