Patents Examined by George Yeung
  • Patent number: 5667829
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for treating meat products with ultrasonic energy in an ozonated water environment to eradicate harmful pathopens from the surface of the meat products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Medagri, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard K. Herlig
  • Patent number: 5667833
    Abstract: Process and equipment for manufacturing process pasta, in which a mixture of cereal flour or semolina and water having a water content of 25-40% is prepared, the mixture is kneaded and it is extruded by pressing it through an extrusion die with the aid of a gear pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Daniele Juengling, Thomas Wilhelm Hauser, Jurg Lechthaler, Luca Rusconi, Armando Dos Santos Pousa, Philipp Paul Meyer
  • Patent number: 5667824
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for forming miniature size confectionery products. A mass of a confectionery product, such as bubble gum, is formed into a thin, flat sheet. The flat sheet is then cooled and formed into a webbed mat having a plurality of desired configurations thereon. Next, the webbed mat is tumbled to break apart the webbed mat and form a plurality of miniature size confectionery products in the form of the desired configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
    Inventors: Ronald L. Ream, Christine Corriveau, Michael McHale, Sharon Van Horn
  • Patent number: 5665412
    Abstract: Frozen food is thawed automatically by disposing the food within a container having a trough disposed adjacent to a top of the container, the trough being connected to a drain, filling the container with water to a predetermined level, providing a controlled metered secondary flow of fresh water into the container so as to cause the water level to rise and flow into the trough, forcibly recirculating, using a pump, water in the container so as to produce sufficient water circulation to maintain a substantially even water temperature distribution therein and so as to produce sufficient agitation of the water to break loose small food particles from the frozen food immersed in the water such that the food particles and food-related oils and debris float to the surface of the water and are carried into the trough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Inventors: Robert Fuller, David Pasek
  • Patent number: 5665410
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preselected extension of the dough rise period for dough products prepared in an automatic breadmaker. The method includes the step of selecting an extended final dough rise period from a group of predetermined times programmed into the breadmaker controller. The selection may be made before initiating the kneading/degassing and rising cycles or during what would otherwise be the final dough rise period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: The West Bend Company
    Inventors: Joanne M. Turchany, Robert V. Myszka
  • Patent number: 5665417
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high density bale of shredded pulp. The bale contains pulp and additive which are compressed while dry to obtain a bale of 40-65 lb/ft.sup.3 density. Twine or straps secure the bale. Animal feed bales of this invention contain low additive concentrations and low or no sugar content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: The Amalgamated Sugar Company, LLC.
    Inventors: Galan M. Rogers, Kenneth L. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 5661027
    Abstract: In a method of desulfurization used at a geothermal power plant, stem removed from a production well, after being used for power generation, is condensed and separated into condensed water and hydrogen sulfide-containing gas, and the hydrogen sulfide-containing gas is treated at biochemical treatment tank. The initial cell density of the reactor liquid of the biochemical treatment tanks is adjusted by cell culture liquid obtained from a cell breeding culture tank provided independently of the biochemical treatment tanks and water or a part of hot water returning to a reduction well, hydrogen sulfide-containing gas is supplied thereinto and desulfurized thereat. With lowering of activation at the biochemical treatment tanks and with lowering of desulfurization ability there, the acidified reaction liquid is removed and is added to the hot water returning to the reduction well. Accordingly, addition of inorganic nutritive salt for cell breeding becomes unnecessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1997
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Takeuchi, Yuuichi Fujioka
  • Patent number: 5658530
    Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for deactivating contaminants involves illuminating one portion of the contaminants with light having frequencies within a first prescribed frequency range, resulting in the deactivating of the one portion of the contaminants, and illuminating another portion of the contaminants with light having frequencies within a second prescribed frequency range, the other portion being at a titanium dioxide supplemented surface, so as to initiate the release of a highly reactive agent in a reaction in which titanium dioxide serves as a catalyst. The highly reactive agent deactivates the other portion of the contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: PurePulse Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph E. Dunn
  • Patent number: 5658607
