Abstract:
The present invention provides a water cooler assembly including a receptacle to hold water to be cooled and from which water can be dispensed; a cover attached to said receptacle via a hinge, said cover including formations to receive and hold a water bottle, and further including an inlet passage through which water from said bottle can flow into said receptacle; said cover having mountings to receive a cooling assembly, said cooling assembly being mounted in said cover close and extending away from said cover. The present invention also provides a water cooler assembly including a receptacle to hold water to be cooled and from which water can be dispensed, means to receive and hold a water bottle, and further including an inlet passage through which water from said bottle can flow into said receptacle; a cooling means associated with said receptacle to cool said water, and a trough attached to said inlet, from which trough water can enter said receptacle to be cooled. The trough can be arranged so that water which remains in said trough can be passed out of said assembly.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to water coolers and improvements to water cooler construction.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Water cooler technology has been in the market place for some time. A small number of water coolers utilise thermo-electrical materials to provide the cooling system in order to keep noise and the costs of refrigeration down. Such cooling systems generally work on the basis of forming an ice mass which is utilised to keep the water cool.  
           [0003]    In commercial applications such as offices etc water coolers have been popular for many years particularly where water supply is either not reliable or not of sufficient quality to offer to staff and clients. However, due to variability in domestic water quality, bottled water is expanding into the domestic market. Water coolers for the commercial market are not readily accepted in the domestic market due to size of the unit and the space it occupies. Further, when commercial units are down sized for domestic use icing of the water supply can occur such that users may not be able to extract water from their water cooler.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention provides a water cooler assembly, said assembly including:  
           [0005]    a receptacle to hold water to be cooled and from which water can be dispensed;  
           [0006]    a cover attached to said receptacle via a hinge, said cover including formations to receive and hold a water bottle, and further including an inlet passage through which water from said bottle can flow into said receptacle;  
           [0007]    said cover having mountings to receive a cooling assembly,  
           [0008]    said cooling assembly being mounted in said cover close and extending away from said cover.  
           [0009]    The arrangement above is such that when in use any ice formation formed on said cooling assembly will drip back into said receptacle when said cover is rotated to an open position away from said receptacle. Preferably the rotation of the cover is limited.  
           [0010]    The cover can be hollow, at least in part.  
           [0011]    The receptacle is preferably of a unitary construction whereby the portion which holds water has no seams or joins. The receptacle preferably includes front, rear and side walls which angle outwardly from the centre of the receptacle, whereby any ice formation that forms and which extends to the side walls can still be rotated out of the receptacle when the cover is rotated to said open position.  
           [0012]    The hinge between the cover and the receptacle is preferably hollow and allows the air fanned away from said cooling assembly to pass out of said cover and into a cavity at the rear of said receptacle.  
           [0013]    The water cooler assembly can include a trough attached to said inlet, from which trough water can enter said receptacle to be cooled. Also the trough can be arranged so that water which remains in said trough can be passed out of said assembly.  
           [0014]    The assembly can include a tap means associated with said trough. The tap means and said trough can be positioned in said assembly to be adjacent each other. The tap assembly can include a shaped end which allows the trough to be rotated away from the tap assembly without said shaped end interfering with an arcuate path of said trough or a portion of said trough out of the receptacle.  
           [0015]    A funnel formation can be present in said cover through which said inlet passage is formed. The funnel can include a hollow spike formation, formed integral therewith, or assembled thereto, which will pierce a sealed covering over the rim of said bottle, when the sealed bottle is first inserted into the water cooler. The contents of the bottle will pass out of rim of the bottle through said hollow spike formation and proceed into said trough. Preferably said funnel includes at least one drainage aperture which opens out in the direction of said hinge. The drainage aperture serving the function of emptying the funnel of any water back to the receptacle as the cover is rotated away from the receptacle, or once the cover is rotated to the open position.  
           [0016]    Preferably the funnel means includes a portion which passes through a hollow part of said cover. Preferably part of said funnel means can be heated by air drawn into said hollow.  
           [0017]    Preferably said inlet and said cooling member being located side by side so that water entering said receptacle via said inlet will pass close to said cooling member.  
           [0018]    Preferably, when said cover is in a closed position a cooling element which contacts the contents of the receptacle is extending downwardly away from the cover.  
