Patents Examined by Stephanie Cox
  • Patent number: 8661970
    Abstract: Thermally convertible food presentation modules are described. A single module may be used for both heating and refrigeration of foodstuffs as desired at any given time. Any well of a module may be switched between heating and cooling of food regardless of the status of any other well of the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Low Temp Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Howell B. Shackelford
  • Patent number: 8475863
    Abstract: A dried confectionery meringue formed from a meringue mixture having a pre-drying moisture level of between about 18% and about 30%, said mixture including a protein foaming agent, sucrose and at least one monosaccharide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Mars, Incorporated
    Inventors: Matthew D. Perry, Thomas Abene, Richard D. Ornelaz, Bruce Keen
  • Patent number: 8420143
    Abstract: The present application describes a produce wash system for dispersing carbon dioxide into a liquid medium which includes a container containing carbon dioxide gas which is connected to another container or pipe capable of containing a liquid medium so that the gas from the first container is capable of being dispersed into the liquid medium of the second container or pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Anterra Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Joseph Terranova
  • Patent number: 8387517
    Abstract: A tea kettle and related methods for preparing an optimally flavored hot tea. The tea kettle is capable of heating water for steeping tea leaves and steeping the packaged or loose leaf tea leaves within the tea kettle. The tea kettle can include an integrated heating element for heating the water. The tea kettle includes an integrated thermometer and can include an integrated timer for tracking the water temperature and steep time respectively so as to insure that the tea leaves steep at the proper temperature and duration of time. The tea kettle can include a detachable mesh infuser that attaches to a lid of the tea kettle for holding tea leaves during steeping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: National Presto Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Geissler
  • Patent number: 8383213
    Abstract: A decoration device for attaching to a windshield wiper featuring a generally flexible elongated strip; a cloth component disposed on a top surface of the strip, the cloth component resembles a tail of an animal, the animal includes a cat, a dog, a lion, a rhinoceros, a snake, a tiger, an elephant, a zebra, a wolf, a dingo, a kangaroo, or the like; and at least one clip disposed on a bottom surface of the strip, the clip is configured to wrap around a portion of the arm of the windshield wiper, the clip comprises a screw clamp for tightening the clip around the portion of the arm of the windshield wiper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Inventor: Donald Clark
  • Patent number: 8347639
    Abstract: A tempering treatment method whereby the temperature of meat, which involves a carcass prepared by slaughtering cattle or poultry and sterilizing and washing, is lowered as close to the ice storage temperature as possible to prevent a temperature rise caused by the actions of enzymes contained within the meat before transporting the meat to a refrigerated storage, which comprises surface-freezing the meat by blowing a cold air stream at about ?20 to about ?40° C. to the meat before conducting the tempering treatment, thus allowing the generation of freezing latent heat in the subcutaneous part owing to the surface-freezing (freezing the subcutaneous tissue), and then rapidly lowering the core temperature inside the meat due to the latent heat released at the melting of the freezing latent heat to thereby conduct the tempering treatment at a temperature of 0 to +15° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Mayekawa Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Okamoto, Suguru Sakuramoto, Takahiro Arai, Kouichi Tsubata, Akira Taniyama
  • Patent number: 8307761
    Abstract: Thermally convertible food presentation modules are described. A single module may be used for both heating and refrigeration of foodstuffs as desired at any given time. Any well of a module may be switched between heating and cooling of food regardless of the status of any other well of the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Low Temp Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Howell B. Shackelford
  • Patent number: 8250968
    Abstract: A wort copper and a method of boiling wort, with the wort copper having an external boiler arranged outside of the wort copper, which cyclically heats wort from the wort copper, wherein the heated wort is re-supplied to the wort copper, and comprises an infeed tube and a rising pipe, through which wort heated by the external boiler rises upwards in the wort copper, as well as at least one intake opening is provided in the rising line for sucking in wort from a wort reservoir of the wort copper, wherein the cross-sectional surface of the rising pipe enlarges at least section-wise towards the upper end of the rising pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Dietmar Lohner, Christian Wetzl, Robert Gruber
  • Patent number: 8196508
    Abstract: Described is a pitting machine, system and process that singularizes or individualizes fruit pieces, such as cherries, olives, dates and plums and that attempts to remove pits and pit material from each fruit piece. A conveyor comprises depressions, wells or receptacles for accepting fruit pieces for processing. The conveyor accepts fruit pieces into wells, passes the fruit pieces into a pitting area wherein the pitting machine removes pit material from the fruit pieces by a matrix of punching needles or pitting needles. The matrix moves in an oscillatory fashion in synchronization with generally continuous movement of the fruit pieces engaged in the conveyor. The singularization enables easier and better processing, sorting, and quality checking of fruit pieces. Quality checking may be done before and after pitting of fruit pieces. Quality checking may include desired color and size of each fruit piece. Quality checking virtually ensures successful or sufficient removal of pits and pit material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Inventor: Lawrence J. Larsen
  • Patent number: 8178147
    Abstract: A tea beverage product that includes at least one tea component as well as coumalic acid or its salt to inhibit non-enzymatic browning of the tea beverage product. The tea component may be a green tea component, red tea component, black tea component, white tea component or a blend of tea components. The coumalic acid may be present in an amount less than 100 ppm. Alternatively, a coumalate may be employed, which will undergo hydrolysis within the tea beverage or concentrate product to form coumalic acid. In addition, a method for inhibiting non-enzymatic browning, by adding at least one of coumalic acid, a coumalic acid salt or a coumalate to a tea beverage composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Pepsico, Inc.
    Inventors: Glenn Roy, Barry Gosselin
  • Patent number: 8158178
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing odor from vinegar comprising: a) increasing the pH of the vinegar with base to at least 6; b) maintaining said pH for at least 15 minutes at 40-90° C.; c) adding acid to obtain vinegar having pH between 6 and 8, if the pH of the vinegar of step b) is 8 or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Purac Biochem B.V.
    Inventors: Dirk A. Knikker, René J. C. Notebaart, Diana Visser