Patents Examined by Drew E Becker
  • Patent number: 11547132
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a cooking apparatus for controlling a process for cooking food. The method comprises the steps of: detecting an initial temperature of the food; evaluating weighting factors of more than one temperature ranges according to the initial temperature, the more than one temperature ranges and preset cooking parameters of each of the more than one temperature ranges being predetermined; and controlling the cooking process based on the evaluated weighting factors and the preset cooking parameters. With this configuration, the cooking setting (temperature, time etc) can thus be determined based on the detected temperature ranges as well as the eliminated temperature ranges, so that possible detection inaccuracy can be eliminated to a large extent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Bin Yin, Declan Patrick Kelly, Qing Li
  • Patent number: 11547237
    Abstract: A method of delivering a liquid heated to a desired temperature under pressure in a microwave oven uses a device having first and second chambers adapted to receive and hold, respectively, a first and second volume of a liquid, a vapor flow path from the first chamber to the second chamber, and a liquid/vapor flow path from the second chamber to a destination outside of the second chamber. The first chamber liquid receives less microwave energy per volume than the second chamber liquid receives. The device is placed on top of a receiving vessel and placed into a microwave oven, which is activated until the first chamber liquid boils and at least partially turns into gas, flows through the vapor flow path into the second chamber, and forces some of the second chamber liquid through the liquid/vapor flow path to the destination outside of the second chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Inventor: Peter C. Van Davelaar
  • Patent number: 11548721
    Abstract: A method for producing a beverage using a portion pack including a container made of filter material for containing an extraction material, and a supporting body which encloses the container. The method comprises the steps of: placing the closed portion pack into a filter vessel; opening the container of the portion pack on an upper side and increasing the internal volume of the container by at least 50% compared to the internal volume in the closed container; and applying water to the extraction material for beverage preparation. The portion pack comprises at least one folding edge on the supporting body about which a flap can be pivoted in order to increase the internal volume of the portion pack when opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: MELITTA SINGLE PORTIONS GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Kerstin Fernandes De Carvalho, Jan Pahnke, Gerold Schandl, Holger Feldmann
  • Patent number: 11547133
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for soaking foodstuff in a liquid under set acid pH conditions of the liquid is described. The foodstuff is soaked in the liquid so as to reduce a content of phytic acid and/or phytate contained in the foodstuff. The apparatus has a vessel for receiving the foodstuff and the liquid for soaking the foodstuff within the vessel. The apparatus further has an amount determining system which is configured to determine an amount of the liquid and/or an amount of the foodstuff to be used for the soaking within the vessel. Further, the apparatus has a pH adjusting system configured to perform an electrolysis of at least a portion of the liquid for adjusting a pH level of the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Yun Chen, Jingwei Tan, Weihua Lu
  • Patent number: 11533937
    Abstract: A method includes inserting a food item into an inner volume of a thermal container. A liquid circulating through a liquid jacket at least partially surrounding and fluidically isolated from the inner volume of the thermal container is cooled such that thermal energy from the food item is transferred to the cooled liquid. After the cooling, thermal energy from a first heating element is transferred to the liquid circulating through the liquid jacket such that thermal energy from the heated liquid is transferred to the food item. Thermal energy from a second heating element is transferred to the food item in response to a criterion being satisfied. The second heating element is different from the first heating element and is disposed in the inner volume of the thermal container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Home Tech Innovation, Inc.
