Apparatus for the rapid cooling of packaged beverages

Abstract

An apparatus for the rapid cooling of packaged beverages that includes a thermally insulated immersion tank capable of containing a liquid refrigerant and an evaporator coil placed within the tank, where the container will be submerged while held by gripping means connected to a vertical rotation axis mounted on a vertically movable cart, both driven by driving means under the control of a control unit that commands a series of sequential steps such as driving the rotation of said axial rotation axis within a predetermined speed range and period of time followed by slowing down of the rotation of said axial rotation axis at a predetermined speed with a simultaneous vertical reciprocating movement of the container by means of the vertically movable cart for a predetermined period of time as many times as established by the control unit.

Description

[0001] APPLIANCE FOR RAPID COOLING OF PACKAGED BEVERAGES

[0002] FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0003] The present invention relates to the refrigeration or cooling of packaged products; more particularly, it relates to a rapid cooling device for packaged beverages, designed to achieve the desired serving temperature of the packaged beverage "on-site" and "in real time." The types of beverages that can benefit from this invention include sodas, juices, beers, sparkling water, and other mass-market beverages, while the beverage containers can be of various types, such as bottles, cans, and the like.

[0004] PREVIOUS ART

[0005] The mass consumption of packaged beverages in public places, such as cinemas, shopping malls, stores, stations, and public transportation terminals, currently constitutes a very large, consolidated, and constantly expanding market. It is also well known that there is a growing global concern for the rational use of energy; in this regard, governments, industry, and the general population are increasingly aware of this need and therefore demand and value products with low energy consumption.

[0006] However, the current pace of life in modern societies places significant pressure on companies that provide products and services. These companies are forced to meet customer needs with ever-increasing levels of personalization and speed, making it increasingly difficult to reconcile this with the aforementioned rational use of energy. In other words, a personalized consumer product obtainable almost instantaneously (on the spot) under the desired consumption conditions (beverage at the desired temperature) presents a major challenge given the equipment currently available commercially.

[0007] Traditionally, packaged beverages, such as bottled or canned drinks of all kinds, including soft drinks, water, sparkling water, soda, cider, beer, juices, and the like, have been offered to the public through vending machines, self-service refrigerators, and in the traditional way through classic counters in stores, bars, etc., which in turn have traditional refrigerators, ice trays, under-counter refrigerated chambers, etc.

[0008] In the particular case of automatic vending machines (such as those frequently found in train, bus, subway or metro stations, public places of passenger or pedestrian traffic), it is the user who, after entering a predetermined amount through the payment slots, selects and removes the packaged beverage, which will be delivered through a vending mouth.

[0009] In the specific case of traditional refrigerators, such as those found in gas stations, supermarkets, and warehouses, bottles or cans of beverages are stored inside a refrigerator and supported on multiple adjustable shelves. The interior of the refrigerator is refrigerated continuously or in cycles (on / off) to maintain a suitable internal temperature. These refrigerators also typically serve as product displays thanks to their glass fronts and interior lighting. In this case, the customer or vendor accesses the product by removing it directly from the shelves upon opening one of the doors, usually glass-fronted. It is well known that the continuous opening and closing of the door results in a significant loss of cooling, and the temperature of the selected container cannot be guaranteed.

[0010] Whatever the case may be, these types of refrigerators or freezers generally provide a thermally insulated and refrigerated chamber in which the bottles and cans to be refrigerated are stored, which are kept throughout the day at a temperature estimated by the seller as convenient for the consumption and taste of the average consumer.

[0011] However, these traditional refrigerators cool all beverages stored inside indiscriminately because the cooling occurs by removing heat from the interior space where all the bottles, cans, and similar items are stored. These traditional refrigerators have a very slow cooling cycle (due to high thermal inertia) and must constantly compensate for the cold air lost when the door is opened. Furthermore, a traditional refrigerator of the type mentioned above consumes electricity even during long periods of daytime inactivity or nighttime inactivity due to cold air loss.This loss of cold occurs even when no packages are being delivered to the consumer, and is due both to the heat loss by thermal conduction of the appliance and its components as well as to imperfections and wear of the insulating elements (for example, weatherstripping).

[0012] However, while the installation and use of these types of refrigerators and beverage dispensers remains very common, various manufacturers and inventors have already noted the aforementioned waste of electricity consumption and have therefore proposed a variety of devices and methods to avoid having to store and refrigerate a whole set of bottles or cans of beverage regardless of whether they are consumed at the moment or not.

[0013] These manufacturers and inventors have focused their efforts on rapidly cooling an individual bottle or can, or a batch of it, after the beverage, or small batch of beverage, has been selected by the consumer for immediate consumption. This aims to avoid the unnecessary energy consumption of cooling the remaining beverages that the consumer has not requested and which would otherwise remain unnecessarily refrigerated for extended periods.

[0014] Some proposals for rapid cooling of packaged beverages can be found in prior art applications and patents. For example, in US Patent 5,505,054, Loíbl et al. propose batch cooling of beverage cans, starting from an initial temperature of approximately 30°C and reducing the final consumption temperature of the beverage to between 5 o a 7 oThe proposal by Loíbl et al. consists of rotating the containers (preferably cans) on their own axis in a horizontal position while simultaneously spraying them with water at a temperature of 0°C from multiple nozzles above. This temperature is defined as the equilibrium temperature with ice, and for this purpose, a lower reservoir of ice water is provided. The patent indicates that rotating a can with its axial axis vertically is not advisable, as this would cause the beverage inside to rotate like a rigid body (generating a vortex), resulting in significantly longer cooling times.As a solution, it is proposed that the cans be rotated around their axial axis in a horizontal position, thus achieving continuous air displacement at the top of the container and resulting in a high degree of agitation with liquid displacement, thereby increasing the surface area for heat exchange. The expected cooling time for a 355 ml (12 oz.) can is typically about one and a half minutes. The proposed rotation speeds for the containers can range from 200 to 500 RPM; therefore, it is clear that the sole purpose of such devices is to agitate the liquid contents of the container as much as possible to maximize heat exchange to the outside of the container.

