With Discharge Control Patents (Class 99/611)
  • Patent number: 8688277
    Abstract: An apparatus that generates brewed beverages by performing one or more chemical and/or mechanical processes may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The apparatus may include a master controller that initiates and controls performance of the chemical and/or mechanical processes to produce the specified beverages. The master controller may adaptively apply one or more process accelerators during the performance of one of the chemical or mechanical processes to accelerate the process or to achieve a desired qualitative or quantitative characteristic for a beverage or a component thereof. The adaptive application of one or more process accelerators may be dependent on a multiple-variable process profile developed for the process and/or a specified beverage. For example, the pressure in a steam wand and/or the depth of the wand may be varied during a process to froth milk in order to produce frothed milk having a desired temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Briggo, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles F. Studor, J. Kevin Nater, Marwan M Hassoun
  • Patent number: 6886453
    Abstract: A rice polisher for polishing rice, which is a preprocess necessary for producing pre-white rice having a favorable taste by using a small amount of water, a pre-polished rice producing apparatus that uses the rice polisher, a leveling device capable of uniformly leveling grains, and a pre-polished rice producing facility. The rice polisher includes a grain-lifting spiral for transporting white rice above from below, a water-pouring port for pouring polishing water, the water-pouring port being disposed at a head portion, a discharge port for discharging the white rice, the discharge port being disposed at the head portion, and a rice-polishing roll for polishing rice by agitating together with the polishing water poured from the water-pouring port the white rice pressurized by transportation by the grain-lifting spiral, with the polisher discharging from the discharge port the white rice that has been polished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yamamoto Seisakusho
    Inventors: Soichi Yamamoto, Masashi Shibata, Yoichi Adachi, Harou Mori, Yuji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6827008
    Abstract: The present invention intends to realize a non-washing rice presenting a good taste by performing the pressure rice washing under the most appropriate conditions in correspondence to the polished rice to be washed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Inventor: Satoru Imura
  • Patent number: 6752072
    Abstract: A rice polisher for polishing rice, which is a preprocess necessary for producing pre-white rice having a favorable taste by using a small amount of water, a pre-polished rice producing apparatus that uses the rice polisher, a leveling device capable of uniformly leveling grains, and a pre-polished rice producing facility. The rice polisher includes a grain-lifting spiral for transporting white rice above from below, a water-pouring port for pouring polishing water, the water-pouring port being disposed at a head portion, a discharge port for discharging the white rice, the discharge port being disposed at the head portion, and a rice-polishing roll for polishing rice by agitating together with the polishing water poured from the water-pouring port the white rice pressurized by transportation by the grain-lifting spiral, with the polisher discharging from the discharge port the white rice that has been polished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yamamoto Seisakusho
    Inventors: Soichi Yamamoto, Masashi Shibata, Yoichi Adachi, Haruo Mori, Yuji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6748852
    Abstract: A rice polisher for polishing rice, which is a preprocess necessary for producing pre-white rice having a favorable taste by using a small amount of water, a pre-polished rice producing apparatus that uses the rice polisher, a leveling device capable of uniformly leveling grains, and a pre-polished rice producing facility. The rice polisher includes a grain-lifting spiral for transporting white rice above from below, a water-pouring port for pouring polishing water, the water-pouring port being disposed at a head portion, a discharge port for discharging the white rice, the discharge port being disposed at the head portion, and a rice-polishing roll for polishing rice by agitating together with the polishing water poured from the water-pouring port the white rice pressurized by transportation by the grain-lifting spiral, with the polisher discharging from the discharge port the white rice that has been polished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yamamoto-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Soichi Yamamoto, Masashi Shibata, Yoichi Adachi, Haruo Mori, Yuji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6539849
    Abstract: A rice polisher for polishing rice, which is a preprocess necessary for producing pre-white rice having a favorable taste by using a small amount of water, a pre-polished rice producing apparatus that uses the rice polisher, a leveling device capable of uniformly leveling grains, and a pre-polished rice producing facility. The rice polisher includes a grain-lifting spiral for transporting white rice above from below, a water-pouring port for pouring polishing water, the water-pouring port being disposed at a head portion, a discharge port for discharging the white rice, the discharge port being disposed at the head portion, and a rice-polishing roll for polishing rice by agitating together with the polishing water poured from the water-pouring port the white rice pressurized by transportation by the grain-lifting spiral, with the polisher discharging from the discharge port the white rice that has been polished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yamamoto-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Soichi Yamamoto, Masashi Shibata, Yoichi Adachi, Haruo Mori, Yuji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5476036