           [0019]    The system can include a trough formation to receive water from said inlet. Water can thus enter said receptacle from said trough formation. The trough formation can additionally contain water to pass water to one of said at least one outlets. Preferably there are two outlets, one outlet to pass out cooled water and another outlet passes out water which is substantially sourced from said trough.  
           [0020]    The water entering the receptacle via said trough, does so by flowing over a wall of said trough.  
           [0021]    The cooling assembly is of the thermoelectric type and is positioned so as to extend downwardly.  
           [0022]    A fan in association with said cooling assembly to draw air from a hot side of said cooling assembly.  
           [0023]    Control and/or transformer means for said cooling assembly are preferably mounted at an end of said receptacle opposite said at least one outlet.  
           [0024]    The fan preferably blows air from said cooling assembly, through the hollow hinge member and over and/or around said control and/or transformer means. The air also can pass by the rear wall of said receptacle thereby heating said rear wall.  
           [0025]    Preferably the cover includes a barrier means to prevent a predetermined amount of water from entering into the space occupied by said control and/or transformer means.  
           [0026]    The present invention also provides a water cooler assembly including a receptacle to hold water to be cooled and from which water can be dispensed, means to receive and hold a water bottle, and further including an inlet passage through which water from said bottle can flow into said receptacle; a cooling means associated with said receptacle to cool said water, and a trough attached to said inlet, from which trough water can enter said receptacle to be cooled. The trough can be arranged so that water which remains in said trough can be passed out of said assembly. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0027]    Embodiments of the present invention, will be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 illustrates a rendered perspective view of a water cooler;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 2 illustrates the major moulded components of the water cooler of FIG. 1 in an exploded perspective view;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section through the line BB of FIG. 3;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section through the line CC of FIG. 3;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6 illustrates a cross section through the line DD of FIG. 3;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 7 illustrates a cross section through the line EE of FIG. 3;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 8 illustrates a detail of a portion of FIG. 5;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 9 illustrates a detail of a portion of FIG. 7;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the top cover upper moulding;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 11 illustrate a perspective view from the rear of the apparatus of FIG. 10;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view from the front of the apparatus of FIG. 10;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of the top cover lower moulding;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view from the rear of the moulding of FIG. 13;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 15 illustrates an underneath perspective view from the rear of the moulding of FIG. 13;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 16 illustrates the bucket inner in perspective view from the rear;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 17 illustrates the bucket inner moulding of FIG. 16 in an underneath view from the front;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 18 illustrates the moulding of FIG. 16 in a perspective view from the rear;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 19 illustrates a perspective view of a trough;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 20 illustrates a rear perspective view of the trough of FIG. 19;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 21 illustrates a front elevation of an axle member;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 22 illustrates a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 21;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 23 illustrates a rear view of the apparatus of FIG. 21;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 24 illustrates a perspective view of a hollow spike; and  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 25 illustrates a perspective view of a water cooler similar to that of FIG. 1 with a modified vent cover. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0053]    Illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a water cooler  2  which has a cover assembly  4  and a receptacle assembly  6 . The cover assembly  4  is of a hollow construction and as illustrated in FIG. 2 is made up of an upper member  8  and a lower member  10  which will be discussed in more detail with reference to FIGS.  10  to  15 . The cover assembly  4  has a downwardly extending funnel  24  to which is connected a trough member  22 . The cover assembly  4  hingedly connects, by means of a hollow hinge  12 , to the receptacle assembly  6 . This will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.  
         [0054]    The receptacle assembly  6  is constructed from an inner bucket  16  having a shape which will be received by an insulation member  18 . The front, rear and side walls of the bucket  16  all angle outwardly from the centre of the bucket, to give the bucket  16  an outwardly tapering appearance in a bottom to top direction. The insulation member  18  has its internal surfaces shaped so that the bucket  16  will fit snugly into the insulation member  18  in order to maximise the insulative interaction between the two components. The insulation member  18  is received by receptacle outer portion  20 .  
         [0055]    From FIGS. 17 and 18 it can be seen that the lower portion of the bucket  16  has screw receiving spigots  90  which will allow the receptacle outer portion  20  to be secured to the bucket  16  thus sandwiching the insulating member  18  therebetween.  
         [0056]    As illustrated in FIGS.  10  to  12  the moulding of the upper member  8  has a funnel  24  which extends downwardly from the lower end of a frusto-conical surface  26 . Adjacent the upper rim of frusto-conical surface  26  is another frusto-conical surface  28 . The frusto-conical surface  28 , and if needed the surface  26 , as illustrated in FIG. 24 serve as a seat on which to support a water bottle  31  as illustrated in FIG. 6.  