[0015] With the advent of devices like these—devices designed for on-demand refrigeration of packaged beverages—a new challenge arises in the art of beverage refrigeration. The challenge lies in obtaining a beverage sufficiently cold for consumer acceptance, starting from a packaged beverage that has not been previously refrigerated (i.e., is generally at room temperature of approximately 25°C), in the shortest possible time and with the least possible energy consumption. Of course, the ambient temperature may vary depending on where the packaged beverage is stored.

[0016] As mentioned previously, the pace of modern life has led consumers to demand increasingly shorter waiting times for chilled beverages at their desired serving temperature. Consequently, many prior art developments attempt to shorten cooling times by moving or shaking the beverage container to accelerate heat exchange and, therefore, speed up the cooling of the beverage inside. However, this approach often overlooks the interaction with the external refrigerant, the risk of freezing parts of the beverage being cooled, and / or the risk of improper agitation of a carbonated beverage (containing dissolved CO2), which could result in the beverage's rapid degassing.

[0017] The most recent proposals of the Prior Art, and which are most relevant to the purposes of the present invention, are, as an example, patent applications US2013 / 0160987 and its subsequent improvement through patent application US2013 / 0180280, both by Vartan Grigorian. In the first patent application US2013 / 0160987, Grigorian proposes an apparatus for the rapid cooling of packaged beverages that includes a cavity for receiving the container to be cooled with a cooling liquid such as salt water that can reach -16°C. A rotating means is provided to produce the rotation of the container at 90 RPM, being able to reach 720 RPM, for a predetermined period of rotation, and then proposes a stop or pause of the rotation allowing the forced vortex to collapse naturally and therefore, as interpreted, must withstand relatively long waiting times, in particular having to wait with the can stopped for 10 to 60 seconds between rotation cycles.Grigorian's initial proposal, in addition to the adapted rotating mechanism for turning the product (container) around its axis, includes retention mechanisms to substantially prevent or impede axial movement of the product during rotation. While this type of proposal may be an effective way to cool a container rotating axially around a vertical axis, it does not sufficiently shorten cooling times because it leaves the collapse of the stationary vortex generated during continuous rotation to chance. An apparatus according to the proposal in document US2013 / 0180280 requires approximately 90 seconds, or one and a half minutes, to cool a typical 335 ml aluminum can from 25°C to 5°C.As will be seen during the development of the detailed description of the present invention, these times are greatly reduced through the apparatus proposed herein.

[0018] In the second document, US2013 / 0180280, Grigorian perhaps acknowledges the drawback of the time lost due to the pause in rotation to break up the stationary vortex. Therefore, he proposes to avoid this pause by continuously rotating the container around two non-coincident and parallel axes, one of which is the axis of the product itself. In this case, he manages to slightly reduce the times compared to his initial proposal, most likely due to the chaotic turbulence obtained inside the container. However, this also generates excessive turbulence in the external refrigerant. He pays no particular attention to the container's geometry, temperatures, or improved times compared to his previous proposal, and thus focuses solely on epicyclic rotation with the intention of avoiding the detrimental pause time of his earlier application.There is insufficient disclosure regarding other stationary vortex collapse modes, nor is there a particular and distinguishable mode that offers a complete and functional industrial apparatus combining a specific structure with a drive mode that produces a technical effect such as that proposed for the present invention. Some examples of the lack of disclosure can be seen in the oscillating table design of Figure 1 (which does not use epicyclic rotation), which subsequently had to be explicitly excluded from the claimed object during its processing because it does not share the characteristics claimed therein.Therefore, from everything disclosed in Grigorian's second improvement document US2013 / 0180280, the proposed cooling device merely seeks to agitate the contents of the container as much as possible within an excessively turbulent cooling medium for the sole purpose of avoiding the detrimental waiting time of their previous proposal.

[0019] Therefore, in accordance with the previous state of the art regarding the provision of devices and / or methods intended to obtain rapid cooling of packaged beverages on demand, there is still a need for a novel and efficient device that allows further minimization of cooling times for packaged beverages, with a robust and safe construction, working with liquids such as alcohols, allowing even lower immersion temperatures of the container without risk of freezing the beverage, or dissociation of carbon dioxide in the case of carbonated beverages.

[0020] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention is directed to providing an apparatus for the rapid cooling of packaged beverages with the objective of allowing a packaged beverage, such as a canned soda, bottled beer, packaged juices, or any other type of mass-consumption beverage, to be cooled to a sufficiently cold temperature (preferably from 0°C to 5°C, or depending on the consumer's taste, to other temperatures without limitation) in the shortest possible time, allowing the consumer to choose a packaged beverage at the moment of consumption without the need for prior refrigeration, that is, at normal ambient temperature (approx. 25°C or more, or the prevailing local temperature), and once introduced into the apparatus of the present invention, and after a minimal waiting time (for example, a waiting time not exceeding 20 seconds for a can of soda of approx.335 mi), obtain the beverage chilled optimally for the consumer, that is, at the temperature considered by the consumer as sufficiently cold for their palate.

