Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the field of refrigeration and is particularly directed to a multi-purpose cooling container.

The cooling container of the invention may be advantageously used, without limitation, for preserving and carrying water, wine, beverage, milk bottles at a substantially constant, relatively low temperature for a predetermined time, e.g. during a meal, a party, a conference, a trip, or in similar situations.

The cooling container according to the invention may further contain, in the same conditions as mentioned above, non bottled food products, such as fruit, yoghurt, ice-cream, meat, fish, cheese, milk products, or bottled or packaged heat-perishable inedible products, such as biological fluids for industrial use and medical products.

Prior art

Cooling containers for bottles and similar containers have been long known and commonly used, for cooling and controlling the temperature of beverages or liquids contained therein for a given time.

By way of example, the traditional metal bucket made of an alloy or silver has been well known, which is filled with ice cubes or crushed ice to maintain one or more bottles at low temperature during a meal.

This type of container has the drawback of being relatively bulky, as it has to contain a sufficient number of ice cubes for a sufficient time, therefore it does not easily find space on the table, and has to be put on a special stand. Further shortcomings associated to this prior art container are its heavy weight and its poor transportability when it is filled with ice, as well as its high purchase price.

Other types of bottle containers utilize the Dewar flask principle, and are provided as metal, plastic, refractory, glass containers having a double wall with vacuum between the two walls, so as to limit the radiative heat-transfer coefficient.

These prior art containers only allow to keep bottle temperature substantially unchanged for a limited time but do not reduce it relative to the initial temperature. Therefore, any time a bottle is taken out of its container for pouring its content, its temperature increases and cannot be restored to its initial value. Furthermore, these containers are highly sensitive to convective heat transfer, are rather brittle and susceptible to fracture. Finally, they have a relatively high cost.

Other known containers have the form of a cylindrical sheath filled with a freezable cryogenic liquid, and having an inner wall whose shape is complementary to the shape of a bottle to be placed in contact with the outer wall thereof so as to cool it and maintain its temperature for a certain time, as disclosed for instance in US-A-6067813, US-A-2004/0011076. These prior art containers are not adaptable to different bottle shapes and sizes, and further have the drawback of requiring to be in contact with the bottle, whereby the user has an uncomfortable cold sensation as he/she pours the liquid.

Cooling containers are further known for various foodstuffs, which use ice or have an externally powered cooling circuit for cooling or maintaining the foodstuffs cooled for a given period, for instance in hotel buffets, as disclosed for instance in US-A-578513, US-A-2003/0075548, US 5845514.

Such prior art food containers have the drawback that melting ice has to be replaced, or an expensive external power source has to be used, as they actually act as refrigerators.

DE-A-3920208 discloses a cooling bag made of flexible insulating sheets which have freezable water filled pockets for maintaining the products therein cooled. This container also has a reduced effectiveness, as its inner walls do not adhere against the bottle or product to be cooled and are hardly sufficient for carrying a foodstuff from the point of purchase to the point of consumption.

Summary of the invention

A general purpose of this invention is to provide a multipurpose cooling container which obviates the above drawbacks, by combining the two functions of containing bottles, foodstuffs and other perishable products therein.

A particular object is to conceive an inexpensive cooling container, which is adaptable to several bottle sizes, resistant and unbreakable, easy to use and recyclable.

These and other objects, which will be better understood hereafter, are achieved thanks to a bottle and food cooling container which, according to claim 1, comprises at least one substantially hermetically sealed pocket adapted to be filled with a freezable cryoscopic liquid and to at least partly wrap at least one bottle or product to be cooled, characterized in that said pocket is substantially flexible and flat and may be deformed to a substantially three- dimensional shape, to define a space adapted to receive at least one bottle or product to be cooled, there being provided restraining means for interaction with the pocket to maintain its substantially three-dimensional shape during use and thawing of the cryogenic liquid.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the detailed description of several preferred but non-exclusive embodiments of the container according to the invention, which are described hereinafter as non- limiting examples with the assistance of the annexed drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of the container according to the invention, as it lays over a flat surface; FIG. 2 is a top view of a second embodiment of the container according to the invention; FIG. 3 is a top view of a third embodiment of the container according to the invention; FIG. 4 is a top view of a fourth embodiment of the container according to the invention; FIG. 5 is a top view of a fifth embodiment of the container according to the invention; FIG. 6 is a plan view of a detail of the container according to the invention; FIG. 6A is a view of the detail of FIG. 6 as taken along the sectional plane VT-VI; FIG. 7 is a plan view of a detail of the container according to the invention; FIG. 7A is a view of the detail of FIG. 7 as taken along the sectional plane VII-VII; FIG. 8 is a plan view of a detail of the container according to the invention; FIG. 9 is a plan view of a detail of the container according to the invention; FIG. 9A is a view of the detail of FIG. 9 as taken along the sectional plane IX-IX; FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a container of the invention in a first configuration of use; FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a container of the invention in a second configuration of use; FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a container of the invention in a third configuration of use; FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of two containers of the invention in a fourth configuration of use.