    Abstract: A screen assembly for grain husking, decorticating, polishing and whitening machines, the assembly to be mounted on a frame part of the respective machine. The assembly comprises at least two screen sectors which form a substantially cylindrical shape around a longitudinal axis in assembled condition. A frame is provided for each of the screen sectors for framing and supporting the screen sectors by reinforcing the circumference of the screen sectors. An axle arrangement on at least one of the frames extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and is provided for adjusting the distance between the longitudinal axis and a respective one of the screen sectors and one circumferential side of the screen sectors. The axle arrangement comprises a first and second axle parallel to each other within the range of two adjacent circumferential sides of two adjacent screen sectors. A pitman rod connects the axles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Buhler GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Liebing
  • Patent number: 5419252
    Abstract: A vertical milling machine comprises a first milling part and a second milling part situated under the first milling part, the first and second milling parts having a common main shaft extending vertically. The first milling part has a supply part of grain on an upper end side thereof and a discharge pare of grain having been milled in the first milling part on a lower end side thereof. The second milling part has a supply part of grain to be milled in the second milling part on a lower end side thereof and a discharge part of grain having been milled in the second milling part on an upper end side thereof. The grain discharge part of the first milling part is communicated with the grain supply part of the second milling part through a grain transfer passage extending therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: Satake Corporation
    Inventor: Satoru Satake
  • Patent number: 5390589
    Abstract: A pearling machine has an abrasive type pearling roll assembly which is formed by stacking a plurality of pearling rolls via intervening air blowing spacers. Stirring bars are secured to the outer periphery of the individual pearling rolls. Resistance bars are provided on the inner surface of a vertical polygonal bran removal cylinder. With a cooperative function of the stirring and resistance bars, grains supplied to a pearling chamber defined by the pearling roll assembly and the bran removal cylinder receive active spinning and revolution action. The grains thus receive uniform cutting action, and thus they are pearled uniformly. The vertical pearling machine permits optimum pearling of grains in dependence on the kind and character of the grains and is suited particularly to the pearling of tempered wheat with outer layer part having been made tough and inner layer part having been made soft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Assignee: Satake Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Satake, Takeshi Ishii, Yoshihiro Tokui
  • Patent number: 5259303
    Abstract: A rice-cleaning machine has a flowing-down friction type rice-cleaning chamber (18) formed around the lower portion of a main vertical rotary shaft (10) a grain sending chamber (79) formed around an upper portion of the main shaft (10) for forcibly sending grains to the rice-cleaning chamber (18), and a rising-up abrasion type rice-cleaning chamber (44) formed around the grain sending chamber (79). Rice-cleaning rolls (15) and (38) of the rice-cleaning chambers (18) and (44) are independently driven to rotate. A grain overflow port at an upper portion of the abrasion cleaning chamber (44) and a grain flowing-in port at an upper portion of the grain sending chamber (79) are communicated through by a connection passage (61). A rice grain supply apparatus consisting of a vertical cylinder body (46) and a vertical spiral (49) are connected to a side portion of the abrasion chamber (44).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Assignee: Yamamoto & Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Soichi Yamamoto, Haruo Mori
  • Patent number: 5076156
    Abstract: A grain cleaning machine comprising a cleaning chamber including a cleaning roll for cleaning uncleaned grain white, a screw conveyor for feeding the uncleaned grain into the cleaning chamber, a discharge adjusting device disposed in a grain outflow region of the cleaning chamber, and a torque sensor for detecting an internal load of the cleaning chamber. The discharge adjusting device is spring-loaded in a direction to stop outflow of white grain from the cleaning chamber, and is movable against the spring load in a direction to enhance outflow of the white grain. The discharge adjusting device is controllable on the basis of torque detection by the torque sensor to maintain the internal load of the cleaning chamber in a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuo Ohike, Mitsuo Hino, Shigeaki Yamahara
  • Patent number: 5076157