[0022] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0023] The present invention has been illustrated for better understanding. The illustrations include partial sectional views, enlargements, and certain simplifications or particular embodiments that a person skilled in the art will readily understand. These figures will also serve as instruction and may serve as a basis for obtaining other equivalent embodiments simply by altering or modifying certain component parts with equivalent participation, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, at least one preferred embodiment is illustrated in the following figures as follows:

[0024] FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, showing the general appearance and general layout of some of the main internal components through a partial cut and indicating other internal components in dashed lines when they are behind the housing of the apparatus.

[0025] FIGURE 2 is a front and cross-sectional view of the apparatus of the present invention according to the first preferred embodiment in the beverage container loading / removal position.

[0026] FIGURE 3 is a front and cross-sectional view of the apparatus of the present invention according to the first preferred embodiment in the rapid cooling position of the beverage container, with the packaged beverage submerged in the refrigerant liquid.

[0027] FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial view of the apparatus of the present invention as illustrated in FIGURE 3.

[0028] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] For the purposes of describing the present invention, it has been exemplified by a preferred embodiment, although this does not constitute any limitation on implementing the present invention in other embodiments. In this regard, the present invention is illustrated in said preferred embodiment as an apparatus (1) for the rapid cooling of packaged beverages (2), as generally shown in Figure 1.

[0030] Considering that the apparatus (1) of the present invention is suitable for use in public places by one or more people, the inventors hereof considered it convenient to use a general arrangement such as that illustrated in Figure 1, where the internal components and mechanisms are protected and safeguarded by means of an adequate cover, although the particular aesthetics can be designed according to convenience, whim or need, admitting for example, shapes evocative of the product for advertising or commercial distinguishability, or to maximize safety conditions or to conform to safety standards among many other options.

[0031] Specifically, for the purposes of the present invention, the inventors have adopted an outer cover design as illustrated in Figure 1, applicable to a floor-standing model. A floor-standing model is convenient because it allows for quick installation and commissioning of the device and easy access by the user to the loading and unloading (collection) area for the packaged beverage (2). Notwithstanding the foregoing, and as someone skilled in the art will understand, nothing prevents the development of versions of the device for countertop installation, or for wall mounting, integration into some type of industrial furniture, etc.

[0032] From a generalist point of view, the apparatus (1) for rapid cooling of packaged beverages (2) and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, has a lower portion that protects and conceals an immersion tank (11) inside a housing (28), said immersion tank (11) being lined with thermal insulation (21), said immersion tank (11) being suitable to contain a refrigerant liquid (14) that remains liquid at negative temperatures of at least down to -30°C and even being able to adequately contain liquids such as ethyl alcohol at very low temperatures, as low as -40°C, or more preferably -50°C, or as low as necessary.

[0033] The coolant (14) is contained within the immersion tank (11), and it is the liquid in which the beverage container (2) will be submerged to be cooled in the special manner described in detail below. Therefore, and given that one objective of the present invention is to minimize the cooling time of the beverage contained in the container (2), the temperature of the coolant (14) will be as low as necessary.

[0034] The refrigerant (14) contained within the immersion tank (11) is cooled by a closed refrigeration circuit, of the traditional type, but capable of reaching temperatures down to approximately -30°C or even lower, such as -50°C. The closed refrigeration circuit includes a refrigerant compressor (25) that compresses the refrigerant and sends it to a condenser (26) where the heat produced by compression is removed. The refrigerant is then directed to an evaporator coil (15) to absorb heat from the refrigerant (14) in which the container to be cooled is immersed.

[0035] A suitable refrigerant (14) for use in the present invention is ethyl alcohol (ethanol). However, as a person skilled in the art will understand, the refrigerant may be any other type of alcohol, or brines of the type NaCl (-20°C), CaCl2 (-46°C), an aqueous glycol solution, suitable combinations thereof, or other refrigerants, provided they remain liquid at the negative temperatures to be used during the cooling cycles. As a person skilled in the art will understand, the container (2) will be immersed in the refrigerant (14) and then handled by the consumer; therefore, the use of non-toxic refrigerants or refrigerants permitted by local regulations is recommended. For this reason, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is an advantageous and convenient option.

[0036] On the other hand, the refrigerants of the closed cooling circuit can be, for example, R404A, R410A, as well as other refrigerants known in refrigeration technology, provided that they allow the absorption of heat from the immersion tank to obtain refrigerant liquid temperatures (14) of up to, for example, -30°C, more preferably -40°C or even lower temperatures such as approximately -50°C if necessary, depending on the operating temperature selected to perform the cooling cycles.

[0037] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the evaporator coil (15) of the refrigerant in the closed-loop cooling system is located inside the immersion tank (11), submerged in the refrigerant (14). Specifically, this coil (15) comprises a first spiral section (15a) shaped like a concentric coil inside a second spiral section (15b) outside, thus achieving a remarkable heat dissipation effect from the central area of ​​the immersion tank (11), that is, the area of ​​refrigerant where the beverage container (2) will be immersed during its cooling process. In particular, the more closely the first spiral section (15a) conforms to the external profile of the container being introduced, the better the heat dissipation from the container will be.

[0038] It is convenient that the immersion tank (11) also follow the cylindrical spiral shape of both coil sections (inner 15a, outer 15b), and therefore, in the embodiment, the immersion tank is also illustrated as having a cylindrical shape. Specifically, the first inner spiral section (15a) corresponds to the section where the refrigerant in the closed circuit begins to evaporate, thus achieving maximum heat removal capacity from the immersion liquid (14). The refrigerant then continues to expand and absorb heat through the second outer spiral section (15b).

