IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0471653
(2012-05-15)
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등록번호 |
US-9955711
(2018-05-01)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- JBT Food & Dairy Systems B.V.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Christensen O'Connor Johnson Kindness PLLC
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
66 |
초록
▼
Apparatus and method for enhancing the flexibility and increasing throughput capacity while reducing cost and improving the quality of food and drink products within a continuous sterilization system using novel product carriers, in conjunction with unique user controllable product rotation and agit
Apparatus and method for enhancing the flexibility and increasing throughput capacity while reducing cost and improving the quality of food and drink products within a continuous sterilization system using novel product carriers, in conjunction with unique user controllable product rotation and agitation features, capable of handling novel as well as existing product containers, are described. A further aspect of the invention is a property of the uniquely designed product carrier to accommodate and optimally orientate said product containers. A final aspect of the invention is the further capability of individual product carriers to undertake any user-defined processing program including product pasteurization or product stabilization or product sterilization within an essentially continuous sterilization system.
대표청구항
▼
1. A method for processing foodstuff products packaged in a foodstuff product container, the processing occurring within a continuous heating and cooling system, the system having a heating stage, a sterilization stage, and a cooling stage, the method comprising: removably coupling product carriers
1. A method for processing foodstuff products packaged in a foodstuff product container, the processing occurring within a continuous heating and cooling system, the system having a heating stage, a sterilization stage, and a cooling stage, the method comprising: removably coupling product carriers to a conveyor for traveling through at least one of the heating stage, the sterilization stage, and the cooling stage, the product carriers capable of holding foodstuff product containers of differing materials, shapes, and sizes;positioning rotator protrusions on a strip within the heating, sterilization, and cooling stage(s) through which the product carriers are conveyed;coupling a rotator apparatus having protruding arms to the product carriers;differentially selecting one or more individual stages of the continuous heating and cooling system for processing the foodstuff products;conveying the product carriers through the selected stages;rotating the product carriers about an axis as the product carriers are conveyed through the at least one of the heating, sterilization and cooling stage(s) by the conveyor by engaging the protruding arms with the rotator protrusions positioned within heating, sterilization and cooling stage(s) through which the product carriers are conveyed;orienting the foodstuff product container within the product carriers in a manner that exposes the surface area of the foodstuff product container to facilitate thermal energy transfer from a thermal transfer media to the foodstuff products;controlling the rotation frequency of the product carrier during conveyance through the selected stage(s) of the continuous heating and cooling system by altering the number of engagements of the protruding arms of the rotator apparatus with the rotator protrusions within the selected stage(s) of the continuous heating and cooling system; andcontrolling the rotation amplitude of the product carrier during conveyance through the selected stage(s) of the continuous heating and cooling system by altering the distance between the strip and the axis, thereby altering a contact time of the protruding arms of the rotator apparatus with the rotator protrusions within the selected stage(s) of the continuous heating and cooling system,wherein the foodstuff products within the foodstuff product container are processed to facilitate the foodstuff products reaching a predetermined level of product stabilization, product quality, and microbial safety without modification to the stages of the continuous heating and cooling system. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of the product carriers causes agitation of the foodstuff products within the foodstuff product container, wherein the agitation is controlled through variation in one or more of the amplitude of rotation and frequency of rotation of the product carriers. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of bypassing travel of the product carriers through non-selected stage(s) by decoupling the product carriers from the conveyor. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein bypassing the non-selected stage(s) is achieved by decoupling an individual product carrier from the conveyor before the individual product carrier enters the heating, sterilizing, or cooling stage to be bypassed, moving the decoupled individual product carrier past the non-selected stage without entering the non-selected stage, and subsequently re-coupling the decoupled product carrier to the conveyor. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a required temperature of the foodstuff product for the heating, sterilization, or cooling stages is achieved by controlling at least one of a dwell time and a rotation speed for the product carriers within the heating, sterilization, or cooling stages. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined level of product stabilization, product quality, and microbial safety results in a foodstuff products state that requires less thermal processing than a sterilization process. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined level of product stabilization, product quality, and microbial safety results in a pasteurized foodstuff products state. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the continuous heating and cooling system is a hydrostatic sterilization system. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the hydrostatic sterilization system comprises a plurality of vertically elongated chambers. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotator apparatus includes a locking mechanism configured to prevent counter-rotation of the product carriers. 11. A method for processing foodstuff products packaged in containers of differing materials, shapes, and sizes using a hydrostatic system comprised of a plurality of vertically elongate chambers for heating and/or cooling the foodstuff products, the method comprising: removably coupling product carriers to a conveyor for traveling through the vertically elongate chambers, each product carrier capable of holding at least one container;positioning rotator protrusions on a strip mounted a distance from a wall of the vertically elongate chambers through which the product carriers are conveyed;coupling a rotator apparatus having protruding arms to each product carrier;differentially selecting one or more of the vertically elongate chambers of the hydrostatic system for processing the foodstuff products;conveying the product carrier through the selected vertically elongate chamber(s);rotating the product carrier as the product carrier is conveyed through the vertically elongate chamber(s) by the conveyor by engaging the protruding arms with the rotator protrusions positioned within the vertically elongate chamber(s) through which the product carriers are conveyed;orienting the container(s) within the product carrier in a manner that exposes the surface area of the container(s) to facilitate thermal energy transfer from a thermal transfer media to the foodstuff products; andcontrolling the rotation frequency of the product carrier during conveyance through the selected vertically elongate chamber(s) by altering the number of engagements of the protruding arms of the rotator apparatus with the rotator protrusions within the selected vertically elongate chamber(s); andcontrolling the rotation amplitude of the product carrier during conveyance through the selected stage(s) of the continuous heating and cooling system by altering the distance between the strip and the wall, thereby altering a contact time of the protruding arms of the rotator apparatus with the rotator protrusions within the selected stage(s) of the continuous heating and cooling system,wherein the foodstuff products within the container are processed to facilitate the foodstuff products reaching a predetermined level of product stabilization, product quality, and microbial safety without modification to the plurality of vertically elongate chambers of the hydrostatic system. 12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of bypassing travel of the product carrier through non-selected vertically elongate chamber(s) by decoupling the product carrier from the conveyor. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein bypassing the non-selected vertically elongate chamber(s) is achieved by decoupling an individual product carrier from the continuous conveyor before the individual product carrier enters the vertically elongate chamber(s) to be bypassed, moving the decoupled individual product carrier past the non-selected vertically elongate chamber(s) without entering the non-selected vertically elongate chamber(s), and subsequently coupling the decoupled product carrier to the continuous conveyor. 14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the rotation of the product carrier causes agitation of the foodstuff products within the foodstuff product container, wherein the agitation is controlled through variation in one or more of the amplitude of rotation and frequency of rotation of the product carrier. 15. The method according to claim 11, wherein a required temperature of the foodstuff product for the predetermined level of product stabilization, product quality, and microbial safety is achieved by controlling at least one of a dwell time and a rotation speed for the product carrier within the plurality of vertically elongate chambers. 16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined level of product stabilization, product quality, and microbial safety results in a foodstuff products state that requires less thermal processing than a sterilization process. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined level of product stabilization, product quality, and microbial safety results in a pasteurized foodstuff products state. 18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the rotator apparatus includes a locking mechanism configured to prevent counter-rotation of the product carrier.
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