Detailed description of a few preferred embodiments

Referring to the above mentioned figures, there is shown a multipurpose cooling container according to the invention, particularly intended for bottles and food products, and generally designated by numeral 1.

The container 1 essentially comprises a pocket 2 having a substantially hermetically sealed cavity, not shown and known to those of ordinary skill in the art, which may be filled with a cryogenic liquid or refrigerant, e.g. simple water or a mixture of water and salts or water and glycol, or a gel solution.

According to the invention, the pocket 2 is substantially flexible and flat and may be deformed to a substantially three-dimensional shape, to define a hollow space 3, as shown in FIG. 11, adapted to receive at least one bottle or product to be cooled, not shown in the drawings.

Restraining means are further provided, which are generally designated by numeral 4 and will be described in detail below, for interaction with the pocket 2 to maintain its substantially three-dimensional shape during use and thawing of the cryogenic liquid.

To this end, the pocket 2 is composed of two or more relatively thin overlapping plastic sheets 5, joined together by weld beads 6, which are made by fusion or radio-frequency welding, and subjected to edge trimming. Radio-frequency welding ensures an optimized restraint to volume changes caused by water freezing, which changes are compensated by the expansion of the plastic material that forms the sheets 5.

Preferably, the basic plastic material to be used for the sheets 5 is selected from the group consisting of PVC, PET, polypropylene. Also, the basic plastic material that forms the sheets may be optically transparent, or dyed in various colors, possibly fluorescent colors.

Suitably, the weld beads 6 will extend continuously to define a central portion 7 of the pocket and a plurality of substantially radial extensions or "fingers" which extend from the peripheral bead 7' , not shown, of the central portion 7.

Alternatively, the weld beads 6 are arranged in such a manner as to form an intermediate portion 9 of the pocket 2, having a substantially annular shape and a peripheral position with respect to the central portion 7 , and including a peripheral bead 9r . Here, the extensions 8 extend from the peripheral weld bead 9' of the intermediate portion 9, resembling the petals of a daisy.

Advantageously, the pocket 2 has at least one passage 10 which allows it to be filled with the cryogenic liquid, and is also formed by weld beads 6. The passage 10 may be closed by an ordinary plug 11 or by folding the passage on itself several times and closing it by a clip.

Furthermore, connecting webs 12 are formed between successive pairs of adjacent extensions 8, and consist of the sheets 5 that form the pocket 2, their function being more clearly described below.

In a first embodiment of the container, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, the central portion 7 and the intermediate portion 9 of the pocket 2 have respective peripheral edges T 1 9' of a substantially circular or elliptical shape. In this case, the extensions 8 are perfectly radial, i.e. equally spaced and offset at equal angles. For instance, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, there ten extensions 8 are provided, whose longitudinal axes are offset at about 36° .

The embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 differs from the one of FIG. 1 for the presence of two passages 10 instead of one and of pairs of holes 13 on the connecting webs 12, whose function will be described hereafter.

The embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 differs from the one of FIG. 1 for the position of the filling passage 10, extending from one of the extensions 8 and not from the intermediate portion 9, and for the junction of the extensions 8 to the intermediate portion 9.

The embodiment as shown in FIG. 4 essentially differs from previous embodiments for the presence of restraining means 4, which will be described in greater detail below.

FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment including the central portion 7 only, which has a rectangular shape. Here, the extensions 8 are substantially perpendicular to the sides of the rectangular perimeter 7' wherefrom they extend. The webs 12 may be also provided with holes 13 for elongated restraining means 4, to be described below.

