Water cooler abstract
A water cooler comprising a support base having a top wall with
a top opening therein. A refrigerating coil is located inside the
base and supported a predetermined distance from the top opening.
A one-piece removable well having a liquid retaining reservoir and
a support flange wall, is removable supported on the top wall of
the support base with the support flange in support contact on the
top wall and the reservoir extending through the top opening with
a lower portion of the reservoir disposed internally of the refrigerating
coil and in close fit therewith. The reservoir has an upper portion
with separating means being provided for separating the lower and
upper portions and permitting liquid flow therebetween. The support
flange is provided with a support wall disposed about the reservoir
for supporting a liquid container having a bottle neck. The container
is supported in an inverted position with the bottle neck extending
into the upper portion of the reservoir above the separating means.
The container support wall permits air flow between the reservoir
upper portion and atmosphere and about the container.
Water cooler claims
I claim:
1. A water cooler comprising a support base having a top wall with
a top opening therein, a refrigerating coil inside said base and
supported a predetermined distance from said top opening, a one-piece
removable well having a liquid retaining reservoir and a support
flange wall, said removable well being removably supported on said
top wall with said support flange in support contact on said top
wall and said reservoir extending into said top opening with a lower
portion of said reservoir disposed internally of said refrigerating
coil in close fit therewith, said reservoir having an upper portion,
separation means for separating said lower and upper portions to
define a lower and upper chamber and permitting liquid flow therebetween,
said support flange having support means about said reservoir for
supporting a liquid container having a bottle neck in an inverted
position with said bottle neck extending into said upper chamber
of said reservoir spaced above said separation means, said support
means permitting air flow between said reservoir upper and outside
air and about said container, and dispensing means connected to
said removable well for dispensing liquid therefrom.
2. A water cooler as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further
provided a cover removably positionable over said top wall about
said support flange for concealing said liquid container when on
said support flange.
3. A water cooler as claimed in claim 1 wherein said separation
means is a removable disc wall supported inside said reservoir by
circumferential support means, a passage in said wall for the passage
of a conduit for communicating a dispensing valve with the inner
area of said reservoir upper chamber above said disc wall, and one
or more orifices for permitting said liquid flow from said reservoir
upper chamber to said lower chamber.
4. A water cooler as claimed in claim 3 wherein said reservoir
is molded with a circumferential flange wall intermediate said upper
and lower portion, said disc being supported by said flange wall.
5. A water cooler as claimed in claim 3 wherein said disc is a
circular disc, said reservoir being a cylindrical reservoir, said
disc having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of said
reservoir upper portion, and a plurality of spacer ribs formed about
said disc for supporting said disc with said outer diameter edge
spaced from a side wall of said upper chamber to permit liquid flow
from said upper chamber to said lower chamber about said disc.
6. A water cooler as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reservoir
is a cylindrical reservoir, said support means of said support flange
being constituted by an inwardly inclined annular flange wall disposed
about an open top end of said reservoir and molded therewith, and
spacer means on an upper surface of said annular flange wall for
supporting portions of said liquid container spaced from said inwardly
inclined annular flange wall.
7. A water cooler as claimed in claim 6 wherein said spacer means
are ribs disposed about said annular flange wall and aligned with
diametrical axes of said reservoir.
8. A water cooler as claimed in claim 2 wherein said support flange
wall is provided with a circumferential reinforcing rib which sits
on said top wall of said support base, said support flange wall
being configured to the cross-section of said support base and frictionally
engaging a bottom contour edge of said cover which is of the same
cross-section as said support base.
9. A water cooler as claimed in claim 3 wherein said support base
is an elongated vertical housing provided with a liquid dispensing
portion recessed in a side wall thereof, a pair of dispensing valves
in said dispensing portion, a drip tray spaced below said valves
and disposed in said housing, each valve having a conduit communicating
with a respective one of said upper and lower chambers of said reservoir.
10. A water cooler as claimed in claim 9 wherein a thermal insulating
open top end cylinder is supported in said support base below said
top opening in said top wall, said refrigerating coil being disposed
inside said cylinder adjacent a bottom wall thereof.
11. A water cooler as claimed in claim 1 wherein said dispensing
means comprises two valves each having conduit means detachably
connected to said removable wall, each conduig having an intake
orifice associated with a respective one of said lower and upper
chamber of said well, said liquid in said lower chamber being cooler
than said liquid in said upper chamber.
Water cooler descriptionBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an improved water cooler for dispensing
water provided in bottle containers and wherein the bottle container
is concealed inside an upper part of the water cooler and wherein
the well of the cooler is molded as a single piece and easily removed
for cleaning and servicing.
Description of Prior Art
Various type of water coolers are known, but these mostly consist
in an open top end base in which a water bottle is placed in an
inverted position with the neck of the bottle extending into a well
of the base. A disadvantage of such water coolers is that, they
are not of an aesthetically pleasing design, they are not totally
hygienic due to the fact that the well is continuously exposed to
environmental dust. Furthermore, known water coolers are very difficult
to service and repair and to maintain clean. Known coolers also
only supply refrigerated water and do not provide access to the
water directly in the bottle which is at room temperature.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
A feature of the present invention is to provide an improved water
cooler construction which substantially overcomes all of the above
mentioned disadvantages of the known prior art and provides additional
advantages.
