초록 ▼

A system for rapidly cooling a liquid in a container within a refrigerator-freezer or freezer is provided. The housing has a space for receiving a container, and a rotator rotates the container about an axis. While the container is rotating, a sprayer sprays chilled cooling medium on the container i

A system for rapidly cooling a liquid in a container within a refrigerator-freezer or freezer is provided. The housing has a space for receiving a container, and a rotator rotates the container about an axis. While the container is rotating, a sprayer sprays chilled cooling medium on the container in the housing. A reservoir stores the cooling medium when the system is not being used and maintains the cooling medium at a given temperature. At least one chilling surface is preferably provided over which the cooling medium flows and where ice may be stored. A recirculator such as a pump recirculates the cooling medium throughout the system.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid in a container in a freezer, comprising: a housing having a bottom and side walls defining an interior volume adapted to receive a container of liquid and a housing outlet; a rotating mechanism disposed in said housing adapted to rotate

What is claimed is: 1. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid in a container in a freezer, comprising: a housing having a bottom and side walls defining an interior volume adapted to receive a container of liquid and a housing outlet; a rotating mechanism disposed in said housing adapted to rotate the container about the container's longitudinal axis; a source of a liquid cooling medium to cool the container; and at least one ice tray for chilling the liquid cooling medium, said at least one ice tray having an inlet receiving the cooling medium, a substantially planar chilling surface in thermal communication with the freezer compartment and receiving the cooling medium from said inlet, and an outlet allowing the cooling medium to exit said ice tray; a reservoir, adapted to collect said liquid cooling medium, having a reservoir inlet and a reservoir outlet, said reservoir inlet in communication with one of said housing outlet and said ice tray outlet; and at least one fin having a first end in contact with said reservoir and a second end in contact with the freezer compartment, said fin passing through a wall of the freezer compartment and conducting heat from said liquid cooling medium in said reservoir to the freezer compartment, wherein said liquid cooling medium flows over said chilling surface and is cooled thereby, and wherein when the container is placed within said interior volume, the liquid cooling medium thermally communicates with the container while said rotating mechanism rotates the container. 2. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid according to claim 1, said reservoir inlet communicating with said ice tray outlet and said reservoir outlet communicating to said cooling medium source, wherein said housing empties the liquid cooling medium into said ice tray inlet. 3. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid according to claim 2, further comprising a section of insulation having a first part partially insulating said reservoir from the freezer compartment and a second part partially insulating said reservoir from ambient air, wherein said first and second parts of said section of insulation are adapted to keep said reservoir substantially as cold as possible without completely freezing the cooling medium. 4. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid according to claim 2, further comprising: a first section of insulation substantially completely insulating said housing from the freezer compartment; a second section of insulation substantially completely insulating said ice tray from ambient air; and a third section of insulation having a first part partially insulating said reservoir from the freezer compartment and a second part partially insulating said reservoir from ambient air, wherein said first and second parts of said third section of insulation are adapted to keep said reservoir substantially as cold as possible without completely freezing the cooling medium. 5. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid according to claim 1, wherein said side walls of said housing further comprise selectively removable portions to accommodate additional containers of different sizes. 6. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid according to claim 1, further comprising: a recirculator for recirculating the cooling medium throughout said apparatus; and a recirculation timing mechanism for activating said recirculator at least at times other than when requested by a user for cooling a liquid. 7. A domestic freezer, comprising: a freezer compartment for storing food in communication with a compressor for lowering the temperature of the air in said freezer compartment; a housing disposed within said freezer compartment having a bottom and side walls defining an interior volume adapted to receive a container of liquid and a housing outlet; a rotating mechanism disposed in said housing adapted to rotate the container within said housing; a source of a liquid cooling medium to cool the container; at least one ice tray for chilling said cooling medium, said at least one ice tray having an inlet receiving said cooling medium, a substantially planar chilling surface in thermal communication with said freezer compartment and receiving said cooling medium from said inlet, and an outlet allowing said cooling medium to exit said ice tray; and a reservoir, adapted to collect said liquid cooling medium, having a reservoir inlet and a reservoir outlet, said reservoir inlet in communication with one of said housing outlet and said ice tray outlet; and at least one fin having a first end in contact with said reservoir and a second end in contact with the freezer compartment, said fin passing through a wall of the freezer compartment and conducting heat from said liquid cooling medium in said reservoir to the freezer compartment, wherein said liquid cooling medium flows over said chilling surface and is cooled thereby, and wherein when the container is placed within said interior volume, said liquid cooling medium thermally communicates with the container while said rotating mechanism rotates the container. 