Solid material comminution or disintegration – Apparatus – Including means applying fluid to material
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-06
2004-02-24
Rosenbaum, Mark (Department: 3725)
Solid material comminution or disintegration
Apparatus
Including means applying fluid to material
C241S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06695238
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with improvement in a device for pulverizing desiccated bulk products such as foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth. More particularly, it relates to a pulverizer for desiccated bulk products obtained from liquid material which has completed its desiccation in a drying means for freeze-drying foodstuffs, medicaments, etc. adjusted in their liquid form, followed by subjecting the same to desiccating treatment in drying chamber (desiccating compartment) of a freeze-drying apparatus.
b) Description of Prior Arts
Conventionally, pulverization of desiccated products (dried bulk products) obtained from liquid material of foodstuffs, medicaments, etc. has usually been done in such a manner that the liquid material as adjusted from starting materials is filled in a container or vessel such as trays, etc., followed by placing the container and the liquid material therein in the desiccating chamber (drying compartment) of a freeze-drying apparatus to cause the liquid material to freeze in the container, then sublimation heat is imparted to the liquid material as frozen, under the vacuum condition, to thereby sublimate the moisture content in the material. And, by further capturing the water vapor into a vacuum-discharge type cold-trap which communicates to the desiccating chamber, the liquid material is subjected to freeze-drying. After this, the desiccated product resulted from the liquid material which has completed its desiccation is taken out of the drying chamber for each and every container, and this desiccated product is discharged outside the container as the desiccated bulk product, which is then thrown into a pulverizing apparatus to be reduced to very fine powder.
The above-described pulverizing means for the desiccated product obtained from the liquid material of foodstuffs, medicaments, etc., which has been freeze-dried by the freeze-drying apparatus, possesses troublesome problems such that, for securing maintenance of sterilized condition and prevention of contamination risk, with respect to the intended powder product, it requires to pass through a step of carrying the desiccated product, as dried, from the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus, together with the container therefor; a step of taking out the desiccated product from the container as transported in its bulky configuration; and a step of throwing the desiccated bulk product as taken outside into the intake port of the pulverizing device, each step having to be carried out in its state of being isolated from the external atmosphere, even though loading of the liquid material into the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus is effected in such state isolated from the external atmosphere.
In reality, however, pulverization of the desiccated bulk product obtained from the liquid material, which has completed its drying, is almost impossible in view of the structure of the freeze-drying apparatus. To so desire is next to impossible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made with a view to solving the abovementioned problems which were inherent in the conventional means, and aims at providing improved device which, in substance, is capable of carrying out pulverization of the desiccated bulk product obtained from the liquid material which has been freeze-dried within the main body of the freeze-drying apparatus.
In order to attain the abovementioned objective, the device according to the present invention has been completed on the basis of findings obtained from various studies and experiments about the construction of the freeze-drying apparatus as well as the shapes and properties of the desiccated bulk products obtained from the liquid material which has completed its desiccation.
That is to say, findings and knowledge obtained by the present inventor about the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus is such that, if and when it is constructed in the form of an upright cylindrical tube, on the inner wall surface of which the liquid material is made to freeze in a molded frozen body of a hollow cylindrical form, then the water content (moisture) in this molded frozen body is sublimated under the vacuum conditions, followed by capturing the vapor by a vacuum exhaust type cold-trap connected to the upper end side of the tube, the desiccated product of the molded cylindrical frozen body which has completed its desiccation within the tube readily drops downward from the tube interior due to its dead weight, and that the desiccated product (dried bulk product) of the molded frozen body which has completed its desiccation within the tube is remarkably brittle, which is liable to be easily crushed even under a slight shock, and can be reduced to fine powder even by blowing of pressurized air to be ejected from a jet nozzle.
Therefore, when a discharge port, opening downward at the time of freeze-drying the molded frozen body of the liquid material which has been frozen in a hollow cylindrical shape, is defined at the bottom end side of the upright cylindrical tube intended to form the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus, and, as soon as the molded frozen body of the liquid material completes its desiccation within the tube interior, a jet current to be ejected from the jet nozzle which is provided on the inner wall surface of the cylindrical wall of the tube or the axis position of the tube is blown from the side of the inner bore or the outer periphery of the cylindrical molded frozen body against the molded frozen body of the liquid material which had completed its desiccation in the tube interior, there could be obtained a result such that the molded frozen body of the liquid material which has completed its desiccation was crushed and comminuted in the tube interior to become able to be taken out of the discharge port at the lower end side of the tube.
And, at this time, a pressurized fluid nozzle for ejecting pressurized air or gas is installed at the side of the upper end of the tube of the upright cylindrical tube to constitute the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus, or at the side of the base end of the duct to be connected to its upper end side, in such a manner that the pressurized fluid ejected from the nozzle may flow in and through the tube in the direction of from its upper part to its lower part. As soon as the freeze-drying of the molded frozen body of the liquid material within the tube is completed, this pressurized fluid nozzle is actuated to bring about a state where the pressurized fluid flows in and through the tube toward the discharge port to cause jet current to be ejected from the jet nozzle provided at the axial part in the inner bore of the tube, or in the inner wall surface of the cylindrical wall of the tube, to crush the molded frozen body which has completed desiccation, whereupon there was obtained a result such that the comminuted product of the molded frozen body which has been crushed within the tube becomes able to be taken outside, with high efficiency, along with the discharge port at the lower end side of the tube.
From the above, as the expedient for attaining the abovementioned object, the present invention provides a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in a freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, wherein the freeze-drying apparatus comprises: upright cylindrical tube for freezing liquid material onto the inner wall surface; a jacket surrounding the outer periphery of the tube to cause heat medium to circulate in its interior; and a duct communicatively connected to a vacuum exhaust system which is connected to the upper end side of the tube, the liquid material being frozen on the inner wall surface of the tube as a molded frozen body in a cylindrical form, then the moisture content in the material of the molded frozen body being sublimated under the vacuum condition to desiccate the liquid material by the freeze-drying. In such freeze-drying apparatus, the discharge port is
Inoki Masahiro
Yoshidomi Tsunehiro
Browdy and Neimark , P.L.L.C.
Kyowa Vacuum Engineering Co. Ltd.
Nguyen J
Rosenbaum Mark
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