[0039] As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the lower part of the housing is provided with slots or ventilation grilles (13), such as those illustrated and / or others of a suitable type, which may vary in shape and number in order to allow the evacuation of the heat generated in the condenser (26) if it is hidden inside the housing.

[0040] It is also advisable to provide a fan (27) or other means of forced air circulation to improve the heat removal performance of the condenser (26). Of course, in some embodiments, the condenser (26) may be located adjacent to the appliance, concealed in the external rear, i.e., as in traditional commercial refrigerators, thus taking advantage of natural convection.

[0041] In the cross-section illustration of Figure 2, it is possible to observe the interior of the apparatus of the present invention, the outer cover of the apparatus, the immersion tank (11) and the coil (15) having been represented in cross-section, and the rest of the represented components having been left without cross-sectional cut in such a way that it is didactic for the interpretation by the reader.

[0042] The outer casing of the device consists primarily of the aforementioned lower housing (28), which is particularly useful for floor-standing configurations. This outer casing includes an upper housing (31) designed to cover the various upper components located above a countertop (12). This countertop (12) can also serve as a lid for the immersion tank (11), although the immersion tank (11) can conveniently have its own lid, indicated by the numerical reference (17). This tank lid (17) includes an upper inlet opening (20) through which the container (2) can be inserted or submerged.

[0043] As someone knowledgeable in the technique can observe, when the immersion tank (11) has its own tank lid (17), the different parts in contact can be sealed and / or isolated using gaskets, seals, or similar materials, preventing or reducing refrigerant leaks, vibration transmission, displacement between parts, etc. In the case of the figures, the work surface (12) rests on the tank lid.

[0044] (17) in a hermetic manner.

[0045] However, as can be seen in figures 2 to 4, access to the interior of the tank is from above, and through the corresponding openings that will be described in detail below.

[0046] In particular, the device has a rotating plate

[0047] (18) which includes a rotating opening (8), and above it is included a fixed plate (19) which includes a fixed opening (9). Said fixed plate (19) covers the top of said rotating plate (18). In this way, the fixed plate (19) has its fixed opening (9) generally concentric with the inlet mouth of the tank (20) in such a way that the rotation of the rotating plate (18) allows the rotating opening (8) to also rotate and block or open the passage of the container (2) into the immersion tank (11), as convenient.

[0048] For the purposes of the present invention, the obstruction or release of the passage of the container (2) into the immersion tank (11) as convenient refers to the fact that, for example, when a revolving door (22) is provided as illustrated in Figure 1, the rotating plate (18) is pivotally fixed with said revolving door (22) in such a way that when the revolving door (preferably, although not limited to being transparent or translucent and provided with a handle (23)) prevents access to the container loading / collection area, the rotating opening (8) generally coincides with the rest of the openings (namely, the fixed opening (9) and the inlet mouth (20)) allowing the container to be submerged into the immersion tank (11).Conversely, when the rotating door (22) is opened, either by turning it via the handle (23) or automatically, the rotating plate (18) attached to the door (22) also rotates and displaces the rotating opening (8) so that the disc-shaped body of the rotating plate (18) itself blocks access to the inside of the immersion tank (11). This reduces refrigerant leakage from inside the immersion tank (11) and ensures safe use of the unit even with refrigerants such as alcohol. Specifically, the unit's door (22) is open by default, so that access to the immersion tank is blocked when not in use.

[0049] So far, the way in which access to the interior of an immersion tank (11) containing a refrigerant liquid at temperatures as low as -30°C, more preferably -40°C and even more preferably -50°C, as convenient, is provided is clearly explained, so the rest of the apparatus intended to obtain the technical effect of rapid cooling of the packaged beverage (2) will be described in detail below.

[0050] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the beverage container (2) is held firmly even outside the immersion tank (11) using a clamping means (3). This clamping means (3) is preferably implemented as a nozzle with multiple jaws, and may include, for example, an elastic band such as a toroidal ring (29) that helps to keep the jaws of the nozzle pressed against the beverage container (2).

[0051] Although a preferred embodiment of the clamping means (3) has been illustrated, a person skilled in the art will readily understand that other specific types of clamping means may be provided, such as, for example, a snap-on support cup, an adjustable mandrel, a flange, or other fastening means, so that the clamping means may be adapted to the type of container or even to a certain variety of containers expected to be used with the apparatus (1). Furthermore, since the clamping means (3) is mounted on a rotating shaft (4), a set of clamping means (3) connectable to the rotating shaft (4) may also be provided to adapt the apparatus to a wide variety of beverage containers (2).

[0052] Therefore, the apparatus of the present invention has a clamping means (3) for at least one container (2), said clamping means (3) being connected to a vertical axial rotation shaft (4), wherein said vertical axial rotation shaft (4) is actuated by a first motor means (6). Although for the purposes of the present invention the first motor means has been referred to as a motor, such as an electric motor, a person skilled in the art will understand that any motor means that allows the rotation of the vertical axial rotation shaft (4) can be used.It is therefore observed that the container (2) holding the beverage to be cooled to the temperature desired by the consumer can be held by the clamping means (3), which in turn transmits the axial rotational movement from the first motor means (6). This motor means (6), depending on design choices, could include, as illustrated in the accompanying figures, belts and pulleys linking the vertical axial rotation axis (4) to the rotating shaft of an electric motor. Alternatively, a motor means (6) can be provided that acts directly on the vertical rotation axis (4). In other words, as long as the motor means (6) is capable of driving the rotation of the axial rotation axis (4), the specific construction type can be conveniently varied.

