Patents by Inventor Richard Schutzenhofer

Richard Schutzenhofer 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: 8460733
    Abstract: A method and system for producing a flavored beverage wherein the flavor is added in a separate step to a combination of the base ingredients after the base liquid has been pasteurized by, for example, thermal heating. The flavor can be added to a continuous stream of the base liquid after a thermally processed hot-fill beverage base liquid is made up. A return loop conduit of the hot-fill beverage base liquid portion of the system is capable of diverting the heated hot-fill beverage base liquid in a stable state, that is, at the desired temperatures ready for continued beverage production, while the flavor may be switched over in a downstream flavor dosing portion of the system. The system may be used to produce a desired batch of flavored beverage by producing a first flavor, cleaning only that portion of the system to remove the first flavor and then changing over the flavor additive component to a desired second flavor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: The Quaker Oats Company
    Inventors: Rei-Young Amos Wu, Richard Schutzenhofer, Osvaldo A. Chu
  • Patent number: 8430111
    Abstract: A fluid processing system has a plurality of segments configured to receive flow of a fluid product. Each of the plurality of segments has a line input, a line output, a cleaning input valve, and a cleaning discharge valve. The cleaning input valve connects to the line input and the cleaning discharge valve connects to the line output. A cleaning medium is provided wherein the cleaning medium is injected into a respective cleaning input valve and drained through a respective cleaning discharge valve, such that each segment can be cleaned independently of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Stokely-Van Camp, Inc.
    Inventors: Rei-Young Amos Wu, Ashok Shashikant Dhruv, Paul Konopacki, Michael J. Mastio, Richard Schutzenhofer
  • Publication number: 20110083752
    Abstract: A fluid processing system has a plurality of segments configured to receive flow of a fluid product. Each of the plurality of segments has a line input, a line output, a cleaning input valve, and a cleaning discharge valve. The cleaning input valve connects to the line input and the cleaning discharge valve connects to the line output. A cleaning medium is provided wherein the cleaning medium is injected into a respective cleaning input valve and drained through a respective cleaning discharge valve, such that each segment can be cleaned independently of each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: STOKELY-VAN CAMP, INC.
    Inventors: Rei-Young Amos Wu, Ashok Shashikant Dhruv, Paul Konopacki, Michael J. Mastio, Richard Schutzenhofer
  • Patent number: 7874306
    Abstract: A fluid processing system has a plurality of segments configured to receive flow of a fluid product. Each of the plurality of segments has a line input, a line output, a cleaning input valve, and a cleaning discharge valve. The cleaning input valve connects to the line input and the cleaning discharge valve connects to the line output. A cleaning medium is provided wherein the cleaning medium is injected into a respective cleaning input valve and drained through a respective cleaning discharge valve, such that each segment can be cleaned independently of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Stokely-Van Camp, Inc.
    Inventors: Rei-Young Amos Wu, Ashok Shashikant Dhruv, Paul Konopacki, Michael J. Mastio, Richard Schutzenhofer
  • Patent number: 7621301
    Abstract: A method and system for cleaning containers being transposed through a container cleaning line, including an open-ended housing, a predetermined container flow path defined by the line of moving containers traversing the enclosure defined by the housing longitudinally, a first set of ionizing air nozzles mounted within the housing for directing ionized compressed air toward the containers in the container flow path, with at least one of the nozzles directing air flow into an open side of each container as it passes the nozzle and a second set of high velocity air nozzles mounted within the housing for directing high velocity compressed air toward the container flow path, the second set of high velocity nozzles being disposed along a direction essentially parallel to the container flow path with at least one of the nozzles flows directing high velocity air flow into the open side of each container as it passes the nozzle. Nozzle guards are provided to prevent contact between the containers and the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: The Quaker Oats Company
    Inventors: Rei-Young Wu, Richard Schutzenhofer, Anthony L. Armstrong, Timothy Thomas Olsem, Robert Kent Rusher
  • Publication number: 20080066803
    Abstract: A fluid processing system has a plurality of segments configured to receive flow of a fluid product. Each of the plurality of segments has a line input, a line output, a cleaning input valve, and a cleaning discharge valve. The cleaning input valve connects to the line input and the cleaning discharge valve connects to the line output. A cleaning medium is provided wherein the cleaning medium is injected into a respective cleaning input valve and drained through a respective cleaning discharge valve, such that each segment can be cleaned independently of each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: Stokely-Van Camp, Inc.
    Inventors: Rei-Young Wu, Ashok Dhruv, Paul Konopacki, Michael Mastio, Richard Schutzenhofer
  • Publication number: 20070240784
    Abstract: A method and system for cleaning containers being transposed through a container cleaning line, including an open-ended housing, a predetermined container flow path defined by the line of moving containers traversing the enclosure defined by the housing longitudinally, a first set of ionizing air nozzles mounted within the housing for directing ionized compressed air toward the containers in the container flow path, with at least one of the nozzles directing air flow into an open side of each container as it passes the nozzle and a second set of high velocity air nozzles mounted within the housing for directing high velocity compressed air toward the container flow path, the second set of high velocity nozzles being disposed along a direction essentially parallel to the container flow path with at least one of the nozzles flows directing high velocity air flow into the open side of each container as it passes the nozzle. Nozzle guards are provided to prevent contact between the containers and the nozzles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2006
    Publication date: October 18, 2007
    Inventors: Rei-Young Wu, Richard Schutzenhofer, Anthony Armstrong, Timothy Olsem, Robert Rusher
  • Publication number: 20060286261
    Abstract: A method and system for producing a flavored beverage wherein the flavor is added in a separate step to a combination of the base ingredients after the base liquid has been pasteurized by, for example, thermal heating. The flavor can be added to a continuous stream of the base liquid after a thermally processed hot-fill beverage base liquid is made up. A return loop conduit of the hot-fill beverage base liquid portion of the system is capable of diverting the heated hot-fill beverage base liquid in a stable state, that is, at the desired temperatures ready for continued beverage production, while the flavor may be switched over in a downstream flavor dosing portion of the system. The system may be used to produce a desired batch of flavored beverage by producing a first flavor, cleaning only that portion of the system to remove the first flavor and then changing over the flavor additive component to a desired second flavor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2006
    Publication date: December 21, 2006
    Applicant: The Quaker Oats Company
    Inventors: Rei-young Wu, Richard Schutzenhofer, Osvaldo Chu