Mobile Bar

Abstract

The mobile bar has a refrigerated unit mounted on a transportable chassis, wherein the refrigerated unit comprises a cabinet 5 (e.g., fridge) having a front and a rear, and being accessible from the f

Description

Introduction The present invention relates to mobile bars and to methods of operating mobile bars. Background to the Invention Large-scale festivals and temporary events are particularly popular during the summer months. They typically require installation of food and beverage service facilities capable of serving high volumes of customers. Pop-up bars are commonly used to meet this demand, as they allow event organisers to provide services without constructing permanent infrastructure. Conventional pop-up bars are only partially mobile as while they are commonly designed with individual parts to be transported they then have to be subsequently built on-site. Known bars operate by providing a temporary serving counter positioned between the service staff and the customers, with beverages being prepared and dispensed from behind the counter. In such arrangements, customers approach the front of the bar, place orders and are served directly by the staff who retrieve products from storage units, such as shelves, coolers or kegs located beneath or behind the counter. Known mobile bars present several disadvantages. The workflow behind the bar is commonly constrained by limited internal space, which restricts the number of staff who can operate the bar efficiently at peak times and limits the amount of stock prepared for serving. Additionally, conventional mobile bars frequently provide insufficient refrigeration capacity and are often unable to stockpile cooled drinks, resulting in limited availability of chilled beverages at the point of service, which is especially desirable during the summer events. Typically, most of the stock is stored in storage areas which are not refrigerated and are often located at a distance from the serving area. This makes it difficult to stockpile sufficient quantities of cold drinks and to maintain them chilled. Staff are also required to transport heavy boxes or kegs from the storage to the serving area, often repeatedly throughout busy periods, which increases service times and introduces safety risks. The use of “on tap” dispensing, mimicking facilities in permanent bars, can lead to extended periods serving customers and queues of others waiting to be served. Accordingly, an aim of the present invention is an alternative, preferably improved, mobile bar, and a method of operating such a mobile bar, that addresses and preferably ameliorates one or more problems identified in the art. Summary of Invention The present invention provides a mobile bar, comprising (i) a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit, mounted on (ii) a transportable chassis, wherein the refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit comprises (iii) a cabinet and (iv) a cold room, and wherein the cabinet has a front and a rear, and is accessible from the front for dispensing of drinks, and is accessible at the rear from the cold room for filling of drinks into the rear of the cabinet from the cold room. The present invention also provides a mobile bar, comprising (i) a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit, mounted on (ii) a transportable chassis, wherein the refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit comprises (iii) a plurality of refrigerated cabinets wherein each cabinet has a front and a rear, and is accessible from the front for dispensing of drinks, and is accessible at the rear for filling of drinks into the rear of the cabinet from outside, and each cabinet comprises gravity fed shelves or rails for cans or bottles. The present invention also provides a method of operating a bar, comprising providing a mobile bar of the invention and having a plurality of cabinets, wherein the cabinets are filled with cans of drink and further cans of drink are stored in the cold storage room, dispensing cans of drink from the fronts of the cabinets, refilling the cabinets with cans of drink from the cold storage room via the rears of the cabinets, and, optionally, locating further cans of drink in the cold storage room. Advantageously, as described below and specifically in the example, all of the stock of the mobile bar can be refrigerated, both in the cabinets and in the cold storage room, meaning that the stock remains chilled at the point of service. The drinks can be easily dispensed from the front of the cabinets while cabinets are refilled with replacement drinks into the rear of the cabinets, allowing efficient refill of the stock without interfering with serving the customers, reducing waiting times. Also, having additional stock near the back of the cabinets allows prompt refill of the cabinets, preventing further delays, and allowing the new stock to cool before being placed into the cabinets for serving the customers. Details of the Invention Hence, as set out above, there is provided a mobile bar, comprising (i) a refrigerated unit, mounted on (ii) a transportable chassis, wherein the refrigerated unit comprises (iii) a cabinet and (iv) a cold room, and wherein the cabinet has a front and a rear, and is accessible from the front for dispensing of drinks, and is accessible at the rear from the cold room for filling of drinks into the rear of the cabinet from the cold room. The refrigerated unit is for storage and dispensing of drinks, and provides an easy access to drinks while allowing an easy supply of the drinks stock at the point of service. The drinks are stored in the cabinets, which are