    Inventors: Robin Liss, Heather Fisher, Kevin Incorvia
  • Patent number: 11533924
    Abstract: A defrosting method for food, in particular meat, the food being filled into a container rotatable around a rotation axis and heated and rotated after the container is filled, heated air being supplied to the container through a supply opening for the purpose of heating the food and discharged through a discharge opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Ferdinand Henneken GmbH
    Inventors: Kai Henneken, Volker Ferdinand Henneken
  • Patent number: 11528913
    Abstract: An automated food preparation apparatus configured to provide a completed provision, such as a bagel, optionally toasted, and optionally with a spread. The automated food preparation system includes a food placement and pickup station, a cutting station assembly, a toasting station assembly and a spread applying station assembly. The provision is directed between the station assemblies through a grasping, locating and moving system. The system includes a plurality of food engaging forks that are configured to releasably grasp the food preparation, and, in turn, to locate and move the food preparation therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Inventor: Kent Deemter
  • Patent number: 11529019
    Abstract: A fryer and method for cooking food products is provided that automates the movement of baskets carrying the food products. The fryer includes a cooking chamber with a heating element located therein for heating cooking medium in the cooking chamber. The fryer also includes at least one vertical transport assembly that selectively engages with and moves the basket vertically into and out of the cooking medium. A horizontal transport assembly selectively engages with and moves the basket horizontally between different positions. The horizontal transport assembly hands off the basket to and from the vertical transport assembly, and first and second hooks on the horizontal transport assembly engage with front and rear receiving mechanisms on the basket to continuously maintain at least two points of contact with the basket. This allows for controlled pivotal movements of the basket when food products are to be added or removed from the basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Henny Penny Corporation
    Inventors: Melissa M. Hohler, Steven V. Ricca, Thomas M. Smith, Brandon Whitt, Aaron Hill
  • Patent number: 11528917
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for treating a food product by non-conventional resistive heating using. contact with spaced-apart electrically conductive electrodes connected to a power source that regulates current to the electrodes by pausing heating of the food product to a predetermined temperature. The electrodes are configured into two groups at a first distance from one another. Each electrode group has individual electrodes, similar to a comb-like set of needles, wherein neighboring needles of each group are at a second distance from one another that is greater than or equal to the first distance. Each set of needles penetrates the food product such that points of the needles leave penetration points, wherein the food product is accommodated in a space between two conveyor belts and the individual electrodes extend from at least one of the conveyor belts in the direction of the opposite conveyor belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Inventor: Fritz Kortschack
  • Patent number: 11523620
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to sterilize a marine animal with use of sea water and atmospheric air, to the extent that the marine animal can be eaten as an unheated food product. A sterilization method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is a method for sterilizing a marine animal as an unheated food product, the method comprising the steps of: producing oxygen-enriched water by mixing electrolyzed atmospheric air into sea water; producing sterilizing water by electrolyzing the oxygen-enriched water; and bringing the marine animal into contact with the sterilizing water, the sterilizing water containing HOCl, OH? and O?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: X-BRAIN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuichiro Shikanai, Masamichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 11511932
    Abstract: A portion pack for producing a beverage includes a container made of filter material in which an extraction material is arranged. The container has an upper side and a pivotable edge portion that is initially arranged in a closed position to close the upper side of the container. A supporting body encloses at least regions of the container. The container is held closed by a closure mechanism which is adapted to be releasable by moistening the supporting body with water to cause the pivotable edge portion to pivot upwardly to a beverage preparation position in which the upper side of the container is open. The invention also relates to a method for producing a beverage using such a portion pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MELITTA SINGLE PORTIONS GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Kerstin Fernandes De Carvalho, Jan Pahnke, Gerold Schandl, Holger Feldmann
  • Patent number: 11490586
    Abstract: A method for producing a dairy-based product in pieces, the product being mozzarella cheese or a preparation based on dairy products. The method comprises the steps of: realising a first portion of a sheet (10) of the product; cooling the first portion of the sheet (10); obtaining pieces of the product from the first portion of the sheet (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: PRIMULA SOCIETA' SEMPLICE
    Inventors: Angelo Savino, Matteo Lavezzini
  • Patent number: 11484047
    Abstract: A seasoning packet having an opening, a pocket made from a first flexible material and being adapted to receive and contain a seasoning, the seasoning pocket being formed by two chambers that communicate with each other via a connecting seasoning pocket portion and further with the opening, two opposed flexible layer extensions made from a second flexible material and extending from an outer edge of the seasoning pocket to the connecting seasoning pocket portion and two opposing rim gaps formed by the flexible layer extensions and a plurality of pocket gap walls and extending from the outer edge of the seasoning pocket to the connecting seasoning pocket portion, the seasoning packet being thus adapted to season a beverageware's or serveware's rim, by allowing folding of the seasoning packet along the two opposing rim gaps and around the rim and squeezing of the seasoning pocket while circling the rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Inventor: Daniel Elisea
