Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Processes – Separating a starting material into plural different...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-17
2002-04-16
Weier, Anthony (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Processes
Separating a starting material into plural different...
C426S472000, C426S643000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06372275
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drying boiled seafood and, more specifically, to an apparatus wherein boiled seafood product, such as shrimp and crayfish, will be deposited through an intake port onto a conveyance whereupon said seafood product will be evenly distributed by mechanical means. While traveling along a conveyor belt made from a mesh-like material the product will be dried by a forced air heating system having one or more blowers to direct the heated air in the most advantageous pattern based on the size and shape of the apparatus until arriving at the apex of the conveyor system which may have means for funneling the seafood product into a smaller area. The seafood product will then be subjected by a vacuum member to an amount of vacuum, which can vary over the complete drying cycle time span, that will transport some of the seafood product based on weight which is relative to size, for further processing to the peeling device, and wherein the remainder of the seafood product will be dropped through a chute where it will be deposited again on the conveyor belt on a lower point. This process will continue until the drying cycle time is complete and all of the seafood product has been vacuumed into the peeling device. It should be noted that the introduction of vacuum to the seafood product by the vacuum member can occur in one or more places between the apex of the conveyor system and the free fall return of the product to a lower point on the conveying system. Furthermore, an alternate embodiment is provided wherein the boiled seafood product is introduced into the top of an apparatus, again having means for providing heated forced air into the apparatus by one or more blowers and time variable vacuum means for sorting the seafood product and wherein said apparatus having a number of horizontally stacked conveyor members. Each lower conveyor member extends beyond the end of the upper conveyor member for the purpose of supplying a platform for receiving the seafood product as it drops off of the upper conveyor as it travels from the highest horizontal conveyor member to the lowest horizontal conveyor member where it will be collected by an unspecified mechanical or manual means and returned to the introduction port of the apparatus at the point of the highest conveyor member.
An additional alternate embodiment is provided wherein the boiled seafood product is introduced into the driving apparatus and having been dried by is removed and transported by vacuum means to an apparatus for shelling dried shrimp. The apparatus comprising an outer container and an inner container wherein said vacuum means deposits the seafood into the inner container where the seafood is turned by a rotating blade which loosens the shells from the seafood. The shells are drawn by vacuum means into collecting containers for appropriate disposal. This procedure forms an integral part of a completely automated system for removing the shells from a seafood product. Furthermore dried product can also be transported to tumble type peelers that are being used at the present time. Product can be loaded by size or the dryers can be unloaded partially or totally wet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other conveyor type driers. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,807 issued to Ginther on Sep. 14, 1954. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 998,236 was issued to DeToy and Shepard on Jul. 18, 1911 and still yet another was issued on Jan. 11, 1983 to Onodera as U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,596.
Another patent was issued to Moscow Meat Dairy Inst. on Jan. 25, 1978 as Patent No. 591669. Yet another German Patent No. 387439 was issued to Raeber on Dec. 28, 1923 and still yet another was issued on Feb. 17, 1976 to Alfred et al. as U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,651.
Another patent was issued to Confectionery Ind. on Aug. 6, 1979 as U.S. Pat. No. 676,836. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 1,017,723 was issued to Woodbridge on Feb. 20, 1912 still yet another was issued on Sep. 4, 1883 to Towle as U.S. Pat. No. 284,579.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,807
Inventor: James H. Ginther
Issued: Sep. 14, 1954
This United States Patent discloses a device for simultaneously drying and conveying including a vertical helical vibrating conveyor, a vertical helical baffle coaxial and of equal pitch with said conveyor, the outer edge of said conveyor abutting the inner edge of said baffle, and means for supplying heated air to said dryer and conveying apparatus.
Furthermore having means for enclosing said conveyor and baffle, an inlet substantially adjacent the bottom of said conveyor for delivering material to be dried and an outlet substantially adjacent the top of said conveyor for discharging the dried material and means for directing said heated air counter-current to the flow of said material being dried.
U.S. Pat. No. 998,236
Inventor: Louis DeToy et al.
Issued: Jul. 18, 1911
This United States Patent discloses an apparatus for steaming, drying and cooling having a continuous spirally arranged exposing surface arranged about a vertical axis and means for directly depositing the material over the entire surface.
In addition said apparatus having a casing, a drum therein rotatable on a vertical axis, means for depositing material on the exposing surface, means in advance of the depositing means for removing the previously deposited material and means for maintaining a given condition of atmosphere within the casing.
Furthermore said apparatus having a feed table for depositing material on the surface and means for moving the feed-table in time with the progression of the spiral and means for directing current of air across the exposing surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,596
Inventor: Hirohumi Onodera
Issued: Jan. 11, 1983
A drying apparatus includes a rotary drum having a vertical axis and adapted for one-way revolution. A conveyor is spirally wound round the rotary drum and driven thereby. A casing covers the conveyor, with a chamber provided between the inner surface of the casing and the outer side of the conveyor, and the casing surrounding the whole or a part of the circumference of the conveyor. Hot blast is supplied to the chamber. Blast pipes connected to the chamber blow the hot blast upon the upper and lower surfaces of the conveyor.
Soviet Union Patent Number 591.669
Inventor: Moscow Meat Dairy Institute
Issued: Jan. 25, 1978
This patent discloses a drier comprising a vertical cylindrical chamber with a mechanism for transporting griddles with material along a spiral trajectory and heating elements inside the chamber. The transporting mechanism is in the form of two co-axial guides connected by radial spokes and a guide mechanism along the axis of the chamber. The griddles are sector-shaped with a recess for the guide on the inner cylindrical surface.
German Republic Patent Number 387,439
Inventor: Dr. Arnold Raeber
Issued: Dec. 28, 1923
This patent discloses a vertical cylindrical apparatus having a vertical cylindrical chamber therein having a spiral conveyance with an intake feedway positioned at the bottom of said apparatus for depositing material onto said conveyor whereby said material is conveyed to the apex of said conveyor wherein it is deposited onto a spiral shaped chute having egress means substantially adjacent said intake feedway.
U.S. Pat. No 3,938,651
Inventor: P. Allan Alfred et al.
Issued: Feb. 17, 1976
In a conveying device with an endless conveyor belt, for the conveyance of products, the conveyor belt is adapted, over a part of its length, to follow a path comprising a number of superimposed, helically extending belt tiers. To this end, the conveyor belt comprises mutually articulated and interadjustable link means consisting of a bottom part and links disposed at the ends thereof and forming the two sides of the belt. The links on the two sides of the endless conveyor belt are formed as spacers whose upper edge portions are adapted to bear against the lower edge portions of the links, likewise formed as spacers, disposed on the two sides of the overlying tier of the
Kroll Michael I.
Weier Anthony
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