accessible from the front of the mobile bar meaning that serving personnel are able to access the cold drinks easily. The cabinets are also accessible at the rear, thus providing an easy way to refill the stock. This is advantageous because dispensing drinks and supplying the stock can be done simultaneously, meaning that the cabinet will not run out of drinks for serving. Stocking cabinets from the rear means that users at the front of the cabinets do not need to reach for the end of the cabinet, thus making the cans and bottles more accessible for serving. Cabinets are conveniently provided with doors at the front. The rears of the cabinets are optionally provided with doors, though in embodiments described herein they do not have doors and thus the rears are not obstructed by any doors or other coverings that may complicate or add time to filling from the stock room. Units of the invention, for storage and dispensing of drinks, may comprise a cold room, also referred to herein as a cold storage room or a stock room meaning that the drinks are not only stored within a cold room but are also dispensed from a cold room. In the units of the invention, the rears of the cabinets connect to the cold room and thus cabinet interiors and the cold room interior may form a single volume which is cooled. The range of drinks for the bar is generally not limited; suitably the drinks may be cans or bottles or other containers that can fit into cabinets, though especially cans for convenience of loading and dispensing. The drinks served from the unit can be alcoholic (e.g. beer, cider, cocktails) or non-alcoholic (e.g. water, juices, sodas). The refrigerated drink storage and dispensing unit is mounted on a transportable chassis and, as a result, it is easy to move the unit between different locations while ensuring that the drinks are chilled whenever the unit is in use. There is also provided a mobile bar, comprising (i) a refrigerated unit, mounted on (ii) a transportable chassis, wherein the refrigerated unit comprises (iii) a plurality of refrigerated cabinets wherein each cabinet has a front and a rear, and is accessible from the front for dispensing of drinks, and is accessible at the rear for filling of drinks into the rear of the cabinet from outside, and each cabinet comprises gravity fed shelves or rails for cans or bottles. A mobile bar of this aspect of the invention does not require the cold storage room connected to the cabinet rears. Such mobile bars may comprise extended cabinets that can take larger quantities of stock. They may be filled from the outside. Cabinets of this aspect of the invention comprise rear doors to provide a sealed, refrigerated space within each cabinet. The optional and preferred features described herein are generally suitable for mobile bars with or without the cold room. The unit can also comprise a plurality of cabinets which can each individually be opened at the front for dispensing of drinks, and are each sealed at the rear to a common cold storage room, wherein drinks stored in the cold storage room can be filled into the rear of any of the cabinets. Cabinets are incorporated into the unit in a way that they are part of and are integral with the cold room. Their rears are preferably not covered by additional doors or seals, however, they are in effect within a sealed room that provides a sealed environment to contain the cold air. The drinks stored in the cold storage room are within the same sealed environment as the cabinets. The plurality of cabinets can accommodate different drinks, and each cabinet can be dedicated to a different drink and individually refilled from the cold room, if need be changing the content of the cabinet during operation at an event. In embodiments of the invention, the mobile bar comprises 1 to 20, 3 to 10 or 5 to 8 cabinets. In a specific embodiment, described below the bar has 7 cabinets. Generally, the mobile bar has capacity for a large number of cans and / or bottles, suitably at least 1000 cans, and up to 8000 cans. The storage capacity varies depends on the dimensions of the bar and the volume of the cans used. The mobile bar may comprise a refrigeration unit for cooling the cabinet or cabinets and the cold storage room. The refrigeration unit can be a cooler, and conventional cooling units are available. In embodiments the refrigeration unit is made of a compressor and evaporator. Some refrigeration units can work by removing hot or warm air from the mobile bar while supplying the cold air thereto. Preferably, the mobile bar comprises a single refrigeration unit for cooling the cabinet, or all the cabinets when there are many, and the cold storage room. A single refrigerator unit can provides a cooling effect to all components found inside the mobile bar because the cabinets are connected to the cold room and form essentially a single volume to be cooled. Opening cabinet doors to remove drinks can result in loss of cooling, or increase in temperature, but refilling the cabinets does not because the refilling is from the storage room which is part of a single, cooled space. The temperature of the cold room may thus be controlled by the refrigeration unit. Preferably the temperature is maintained between 1°C to 10°C, 2°C to 8°C, or 2°C to 5°C. Drinks in the cabinets may be gravity fed from the rear to the front. In embodiments, each cabinet comprises gravity fed shelves or rails for cans or bottles. The shelves or rails are suitably angled downwards from the rear towards the front of the cabinet, i.e. the shelves or rails can be angled by having the shelf or rail at the front of the cabinet being lower than at the rear