[0053] As mentioned above, the immersion tank (11), preferably cylindrical, includes a container inlet (20) that can be closed by a rotating plate (18) with a rotating opening (8). The securing means (3) can pass through the container inlet (20) and the rotating opening (8) when the container inlet (20) and the rotating opening (8) are vertically aligned. As explained above, the container inlet (20) and the rotating opening (8) are aligned when the rotating door (22) rotates to close off access to the loading / collection area for the beverage container of interest to the consumer.

[0054] Preferably, the clamping means (3) for the beverage container (2), the vertical axial rotation shaft (4), and the first drive means (6) are mounted on a vertically movable carriage (5). In other words, the vertical axial rotation shaft (4) must be supported by the vertically movable carriage (5) in such a way as to allow the beverage container (2) to be moved vertically, up and down along the vertical axial direction.

[0055] The vertically movable carriage (5) that supports said vertical axial rotation axis (4) is actuated by a second motor means (10), which for the purposes of the present embodiment consists of a second electric motor connected by means of a belt and pulleys to a worm gear (16) on which a nut or recirculating ball bushing, or the like, can slide threaded, such that the rotation of said worm gear (16) driven by the second motor means (10) causes the vertical sliding upwards or downwards (depending on the direction of rotation of the worm gear (16)) and consequently the ascent or descent of the container (2) that contains the beverage of interest.

[0056] As illustrated in the figures, the vertically movable carriage (5) that supports said vertical axial rotation axis (4) is conveniently guided by a pair of vertical sliding guides (7) conveniently connected to the structure of the apparatus, providing on said vertically movable carriage the corresponding lubricated bushings, etc. As a person skilled in the art knows, the particular way in which the driving means (6, 10) act to finally obtain the axial rotation movement around the vertical axial axis of the container (2) and to obtain the vertical reciprocating movement of the container (2) (ascent and descent) necessary to obtain the technical effect of rapid controlled cooling of the present invention may vary as long as said technical effect is achieved, as will be described in detail below.

[0057] As described above, an apparatus (1) is provided with the necessary and sufficient structure to obtain an axial rotational movement of the container (2) (rotation of the vertical axial rotation axis (4)) and to obtain a vertical reciprocating movement of the container (2) (ascent and descent of the vertically movable carriage (5)), wherein said motor means (6, 10) are operatively connected with a control unit (30) in such a way as to obtain the advantageous technical effect of the present invention, which consists of a rapid cooling of the packaged beverage to the desired consumption temperature by the consumer, wherein the control unit (30) operatively connected with at least said first motor means (6) and said second motor means (10) commands the following sequential steps:

[0058] I) actuation of the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) in a speed range of 500

[0059] RPM up to 2500 RPM for a period of time in the range of 0.1 seconds to 7 seconds,

[0060] II) slowing down the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) to a speed not exceeding

[0061] 500 RPM, and simultaneous vertical reciprocating displacement of said vertically displaceable carriage (5), for a period of time in the range of 0.1 seconds to 3 seconds,

[0062] III) determination of the number of times steps I) and II) are repeated until the final stop of the rotation of said axial rotation axis (4).

[0063] Of course, the sequential steps listed above are performed once a container (2) containing the beverage of interest has been submerged inside the immersion tank (11), as illustrated in Figure 3 and the enlarged detail in Figure 4. This control unit (30) can be implemented in various ways, i.e., by including a computer inside the apparatus (1), electronic circuits, circuit boards, memories that make up this control unit, a standard programmable logic controller, and may include accessories that are convenient, such as display screens, touch screens, keyboards, control lights, temperature sensors, revolution counters, as well as a barcode reader (32) or a reader of any other type of code, for example (QR), etc.It is worth mentioning that it is possible to provide the control unit (30) with a plurality of data input and output peripherals that allow the control and sensing of environmental variables, for example, it would be possible to provide a gas sensor to control the production of flammable volatile gases, a non-contact temperature sensor to determine the temperature of various components of the device, and even of the container itself that is being cooled, among other options.

[0064] In summary, the relevance of the control unit (30) consists of obtaining the technical effect of optimizing the cooling speed of the beverage contained in the container (2), thus minimizing the consumer's waiting time once they have chosen the beverage of interest that they wish to consume immediately, starting from a packaged beverage that is at room temperature (usually 25°C), i.e., without prior refrigeration.

[0065] The sequential steps described above have been deemed essential because they have proven to offer surprising efficiency in cooling the packaged beverages that are the subject of this invention. Specifically, the control unit (30) can be implemented with an electronic control unit, including microprocessors, memory, etc., and is operationally connected, for example, via wiring, encoders, and drivers, or wirelessly, to at least the first motor half (6) and the second motor half (10), to control the aforementioned sequential steps, which are described below based on an example of cooling a soda can.

[0066] EXAMPLE OF RAPID COOLING OF A 355ml SODA CAN.

[0067] First, the user of the rapid cooling appliance (1) selects a particular beverage container (e.g. a 355 ml (12 oz.) can of soda) from a traditional (non-refrigerated) shelf or gondola, i.e., at a normal room temperature of e.g. 25°C.