8. A domestic freezer according to claim 7, said reservoir inlet communicating with said ice tray outlet and a said reservoir outlet communicating to said cooling medium source, wherein said housing empties the liquid cooling medium into said ice tray inlet. 9. A domestic freezer according to claim 8, further comprising: a first section of insulation substantially completely insulating said housing from said freezer compartment; a second section of insulation substantially completely insulating said ice tray from ambient air; and a third section of insulation having a first part partially insulating said reservoir from said freezer compartment and a second part partially insulating said reservoir from ambient air, wherein said first and second parts of said third section of insulation are adapted to keep said reservoir substantially as cold as possible without completely freezing the cooling medium. 10. A domestic freezer according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of posts protruding from said chilling surface for creating turbulence in said liquid cooling medium as said liquid cooling medium flows thereby. 11. A domestic freezer according to claim 7, wherein said cooling medium comprises water plus a solute that lowers the freezing point of the water, or sterilizes the water, or both. 12. A domestic freezer according to claim 8, wherein said freezer is part of a domestic refrigerator-freezer having at least two cooling compartments, including said freezer compartment being colder than the other warmer refrigerator compartment, and wherein said chilling surface is in thermal communication with the colder freezer compartment and is adapted to chill the liquid cooling medium; and wherein said reservoir is disposed in either compartment and in thermal communication with the colder compartment. 13. Apparatus according to claim 12, said ice tray being covered and comprising a shelf in the compartment in which said ice tray is disposed upon which items may be placed. 14. Apparatus according to claim 12, said ice tray further comprising baffles, projecting from said chilling surface, adapted to direct flow of the liquid cooling medium across said chilling surface. 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said baffles direct the liquid cooling medium to spread substantially over said chilling surface before draining out of said ice tray via said ice tray outlet. 16. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said housing is disposed in the colder freezer compartment and has a housing outlet; wherein said ice tray is disposed in the colder compartment, said ice tray outlet being in communication with either i) said cooling medium source in said housing or ii) a said reservoir inlet; and said ice tray inlet being in communication with either i) said reservoir outlet or ii) said housing outlet. 17. Apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a supplemental ice tray disposed either i) between said housing outlet and said reservoir inlet or ii) between said reservoir outlet and said cooling medium source in said housing. 18. Apparatus for rapidly cooling a liquid in a container, comprising: a housing having a bottom and side walls defining an interior volume and a housing outlet, said housing being part of a domestic refrigerator; a rotating mechanism having a longitudinal axis disposed in said housing adapted to rotate the container about the container's longitudinal axis; a source of a thin film of a liquid cooling medium to cool the container; a reservoir, adapted to collect said liquid cooling medium, having a reservoir inlet and a reservoir outlet, said reservoir inlet in communication with one of said housing outlet and said ice tray outlet; and at least one fin having a first end in contact with said reservoir and a second end in contact with a freezer compartment of the domestic refrigerator, said fin passing through a wall of the freezer compartment and conducting heat from said liquid cooling medium in said reservoir to the freezer compartment, wherein when the container is placed within said interior volume, the thin film of cooling medium thermally communicates with the container while said rotating mechanism rotates the container. 19. A refrigerator-freezer, comprising: a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, said freezer compartment being colder than said refrigerator compartment, said compartments in communication with a compressor for lowering the air temperature of said compartments; a housing having an interior volume adapted to receive a container, said housing being disposed in one of said compartments; a rotating mechanism disposed in said housing adapted to rotate the container placed in said housing substantially about the container's longitudinal axis; a source of a liquid cooling medium to cool the container in said housing; a reservoir disposed in one of said compartments and in thermal communication with said freezer compartment adapted to collect said liquid cooling medium and substantially maintain said cooling medium at a given temperature, said reservoir including at least one fin having a first end in contact with said reservoir and a second end in contact with said freezer compartment, said fin passing through a wall of said reservoir and conducting heat from said liquid cooling medium in said reservoir to the freezer compartment, and wherein said liquid cooling medium recirculates between said reservoir and said housing.