of the cabinet relative to the ground. The angle is sufficient for the cans or bottles to move towards the front of the cabinet with no or minimal force applied. This is advantageous because adding the bottles or cans at the rear of the cabinet results in them moving towards the front of the cabinet where they will be dispensed and served. Accordingly, as the cans or bottles are dispensed at the front of the cabinet, new stock will be sequentially moving towards the front, thus creating space at the rear of the cabinet for new stock to be added. A stop at the front can be used to prevent cans or bottles falling out when the cabinet door is opened. Shelves may also have dividers, optionally dividers with adjustable widths. In preferred embodiments, each cabinet comprises gravity fed shelves or rails for cans. Cans are known to be more durable than glass bottles, therefore having all the cabinets dedicated for cans will provide further safety during the operation of the mobile bar and allow more extreme angles to be used for shelves or rails that feed the cans towards the front of the cabinets. In more preferred embodiments, each cabinet comprises gravity fed shelves or rails for cans of volume 250 mL, 330 mL and / or 440 mL. Canned drinks are known to be standardised between different manufacturers, therefore having shelves or rails adapted to typical volumes of cans can ensure that the bar is adapted for efficient serving. Optionally, the shelves or rails can be adapted for cans manufactured for different countries. To accommodate the UK and Europe standards, the cabinet preferably comprises shelves or rails for cans of volume 250 mL, 330 mL, 440 mL and / or 500 mL. To accommodate the US standards, the cabinet preferably comprises shelves or rails for cans of volume 335 mL, 473 mL, 568 mL, 710 mL and / or 946 mL. In some embodiments, the heights of the shelves or rails are adjustable to accommodate cans or bottles of different sizes. In preferred embodiments, the cabinets comprise doors on their fronts. The doors can be opened and closed, and optionally locked or optionally individually locked. Closed doors ensure that the cold air in the cold room is contained within the unit. The doors can be opened by the user to access the drinks at the front of the cabinet. Door seals may be used to aid sealing of the doors onto their frames, as is conventional in fridge doors. In embodiments, each cabinet comprises a partially or fully see-through door section. Having the cabinet partially or fully see-through allows the users to see the contents of the cabinets, for example identify the drink present in the cabinet. In embodiments where a plurality of cabinets is used, having partially or fully see-through doors allows having and identifying different drinks without opening the door, thus further retaining the cold air in the refrigerated drink storage and dispensing unit. In preferred embodiments, each cabinet comprises a fully see-through door. This provides a better view of the stored drinks and allows distinguishing similar drinks from one another; this also has improved aesthetics in presenting the bar to customers. In some embodiments, each cabinet comprises a heater for demisting of its door. Due to differences in temperature between the inside and the outside of the refrigerated drink storage and dispensing unit, water condensation may appear on the doors lowering the visibility of the inside of the cabinet. Accordingly, incorporating a heater in the cabinet can reduce condensation, allowing the users to see through the door. In preferred embodiments the heater is located away from the cans preferably in the door itself, optionally in the borders of the door, so that the heater does not block the visibility of the drinks. In further embodiments of the mobile bar, the transportable chassis comprises wheels. The wheels allow the mobile bar to be movable and transportable. In preferred embodiments, the transportable chassis comprises a wheelbase having two pairs of wheels. This provides further stability to the mobile bar allowing it to be better transported through uneven surfaces. This is advantageous for attending events that are held in fields with limited road infrastructure. As alternatives to a wheel-mounted chassis, e.g. for towing, the transportable chassis may be adapted to be mounted onto a truck; it may also be adapted for incorporation into a shipping container. In some embodiments, the transportable chassis comprises or is part of a trailer having road wheels. This allows the mobile bar to be transported with additional comforts of a trailer. The transportable chassis suitably comprises a trailer coupler for attachment to a tow bar or tow hitch and also suitably comprises a connector for electrical connection of the mobile bar’s electrics to a towing vehicle. This provides integration between the refrigeration unit and the mobility of the bar as any vehicle can be used to transport the mobile bar across the different locations. Power to the refrigeration unit is desirable for keeping the whole unit cool whilst being moved between locations. In preferred embodiments, a mobile bar comprises a collapsible wheelbase so that the chassis or trailer height can be lowered when the mobile bar is stationary. Hydraulic axles are known and suitable for this purpose. When the wheelbase is lowered, the base of the mobile bar is closer to or in contact with the ground. Having the mobile bar lowered makes it more stable when it is in operation, providing further safety for the users. It also provides an illusion of a regular bar, thus avoiding the appearance of a trailer, making the mobile bar