Patent ID: 7628023

Claim:
An apparatus for cooling a liquid beverage to be dispensed, said apparatus comprising: a reservoir containing a quantity of the liquid beverage to be dispensed; a supply line communicating with said reservoir for supplying a flow of the liquid beverage to the reservoir; a dispense line communicating with said reservoir for dispensing the liquid beverage; a spigot attached to said dispense line; a tap handle communicating with said dispense line and said spigot for controlling the dispensing of the liquid beverage; a dispense font enclosing said liquid reservoir, said dispense font having an interior open space between said reservoir and an interior surface of the dispense font; refrigeration means for cooling the beverage in the liquid reservoir, said refrigeration means including a compressor for compressing a refrigerant to a high pressure gas, a condenser connected to said compressor for condensing the refrigerant, and said condenser communicating with the open space within said font, said open space causing said refrigerant to evaporate thereby cooling the liquid beverage within the liquid reservoir, and said refrigerant then flowing from said open space within said font back to said compressor; and a heating jacket surrounding said reservoir and disposed within said font in contact with the refrigerant, and heating elements incorporated on said heating jacket for selectively heating the liquid beverage within said liquid reservoir and to prevent the liquid beverage from freezing.