Electric heating – Inductive heating – With diverse-type heating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-23
2001-08-21
Leung, Philip H. (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Inductive heating
With diverse-type heating
C219S624000, C219S621000, C219S771000, C219S775000, C099SDIG014, C099S451000, C426S237000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278093
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an industrial apparatus to heat foodstuffs, particularly meat-products, by means of a radio frequency oscillating electromagnetic field. This invention particularly, but not exclusively, concerns an apparatus to heat, and as a particular case of heating, to cook, meat-products having considerable mass and volume, preferably placed into moulds, such as baked ham and alike.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Well-known radio frequency heating apparatus include an electric generator which produces a voltage oscillating at a predetermined frequency, typically established by international rules and equivalent to 6.78-13.56-27.12 or 40.68 MHz, and a capacitive or inductive application device transforming the oscillating voltage in an oscillating electric or magnetic field, respectively.
If the food products have a substantially dielectric behaviour, capacitive application devices are normally used which generate an oscillating electric field involving the food product. The dielectric loss within the product causes the heating thereof. On the contrary, if the food products substantially have a conductive behaviour, inductive application devices are normally used which generate an oscillating magnetic field involving the food product. The electric currents so induced to the conductive product cause the heating thereof.
Tests have been made on meat-products, such as hams, mainly made of meat, fats and salts. This combination of substances behaves in a way which is neither fully dielectric nor fully inductive. Particularly, it has been noted that if an electric field oscillating at 27.12 MHz is applied to a ham having a considerable mass, the electric field hardly penetrates the food product, thus heating quickly enough a layer which is about 2-3 cm thick, while the internal part of the products can not be heated satisfactorily. For this reason, the well-known apparatus operating according to the principle of the dielectric loss can effectively cook meat-products only when the mass and volume of said products are relatively small.
Another problem affecting the above-mentioned known apparatus is that the distance between the frame of the capacitive application device and the meat-products must be as little as possible. For this reason such apparatus are almost exclusively used to cook products having predetermined geometric shapes, usually a tubular shape.
Cooking tests have been made on meat-products having a considerable mass also by using apparatus having inductive application devices. In this case, it has been found that the products can be heated more quickly than by using the dielectric loss system but, however, it does not ensure a total penetration of the field into the mass of the meat-product because of the imperfect, incomplete and non-homogeneous conductive behaviour of the product.
This invention has the purpose to solve the problems encountered when cooking and/or heating by radio frequency meat-products by means of the well-known apparatus.
Another purpose of this invention is to provide an apparatus which may be easily and economically manufactured, used and maintained, and which may be used also in the case that foodstuffs must be placed into moulds having various shapes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above purposes, the invention concerns an apparatus to heat food products including a generator of voltage oscillating at a predetermined radio frequency and an application device to generate an electromagnetic field oscillating at the predetermined frequency. The electromagnetic field includes electric and magnetic components which combined, both act to heat at a uniform temperature the entire mass of a large-size food product.
The invention also concerns a container which is particularly proper to cook and/or heat meat-products in an apparatus as mentioned above.
An advantage of this invention is that the apparatus may be easily integrated within an industrial system to cook foodstuffs, particularly a system of continuous cooking. Furthermore, when this invention is applied to the cooking of hams, one of the advantages is the considerable reduction of the cooking time if compared to the traditional methods of steam-cooking and, more particularly, a reduction equivalent to at least 80%.
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Cavestro Manlio Ernesto
Iacovacci Vittorio
Cesare Fiorucci S.p.A.
Flynn ,Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P.C.
Leung Philip H.
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