  • Patent number: 11478003
    Abstract: A liquid potato-derived product may be produced from whole raw potatoes and may be utilized to produce various healthy food products, such as dips and sauces. This liquid potato product may be produced from raw potatoes by pretreating the potatoes, gelatinizing the pretreated potatoes, shearing the gelatinized potatoes under specific milling temperatures and conditions to produce a sheared potato product with desirable particle sizes, and then cooking the sheared potato product to form the liquid potato product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: McCain Foods Limited
    Inventors: Nigel Kirtley, Ray Laudano, Derek E. Spors, Lora Nicolette Spizzirri
  • Patent number: 11452307
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a porous red ginseng. The porous red ginseng according to the present invention forms a uniform porosity therein and thus obtains a crispy mouthfeel and an excellent flavor without an additional process such as an addition of fructose, etc., such that the resulting red ginseng may be not only directly eaten as an original form or slices of the red ginseng, but also have a very high content of ginsenoside and a low content of moisture therein, thus achieving a very excellent storage quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Wellness Korea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Joung Kyu Lee, Young Chui Jung
  • Patent number: 11439156
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a receptacle configured to receive a container containing a substance for processing. The container includes a readable tag having processing information associated with the substance. The apparatus also includes a processing chamber operably coupled to the receptacle and configured to receive the substance and process the substance. The apparatus further includes a controller operably coupled to the processing chamber and configured to generate one or more processing instructions based on the processing information in the readable tag and further based on additional processing information received from a remote device. The processing is also configured to process the substance based on the one or more processing instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Bellwether Coffee Co.
    Inventors: Jens Peter Voges, Fong Liu, John Laird, Scott Whitman, Zachary Russell Heineman, Dylan Hilmer Bird, Nicholas Scott Reimnitz
  • Patent number: 11432571
    Abstract: A method of heat-treatment of a product in a sealed container of a packaging material is described. The method includes placing the container in a treatment environment having a pressure (P) and a temperature (T), the pressure and the temperature having a ratio (P/T), and adjusting the temperature and/or pressure in the treatment environment to decrease the ratio over a duration in a time period. The time period starts at a time of cooking onset of the product and extends over a time of cooling onset at which time a temperature decrease is started, the time of cooking onset being preceded by a first time period of temperature ramping during which the temperature is increased. An apparatus for controlling heat-treatment of a product in a sealed container of a packaging material is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
    Inventor: Ola Funkquist
  • Patent number: 11425918
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preparing a multilayer confectionary product including a paste confectionery center, surrounded by an intermediate layer of chewy candy material, surrounded in turn by a layer of amorphous candy material, to the multilayer confectionery product obtained by the process and to an apparatus for producing the multilayer confectionary product. The multilayer confectionary product can be further coated with a hard coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: PERFETTI VAN MELLE S.P.A.
    Inventors: Petrus Henricus De Jong, Hendricus Jacobus Catharina Hendrikx, Tanja Catharina Jozefina Vleugels
  • Patent number: 11425922
    Abstract: Methods and systems for reducing acrylamide concentration in heat-processed products, and products produced by such methods and systems are provided. The baked products may be sprayed with a riboflavin solution and then irradiated with a UV light source to initiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and reduce the concentration of the acrylamide in the baked product. In addition, riboflavin may be dissolved in heat-processed products, followed by irradiation of the riboflavin-containing heat-processed products with a UV light source to initiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and reduce the concentration of the acrylamide in the baked product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Intercontinental Great Brands LLC
    Inventor: Robert L. Magaletta
  • Patent number: 11419450
    Abstract: The invention relates to a container (2) for receiving a liquid comprising a thin film capacitive sensor (100) comprising a level sensor for detecting the liquid filling level of the container (2) over time, wherein the sensor (100) further comprises a settable device allowing setting one or more desired liquid filling levels of the container (2), of the same or of different liquids. Preferably, the settable device is configured as a touch screen, arranged in the external layer of the sensor (100). The invention further relates to a beverage production system (S) comprising a beverage production machine (1) having a beverage production unit (10) for preparing and dispensing a beverage and a control unit (50) for controlling a beverage production of the beverage production unit (10), and a container (2) as the one described. Yet further, the invention relates to a method for setting one or a plurality of liquid filling levels of a container (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle S.A.
    Inventor: Alexandre Pugliese