System for regulating temperature of water within a food, ice, beverage cooler, or the like

A method of maintaining a selectable temperature of water within a food and beverage chilling vessel, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a refrigeration circuit including an endothermic heat exchanger having a defined external geometry;
• (b) providing a water recirculation loop having an input and output to water within said chilling vessel, the loop including, as a segment thereof, an interior of said defined external geometry of said endothermic heat exchanger, said loop in thermal communication therewith;
• (c) pumping water of said recirculation loop into said endothermic heat exchanger at a pressure sufficient to effect its output therefrom after said thermal communication has occurred;
• and
• (d) employing a thermostat to regulate a pressure input of fluid in said refrigeration circuit to said endothermic heat exchanger sufficient to maintain a negative thermal exchange from said water of said re-circulating loop to said heat exchanger to maintain a temperature of said water in said chilling vessel at a desired temperature.

The system for chilling foods or beverages of claim 35, said fluid return line further including:

• a pump;
• the second end of the second liquid conduit in fluid communication with the pump;
• and
• a third conduit having a first end and a second end, the first end of the third liquid conduit in communication with the pump and the second end of the third conduit secured to the liquid inlet of the evaporator,
• the third conduit in liquid communication with the internal region of the evaporator, delivering the liquid returning from the liquid storage area of the container back to the internal region of the evaporator, external of said coils.

A cooling system for volume and location-specific liquid delivery to a vessel holding chilled comestibles, the system comprising:

• (a) a refrigeration circuit including an evaporator surrounded by a liquid-tight external jacket having a defined volume substantially similar in radial dimension to that of coils of said evaporator and having a fluid tight input of pressurized water external to said refrigeration circuit at a first temperature and a fluid tight output of water at a second temperature lower than that of said first temperature, a difference between temperatures resulting from absorption of heat from liquid circulating within said jacket external of said coils therein, said liquid equal in volume to said defined volume within said external jacket less a volume of said coils;
• (b) said vessel physically remote from said evaporator, having a normally open top and holding comestibles within a body of water, the body of water in atmospheric communication and at atmospheric pressure, said open top of said vessel of sufficient size to facilitate ease of insertion of various foods, of beverage bottles and a human hand thereinto and to the bottom of said body of water, said vessel having an output conduit in liquid communication with an inlet to said evaporator jacket and having an input conduit in fluid communication with said liquid outlet of said evaporator jacket;
• (c) a pump for circulating said water between said output conduit of said vessel into said evaporator jacket and therefrom to said input conduit of said vessel;
• and
• (d) a thermostat in thermoelectric communication between a selectable segment of water of said system and a compressor of said refrigeration circuit.

A system for chilling foods or beverages disposed within a container having a liquid disposed therein, said liquid in direct contact with said foods and beverages, said system comprising:

• (a) a refrigeration circuit including an evaporator defining an internal volume, one or more coils of the refrigerant circuit disposed within said internal volume of said evaporator, said volume pressurized, said evaporator having a fluid-tight inlet and a fluid-tight outlet in communication with said internal volume of said evaporator, external to said coils;
• (b) a first liquid conduit having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first liquid conduit in communication with said pressurized internal volume of the evaporator, the second end of the first liquid conduit adapted for positioning with respect to said container positioned physically remote from said evaporator, liquid entering the first liquid conduit from the evaporator flowing out of the second end of the first liquid conduit and into a liquid storage region of said container, said second end delivering reduced temperature fluid from the evaporator external of its coils to the container in which reduced temperature liquid is continuously available for chilling such foods or beverages that are disposed in the liquid storage region of the container, said liquid entering said first conduit defining a volume substantially equal to said internal volume of the evaporator external to its evaporator coils;
• and
• (c) a liquid return line for returning liquid disposed within the liquid storage region area to the evaporator, said liquid return line including a second liquid conduit having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second liquid conduit positioned within the liquid storage region of the container closer to a bottom of the fluid storage area than to a top of the fluid storage region.