Patent ID: 8820094
Filing Date: 2014-09-02
Classification: B65D,B67D,F25B

Abstract:
1. A Peltier thermoelectric cooling and dispensing apparatus for cooling and dispensing wine contained in a plurality of collapsible flexible bags each having a dispensing valve at a lower portion of a front end thereof, comprising: a generally rectangular cabinet having a thermally insulated front wall, rear wall, top wall, bottom wall, and laterally opposed side walls, and a plurality of generally rectangular interior compartments therein disposed side-by-side, each of said interior compartments defined by a generally rectangular central enclosure having a top wall, bottom wall, rear wall, an open front end, and laterally spaced thermally insulated vertical walls; a plurality of thermally conductive bag support housings, each removably received in a respective said interior compartment for removably receiving and supporting a respective said collapsible flexible bag, each having an elongate rectangular front end plate with a vertical slot extending longitudinally from a top end terminating in a curved bottom for slidably receiving and supporting a tubular neck portion of the dispensing valve at the lower portion of the collapsible flexible bag in an outwardly extending position, an elongate rectangular rear plate, laterally opposed side plates, a rectangular removable top member having a top end wall, a rectangular bottom member having a bottom wall, and a spring biased bag support plate upon which the collapsible flexible bag received therein is supported, said spring biased bag support plate pivotally mounted between said laterally opposed side plates at a front end thereof and slidably mounted therebetween at a back end thereof, and having a spring member engaged between said bag support housing and said bag support plate to pivot and bias said back end of said bag support plate upwardly as the bag becomes emptied and facilitate dispensing and complete emptying of the bag contents through the dispensing valve at the lower portion of the collapsible flexible bag; a sliding door assembly mounted on each said bag support housing front end plate, each having a generally rectangular bottom door member mounted on said front plate with a downwardly curved semicircular recess at a top end aligned with said curved bottom of said slot in said front end plate to partially encircle a lower portion of the outwardly extending tubular neck portion of the bag dispensing valve, and a generally rectangular top door member slidably mounted on said front end plate having a complementary upwardly curved semicircular recess at a bottom end to partially encircle an upper portion of the outwardly extending neck portion of the bag dispensing valve and releasably retain the dispensing valve in a manually operable position; a plurality of thermally conductive heat transfer members each mounted at a top end of a respective said interior compartment and having one end surface disposed to engage said thermally conductive top end wall surface of a respective said bag support housing received in said respective interior compartment; a plurality of thermoelectric cooling assemblies that operate on the principle of the Peltier effect utilizing polarized DC current, each including a fan and a cold plate, said cold plate engaged on an opposed second end surface of a respective said thermally conductive heat transfer member wherein heat absorbed by said heat transfer member is dissipated to the exterior of said cabinet; a power supply member mounted on said cabinet electrically coupled with each of said thermoelectric cooling assemblies and operated by household AC current to provide a polarized DC output current thereto; and a plurality of adjustable temperature controllers with LED readout display panels, each mounted on said cabinet adjacent to a respective said interior compartment and electrically connected with said power supply member and with a respective said thermoelectric cooling assembly for controlling the operation of said respective thermoelectric cooling assembly responsive to a selected temperature setting so as to chill and maintain a respective wine-filled collapsible flexible bag at a selected constant temperature, and maintain different wines at different temperatures.