[0068] Once the user has the container, hereinafter referred to simply as the "can," the user places the can (2) in the nozzle that serves as a holding means (3) with the door (22) open. The can is held in position as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the user proceeds to close the access door (22) (clockwise rotation as shown in the figures) or it closes automatically by pressing a button, etc., thus isolating the can inside the device. Closing the rotating door (22) causes the rotating plate (18), which is attached to the door (22), to rotate until the rotating opening (8) aligns with the inlet (20) of the immersion tank (11) and with the fixed opening (9) of the fixed plate (19), thus clearing access to the interior of the immersion tank (11), as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0069] As someone skilled in the art will readily understand, since the apparatus of the present invention has a control unit (30), the user can input, for example via a keyboard or touchscreen (interface not illustrated), the desired cooling temperature at which they wish to consume their beverage. Likewise, the control unit (30) can sense multiple variables or collect information such as:

[0070] • Initial container temperature (2), measured using a non-contact temperature sensor or infrared thermometer (not shown).

[0071] • Current temperature of the coolant (14) inside the immersion tank (11), either by means of temperature sensors (thermometers, thermocouples, etc.) or by inputting data into an interface (not illustrated) operatively connected to the control unit (30).

[0072] • The amount of coolant (14) inside the immersion tank (11) is measured, for example, by an ultrasonic sensor, which measures the distance between the sensor and the surface of the coolant (14). While other methods of measuring the contents are possible, such as weight measurement, floats, pressure measurement by depth, etc.

[0073] • Type of container and beverage (2) entered, for example, identifying, brand, trade name, net content (cc, ml, etc.), container shape, etc. by means of a barcode sensor (32), illustrated as an example. When the brand, trade name, type of beverage, and container to be cooled can be recorded or known, the control unit (30) can consult a database (internal memory, network access database, internet access, removable or fixed internal storage and / or external, etc.) and determine the heat capacity of the container (2) and the beverage to be cooled, as well as that of the refrigerant.

[0074] Furthermore, and as someone skilled in the art can understand, the apparatus may be provided with a variety of sensors, switches, and means for sensing the position of the vertically movable carriage (5), by means of a positioning encoder, etc. The foregoing may also apply to determining the position of the axial rotation axis (4) of the container, by means of a positioning encoder, angular movement, etc.

[0075] With this information sensed and / or entered, the control unit (30) will determine the parameters it will execute, that is, it will determine the speed (RPM) at which it will rotate the container in the various steps, the amplitude and speed of the vertically movable carriage's up-and-down motion (5) and the number of cycles it will perform on the device until the container stops rotating, and the consumer lifts and extracts it.

[0076] Once the necessary information has been sensed, collected or entered, including, for example, the type of container and beverage to be cooled, the cooling procedure is initiated, for example by pressing a start button (not illustrated).

[0077] When starting the cooling procedure based on the apparatus of the present invention, the control unit (30) may have, for example, the following reference information:

[0078] • That the initial temperature of the introduced container (2) is an initial temperature of 25°C.

[0079] • That the current temperature of the coolant (14) is a current temperature of -42.5°C.

[0080] • That the immersion tank (11) has a coolant quantity (14) of 15 liters.

[0081] • That the type of container (2) introduced is an aluminum can (with a certain calorific capacity, either entered by the user, or selected from a database of the device), with a capacity of 355 ml (capacity, entered by the user or consulted in a database by the previous reading of the barcode of the container), and the type of liquid beverage contained in the container is a cola carbonated beverage, whose calorific capacity can be entered by means of an interface, or be consulted automatically in a database as mentioned above by the control unit (30).

[0082] • That the position of the vertically movable carriage (5) detected as being in an upper stop position, i.e., initially the control unit (30) will be able to know that the vertically movable carriage is in the position that allows the safe entry of a container (2) to be held in the clamping means (3).

[0083] • That the angular velocity of rotation of the axial rotation shaft (4) stopped before the container begins to enter the immersion tank (11). As observed above, the apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages has the capacity to determine the number of times the aforementioned steps I) and II) are reproduced until the final stop of the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) is obtained through the control unit (30) based on at least the following reference information:

[0084] • Initial container temperature (2);

[0085] • Current coolant temperature (14);

[0086] • Amount of coolant (14) in the immersion tank (11);

[0087] • Type of container (2) introduced;

[0088] • Type of liquid beverage contained in the container.

[0089] This reference information may also advantageously include:

[0090] • the heat capacity of the container (2);

[0091] • the heat capacity of the coolant (14);

[0092] • the calorific value of the liquid beverage contained in the container.

[0093] As someone knowledgeable in the field will understand, the heat capacity of an element is the ratio between the amount of heat energy transferred to the element and the change in temperature it undergoes. Therefore, knowing the heat capacity of the elements mentioned above will allow us to predict the amount of heat that needs to be transferred / discharged to obtain the desired temperature of the element of interest. It should be noted, however, that by knowing the type of container, the type of beverage it contains, and the refrigerant used in the device, it is also possible to store reference information in databases to consult their respective typical and / or specific heat capacities.

[0094] In this regard, and as someone skilled in the art can understand, the incorporation of the control unit (30) into the apparatus of the present invention plays an essential role in producing the rapid cooling effect of the distinct manner proposed herein. A person skilled in the art, based on the information provided herein, will be able to implement, that is, program, the control unit (30) and equip it with the necessary peripherals and internal components and appropriate communication capabilities, including access to networks and / or peripherals, interfaces, etc., so that it can provide the expected technical effect of moving the axial rotation axis (4) and the vertically movable carriage (5) in the manner proposed herein.

