U.S. patent application number 11/700616 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-31 for bottle cooler.
Invention is credited to Eddie Man-Ying Chan.
Application Number | 20080178618 11/700616 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39666407 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080178618 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chan; Eddie Man-Ying |
July 31, 2008 |
Bottle cooler
Abstract
A bottle cooler includes an outer casing, an inner casing housed
within the outer casing and being sized and shaped to receive
bottles horizontally therein. A refrigeration package is housed
externally of the inner casing within the outer casing, and a
cooling fan is housed within the outer casing to cause airflow
through the outer casing past the refrigeration package to cool the
inner casing. The bottle cooler is designed to be affixed beneath a
kitchen cupboard.
Inventors: |
Chan; Eddie Man-Ying;
(Kowloon, HK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALIX YALE & RISTAS LLP
750 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1400
HARTFORD
CT
06103
US
|
Family ID: |
39666407 |
Appl. No.: |
11/700616 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/132 ; 62/246;
62/263; 62/331; 62/451 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2331/803 20130101;
F25D 31/007 20130101; F25D 2317/0682 20130101; F25D 23/10 20130101;
F25D 17/06 20130101; F25D 2317/0683 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/132 ; 62/246;
62/263; 62/331; 62/451 |
International
Class: |
F25D 11/00 20060101
F25D011/00 |
Claims
1. A bottle cooler, comprising: an outer casing, an inner casing
housed within the outer casing and being sized and shaped to
receive bottles horizontally therein, a refrigeration package
housed externally of the inner casing within the outer casing, and
a cooling fan housed within the outer casing to cause airflow
through the outer casing past the refrigeration package to cool the
inner casing.
2. The bottle cooler of claim 1, further comprising a bracket by
which the outer casing can be suspended underneath a kitchen
cupboard.
3. The bottle cooler of claim 2, wherein the bracket includes slots
through which stems of inverted wine glasses depending from the
bracket can extend.
4. The bottle cooler of claim 1, wherein the inner casing has an
opening through which bottles are inserted and retrieved, and
further comprising a door across the opening.
5. The bottle cooler of claim 4, wherein the door comprises a
window.
6. The bottle cooler of claim 4, wherein the door is attached by
hinges to the inner casing.
7. The bottle cooler of claim 1, further comprising a rack within
the inner casing and having curved profiled segments for supporting
bottles horizontally thereon.
8. The bottle cooler of claim 1, wherein the cooling fan is located
at one side of the inner casing, and further comprising a turbofan
supplementing the cooling fan and located at an opposite side of
the inner casing within the outer casing.
9. The bottle cooler of claim 1, further comprising a control panel
having switches for controlling the refrigeration package and
cooling fan.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to bottle coolers. More
particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a
refrigerated container that can be suspended beneath a kitchen
cupboard for example and in which wine bottles can be stored
horizontally.
[0002] Where space and climate conditions allow, wine bottles for
example are ideally stored in a cellar or other constantly cool
place. In small apartments, refrigerator space is usually at a
premium. Most kitchens have cupboards both above and below the
kitchen benchtops, but such cupboards are not ideally suited to the
storage of wine bottles as their internal temperatures vary widely
and in any case the storage space provided by such cupboards is
usually limited.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is an object of the present invention to overcome or
substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages
and/or more generally to provide a bottle cooler suitable for
attachment beneath a wall-mounted kitchen cupboard above a benchtop
workspace.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0004] There is disclosed herein a bottle cooler, comprising:
[0005] an outer casing, [0006] an inner casing housed within the
outer casing and being sized and shaped to receive bottles
horizontally therein, [0007] a refrigeration package housed
externally of the inner casing within the outer casing, and [0008]
a cooling fan housed within the outer casing to cause airflow
through the outer casing past the refrigeration package to cool the
inner casing.
[0009] The bottle cooler can further comprise brackets by which the
outer casing can be suspended underneath a kitchen cupboard.
[0010] Preferably, the bracket includes slots through which stems
of inverted wine glasses depending from the bracket can extend.