         [0057]    The frusto-conical surfaces  26  and  28  and the funnel  24  all lie in a forward portion on the upper member  8  and cover assembly  4 . Adjacent these surfaces  26  and  28  is an access aperture  30 , which when the assembly is finalised, will be covered by a vent  32  (see FIGS. 2 and 3).  
         [0058]    Adjacent the aperture  30  at the rear of the upper member  8  is an upper half hinge assembly  32 A for the cover assembly  4 . The upper half hinge assembly  32 A consists of semi-circular flanges  34  and  36  which are interconnected by a wall portion  38   
         [0059]    The funnel  24  has a rearwardly directed opening  42  which allows drainage of any water gathered inside the funnel  24  to flow in a rearward direction. The opening  42  assists in the drainage of water out of the funnel in the case where the cover assembly  4  is rotated away from the receptacle assembly  6 . Water will not ordinarily be present in the funnel  24  due to the seal on the bottle generally sealing with a hollow spike member  1  (see FIG. 6). The funnel  24  also includes three slots  44  which receive mating tabs  46  on the trough member  22 , which is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 19 and 20.  
         [0060]    In the centre of the funnel  24  is an aperture  48  which has three equi spaced cut outs  50  through which tabs  250  on a hollow spike member  91  (see FIG. 24) can pass. Projections  52  are formed on the lower surface  49  of the funnel  24  so that the spike member  91  (see FIG. 24) can have its tabs  250  resting between the projections  52  to thereby hold the spike member  91  in position.  
         [0061]    The hollow spike  91  as illustrated is FIG. 24 is of a tubular construction, having two concentric tubes  252  and  254 . A flange  256  co-operates with the tab  250  to secure the spike  91  in the aperture  48  in the base of funnel  24 . The tube  252  carries water in the bottle  31  from the top of the spike  91  and passes it into the trough  22 . The annular space between tube  254  and tube  252  carries air back into the water bottle which exits the spike  91  via outlets  258 .  
         [0062]    Illustrated in FIGS.  13  to  15  is the cover lower portion  10  which is a plastic moulding having an aperture  54  which is sized so as to receive the funnel  24 . To the rear of the aperture  54  is a cavity  56  having a flange  58  and an aperture  60  therein. The cavity  56  receives a cooling assembly  100  (see FIGS.  4  to  7 ) to be used by the water cooler  2 . The flange  58  is sandwiched by the cooling assembly  100  so as to hold the cooling assembly  100  in place relative to the lower member  10 .  
         [0063]    To the rear of the cavity  56  is a lower half hinge assembly  32 B which includes semi-circular flanges  64  and  66  which are interconnected by wall portion  40 . The flanges  64  and  66  co-operate with the upper semi-circular flanges  34  and  36  respectively on the upper hinge assembly  32 A to form a circular flange when the upper member  8  is secured to the lower member  10 .  
         [0064]    The upper member  8  and lower member  10  are secured together by screws which are passed into cavities  70  and held by and extend through hollow screw receiving columns  62  on the cover lower portion  10  to engage screw receiving blocks  68  on the upper member  8 .  
         [0065]    Illustrated in FIGS.  16  to  18  is the bucket  16 . Inner bucket  16  has a forward portion  72  having two outlet holes  74  through which taps  140  and  142  (see FIGS.  1  to  3 ) can be inserted. The taps  140  and  142  have communicable passage to different parts of the internal portions of the bucket  16 , as will be discussed below.  
         [0066]    As the bucket  16  is made from a single moulding, the water holding portion  85  below the apertures  74  has no seals, joins or seams thus making water holding portion  85  permanently water tight. A seal member  135  (see FIG. 7) is compressed by a nut  137  to secure and seal the taps  140  and  142  to the receptacle assembly  6 . The seal members  135  allow the water level in the receptacle assembly  6  to rise above the aperture  74 .  
         [0067]    At the rear of the bucket  16  is the hollow hinge member  12  which has a circular flange  76  on the left and right hand side thereof. The flanges  76  have the same internal diameter as the circular flange formed by hinge assemblies  32 A and  32 B on the cover assembly  4  when that sub-assembly is assembled.  
         [0068]    To assemble the cover assembly  4  to the receptacle assembly  6 , a hinge axle  14  (see FIG. 2) is utilised and is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 21, 22 and  23 .  
