Patents by Inventor Martin Hersche

Martin Hersche has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11963540
    Abstract: A device (10) for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material. The device (10) includes: an outer housing (40); a material inlet (43); a material outlet (44); a material guide channel (41) for guiding the material through the device (10) to the material outlet (44); at least one electron source (20) for generating an electron beam; and a treatment zone (19), located in the material guide channel (41), for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing while the material is free falling. The device (10) has at least one inner shielding section (51, 52) disposed within the outer housing (40) and enclosing the material guide channel (41) for shielding off radiation produced during treatment. A method for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material using such a device (10) is also disclosed which includes: a) generating an electron beam, and b) pasteurizing and/or sterilizing the material, while the material is free falling in the treatment zone (19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Bühler AG
    Inventors: Alasdair Currie, Martin Hersche
  • Patent number: 11166472
    Abstract: A devices (10) and method for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material. The device contain at least one electron source (20) for generating an electron beam and a treatment zone (19) in which the material is pasteurized and/or sterilized by the electron beam. The device (10) comprises a vibration surface (11) which vibrates to convey and individualize the material. The first vibration surface (11) has a plurality of grooves (12) into which the material is conveyed and individualized. The device (10) has a material channel (21) in which the material is pasteurized and/or sterilized by the electron beam in the region of the treatment zone (19). The device (10) has at least one auxiliary channel (22) through which a fluid flows, between the electron source (20) and the material channel (21), and is separated from the material channel (21). A cartridge (24) for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: BÜHLER AG
    Inventors: Nicolas Meneses, Martin Hersche, Alasdair Currie, Niklaus Schönenberger, Thomas Scheiwiller
  • Patent number: 10849333
    Abstract: Devices (10) and methods for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material. The devices contain at least one electron source (20) for generating an electron beam and a treatment zone (19) in which the material is pasteurized and/or sterilized by the electron beam. The device (10) comprises a vibration surface (11) which vibrates to convey and individualize the material. The first vibration surface (11) has a plurality of grooves (12) into which the material is conveyed and individualized. The device (10) has a good channel (21) in which the material is pasteurized and/or sterilized by the electron beam in the region of the treatment zone (19). The device (10) has at least one auxiliary channel (22) through which a fluid flows between the electron source (20) and the good channel (21) and is separated from the good channel (21). A cartridge (24), for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material, is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: BUEHLER AG
    Inventors: Nicolas Meneses, Martin Hersche, Alasdair Currie, Niklaus Schönenberger, Thomas Scheiwiller
  • Publication number: 20120260743
    Abstract: The invention relates to an assembly and method for cost-effective in-line NIR measurement, in particular for cost-effective in-line NIR measurement of ingredients, quality parameters or in general product characteristics of cereal grains, inter alia, and constituents thereof in product streams (3) in flour mills or animal feed mills or the like. Using at least one measuring probe (1), the reflection spectra are advantageously recorded on free-flowing product (3) in a flow tube and are transmitted to an evaluating device (2) disposed spatially separately therefrom and having an integrated spectrometer (12). The measured values determined by the evaluating device (2) are transmitted to a control unit (24) or to a management system (22), where they can be used for monitoring and/or regulating the processes or installations. In comparison to NIR systems used until now, the costs per measuring location can be greatly reduced by the simple product presentation and re-use of the evaluating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: Buhler AG
    Inventors: Martin Hersche, Urs Dübendorfer, Martin Heine