Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Processes – Preparation of product which is dry in final form
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-28
2003-05-06
Yeung, George C. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Processes
Preparation of product which is dry in final form
C034S371000, C034S576000, C034S586000, C034S591000, C099S323500, C099S474000, C099S483000, C426S467000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06558726
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a roasting apparatus, and more particularly to a roasting apparatus for roasting nuts, cocoa beans, coffee beans, and other small food stuffs, the roasting apparatus comprising catalytic elements and a means of mixing the nuts or beans to significantly reduce or eliminate the unpleasant odors, gases and smoke generated in the roasting process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Roasted coffee beans lose their freshness very quickly. However, raw green coffee beans remain fresh almost indefinitely. When raw green coffee beans are roasted to a dark brown color, the roasting gives off a very foul, pungent smell and generates smoke that would be considered unpleasant in a household environment. Most prior art household coffee bean roasting apparatus have several disadvantages, such as roasting only a small amount of coffee beans, non-uniformity in roasting, and the emission of foul odors and smoke during the roasting process. Perhaps the greatest challenge to controlling these odors is the common use of high air velocities of hot air to heat and mix the beans in prior art devices. The prior art household coffee bean roasting apparatus that use the high air velocities of hot air to generate large volumes of exhaust gases in order to “float” and circulate the beans in a similar manner to hot air popcorn poppers in order to uniformly roast the coffee beans. The coffee bean roasting apparatus of the present invention roasts a larger amount of coffee beans than the prior art, roasts the beans more uniformly, and eliminates the roasting odors and smoke associated with the roasting process.
It has long been known by commercial coffee roasting professionals and coffee enthusiasts that the smell of roasting raw coffee beans is typically regarded as unpleasant. Especially in the latter stages of roasting, the beans exude substantial quantities of oils and particulate matter as a byproduct of caramelization and pyrolysis, which can impart an unpleasant odor during roasting. Many attempts have been made to reduce or control these odors and waste gases by way of filtration, burning, and/or venting.
While some of these attempts have proved successful for commercial roasting operations, efforts to control exhaust gases in a household environment have been unsuccessful.
The filtration of exhaust gases is a problem. Given the minute particle size of coffee bean roasting exhaust gases, very fine filtration media is required to materially reduce escaping gases. Filters meeting or exceeding the Department of Energy's (DOE) High-Efficient Particulate Air (HEPA) standards are required. These filters require considerable pressurization for the exhaust gases to pass through. Therefore, the filters would require loud, powerful and expensive blowers to meet the pressurization requirements. Also, since these relatively large, expensive filters cannot be cleaned or reused, the high cost of regularly replacing these filters seriously limits their attractiveness to the average household consumer.
The combustion of exhaust gases is also a problem. Open flame combustion of exhaust gases is commonly used in commercial roasting operations. In this method, natural gas is forced into a combustion chamber where it is ignited and mixed with the roasting exhaust gases before being released into the atmosphere. Although this method is effective and popular in commercial roasting operations, it is clearly impractical for the home coffee bean roasting enthusiast. Catalytic elements similar to those found in automotive pollution control equipment have also been used in commercial coffee roasting operations, but are less popular than the open flame method, primarily due to the high cost of the precious metals used to coat the catalytic elements. The prior art household coffee bean roasters that use high air velocities of hot air generate large volumes of exhaust gases that would require very large catalytic elements to adequately burn off the exhaust gases, making them impractical for household use.
The venting of exhaust gases is a further problem. Historically this method has been the most common. However, given increasing concerns over air quality, most municipalities no longer permit commercial coffee bean roasting operations to release waste gases into the atmosphere without pretreatment. Most household coffee bean roasting apparatus have long used this method as their only option. Consequently, many coffee bean roasting devices are only used outdoors or near an open window. Needless to say, in many parts of the country roasting coffee beans near an open window or outdoors is not feasible for much of the year. Many manufacturers advise against using their product indoors unless adequate venting is available. However, many homes do not have adequate venting available. Indeed, experience has shown that most consumer kitchen vents cannot keep up with the exhaust gases generated from the typical home coffee bean roasting apparatus.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a roasting apparatus that roasts a larger amount of coffee beans than most prior art household devices, roasts the beans uniformly, and significantly reduces or eliminates the roasting odors and smoke associated with the roasting process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the problems associated with prior art roasting appliances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a roasting apparatus, which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a roasting apparatus that significantly reduces or eliminates the unpleasant odors associated with in-home coffee bean roasting.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a roasting apparatus that provides an effective means of mixing the beans during roasting by using an auger to greatly reduce the amount of heated air required for the roasting process, while at the same time greatly reducing the amount of odiferous exhaust gases generated.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a roasting apparatus that directs is exhaust gases from the roasting process past a collection member to capture the chaff and dust carried in the exhaust gases as they flow around the perimeter of the collection member.
It is yet another object of the present invention is to provide a roasting apparatus having a filter across the exhaust gas airflow to prevent dust and chaff from escaping the roasting chamber and clogging the catalytic elements.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a roasting apparatus that channels the exhaust gases through a second heating element to elevate the exhaust gas temperature to over 700 degrees Fahrenheit to provide proper operating temperatures to the catalytic elements.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a roasting apparatus that channels the exhaust gases through catalytic elements to burn off particulates, smoke, oils or other materials contained in the exhaust gases.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a roasting apparatus that mixes the heated exhaust gases with room temperature air prior to expelling the combined air stream from the roasting apparatus, thereby preventing heat damage to the operator or other objects in the environment. These and other objects are met by the roasting apparatus of the present invention.
The present invention is directed to a roasting apparatus, such as a coffee bean roasting apparatus, for roasting granular material, such as nuts, cocoa beans and coffee beans. The roasting apparatus includes a base, a motor and afterburner assembly attached to the top of the base on one side thereof, a roasting assembly attached to the top of the base on the other side thereof, and a top cover assembly removably attached to the tops of the motor and afterburner assembly and the roasting assembly.
Preferably mounted within the base of the roasting apparatus is a blower assembly coupled to an electric motor for providing airflow through the ro
Drumm Wesley C.
Erickson Chad S.
Baxter William K.
Godfrey & Kahn S.C.
The Metal Ware Corporation
Yeung George C.
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