The central portion 7 may generally have a polygonal shape and in this case the extensions 8 will be substantially perpendicular to the sides of the polygonal perimeter wherefrom they extend. In this configuration, a central portion 7 is adapted to receive two bottles, and acts as a bottle basket, while maintaining the advantage of a close arrangement of cooling extensions 8.

In accordance with a peculiar feature of the invention, the three-dimensional shape provided by the restraining means 4 may be substantially close and similar to a basket shape, as shown in FIG. 10, with the extensions 8 substantially perpendicular to the central portion 7. Conversely, the three-dimensional shape will be substantially open and similar to a tray shape, as shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 when the extensions 8 are slightly inclined with respect to the central portion 7.

Referring now to the restraining means 4, according to a first embodiment, which is schematically shown in FIG. 11, these may include an elongated and flexible member 14, adapted to encircle through at least one round angle the extensions 8 and to secure them in adjacent inclined or substantially vertical positions with respect to the central portion 7. Preferably, the flexible member 14 is secured to the extensions 8 by passing through the holes 13 that are formed in the connecting webs 12, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.

Particularly, the elongated member 14 may be a ribbon, a metal or plastic string or a chain.

In an alternate embodiment, the restraining means may be substantially rigid, and consist of an annular member 15, as schematically shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The annular member 14 may be obtained by molding a metal alloy or a rigid plastic, such as PVC or polyurethane.

Preferably, the annular member 15 may have a substantially circular or polygonal plan shape with a frusto-conical or frusto-pyramidal outer band, having a plurality of open annular seats 16, adapted to receive respective extensions 8 of the pocket 2.

In the embodiments as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the annular member 15 extends over a plane, whereas in the embodiment as shown in FIG. 9, the annular member 15 extends along a wavy surface.

Particularly, FIG. 7 shows an annular member 15 also obtained by molding a metal alloy or rigid plastic, which is composed of a circular band having a frusto-conical shape with a higher degree of taper as compared to the ring or band of FIG. 6, and inwardly open annular seats 16 adapted to receive the extensions 3 of the pocket 2, allowing them to take the shape of a tray.

In the alternate embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the restraining means 4 may be formed by a plastically deformable stiffening core 17, which may be introduced in the pocket at the central portion 7 and at the extensions 8 to give the pocket 2 a three-dimensional shape.

Suitably, the basic material of the stiffening core may be selected from the group consisting of malleable metals, which include lead and tin alloys.

This embodiment of the restraining means may be used in a highly simple manner, without requiring external elements, either flexible, e.g. a string or rigid, e.g. the rigid annular member. Thus, once the pocket 2 has been filled and closed with the plug 11, the extensions or "fingers" 8 may be bent to the desired position and the whole may be placed in the freezer, thereby obtaining a cooling tray as shown in Figure 12, or a bottle-basket as shown in FIG. 10, depending on the inclination of the extensions 8 with respect to the central portion 7.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show two alternative embodiments of the annular member 15, similar to those of Figures 6 and 7 respectively, in which the annular housings are connected to each other by wavy lines, thereby forming serpentine rings .

FIGS. 10, 11, 12 and 13 show a few final configurations of the device selected from all those that can be obtained. Particularly, FIG. 10 shows a pocket that is closed to form a bottle-basket, whereas FIGS. 11 and 12 show open pocket tray- shaped configurations for foodstuffs or products to be cooled. FIG. 13 shows two substantially open pockets, which face toward each other and are interconnected to enclose the products to be cooled therein.

It may be appreciated from the above that the refrigerating container of this invention fulfils the proposed objects and particularly combines both functions of bottle cooling basket and food tray, in a highly simple, effective and inexpensive manner.

The container is adapted to have attractive and modern shapes, which may be highlighted by lively and/or fluorescent colors .

Also, the container device is adapted to be an effective advertising product for wines or other beverages, and is customizable for fashionable restaurants or cafes.

While the inventive object has been described with particular reference to the annexed drawings, they are susceptible to a number of changes or variants, within the inventive concept disclosed in the appended claims, which changes and variants are equally protected.

Also, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements, and the materials may be different depending on different needs.