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US 8,161,756 B2Granted
Dual compartment beverage cooling system
AssigneeDRS Sustainment Systems, Inc.
InventorsAndrew Kutta, Matthew Wootton, Asdrubal Garcia-Ortiz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dual compartment cooling device that is designed to cool water, or other beverages, as a batch based on expected demand. This provides for the cooling of beverages which are to be consumed in a subsequent demand cycle at which time it is refilled but allows remaining water to remain “hotter” until it is to be in the next dispense cycle.
Claims20
A batched cooling device for bottled liquids, the device comprising;
- a first compartment which does not include an active cooling element;
- a second compartment thermally separated from the first compartment which includes an active cooling element;
- a transfer mechanism for transferring bottles from said first compartment to said second compartment and for creating a partial seal between the first compartment and second compartment, the transfer mechanism comprising an opening defining a third compartment, the transfer mechanism configured to:
- accept one or more bottles into the opening from the first compartment, and
- feed the one or more bottles from the opening into the second compartment;
- and
- a plurality of bottles, a first batch of said plurality being located in said first compartment and a second batch located in said second compartment,
- wherein
- said second batch of bottles is dispensed as a batch, and a portion of said first batch is allowed to transfer between said first compartment and said second compartment,
- said portion of said first batch transferred to said second compartment is allowed to be maintained in said second compartment for a predetermined period of time,
- after said predetermined period of time said portion is dispensed as a batch, and
- bottles continue to cycle from said first to said second compartment as batches are removed from said second compartment.
9 more elements
A method for transporting and dispensing cooled water in batches, the method comprising:
- providing a cooling device, the device comprising:
- a first compartment which does not include an active cooling element;
- a second compartment thermally separated from the first compartment which includes an active cooling element;
- a transfer mechanism for transferring bottles from said first compartment to said second compartment, the transfer mechanism comprising an opening defining a third compartment, the transfer mechanism configured to:
- accept one or more bottles into the opening from the first compartment, and
- feed the one or more bottles from the opening into the second compartment;
- and
- a plurality of bottles, some of which are located in said first compartment and some of which are located in said second compartment;
- dispensing from said system, as a batch, a portion of said plurality of bottles in said second compartment;
- transferring from said first compartment to said second compartment an equal number of bottles in said plurality as were dispensed from said second compartment in said batch;
- said bottles in said second compartment to a predetermined temperature;
- and
- repeating said dispensing, said transferring, and said cooling.
10 more elements
A dual compartment cooling device, comprising;
- a first compartment which does not include an active cooling element and is operatively configured to hold a first plurality of bottles;
- a second compartment thermally separated from the first compartment which includes an active cooling element and is operatively configured to hold a second plurality of bottles;
- and
- a transfer mechanism disposed between said first and said second compartments and operatively configured to rotate about an axis of the transfer mechanism to transfer at least one of the bottles from said first compartment to said second compartment, the transfer mechanism comprising an opening defining a third compartment, the transfer mechanism configured to:
- accept one or more bottles into the opening from the first compartment, and
- feed the one or more bottles from the opening into the second compartment.
3 more elements
A cooling device comprising:
- an enclosed first compartment;
- an enclosed and actively cooled second compartment thermally separated from the first compartment;
- a plurality of consumable liquid containers, a first batch of the plurality of consumable liquid containers being located in the first compartment and a second batch of the plurality of consumable liquid containers located in the second compartment;
- and
- a transfer mechanism for transferring a batch of consumable liquid containers from the first compartment to the second compartment and for creating a partial seal between the first compartment and the second compartment, the transfer mechanism comprising an opening defining a third compartment, the transfer mechanism configured to:
- accept the batch into the opening from the first compartment, and feed the batch from the opening into the second compartment.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.