more pleasing for the customers. In embodiments with the collapsible wheelbase, the mobile bar may comprise wheelboxes for recessing of the wheels when the wheel base is in a collapsed position. This ensures that the wheels have their own dedicated area where they are protected and are hidden from users. For further stability, the transportable chassis may comprise adjustable height legs to support and stabilise the chassis when it is stationary. The legs are generally located at or adjacent to the chassis corners. When the mobile bar is lowered it can be lowered on any ground that may be uneven. To ensure that the bar is standing straight the adjustable height legs can individually adapt to the surface to ensure that the mobile bar is level with the ground. This further ensures that any angled rails or shelves, if present, are of the angles as intended relative to the ground, and that any stock in the mobile bar is in a stable position, not leaning to any end of the mobile bar. As is understood from the specific example below, the mobile bar can provide in effect a single sealed, refrigerated volume with the interiors of serving cabinets, which have their own front access doors, sealed to and integrated with a single, rear cold storage room. In preferred embodiments, the unit comprises a base, a roof, front and rear walls, and first and second side walls sealed together. Accordingly, a base, a roof, front and rear walls, and first and second side walls can together form the refrigerated unit. The cooling unit then cools a single, refrigerated volume. Construction is simplified, as individual cabinets do not require individual cooling units. The refrigerated unit of the mobile bar can vary in size according to customer and commercial needs as well as the capability of towed equipment such as chassis size and towing vehicles. The unit may be 2 to 3 meters high, preferably about 2.5 meters high, being the distance between the base and the roof of the unit. The refrigerated unit can be 2 to 3 meters wide, preferably about 2.4 meters wide, being the distance between the rear wall of the unit and the front wall of the unit. The refrigerated unit of the mobile bar can be 5 to 8 meters long, in an example below it is about 7 meters long. The length describes the distance between the side walls of the unit. If the unit is on a trailer structure, the distance between the side wall of the refrigerated unit and the end of the trailer coupler may be about 7.5 meters for the example below. The doors for closing the cabinets can be fixed to the cabinets, to the front wall, or to both the cabinet and the front wall. In preferred embodiments, the front wall incorporates doors to the cabinets. In such embodiments the front wall of the unit is made up substantially of the doors, including door hinges, and may include a short upstanding portion from the unit base to the bottom edges of the doors. Having the front wall and the doors of the cabinets integrated ensures better sealing and better insulation of the refrigerated unit. For better installation of the refrigerated unit the front wall may comprise a lower wall section and an upper wall section comprising or incorporating the doors to the plurality of cabinets. The upper wall section is above the doors of the cabinets and lower wall section is below the doors of the cabinets. This is advantageous because walls are better insulators compared to the doors, thus retaining wall sections ensures that less cold air exits the refrigerator unit when dispensing the drinks. Mobile bars of the invention suitably comprises a door for access into the cold storage room. The door can be used by users to access the storage room and from there the rears of the cabinets. The door can also be used to add stock to the storage room. Typically, the door is closed while one or more personnel inside are refilling the cabinets, which helps to keep the cold air within the refrigerator unit. Preferably, the access door is in a side wall or in the rear wall opposite the rears of the cabinets. Having the door on either the side or rear walls ensures that the door does not obstruct any cabinets and allows convenient access to both the storage and the rear of the cabinets. To power the mobile bar, electricity from the towing vehicle or from a separate generator can be used. Preferably the mobile bar has an associated utility locker on any one of the walls, preferably a side wall, that can be used to store cables and related equipment to connect the power supply to the mobile bar and also used to contain control equipment for bar cooling and lighting systems. The drinks can be served directly from the cabinet, or a separate structure can be placed in front of the mobile bar to act as a bar counter. Optionally, the mobile bar and / or the separate structure can comprise a removeable and replaceable signage on top of the bar, and / or on bar panels, and / or on separate bar counter. The bar counter can also be used to complete transactions. Preferably the transactions are completed using EPOS scanners that are connected to a power source and internet when in use. Such scanners provide a convenient and fast way to complete the transactions as they allow scanning bar codes or QR codes on dispensed stock during vending of the stock. The mobile bar may comprise a canopy, for shelter of serving staff or customers located in front of the cabinet fronts. The canopy may be hinged. The canopy may be moveable between a first position in which it closes over the cabinet fronts and a second, open position. The open position suitably gives access to cabinet fronts and presents a shelter against rain