         [0069]    The hinge axle  14  has a flange portion  202  with equi-spaced segments  204  which terminate with a lip  206 . The distance between the lip  206  to the flange  202  is such that the width of the flange  76  and the width of the flanges  34  and  64 , or  26  and  66  will fit snugly therein yet allow rotation of the cover assembly  4  relative to the hollow hinge  12 .  
         [0070]    To assemble the cover assembly  4  to the receptacle assembly  6  the cover assembly  4  is positioned adjacent to the receptacle assembly  6  so that the circular hinge formation formed by the upper and lower hinge assemblies  32 A and  32 B are aligned with the flange  76  on the hollow hinge  12 . Once aligned an assembler can push the hinge axle  14  through aperture  84  and outwardly through the hinge flange  76  so as to engage the circular hinge formation formed by the upper and lower hinge assemblies  32 A and  32 B.  
         [0071]    The flanges  76  act as a dam or barrier to water entering into the hollow hinge  12  should any water gather in the regions  78  on the upper lip of the bucket  16 . To further assist in preventing water gathering in the region of the hinge  12  and its flange portions  76  a channel  80  is provided on each side to direct water away therefrom. To also prevent water exiting the bucket  16  and going into the hinge  12 , a wall member  82  is provided which extends from the hinge  12  around the rear of the upper rim of the bucket  16  to form generally an L-shaped barrier.  
         [0072]    As can be seen in FIG. 18 the hollow hinge  12  has three apertures associated with it. The first two apertures are defined by the internal diameter of the flanges  76  and a third aperture  84  is located underneath the hinge  12  as illustrated in FIG. 18. The third aperture  84  is a downwardly directed opening whereby air passing through the flanges  76  will be directed in a downward direction via aperture  84 . From the aperture  84  as can be seen from FIG. 2 air will pass out of the receptacle outer portion  20  by means of the aperture  86 , which in use, will be covered by a rear vent panel  88 .  
         [0073]    In assembling all the components reference is now made to FIGS.  3  to  9  of the drawings.  
         [0074]    The assembly of components is illustrated in FIG. 6, which is a cross section through the lines DD of FIG. 3. A cooling assembly  100  (being a proprietary component manufactured by Coolworks Inc of San Rafael, Calif.) consists of a probe  102  above which is a thermoelectric material  104 , a heat sink  106  and a fan  108 . The cooling assembly  100  and its functioning is substantially as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,589 which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0075]    An intermediate portion of the cooling probe  102  is threaded at  110  and this allows the whole cooling assembly to be attached to the flange  58  at the lower portion of cavity  56  by clamping the flange  58  with nut  111 . Once secured to the lower member  10 , the wires of the cooling assembly are passed to the rear of the cover assembly  4  and through the flanges  76 , then down through aperture  84  to a printed circuit board  112  which carries the water cooler controls and or the transformer.  
         [0076]    When the upper member  8  and lower member  10  are assembled the funnel  24  protrudes through the aperture  54  and as can be seen from FIG. 8 the outside of aperture  54  has a flange to receive an O-ring  114  to seal the aperture  54  to the outer surface of the funnel  24 . By this means water cannot enter the hollow of cover assembly  4  through aperture  54 .  
         [0077]    To the base of the funnel  24  is attached the trough member  22 . The trough member  22  as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 has a forward wall portion  120  and a rearward wall portion  122  which are interconnected by wall portions  124  and  126 . The wall portions  124  and  126  respectively carry the tabs  46  for engaging the trough  22  to the funnel  24 . The wall portion  120  is of a height which is greater than the wall portion  122  and both wall portions  120  and  122  are of a height greater than the wall portions  124  and  126 . The forward wall portion  120  has an angled front face  128  in which is located an exit port  130 . The exit port  130  is bordered at its lower end by an edge  132  at a forward periphery of the floor  134  of the trough  22 . When the trough  22  is positioned on the funnel  24 , as illustrated in the cross section of FIG. 7, the edge  132  will rest near to the rearmost lowermost edge  139  of the tap tube  138  of the tap  140 . The rear end of the tap tube  138  will sit within the port  130 ; and while not being sealed thereto will ensure water in the trough  22  will flow out of the top tube  138  when top  140  is open.  
         [0078]    Any water in the trough  22  will flow out therefrom via the tap  140  when the tap  140  is open.  
