Turbo-chill chamber using secondary coolant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9448006-B2
Application number	US-201313963066-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2013
Priority date	Aug 3, 2010
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

An appliance system that includes an appliance and a turbo-chilling chamber is provided. In one embodiment, the turbo-chilling chamber for chilling a beverage within a beverage container or a foodstuff is operably engaged to an interior surface of the appliance and typically includes a rigid outer wall; a flexible inner wall defining a coolant chamber; and at least one coolant spaced between the rigid outer wall and flexible inner wall in the coolant chamber. The flexible inner wall defines a receiving space, accommodates various sized beverage containers or foodstuffs, and moves between a first position and a second position. The coolant within the coolant chamber is typically at higher than atmospheric pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the second position and a lesser pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the first position. The method of turbo-chilling a beverage container/beverage/foodstuff within the turbo-chilling chamber is also provided.

First claim

We claim:

1. An appliance system comprising: an appliance having a rear wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, a top, a bottom and at least one door that, when the door is closed, either partially or completely encloses the interior of the appliance, wherein when all doors of the appliance are closed the appliance contains at least one insulated section that is the same size or smaller than the interior volume of the appliance and suitable for refrigeration of fresh foods, and wherein the rear wall, first side wall, second side wall, top, bottom, and the door each have an interior surface; and a turbo-chilling chamber operably engaged to an interior surface of the appliance, and having a main body portion wherein the turbo-chilling chamber comprises: a rigid outer wall; a flexible inner wall defining a coolant chamber; and at least one coolant disposed between the rigid outer wall and flexible inner wall in the coolant chamber during operation of the turbo-chilling chamber; and wherein the flexible inner wall defines a foodstuff receiving space and wherein the flexible inner wall accommodates various sized foodstuffs and moves between a first position and a second position and wherein the flexible inner wall is configured to maintain direct contact with substantially all of the surface of a foodstuff when the coolant within the coolant chamber is at a higher than atmospheric pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the second position and is configured to not maintain direct contact with substantially all of the surface of the foodstuff when the coolant is at a lesser pressure when the flexible inner wall is in the first position; and wherein the foodstuff is a beverage within a beverage container and the foodstuff receiving space is a beverage container receiving space where the flexible inner wall accommodates various sized beverage containers and wherein the turbo-chilling chamber further comprises at least one coolant inlet and one coolant outlet and the coolant flows through the coolant chamber and through a coolant system positioned within the appliance and wherein the coolant system comprises: a coolant tank; a coolant pump; an evaporator; and at least two coolant utility conveying lines that operably connect the coolant tank with the coolant outlet and the coolant inlet and enable flow of the coolant through the coolant system when the coolant pump is engaged and when the coolant utility conveying lines are connected with the turbo-chilling chamber.

2. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the foodstuff is a beverage within a beverage container, the beverage container comprising at least a top and a perimeter, and the foodstuff receiving space is a beverage container receiving space where the flexible inner wall accommodates various sized beverage containers and wherein the rigid outer wall of the turbo-chilling chamber extends around the perimeter of the beverage container, but not the top of the beverage container and the turbo-chilling chamber further comprises a cover moveable between a beverage actuating position and a closed position and wherein the turbo-chilling chamber further comprises a motor that shakes or rotationally oscillates the beverage container when the beverage container is spaced within the chamber and the flexible wall is in the second position.

3. The appliance system of claim 2 , wherein the appliance comprises a plurality of turbo-chilling chambers operably engaged to one or more of the interior surfaces of the appliance and the cover is hingedly connected to the main body portion of the turbo-chilling chamber.

4. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the coolant comprises a water and solute solution where the solute depresses the freezing point temperature of the water.

5. The appliance system of claim 4 , wherein, when in the second position, the flexible inner wall contacts substantially all of the sides and bottom of the beverage container and the water and solute solution includes a water and salt solution or a water and alcohol solution.

6. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the foodstuff is a beverage within a beverage container and the foodstuff receiving space is a beverage container receiving space where the flexible inner wall accommodates various sized beverage containers and wherein, when in the second position, the flexible inner wall contacts substantially all of the sides and bottom of the beverage container.

7. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the coolant tank is either part of an evaporator cover or in contact with the evaporator cover.

8. The appliance system of claim 7 , wherein the coolant tank is positioned within a freezer compartment within the appliance and the coolant in the tank can be maintained at a temperature lower than that of the freezer compartment.

9. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the coolant tank is positioned within a freezer compartment within the appliance such that the coolant in the tank can be maintained at a temperature lower than that of the freezer compartment.

10. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the foodstuff is a beverage within a beverage container and the foodstuff receiving space is a beverage container receiving space where the flexible inner wall accommodates various sized beverage containers and wherein appliance includes both a refrigerated section and a freezer section, and wherein the turbo-chilling chamber is located within the refrigerated or within the freezer section, and wherein a pump drives the coolant and provides oscillatory motion to the beverage to be chilled in the turbo-chilling chamber.

11. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the foodstuff is a beverage within a beverage container and the appliance system further comprises a pump that drives the coolant and provides oscillatory motion to the beverage to be chilled in the turbo-chilling chamber.

12. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the appliance system includes a freezer section and the turbo-chilling chamber is located within the freezer section and is capable of freezing the foodstuff within the turbo-chilling chamber at a slower or faster rate than placing the foodstuff in the freezer section outside of the turbo-chilling chamber.

13. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the insulated section or sections of the appliance comprise foam insulation and the coolant utility conveying lines that connect the coolant tank with the coolant outlet and the coolant inlet and enable flow of the coolant through the coolant system when the coolant pump is engaged are spaced within and held in place by at least a portion of the foam insulation and the coolant utility conveying lines each have a chamber engaging end and a coolant tank engaging end that each have a drip-proof quick connector engaged thereto that operably and releasably engages the coolant tank and the outlet or the inlet of the turbo-chill chamber to one another.

14. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the foodstuff is a beverage within a beverage container and the foodstuff receiving space is a beverage container receiving space where the flexible inner wall accommodates various sized beverage containers and wherein the turbo-chilling chamber is integral with the appliance and wherein the appliance comprises a freezer section and the turbo-chilling chamber is positioned within the freezer section.

15. The appliance system of claim 1 , wherein the foodstuff is a beverage within a beverage container and the foodstuff receiving space is a beverage container receiving space where the flexible inner wall accommodates various sized beverage containers and wherein the t

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Kulkarni Tushar V
• Wu Guolian

Classifications

• F25D2400/28

  Quick cooling · CPC title

• F25D11/025 Primary

  using primary and secondary refrigeration systems · CPC title

• F25D25/00 Primary

  Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled · CPC title

• F25D2331/803

  Bottles · CPC title

• F25D31/007

  Bottles or cans · CPC title