and sun underneath the canopy. The canopy may be lockable into its first position, preventing access to the cabinets and providing improved security when the bar is not open and during transport. In a preferred embodiment, a mobile bar comprises a refrigerated drinks unit, mounted on a wheeled trailer wherein the refrigerated drinks unit comprises a plurality of fridges which comprise gravity-fed shelves or rails for cans of drink and which can be opened at the front for dispensing of cans of drink, and are sealed at the rear to a common cold storage room, wherein cans of drink stored in the cold storage room can be filled into the fridges via the rears of the fridges, and further comprising a single refrigeration unit for cooling of the cold storage room and all of the fridges, and an access door into the cold storage room for personnel filling the fridges with cans of drinks stored in the cold storage room. This combines all of the advantages of the above listed features, providing a superior mobile bar. In specific embodiments of the invention, described in more detail below, a mobile bar comprises (i) a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit, mounted on (ii) a transportable chassis, wherein the refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit comprises (iii) from 3 to 10 cabinets, (iv) a cold storage room, (v) a refrigeration unit for cooling the cabinets and the cold storage room, and wherein each cabinet comprises downwardly angled, gravity fed shelves and / or rails for cans of volume 250mL, 330mL and / or 440mL, each cabinet has a front and a rear, and has a door at its front which can be opened for dispensing of drinks, and each cabinet is accessible at the rear from the cold storage room for filling of cans into the rear of the cabinet from the cold storage room, whereby drinks stored in the cold storage room can be filled into the rear of any of the cabinets, each cabinet comprises a fully see-through section of its door and a heater for demisting of its see-through section, and wherein the transportable chassis comprises or is part of a towable trailer having road wheels. In further specific embodiments of the invention, described in more detail below, a mobile bar comprises (i) a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit, mounted on (ii) a transportable chassis, wherein the refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit comprises (iii) 3 to 10 cabinets, (iv) a cold storage room, (v) a refrigeration unit for cooling the cabinets and the cold storage room, and wherein each cabinet comprises downwardly angled, gravity fed shelves and / or rails for cans of volume 250mL, 330mL and / or 440mL, each cabinet has a front and a rear, and has a door at its front which can be opened for dispensing of drinks, and each cabinet is accessible at the rear from the cold storage room for filling of cans into the rear of the cabinet from the cold storage room, whereby drinks stored in the cold storage room can be filled into the rear of any of the cabinets, each cabinet comprises a fully see-through section of its door and a heater for demisting of its see-through section, the transportable chassis comprises or is part of a towable trailer having road wheels, comprises a collapsible wheelbase so that the chassis or trailer height can be lowered when the mobile bar is stationary and comprises adjustable height legs to support and stabilise the chassis when mobile bar is stationary, and the refrigerated unit comprises a base, a roof, front and rear walls and first and second side walls sealed together forming the refrigerated unit, in which the front wall incorporates the doors to the cabinets. Also provided herein is a method of operating a bar of the invention, comprising providing the mobile bar having a plurality of cabinets, wherein the cabinets are filled with cans of drink and further cans of drink are stored in the cold storage room, dispensing cans of drink from the fronts of the cabinets, refilling the cabinets with cans of drink from the cold storage room via the rears of the cabinets, and, optionally, locating further cans of drink in the cold storage room. In use, one or more personnel dispense drinks from the fronts of the cabinets and take payment therefor. One or more personnel are in the cold storage room and are filling the drinks into the rears of the cabinets while drinks are being dispensed from the front to serve the customers. Personnel can also add stocks of drinks from the outside into the storage room, to be cooled before being filled into the cabinet rears. Preferably, a method of operating a mobile bar comprises locating a stock of cans of drink in the cold storage room, filling the stock into the cabinets via the rears of the cabinets, dispensing stock to be sold from the fronts of the cabinets, further filling the stock into the cabinets via the rears of the cabinets, locating further stock in the cold storage room. Example The invention is now described in more detail in a specific example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1A-D shows a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit with collapsible wheels retracted in front view (Fig. 1A), rear view (Fig. 1B), and side views (Fig. 1C-D); Fig. 2A-D shows a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit of Figure 1 with collapsible wheels extended in front view (Fig. 2A), rear view (Fig. 2B), and side views (Fig. 2C-D); Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B show isometric views of a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit with a collapsible bar unit; Fig. 4A-D shows schematic cross-section views of