         [0079]    A second tap  142  is provided which has direct access to the cooled water (when cooling assembly  100  is functioning) contained in the water holding portion  85  of the receptacle  16 .  
         [0080]    In use, water will pass out of the bottle  31  through the hollow spike  91  in the funnel  24  and will overfill the trough  22  whereby water will, in the main, pass out of the trough  22  by passing over the rear wall  122 . This will transfer water into the water holding portion  85  of the receptacle until the water level reaches the rim  93  (see FIG. 24) of the water bottle neck which is designed to be located at or just above sealing flange  141  on the funnel  24  (as visible in FIGS. 11, 12,  8 ,  5  and  6 ).  
         [0081]    Once water is extracted via tap  142 , that is from the cooled water contained in the water holding portion  85 , the water will be replaced by water exiting the water bottle  31  and flowing in the direction of arrow  143  (see FIG. 6).  
         [0082]    In use the probe  102  will have an ice formation (generally in a shape similar to a ball) formed thereon due to the thermoelectric heat extraction process. The relatively warm water entering the water holding portion  85  in the direction of arrow  143  from over the rear wall  122  of trough  222  will tend to flow around the ice formation and thus cooled.  
         [0083]    Another feature of the water cooler  2  is that the tap  142  is located at the opposite end of the water cooler receptacle assembly  6  to the location of the cooling assembly  100  and probe  102 . This feature ensures that the water around the taps  140  and  142  will not freeze.  
         [0084]    As can be seen from the cross sections of FIGS. 5, 6,  7  and  8  the cover assembly  4  has, between the upper member  8  and lower member  18 , a cavity  150  which surrounds the funnel  24 . Cavity  150  includes space for the cooling assembly  100  and the fan  108  will draw air into the cover assembly  4  via vent  32  and an associated filter element  175 , which air must pass through the heat sink  106 .  
         [0085]    From the heat sink  106  the air moves into and out of the page of FIGS. 6 and 7 and in the directions of arrows  152  and  154  respectively to the left and right sides of the cavity  150  as illustrated. This heated air also fills the cavity  150  thereby heating the funnel  24 . The only way in which the air can pass out of the cavity  150  is via the circular flange of the assembled upper and lower hinge assemblies  32 A and  32 B. The air then flows through flanges  76  on the hollow hinge  12  and exits the hollow hinge  12  via the aperture  84 . The air then proceeds over the printed circuit board  112  and through the passage  156  to the rear thereof (the passage  156  being adjacent the rear portion of the insulator  18 ) whereupon the air will exit the rear of the receptacle assembly  6  via the vent  88 .  
         [0086]    Although insulation  18  does help to maintain water contained in the water holding portion  85  relatively cool, the action of passing the heated air along the rear wall of insulation  18  (the rear wall being the closest to the probe  102 ) means that the angled rear wall, (being closest to the ice ball which will form during operation), will transfer heat to the water. By having this heat source in this location helps to prevent the complete icing of the water contained within the water holding portion  84  by the probe  102 . Additionally, it is thought that the heating of the funnel  24  assists in helping to prevent the complete icing of the water. At the least it is thought to inhibit the forward growth of the ice ball. It has been found in trials that even if there is no more water left in the water bottle  31 , the unit will not freeze completely.  
         [0087]    One of the advantages of construction of the water cooling unit  2  is that should it be necessary to clean the water holding portion  85  (which should be done every  3  to  6  months), the cover assembly  4  simply need be rotated out of its rest position which will lift the ice ball and the cooling assembly  100  out of the water holding portion By limiting the rotation of the cover assembly  4  relative to the receptacle assembly  6 , which is done by the surfaces  11  (see FIGS. 2, 13 and  15 ) engaging the walls  82  (see FIGS. 2 and 16) to between  95  degrees and  120  degrees; the ice ball will melt and will drip back into the water receptacle and if any water should fall on the top lip of the water receptacle this will be carried away to the left and right rear sides of the unit as described above.  
         [0088]    Further to allow the rotation of the cover assembly  4  the tap tube  138  has a curved portion when viewed in side elevation or cross section of FIGS. 6 and 7 which will not impede the front edge  32  in its angular path out of the receptacle assembly  6  when the cover assembly  4  is rotated relative to the receptacle assembly  6 .  
