Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Automatic control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-20
2001-12-11
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Automatic control
C099S330000, C099S336000, C099S348000, C099S404000, C099S407000, C099S440000, C099S44300R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327966
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to an apparatus for boiling eggs, and more particularly to an apparatus of a type having a container for receiving heated water, and a transport unit for advancing eggs to be boiled through the water in the container, whereby water is conducted through the container in a loop and maintained continuously at a desired temperature by a heat exchanger.
Apparatuses of this type are used commercially to boil large amounts of eggs for commercial production of, for example, egg salad, potato salad or the like. For economical reasons, such apparatus should operate at high output, e.g. for boiling thousands of eggs per hour. Conventional apparatuses for boiling eggs have shortcomings because of their very complex structure and overall great dimensions.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved egg boiling apparatus which obviates prior art shortcomings and has a compact size and is simple in structure while yet operates at high performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for an apparatus for boiling eggs, including a trough-shaped duct defined by a longitudinal axis and receiving heated water, a screw conveyor supported in the channel for rotation about an axis of rotation, with the screw conveyor configured for advancing eggs to be boiled from a feed station on one end of the duct to a discharge station on another end of the duct through the water in the duct, and a water-circulating system for circulating water through the duct, with the water-circulating system including a heat exchanger for continuously maintaining the water at a desired temperature, and provided with a plurality of water inlet ports spaced over a length of the duct and directed transversely to the longitudinal axis, whereby the water inlet ports terminate in the duct underneath the axis of rotation of the screw conveyor.
An apparatus for boiling eggs in accordance with the present invention has many advantages. For one, the duct required for boiling the eggs can have a compact size as the effective boiling time, commensurate with the retention period of the eggs in the heated water, can be determined by the rotation speed and transport capacity of the screw conveyor, regardless of the length of the duct. As a consequence of its simple configuration, the apparatus is also less susceptible to failure even when operated over an extended period. Moreover, the arrangement of the water inlet ports in accordance with the present invention prevents a wedging of eggs because the eggs are continuously exposed to a water stream. Thus, even when a relatively great number of eggs amass between individual turns of the screw conveyor, the eggs are prevented from pushing one another out of the heated water, so that the eggs are assured from being immersed continuously in the heated water during their passage through the duct.
According to another feature of the present invention, the duct has at least one water return port adjacent the feed station at least in an area of a first, complete screw turn of the screw conveyor. Thus, the water return port is provided in the area of the duct that is in proximity of the entry of the eggs. As a consequence of the water circulation, the comparably lowest water temperature is applied in the feed zone of the eggs, thereby reducing the risk that eggs crack, when dipping into the hot water. Moreover, since the water return port is shifted forwardly to such a degree as to be positioned at least in the area of the first, complete screw turn of the screw conveyor, strong turbulences are avoided that could interfere with a pick-up of the eggs by the screw conveyor, thereby eliminating the risk that a number of eggs will not reach, or only at substantial delay, into the engagement area of the screw conveyor.
According to another feature of the present invention, the screw conveyor has one end adjacent to the discharge station, with this one end carrying scoop-like discharge blades for moving boiled eggs out of the duct to a subsequent transport unit. The discharge blades operate in synchronism with the working speed of the screw conveyor so that boiled eggs are discharged at the working speed of the screw conveyor from the duct and the water bath.
According to another feature of the present invention, eggs to be boiled are introduced in controlled manner into the duct via a rotary feeder, positioned in an area of the feed station, and an inlet chute, extending tangent to the rotary feeder into a bottom zone of the duct at an inclination to a vertical.
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patent: 5802961 (1998-09-01), Hay et al.
patent: 6234066 (2001-05-01), Zittel et al.
Feiereisen Henry M.
Simone Timothy F.
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