According to the above feature, from a broad aspect, the present
invention provides a water cooler comprising a support base having
a top wall with a top opening therein. A refrigerating coil is disposed
inside the base and supported a predetermined distance from the
top opening. A one-piece removable well, having a liquid retaining
reservoir and a support flange wall, is removably supported on the
top wall with the support flange in support contact on the top wall
and the reservoir extending in to the top opening with a lower portion
the reservoir disposed internally of the refrigerating coil and
in close fit therewith. The reservoir has an upper portion with
separation means separating the lower and upper portion to define
a lower and upper chamber and permitting liquid flow therebetween.
The support flange has support means about the reservoir for supporting
a liquid container, having a bottle neck, in an inverted position
with the bottle neck extending into the upper chamber of the reservoir
above the separating means. The support means permits air flow between
the reservoir upper chamber and atmosphere and about the container.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described
with reference to the example thereof as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, in which
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the water cooler of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmented section view showing the top end of the
support base including the removable well, and
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the separator disc.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1
there is shown generally at 10 the water cooler of the present invention
and comprising an elongated vertical support base 11 having a dispensing
portion 12 which is recessed within the side wall 11' of the housing.
A pair of dispensing valves 13 are provided in an upper end of the
recess portion 12 for dispensing a liquid, herein water contained
in a lower and upper chamber of a reservoir, respectively, and fed
by a liquid container 14. A removable drip tray 12' is disposed
in the lower part of the recesses dispensing portion 12. The container
14 is a water bottle having a bottle neck 15 (see FIG. 2) which
is inverted into a well provided in the top wall 16 of the support
base 11 as will be described later. A cover 17 is removably positionable
over the top wall 16 to conceal the liquid container 14 when positioned
on the top wall 16.
Referring now additionally to FIGS. 2 and 3 there in shown the
construction of the top wall 16 of the support base 11 and a one-piece
removable well 20. The top wall 16 of the support base 11 is provided
with a top opening 19 having a flange wall 18 onto which a circumferential
flange portion 21 of the removable well 20 is fitted. As herein
shown the well 20 is molded from plastic material as a single piece.
The removable well 20 defines a liquid retaining reservoir 22 which
has a lower portion 23 defining a lower chamber of slightly smaller
cross-section than the upper portion 24. A circumferential support
flange wall 25 is defined intermediate the lower and top portions
23 and 24 and on which is positioned, a removable wall ordisc 26
which acts as a separator wall.
As shown in FIG. 3 the disc 26 is of circular configuration and
has an outer diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the
reservoir upper portion 24. A plurality of spacer ribs 27 are formed
about the disc for supporting the disc with the outer diameter edge
28 spaced from the inner side wall 24' of the upper chamber 24 to
permit liquid flow from the upper chamber to the lower chamber about
the disc as shown by arrow 30'. A large hole 29 is also provided
in the disc for permitting water flow from the top chamber 24 to
the lower chamber 23 in the direction of arrow 30.
The reservoir lower chamber 23 has a bottom wall 31 provided with
two holes 32 (only one shown herein) into which extends the receiving
ends of two conduits, only one conduit 33 shown herein. Each conduit
33 is associated with a respective one of the liquid dispensing
taps 13. As herein shown, the conduit 33 is sealingly connected
through the hole 32 by a sealing nut 34 to compress the lower wall
31 against a seal 35 provided about the hole 32 under the wall 31.
A flexible conduit 36 extends through the lower chamber 23 and into
the top chamber 24 through the hole 29 provided in the disc 26.
Accordingly, the upper chamber 24 is in communication with the conduit
33. The other conduit not shown is in communication with the lower
chamber 23 and is sealingly connected thereto by another nut 34
(not shown). Accordingly, each of the taps 13 dispense water from
the upper and lower chamber 22 and 23 respectively. The water in
the lower chamber is maintain cooler by cooling coils 51.
The upper portion of the removable well 20 defines an inwardly
incline angular flange wall 40 to constitute a support means for
the water bottle 14 placed in an inverted position thereon. Spacers
in the form of radiating ribs 41 are spaced apart on the inclined
angular flange wall 40 whereby to space the shoulder wall 41' of
the bottle from the surface 40 to permit air flow between the flange
wall 40 and the bottle and inside the upper chamber 24 whereby to
prevent a vacuum from forming therein and preventing the gravity
discharge of the liquid 42 contained within the bottle 14. As herein
shown, the ribs 41 are disposed about the angular flange wall and
aligned with diametrical axes of the reservoir.
The support circumferential flange wall 21 is provided with a reinforcing
rib 21' which fits on the top wall 16 of the support base 11. The
circumferential flange wall portion 21 is also configured to the
cross-section configuration of the support base, but smaller in
size, and frictionally engages the bottom contour edge 17' of the
cover 17. As shown in FIG. 2 a thermo insulating open top end cylinder
50 formed of insulating foam, is supported in the support base by
suitable means (not shown) below the top opening 19 in the top wall
16. The refrigerating coil 51 is disposed inside the cylinder 50
adjacent the bottom insulating wall 52 whereby to be in close fit
with the bottom portion 23 of the removable well 20 when positioned
in the opening 19 and refrigerates the water in the lower chamber
23. This refrigerating coil connects to refrigerating equipment
(not shown) house within the lower portion of the support base 11.
A heat exchange grid 53 is secured adjacent a rear opening 54 provided
in the back wall 11" of the support base 11 and hinges outwardly
on hinge brackets 55 for access to the inside of the support base,
when required for servicing.
As can be seen, the entire water cooler is easy to assemble and
disassemble when required for servicing. The one-piece removable
well 20 is detached entirely from the support base 11 by the removal
of two lock nuts 34 provided inside the reservoir under the removable
disc 26. The base and cover are constructed of plastic material
and blow molded.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious
modifications of the examples of the preferred embodiment described
herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of the
appended claims.
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