[0095] Furthermore, it is worth noting that although for the purposes of clarity and exemplification of the present invention, the axial rotation axis (4) is driven by a motor means referred to herein as the first motor means (6), and that the vertically movable carriage (5) that supports said axial rotation axis (4) is driven by a motor means referred to herein as the second motor means (10), this referencing is made for the purposes of clarity and exemplification, a person skilled in the art can clearly propose equivalent mechanisms, possibly more complex, and perhaps less efficient, that combine said first motor means (6) and said second motor means (10) into a single, more complex motor means.It is clear that in the development of the technique the way in which axes, carriages, and others can be driven can take the most varied forms, however it has been clearly specified that the control unit (30) has two command decisions towards the moving parts of the apparatus for rapid cooling (1), to turn the axial rotation shaft (4) and to obtain the vertical reciprocating motion of the vertically displaceable carriage (5), and therefore the motor means, or motor means, can be included in the most varied ways, without being limited to the illustrated embodiment that accompanies.

[0096] Therefore, the control unit (30) operatively connected with at least said first motor half (6) and said second motor half (10), in the case of the need to cool a 355 ml can, will command the following:

[0097] • The control unit (30) will command the vertically movable carriage (5) to descend to a position that ensures the complete submersion of the container (2), generally coinciding with the center of the immersion tank (11), but preferably generally centered with the first internal section (15a) of the evaporator coil, in other words, ensuring that the container (2) is completely submerged in the refrigerant (14) in a lower initial descent position.This technical effect of introducing the container is controlled by the control unit when the can (2) is held outside the immersion tank (11) and the access door (22) is closed. Then, the holding means (3) can pass through the container inlet (20) and the rotating opening (8). When the container inlet (20) and the rotating opening (8) are vertically aligned with the access door (22) closed, the can is lowered until it is submerged in the coolant (14). At this moment, and under optimal operating conditions, the temperature of the coolant (14) is preferably between -28°C and -42.5°C. The coolant preferably selected for the operation of the present invention is an alcohol, such as ethyl alcohol (ethanol).It should be noted that ethyl alcohol increases its viscosity with decreasing temperature and has a melting point of -114 °C, so the immersion tank is calculated in such a way that it is suitable to withstand the selected working temperature with the appropriate thermal insulation conditions.

[0098] • The control unit (30) will command that the container (2) be subjected to a specific number of repetitions of steps I) and II) referred to herein (Namely, Step I) actuation of the rotation of the axial rotation shaft (4) and Step II) slowing of the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) and simultaneous vertical reciprocating displacement of the vertically movable carriage (5)) all this until the final stop of the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) and of course, the subsequent lifting of the vertically movable carriage to the upper position for removing the container.

[0099] • Particularly for the can in this example (a 355 ml metal can of cola soft drink), the control unit (30) will command that the container be subjected to an advantageous rapid cooling effect by applying a 0.5-second rotational drive step of the axial rotation shaft (4) at 1100 RPM, followed by a 0.5-second deceleration step of said axial rotation shaft (4) at a deceleration speed of 120 RPM, with a simultaneous vertical movement amplitude of 2 cm (for example, with an oscillation frequency of 50 Hz, without this constituting a limitation), and preferably ensuring at least one vertical reciprocating motion. These steps are repeated 20 times thanks to the structure provided by the apparatus proposed in the present invention, thus assuming a total cooling time of 20 seconds, achieving a significant advantage over the prior art.

[0100] It should be noted that, although in the example above specific times, movements and speeds have been specified for a 355 ml can, it is clear to someone knowledgeable in the technique that once the can is submerged in the refrigerant liquid (14), the control unit will command I) the actuation of the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4), as a reference in a speed range of 500 RPM to 2500 RPM for a period of time in the range of 0.1 seconds to 7 seconds, this induces a rotation of the beverage contained within the can (container), in such a way that at a certain moment what is called a static vortex is established, that is, the liquid inside the container begins to distribute itself within the container in the form of a vortex that rotates as if it were a solid.The latter, namely the formation of the vortex, negates the benefit of rotating the container to provide a continuous change of contact surfaces between the container and the beverage. Therefore, for the purposes of this invention, the vortex is rapidly dissipated by step II) of slowing the rotation of the axial rotation shaft (4) to a speed not exceeding 500 RPM with simultaneous vertical reciprocating movement of the vertically movable carriage (5), for a period of time ranging from 0.1 seconds to 3 seconds. This avoids the undesirable complete cessation of the container's rotation, as proposed in prior art documents.With reference to step II) of slowing down the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) for reference purposes, said slowing down is achieved by decreasing the previous rotation speed to a preferred speed of, for example, 50 RPM, by simultaneously applying said vertical reciprocating displacement of said vertically displaceable carriage (5). The preferred amplitude of vertical reciprocating motion is 4 cm (although other distances are acceptable according to design), and it has been found beneficial to complete at least one vertical reciprocating motion (in the direction of gravity) during the period of time that the slowing down lasts so as to obtain the forced collapse of the vortex within the container.As someone knowledgeable in the technology will readily understand, the vertical movement amplitude (cm) and the vertical displacement speed, as well as the deceleration time (sec), can vary within a practically applicable range to suitably adjust, for example, to the type of beverage contained in the container, etc. To this end, the control unit (30) can perform calculation, predictive, or pre-learning logic based on peripherals and information provided by sensors and / or information from the user via the interface.Notwithstanding the foregoing, the inventors of the present apparatus for refrigerating (1) packaged beverages have found that, regardless of the variation of the parameters mentioned above, the back-and-forth agitation on the vertical axial axis coinciding with the container and coinciding with the direction of action of the force of gravity is fundamental, since it is thought that a surprising effect is produced in said agitation, back-and-forth or vertical movement of crumbling in the direction of action of the force of acceleration of gravity since it is the main one responsible for the internal geometry adopted by the vortex generated inside the container.