         [0089]    A further advantage of mounting the cooling assembly  100  in a downward direction from the cover assembly  4  is that the overall height of the water cooler  2  with a standard 3 gallon (11 litre) water bottle  31  thereon will measure under 500 mm, making it able to be placed on kitchen counter tops and below overhead kitchen cupboards in kitchens in a majority of countries around the world.  
         [0090]    Another advantage of the assembly described above is that the inlet vent  32  and associated filter element  175  through which cooling air will pass is located on the top of the water cooler  2 . In this way, as dust accumulates on the inlet vent  32  and filter  175 , as it will invariably do, the user can readily see and clean the vent and filter, without having to move the water cooler  2 .  
         [0091]    The spike  91  referred to above is preferred where the bottle  31  is sealed by a seal which requires piercing. In some countries, such as some of those of Europe, the bottles are sealed with a cap which has a pre-weakened portion and so a pointed or piercing spike  91  need not be utilised. Instead a simple tube arrangement could be used, where the tube pushes against the pre-weakened portion to gain access to the contents off the bottle. If the bottle were to be opened prior to insertion into the water cooler  2 , then neither a spike  91  or an simple tube arrangement would be necessary.  
         [0092]    The cover assembly  4  can include passages to direct the air from the fan  108  either directly to the hollow hinge  12  bypassing the cavity  150  of the cover assembly  4  in the region of the funnel  24 , or to direct the air from the fan  108  into that cavity  150  for the purpose of flowing around the funnel  24 . In this way a switch means can be provided whereby a summer/winter mode of operation is available. In summer mode, because ambient air may be quite warm, the funnel  24  will not require heating by the air. Whereas in winter mode as the ambient air tends to be cooler, the air from the fan  108  can be directed to pass around the funnel  24 , thereby helping to prevent icing.  
         [0093]    While the above embodiment utilises a hollow cover assembly  4 , a cover assembly which is not hollow can also be utilised.  
         [0094]    The components of the water cooler, particularly those in contact with water, are preferably manufactured from a potable water grade plastic or ABS, or a clarified poly propylene.  
         [0095]    Illustrated in FIG. 25 is a water cooler  2 A, which is substantially the same as the water cooler  2 , and like parts have been like numbered. The water cooler  2 A differs from the water cooler  2  in that the vent  32  is replaced by a deflector or cooling  500 . The cooling  500  is used to protect the fan  108  and associated electrical components, in the event that water may fall on the top areas of the water cooler  2 A. The vent  32  of water cooler  2  would not prevent the ingress of spilt water.  
         [0096]    The cooling  500  serves only a protection from spillage function when the fan  108  is operating in the direction described above with respect to the water cooler  2 , that is, air is drawn from the top of the cooler  2 A and out through the rear vent  88  of the cooler  2 A.  
         [0097]    However, when the fan  108  is made to operate in the reverse direction to that described above, that is air is drawn through the rear vent  88  of the water cooler  2 A and out through the top, the cooling  500  will direct the now heated air towards the rear of the cooler  2 A. This has the added advantage of preventing the heated air from warming the water in the bottle  31  sitting on top of the water cooler  2 A, while also providing a protection from spillage function.The cooling  500  also serves to deflect noise caused by the fan and the movement of air, irrespective of the direction of flow of the air through the cooler  2 A.  
         [0098]    In the embodiment of FIG. 25, the internal volume of the cover assembly  4 , around the funnel  24  can include insulation which is preferably a premoulded insulation member sized and shaped to fit into this internal volume.  
         [0099]    In the water cooler  2  the vent  32  includes a filter  175  to keep dust out of the internal portions of the water cooler  2 . In the embodiment of FIG. 25 because the air flow has changed direction, a filter is preferably provided on the rear vent  88  so as to serve this filtering function.  
         [0100]    To the embodiments described above there can be added a summer/winter switch to the fan control so that with the switch in the summer position the fan is driven at its full speed by the motor. When the switch is in the winter position, the fan is driven at a reduced speed, which helps to prevent over icing.  
         [0101]    Throughout the specification and claims reference is made to the word “water” and the expression “water cooler”. While the predominant use of the apparatus described above is to cool water for drinking, it will be understood that it can be used to cool other liquids for drinking purposes. As such the word “water”, as used alone or in the expression “water cooler” will be understood to include within its scope other drinking liquids, which may or may not have a water base.  
         [0102]    It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.  
         [0103]    The foregoing describes embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto, without departing from the scope of the present invention.