a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit of Figures 1-3. Fig. 4A shows a top view cross-section, Fig. 4B shows a horizontal cross-section from the rear of the unit, Fig. 4C shows a horizontal cross-section from the front of the unit, and Fig. 4D and 4E show horizontal cross-sections from the side of the unit. Referring to the Figures 1-3 a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit 1 has four walls: a front wall 4, a rear wall 7, a first side or end wall 10a and a second side or end wall 10b. The unit 1 also has a ceiling (or roof) 13 and a floor (or base) 16. The walls, ceiling and floor are assembled on a chassis for a trailer, forming a sealed room that can act as a cold storage room for drinks. The front wall 4 has seven openings 18 that lead to seven cabinets 5 that can store bottles and / or cans containing different drinks. The openings are sealed by transparent fridge doors 20 made of glass. The fridge doors allow the users to see the drinks present in each cabinet and seal the cold room. The fridge doors can be independently opened or closed by users standing in front. To prevent condensation, the glass is heated by a heating element (not shown) present in the frames 22 of the fridge doors ensuring that the stored drinks are visible to the users. Cans in the cabinets are stored on angled rails (not shown). When the user opens the fridge door and takes the can closest to the opening, the subsequent can will become accessible to the user as the cans are gravity fed to the fronts of the cabinets via the angled rails. There is a wall portion underneath the fridge openings. The openings can be covered with a hatch 28 which is connected to the top of the front wall of the unit via a hinge mechanism 29. The hatch is used to protect the fridge doors when the unit is not in use. The hatch can be either in an open 28a or closed 28b positions. In an open position, the hatch is held by two collapsible telescopic rods 30 present on each side of the hatch, between the front wall and the edge of the hatch. The rear wall 7 has a rear door 24, that allows the users to access the cold room and add stock to the cold room, ready for filling into the rears of the fridges. The first side or end wall 10a has a condensing unit 24 connected to evaporator unit 25 present inside the unit, and a utility locker 26 that allows connection to power, e.g. from a vehicle towing the bar or an external supply e.g. a generator. The condensing unit and evaporator unit work together to cool both the cabinets and the cold storage room. The first side wall also has a trailer coupler 38 that can be connected to a vehicle for attachment to a towing hook. The ceiling 13 has a collapsable sign 31 that can be in extended 31a or folded 31b positions for marketing purposes when the unit is in use. The floor 16 and the chassis of the trailer is mounted on two sets of wheels 33ab that allow the unit to be transported between different locations. The wheels are collapsable thus they can be in retracted 33a or extended 33b positions. When the unit is in use, the collapsable wheels are in retracted position. Retracted wheels are stored in a dedicated wheel storage compartment 35 present at the floor of the unit. To ensure that the unit is even and stable on any surface when the collapsable wheels are retracted, the floor has stabilisers 37 that adjust the position of the floor of the unit relative to the ground where the unit is deployed. The refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit 1 is operated with an additional, separate collapsible bar unit 40. The collapsible bar unit is located directly under the hatch (or canopy) 28 to provide protection from rain for the personnel dispensing the drinks from the cabinets to the customers on the other side of the bar unit 40. The bar unit provides a surface for serving the drinks from the dispensing unit and provides an area for transactions. The transactions are completed via EPOS scanners that are connected to a power source and internet when in use. The refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit 1 and the collapsible bar unit 40 are deployed together when in use. When the use of the units needs to be temporarily stopped e.g. overnight, the front can be covered by a security cladding (not shown) that prevents access to the cabinets and to the bar unit. Referring to the Figures 4A-4E a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit 1 has a cold room 50, with a storage area 52 for the stock (e.g. cans) and seven cabinets 5. The angled rails in the cabinets feed the cans by gravity to the front of the unit where the customers are served. The inside of the unit has an evaporator unit connected to the condensing unit, providing the cooling to the whole unit, including the stock present in the storage area and the stock present in the cabinets. The unit also has space for personnel to fill the stock from the storage area 52 into the cabinets 5. Personnel in the storage area can thus access the backs of all the cabinets. Parts List 1 - a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit 4 - front wall 5 - cabinets 7 - rear wall 10a - first side or end wall 10b - second side or end wall 13 - ceiling 16 - floor 18 - opening 20 - fridge door 22 - frames 24 - condensing unit 25 - evaporator unit 26 - utility locker 28a - hatch (open) 28b - hatch (closed) 29 - hinge mechanism 31a - extended collapsable sign 31b - folded collapsable sign 33a - retracted collapsable wheels 33b - extended collapsable wheels 35 - wheel compartment 37 - stabilisers 38 - trailer hitch 40 - collapsible bar unit 50 - cold storage room 5 52 - storage area