    Abstract: A method for uniformly controlling the ripening of bananas and other perishable products from harvest to delivery, wherein a combination shipping and ripening container having an internal volume capable of receiving and maintaining a controlled atmosphere is provided. Freshly harvested, unripened perishable products are loaded into the container and cooled to a holding temperature in a range of from about 57.degree. to about 70.degree. F. Once the products are stabilized at the desired holding temperature, a controlled atmosphere including ethylene is preferably substantially immediately provided to the internal volume to uniformly initiate ripening of all of the loaded products. Once ripening has been initiated, the ethylene is reduced within the internal volume by displacement with a low oxygen controlled atmosphere, which is maintained within the container during storage, transportation, and delivery procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Chiquita Brands, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert William Herdeman
  • Patent number: 5658610
    Abstract: A method and device for high-pressure treatment of liquid substances, for example foodstuffs. The substance undergoes a cyclic process whereby a limited amount of the substance during each cycle is pressurized in a pressure intensifier (1) to a predetermined pressure and is then maintained at this pressure for a predetermined period of time. After the substance has been pressurized in the pressure intensifier (1), it is conducted to a pressure chamber (10) while maintaining the predetermined pressure. The substance is further caused to reside in the pressure chamber (10) for the predetermined period of time by being caused to pass over a predetermined distance between an inlet (9a) and an outlet (9b), which are arranged in the pressure chamber (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: ASEA Brown Boveri AB
    Inventors: Carl Bergman, Jan Westerlund
  • Patent number: 5656318
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for preparing and packaging a wide variety of uncooked food articles, such as uncooked cookie dough, in which the packaged food articles are premixed, shaped and arranged on cooking parchment so that they are ready for cooking immediately upon their removal from the package. In accordance with the method of the invention, a large volume of uncooked food articles can be prepared and packaged in a ready-to-use form for immediate use by high-volume users such as commissaries, schools, major restaurants and like institutions. More particularly, in the practice of one method of the invention large numbers of precisely formed segments of cookie dough are formed and strategically arranged in rows on baking parchment so that the baking parchment can be rolled into unrollable rolls, placed in a suitable shipping container and then, at time of use be readily removed from the package, unrolled and placed directly into a conventional baking oven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1997
    Inventor: Linda Baisley
  • Patent number: 5656313
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for improving quality and increasing syrup yield within a beverage blending system. The apparatus and the associated method are adaptable to existing proportioning and blending systems or the appropriate control and measurement equipment may be installed alone to provide a highly accurate control of the blend. This control is a function of the mass flow of at least one of the components input to the proportioner. From this mass flow determination an adjusted volumetric flow value for the component(s) is determined. The ratio of the volumetric flow of the water to the syrup is used to determine a signal to control the proportional blending. Adjustment of the blend ratio is made by comparing the calculated ratio to the set beverage values. Control of the carbonation of the system is also incorporated as well as a device to fully saturate the CO.sub.2 into the liquid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1997
    Assignee: Micro-Blend, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael W. Gibney, Lawrence M. Lucas, Roy Culver, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5654024
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for removing palm hearts from the tapered and "meristem" sections of cut lengths of stalks of palm, each of which had included a large "meristem" section joined to a smaller diameter top section by an intermediate tapered section, and had a palm heart that runs the length of the stalk as a core member inside an intermediate layer that is surrounded by a thorny outer bark layer. After removel of the smaller diameter section from the remainder of the stalk, the remaining tapered and "meristem" sections are caused to be retentively positioned in coring means by which, backed by means for retaining the work piece in position, a coring knife moves substantially coaxially to the piece from one of its ends to core out and remove the palmheart core from the remainder of the work piece. Embodiments include such means per se and methods for carrying out the foregoing processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Roberto Gonzales Barrera
    Inventors: Ronald S. Rainey, Ian P. Campbell
  • Patent number: 5652009
    Abstract: An enhanced hydration extrusion cooking system, method and extruded product are provided which utilize a conventional extrusion cooking system with a material feed bin feeding material to a conditioning cylinder, from which it is fed to a cooking or forming extruder. An enhanced hydration subsystem is provided for providing a high-starch slurry to the conditioning cylinder, which can be gelatinized immediately prior to or promptly upon entry to the conditioning cylinder. The enhanced hydration subsystem includes a make-up tank receiving high-starch powder and water, which are mixed therein to form a slurry. The slurry is transferred to a pumping tank, from which metered amounts of the slurry are pumped to the conditioning cylinder. The slurry provides a source of pre-gelatinized starch which facilitates the extrusion cooking process and provides a number of desirable characteristics in the extruded product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Extru-Tech, Inc.