    Abstract: A green coffee bean polishing apparatus for removing silver skin from green coffee beans having the silver skins remaining after removal of parchment, comprises: a tubular member communicated at one end portion thereof with a supply port for green coffee beans to be polished and at the other end portion thereof with a discharge port for the polished green coffee beans, the tubular member defining a polishing chamber therein and having a large number of through holes formed in a wall surface thereof; a polishing roll rotatably disposed in the polishing chamber for serving to polish the green coffee beans in the polishing chamber so as to separate the silver skin from the outer surface of each green coffee bean; and an air passing means for passing air from the polishing chamber to the outside of the tubular member so as to discharge the silver skin separated from the green coffee beans through the through holes in the tubular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Satake Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiko Satake
  • Patent number: 5048407
    Abstract: The versatility of a grain husking and polishing machine to treat grains of different types is improved by providing a grain treatment chamber constituted by an abrasive rotor mounted on a fixed axis and a screen assembly surrounding said rotor and mounted on a movable annular plate actuated by a sidewardly movable mechanism capable of changing the eccentrically of said screen assembly with respect to said rotor. A more efficient combined husking and polishing action is accomplished by providing a rotor comprising a plurality of cam-like abrasive discs spaced apart by a corresponding plurality of spacer rings having a diameter smaller than that of the discs so as to form grain expansion chambers therebetween, whereby an energetic husking action followed by a moderate abrading polishing action are effected along the treatment chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Inventor: Felipe Salete-Garces
  • Patent number: 4913045
    Abstract: In an apparatus for humidifying polished rice, a conveyor has a tubular housing which defines a predetermined transport path for the polished rice. The conveyor conveys the polished rice, while steering the same, along the transport path. A humidifier is arranged in association with the transport path for adding moisture to the polished rice conveyed along the transport path to humidify the polished rice. A blower is arranged in association with the transport path for causing air to flow therealong. A rice milling system comprises a rice polishing machine and the apparatus connected thereto. The rice polishing machine polishes brown rice to form the polished rice. Polishing of the brown rice to the polished rice raises temperature of the polished rice. The polished rice elevated in temperature is supplied to the housing of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1990
    Assignee: Satake Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiko Satake
  • Patent number: 4843957
    Abstract: Provided is a rice polishing machine of a vertical shaft and frictional type, comprising a vertical tubular member, having a perforated wall; a vertical main shaft rotatably disposed in the tubular member and having one end part and an other end part; a spiral rotor fitted on the one end part of the vertical main shaft; a polishing rotor having an outer peripheral surface on which agitating projection ridges are formed, fitted on the other end part of the main shaft and further having a center axis around which the polishing rotor rotates in a certain rotating direction; and a polishing chamber mainly defined by the tubular member and the polishing rotor and having upper and lower ends one of which is connected with a rice grain feed section and the other of which is connected with a rice grain discharge section, wherein the peripheral surface of the polishing rotor is formed such that the distance between the center axis of the polishing rotor and a part of the peripheral surface of the polishing rotor, whic
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1989
    Assignee: Satake Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiko Satake
  • Patent number: 4829893
    Abstract: In a cereal-grain polishing apparatus, a perforated tubular member is arranged substantially vertically. A polishing roll fixedly mounted to a rotary shaft is rotatably arranged within the perforated tubular member to define therebetween a polishing chamber. The polishing roll is provided with at least one agitating projection and at least one opening. Cereal grains to be polished are fed to the polishing chamber by a screw feed roll fixedly mounted to the rotary shaft, such that the cereal grains move upwardly through the polishing chamber. When the polishing roll is rotated, the agitating projection brings the cereal grains into friction contact with each other to remove surface layers from the respective cereal grains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1989
    Assignee: Satake Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiko Satake
  • Patent number: 4515075
    Abstract: A rice polishing machine comprises a rotatable shaft, a polishing roll mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, and a perforated cylindrical polishing assembly disposed in substantially concentric relation to the shaft. The cylindrical polishing assembly has its inner circumferential surface which cooperates with an outer circumferential surface of the polishing roll to define therebetween a polishing chamber. Partition wall members engage with an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical polishing assembly at a location below an axis of the shaft for dividing the outer circumferential surface into an arcuate bottom surface section and the remaining arcuate surface section and for defining an upper space to which the bottom surface section is exposed and a lower space to which the remaining surface section is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1985
    Assignee: Satake Engineering Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiko Satake