Claims

1. A mobile bar, comprising(i) a refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit, mounted on(ii) a transportable chassis,wherein the refrigerated drinks storage and dispensing unit comprises(iii) a cabinet and(iv) a cold storage room, andwherein the cabinet has a front and a rear, and is accessible from the front for dispensing of drinks, and is accessible at the rear from the cold storage room for filling of drinks into the rear of the cabinet from the cold storage room.

2. A mobile bar according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerated drinks unitcomprisesa plurality of cabinets which can each individually be opened at the front for dispensing of drinks, and are each sealed at the rear to a common cold storage room, wherein drinks stored in the cold storage room can be filled into the rear of any of the cabinets.

3. A mobile bar according to claim 2, comprising 3 to 10 cabinets.

4. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, comprising a refrigeration unitfor cooling the cabinet or cabinets and the cold storage room.

5. A mobile bar according to claim 4 comprising a single refrigeration unit forcooling the cabinet or all the cabinets and the cold storage room.

6. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, wherein each cabinet comprisesgravity fed shelves or rails for cans or bottles.

7. A mobile bar according to claim 6, wherein each cabinet comprises gravity fedshelves or rails for cans.

8. A mobile bar according to claim 7, wherein each cabinet comprises gravity fedshelves or rails for cans of volume 250mL, 330mL and / or 440mL.

9. A mobile bar according to any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the heights of theshelves or rails are adjustable.

10. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, wherein each cabinet comprises a partially or fully see-through door or door section.

11. A mobile bar according to claim 10, wherein each cabinet comprises a fully see-through door section.

12. A mobile bar according to any of claims 10-11, wherein each cabinet comprises a heater for demisting of its see-through door.

13. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, wherein the transportable chassis comprises wheels.

14. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, wherein the transportablechassis comprises a wheelbase having two pairs of wheels.

15. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, wherein the transportablechassis comprises or is part of a trailer having road wheels.

16. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, comprising a collapsiblewheelbase so that the chassis or trailer height can be lowered when the mobile bar is stationary.

17. A mobile bar according to claim 16, comprising wheelboxes for recessing of the wheels when the wheelbase is in a collapsed position.

18. A mobile bar according to any of claims 13 to 17, wherein the transportable chassis comprises adjustable height legs to support and stabilise the chassis when stationary.

19. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, wherein the refrigerated unit comprises a base, a roof, front and rear walls and first and second side walls sealed together forming the refrigerated unit.

20. A mobile bar according to claim 19, wherein the front wall incorporates doors to the cabinets.

21. A mobile bar according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the front wall comprises a lower wall section and an upper wall section comprising or incorporating the doors to the plurality of cabinets.

22. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, comprising a door for access into the cold storage room.

23. A mobile bar according to claim 22, wherein the access door is in a side wall or in the rear wall opposite the rears of the cabinets.

24. A mobile bar according to any preceding claim, comprisinga refrigerated drinks unit, mounted ona wheeled trailerwherein the refrigerated drinks unit comprisesa plurality of fridges which comprise gravity-fed shelves or rails for cans of drink and which can be opened at the front for dispensing of cans of drink, and are sealed at the rear to a common cold storage room,wherein cans of drink stored in the cold storage room can be filled into the fridges via the rears of the fridges, and further comprisinga single refrigeration unit for cooling of the cold storage room and all of the fridges, andan access door into the cold storage room for personnel filling the fridges with cans of drinks stored in the cold storage room.

25. A method of operating a bar, comprisingproviding a mobile bar according to any preceding claim and having a plurality of cabinets, wherein the cabinets are filled with cans of drink and further cans of drink are stored in the cold storage room,dispensing cans of drink from the fronts of the cabinets,5 refilling the cabinets with cans of drink from the cold storage room via the rearsof the cabinets, and,optionally, locating further cans of drink in the cold storage room.A

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