    Inventor: Colin D. Mair
  • Patent number: 5641529
    Abstract: An extrusion apparatus for producing thee-dimensional objects comprises at least one die, an extruder, and a rotatable cutter plate. The die is disposed adjacent to an outlet end of the extruder. The die forms an opening defining a two-dimensional shape, and the extruder forces an extrudable material through the opening in the die. The rotatable cutter plate is disposed adjacent to the die. The cutter plate is configured to obstruct different portions of the die opening at different times as the cutter plate rotates so as to vary the shape of the extrudable material forced through the opening in the die and thereby create a three-dimensional shape. The cutter plate is configured to fully obstruct the opening in the die during each revolution of the cutter plate so as to separate the extrudable material forced through the opening in the die into individual objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Assignee: The Quaker Oats Company
    Inventor: Kurt T. Kunas
  • Patent number: 5639497
    Abstract: A cooking apparatus for automatically cooking and rotating a food product which comprises: a cooking chamber; a planetary assembly disposed within the cooking chamber which is capable of rotating the food product about the cooking chamber; a heater or burner disposed within the cooking chamber for cooking the food product; a venting damper disposed within the cooking chamber which is capable of releasing excess energy contained within the cooking chamber; a temperature sensor used for detecting the temperature in the cooking chamber; and a microprocessor which is capable of cooking the food product for a predetermined cooking time and maintaining the temperature in the cooking chamber in accordance with a predetermined cooking temperature by means of controlling the heater or burner and the venting damper such that the heater or burner remains in the "on" position during the entire cooking time while the venting damper is opened and closed as necessary to maintain the predetermined cooking temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Cleveland Range, Inc.
    Inventors: James P. Bedford, Thomas J. Willis, Mark H. Finck
  • Patent number: 5639499
    Abstract: Sterilizing apparatus and a method including a stepped transition heat exchange bank is used to raise the temperature of a an incoming fluent food product before introducing the fluent food product to a sterilizing chamber in which the fluent food product is discharged in the form of a free-falling film; sterilizing steam is injected into the sterilizing chamber, all of which is absorbed by the fluent food product; from the sterilizing chamber, the food product with absorbed steam is passed to a vacuum chamber where part of the water in the fluent food product flashes to steam again and is removed for subsequent processing through heat exchangers and recirculation back to a steam generator upstream of the sterilizing chamber. The food product from the vacuum chamber is passed to a stepped heat exchange bank before passing to storage or packaging facilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Dasi Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Nahra, Artur G. Zimmer
  • Patent number: 5637496
    Abstract: The device for conveying and separating a suspension with biological cells or micro-organisms in biological processes has a rotating separating element in a surrounding reaction space with a flow space which is in the form of a rotational gap, an inlet opening, an inner outlet opening for the cell-free medium, an outer through opening and an exit opening for the suspension. The distance R4 of the exit opening from the axis of rotation is greater than the distance R1 of the inlet opening, and the distance R3 of the through opening is greater than the distance R2 of the inner outlet opening. The suspension can thus be conveyed in the flow space and the cells efficiently separated at the same time. The device is particularly suitable for continuous operation with sensitive mammal cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: B. Braun Biotech International mbH
    Inventors: Thomas Thaler, Gerhard Klement
  • Patent number: 5637333
    Abstract: Improved sea urchin feeds are provided which are very efficiently utilized by sea urchins and significantly increase gonadal development. The feeds are semi-moist, stable, extruded solid pellets or bodies which sink in sea water and have protein and carbohydrate fractions as well as a moisture content of from about 12-40% by weight. The feed bodies have an as manufactured water activity of up to about 0.8, are storable at ambient temperature for a period of at least two months, and are self-sustaining in sea water for a period of at least about 24 hours. Preferred feeds include kelp, fish oil and humectant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: Wenger Manufacturing Co. Inc.
    Inventors: Addison L. Lawrence, John M. Lawrence, Joseph P. Kearns, Galen J. Rokey
  • Patent number: 5637342
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for cooking bacon bits which uses a continuous cooker. Bacon and bacon fat are delivered to the cooker which uses an auger to move the bacon from one end of the cooker to the other. The cooker is heated, for example, using a steam supply to heat a jacket on the outside of the cooker. The auger moves the bacon and bacon fat from the beginning point of the cooker to the exit point of the cooker. The heated jacket provides the heat needed to cook the bacon. Steam is injected in the casing to bubble through the oil and product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: Schreiber Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Coralie G. Brooks, David L. Shaft