[0101] Note that, in contrast, according to the known prior art, such as for document US2013 / 0160987, the total stop of the beverage container (2) would ultimately be to let the vortex lose rotational speed naturally (in other words, it would be equivalent to turning off the machine), taking as long as it may, without having any influence on it, and therefore, in the prior art, the wait for the vortex to collapse requires in this case a wait of between 10 and 60 seconds.

[0102] On the contrary, surprisingly, it has been found that the combination of the aforementioned slowing of the rotation (without stopping the rotation) combined with a simultaneous vertical reciprocating displacement of said vertically displaceable carriage (5) in such a way as to axially move the can in a vertical direction (vertical direction of action of gravity), for a period of time as short as for example 0.1 seconds, i.e., for substantially short times according to the apparatus of the present invention, allows the immediate collapse of the vortex, making the time it takes for the vortex to collapse almost negligible, but optimizing the evacuation of heat from the beverage to the cooling liquid (14) where the container (2) has been submerged.

[0103] Without attempting to be linked to a particular theory, the inventors think that the substantial improvement in shortening cooling times is obtained mainly thanks to the rapid collapse produced by an axial movement in the direction that gravity acts on the container due to the vortex, plus the sum of contributions such as the double spiraling of the coil (15) and the additional agitation of the coolant (14) with the vertical movement during deceleration.

[0104] Once the vortex has collapsed inside the can, step I) is restarted if the control unit (30) has determined that a new step of container rotation, vortex formation, and collapse of the container must be performed in the manner that occurs through sequential steps I) and II).

[0105] When the control unit (30) determines that steps I) and II) have been repeated a sufficient number of times to reach the desired serving temperature of the beverage (for example, a soft drink at 5°C), the final stop of the rotation of the axial rotation shaft (4) occurs. The vertically movable carriage (5) is then raised, allowing the can (2) to be removed by opening the access door (22). As someone skilled in the art can understand, there are a variety of extrinsic characteristics, such as the incoming temperature of the can, the type of beverage to be cooled, the volume of the container, the type of container material, etc.and intrinsic characteristics, such as working temperature, ambient temperature, working speed, processing time and work cycles, among other variables that can be considered and processed by a logic or calculation algorithm to determine the number of times the steps I) and II) referred to above are reproduced until the final stop of the rotation of said axial rotation axis (4), once the can, or other type of container containing the beverage of interest, is submerged.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, wherein said apparatus (1) comprises: an immersion tank (11) lined with thermal insulation (21), said immersion tank (11) being suitable for containing a refrigerant (14), an evaporator coil (15) of a refrigerant fluid of a closed cooling circuit, said coil (15) being located within said immersion tank (11), a clamping means (3) for at least one container (2), said clamping means (3) being connected to a vertical axial rotation shaft (4), wherein said vertical axial rotation shaft (4) is actuated by a first motor means (6), characterized in that it further comprises: a vertically displaceable carriage (5) that supports said vertical axial rotation shaft (4) and that is actuated by a second motor means (10), a control unit (30) operatively connected with at least said first motor means (6) and said second motor means (10), which commands the following sequential steps: I) actuating the rotation of said vertical axial rotation shaft (4) in a speed range of 500 RPM to 2500 RPM for a period of time in the range of 0.1 seconds to 7 seconds, II) slowing down the rotation of said vertical axial rotation shaft (4) to a speed not exceeding 500 RPM, and simultaneous vertical reciprocating displacement of said vertically displaceable carriage (5), for a period of time in the range of 0.1 seconds to 3 seconds, III) determination of the number of times steps I) and II) are repeated until the final stop of the rotation of said vertical axial rotation axis (4).

2. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to claim 1, characterized in that said coil comprises: a first spiral section (15a) in the form of a concentric coil and inside a second spiral section (15b) outside, said immersion tank (11) being cylindrical in shape.

3. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to claim 2, characterized in that said cylindrical immersion tank (11) includes a container inlet (20) that can be closed by a rotating plate (18) that includes a rotating opening (8), said clamping means (3) being able to pass through said container inlet (20) and said rotating opening (8) when said container inlet (20) and said rotating opening (8) are vertically aligned.

4. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to claim 3, characterized in that said rotating plate (18) is integral with a rotating access door (22) which includes a handle (23).

5. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said refrigerant liquid is ethanol at a temperature in the range of -28°C to -42.5°C.

6. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that in step I), the drive of the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) is carried out at a speed of 1100 RPM for a period of time of 0.5 seconds.

7. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that in step II), the slowing of the rotation of said axial rotation shaft (4) is carried out at a speed of 120 RPM with said simultaneous vertical reciprocating displacement of said vertically displaceable carriage (5) with at least one reciprocating motion with a vertical movement amplitude of 4 cm, for a period of time of 0.5 seconds.

8. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the determination of the number of times steps I) and II) are reproduced until the final stop of the rotation of said axial rotation axis (4) is obtained through the control unit (30) based on at least the following reference information: • initial temperature of the container (2); • current coolant temperature (14); • quantity of coolant (14) in the immersion tank (11); • type of container (2) inserted; type of liquid beverage contained in the container.

9. The apparatus for rapid cooling of packaged beverages, according to claim 8, characterized in that said reference information further includes: • heat capacity of the container (2); • heat capacity of the coolant (14); • caloric value of the liquid beverage contained in the container

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