  • Patent number: 4463665
    Abstract: Disclosed is an improvement in a pressure plate adjusting device for grain whitening apparatus which is capable of automatically and precisely adjusting the pressure of a pressure plate disposed at a rice outlet of a whitening chamber. The automatic adjustment has been made possible by the provision of reversible electric motor mounted on one end wall of a casing enclosing a pressure control screw shaft, a weight mounted on said screw shaft and a guide rod for guiding the movement of said weight, and a control unit producing a control signal having relation to the conditions of whitening action of grains within the whitening chamber and controlling the direction and the amount of rotation of said motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1984
    Assignee: Satake Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Satake, Kiyoto Kagawa, Shigeru Ariji
  • Patent number: 4459903
    Abstract: An abrasive roll rice polishing machine which comprises a vertical framework assembly, a vertical rotary shaft extending in the vertical axis of the framework assembly and journalled therein, an abrasive roll mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, a vertically movable polishing cylinder provided within the framework assembly surrounding the abrasive roll in peripherally spaced relationship to the latter to define a polishing chamber therebetween, a hopper at the top of the framework assembly and a discharge port at the bottom of the polishing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1984
    Inventor: Soichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 4426921
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing bran from cereal grains, particularly rice, wherein dehusked cereal grains to be debranned are fed under controlled pressure through a chamber wherein they are laterally confined by an apertured screen while being worked by a special bladed rotor providing pockets of grain which rotate with the rotor within and relative to the confined grain body so that the debranning action is effected mainly by grains rubbing together whereby to produce high grade unbroken polished grains efficiently and economically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1984
    Assignee: Riviana Foods, Inc.
    Inventor: Elmond F. Meinardus
  • Patent number: 4426922
    Abstract: A vertical frictionally abrasive roll rice polishing machine in which a vertical rotary shaft extended in the vertically axial direction of a framework assembly, a vertical frictionally abrasive roll is mounted at the upper end of the shaft, a polishing cylinder surrounds the abrasive roll in coaxial and peripherally spaced relationship to the roll to define an annular polishing chamber therebetween, the polishing cylinder rotates and moves depending upon load applied thereto, the abrasive roll rotates but does not move vertically, a material supply passage is formed above the polishing chamber and a polished rice discharge passage is formed below the polishing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1984
    Inventor: Soichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 4331072
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for degerming maize are disclosed. The maize is introduced into a cylindrical, perforated working housing in which is mounted a rapidly rotating rotor which drives the maize along an annular working chamber between the rotor and housing. The rotor carries a large number of blades having edges which detach the germ from the endosperm. A collecting chamber surrounds the working housing, and the working housing is provided with an outlet aperture for oversize particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1982
    Assignee: Gebrueder Buehler AG
    Inventor: Roman Muller
  • Patent number: 4292890
    Abstract: A grain polishing and whitening machine, particularly adapted for treatment of rice, comprises a base box, housing means having first, second, third and fourth coaxially arranged housing sections, said second housing section being coaxially mounted on said first housing section such that it may be rotatably displaced with respect thereto, said third section being coaxially mounted on said second section, and said fourth section being coaxially mounted on said third section such that it can be rotatably displaced with respect thereto, concentric hollow rotor means extending through said first, second and third housing sections, grain feed means in said second housing section, screw conveyor means within said second housing section and having a helical rib lined with an abrasive layer, for displacing and rubbing said grains along said second housing section and into the third housing section, cylindrical indented screen means in said third housing section adjustable, diametrically opposed, diagonally fluted kni
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1981
    Inventor: Felipe Salete-Garces
  • Patent number: 4003303
    Abstract: Apparatus for shelling or husking cereals comprising a horizontally oriented rotatable drum, a perforated cylinder surrounding and spaced from the annular wall of the drum, a radial chamber on the inlet side of the drum, an annular chamber between the surface of the drum and the perforated cylinder, a collection chamber for the shells or husks outside the perforated cylinder, a collection chamber at the other end of the drum for the material that has been shelled or husked and a sealable lip at the downstream end of the perforated cylinder, the seal of which is adjustable to properly control the separation of the shelled material from the shells or husks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1977
    Assignee: Palyi-Hansen International Aps
    Inventor: Leslie Palyi