[0011] Preferably, the inner casing has an opening through which
bottles are inserted and retrieved, and further comprising a door
across the opening.
[0012] Preferably, the door comprises a window.
[0013] Preferably, the door is attached by hinges to the inner
casing.
[0014] The bottle cooler can further comprise a rack within the
inner casing and having curved profiled segments for supporting
bottles horizontally thereon.
[0015] Preferably, the cooling fan is located at one side of the
inner casing, and the bottle cooler further comprises a turbofan
supplementing the cooling fan and located at an opposite side of
the inner casing within the outer casing.
[0016] The bottle cooler can further comprise a control panel
having switches for controlling the refrigeration package and
cooling fan.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] A preferred form of the present invention will now be
described by way of example with reference to the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a bottle
cooler,
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic parts-exploded perspective
illustration of the bottle cooler of FIG. 1,
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective illustration of the bottle
cooler with a mounting bracket/wine glass hanger,
[0021] FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are schematic perspective illustrations of
the bottle cooler/mounting bracket/wine glass hanger and a kitchen
cupboard from which the bottle cooler is suspended.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] In the accompanying drawings there is depicted schematically
a bottle cooler A. The bottle cooler comprises an outer casing 14
typically made of pressed metal and enamel coated. The outer casing
14 could however be of moulded plastics material. An inner casing
11 is housed within the outer casing 14 and might also be of metal
or plastics material. The inner casing has a front flange
surrounding an opening and to which a bottom-pivoted door is
attached. The door comprises an inner panel 7 and an outer panel 3.
A see-through plastics window 20 is sandwiched between the inner
and outer panels and includes a window rim 6. Locking catches 4 and
5 at the top of the inner door panel 7 close to the outer edge of
the inner casing flange 11. Affixed to the outer door panel 3 is a
handle 1 with handle pad 2.
[0023] A metal rack 8 rests internally upon the floor of the inner
casing 11 and includes curved profiled segments upon which wine
bottles can rest. Typically, the rack is sized and shaped to
accommodate three wine bottles side-by-side.
[0024] The inner casing 11 is spaced internally of the outer casing
14 by an airflow cavity which surrounds the inner casing. Located
within this cavity are a refrigeration package 12, a cooling fan 13
and control circuitry including a PCB light board 16 which is
mounted behind an indicator light panel 17. A protective shroud 15
encases the refrigeration package 12 and cooling fan 13. The
protective shroud 15 has venting louvers through which the cooling
fan 13 forces air. At the other side of the inner casing 11, there
is provided a turbofan 10 that is located within another protective
shroud 9. Again, the shroud 9 has louvers through which the
turbofan 10 forces air.
[0025] Also located within the outer casing 14 is a switching
adapter 19 in an isolation box 18.
[0026] To secure the bottle cooler A to the flat under-surface of a
kitchen cupboard B, a mounting bracket C is provided. The bracket
includes screw holes enabling easy fixture to both the cooler A and
cupboard B. The mounting bracket C might be of brass or chrome
plated steel for example and includes wine glass hangers D
comprising slots into which the stems of inverted wine glasses can
be inserted from the front so that the glasses can be suspended
therefrom with the bases of the glasses held above the hanger.
[0027] In use, the bottle cooler receives mains electrical power
via a power cord (not shown). Cooling fan 13 and refrigeration
package 12 are thus activated to cause a flow of cool air through
the refrigeration package both above and below the inner casing 11
as it flows from one side of the outer casing 14 to the other. The
indication lights at the front panel would illuminate. The turbofan
11 would activate upon thermostatic control (not shown) on
particularly hot days. The turbofan would increase the airflow
induced by the main cooling fan 13.
[0028] It should be appreciated that modifications and alterations
obvious to those skilled in the art are not to be considered as
beyond the scope of the present invention. For example, the cooling
fan and refrigeration package might be mounted on top of, behind,
or beneath the inner casing. Furthermore, it should be appreciated
that the apparatus herein is equally suited to the cooling cans and
other storage vessels.
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