Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – Post-primary-alcoholic fermentation operations
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-31
2001-08-28
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
Post-primary-alcoholic fermentation operations
C099S277000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279457
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to automatic fermentation tanks, particularly for making red wine.
In particular, the invention relates to a fermentation tank of the type comprising a main tank for holding the must, an upper tank disposed above the main tank, means for periodically supplying a portion of the must from the bottom of the main tank to the upper tank, valve means defining, with the base of the upper tank, an out-flow aperture the size of which is variable between a closed position and a fully-open position and which can discharge the must from the upper tank to the main tank so as to spray the layer of marc (typically called the hat) floating on the must held in the main tank, and actuator means associated with the valve means for the opening and closure thereof.
In known fermentation tanks, the valve means comprise a rod closure element with a plate and the actuator means comprise a pneumatic piston arranged to move the closure element with a reciprocating linear motion between the open and closed positions or between predetermined open positions.
The subject of the present invention is an improvement to known fermentation tanks directed particularly towards the object of improving the spraying of the hat of marc in the course of the fermentation process.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fermentation tank which has a lower production cost, at the same time improving its operative flexibility, enabling the spraying and the wetting of the hat to be varied or modulated in dependence on the conditions which arise in the course of fermentation.
In view of these objects, the subject of the invention is a fermentation tank of the type mentioned above, characterized in that the actuator means associated with the valve means comprise an electrically operated actuator, a control and operating unit also optionally being provided and arranged to define, by means of the actuator means, the position of the valve means and/or the rules governing the opening/closure movement thereof.
The electrically operated actuator may comprise devices driven directly or indirectly (by means of mechanical transmissions) by direct-current or alternating-current motors, solenoids, electromagnets, or the like.
In a preferred embodiment, the fermentation tank also comprises a position detector or encoder which cooperates with the actuator means in order to send a signal representative of the position of the valve means to the control and operating unit, the control and operating unit being arranged to operate the actuator means in dependence on the signal received.
By virtue of the use of an electromagnetically operated actuator, the opening position of the valve means can be defined precisely and the speed of the movement of the valve means between predetermined opening positions or between the fully-open position and the closed position can also be regulated; since the area of the aperture for the out-flow of the liquid from the upper tank to the main tank varies in dependence on the opening position of the valve means, it is consequently possible to vary the flow-rate and the configuration, particularly the size, of the jet sprayed onto the hat of marc; moreover, the head of liquid in the upper tank varies according to the speed of the opening travel of the valve means and it is therefore also possible to vary the spraying flow-rate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4969391 (1990-11-01), Haulot
patent: 2 405 300 (1978-10-01), None
patent: 2489837 (1981-03-01), None
patent: 2489709 (1982-03-01), None
patent: 2767531 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 2767532 (1998-08-01), None
Alexander Reginald L.
Gimar Tecno S.R.L.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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