Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a cooling device for a beverage container. The inven- tion is intended for use for containers or vessels containing cold beverages, e.g. soft drinks, beer, liquor, carbonated water and white wine, typically beer glasses, whisky glasses and water glasses.

Background of the invention It is known with devices that are brought in contact with the cooling element, including a body which in cooled condition may absorb heat energy from the beverage container, e.g. bottle coolers, which are designed as a vessel with upright sides such that a bottle may stand therein partly surrounded by the upright sides. Some of the known bottle coolers may be equipped with double walls that either function as insulator, or where between a material with great heat capacity is embedded, such that after cooling the cooler, a bottle may be kept cold for some time.

However, no cooling devices are known for use with drinking vessels such as drinking glasses, mugs or the like. A drinking glass with a cold beverage therein absorbs heat from the ambient surroundings. As the beverage is drunk from the glass, the rest of the amount of beverage becomes less, which in turn entails faster heating of the beverage.

Object of the Invention

It is the object of the invention to provide a cooling device for beverage containers which is practical in use and which may keep the beverage cold for a longer time. At the same time, it should be reusable many times.

Description of the Invention

This is achieved by designing a cooling device of the kind indicated in the introduc- tion where the body is designed substantially as a disc with a certain thickness and with opposing flat top and bottom sides.

In its simplest form, the body may consist of a round disc of solid material which is cooled in a refrigerator or freezer, and on which the beverage container, e.g. glass, is then placed upon. Some of the heat absorbed by the glass over time will then be absorbed by the cooling device via heat conduction by physical contact. In contrast to the use of ice cubes, it is not necessary to lift the weight of the ice with beverage, and in- creasing dilution of the beverage by the melting does not occur either.

Similar to the prior art "biscuits" (kiks) for putting under beer glasses, it will be preferred that the body is symmetrical, in particular rotational symmetrical, about an axis perpendicular to the main plane of the body.

Other designs are of course possible, e.g. that the periphery of the body is oval or edged.

It is preferred that the body consists of a hollow plastic element which is filled with a material with greater heat capacity than the plastic. Hereby is provided a useful implement which is comfortable to handle and easy to clean. Plastic items are furthermore cheap to produce in large series and may be embossed in a desired way.

The material in the body can be a liquid, preferably a saline solution of a kind known per se, or the material in the body may be a metal with suitable properties, e.g. copper or aluminium.

In order to avoid heat absorption from the base, the body may be applied a layer of insulating material at the side facing downwards during use. The effect of the cooling device is enhanced thereby.

In order to prevent a drinking glass from easily sliding down from the top side of the cooling device, it may be provided with an annular upwardly facing bead or raised portion along the side edge of the device at the side facing upwards during use. If the device is identically designed at both sides, the bead or raised portion forms an air gap between the bottom side of the body and the base, thus producing an insulating effect that reduces heat absorption from the base. With regard to dimensions, it is preferred that the thickness of the device is between 10 and 20 mm, and the transverse dimension or width of the device is between 60 and 120 mm.

The Drawing

Preferred embodiments of the invention are to be described in more detail below with reference to the drawing, wherein

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a cooling device according to the invention in a perspective view;

Fig. 2 and 3 show the same as Fig. 1 as seen from the side and perpendicularly to the main plane of the device, respectively;

Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention, as seen from the side.

Description of Embodiment Examples

In the embodiment shown on Figs. 1 - 3, the cooling device consists of a round discshaped body 1 with a diameter slightly greater than the bottom of a drinking glass. In this embodiment, the top and bottom sides 2 are identical, so that it is unimportant which side is facing upwards during use. The flat sides may as seen be provided with a logo, alternatively function as space for an advertisement.

It is preferred to make the body 1 as a hollow item of plastic, e.g. as to injection- moulded shells that subsequently are glued or welded together along the rim. After- wards, liquid, e.g. water, may be filled into the formed cavity in order to give the body a heat-absorbing capability. In a not shown embodiment, the body 1 may alternatively consist of a disc-shaped metal core upon which is moulded a plastic surface with the same embossing as shown on Figs. 1 - 3.

The embossing may include an annular raised portion 3, see Figs. 2-3, which while using the top side serves to safeguard a glass against sliding during use, and which at the bottom side serves to form an air gap towards a base, as the raised portion 3 only touches the base as a line. A further embodiment as shown on Fig. 4 consists of a metal disc 4, e.g. of aluminium, which at its bottom side is provided with a layer of insulating material 5, e.g. of cardboard. The making of this embodiment does not require injection moulding tools but can be produced with modest initial costs.

Other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention; for example, the insulating material at the bottom side in Fig. 4 may be combined with an annular raised portion for reducing heat transmission to the base. Furthermore, a pure metal body may also be embossed by stamping or moulding if raised rims or a logo is wanted on it.